RTHK: New blow for UK's Johnson as Brexit chief quits

British Brexit minister David Frost resigned on Saturday over disillusionment with the direction of Boris Johnson's government, dealing a major blow to the embattled prime minister as the Omicron variant sweeps the country.

The resignation of Frost, a core architect of Johnson's tumultuous Brexit strategy, raised questions about the future tone of the EU divorce and the immediate course of talks on Northern Ireland. It also added to a sense of turmoil in Johnson's Conservative government.

Frost said he was confident that Brexit was secure, but said he had concerns about the government's direction.

"You know my concerns about the current direction of travel," Frost told Johnson in a letter released by Downing Street.

"I hope we will move as fast as possible to where we need to get to: a lightly regulated, low tax, entrepreneurial economy, at the cutting edge of modern science and economic change."

His resignation was first reported by The Mail on Sunday, which said it was triggered by Johnson's tougher Covid restrictions but also by a broader discontent with tax rises and the cost of environmental policies.

Frost said he had agreed with Johnson earlier this month to leave in January, but because his move had been leaked it should happen with immediate effect.

"We also need to learn to live with Covid," Frost said. "I hope we can get back on track soon and not be tempted by the kind of coercive measures we have seen elsewhere."

Johnson said he was sorry to receive Frost's resignation.

The departure of the British government's most senior Brexit negotiator comes on top of warnings from some of his Johnson's own Conservative Party lawmakers that he must improve his leadership or face a challenge.

Johnson, who won a landslide election victory in December 2019, is facing the biggest crisis of his premiership after a litany of scandals and missteps, which his opponents say show he is unfit to be prime minister.

He has faced a barrage of criticism since a video emerged showing his staff laughing and joking about a Downing Street party during a 2020 Christmas lockdown when such festivities were banned.

Downing Street had denied a party took place. Britain's top civil servant, Simon Case, has stepped down from leading the investigation into alleged parties after it was disclosed that an event had been held in his own office.

The loss of a parliamentary seat in an election defeat in a Conservative stronghold earlier this week showed public dismay over the litany of scandals and stepped up pressure on Johnson. (Reuters)

This story has been published on: 2021-12-19. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Hong Kong: CS appeals to people to vote

Chief Secretary John Lee called on electors to vote, noting that people who act against Hong Kong's interests will be excluded in the Legislative Council General Election under the principle of patriots administering Hong Kong.

Mr Lee made these remarks after voting this morning.

He said there were legislators who sabotaged the Legislative Council sessions and delayed the process of scrutinising legislation or funding applications in the past.

So these people who had been excluded under the principle of 'patriots administering Hong Kong' will be trying their best to make today's election not a success.

We have to ensure that they will not succeed so we will make the election a success. That is why we need to come out to vote.

This story has been published on: 2021-12-19. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Hong Kong: CE inspects polling flow

Chief Executive Carrie Lam visited the Convention & Exhibition Centre today to inspect the Legislative Council General Election Election Committee constituency polling station.

Mrs Lam was accompanied by the Secretary for Constitutional & Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang and Electoral Affairs Commission Chairman Barnabas Fung. Mr Fung briefed her on the counting facility at the polling station.

Mrs Lam then visited the election's Central Command Centre to inspect its operation.

She also went to a polling station at Yan Chai Hospital Law Chan Chor Si College for further inspection.

This story has been published on: 2021-12-19. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Hong Kong: Poll plan satisfactory: Barnabas Fung

Electoral Affairs Commission Chairman Barnabas Fung today said he was satisfied with the arrangements at the polling stations of the Legislative Council General Election.

Mr Fung made the remarks after visiting a number of ordinary and dedicated polling stations on the election day.

He noted that as at 4.30pm today, 940,327 Geographical Constituency electors had cast their votes, bringing the accumulative total turnout rate to 21.02%.

A total of 1,353 Election Committee Constituency electors and 47,339 Functional Constituency voters cast their votes, bringing the accumulative total turnout rate to 93.44% and 21.63%.

Mr Fung also updated reporters that the polling hours at three more polling stations were extended, apart from those that were announced by the commission earlier in the afternoon.

He explained that the operation of the Electronic Poll Register had been temporarily suspended at these three stations.

The polling station at Tsing Yi Trade Association Primary School had a network connection problem. The one at Kowloon Technical School encountered a power failure, while the Buddhist Lim Kim Tian Memorial Primary School polling station had to reboot the machine.

All the suspensions were within about 10 minutes. In accordance with established practice, the respective 10 minutes or so will be added back to the polling time of the respective stations at 10.30pm, Mr Fung said.

This story has been published on: 2021-12-19. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Hanoi go-karting fulfils the need for speed

A go-kart track in Hanoi's Thanh Tri District has become popular.









The mini track is some 5,000 square metres and has 10 go-karts.





Andy Bell, a customer from the UK came to the track with a group of friends.









"I'm here with many lovely people to go-karting in Hanoi," he said. "We've been here before and now weve returned because its so good. My friends are not very good at driving but theyre fun people and they enjoyed it very much too."



Another racer, Shona from Scotland said that she found Go Karting was a bit dangerous but a lot of fun.









"I felt a bit scared at first but it is very safe," she said. "It's my first time here but I love it. I'll come back again."



Tran Minh Hieu, manager of the go-kart race, said that the track has attracted many people who love speed.



"Go-Kart arrived in Vietnam late compared to Thailand or Malaysia," he said. "But we are attracting a good number of customers right after opening. The current fee for a 30-minute race is VND 187,000 per person on a weekday and VND 239,000 per person on weekend.
Iron and steel exports exceed US$10 billion for first time

Vietnamese iron and steel exports during the opening 11 months of the year enjoyed impressive growth with an export value exceeding US$10 billion, according to figures given by the Vietnam Steel Association (VSA).



Hoa Phat group is one of the enterprises that have taken full advantage of market opportunities to increase iron and steel exports.




OVs in Italy, Ukraine support COVID-19-hit children

The Italy  Vietnam Cultural Bridge Association in Italy and the Vietnamese community in Cyprus have raised 5,000 EUR in support of Vietnamese children who lost their parents to COVID-19 pandemic.

At the event (Photo: VNA)





The sum was donated by Vietnamese philanthropists in Italy and sent to 34 orphans in Ho Chi Minh Citys districts 7, 8 and Binh Chanh, including four scholarships worth 10 million VND each and 30 gifts.



On December 17 morning, the Vietnamese Association in the Ukrainian province of Odessa and the Odessa Town Hall presented gifts to childrens hospital No.3 in Odessa city.



Director of the hospital Elena Archemova thanked the Vietnamese Honorary Consular Office and association for their timely gift amid the pandemic. She added that the hospital recently opened a COVID-19 treatment department for children with 120 beds.
U.S. supply chain crunch drags world down

Xinhua) 10:58, December 19, 2021

Trucks wait to load containers at the port of Los Angeles, California, the United States, on Oct. 22, 2021. (Xinhua)

The U.S. supply chain crisis has grabbed global headlines as ships continue to dawdle at ports in the state of California.

Shipping companies have reportedly prioritized sending empty containers from the United States to China, while cutting shipping capacity to Japan and other countries for higher profits on routes between the United States and Asia.

Analysts said that the Asia-Pacific region and even the whole world have been plagued by the U.S. supply chain disruptions, which have triggered a chain reaction and severely challenged the recovery of the global economy.

The import and export sectors are paying the price.

Freight costs are up 30 percent from last year, Norman Krug, a U.S. farmer from Chapman, Nebraska, said at a Senate hearing, adding that the chaos has led to higher logistics costs and longer shipping times.

At the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, long queues of ships are a common sight, and tens of thousands of containers full of goods cannot go ashore.

In mid-August, the wait time for each freighter to unload was six days at the Port of Los Angeles; today, the time is 10 to 12 days.

From January to October this year, the total sea container volume from Asia to the United States increased by 23.9 percent year-on-year. Freight per 20-foot equivalent units on China-U.S. routes soared from 1,500 U.S. dollars in 2019 to 28,000 dollars this summer, and remains as high as about 8,400 dollars, according to Descartes Datamyne, a U.S. company specializing in logistics and supply chain solutions.

Professor Dale Rogers with Arizona State University said the monthly U.S. Logistics Managers' Index, which reached 73.4 in November, showed continued supply chain strains, and that the warehouse price index, a key sub-index, reached an all-time high.

Australian economist Guo Shengxiang said the United States, as the world's largest economy, has become a major demerit in global supply chains, dragging down its economic and trade partners and causing immeasurable damage to the world economy.

Many industry analysts point to the U.S. government as the source of the problem.

The current disruptions began with the Donald Trump administration's trade frictions, which have caused severe supply and demand volatility, particularly a surge in U.S. imports from China, reported Forbes magazine.

U.S. merchants, at first, increased their inventory before the U.S. imposed tariffs on Chinese products, and then continued to stock up to prevent an escalation in trade frictions. U.S. companies have become more dependent on Chinese goods due to the COVID-19 pandemic, making the China-U.S. routes busier.

"What we've seen with the surge in imports is that it is a 5:1 ratio: five imports that come for every one export," Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka was cited by Time magazine as saying. "So that means that the biggest export is air."

John Butler, CEO of the World Shipping Council, said the current crisis is not rooted in shipping companies but in uncertain and contradictory U.S. policies.

Experts said the crisis involves a wide range of issues and is difficult to resolve in the short term.

First, due to a huge fiscal stimulus, holiday consumption and other factors, the demand for U.S. imports from Asia continues to grow, which reflects the deep integration of the China-U.S. economies, and that the strong demand from the United States will result in more pressure on international shipping.

Second, as the total number of COVID-19 cases in the United States surpassed 50 million and the death toll from the disease topped 800,000, the country's bleak COVID-19 reality will intensify already-strained supply chains.

Moreover, the structural problem of U.S. logistics remains unchanged and the shortage of truck drivers has not improved. According to the American Trucking Associations, the country is short of 80,000 drivers, with the shortage expected to balloon in the future.

Gu Qingyang, an associate professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy of the National University of Singapore, said the U.S. supply chain crisis is likely to continue, and countries should make early preparations to avoid more harm.

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Chinese FM hails contribution of departing SCO secretary-general

Xinhua) 11:08, December 19, 2021

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Secretary-General Vladimir Norov in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 18, 2021, ahead of the latter's departure from the SCO post and his return to Uzbekistan. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Secretary-General Vladimir Norov in Beijing on Saturday, ahead of the latter's departure from the SCO post and his return to Uzbekistan.

Wang expressed his appreciation for Norov's contribution to the development of the SCO during his term in office, and to enhancing communication and cooperation between China and the SCO.

The minister expressed his hope that Norov will continue to play an active role in promoting the cause of the SCO and China-Uzbekistan friendship in the future.

Norov spoke highly of China's major contribution to the development of the SCO as a founding member, expressed his appreciation of President Xi Jinping's important initiatives at the Dushanbe summit and thanked China for its support and assistance to him in fulfilling his duties.

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Mainland, Macao to deepen judicial exchanges

Xinhua) 11:15, December 19, 2021

The Supreme People's Court (SPC) on Friday signed a document with the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) on promoting judicial and legal exchanges and cooperation.

The cooperation agreement, signed in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province, will help promote the coordination of rules, regulations, and mechanisms between both sides, establish a comprehensive business dispute resolution mechanism, and boost integrated development of information technology and legal system, the SPC said Saturday.

The SPC also expressed the hope that Macao SAR will serve as a bridge linking Portuguese-speaking countries and regions.

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Xinjiang college faculties refute rumors of "forced labor"

Xinhua) 11:20, December 19, 2021

College faculties refuted the rumors of so-called "forced labor" fabricated by Western anti-China forces at a symposium held Saturday in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The country's preferential policies on entrepreneurship and the region's policies to support the employment of college students have enabled many students to create a better life, said Julet Turdi, president of Xinjiang University of Finance and Economics.

Julet said that the school has set up career planning courses for students beginning in their first year. In 2021, the employment rate of students graduating from the university reached 95.54 percent.

Qi Qungao, vice president of Xinjiang Agricultural University, said that the school has set up a service platform to help graduates get jobs and learn about employment policies.

The university has held 482 job fairs, providing more than 93,000 job vacancies for graduates since 2020. In the past five years, over 2,000 innovative and entrepreneurial projects have been approved, with a total subsidy amount of nearly 10 million yuan (about 1.6 million U.S. dollars), Qi added.

College students of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang have chosen their own jobs and started their own businesses, and the "forced labor" fallacy concocted by the United States and other countries in the West shows clearly their sinister intentions of smearing Xinjiang, attendees of the symposium said.

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HKSAR's 7th-term LegCo election kicks off, active voting urged

Xinhua) 13:19, December 19, 2021

Voters wait to cast ballot at a polling station in Whampoa, south China's Hong Kong, Dec. 19, 2021. The election for the seventh-term Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) kicked off Sunday morning, the first since the improvement to the HKSAR electoral system. More than 600 polling stations opened at 8:30 a.m. local time (0030 GMT) across Hong Kong for about 4.5 million registered electors to cast their votes. (Xinhua/Wang Shen)

The election for the seventh-term Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) kicked off Sunday morning, the first since the improvement to the HKSAR electoral system.

More than 600 polling stations opened at 8:30 a.m. local time across Hong Kong for about 4.5 million registered electors to cast their votes.

The membership of the seventh term of the HKSAR LegCo will increase from 70 to 90, and the members are to be elected by the Election Committee constituency (40 seats), functional constituencies (30 seats), and geographical constituencies (20 seats), respectively.

In the Election Committee constituency, 51 candidates are competing for 40 seats; in the functional constituencies, 67 candidates are competing for 30 seats; in the geographical constituencies, 35 candidates are competing for 20 seats.

HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam met the press after casting her ballot on 9:00 a.m. at the Raimondi College polling station.

Noting that the seventh-term LegCo election features broad representation, Lam called on the public to fulfill their civic responsibilities and vote actively for Hong Kong's long-term peace and stability.

Lam recalled voting with her husband at the same polling station two years ago during the District Council election, noting that voters feared for their personal safety as Hong Kong was then rattled by violence and candidates were threatened.

In comparison, all polling stations and public transport in Hong Kong are peaceful and running smoothly on Sunday, a situation that is more than encouraging, she said.

As the chief executive, Lam said she and her colleagues will cooperate fully with the newly-elected LegCo members and listen to their views, so as to better reflect public opinion in administration and create a better future for Hong Kong.

The polling stations are comprised of about 630 ordinary polling stations and no more than 24 dedicated polling stations. Due to border control measures over COVID-19, polling stations were also set up at the checkpoints at Heung Yuen Wai, Lo Wu, and Lok Ma Chau Spur Line. Hong Kong voters in the Chinese mainland can briefly cross into Hong Kong to cast their ballots.

Various public transport operators including the Mass Transit Railway Corporation Limited, franchised bus operators, and Hong Kong Tramways provide free rides for the public on the polling day.

Voting will end at 10:30 p.m. local time Sunday.

The LegCo is the legislature of the HKSAR. The Chief Executive in Council, in accordance with the Legislative Council Ordinance, has specified Jan. 1, 2022 as the commencement date of the seventh-term LegCo of the HKSAR.

The term of office of the LegCo is four years.

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Cambodia breaks ground on China-aided military police shooting range

EditorWang Xinjuan Time2021-12-17 22:01:21

Cambodian and Chinese officials attend a ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of a military police shooting range in Kampong Chhnang province, Cambodia, Dec. 17, 2021. Cambodia on Friday broke ground on the China-aided shooting range at the Royal Gendarmerie Training Center here. (Vechakrosa/Cambodia's Defense Ministry/Handout via Xinhua)

KAMPONG CHHNANG, Cambodia, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Friday broke ground on a China-aided shooting range at the Royal Gendarmerie Training Center here.

Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Gen. Tea Banh and Chinese ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian presided over the ground-breaking ceremony, which was attended by hundreds of military personnel.

Speaking at the event, Banh said China's assistance is essential for capacity building of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF). According to him, the shooting range will serve as the venue for the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Armies Rifle Meet in 2023 and a training field for the kingdom's military police.

"The military cooperation between our two armies has been deep-rooted, based on the principle of mutual trust, understanding, respect and interest," he said.

He added that about two years of combating COVID-19 jointly has injected new impetus into cooperation between the two armies.

Wang said the relations between the two militaries have reached a new high in recent years as they have maintained strategic communication, conducted in-depth anti-pandemic cooperation, and efficiently promoted practical exchanges.

He is confident that the shooting range will play an important role in promoting friendship among ASEAN armies when Cambodia hosts the ASEAN Armies Rifle Meet in 2023.

Meanwhile, Wang stressed that China and Cambodia jointly combating COVID-19 has helped bring the ties between the two armies closer.

According to RCAF's deputy commander-in-chief Gen. Sao Sokha, who is also commander of Cambodia's military police, the shooting range will be built on a parcel of 105 hectares in the Royal Gendarmerie Training Center, about 94 kilometers north of capital Phnom Penh.

"This project will significantly contribute to strengthening the national defense sector and the capacities of our military police," he said.
Only about two weeks left before the U.S. promised deadline of pulling its troops out of Iraq. In July, President Joe Biden signed an agreement with Iraqi Prime Minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, to end the U.S. combat mission in the country by the end of 2021.

It marked the second time Washington formally withdrew its military forces in Iraq. On December 18, 2011, the last U.S. soldiers left the country ending the first decade-long invasion which started with an excuse of "destroying Iraqi weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ending the dictatorial rule of Saddam Hussein" in 2003.

However, the prewar argument about the extensive stockpiles of nuclear weaponry in Iraq turned out to be a mistake after David Kay, the former top U.S. weapons inspector, admitted to the Congress a year later that they were almost all wrong since no evidence of WMD had been found.

Although the combat operation accomplished in just two months, the presence of the U.S. troops remained in Iraq for another 8 years claiming to "bring stability" in and around Baghdad.

The latest return to Iraq came after the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) captured more territory and launched attacks on Iraq forces. On August 7, 2014, President Obama announced the beginning of air strikes against ISIS in Iraq. One month later, a broad international coalition including NATO, the European Union and the Arab League, led by the U.S. was established to defeat ISIS.

The war so far has claimed approximately 209,140 civilians' lives, according to the Iraq body count, the largest database tracking the number of civilian deaths since 2003.

Decades of conflict and widespread violence have resulted in millions of Iraqis displaced across the country. According to the UN Refugee Agency, It is estimated that about 6.7 million, accounting for 18 percent of its population, are currently in need of humanitarian assistance, including 3 million children.

As the humanitarian crisis becomes worse, millions of families living in protracted displacement situations are reaching breaking point. They have exhausted their financial resources over the years and continue to face constrained access to basic services and critical protection risks.

The occupying U.S. forces seriously violated international humanitarian principles and created multiple "prisoner abuse cases," according to a report published by the China Society for Human Rights Studies (CSHRS).

Even within the U.S, citizen's support for the decision to use military force in Iraq had declined considerably over the course of the war and its aftermath.

The result published by Pew Research Center showed that in late March 2003, a few days after the U.S. invasion, 71 percent supported the decision to use military force, while just 22 percent said it was the wrong decision. Fifteen years later, the supporting rate fell to 43 percent.

Although the U.S. announced to pull out its forces, the military will continue to assist Iraq in its fight against ISIS. "As we complete our combat role, we will remain here to advise, assist, and enable the ISF (Iraqi security forces), at the invitation of Republic of Iraq," coalition commander Major General John W. Brennan, Jr. said in a statement.
Aimal Ahmadi, a Kabul resident, who lost his daughter, his brother and eight other relatives in a August 29, 2021 U.S. drone strike on his home, stands by the wreckage of a car destroyed in the strike in the courtyard of his house in Kabul, Afghanistan, December 14, 2021. /AFP

Newly obtained Pentagon documents show that the U.S. air wars in the Middle East have been marked by "deeply flawed intelligence" and resulted in thousands of civilian deaths, including many children, the New York Times reported Saturday.

It said a trove of confidential documents covering more than 1,300 reports of civilian casualties undercuts the government's portrayal of a war fought with precision bombs.

Pledges of transparency and accountability, it said, had regularly fallen short.

"Not a single record provided includes a finding of wrongdoing or disciplinary action," the paper reported in what it said was the first of a two-part series.

While several of the cases mentioned by the Times have been previously reported, it said its investigation showed that the number of civilian deaths had been "drastically undercounted," by at least several hundred.

Among three cases cited was a July 19, 2016, bombing by U.S. special forces of what were believed to be three ISIS staging areas in northern Syria. Initial reports indicated that 85 ISIS fighters were killed. Instead, the dead were 120 farmers and other villagers.

Sandals and other personal items collected after Kabul resident Aimal Ahmadi's 10 family members and other relatives are killed in a U.S. drone strike on his house on August 29, 2021. /AFP

Poor or inadequate surveillance footage often contributed to deadly targeting failures, the report said.

More recently, the United States had to retract its claim that a vehicle destroyed by a drone on a Kabul street in August had contained bombs. Victims of the strike, it turned out, were 10 members of a family, including children.

Asked for comment, Captain Bill Urban, spokesman for the U.S. Central Command, told the NYT that "even with the best technology in the world, mistakes do happen, whether based on incomplete information or misinterpretation of the information available. And we try to learn from those mistakes.

"We work diligently to avoid such harm. We investigate each credible instance. And we regret each loss of innocent life."

In compiling its report, the NYT said its reporters had "visited more than 100 casualty sites and interviewed scores of surviving residents and current and former American officials."

The paper obtained the Pentagon documents through Freedom of Information requests beginning in March 2017 and lawsuits filed against the Defense Department and the Central Command. A new suit seeks records from Afghanistan.

(With input from AFP)
By Danil Bochkov

Getty

Editor's note: Danil Bochkov is an expert with the Russian International Affairs Council. He graduated cum laude with a master's degree in economics from MGIMO-University under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia and a master's degree in world economy from the University of International Business and Economics in China. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

"Wishing to contribute to the further development and strengthening of peace, stability and co-operative security" from Vancouver to Vladivostok  that is the preambular of the Open Skies Treaty (OST) signed in 1992 for the sake of overcoming Cold War suspicion between NATO and post-Soviet Russia and dismaying any fears of preparation for military aggression.

The treaty was designed to allow all party-states to conduct short-term overflights above each other's territories on a quota basis and under formally regulated procedures, including the type of the aircraft and data recording equipment. In 2002, following ratifications by Russia and Belarus, the treaty came into force, opening up a new chapter in Russia-NATO cooperation and promising a brighter future for international security and global arms control mechanisms.

This bright chapter ended on December 18 when Russia, notwithstanding its attempts to save the treaty, finally withdrew from it following the U.S.' departure. The Russian Foreign Ministry stressed that the decision was hard to make. The treaty had contributed a lot to international stability and security. However, following the U.S.' destructive moves, Moscow could not risk its national security and left the accord.

Now following the dismantlement in 2019 on Washington's initiative of the other bedrock arms control mechanism  the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, the world seems to be back to a period of extreme animosity, the one it strived to get over 30 years ago. Although the treaty is still effective with the remaining parties obliged to its legal provision, its coverage has shrunk by 80 percent with the departure of the U.S. and Russia, practically leading to its futility.

The treaty was not flawless, with Russia and the U.S. occasionally being caught up in mutual blaming over the violations of its provisions. Overall, more than 1,500 flights have been conducted since the treaty took effect, 449 of which were carried out above Russia's territory alone being the largest amount of overflights executed above own territory by any of the other states.

In this handout video grab released by Russian Defense Ministry, a U.S. Air Force Boeing RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft which approached the Russian border over the Black Sea is later intercepted by Russian Su-35 fighter jet over Pacific Ocean, June 10, 2021. /CFP

Despite this fact, Russia was a regular target of U.S. criticism over infringing on its obligations under the treaty by hampering overflights above the particular territories. Washington was also preoccupied with the growing sophistication of Russian sensor equipment and surreptitious intelligence gathering during transit flights over the territories of the U.S. military. Moscow also laid down its claims accusing the U.S. of limiting the observation above the Aleutian Islands and reducing the range of flights over Alaska and the Hawaiian Islands.

After the U.S. formal withdrawal in November 2021, several more ambiguities emerged, such as the observational flights by Russia over the military facilities of the U.S. dislocated on the territories of its NATO allies that stayed within the OST legal framework. Moscow also severely slammed Washington for requesting the reconnaissance data of the Russian territory from its NATO allies. Even though the U.S. was persistent in ditching the treaty, notwithstanding its European allies' assurances of its importance for transparency and monitoring of Russian military activities, Moscow tried to keep it alive.

Russia officially initiated its withdrawal in May when the bill was presented by President Putin to the Russian parliament and signed into law a month later. Between the U.S. and Russian withdrawals, there were six months of multilateral attempts by both Moscow and American allies to mend the deal, but all in vain. Though Joe Biden, while running for the presidency, criticized Donald Trump for "shortsighted policy," he later conceded by stressing that the U.S. would not re-join the treaty. The decision made the last hope to revive the treaty on the eve of the Putin-Biden summit on June 16 gone.

The ongoing acrimony between Russia and the U.S. with its NATO allies preparing for Moscow's alleged invasion of Ukraine in early January does nothing more than bring already frayed ties to record lows and threaten the region  if not the whole world  with a new military confrontation. In such a situation, any channel of communication is extremely valued since it could reduce the level of mutual suspicion. Arms control mechanisms should not become the victims of degrading bilateral relations because if they are, geostrategic stability inspired by them would give way to a Cold War-era brinkmanship.
Press Release

December 19, 2021 'All hands on deck' as PRRD, concerned agencies lead rescue and recovery efforts in Typhoon hit communities while Bong Go assures victims of continuous support and aid Senator Christopher "Bong" Go joined President Rodrigo Duterte in an aerial inspection of the hardest-hit areas in Surigao del Norte, Dinagat Islands and Southern Leyte on Saturday, December 18, to survey the extent of the destruction caused by Typhoon Odette. Go and the President flew from Metro Manila and passed over Siargao Island before landing in Surigao City. After surveying the damage at the airport, they conducted an aerial inspection of the Dinagat Islands before proceeding to Maasin City in Southern Leyte where they extended aid and met with leaders to discuss rescue and recovery efforts. Upon returning to Surigao City, they distributed relief and met with key national and local officials. In a message of solidarity with the victims, Go assured that the Duterte Administration would provide all forms of assistance needed by communities to bolster their recovery. He then thanked all government officials, first responders and volunteers who are doing their best to respond to the disaster and save lives. "Asahan po ninyo na gagawin namin ang lahat ng aming makakaya upang makabangon kayo muli mula sa pagsubok na ito. Hindi kayo pababayaan ng gobyerno ninyo na palaging nagmamalasakit sa inyo. Magbayanihan po tayo," appealed Go. "Sisikapin natin na maibalik sa lalong madaling panahon ang supply ng kuryente, komunikasyon at tubig sa mga apektadong lugar. Patuloy ang rescue and recovery operations at ang pagbibigay ng pagkain, tubig at iba pang relief sa mga nasalanta. Buong gobyerno nandito para tumulong at gampanan ang kanilang tungkulin," he reassured. During the situational briefing in Maasin City, President Duterte pledged to release P1 billion in calamity funds to the affected local government units and another P1 billion to the concerned government agencies, saying the government is aiming for the "earliest return to normalcy". He directed officials to make sure funds are available for the procurement of food, medicines and other essential needs. To assist in the immediate recovery and rehabilitation of the affected areas, the President specifically ordered the Department of Agriculture, Department of Energy, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, Department of Social Welfare and Development, National Housing Authority, and Office of Civil Defense to expedite the delivery of assistance to areas in greatest need. The DPWH was instructed to clear all roads and provide the needed equipment to the LGUs while the DSWD was called to ensure the continuous distribution of relief goods. The Department of Health was also ordered to send additional medical supplies and augment the health personnel in the Dinagat Islands. On the other hand, the DOE was tasked to expedite the return of electricity and the Department of Information and Communications Technology to augment mobile cell sites and provided satellite phones or other modes of communication in the affected areas. Finally, the NHA was called upon to assist displaced families, in coordination with DHSUD. The DA was also tasked to provide boats and seedlings to affected farmers and fisherfolk. In addition, the President specifically directed concerned departments to assess the extent of damage and address the concerns of the LGUs. Social Welfare Secretary Joselito Bautista, meanwhile, was assigned to act as the crisis manager for the Surigao del Norte and Dinagat Islands. Office of Civil Defense administrator Ricardo Jalad will assist him. Moreover, the Philippine Navy and Philippine Coast Guard were requested to send ships to support the delivery of much-needed supplies, equipment and food to Surigao del Norte and Dinagat Islands. The Maritime Industry Authority was tasked to assess the condition of the ships and assist in the carriage of relief goods. Meanwhile, the BRP Ang Pangulo will also be deployed to serve as a floating hospital to the said provinces since existing hospitals have been damaged. Senator Go, as Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, warned that the typhoon could exacerbate the spread of COVID-19 and other diseases as evacuees are forced to stay in crowded temporary shelters. He urged authorities to ensure the strict implementation of the health and safety protocols and provide the necessary medicines, health and hygiene supplies at every evacuation center. "Bagamat ginagawa natin ang lahat upang mailigtas ang mga tao mula sa panganib na dulot ng bagyo, iwasan rin natin ang pagkalat ng COVID-19 at iba pang sakit sa mga sinisilungan nilang evacuation centers," said Go. Consistent with his earlier pronouncements, Go reaffirmed his commitment to push for the creation of the Department of Disaster Resilience to ensure a quicker, more proactive and holistic government response to calamities and other natural disasters. He renewed his call for the passage of Senate Bill No. 205, a measure he filed in 2019, which provides for the establishment of a highly specialized agency that will be tasked with ensuring communities are disaster-resilient, safe and adaptive. The department will focus on three key result areas, namely: (1) disaster risk reduction, (2) disaster preparedness and response, and (3) recovery and building forward better. "Ilang kalamidad at sakuna pa ba ang kailangan para maintindihan na kailangan na nating aksyunan ito upang mas palakasin pa ang mekanismong mayroon tayo ngayon," stressed Go. The senator likewise called on his fellow lawmakers to act on SBN 1228 which seeks to establish a mandatory evacuation center in every province, city and municipality. Filed in 2019 by Go, the bill provides a set of minimum requirements for each evacuation center, such as its accessibility, amenities and operation and management. "Magbayanihan at magmalasakit tayo sa ating kapwa. Kung anuman ang maitutulong natin ay gawin na natin sa abot ng ating makakaya. Sino nga ba naman ang magtutulungan kundi tayo lang po kapwa natin Pilipino," he ended. Go and President Duterte are expected to conduct further inspections in Bohol and Cebu on December 19.
Press Release

December 19, 2021 Gordon slams LTO for delay in release of motorcycle plates Senator Richard J. Gordon today lashed out at the Land Transportation Office (LTO) for its delay in the issuance of motorcycle plate numbers, which is in violation of Republic Act (RA) 11235 or the Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act. Gordon, the law's author, said the LTO committed what he referred to as an "unconscionable and inordinate delay" in the implementation of the law by delaying the release of motorcycle plates. "The LTO was given until 31 December 2019 to produce, release and issue the readable number plates required by RA 11235. But, LTO started production of motorcycle license plates only on 29 July 2020 - 7 months after LTO was mandated by law to produce the correct number plates," he said in a privilege speech. "The first batch of plates was distributed only on 27 August 2020. LTO needs to produce 18 million permanent motorcycle plates more by June 2022. This is misfeasance, for which the LTO under the leadership of Assistant Secretary Edgar Galvante should be held to account," he added. Under its Implementing Rules and Regulations, the LTO must issue a set of bigger, readable, and color-coded number plates for each motorcycle, consisting of a metal plate in its rear and a decal plate in its front. While the old plate measured 200mm x 225mm, while the new plate measured 235mm in width and 135mm in height, which helps potential witnesses to a crime in identifying the motorcycle. However, the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chaired by Gordon found out that the LTO was unable to immediately issue plate numbers, leading to a backlog in available plates to new and existing motorcycles. Gordon said the immediate installation of plates, along with the decal stickers, could help people easily identify motorcycles up to 15 meters away. "The readable plates and the Command Center could have assisted the PNP greatly in solving crimes, and could have deterred the commission of other crimes," he pointed out. "With the proper implementation of RA 11235, riding-in-tandem perpetrators will be easily apprehended since the number plates will be easily read and monitored," he added. Because of Galvante's alleged misfeasance of the law, Gordon moved to press charges against the LTO chief, by virtue of the Senate's oversight power in aid of legislation. Due to the continued non-implementation of the law, riding-in-tandem killings remain unabated in the country, claiming 172 lives in 2021 alone. It may be recalled that Al-Barka, Basilan Mayor Darussalam Lajid and his bodyguard were killed, while Akbar, Basilan Mayor Alih Awal Sali was injured after being cut down by assassin's bullets in Zamboanga recently. Veteran journalist Jesse Malabanan was killed inside his home by riding-in-tandem, becoming the 22nd journalist killed under the current administration.
Press Release

December 19, 2021 Gordon seeks to institutionalize auxiliary unit for Philippine Coast Guard Senator Richard J. Gordon has pushed for the passage of a Senate measure institutionalizing the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary (PCGA) to assist the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) during emergencies, especially in times of natural calamities. Gordon filed Senate Bill (SB) 2265 creating PCGA as the citizen's arm of PCG tasked to assist the government during marine search and rescue operations and help counter the growing number of foreign vessels patrolling the West Philippine Sea. "We need a force multiplier composed of Coast Guard's men from our folks, including our boat fishermen who ply the seas, who can tell us of the boat movements and especially during rescue operations," he said during his sponsorship speech. "They could repel drug smugglers...[as] our thousands of fishermen who are incorporated with a modicum of training, at the very least they will become our eyes and ears for smugglers of drugs, of bad items from guns and cigarettes and stuff like that," he added. According to Gordon, having a service-oriented volunteer corps that primarily consists of fishermen could magnify the scope of the country's patrolling capabilities in its 7,600 islands. The members or the PCGA, he explained, could serve as first responders to disasters, such as capsized vessels and people lost at sea, being able to respond to calls quickly, owing to their expertise in the adjacent waters. Gordon, citing a similar situation with regards to the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) and its 2,000,000 volunteers which he heads, mentioned that the potential could immensely help the country's maritime capability. "[It is] a super organization waiting to contribute to a great country. There will be more than enough enthusiasm to man this fleet and all it needs like the National Guard in America which started as a militia and was federalized, and used for state purposes," he pointed out. Under SB 2265, the proposed institutionalization of PCGA shall be manned by the National Auxiliary Main Office (NAMO), Auxiliary District, Auxiliary Squadron, and Auxiliary Division, and will be supported by Auxiliary Support Groups. The NAMO shall prescribe circumstances and qualifications under which members are recruited and advances, in accordance with the existing guidelines of the PCG under the Department of Transportation. In times of threats to national security, the PCGA may be absorbed by the Department of National Defense to augment the country's naval force. They may also be used in helping maintain local peace and order, quell insurgency, and help residents in humanitarian missions. At present, the PCGA is headed by the National Director (ND) assisted by two deputies, the Deputy National Director for Operations (DNDO) and the Deputy National Director for Administration (DNDA). It has Auxiliary Districts and Squadrons under every regular Coast Guard District in the archipelago. The PCGA has about 20,000 Squadron members in 13 Districts located in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
According to a video published on the Twitter account of TheNihilist911 on December 19, 2021, the Chinese navy aircraft carrier group led by the Liaoning aircraft carrier is deployed to the Pacific Ocean to conduct high seas training exercises.

Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link

Chinese navy aircraft carrier group led by the Liaoning aircraft carrier is deployed to the Pacific Ocean. (Picture source China MoD)

According to Japanese military sources, the Liaoning aircraft carrier group includes a Type 055 large destroyer, a Type 054A frigate, a Type 901 comprehensive supply ship as well as a Type 052D destroyer.

According to the Chinese Navy, the Liaoning aircraft carrier group will conduct vessel-based helicopter takeoff and landing exercises in the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean and hold vessel-based fighter jet takeoff and landing exercises in the Pacific Ocean.

The Liaoning or Type 001 is the first aircraft carrier that was commissioned into the Chinese Navy. Chinas first aircraft carrier, Liaoning (Type 001) entered service in 2012.

The Liaoning is a refurbished ex-Ukrainian aircraft carrier that China purchased from Ukraine in 1998 as an unfinished ship. It is conventionally powered, has an estimated full load displacement of 60,000 to 66,000 tons, and reportedly can accommodate 36 aircraft including 24 Shenyang J-15 fighters, six Changhe Z-18F anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters, four Changhe Z-18J airborne early warning helicopters, and two Harbin Z-9C rescue helicopters. The Liaoning lacks aircraft catapults and instead launches fixed-wing airplanes off the ships bow using an inclined ski ramp.

The Liaoning aircraft carrier is armed with the Flying Leopard 3000 Naval (FL-3000N) missile system and Type 1030 close-in weapon system (CIWS). Anti-submarine warfare (ASW) is supported by ASW rocket launchers.

The Flying Leopard 3000 Naval (FL-3000N) was first revealed to the public at the 7th Zhuhai Airshow at the end of 2008. The FL-3000N system uses the HHQ-10 (Red Flag 10) naval surface-to-air missile developed from the TY-90 missile. The FL-3000N consists of an eight-cell missile launcher similar to the US Navy's Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) missile system. The purpose of this air defense missile is to take out incoming threats such as anti-ship missiles, rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft. For that purpose, several missiles can be fired near simultaneously at the same target at ranges between 500 to 6,000 meters.

In November 2020, Navy Recognition has reported that the Chinese Navy has qualified the first batch of new J-15 fighter jet pilots who were directly recruited from high school and trained specifically to fly carrier-based aircraft.

The Shenyang J-15 is a 4th generation, twin-jet, all-weather, carrier-based fighter aircraft in development by the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation and the 601 Institute for the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy's aircraft carriers.

The J-15 is armed with one 30 mm GSh-30-1 cannon with 150 rounds and carrier a wide range of bombs, rockets and missiles on twelve external hardpoints, including eight PL-12 or R-77 air-to-air missiles, and four PL-9 or R-73 air-to-air missiles, or PL-15 long-range air-to-air missile as well as YJ-62 or Kh-41 anti-ship missiles and YJ-91 supersonic anti-ship missile.
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SpaceCast Weekly is a NASA Television broadcast from the Johnson Space Center in Houston featuring stories about NASA's work in human spaceflight.

They include the International Space Station and its crews and scientific research activities, and the development of Orion and the Space Launch System, the next generation American spacecraft being built to take humans farther into space than they've ever gone before.

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By Trend





Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan will sign a strategic partnership declaration in 2022, Kyrgyz Ambassador Kairat Osmonaliyev told Trend.

According to Osmonaliyev, relations between the two countries are reaching a higher level of strategic partnership.

"Besides, from 2022 its planned to intensify cooperation in all areas, such as education and transport sectors, preparation and approval of joint projects, establishment of an investment fund, construction of an oil refinery in Kyrgyzstan, and others," he said.

The diplomat also noted that next year the two countries are expected to sign documents in the field of economic cooperation.

"Next year, its expected that an agreement on twinning, as well as on perpetuating the memory of Chingiz Aitmatov [famous Kyrgyz writer] will be signed between Baku and Bishkek. We can also talk about strengthening political and diplomatic ties, maintaining economic, cultural and humanitarian relations. In the humanitarian field, its planned to hold mutual days of culture," stressed Osmonaliyev.




Azerbaijan has transferred 10 Armenian servicemen to Armenia through the mediation of the European Union, the State Commission on Prisoners, Missing Persons and Hostages reported.

Armenian servicemen were transferred as a result of the trilateral meeting between th President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, which took place on December 14 in Brussels on the initiative on the initiative of the European Council of the EU Charles Michel.

The transferred persons were detained on November 16, 2021 while preventing a provocation by the Armenian armed forces in the Kalbajar direction of the state border.

Armenia has arrested four out of 10 servicemen transferred by Azerbaijan, which always demonstrated commitment to principles of humanism, on December 4. The criminal case was initiated against six more servicemen in Armenia
By Trend





Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu met with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, Trend reports referring to the Turkish foreign ministers message on Twitter.

"We discussed the events in the Caucasus with my brother, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov in Islamabad, where I participated in the meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation," Cavusoglu tweeted.

"We will continue to act together at every stage of the normalization of the situation in our region," Cavusoglu tweeted.
By Trend





Azerbaijan returning 10 Armenian servicemen is important gesture in the process of addressing humanitarian issues, EU Special Representative for South Caucasus Toivo Klaar tweeted, Trend reports.

"Happy to have been able to repatriate 10 Armenian servicemen. Important gesture by Azerbaijan in the process of addressing humanitarian issues.

European Union will continue to work with both countries to build on the successful meetings of President of the European Council Charles Michel with the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan," said EU Special Representative.

As a result of the trilateral meeting between President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, which took place on December 14 in Brussels on the initiative on the initiative of the European Council of the EU Charles Michel, as well as a bilateral meeting between the President of Azerbaijan and the head of the EU Council of Europe, Azerbaijan on December 19 with the mediation of the European Union transferred to Armenia 10 Armenian military personnel.

The transferred persons were detained on November 16, 2021 while preventing a provocation by the Armenian armed forces in the Kalbajar direction of the state border.
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu have discussed the results of the first meeting in "3 + 3" cooperation format, initiated by the leaders of Azerbaijan and Turkey.

The ministers met within an extraordinary meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Islamabad on December 19, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry reported.

The sides stressed the high level of development of strategic relations between the two fraternal countries.

They also expressed interest in promoting the cooperation mechanism.

During the meeting, the ministers discussed the spheres of cooperation within the Organization of Turkic States, as well as the issues of trilateral cooperation formats in which the two countries participate, and steps that can be taken in this sphere during the next months.

The sides also exchanged the views on the current situation in the region, the implementation of trilateral statements, the normalization of relations between the regional countries amid the post-conflict period.
By Trend

The trade between Turkey and Iran in October 2021 increased by $172 million compared to the same month last year - up to $441 million, the Ministry of Trade of Turkey told Trend on Dec.19.

According to the ministry, Turkish exports to Iran in October amounted to $198 million, while imports amounted to $243 million.

It is reported that the trade between the two countries as a whole in 10M2021 increased by $1.567 billion compared to the same period in 2020, amounting to $3.8 billion.

"During the specified period, Turkish exports to Iran amounted to $1.8 billion, imports - $2 billion," the ministry said.
The Ajmans Department of Finance and Ajman Bank have signed an agreement to enhance services for Ajman Wallet's smart payment platform Ajman Pay, enabling ease of recharge and top-ups through the banks ATMs across the country.



This strategic partnership is in line with the wise leadership's vision and directives to establish Ajmans leading position in electronic banking services, thereby optimising and boosting the emirate's digital transformation strategy.



The memorandum of agreement was signed by Marwan Ahmed Al Ali, Director General of Ajmans Department of Finance, and Mohammed Abdul Rahman Amiri, CEO of Ajman Bank.



Al Ali said that Ajmans Department of Finance continues to strengthen its partnership with the financial and banking sector to capitalise on various means of digital innovation to improve the quality of financial services and provide a variety of payment options and channels that suit various customer segments.



Al Ali also noted that the new service, which allows top-up of Ajman Wallet through Ajman Banks ATMs, aims to provide ease and convenience to enhance customer satisfaction.



Mohammed Abdul Rahman Amiri said: "Ajman Bank always seeks to forge partnerships that can help achieve the bank's digital transformation goals and improve the efficiency of its products and services. This agreement aims to provide customers with flexibility and make the Ajman wallet more accessible for customers. We believe that this kind of partnerships encourages adopting digital innovations and strategies which can always be achieved by leveraging on the cooperation between the government and banking sectors.



The Ajman wallet can also be recharged on the Ajman Pay platform through Tas'heel centres as well as electronic and smart channels through the Ajman Pay mobile app and website, direct debit from bank account, Ajman Pay service centres and Al Ansari Exchange branches.  TradeArabia News Service
Seeking to play a vital role in a multi-billion-dollar industry, the UAEs Steel Producers Committee (SPC) has been launched on the sidelines of the Middle East Iron & Steel Conference.

The event brings the region's biggest players together with the global supply chain and is running at the Grand Hyatt in Dubai, from December 6 to 8, 2021.

The SPC has been formed to represent steel makers and associated businesses at ministries and local entities across the UAE in efforts to pro-actively improve productivity and the performance of its members with the intention of helping them reach their full growth potential and business targets, while resolving any issues that may occur in the future and introducing any relevant investment services or integrated infrastructure to its members locally and internationally.

Speaking at the introductory press conference, Eng Saeed Ghumran Al Remeithi, Committee Chairman, Group CEO of Arkan and CEO of Emirates Steel, said that the UAE Steel Producers Committee has a vital role to play in the multi-billion-dollar industry.

The SPC has been set up to be an independent NGO that provides industry representation with the purpose of not only protecting steel producers and service providers across the UAE, but also to contribute to Operation 300bn, the UAEs industrial strategy and UAE Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative. In addition, the committee addresses the reality of challenges faced by the industry while strengthening working relationships with government, the private sector and joint ventures for the overall interest of the steel industry.

The Committee Vice Chairman & Managing Director at Taurani Holdings, Anil Taurani, spoke of how the SPC was committed to protecting the best interests of the UAEs steel producers and associated businesses. The SPC will be responsible for establishing a range of communication channels that serve the objective of promoting cooperation with both investors and stakeholders involved in the industry across the UAE. By uniting all steel industry leaders under one banner to create better regulations, rules and policies to the benefit of the steel industry, the SPC hopes to help maximise the contributions of the steel industry to the UAEs sustainable economic growth and diversification.

Helal Mohamed Al Hameli, the UAE Chambers Representative on the Committee & Deputy Director General for Advisory Centers & Councils at Abu Dhabi Chamber,, described the entity as a non-profit committee that has been formed to represent the steel industry. In general, it is our mandated priority to protect the best interest of the UAEs steel producers and the steel industry. Modelled on the traditional roles of Chambers of Commerce, our committee exists to help in generating a business environment which actively supports innovative development, promoting the SPC as the nucleus of a collaborative entity supporting business growth.

Amongst its objectives, the SPC will examine, adapt and improve the rules, regulations and policies in force that are beneficial for SPC members, and provide fair, balanced and satisfactory solutions for all stakeholder concerns to strengthen relations between steel makers inside and outside the UAE.

To improve productivity and the performance of its members, it will organise a series of workshops and training programmes, regularly issue publications and guidelines on relevant topics with the latest updates on steel news, and provide a wide range of e-learning resources and e-library data-sets packed with information on the steel industry.

The committee is made up of 15 industry leaders who are committed to boosting Emiratisation within the steel industry to meet federal targets, and will be providing the necessary training and learning experiences for UAE nationals to forge a career in the industry.

Under the Steel Producers Committee, there are five sub-committees dedicated to steel manufacturing processes, including pipes and tubes, coated steel coils, reinforced steel bars, wire rod steel coils, raw materials, and steel sections.-- TradeArabia News Service
Line Investments & Property has bagged four awards at the recent MECS+R Retail Congress Mena Awards, organised by The Middle East Council of Shopping Centres and Retailers in partnership with Dubai Association Centre (DAC) and the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, thus bringing together retail professionals globally for a conference, exhibition, dealmaking, networking and awards celebration.

Line Investments & Property is the shopping mall development and management arm of the Abu Dhabi based Lulu Group International, which oversees the mall operations across the Middle East and India.

The Line Investments & Property team walked away with a Gold Award for the futuristic Architectural Design for its new development, Silicon Central, Dubai.

Silicon Central also received a Silver Award for Operational Efficiencies & Cost saving Efforts.

Silicon Central is considered a new landmark in Dubai, strategically positioned 12 km from the city-centre and 15 km from Dubai Airport in Dubai Silicon Oasis, the first eco sustainable district in Dubai focused on low carbon footprint, AI, and technology, said the statement from the company.

Another Gold Award was received by Khalidiyah Mall, Abu Dhabi for Design & Development of Gymnation under New Developments category while Al Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi received a Silver Award for enhancing its customer experience with the latest addition of IKEA to the Mall under NOI Enhancement- Leasing category.

Salim MA, Director Lulu Group said: "Retail Congress Mena Awards recognises Industry Excellence and uplifts the spirit of retail community positively. Being part of the event this year as a sponsor and winning four awards stamps our commitment to enhance the customer experience through design, sustainability initiatives and impactful campaigns. We applaud MECS+R for putting up a successful congress this year."

Line Investments & Property was shortlisted for all the entries submitted which also included functional use of open roof space by opening Gymnation at Khalidiyah Mall, the 'Be Our Guest' by the Line Investments & Property Northern Emirates Malls and the Covid Test and Vaccination Drive by Lulu Mall Fujairah, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Al Bawani Company, a leading Saudi construction company, has been ranked third by Forbes Middle East in the list of top construction companies in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) for 2021.

A diversified group of Saudi companies established in 1991, Al Bawani has over the last three decades, grown from a civil works company to a fully-fledged general contracting corporation.

The Saudi group has completed over 250 projects, including the Aramco Innovation Center, King Salman Park Phase 1, and the Phase One of Red Sea Tourism Project.

It currently has over $2.4 billion worth of ongoing projects and over 12,000 employees. The companys clients include Saudi Aramco, Arabsat, Riyad Bank and Saudis Ministry of Defense.

On the top ranking, CEO Engineer Fakher Al Shawaf said: "The most important success factor in a construction company, is its people, and we are proud of the entire Albawani family for this recognition. What a way to end this year!"

Early this month, Al Bawani had inked several MoUs with top French companies at the Investment Forum in Jeddah.

This comes in line with its strategy to seal partnerships with high calibre international organizations in bid to boost the kingdom's capability in support of Saudi Vision 2030.

The MoUs were signed by Nasser Al Shawaf, Albawani Board member, at the Investment Forum in Jeddah during the official visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to the kingdom.

Also this year in February, it had signed a partnership agreement with the Tarmeem charitable association, which restores homes for low-income families in the Eastern Province.-TradeArabia News Service
The Abu Dhabi Hazardous Materials Management Team (AD-HMMT) is working towards further strengthening the UAE's leading position among the world's top countries when it comes to the management of hazardous materials.

At its 81st meeting, AD-HMMT discussed recent achievements and efforts by member entities for a safe society and environment from hazardous materials risks and to protect society, properties and the environment from hazardous materials' affects.

The Environment Agency  Abu Dhabi (EAD) chaired the virtual videoconference meeting that was attended by all 28 member entities in the team, who represented all relevant local government organisations, as well as some federal entities.

The meeting included a presentation by Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters, showcasing the latest achievements by the Permanent Technical Committee for Licensing Weapons, Explosives and Hazardous Materials, chaired by Brigadier Humaid Saeed Alefreet, Deputy Director of Security and Ports Affairs Sector at the General Command of Abu Dhabi Police.

The achievements presented aligned with AD-HMMT's efforts to strictly control hazardous materials with the aim of providing maximum protection to society and the environment against their dangers.

The Industrial Development Bureau (IDB) of the Department of Economic Development (DED) also presented its work achieved to date on monitoring all industrial and commercial establishments that handle hazardous materials.

The Bureau also covered the new procedures required to license storage facilities for industrial and commercial activities that will operate stores outside their main establishments, with specific requirements and conditions aligned with standards set by relevant government entities.

Moreover, the meeting discussed the team's achievements in relation to preparing the unified guide that includes procedures related to handling hazardous materials and waste in various scenarios. The progress of linking the Integrated Hazardous Materials Management System (IHMMS) with all relevant entities in the emirate was also presented.

During the meeting, participants discussed the outcomes of studies on the possibility of implementing the self-inspection system in hazardous material warehouses by all concerned entities in the emirate, which was executed by Abu Dhabi Digital Authority in cooperation with the AD-HMMT.

Dr Sheikha Salem Al Dhaheri, Secretary General of EAD and head of AD-HMMT said: Since its formation in 2015, the team has sought to implement best practices in order to significantly contribute to the management and control of hazardous materials. This is in addition to accelerating emergency responses as well as enhancing coordination and information exchange among relevant entities to protect the emirate, society and environment from the harmful impacts of hazardous materials and their control. Managing such materials is one of Abu Dhabi's main priorities, in line with federal and local laws concerning safety, security and environment.

Dr Al Dhaheri asserted that the team is still working closely to improve cooperation and coordination among its member entities. This comes despite implementing the strategy and executive plan for hazardous materials management in Abu Dhabi, which were approved by the Security, Justice and Safety Committee of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and have been successfully rolled out across 48 projects in a five-year period.

Brigadier Hamid Saeed Al Afreet, Deputy Director of Security and Ports Affairs Sector at the General Command of Abu Dhabi Police, said that monitoring and response systems in HazMat warehouses in the emirate were evaluated, with a process underway to link those warehouses with early-warning alarm systems. The move comes as part of ongoing efforts to protect the nation and its people and to spread the culture of safety among all industrial and commercial sectors. This should enable quicker control of fires in record times to avoid lives being lost, while also monitoring the efficiency and effectiveness of the warehouses alarm and firefighting systems to ensure their operational efficiency.

He added that work is currently under way, in cooperation with the AD-HMMT, to review local and international standards and define the capacities of hazardous material warehouses, which would support inspection and follow-up processes for warehouses storing hazardous materials, fireworks, explosives and chemical precursors.

He concluded that in cooperation with Abu Dhabi Civil Defense and the Integrated Transport Centre, a joint dashboard is being created to add results of safety checks for HazMat transport vehicles. This is a step that should further enhance control and effective management of licensing such vehicles, in line with the compulsory requirement to equip them with tracking devices.

Mohamed Munif Al Mansoori, the Executive Director of Industrial Development Bureau, stated that the Department of Economic Development  Abu Dhabi directed commercial and industrial establishments operating in the emirate with their own HazMat warehouses outside their main establishment to license those warehouses as branches. This comes within the Department's role to support controls on the movement of hazardous materials. The bureau coordinated with AD-HMMT to create new procedures related to licensing such branches outside existing company headquarters, in line with specific standards and requirements as set by relevant government entities.

He added that the Bureau is targeting 900 licenses conducting these economic activities and registered at DED, to implement the new procedures in a manner that realises the mission and objectives of the AD-HMMT. He further noted that DED issued a circular obligating concerned commercial and industrial establishments to use the IHMMS  a key requirement to track the movement of hazardous materials within the economic system.

He further explained that the team provided guidance to stakeholders on the use of the IHMMS, with the assistance of the Industrial Development Bureau, by contacting the relevant personnel directly in each facility. The compliance of 345 industrial establishment in Abu Dhabi was tracked in line with DED's circular.

Nabil Saleh Al-Awlaki, Environment, Health and Safety Director at the Industrial Development Bureau, said: The IDB team supervised the provision of support to register industrial establishments within the IHMMS framework and list their materials in the system.

He added that 100 field visits were conducted at facilities that possess materials of security concern, in order to ensure they abide by health and prevention requirements and public safety conditions. This involves conducting any activity that involves handling hazardous materials, including their use, transport and storage.

Since its formation, the team has successfully implemented the hazardous materials strategy and executive plan, which was developed in response to gaps in legislative and executive frameworks throughout lifecycle of the hazardous materials. The implementation plan covers each stage, and includes the import, export and release, transportation, manufacturing, storage, trade, and distribution, as well as treatment and safe disposal of hazardous waste, all carried out within a legislative and regulatory framework.

The team, headed by EAD, comprises 28 entities that represent all relevant government agencies on the local level and some federal entities , including Abu Dhabi Police, the Department of Economic Development, Department of Finance, General Administration of Customs, Department of Health  Abu Dhabi, Adnoc, ZonesCorp, Abu Dhabi Waste Management Centre  Tadweer, Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, Department of Municipalities and Transport, Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre, National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority, Abu Dhabi Civil Defence, Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council, Abu Dhabi Ports, Polytechnic - Abu Dhabi, Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation, Weapons and Hazardous Substances Office, Federal Transport Authority-Land & Maritime, Abu Dhabi Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training, Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, Abu Dhabi Digital Authority, Monitoring & Control Centre, Integrated Transport Centre and Security Industry Regulatory Agency.-- TradeArabia News Service
The Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport Sharjah Branch (AASTS), has announced that it will be participating at the Seatrade Maritime Middle East as part of the UAE Maritime Week, scheduled to be held at the Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo 2020 Dubai, from December 13 to 16.

Through its participation in the Week, the Arab Academy aims to showcase its comprehensive programs, state-of-the-art training facilities and laboratories, stimulators, and smart education systems, to the next generation. During the Week, the Arab Academy looks forward to promoting its advanced training methods, and inspiring the youngsters to be a part of the maritime industry, AASTS said in a statement.

Inspiring the next generation

Held under the patronage of the UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, the 2021 UAE Maritime Week will be held in-person, and aims to connect maritime markets in the Middle East by bringing together ship owners, industry suppliers, and key decision-makers from the region, on a common platform to discuss and plan about the future of the maritime industry over a course of five days. The Week includes Seatrade Maritime Middle East; Seatrade Maritime Awards Middle East, Indian Subcontinent & Africa; Maritime Leaders Forum; and Experience Maritime.

Dr Ismail Abdel Ghaffar Ismail Farag, President of the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport, said: "We at AASTS have always been keen on ensuring that we spread awareness about the importance of the maritime industry across the region. We understand the kind of impact this sector has on the global economy, and look forward to qualifying skilled maritime professionals that will drive the growth and progress of this industry. Through our participation in the UAE Maritime Week, we aim to not only promote our specialised programs, but also reach out to students who are looking for a competitive curriculum in maritime studies. Our objective has always been to educate, train, and enhance the skills of the next generation of maritime leaders in order to prepare them to benefit from the opportunities that are available for them in the industry.

Addressing key industry concerns

The 2021 edition of the UAE Maritime Week will look forward to discussing topics such as seafarers safety, future of the supply chain, digitalisation and data, regulation updates, and decarbonisation and sustainable shipping.

Abdel Ghaffar added: The Arab Academy has always been a frontrunner in terms of highlighting seafarers issues, promoting the digital transformation of the industry, and also supporting sustainable practices in the maritime sector. Through our participation in the UAE Maritime Week, we look forward to not only attracting the next generation to build a career in the maritime sector, but also hope to offer our services to the industry, utilise our capabilities, and the expertise of our staff to serve and develop the UAEs maritime sector. We believe that our participation in the Week will help us explore our vision, i.e. to enhance the Arab maritime sector by preparing the nations youth to be competent industry professionals, while also providing research and development services.TradeArabia News Service
Alpha Dhabi Holding PJSC (ADH),the Abu Dhabi-based conglomerate and ADX-listed company, said that it will be investing about AED1 billion ($272 million) in the Abu Dhabi Chemicals Derivatives Company RSC Ltd, known as TaZiz.



This step comes as part of Alpha Dhabi Holdings expansion plans and future strategy announced last week targeting AED8 billion for investments in real estate, hospitality, healthcare, petrochemicals, and other promising sectors inside and outside the UAE.



Hamad Salem Mohamed Al-Ameri, Managing Director and CEO of Alpha Dhabi Holding, said, TaZiz and its operations in the UAE represent an excellent investment opportunity for Alpha Dhabi Holding, complementing as it does our organisations strategic diversification across highly promising growth opportunities, especially as the company is successfully active in our core businesses of agriculture, energy, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, construction and the heavy transport and chemical industry sectors.



We foresee our relationship developing into a long-term contributor not only to the nations economy, but to the regional and global competitiveness of Alpha Dhabi Holding, Abu Dhabi and the UAE.



TaZiz is an industrial services and logistics organisation that enables and supports growth of the Ruwais Industrial Complex and fulfils Abu Dhabis downstream, chemical and petrochemical requirements across industrial sectors with advanced manufacturing services.



The chemicals supply chain is a vital component of Operation 300bn, the UAEs industrial growth strategy backed by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, which intends to raise the UAE industrial sectors contribution to national gross domestic product to AED300 billion by the year 2031. The partnership between ADH and TaZiz leverages a range of opportunities in an attractive sector given the projected growth in global demand for chemicals and the chance to facilitate new supply chains through local production.



Abu Dhabi-based Chimera Capital advised Alpha Dhabi Holding in relation to their investment in the new ADGM-based TaZiz investment platform.  TradeArabia News Service
Toyota targets the development of a full line-up of 30 Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) models and 3.5 million annual global sales of passenger and commercial models by 2030.

The companys new battery-related investment will increase from 1.5 trillion yen ($13.2 billion) to 2 trillion yen, aiming to realise even more advanced, good-quality, affordable batteries.

After unveiling 16 new BEV models that are part of the new line-up, President of Toyota Motor Corporation Akio Toyoda announced that the companys Lexus will develop a full line-up of BEVs in all categories and achieve 1 million sales by 2030. Lexus also aims to sell 100% Battery EVs in Europe, North America and China by 2030 and globally by 2035.

Akio Toyoda, President, Toyota Motor Corporation, commented: Energy plays a critical role in achieving carbon neutrality. At present, the energy situation varies greatly from region to region. That is exactly why Toyota is committed to providing a diversified range of carbon-neutral options to meet whatever might be the needs and situations in every country and region.

We at Toyota aim to be a company that contributes to the global environment, seeks to bring happiness to people, acts, and stays close to its customers. To sum it up, we want to become a company that produces happiness for all, for both individuals and society. We want to pass on an ever-better future for the children of today and those who will come after them. We always want the future to be brighter, added Toyoda.

Toyota has been working on the development of Battery Electric Vehicles for 30 years. The EV Development Department was established in 1992, and the RAV4 EV was introduced to the market in 1996, which was even before the release of the world's first mass-production Hybrid Electric Vehicle, the Toyota Prius.

At the same time, Toyota also began the development of Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles that run on hydrogen, which finally led to the introduction of the first-generation Toyota Mirai in 2014.

With the Middle East continuing to be a key focus market, Toyota and Lexus have launched an impressive line-up of electrified vehicles in the region, including six Toyota Hybrid Electric models  Corolla, C-HR, Corolla Cross, Camry, RAV4, and Highlander  and four Lexus Hybrid Electric models  ESh, RXh, LSh, UXh.-- TradeArabia News Service
Abu Dhabi-based AD Ports Group, a leading facilitator of trade and logistics, has strengthened its regional footprint by signing four strategic agreements and a head of terms agreement with the Aqaba Development Corporation that will see AD Ports Group support the development of tourism, logistics, transport, and digital infrastructure within Aqaba.

The signing ceremony took place in Aqaba in Jordan in the presence of Nasser Shraideh, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, representing Dr. Bisher Al Khasawneh, Prime Minister of Jordan; H.E. Ahmed Ali Mohammed Al Baloushi, UAE Ambassador to the kingdom; H.E. Dr. Mohamad Al-Ississ, Minister of Finance; H.E. Eng. Khairy Amr, Minister of Investment; and H.E.Dr. Nawaf Tall, Minister of State for Follow-up and Government Coordination; and H.E Eng. Nayef Ahmad Bakheet, Chief Commissioner, Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, Chairman of Aqaba Development Corporation, along with a number of officials from both sides.

The four strategic agreements and a Head of Terms Agreement were signed by Hussein Ali Alsafadi, CEO, Aqaba Development Corporation; and Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Group CEO, AD Ports Group.

The strategic partnerships concern the development of Marsa Zayed, a cruise terminal, and the development of an advanced digital Port Community System, in addition to Head of Terms agreements to explore the development and modernisation of a multipurpose port and King Hussein International Airport.

Marsa Zayed Land Agreement is in relation to the development of a land area of 1.2 million sqm in Phase One of the development of the 3.2 million Marsa Zayed area by AD Ports Group, which will include a cruise terminal, tourism, leisure, residential and other projects.

The development is planned to position Aqaba as a major Red Sea destination of choice.

Under this Agreement, which builds upon a Head of Terms Agreement announced earlier in the year, AD Ports Group will develop, manage and operate a new cruise terminal in Aqaba, which will serve as a gateway for passengers visiting the Red Sea.

Maqta Gateway, the digital arm of AD Ports Group, has signed a joint venture Agreement with Aqaba Development Corporation establishing Maqta Ayla to develop and operate an advanced Ports Community System (PCS).

The system will oversee the communication between the Port of Aqaba and terminal operators, as well as the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA), Aqaba Development Corporation, Jordan Maritime Commission and other stakeholders within the Ports ecosystem.

The system is expected to complete around two million digital transactions per year, generate considerable cost and time savings for stakeholders and customers, reduce CO2 emissions and streamline services.

The HoT sees the Aqaba Development Corporation and AD Ports Group cooperating on exploring the development and modernisation of a multi-purpose port with world-class facilities including Ro-Ro, general cargo, grain and livestock handling.

The agreement will see AD Ports Group collaborate with Aqaba Development Corporation on the development of King Hussein International Airport - Aqaba, to enable increasing volumes of international and domestic tourism, ensuring a seamless journey for passengers moving between the airport and the Aqaba Cruise Terminal, while enhancing air logistics and expanding Aqabas air network connectivity.

Nayef Ahmad Bakheet, Chief Commissioner, Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, Chairman of Aqaba Development Corporation said: We have found a key partner in AD Ports Group, which has the vision, expertise and track record necessary to develop world-class port and cruise and digital infrastructure.

The agreements and HoT on the development of Marsa Zayed and a cruise terminal, exploring the modernisation of a multipurpose port, the development of King Hussein International Airport, and the establishment of Maqta Ayla for digital systems, represent a significant addition to our efforts that aim to develop Aqaba region, and enable rising volumes of visitors to come and experience the Golden Triangle of Jordan, with our unique tourism offerings of Wadi Rum, Aqaba and the ancient city of Petra.

Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Group CEO, AD Ports Group, said: This strategic alliance will boost the wider efforts of the leadership of Abu Dhabi to drive trade and tourism with our neighbours in the region, and to develop world-class infrastructure to expand global reach.

Collectively, these mega-projects represent one of the most significant integrated transport, logistics and tourism development programmes announced in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in recent years.

Working with our partners in the Aqaba Development Corporation, these ambitious projects will significantly expand the facilities available to travellers and businesses via sea, land and air. This in turn will help grow the trade and tourism sectors, while strengthening Aqabas status as a major regional hub and support the kingdoms economic development plans.
Luxury automotive brand Mercedes-Benz Cars Middle East has become the official automotive partner of worlds largest and tallest observation wheel.

For this the automotive marque signed a three-year partnership with Ain Dubai by Dubai Holding, Dubais newest iconic landmark located on the must-visit island destination Bluewaters.

Visitors to Ain Dubai will be able to experience Mercedes-Benzs legendary design, comfort, and luxury at an incredible 250 m above the ground in a specially designed cabin on the worlds biggest observation wheel as well as the Mercedes VIP Lounge.

Coinciding with the launch of the EQS, Ain Dubai will feature elements from the first ever all-electric luxury sedan from Mercedes-EQ. From the structure of the wheel to the screens inside, and even the car on display at the entrance to the attraction, customers will be able to experience different aspects of the new vehicle.

Krishan Bodhani, Vice President and Director of Sales and Marketing of Mercedes-Benz Cars Middle East, said: Mercedes-Benz Cars Middle East is proud to be the official automotive partner for Ain Dubai. A truly awe-inspiring landmark, Ain Dubai is a magnificent feat of engineering, which aligns perfectly with our brand narrative. Guests can now experience the luxury that Mercedes-Benz is known for the world over and relax in complete comfort as they take in the phenomenal views of Dubai, perfectly complemented by the exceptional food, drinks and hospitality on offer.

The bespoke Mercedes-Benz Cafe Cabin has been carefully crafted in the brands legendary design and offers comfort and luxury at an incredible 250 m above ground level with more details to be revealed soon.

Ronald Drake, General Manager, Ain Dubai, said: Within just over a month of its launch, Ain Dubai has already become one of the most iconic landmarks of Dubai offering some of the best views of the citys stunning skyline. The partnership with Mercedes-Benz is extremely fitting, given the luxury and excellence the brand stands for. The experience of Dubai at 250 m above ground in the exclusive Mercedes-Benz Cafe Cabin promises to be like none other in the city.

Providing a truly unique experience, the Mercedes-Benz VIP Lounge will be available to host VIPs and exclusive Mercedes-Benz events. A premium journey from start to finish, guests who book the Mercedes-Benz Cafe Cabin will be able to access the Mercedes-Benz VIP lounge, as well as fast track their way to the top.-- TradeArabia News Service
Equalize, a new F&B concept is officially opening its doors at Skydive Dubai and Deep Dive Dubai. The brand, developed by the creatives behind RAW Coffee Company, in partnership with Shamal Holding, has been designed for these two locations.

The Equalize Cafe, located on the first floor of Skydive Dubai, is a facility that caters to adventure seekers, where they can enjoy a cup of fresh coffee and a light meal. The menu focuses on international dishes such as, granola and acai bowls, quiches, pumpernickel and bagels, fresh salads, poke bowls, beef tartar, homemade focaccia sandwiches, cakes, cookies, and a selection of pastries.

These bites can be paired with coffee, teas, smoothies and matchas. The venue has indoor seating for 80 guests and an additional 80 seats on the outdoor deck.

Equalize Restaurant offers guests visiting Deep Dive Dubai a seated underground dining experience. The restaurant aims to maintain an equilibrium between the modern space, natural light, and the visual impact of the underwater diving environment.

Led by RAWs new head chef, Bojan Cirjanic, the Equalize team promises to deliver a culinary experience, focused on quality ingredients, providing fresh flavoursome food. The restaurant is set to open on December 20 and will be operational six days a week.

Owner and Managing Director Kim Thompson said: To be able to create a new brand and concept for UAEs key destination venues is certainly another milestone for us at RAW. We are excited and are looking forward to executing operations at both venues.

"While both cafe and restaurant have their own personality and clientele, the DNA remains the same; incorporating values of precision and a balance of flavours.

Shamal Holding Chief Portfolio Management Officer Abdulla Bin Habtoor said: As an investor across a portfolio of selected businesses, we curate businesses, ideas and assets that are planned, managed, and designed to enriching peoples lives. Were delighted to welcome Equalize to Skydive Dubai and Deep Dive Dubai, both firmly established on Dubais bucket list, providing our guests with the very best food and beverage options to further enhance their experience.

We are Dubai-born and have been supporting and consulting many successful cafe restaurant brands around the city throughout our 15 years of local experience. Thus, when this opportunity came our way, we were honoured and humbled to take this on and partner with Shamal Holding at these locations, added Matt Toogood, owner and CEO at RAW Coffee Company.-TradeArabia News Service
Omans Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Water Resources has signed four agricultural investment agreements worth over RO12 million ($31 million), a media report said.



Dr Saud Hamoud Al Habsi, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Water Resources, signed the agreements with investors today at the Ministry, reported Oman News Agency (ONA).



He noted that these agreements will enhance the food investment sector in the Sultanate of Oman, as it has already witnessed great growth over the past years.



He added that this growth is the result of the continuous cooperation between the public and private sectors to utilize investment opportunities in the agricultural and fisheries sectors.



The first agreement is to establish an integrated farm to produce vegetables and plants using modern agricultural technologies such as greenhouses. This project will be established in the Wilayat of A'Suwaiq, at a cost of RO600,000 on an area of 50 feddan. The estimated production is 1,500 tons of vegetables and medicinal plants annually. The project will also include establishing modern industries for producing medicines.



The second agreement is the thyme planting project, which will be built on an area of 10 feddan in the Wilayat of Al Kamil wa Al Wafi. The project is to establish an integrated farm to produce the local Omani thyme using modern agricultural systems and smart technologies at a cost of RO344,000.



The third agreement is the rabbit breeding project at a cost of RO100,000 to establish a farm on an area of 3 feddan in the Wilayat of Sohar. The project is to breed and produce rabbits using horizontal cages to supply the local market with white meat from sources other than poultry with the high nutritional value of proteins and fibers. The annual production is expected to reach 14,400 rabbits by Sallan Industrial Investment Company.



The fourth agreement is a livestock and fodder cultivation project in the Wilayat of Mahdah. The project aims to raise and fatten Omani livestock and other breeds with an intensive breeding system for red meat production to increase animal production and improve local meat quality. The project is expected to produce 22,000 tons of meat. It also targets the production of fodder and by-products. This project, worth RO11,387,000, will be on an area of 574 feddan.
Samsung Gulf Electronics has announced that the latest bespoke refrigerator line-up is now available for purchase across the UAE.

Designed for you, by you, these unique refrigerators make their official market entry following a highly successful pre-order campaign, with customisable design benefits and the promise of dynamic performance, interesting brand loyalists and home appliance fans from the outset.

Comprising changeable colour panels, adjustable functions, and modular systems, three new bespoke refrigerators provide a valuable opportunity for every customer to express their own style in changing households.

They offer customisation of design and the ability to create a cooling storage solution suited to varying family and living space needs. Running until the end of 2021, UAE consumers will also receive a 25% discount on select home appliances with their Bespoke refrigerator purchase, as well as three years warranty when purchases are finalised.

Burcin Arabul, Director of Home Appliances at Samsung Gulf Electronics, said: Home appliance popularity has never been higher and next-generation refrigerators are a primary reason for this trend. Recent years have seen sales continue to increase, with customers eager to replenish their kitchen space with innovation that deliver ease, simplicity, and empowerment. Now, we are proud to go one step further, adding customisation to these important benefits. We believe our UAE customers will take much delight in building their own bespoke refrigerators as they envisage, and possibilities here are far from limited thanks to the different models they can choose from.

Boasting four different yet equally attractive bespoke refrigerator propositions, the new line-up includes the French Door refrigerator, 1-Door Fridge 1-Door Freezer, and 2-Door Bottom-Mount Freezer (BMF) models. Consumers can select a multitude of attractive color options that complement lifestyles, uplift household appearance, and effortlessly integrate with their new surroundings.

The French Door and 2-Door BMF are available in Glam Peach, Glam navy, or Glam white. Meanwhile, the 1-Door Fridge 1-Door Freezer can be selected in Satin sky blue or Satin grey.

Regarding the French Door bespoke refrigerator, this model also comes with triple cooling and a digital invertor for environmentally friendly cooling, as well as convertible zones to further improve storage space flexibility. Alternatively, the 1-Door and 2-Door BMF models are accompanied by a column-style, changeable panel connecting module. According to individual needs, this module can be combined with other 1 Door or BMF Bespoke modules to add on more storage space as one requires.-- TradeArabia News Service
Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) today (December 18) welcomed the first direct Transavia France flight from Paris Orly Airport thus - signaling the commencement of two weekly round trips between the French capital and Amman.

The inaugural flight was received with the customary water arch salute and greeted by representatives from Airport International Group, and Transavia Frances general sales agent Link Aero Trading Agency.

"We remain committed to developing QAIAs route network and presenting tourists from around the world with the chance to visit and explore Jordan," stated Airport International Group CEO, Nicolas Claude.

"Our efforts are closely aligned with those of our steadfast partners - the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the Jordan Tourism Board - as we work together to stimulate local tourism, advance the sector and strengthen the national economy," he added.

Airport International Group is a Jordanian company comprising local and international investors with proven experience in airport rehabilitation, enhancement, operation and management. In 2007, following a transparent and open international tender, the Government of Jordan awarded Airport International Group a 25-year Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) concession agreement to manage the rehabilitation, expansion and operation of Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA); Jordans prime gateway to the world.

Since the agreement commenced, QAIA has ranked first place for four years in the Airport Service Quality Surveys Best Airport by Size and Region: Middle East category for airports serving 5 to 15 million passengers and was amongst the top two in the Best Airport by Region: Middle East category for four consecutive years.

On the environmental front, in 2018, QAIA was the first airport in the region to reach Level 3+ Neutrality of the Airport Carbon Accreditation program, which was further renewed and extended until 2022.
Brazil is increasingly attentive to the needs of Muslim tourists visiting the country, aiming at offering a great experience, while respecting their culture. It is the so-called halal tourism, which has had high attention from the authorities and the tourist industry.

This month, Embratur (Brazilian Tourist Board) participated in the 1st edition of the Global Halal Brazil Business Forum, held by the Arab-Brasileira Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Muslim Associations of Brazil (Fambras Halal).

Embratur's Manager, Claudine Bichara, attended the discussions about the lifestyle of the Islamic population, known for its high levels of excellence and added value. "Halal products and services cover a wide range of sectors and represent a great opportunity for Brazilian companies," said Bichara.

The halal market respects the lifestyle of the Islamic population and is valued at $4.8 trillion. Approximately 1.9 billion consumers (24.5 per cent of the global population), mainly from Arab, European and Asian nations such as Indonesia, India and Malaysia, are included in this segment.

Issues such as the correct time for prayers, hygiene requests, the need to be directed to Makkah when praying, fasting during Ramadan, among other points are considered when working with this type of tourist. Halal-certified hotels also have praying carpets and no alcohol in the minibar.

"These are details that do not generate great adaptations for those who receive, but that make all the difference for Muslims," Bichara said.

Already within this scenario of opportunities, the city of Foz do Iguacu, in the state of Parana, is expected to become the first city to earn halal certificate in Latin America. The certification is under negotiation and will indicate that the city is friendly for the Arab-Muslim population. The main changes will be made in hospitality, services, and gastronomy sectors.

Among these procedures is, for example, the availability in hotels of reserved and well signed spaces aimed at Makkah and the offer of a copy of the Quran in the accommodations.

There are also aspects related to food. Meat served to the Arab people must come from animals slaughtered in accordance with halal standards in certified slaughterhouses. And pork consumption is prohibited.

In addition to meeting with the protocols, one of the main touristic places of Foz do Iguacu is the Omar Ibn Khatab Mosque, considered the largest mosque among all of Latin America.

Foz do Iguacu is the main gateway to the Iguacu Falls, located in the Iguacu National Park, a Natural Humanity Heritage by UNESCO. It is considered the largest set of waterfalls in the world with over 75 waterfalls up to 80 metres high.-TradeArabia News Service
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Scores of people in Hyderabad, comprising of activists, students, NGOs, youth groups came together at Lamakan  a place in Hyderabad dedicated to the free-spirited people of Hyderabad, to commemorate the second anniversary of the Shaheen Bagh protests.

Nikhat Fatima | TwoCircles.net

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HYDERABAD  The second anniversary of Shaheen Bagh protests, the historic peaceful protests that began in Delhi in December 2019 by women of the area demanding repeal of the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), was observed in Hyderabad on Sunday.

Scores of people in Hyderabad, comprising of activists, students, NGOs, youth groups came together at Lamakan  a place dedicated to the free-spirited people of Hyderabad, to commemorate the second anniversary of the Shaheen Bagh protest.

The majority of the people in the audience were those who had participated in the anti-CAA movement and had faced arrest by the police.

The anti-CAA protests were held to revive the spirit of the fight to save the Constitution of India by scraping the CAA, NPR and NRC Acts.

Over the last two years, opposition to these laws, which a wide section of Indias civil society believes to be discriminatory and which goes against the democratic nature of the Constitution of India.

The stage was set up replicating the tent erected at Shaheen Bagh with two senior citizens Khalida Parveen and Jasveen Jairath sitting on a cot symbolizing the Daadis (grandmoms) of Shaheen Bagh. These old women of Shaheen Bagh not only led the movement but also inspired the younger generation of the country.

At the event in Hyderabad, the welcome note began with a volley of questions posed by the convener of the event, Sarah Mathews about the discriminative Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). This set up the tempo of the event.

A video playing the Urdu poet Rahat Indori poetrys was screened to the gathered people. His couplet, Sabhi ka khoon shamil hai yahan ki mitti mein, kisi ke baap ka Hindustaan thodi hai, was played and it met with a thunderous applause.

During the event, the poetry of Rabindranath Tagore like his Where the Mind is Without Fear was also recited. Other poems which were recited included Invictus by William Ernest Henley, songs of resistance like Faiz Ahmed Faizs Hum Dekhenge and Habib Jalibs Aise Dastoor ko Main Nahi Maanta. The recitations saw applause from the audience.

Another video clip compiled by Tajuddin showed the protests against CAA, the violence inflicted on the students of Jamia Milia, the poem Sab Yaad Rakha Jayega by Amir Aziz, the protests of Hyderabad and the arrest of some women activists. The video refreshed the memory of the days of protests against CAA.

Student leaders spoke about the NRC in Assam and how it cost the lives of innocent people. The leaders talked about the unconstitutional nature of the Act, and hailed the heroic role played by the women of Shaheen Bagh who carried out a peaceful protest leaving their homes and making the protest site their home.

The speakers also talked about the strategy of the current government to exclude Muslims and relegate them as second class citizens, saying this strategy has been the agenda of the forefathers of the Hindutva.

The speakers said that the anti-CAA movement was not just a Muslim issue but one that concerned everyone, especially the marginalized sections of the society such as Dalits and Adivasis.

The Shaheen Bagh protests is a landmark in the history of protests not just in India but throughout the world. Women in different states started to look up to the women of Shaheen Bagh and started following the same format of protest. The protestors of Shaheen Bagh braved all odds and faced hostility and even risked their lives, Shiba Minai, an anti- CAA protestor said on the occasion.

Minai said that the Shaheen Bagh movement also showed that as much as the world likes to underestimate Muslim women, especially in India, the Muslim women showed that they know how to fight for their rights.

I regret that in Hyderabad we could not have our own Shaheen Bagh, she told TwoCircles.net.

A soulful rendition of the Preamble song Ham log, We the people written by Vinay Charul had everyones attention. The song speaks about the dream of every Indian to live a life of peace and dignity.

The program concluded with a delightful surprise for the audience  a Qawali programme by Irshad Nizamis troupe. The Qawals sang songs that spoke about revolution, fighting for peace, and harmony.

Khalida Parveen ended the event with a powerful vote of thanks saying that this movement, which is a fight for justice, should be kept alive.

She questioned the audience about their responsibility towards the youth who have been falsely accused and jailed for protesting peacefully. The youth have emerged as leaders to fight for justice and when they have been arrested and kept in jails for long periods, it becomes the duty of the elders to fight for them and save them, she said.

Recalling a time when women folk were confined indoors while the men went out to fight and protect the women, she said, Today, things are different.

She said women have to come out and fight. We, mothers, should become a shield for our children. Let the oppressors bullet go through us before it reaches our children, she said, adding that, Shaheen Bagh has taught us this lesson that women should lead the movement. And we will continue the fight till the laws are repealed.
Help India!



For the citizens of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, notwithstanding the perception of an increase or decrease in violence, the situation has seen little improvement in the last two years.

Auqib Javeed | TwoCircles.net

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SRINAGAR  If one goes by the statistics of killings, violence, and militant attacks in Kashmir valley  nothing is hunky-dory as claimed by the ruling government in Jammu and Kashmir. Ever since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led Government of India abrogated the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the state into two centrally-ruled Union Territories in August 2019, the region has been on edge.

Violence in the region, as per the governments data, hasnt stemmed. The violence has intensified in the last two years, especially this year, the data reveals.

Over 40 civilians have been killed and 72 injured in the region in different incidents till November 15 this year, the government informed Parliament on November 30.

On December 15, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that over 37-40 civilians were killed in J&K every year on an average during the last five years. Such a figure does little to improve the tall talk by the BJP, who have continuously maintained that all is well in Jammu and Kashmir.

While calling for the abrogation of Article 370, the BJP had claimed that the so-called special status of the erstwhile state was promoting separatism and helping anti-nationals and militants for the past seven decades.

However, these claims made by the BJP-led Central government have not yielded much, as the region still faces militancy, separatism, destruction and injustice, the regional political parties of Jammu and Kashmir state.

If we compare the current violence in Kashmir with the years before abrogation, it has of course gone up, Professor Noor Ahmad Baba, a political scientist told TwoCircles.net

Noor argues the governments claims that everything will be normal in Kashmir after the abrogation of Article-370, has proved otherwise.

Noors assessment is corroborated by the data released by MHA. According to MHA data, over 96 civilians and 81 security personnel have been killed since August 5, 2019, in J&K.

The civilian casualties seems to be at an all-time high in the valley as over 40 civilians were killed in this year alone, the data revealed.

According to reports, the last time the region witnessed 40 civilian deaths due to militant activities was in 2017. Since then, the number has remained less, with 39 civilian deaths being reported in the year 2018 and 2019 and 37 in the year 2020.

Responding to the disclosure of the increase in violence in the region, the regional political parties in Kashmir criticized the Modi led government for faking normalcy claims post abrogation of Article 370.

Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on December 14 said that peace in Kashmir remains elusive as ever with the footprint of forces personnel increasing and new security bunkers being constructed across Srinagar.

Post abrogation of Art 370, we were told that peace will return to J&K. However the situation on the ground completely belies that claim, Omar said, while addressing workers convention at the Ganderbal district of Central Kashmir.

For some observers in the Valley, it is the right time to start a political process with the inclusion of the Valleys regional political groupings like the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and National Conference (NC).

It is the time to start the political activities in Kashmir, senior journalist Riyaz Malik told TwoCircles.net

Malik argues that the graph of violence has remained up and down for the last three decades but it has always been there.

The iron fist policy that was employed in August 2019 and afterwards seems to be not working as there is rise in violence, Malik said.

Malik said the government of India needs to engage the people and start the confidence-building measures to win the hearts and minds of the people.

Killings of non-locals and renewed security build-up

Earlier in October, hundreds of non-locals left the Valley after the killing of five labourers. Following the killings, Home Minister Amit Shah rushed to the violence-hit region and reviewed the security scenario.

On Shahs instructions, five companies of central paramilitary forces were deployed in the Valley mainly in Srinagar city in addition to 25 companies of the force sent last month.

The security forces set up additional bunkers and checkpoints in Srinagar and intensified the frisking in the city  drawing ire from the local population. However, despite these measures and the presence of increased military boots, the militants have still managed to sneak in and carry out attacks.

Recently on December 13, three policemen were killed and 14 others were injured after suspected militants fired at a police bus in Zewan, Pantha Chowk area of Srinagar outskirts. The area is considered a high-security zone. This was a major militant attack on the security forces in recent days and took place in a highly fortified area with the presence of many military camps.

Intensified attacks on JK Police

The December 13 attack came three days after suspected militants shot dead two cops in North Kashmirs Bandipora district. With this attack, the targeted killing of Jammu and Kashmir policemen has intensified this year.

The two cops who were killed in Bandipora on December 10 were identified as Mohammad Sultan Dar, a Selection Grade Constable (SgCt) and Constable Fayaz Ahmad Lone. Sultan is survived by four kidsall aged below 10, while Lone is survived by four children.

While constable Rameez Ahmad Baba, who was killed in Zewan was the sole bread earner of his family and is survived by aged parents, three unmarried sisters and a younger brother.

Data from JK police reveals that over 17 cops were killed in different militancy attacks across the Kashmir Valley in 2021, while dozens were injured.

Since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, the police have lost over 35 personnel in different militant attacks. Over 1600 JK police personnel have been killed ever since the armed insurgency erupted in the region in the late eighties, the data by police notes.

Govts constant line of normalcy

The government, however, has maintained that the number of militant incidents in the region has shown a significant decline since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.

In a written response to a question, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai gave data showing that only 206 militant incidents were reported in Jammu and Kashmir this year till December 5 as against 417 in 2018.

According to the data, 255 militant incidents were reported in 2019 and 244 in 2020.

According to government reports, the infiltration figures also showed a decline with only 28 incidents being reported till October 31 this year as against 143 in 2018. In 2019 and 2020, the minister said, 138 and 51 such incidents were reported respectively.

Security grid has been further strengthened and infiltration of terrorists from across the border has also come down significantly, the minister said.

These government figures, however, are interpreted differently in Kashmir. Observers highlight that the violence hasnt died down, and violence has remained there, in Kashmir throughout the last two years.

For Jammu and Kashmirs Director-General of Police, Dilbag Singh, the situation (in the region) is progressively improving.

Responding to the renewed attacks against police, Singh said, J&K police have successfully faced challenges in the past.

Contextualizing the attacks against JK Police, Singh said, Attempts are being made to cause damage to the peace and every such attempt would be foiled with fortitude.

For the citizens of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, notwithstanding the perception of an increase or decrease in violence, the situation has seen little improvement in the last two years.

Auqib Javeed is a journalist based in Kashmir. He tweets at @AuqibJaveed.
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The Lost Assyrian Colony in Africa

Kanta National Museum, Argungu, Kebbi State. ( Kanta National Museum) Assyrians have played a role in modern human development and civilization. Some of the first forms of writing (cuneiform), first complete libraries, astrology, irrigation, and warfare tactics came from their society. Assyrians were able to hold influence across large swaths of territory outside of Mesopotamia, also known as the 'Cradle of Civilization.'

This included Asia Minor, areas in Persia, the Levant, and Egypt through the Neo Assyrian Empire. As the empire expanded rapidly, it also faced internal turmoil. Civil wars, usurpations, and rebellions within fragmented the empire. The capital of the empire, Nineveh, would ultimately fall to a coalition led by the Babylonians in 612 BC.

After the Fall of Harran in 609 BC, surviving Assyrian refugees who were not already enslaved and subjugated fled to the western regions of Africa. One such group of Assyrians settled in Kebbi around 600 BC, which is now the modern-day Kebbi State of Nigeria.

During the fall of the Neo Assyrian Empire, refugees began a long journey that could've taken years and left a trail. From Upper Mesopotamia, they marched through the Levant, down to Egypt, the inner Africa all the way to modern Nigeria. It is not clear whether or not Kebbi was the ancient Assyrian name of the city, but it has been used as the name for the current state for thousands of years.

Archaeological records and documents in the Hausa state of Kebbi have indicated that the history of the city started by conquest from the Assyrian refugees of Mesopotamia. The archaeological tablets show reference that the cities of Kabawa and Madayana that were frequently discussed by various tribes were in fact the historical Assyrian cities of Assur and Nineveh.

The documents also state the names of 33 kings of the Near East. It omits any African king, further showing the origins of Assyrian migration into West Africa. In chronological order, the names display kings from the Akkadian Period all the way to the late Neo-Assyrian Period.

One major detail in the documents reveals a key point that confirms the Assyrian migration; the last Assyrian king, Ashur-uballit II and the founder of the Neo Babylonian Empire, Nabopolassar were mentioned. Though Assyrian history in Africa was featured heavily in Egyptian and Sudanese records, the history of Kebbi shows their vast influence and that their civilization continued to flourish in Africa.
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For the second time this week, a juvenile appeared before a judge charged with making a threat to a school, DuPage County States Attorney Robert Berlin said in a Wednesday statement. These threats are not harmless jokes or an excuse to blow off steam. They have a chilling effect not just on students, teachers and staff, but also on parents, siblings and the community as a whole, said Berlin, who commended students at the high school for alerting authorities to the post.
But the movie never really gets going. Wells treats every conversation, each new encounter, as a separate, dutifully filmed scene unto itself, and after a while you start thinking impossible thoughts about directors long gone. What might've Robert Altman and his roving, fluid camera done with this material? In a nod to Chekhov, Letts' comic melodrama derives its tension from packing a lot of unhappy people inside an isolated home and then peeling back the small talk to uncover what lies beneath. That tension, and more crucially, the humor make themselves known only sporadically in the film version. Between Wells' earnest, stilted technique and a terrible, naggingly optimistic musical score by Gustavo Santaolalla, "August: Osage County" never really had a chance at success  only at occasional diversions within a starry yet ill-starred project.
If doing this will lead you to torture yourself, then dont do it, but this is what you must tell yourself (because its true): If you dont take good care of yourself, you will NOT be able to take good care of your folks.
Green used a 9 mm gun to shoot both Clarence Whalum, 22, and Kimani Whalum, 20, on Oct. 5 inside their residence in the 19000 block of Farm Crest Terrace, according to police Chief John Galvin. Police were called there at 7:30 p.m. for a report of a home invasion and found the brothers with gunshot wounds inside. They were taken to area hospitals and later pronounced dead.
Then one day in 1998 I was looking at an aerial picture, and there it was, right below the church, he said. It was clear as a bell if you know what to look for. Its no longer a question of if its here, but why its here, who put it here and when did they put it here?
The Coffee Lab is an offshoot of the colleges chapter of Enactus, a student and faculty collaboration that promotes social justice through entrepreneurship. The group sources beans from small plot family farmers in Guatemala that they use to roast, package, market and sell, producing the money needed to fund the enterprise.
 Flash

China and Rwanda on Thursday signed a framework agreement on Smart Education Project in the Rwandan capital city Kigali.

The agreement was signed by Rao Hongwei, Chinese Ambassador to Rwanda, and Uzziel Ndagijimana, Rwanda's Minister of Finance and Economic Planning.

"The year of 2021 is an extraordinary year for China and Rwanda. We have celebrated the 50th anniversary of China-Rwanda diplomatic relations, and witnessed numerous achievements of our practical cooperation," said Rao.

He added that "as Rwanda continues to place ICT at the center of education, China is more than happy to be a part and offer our concrete help. I firmly believe that the Smart Education Project will contribute to the betterment of digital infrastructure in Rwanda's education sector and provide a solid foundation for teaching and learning based on data and information."

Rao said that the project will create a strong impetus to the development of education in a quality and balanced way, to the cultivation of talents, and ultimately to Rwanda's socio-economic developments.

"I believe we could seize the opportunity of implementing the outcomes of the FOCAC, to work towards a successful completion of the Smart Education project, to further deepen bilateral education cooperation and cultural exchanges, and to better benefit the peoples of China and Rwanda," said Rao.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Ndagijimana said that the support will contribute to Rwanda's National Transformation Strategy with a particular focus on building a knowledge-based economy through providing quality education for all.

The government of Rwanda through the Ministry of Education is embarking on promotion of digital learning by increasing the number of schools connected to affordable internet connectivity and setting up a cost effective education content sharing system through "Smart Education".

The agreement will support the implementation of the Smart Education Project which aims to improve Rwanda's education ICT infrastructure by building an education platform system, according to the Rwandan Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning.

The project scope will focus on three main areas -- dedicated education network, education data center as well smart campus and school network.

The Project will connect 63 universities and higher learning institutions, and 1,437 schools, including primary and secondary schools.

China continues to be a strong development partner to Rwanda, according to the Rwandan Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning.
 Flash

Russia has officially withdrawn from the Treaty on Open Skies, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced Saturday in a statement.

"Decades of fruitful implementation of the treaty showed that it has served well as a tool for strengthening confidence and security, creating additional opportunities for an objective and unbiased assessment of the military potential and military activities of the participating states," it said.

The ministry mentioned that during Russia's participation in the treaty, the country has conducted 646 flights, and allowed for 449 flights to be carried out over its territory among the 1,580 total flights made.

"Unfortunately, all our efforts did not allow us to preserve the treaty as it was intended by its authors," it said.

"The entire responsibility for the degradation of the agreement lies with the initiator of the collapse of the Treaty on Open Skies: the United States of America," the ministry said.

After the formal U.S. withdrawal in November 2020, the Russian Foreign Ministry said this January that the country had started domestic legal procedures for the official pullout from the treaty.

On June 7, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law to quit the treaty.

The multilateral pact, which came into effect in 2002, allows its states-parties to conduct short-notice, unarmed reconnaissance flights over the others' territories to collect data on military forces and activities.
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It's among China's diplomatic priorities to work with the United States and the international community to find science-based solutions to shared problems like the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang has said in an interview published Friday night.

"The goal of China's diplomacy today is to work towards world peace and promote global development. We value the role of science and technology in diplomacy," said Qin in an interview with Kim Montgomery, director of International Affairs and Science Diplomacy and executive editor of Science & Diplomacy, on China's science diplomacy initiatives.

According to the interview posted on the website of the Chinese Embassy in the United States, Qin said China is ready to carry out international space cooperation with other countries on the basis of mutual respect, openness, inclusiveness, equality, and mutual benefit.

China will continue to intensify international cooperation in the expansion of space station functions, space science and its applications, and the joint flight of Chinese and foreign astronauts, he said.

China has invited all United Nations member states to submit cooperative pilot projects to board the Chinese space station to provide a new model of international cooperation for future space explorations, said Qin, adding that nine projects from 17 countries have been selected.

He further said that China has shared information and experience and strengthened international cooperation in the joint R&D for vaccines, treatments, and testing.

Noting that China has partnered with 30 countries on COVID-19 vaccine cooperation to promote the fair international distribution of vaccines, Qin said, "We hope that China and the United States will strengthen their scientific and technological cooperation to help the world overcome the pandemic as soon as possible."

Referring to climate change, he said there is a lot of room for China-U.S. cooperation.

Both countries are transitioning to renewable energy faster than any other countries in the world, and are looking for advancements in clean energy technologies, he said, adding that though the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center, a typical example of bilateral research cooperation, has been suspended, China hopes to find a new model of cooperation regarding clean energy.

Noting that China has adopted a host of strategies and actions on climate despite economic and social difficulties, the ambassador said, "South-South cooperation is an essential means for less-developed countries to help each other and develop together."

Citing China's cooperation with Comoros in fighting malaria, Qin highlighted that China has been helping developing countries to localize mature and applicable technologies, establish joint laboratories, conduct joint research, train local people on applicable technologies and carry out exchanges among young scientists.
What a stupid girl!

Journalists are taught to run after stories that are novel and will catch the attention of the publics eye. They successfully caught the attention of the Jamaican public on May 6, 2019 with the headline that read: What a stupid girl: Angry mother curses daughter for handing over large amount of money she found.

We were lured in to hear what could have led this 24 year old mother of two to return what appeared to be millions. The article recounts how the young mother went into the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) to transact business, she then sees her baby playing with a large bag, she later realized to be a large sum of cash. She immediately carried it to the authorities where it was returned.

The young lady quickly resolved in her heart that keeping the money was not right! This simple admission spoke volumes to her integrity. The noble act by this young woman found both praise and ridicule from Jamaicans, as this story became a hot topic for a few days. With her mother being on the side of ridicule, saying to the press that she is the stupidest of all my children, sharing how it was that very morning her daughter had begged her some money to send one her children to school. The young mother stood resolute that she had made the right decision.

Change in cultural fabric

I am blessed to be born in an island that our rules, customs and mores were explicitly founded on Christian principles. We boldly call ourselves a Christian nation, albeit less loudly in recent times, but the common man on the street will walk around with a small Gideon bible in his back pocket and say the requisite prayer for guidance each morning.

Though this is a watered down version of Christianity, I believe we are in a much better place than other nations who are outrightly atheistic. This is because within our nations history was woven the truth of scripture. We are however coming to realize more and more the degradation of our morality, which is being caused by many variables. The outworking of this is seen through corruption,crime,dishonouring the sanctity of life and many other themes that pervade the day to day conversations of our people.

I believe too that the volume of conversations that condemned the honourable act of this young mother, reflect a nation in decay, where right is no longer an obvious thing. Though there were many applauding her, there were also quite a few who openly admitted they would have taken the cash.

Honesty is the best policy!

I believe honesty is one of those attributes that speak to the soul of a nations people. We see the lack of it in Jamaica permeating every sphere, and this has almost become the norm. When truth becomes situational rather than absolute, we conjure up instances that we believe justify dishonesty.

I had a conversation with a young lady about the situation. She said, I know youre a Christian, but would you really give back the money? I said yes and she looked at me in disbelief. She went on and on about what shed do with the money; all legitimate and wonderful things, being a young mother whos also in a rough spot. I immediately thought, why is this even a point of contention?

I quickly reasoned that I might have been tempted, but I too would quickly give up the money because I honour God and I honour people. I have that reference point and appreciation, but is it fair to expect the same from those who dont? I dont necessarily think so, but if we are to look at it from the view of what is beneficial for the sustenance of a people, what would divert anarchy and civil war, I believe wed land right back on the principles of scripture. Do to others as youd have them do to you. (Luke 6:31)

If we are to objectively view the benefit of living honestly and not make exceptions for convenient cases, wed see a nation whose moral compass is rightly aligned, thus producing order, productivity and respect.

A culture of honesty

There is still hope! The subsequent stories in the last few weeks surrounding the young mothers act, brought hope that outshone the negativity that usually pervades our headlines. Woman who returned ATM cash gets $1.2 million Wray and Nephew gift Digicel joins thrust to reward woman who turned over ATM cash and Senate to recognise woman who returned ATM cash, are a few of the headlines we saw. Corporate Jamaica honoured this young woman for her gesture of integrity by providing her with money and a scholarship to pursue a skill that will benefit her and her family.

Though we might not like to admit it, media shapes a lot of how we think, and I believe that the explosion of this kind deed, will reiterate to Jamaicans, that honesty is still honourable.
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Orthopedic Devices Market Size, Trends And Growth Analysis By Type (Trauma Fixation, Spinal Devices, Joint Replacement, Consumables & Disposables, Bone Repair), Application (Spine, Trauma and Extremities, Knee, Hip, Foot and Ankle), End-User (Ambulatory Surgery Centers, Hospitals, Medical Research Center) - Forecast till 2027

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Orthopedic Devices Market Segmentation

The joint replacement category, by kind, is expected to achieve a significant value. Artificial joint replacement goods would be in more demand as the older population grows and the incidence of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis rises.

Hip orthopedic devices are expected to be the fastest expanding sector by application over the forecast period. As stated in the research, patients who do not receive conservative treatment are more likely to experience an osteoarthritis flare.

The hospital sector has surpassed the orthopedic implant industry in terms of end-use. The high rates of hospital admissions, as well as the large range of services given in a single location, may have contributed to the growth of this category.

Orthopedic Devices Market is projected to reach USD 58.81 Billion by 2023, which is expected to register a 4.3% CAGR during the forecast period. Rapid growth in the geriatric population sector is the main driver of the orthopedic devices market.

Orthopedic Devices Market Regional Overview

Because to the expanding penetration of novel orthopedic solutions, specialized healthcare facilities, the involvement of business leaders, and insurance coverage for orthopedic surgeries, North America is expected to have the biggest revenue share over the evaluation timeframe. Due to strong demand for specialized healthcare facilities owing to the availability of well-developed healthcare facilities, and broad reimbursement coverage of orthopedic procedures, North America was the leading sales contributor in the global orthopedic devices industry in 2016, and is expected to maintain this pattern throughout the projected period. If the population ages and the number of car accidents rises, the need for orthopedic procedures in the area will rise. Several high-incidence orthopedic illnesses are expected to fuel the industrys growth in the United States.

Key Players Focus on Mergers and Acquisitions to Expand Market standing

Large corporations have implemented a number of tactics to compete with other companies. These techniques include different types of mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, alliances and joint ventures. The businesses concentrate on innovation and designing new goods and devices, and marketing them at affordable prices to developing countries.

DePuy Synthes Companies

Globus Medical, Inc.

Medtronic

NuVasive, Inc.

Smith & Nephew plc

Stryker Corporation

Zimmer Inc

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Commercial Pharmaceutical Analytics Market Research Report: Information by Type (Descriptive Analytics, Predictive Analytics, and Prescriptive Analytics), Application (R&D, Marketing & Sales, Supply Chain Optimization and Internal Reporting), Deployment (On-Premise and Web-Based/Cloud-Based), Components (Software and Services) - Forecast till 2027

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Global Commercial Pharmaceutical Analytics Market - Regional Analysis

The Americas Commercial Pharmaceutical Analytics market comprises of the two regions North America and Latin America. North American region is further divided in to US, and Canada. North American region has always been the leading regions in terms of the growth in the healthcare and pharmaceutical business. And Commercial pharmaceutical analytics market is no different. The growth in the North American region is mainly due to the rapid advancements in the United States. At present, the US is dominating the commercial pharmaceutical analytics market in this region as it has deployed the majority of the commercial pharmaceutical analytics solutions and its application in various segments. The US market for commercial pharmaceutical analytics is one of the most developed markets in the globe, with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) in US is also helping and encouraging the pharmaceutical industry personnel and organizations. The commercial pharmaceutical analytics market is bound to grow with a moderate pace. US has various pharmaceutical organizations that help the new business and new software developers in the commercial pharmaceutical analytics industry. Some of them are, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, The Generic Pharmaceutical Association (GPhA), The International Pharmaceutical Excipients Council and many more are present in US to provide assistance in the North American market

The pharmaceutical industry in Canada is facing challenges and huge changes in the several years. As the period of the extensive essential consideration blockbuster drug attracts to a nearby from the patent bluff, pharmaceutical organizations are re-sorting out and receiving systems to lessen chance, and beat outer elements and their poor pipeline efficiency. These procedures incorporate embracing new business models with the help of Pharmaceutical analytics. The Pharmaceutical industry in Latin America is still under development with countries like Brazil, Columbia coming forward and taking initiative in the development of the industry. However, Commercial Pharmaceutical analytics is having limited marketed in the region at present but shows promising growth prospects in the future

European Commercial Pharmaceutical Analytics market is the second largest market after Americas. The European market for Commercial Pharmaceutical Analytics majorly comprises of Western Europe, and Eastern Europe. Western Europe made up from countries like Germany, France, U.K., Italy, Spain and Rest of Western Europe

Key Players:

CitiusTech Inc., International Business Machines Corporation, Northwest analytics, Inc., ORACLE, Scio Health Analytics, Statistical Analysis System, TAKE Solutions Ltd, Tata Consultancy Services Limited, Trinity Pharma Solutions, Wipro Limited and others are some of the major players in the Global Commercial Pharmaceutical Analytics Market.

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The Chief Minister said that the situation was under control in the state but appealed to the people to follow Covid-19 appropriate behaviour.  Twitter

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao on Saturday reviewed the situation in the state arising from Omicron cases being reported from few

districts for the past three days.

The Chief Minister discussed the Covid-19 situation and the Omicron variant in the state with district collectors and senior officials of health and medical

department in the meeting held at Pragathi Bhavan.

Officials informed the Chief Minister that the situation was under control in the

state and there was no cause for concern.

The Chief Minister also reviewed the readiness of the state health system to face

any situation arising out of the pandemic. He directed officials to strictly implement new Covid-19 guidelines issued by the Centre concerning the Omicron variant in the state. He further told the officials to continue with the strategy of tracing, testing and treatment of Covid-19 patients.

The Chief Minister said that the situation was under control in the state but

appealed to the people to follow Covid-19 appropriate behaviour including social distancing and wearing of masks apart from urging them to be sensitive to the situation.
Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao said new districts were created in order to make administration more accessible to the people living in backward areas. (DC Image)

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao on Saturday directed officials to complete the entire process of division of state government employees in the next four to five days and make allocations in accordance with the zonal system brought by the state government in August.

He asked officials to submit a report to him on employee allocation to new districts and zones within five days.

Rao reviewed the progress of the division and allocation of employees to new districts with district collectors and senior officials of various departments.

He instructed officials to strictly follow the presidential order in this regard. He said the move would also create new government jobs for the unemployed youth. Employees have already indicated their options and the entire process of relocating them to new districts will be completed by Monday. They will be required to report for duty within a week after the allotments are made.

Rao said new districts were created in order to make administration more accessible to the people living in backward areas. Comprehensive development can be achieved only if employees move to remote areas, he said.

He asked district collectors to consider spouse cases pertaining to transfers on humanitarian grounds and ensure that they work in the same area. However, he wanted the officials to ensure that it would not destroy job opportunities for locals as the new zonal system mandates 95 per cent reservations to locals in government jobs.
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condemned the alleged murders of SDPI state secretary KS Shaan and BJP OBC morcha state secretary Ranjith Sreenivasan on Sunday and assured of strict action against those involved in the crimes.

"Such heinous and inhumane acts of violence are dangerous to the state. I am sure that all the people would be ready to identify and isolate such killer groups and their hateful attitudes," Vijayan said in a press conference.

He assured that the police will take strict action against those behind the acts.

Two murders of senior political functionaries from SDPI and BJP have rocked Kerala's Alappuzha, forcing the local administration to impose Section 144 in the district.

In two separate incidents, Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) state secretary KS Shaan was allegedly attacked and murdered in Kerala's Alappuzha on Saturday night. This was followed by a separate incident in which BJP OBC morcha state secretary Renjith Sreenivasan was killed at his house by unidentified people early on Sunday morning in Alappuzha.

According to the police, Shaan was on a two-wheeler when a gang in a car attacked him on Saturday night. SDPI has alleged that RSS workers are behind this attack.

Within 12 hours after Shaan's murder, BJP OBC morcha state secretary Renjith Sreenivasan was killed at his house by unidentified people early on Sunday morning in Alappuzha.

Further investigation is underway.
The Chief Minister is expected to visit Wanaparthy on December 23 and Jangaon on December 24. However, an official announcement of the Chief Minister's revised tour programme is yet to be finalised.  By arrangement

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao has postponed his tours of the districts from December 19. He will now focus on the agitations the TRS will be holding across Telangana state on December 20 to protest against anti-farmer policies of the BJP-led Centre and its refusal to procure paddy from the state.

The Chief Minister called on party leaders and cadre to stage demonstrations in all the 119 Assembly constituencies on December 20. Effigies of the BJP will be burnt during the protests. He had revealed the partys strategy while addressing a joint meeting of MLAs, MLCs, MPs and district-level leaders at the Telangana Bhavan on Friday.

The Chief Minister was scheduled to visit Wanaparthy on December 19 and Jangaon on December 20. The inauguration of new integrated collectorate complexes and opening of TRS offices in district headquarters during the CMs visit have now been postponed.

The Chief Minister is expected to visit Wanaparthy on December 23 and Jangaon on December 24. However, an official announcement of the Chief Minister's revised tour programme is yet to be finalised.

The Chief Minister declared that the TRS will continue its fight against the Centre on the issue of paddy procurement.

The party has already organised two state-wide agitation programmes on this issue in November to step up pressure on the Centre to procure paddy from Telangana state.

While all TRS MLAs, MLCs and MPs staged dharnas in all the Assembly constituencies on November 12, the Chief Minister himself sat on a dharna at Indira Park on November 18 with his entire Cabinet, party MLAs, MLCs, MPs and other leaders demanding that the Centre procure paddy from the state.
This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices.
RAF Typhoon fighter jet shot down a militia drone flying near the airspace of the coalition airbase in Syria last Tuesday. It comes as an attack from elements hostile to coalition forces.

The use of drones in the Syrian conflict has increased the danger to pro-Syrian forces under attack from Iran-supported militias. Unmanned drones can carry ordnance or be the mortar itself, armed with explosives.

Iran-backed militia drone eliminated

It has been forty years after the Falklands War, and the RAF has not shot down an enemy aircraft since that time, reported the Sun UK. Defense officials did not say who commanded the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flying headlong to the Tanf base.

The Middle East has been a hotbed of armed conflict, especially Ayatollah Khomeini, belligerent to western forces in the region. Iran is notorious for recent attacks involving a weaponized drone that attacked the commercial MV Mercer Street. In August, it had one fatality, Adrian Underwood, an ex-British army vet.

On Tuesday, US forces say that two drones were taken out in the air close to an allied base located in the Southern part of Syria, cited NBC News. It was the same one that the RAF reported under attack. But, no extra details were released by authorities if it was the one with the UK plane.

US Central Command Captain Bill Urban confirmed the drones were detected by radar. The airspace of the Tanf Garrison was the object of an incursion of enemy drones. He added the militia drones were tracked getting further into Tanf Deconfliction Zone. Commanders say that its flight path was of hostile intent and destroyed by RAF Typhoons, noted Eurasian Times.

Read Also: Putin Wants Live Debate Versus Biden After 'Killer' Remark

RAF fighter jet prevented attack on Syrian Air Base

Defense officials state that Iran and militia groups its arms are moving in the region to cause trouble during the recent drone episode and another attack following it. Whether the drones were weaponized on the attempted attack, nothing is confirmed. No deaths were reported as well.

Previous assaults with armed drones were coordinated, and more than one, that was reported by authorities. This group attack resulted in damage to the base. Syrian soldiers are trained by US specialists on the Tanf base to combat ISIS fighters still plaguing southern Syria.

The Garrison lies close to the Iraqi and Jordanian borders, where hostile forces allow the militias to go from Tehran to Southern Lebanon. Its proximity makes the base target anti-coalition forces that the evil Tehran regime wants to terrorize.

Royal Air Force combat jets conduct missions to support the global coalition over Iraq and Syria to stamp out the Islamic State (ISIS) that still exists in the region.

The ground conflict has been going on for some time and is one of the crucial theatres against terror elements in the Middle East.

According to the Ministry of Defense, on October 25, the RAF drone called Reaper with Hellfire AGMS had tracked down a terrorist in North Syria in Ras al-Ayn.

Reaper attacked when the target was isolated in a field and killed him with an AGM. It contrasted a US drone strike that killed the wrong people, including children in Kabul. A militia drone got destroyed by an RAF Typhoon on its way to the Tanf garrison before reaching it.

Related Article: Vladimir Putin Criticizes Biden's Thrust in Syria, Says Washington Cannot Keep Troops and Failed US Foreign Policy

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North Korean dictator orders brutal executions on citizens sentenced to die that has been called extremely cruel by observers of Pyongyang.

Lack of human rights and due process allows their supreme leader Kim Jong-un to be unquestioned in his policies that have drawn condemnation.

According to one report, the regime even used flamethrowers on dead bodies, and children were even executed by firing squad.

North Korean supreme leader orders executions

The South Korean human rights organization has registered the 23 public death sentences mostly for watching foreign media, which is trivial as if it was a capital crime like rape or murder, reported the Sun UK.

Sources of these gruesome public deaths were from North Korean defectors who had seen the shocking executions with the kin of the condemned.

The Transitional Justice Working Group is responsible for getting the information about the public death sentences that all happened after the supreme leader Kim Jong-un rose to power in 2011, at 37.

There is speculation that it is more than the number mentioned; the hermit kingdom is strict with its secrets, of these executions with two hangings and the rest by brutal firing squad shockingly.

Before getting shot by the firing squad, executioners dragged one of the condemned in 2012 from the vehicle like an animal. One of the witnesses testified to this particular death.

The witness said the condemned was half dead and had problems hearing the guards, and he seemed not to understand anything.

In 2014, the firing squad in the North Hwanghae province was another case of a brutal execution. The man was tied to a post, and they put pebbles in his mouth to choke him inexplicably as ordered by the North Korean dictator.

Read Also: Kim Jong Un's Boat at Private Island Signals Military Activity, Possibly Submarine Construction

Once dead, the bodies of the condemned were burnt by flamethrowers in full view of their relatives. During 2012 or 2013 in Pyongyang, a witness saw the body desecrated by torching it; right after the victim passed.

Family members had to stay in the front row to witness the execution. After their relative's death, no one can complain or say anything. A father of the executed had passed out from watching as his son's body burned watching helplessly.

Horrendous executions did not exempt the young

Nothing is more heinous than executing a child as what happened in 2012 when one was shot to death by firing squad. One defector saw the ghastly killing and recalls the body was in bloody tatters, but it was worse, noted the Daily Mail.

They violated the corpse by bending the child's corpse at the waist and fitting the body in a sack, then discarding the body like trash.

Prisoners would be paraded with students and workers looking into the condemned eyes as executions are a must participate event. A witness stated about one execution in North Hamgyong in 2012 and mentioned that everyone had to see the suffering of the prisoners.

In 2017, a North Korean defector said the body of 11 musicians had been torn apart with a high-caliber air defense cannon via Kim Jong-un's orders.

Hee Yeon Lim, daughter of a high-ranked soldier in Pyongyang, escaped to South Korea and talked about the terror of Kim's inner circle. She saw condemned wearing hoods who were tied at the end of anti-aircraft gun barrels, then the gun was fired and the sentenced blown to bits in front of 10,000 people. All that was left were tatters of what used to be a person everywhere.

North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has ordered these inhuman executions exposed considered savage compared to the world.

Related Article: Kim Jong Un Orders Farmers to Collect Urine to Combat Fertilizer Shortage

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Brussels told Putin that any move to conquer Ukraine would cost him the Nord Stream 2 pipeline as its main trump card.

Observers say that the pipeline is essential to Russian President Vladimir Putin to keep a hold on the European Union gas supply. The Kremlin has been accused of weaponizing gas supplies to leverage against the EU bloc, which has sown disunity among its members.

EU desperately tries to contain Moscow

After the summit in Brussels last Thursday, the leaders were scrambling for an effective deterrent to stop an alleged invasion of Ukraine, as Kremlin positions about 175,000 troops already at the South border of Russia and Ukraine, reported the Express UK.

The Nord Stream 2 pipeline, as the last card of the bloc, runs from Germany to Russian but has to pass Ukraine and Poland. The two countries, one a Bloc member the other applying to join. Prominent EU members have talked about intimidation by Moscow added that economic sanctions are included.

According to Latvian Prime Minister Arturs Krisjanis Karins, the EU could sanction Moscow economically and challenge Putin with the fate of the pipeline, noted FA News.

He insisted the EU have co-authority with Berlin to decide what happens to the pipeline. Poland and countries close to Russia are jumpy because the EU no longer fazes the Kremlin, and the bloc is threatened by the activities in the Ukraine and Belarus borders.

At the summit, the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that Moscow would pay a dear price if they rolled out forces against Kiev. Brussels is counting on sanctions to slow down Putin with the Nord Stream 2.

Read Also: EU Got Blindsided by Biden-Putin Negotiations Over Ukraine After Assurances They Would Be in the Loop

Desperate bloc lacks energy independence

Requests by Mr. Putin to okay the new pipeline to supply more natural gas have been accused of controlling the gas tap to the point, gas suppliers have bellied up, and Europe is getting starved of energy supplies, cited Jaun News.

Choking the bloc's gas supply had increased prices for the precious energy, the Russian leader has a self-inflicted stranglehold using green energy.

The Polish PM remarked that the pipeline is blackmail against the bloc by starving gas supplies. Opening the Nord Stream 2 will lead to a steadier supply.

German regulators have shut it down, and Chancellor Olaf Sholz was asked to stop the project should Russian forces cross the border. He spoke to the press in Brussels, stating that borders were inviolate to a peaceful Europe. He added that everything would be done to keep them intact.

EU leaders squeezed German energy regulators to decide in their favor, as the Kremlin's influence on gas supplies is power. Putin's prized pipeline was not certified via the bloc's pressure.

EU members call this the initial moves to curtail the gas line as the 27 leaders voted for in the summit. The efforts of the European Union closed the gas line, and Washington only came later after the meeting between the US and Russian heads of state. The US rode on the efforts to shut down the pipeline.

Brussels plays the Nord Stream 2 card to stall Vladimir Putin, but the Kremlin still makes the EU jumpy. Even Joe Biden capitulated and kept the bloc out of the loop again.

Related Article: Poland Issues Threat To Strike Back at Brussels For Interference in Its National Affair Even at the Risk of War

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Pianist Lee Hyuk / Courtesy of Etoile Classic



By Park Ji-won



Many Koreans hoped Lee Hyuk, the Korean finalist in the 18th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition held in October, would be triumphant as its last winner was Cho Seong-jin, also a Korean, but the trophy went to Chinese-Canadian competitor Bruce Liu.



But Lee's disappointment was short-lived. At the Concours International de Piano  Grand Prix Animato Chopin 2021, held between Dec. 3 and 7, right after the Chopin competition, the 21-year-old won the first prize with his rendition of Fantaisie, Op. 49. The musician humbly said he didn't expect to win and was simply happy to perform for the audience.



"I never expected to win. I just enjoyed every round. I was grateful to have an opportunity to be able to communicate with the audiences in Paris with Chopin's works after the Chopin competition," Lee said during a telephone interview with The Korea Times, Friday. He was in Warsaw, Poland, to support his brother in another piano competition.



Reversing people's normal thinking that he must aim to win at multiple competitions, for him this is not the case as he believes competition is not about winning and he maintains this attitude to every event including the Chopin competition. Lee said competing is a good way for a pianist to have more performances, a chance to deliver the legacy of composers and to meet new audiences.



"My priority when entering a competition is not winning. Any competition round is the same as a recital. It has always been about delivering the legacy of composers and doing my best to do so on stage in front of the audience, which is the greatest joy of my life above many. I wanted to have more recitals which come after showing good performances and learning more works by different composers."



"I am sure the Chopin competition will be a good memory in my life. I am grateful that I got to have more supporters and Korean fans through the competition. In particular, I feel more responsible as I learned that they supported me all night long due to the time difference between Warsaw and Korea. I will take it as nourishment to become a better musician."



A multi-talented musician, who also composes musical pieces and plays the violin as well as indulging in chess and programming computer apps, Lee is currently more focused on music from around the Romantic period such as works by Brahms, Schumann and Beethoven as he feels he is getting a better understanding of them as he grows.



Lee is a student at the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory and is not considering entering any other competitions at the moment, but instead plans to hold as many recitals in the upcoming year as possible, while maintaining the hope of conducting an orchestra someday.



"Thanks to the Chopin competition, I was able to have a lot of opportunities to perform. The year 2022 will be filled with performances and I will do my best at every one... One day, I also want to challenge myself to become a conductor as I like ensembles and would find it fascinating to lead a big orchestra and create harmony with the position."



Lee debuted at the Kumho Prodigy Concert in Korea in 2012. He has swept recent international piano competitions such as the 10th Hamamatsu International Piano Competition (3rd prize) in 2018 and the 2nd Kiev International Piano Competition (1st prize) the same year. He is scheduled to hold a recital at Lotte Concert Hall in Seoul, March 16.






Kim Yo-jong, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's powerful sister, is believed to have been promoted to a higher official position, according to a North Korean media report Saturday.







In the report on a memorial event for late former leader Kim Jong-il held a day earlier, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) listed Kim Yo-jong alongside members of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party as having attended the ceremony.







Kim was listed between eight sitting members of the Political Bureau and other alternate members, suggesting she may have been named a member or an alternate member of the organ.







In the airing of the memorial ceremony by the North's state TV on Friday, Kim was also seen standing next to Kim Yong-chol and two other Political Bureau members.







Kim is currently a member of the State Affairs Commission and vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party.







Kim had previously served as alternate member of the powerful political bureau but was demoted at a party congress in January. (Yonhap)


People cross the road in the Gwanghwamun area of Seoul's Jongno District, Friday. With less than three months to go before the next presidential election slated for March 9, the percentage of voters who do not support any candidate is growing, according to recent opinion polls. Yonhap



Centrists on the rise amid negative campaigns, family issues



By Jung Da-min



With less than three months to go, the upcoming president election has become even more unpredictable as more Koreans are either delaying their decisions or withdrawing their earlier support for a preferred candidate following an onslaught of mudslinging by the two major parties.



Amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, voters want to see more policy discussions focused on how to address economic and social issues related to their lives, but those agendas have been buried under negative campaigning and issues associated with illegal behavior involving the candidates and their family members.



Admitting the ongoing trend is unprecedented in the history of the nation's presidential elections, political watchers are warning that if such "bad" campaigning continues, along with little possibility of a third candidate emerging, more centrists or swing voters could feel reluctant to participate in the election slated for March 9.



According to the most recent survey of 1,000 adults conducted by local pollster Gallup Korea from Dec. 14 to 16, about 16 percent of respondents said they did not support any of four presidential candidates  Lee Jae-myung of the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK); Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition conservative People Power Party (PPP); Rep. Sim Sang-jeung of the minor opposition progressive Justice Party; and Ahn Cheol-soo of the minor opposition conservative People's Party.



In previous polls conducted from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2 and Nov. 16 to 18, those who said they did not support any candidate recorded 15 percent and 14 percent, respectively, but this has increased by two percentage points over the past six weeks.











Three presidential candidates attend a memorial ceremony for independent activist Yun Bong-gil held at Hyochang Park in Seoul's Yongsan District, Sunday. From left are Rep. Sim Sang-jeung of the minor opposition progressive Justice Party, Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition conservative People Power Party and Lee Jae-myung of the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea. Joint Press Corps



Lee took the lead in the latest poll with support of 36 percent, the same as in a previous poll, while Yoon ranked second with 35 percent, down 1 percentage point from the previous survey. But the support rates of the two main candidates have been continuously turning over in the polls including ones run by Gallup. Both Lee and Yoon are failing to find a breakthrough to win more public support, while both of them are embroiled in scandals surrounding corruption or illegal activities by their family members.



Lee has been in hot water over accusations made against his son of illegal gambling and visits to a massage parlor that provided prostitutes. Lee immediately admitted the allegations regarding his son's gambling and apologized for them, but denied the allegations that his son was involved in prostitution.



From Yoon's side, his wife Kim Keon-hee has been criticized for falsifying her qualifications when applying for visiting professor positions at local universities. Yoon and Kim have denied the accusations citing "customary behavior," but apologized for causing a controversy. Their reluctant apologies, however, have brought about further criticism that Yoon's use of "justice and fairness" as his campaign slogan to call for leadership change is hypocritical.



Cha Jae-won, a professor of special affairs at the Catholic University of Pusan, said that the fierce negative campaigns by the rival parties against each other and continuous scandals surrounding the candidates and their family members reflect the extreme polarization of the country's liberal and conservative blocs, and this could push more centrists or swing voters to feel reluctant to participate in the presidential race.



"The presidential election is approaching but the scandals and allegations raised against the rival candidates of the two major parties have to yet to be cleared up. Such a situation could discourage more centrists or swing voters from participating in the election," Cha said. "In the meantime, the supporters of the rival blocs could unite more internally, strengthening their attacks against each other, thinking they have to win this battle or they will lose everything if the opposing candidate becomes the next president."





Ahn Cheol-soo, presidential candidate and leader of the minor opposition conservative People's Party hold a press conference at the National Assembly on Seoul's Yeouido, Sunday, to propose the formation of an independent committee composed of members recommended by the political parties, academic organizations and media to verify the qualifications of the presidential candidates. Joint Press Corps




President Moon Jae-in will receive the government's annual policy briefings for the final time this week, Cheong Wa Dae said Sunday.







The 2022 briefings will begin Monday under the slogan, "Changes made with the people, a government fulfilling its responsibilities until the end," the presidential office said in a press release.







"Through the policy briefings, we plan to go through the achievements made during the five years of the Moon Jae-in administration and check the government's policy directions and main project plans up until May 2022," it said.







Moon's single, five-year term is set to end in May, and by law, he cannot seek reelection.







This year, the briefings will be submitted by paper because of the pandemic.







The government has chosen five top themes it will concentrate on until the end of the administration, and for each theme, scheduled a joint press briefing involving the relevant ministries to explain its achievements and future goals to the public.







On Wednesday, the finance ministry will be among the first to brief the nation on reviving people's livelihoods, along with the culture, labor, SMEs and agriculture ministries.







On Thursday, the unification ministry will be joined by the foreign and defense ministries to give a press briefing on peace on the Korean Peninsula.







The land ministry will give a presentation on stabilizing the real estate market on Dec. 27, followed by the environment ministry on carbon neutrality on Dec. 28, and the health ministry on the COVID-19 response on Dec. 30. (Yonhap)


SK hynix' headquarters in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province / Courtesy of SK hynix



By Kim Bo-eun



Korean chipmakers are facing greater uncertainty, as key mergers and acquisitions (M&As) fall through amid the escalating power struggle between the world's two largest economies.



Magnachip Semiconductor, a U.S. integrated device manufacturer focusing on non-memory chips, last week stated it was terminating its merger agreement with China's private equity firm Wise Road Capital, after the U.S. authorities disapproved of the deal.



Magnachip stated in March that it would sell the entirety of its stock to Wise Road Capital for 1.58 trillion won ($1.4 billion). But following the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S.'s (CIFUS) refusal to approve the deal, Magnachip stated it would remain an independent firm.



The company was launched in 2004 after Hynix Semiconductor spun off its non-memory business. It specializes in mixed-signal and digital multimedia semiconductors used in consumer electronics and telecommunication equipment. Counting those still pending, Magnachip holds nearly 1,200 patents.



Magnachip was a domestic firm but was acquired by Citigroup in 2011. The company still has an R&D facility and production plant located in Korea, but is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. It is known to have been notified by the CFIUS about "risks to U.S. national security" that could arise with the sale of the company to the Chinese firm.



Washington has consistently referred to "national security risks" as the reason for blocking key technology from being acquired by China. The U.S. has also lobbied the Netherlands to have it prevent chip equipment manufacturer ASML from exporting its products to China, citing the same grounds. ASML is the only company manufacturing extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography equipment needed to produce cutting-edge semiconductors. A recent Bloomberg report stated that U.S. chip giant Intel's plan to expand semiconductor production at its plant in Cheongdu, China, was also blocked by the Joe Biden administration.



The rejection of the Magnachip deal comes after China blocked several major U.S. acquisitions years earlier. Beijing in 2018 refused to issue approval for U.S. fabless chip firm Qualcomm to take over Dutch firm NXP semiconductor. U.S. firm Applied Materials' plan to acquire Japanese company Kokusai Electric also fell through earlier this year after failing to receive approval from China.



Korean chipmakers are facing possible risks as governments around the world step up protectionism against greater possible influence exerted by businesses via M&As. There is a growing sense of protectionism, especially in the tech sector as technological prowess is now regarded as parallel to national defense or intelligence capabilities. The global chip shortage has also escalated the sense of alarm among some governments.



SK hynix is currently awaiting China's approval for its takeover of Intel's NAND business. The No. 2 memory chipmaker faces growing uncertainties under the current circumstances. The deal has been pending for 15 months, and China is the only regulatory hurdle left for it to get the green light. SK hynix also needs to receive regulatory approval from governments for its acquisition of Key Foundry.



Samsung Electronics, which has pledged to carry out "a meaningful M&A" in the next few years, could likely face similar regulatory hurdles posed by governments.


Korean tech giant launches special team to revitalize sales in China



By Baek Byung-yeul



Samsung Electronics has launched a special team to exclusively take charge of its businesses in China aiming to achieve a breakthrough in sluggish sales in one of the largest IT markets in the world, according to sources, Sunday.



The new team will report directly to Vice Chairman Han Jong-hee, head of the newly merged unit for mobile devices and home appliances called the DX (Device eXperience) Division, the industry sources said.



The team consists of two sections  one supporting human resource management and marketing, and the other comprised of officials from the mobile device, home appliances, display and semiconductor divisions.



"The move can be interpreted as Han directly seeking to create a turning point in China," an industry official said. Samsung declined to confirm the launch of the team.



China has been a key market for Samsung, accounting for the largest share of its total sales. In the third quarter, China accounted for 30 percent of the firm's total global sales, followed by the United States which accounted for 29 percent, Asia and Africa 16.4 percent and Europe 12.6 percent.





Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman and CEO Han Jong-hee / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics




The United States is willing to discuss security proposals put forward by Russia but disagrees with parts of them and will impose "massive consequences" over any "aggression" on Ukraine, a senior official said Friday.







"We are prepared to discuss them. That said, there are some things in this document that the Russians know will be unacceptable," the official told reporters on condition of anonymity.







The official said the United States expected to respond to the Russians "sometime next week with a more concrete proposal" on talks after consulting with European allies, which the United States insists need to be part of any discussions.







Russia took the unusual step of presenting draft agreements on security amid mounting concerns over its amassing of tens of thousands of troops by the Ukrainian border.







The US official renewed a warning that the West would not tolerate an invasion, which would come after seven years of a Russian-supported insurgency in eastern Ukraine.







"If there is any further aggression against Ukraine, that will have massive, massive consequences and will carry a high price," the official said.







She said that any retaliation would consist "largely" of economic measures.







But she warned: "We are prepared to consider a number of things that we had not considered in the past, and the results will be very profound on the Russian Federation." (AFP)


People walk past a banner outside a polling station during the Legislative Council elections in Hong Kong's Hung Hom area Sunday. AFP-Yonhap



Hong Kongers began casting ballots for city lawmakers on Sunday under Beijing's new "patriots only" rules which drastically reduce the number of directly elected seats and control who can run for office, with turnout muted at the midway point.



It is the first legislature poll under the new political blueprint China imposed on Hong Kong in response to massive and often violent pro-democracy protests two years ago.



All candidates have been vetted for their patriotism and political loyalty to China and only 20 of the 90 legislature seats will be directly elected.

The largest chunk of seats  40  will be picked by a committee of 1,500 staunch Beijing loyalists.



The remaining 30 will be chosen by reliably pro-Beijing committees that represent special-interest and industry groups.



At 3:30 pm (0730 GMT)  halfway through the 14 hour voting period  just under 19 percent of the 4.5 million-strong electorate had cast votes, the lowest midway turnout rate since the city's 1997 handover to China. In 2016, 27 percent had cast votes by the same point.





Starry Lee of The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (C) speaks to the media during the Legislative Council election in Hong Kong's Hung Hom area on Sunday. AFP-Yonhap



'Genuine suffrage'



Daniel So, a 65-year-old who works in technology, was among the first queuing at a polling center in the wealthy Mid-Levels district.



"The young people are not so interested in this election because they are misled by foreign politicians and media," he told AFP. "China is doing so great now."



As Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam arrived to cast her vote, three protesters from the pro-democracy League of Social Democrats party chanted: "I want genuine universal suffrage".



"(Lam) said this was an improvement of the electoral system, but in reality, it stripped Hong Kongers of their right to vote," activist Chan Po-ying told reporters.



The government bought up newspaper front pages and billboards, sent flyers to every household, pinged mobile phones with reminders to vote and made public transport free for the day.



Despite the publicity blitz, the latest polls showed only 48 percent of respondents said they would vote  a record low  and 52 percent said they found no candidate worthy of support.



Starry Lee, chair of the biggest pro-Beijing party, the DAB, urged people to participate. "The polling stations' feedback showed that not many people are voting," she told reporters.



An accountant in her 20s, who gave her name as Loy, said she had no plans to use her ballot.



"My vote won't mean anything because ultimately it's Beijing's people winning," she told AFP.



In North Point, a district known for pro-government support, a 74-year-old man who gave his surname Lo said he did not know most of the "new faces" on the candidate list but still voted.



"I picked those who would voice opposition, not the yes-men," he told AFP.





A voter looks at a notice board in a polling station during the Legislative Council election in Hong Kong's Hung Hom area on Sunday. AFP-Yonhap


US-People Operations Planner Downtown Nashville Nashville , Tennessee , United States Apple Retail Summary

Posted: Dec 16, 2021 Weekly Hours: 40 Role Number: 200320871 Are you passionate about helping others succeed? Do you want to create a welcoming environment for both your team and customers? As a People Operations Planner, you work closely with the Leadership team to build an engaging work environment for all employees. Provide the best employee experience by targeting the support of people processes and ensuring the team meets its in-store learning initiatives. Act as an authority in our store people ecosystem by putting the team experience first, and provide support to our team members by answering general questions and directing them to the proper resources. Key Qualifications Demonstrated ability to ensure the integrity of sensitive or confidential information.

Knowledge of headcount tools, resources, and reporting.

Experience with people information systems. Description As a People Operations Planner, you partner with the Leadership team to support the organization and implementation of people processes, including the preparation of team correspondence, certificates, and employment papers and documents. In collaboration with the Leadership and Recruiting teams, you coordinate external hiring events and the internal selection process. You also work with the Schedule Planner to coordinate in-store learning initiatives and current staffing levels to ensure training requirements are met and headcounts are accurately reported to the Leadership team. You are also responsible for documentation administration including file maintenance and retention throughout the employee lifecycle. You serve as an advocate for employees by finding answers to people-related questions and connecting them to the appropriate resources in-store such as PeopleWeb, PeopleSupport, myPage, etc. With the Leadership team, you promote awareness of global wellness programs and craft localized initiatives. Additionally, you are responsible for the administration, accuracy, and data entry in the time management system and the administration of time away programs in-store. In the absence of role specific activities or in peak times, you take the initiative to support customer facing activities. Additionally, you gather, summarize, and prepare locally relevant, store specific employee data to support leadership decision-making. You build and maintain a calendar of people tasks or events for the Leadership team to include organizing the planning and coordination of formal and virtual classroom training for internal and external applicants to develop a positive and productive learning environment in-store. You will perform other administrative and people operations tasks as required. Education & Experience Additional Requirements

You are able to work independently.



You are a self-starter with extraordinary organizational skills.



You have the ability to multitask.



You can use analytics, experience, and judgement when making decisions or suggesting solutions.



You have working knowledge of local health and safety regulations.



You have excellent written and verbal communication.



If you live in Colorado, please click here .






Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-19 01:48:20|Editor: huaxia

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A file photo of a U.S. OC-135 plane for Open Skies flights



"The entire responsibility for the degradation of the agreement lies with the initiator of the collapse of the Treaty on Open Skies: the United States of America," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.



MOSCOW, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Russia has officially withdrawn from the Treaty on Open Skies, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced Saturday in a statement.

"Decades of fruitful implementation of the treaty showed that it has served well as a tool for strengthening confidence and security, creating additional opportunities for an objective and unbiased assessment of the military potential and military activities of the participating states," it said.

The ministry mentioned that during Russia's participation in the treaty, the country has conducted 646 flights, and allowed for 449 flights to be carried out over its territory among the 1,580 total flights made.

"Unfortunately, all our efforts did not allow us to preserve the treaty as it was intended by its authors," it said.

"The entire responsibility for the degradation of the agreement lies with the initiator of the collapse of the Treaty on Open Skies: the United States of America," the ministry said.

After the formal U.S. withdrawal in November 2020, the Russian Foreign Ministry said this January that the country had started domestic legal procedures for the official pullout from the treaty.

On June 7, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law to quit the treaty.

The multilateral pact, which came into effect in 2002, allows its states-parties to conduct short-notice, unarmed reconnaissance flights over the others' territories to collect data on military forces and activities. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-19 08:15:05|Editor: huaxia

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Aerial photo taken on Dec. 10, 2021 shows the scenery of a wetland in Panlong District in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province. The wetland is located at Songhuaba water source reserve, also the upper reaches of the Dianchi Lake. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)



Namkha, an inheritor of intangible cultural heritage of Sherpa singing and dancing, sings in the field in Zhentang Town of Xigaze, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Nov. 27, 2021. Situated deep in the Himalayas, a small town called Zhentang in Tibet's Dinggye County is one of the settlements for the Sherpa. The border town has an average elevation of 2,000 meters. In recent years, great changes have taken place in Zhentang. A series of infrastructure projects have been put into use. Besides, Zhentang is also focusing on the development of cross-border trade, aquaculture, tourism and processing industry with local features to increase the income of villagers. In 2020, the per capita disposable income of local residents in Zhentang reached 10,679 yuan (about 1,679 U.S. dollars). (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo)

Guan Chao practices dancing at his studio in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Dec. 10, 2021. Clad in protective gear, Guan Chao started his volunteer work with his mother Wang Tao as usual. Guan, 27, is a dance teacher. Due to the latest resurgence of COVID-19 cases in Harbin, his offline teaching routine has been disrupted. Guan joined the fight against the epidemic. He became a volunteer for the citywide nucleic acid testing, medical supplies delivery and regular disinfection on public spaces. Seeing medical staff, community workers and volunteers work day and night, Guan's mother Wang Tao also joined the efforts. Wearing a red volunteer waistcoat and a face mask, she provides volunteer service in communities and subdistrict office. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)

A Long March-4B rocket carrying the Shijian-6 05 satellites blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, Dec. 10, 2021. China successfully sent a new group of satellites into space on Friday. The satellites, Shijian-6 05, will be used for space exploration and new technology test. (Photo by Wang Jiangbo/Xinhua)

A picture taken with a fish-eye lens on Dec. 16, 2021 shows ancient colored pottery figurines unearthed from the large-scale mausoleum and the mausoleum of Empress Dowager Bo, mother of Emperor Wendi of the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC-AD 25), in northwest China's Shaanxi Province. A large-scale mausoleum in Xi'an has been identified as belonging to Emperor Wendi of the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC-AD 25), local authorities said Tuesday. The mausoleum, located in Jiangcun Village on the eastern outskirts of Xi'an, is surrounded by more than 100 ancient tombs and outer burial pits. Excavation has been carried out in the area since 2017, with numerous relics unearthed including dressed pottery figurines, crossbows, and official seals. (Xinhua/Zhang Bowen)

Olga bids her son goodbye at home in Songbei District of Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Dec. 8, 2021. As many people go to great lengths to fight against COVID-19 in Harbin, Olga, 33, born in Russia, a mother of two with her Chinese husband, didn't want to be left alone. At the beginning of 2020, Olga became a volunteer in the local community to help fight against COVID-19 pandemic together with medical staff and community workers. In the recent resurgence of COVID-19 in Harbin, Olga rushed again to the frontline without hesitation. "I love the people here, and I wish them well. I will do my best to help with fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic," Olga said. (Xinhua/Xie Jianfei)

Photo taken on Oct. 8, 2021 shows pottery figurines unearthed from the mausoleum located in Jiangcun Village on the eastern outskirts of Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. A large-scale mausoleum in Xi'an has been identified as belonging to Emperor Wendi of the Western Han Dynasty, local authorities said Tuesday. TO GO WITH "Mausoleum of Han Dynasty emperor found in China's Shaanxi" (Xinhua)

Students blow Lusheng, a reed-pipe wind instrument, at the teaching point of Wuying Village, which lies on the border between south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and southwest China's Guizhou Province, on Dec. 14, 2021. With the support of Lianjiang City of Guangdong Province, the teaching point began to renovate classrooms, enrich libraries and build new toilets for a better studying environment. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang)

Congcong, a black bearded saki cub, is fed with milk at Chimelong Safari Park in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, Dec. 16, 2021. Congcong, a male black bearded saki cub born on July 22, 2021 at Chimelong Safari Park in Guangzhou, made his debut here Thursday. (Xinhua/Huang Guobao)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-19 09:05:24|Editor: huaxia

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The screenshot taken from the Facebook account of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) on Dec. 18, 2021 shows the statement the school district posted earlier this week to announce that "the safety and well-being of our students and employees is of utmost importance." (Xinhua)

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security itself also announced on Friday that it has no evidence of credible threats -- but urged the public to "remain alert."



LOS ANGELES, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Due to the continued incidence of student-perpetrated school shootings around the United States, school officials nationwide went to heightened alert Friday in reaction to an unspecified threat of on-campus violence that was proved to be faux by the authority later.

The rumors circulating on social media proclaimed Friday, Dec. 17, as the grisly "National School Shooting Day."

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), responded quickly, saying in a statement Friday that, "In recent days we have become aware of various threats of violence towards our schools. The safety and well-being of our students and employees is of utmost importance," the statement asserted.

"While there is no reason to believe our schools are in danger, please know we take all such threats very seriously and take any action necessary to ensure the continued safety of our school communities," the LAUSD said.

LAUSD is the largest public school system in California and the second largest public school district in the United States with over 730,000 students and employees.

The statement added that, where warranted, LAUSD school administrators would work with school site staff, LA school police, and federal and local school officials to ensure that all threats are fully investigated and appropriately handled.

The Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) followed suit, issuing their own statement, saying, "State and local law enforcement officers have investigated the threat, did not find any specific links to Long Beach Unified School District, and have determined the threat is not credible."

"Local law enforcement continues to work with our district to support the safety of our students and staff," affirmed LBUSD spokesperson.

The screenshot taken from the website of the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) on Dec. 18, 2021 shows the headline picture, the logo and the full name of the school district. (Xinhua)

Santa Clarita School District near LA also admitted to being "aware" of the supposed nationwide threat against schools and confirmed to media that, "at this time, no credible threats have been identified, nor are any threats specified to schools in the Santa Clarita Valley."

However, the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station was tasked with continuing to monitor the situation and assigned additional patrol checks throughout schools.

With this rumor circulating just weeks after a fatal school shooting in Michigan, some school districts in other states around the country are reported to have responded more vigorously to the rumored threat, prompting early school shutdowns on Friday in areas in Texas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, central New York and Connecticut, reported the New York Times.

The country's four largest school districts - New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago and Miami did not shut down.

The scare is reputed to have begun on some social media platforms, with a warning that a nationwide campaign of on-campus gun violence would start on Friday, but an unnamed source on one of the platforms discounted that assertion as only a rumor.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security itself also announced on Friday that it has no evidence of credible threats - but urged the public to "remain alert."

Or, as in the words of LAUSD's key policy regarding suspicious behavior or potential student threats, "If you see something, say something." 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-19 10:20:08|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland on Saturday reported 44 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, the National Health Commission said in its daily report on Sunday.

Of the new local cases, 31 were reported in Zhejiang, 10 in Shaanxi, and three in Guangdong, the commission said.

Also reported were 39 new imported cases in nine provincial-level regions, according to the commission.

Two new suspected cases arriving from outside the mainland were reported in Shanghai.

Across the mainland, no new deaths from COVID-19 were reported on Saturday, it added. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-19 10:54:28|Editor: huaxia

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People wait to cast ballots at a polling station in Hong Kong, south China, Dec. 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Shen)

The first LegCo election since the improvement to the HKSAR electoral system kicked off Sunday morning, with about 4.5 million registered electors casting their ballots at more than 600 polling stations across Hong Kong.

HONG KONG, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The election for the seventh-term Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) kicked off Sunday morning, the first since the improvement to the HKSAR electoral system.

More than 600 polling stations opened at 8:30 a.m. local time across Hong Kong for about 4.5 million registered electors to cast their votes.

The membership of the seventh term of the HKSAR LegCo will increase from 70 to 90, and the members are to be elected by the Election Committee constituency (40 seats), functional constituencies (30 seats), and geographical constituencies (20 seats), respectively.

HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam casts her ballot in Hong Kong, south China, Dec. 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai)

In the Election Committee constituency, 51 candidates are competing for 40 seats; in the functional constituencies, 67 candidates are competing for 30 seats; in the geographical constituencies, 35 candidates are competing for 20 seats.

Due to border control measures over COVID-19, polling stations were also set up at checkpoints at Heung Yuen Wai, Lo Wu, and Lok Ma Chau Spur Line. Hong Kong voters in the Chinese mainland can briefly cross into Hong Kong to cast their ballots.

Various public transport operators including the Mass Transit Railway Corporation Limited, franchised bus operators, and Hong Kong Tramways provide free rides for the public on the polling day.

People wait to cast ballots at a polling station in Hong Kong, south China, Dec. 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Lo Ping Fai)

Voting will end at 10:30 p.m. local time Sunday.

The LegCo is the legislature of the HKSAR. The Chief Executive in Council, in accordance with the Legislative Council Ordinance, has specified Jan. 1, 2022 as the commencement date of the seventh-term LegCo of the HKSAR.

The term of office of the LegCo is four years. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-19 10:57:22|Editor: huaxia

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A man wearing a face mask passes a mural of heart-shaped patterns in the Brooklyn borough of New York, the United States, Oct. 2, 2021. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua)

"The goal of China's diplomacy today is to work towards world peace and promote global development. We value the role of science and technology in diplomacy," said Chinese Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- It's among China's diplomatic priorities to work with the United States and the international community to find science-based solutions to shared problems like the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang has said in an interview published Friday night.

"The goal of China's diplomacy today is to work towards world peace and promote global development. We value the role of science and technology in diplomacy," said Qin in an interview with Kim Montgomery, director of International Affairs and Science Diplomacy and executive editor of Science & Diplomacy, on China's science diplomacy initiatives.

According to the interview posted on the website of the Chinese Embassy in the United States, Qin said China is ready to carry out international space cooperation with other countries on the basis of mutual respect, openness, inclusiveness, equality, and mutual benefit.

China will continue to intensify international cooperation in the expansion of space station functions, space science and its applications, and the joint flight of Chinese and foreign astronauts, he said.

Screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 16, 2021 shows China's Shenzhou-13 crewed spaceship having successfully docked with the radial port of the space station core module Tianhe. (Xinhua/Tian Dingyu)

China has invited all United Nations member states to submit cooperative pilot projects to board the Chinese space station to provide a new model of international cooperation for future space explorations, said Qin, adding that nine projects from 17 countries have been selected.

He further said that China has shared information and experience and strengthened international cooperation in the joint R&D for vaccines, treatments, and testing.

Noting that China has partnered with 30 countries on COVID-19 vaccine cooperation to promote the fair international distribution of vaccines, Qin said, "We hope that China and the United States will strengthen their scientific and technological cooperation to help the world overcome the pandemic as soon as possible."

Referring to climate change, he said there is a lot of room for China-U.S. cooperation.

Aerial photo taken on Nov. 3, 2021 shows electricity workers patrolling amid a photovoltaic and wind power generation project installed above the fishery waters in Sheyanghu Township of Baoying County of Yangzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Xinhua/Li Bo)

Both countries are transitioning to renewable energy faster than any other countries in the world, and are looking for advancements in clean energy technologies, he said, adding that though the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center, a typical example of bilateral research cooperation, has been suspended, China hopes to find a new model of cooperation regarding clean energy.

Noting that China has adopted a host of strategies and actions on climate despite economic and social difficulties, the ambassador said, "South-South cooperation is an essential means for less-developed countries to help each other and develop together."

Citing China's cooperation with Comoros in fighting malaria, Qin highlighted that China has been helping developing countries to localize mature and applicable technologies, establish joint laboratories, conduct joint research, train local people on applicable technologies and carry out exchanges among young scientists. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-19 11:40:41|Editor: huaxia

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Voters wait to cast ballot at a polling station in Whampoa, south China's Hong Kong, Dec. 19, 2021. The election for the seventh-term Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) kicked off Sunday morning, the first since the improvement to the HKSAR electoral system. More than 600 polling stations opened at 8:30 a.m. local time (0030 GMT) across Hong Kong for about 4.5 million registered electors to cast their votes. (Xinhua/Wang Shen)

HONG KONG, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The election for the seventh-term Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) kicked off Sunday morning, the first since the improvement to the HKSAR electoral system.

More than 600 polling stations opened at 8:30 a.m. local time across Hong Kong for about 4.5 million registered electors to cast their votes.

The membership of the seventh term of the HKSAR LegCo will increase from 70 to 90, and the members are to be elected by the Election Committee constituency (40 seats), functional constituencies (30 seats), and geographical constituencies (20 seats), respectively.

In the Election Committee constituency, 51 candidates are competing for 40 seats; in the functional constituencies, 67 candidates are competing for 30 seats; in the geographical constituencies, 35 candidates are competing for 20 seats.

HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam met the press after casting her ballot on 9:00 a.m. at the Raimondi College polling station.

Noting that the seventh-term LegCo election features broad representation, Lam called on the public to fulfill their civic responsibilities and vote actively for Hong Kong's long-term peace and stability.

Lam recalled voting with her husband at the same polling station two years ago during the District Council election, noting that voters feared for their personal safety as Hong Kong was then rattled by violence and candidates were threatened.

In comparison, all polling stations and public transport in Hong Kong are peaceful and running smoothly on Sunday, a situation that is more than encouraging, she said.

As the chief executive, Lam said she and her colleagues will cooperate fully with the newly-elected LegCo members and listen to their views, so as to better reflect public opinion in administration and create a better future for Hong Kong.

The polling stations are comprised of about 630 ordinary polling stations and no more than 24 dedicated polling stations. Due to border control measures over COVID-19, polling stations were also set up at the checkpoints at Heung Yuen Wai, Lo Wu, and Lok Ma Chau Spur Line. Hong Kong voters in the Chinese mainland can briefly cross into Hong Kong to cast their ballots.

Various public transport operators including the Mass Transit Railway Corporation Limited, franchised bus operators, and Hong Kong Tramways provide free rides for the public on the polling day.

Voting will end at 10:30 p.m. local time Sunday.

The LegCo is the legislature of the HKSAR. The Chief Executive in Council, in accordance with the Legislative Council Ordinance, has specified Jan. 1, 2022 as the commencement date of the seventh-term LegCo of the HKSAR.

The term of office of the LegCo is four years. Enditem

Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam casts vote in south China's Hong Kong, Dec. 19, 2021. The election for the seventh-term Legislative Council (LegCo) of the HKSAR kicked off Sunday morning, the first since the improvement to the HKSAR electoral system. More than 600 polling stations opened at 8:30 a.m. local time (0030 GMT) across Hong Kong for about 4.5 million registered electors to cast their votes. (Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai)

Voters enter a polling station to cast ballot in Tsuen Wan, south China's Hong Kong, Dec. 19, 2021. The election for the seventh-term Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) kicked off Sunday morning, the first since the improvement to the HKSAR electoral system. More than 600 polling stations opened at 8:30 a.m. local time (0030 GMT) across Hong Kong for about 4.5 million registered electors to cast their votes. (Xinhua/Lo Ping Fai)

Related:

Carrie Lam urges active voting in HKSAR's 7th-term LegCo election
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-19 15:11:14|Editor: huaxia

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The Holiday Train leaves the Addison station on the Blue Line in Chicago, the United States, Dec. 18, 2021. The year of 2021 marks the 30th anniversary for the Holiday Train service by Chicago Transit Authority. (Photo by Joel Lerner/Xinhua)



People pose for a photo in the Holiday Train on the Blue Line in Chicago, the United States, Dec. 18, 2021. The year of 2021 marks the 30th anniversary for the Holiday Train service by Chicago Transit Authority. (Photo by Joel Lerner/Xinhua)

The Holiday Train leaves the Addison station on the Blue Line in Chicago, the United States, Dec. 18, 2021. The year of 2021 marks the 30th anniversary for the Holiday Train service by Chicago Transit Authority. (Photo by Joel Lerner/Xinhua)

The Holiday Train pulls into Western Ave station on the Blue Line in Chicago, the United States, Dec. 18, 2021. The year of 2021 marks the 30th anniversary for the Holiday Train service by Chicago Transit Authority. (Photo by Joel Lerner/Xinhua)

People take the Holiday Train on the Blue Line in Chicago, the United States, Dec. 18, 2021. The year of 2021 marks the 30th anniversary for the Holiday Train service by Chicago Transit Authority. (Photo by Joel Lerner/Xinhua)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-19 15:36:58|Editor: huaxia

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Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam casts vote in south China's Hong Kong, Dec. 19, 2021. The election for the seventh-term Legislative Council (LegCo) of the HKSAR kicked off Sunday morning, the first since the improvement to the HKSAR electoral system. More than 600 polling stations opened at 8:30 a.m. local time (0030 GMT) across Hong Kong for about 4.5 million registered electors to cast their votes. (Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai)

HONG KONG, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam on Sunday called on voters to fulfill their civic responsibilities and vote actively in the ongoing seventh-term Legislative Council (LegCo) election.

It is a vote of confidence for the improved electoral system and the future of the HKSAR, and will pave the way for Hong Kong's long-term peace and stability, Lam said when meeting the press after casting her ballot at 9:00 a.m. at the Raimondi College polling station.

When answering a question from Xinhua regarding her feelings about the Sunday election, Lam first recalled the District Council election two years ago when she and her husband went to vote at the same polling station, a time when Hong Kong was rattled by violence, candidates' offices were sabotaged, and voters feared for their personal safety.

In comparison, all polling stations and public transport in Hong Kong are peaceful and running smoothly on Sunday, a situation that is more than encouraging, she said.

As the chief executive, Lam said she and her colleagues will cooperate fully with the newly-elected LegCo members and listen to their views, so as to better reflect public opinions in administration and create a better future for Hong Kong.

"I hope this election will be fair, just, open, clean and efficient," she said.

The election adopted new technologies including an electronic poll register system and tailored voting arrangements for the elderly, the pregnant and other voter groups, Lam said.

Various public transport operators including the Mass Transit Railway Corporation Limited, franchised bus operators, and Hong Kong Tramways provide free rides for the public on the polling day.

The election for the seventh-term LegCo of the HKSAR kicked off Sunday morning, the first since the improvement to the HKSAR electoral system.

More than 600 polling stations opened at 8:30 a.m. local time across Hong Kong for about 4.5 million registered electors to cast their votes.

The membership of the seventh-term of the HKSAR LegCo will increase from 70 to 90, and the members are to be elected by the Election Committee constituency (40 seats), functional constituencies (30 seats), and geographical constituencies (20 seats), respectively.

The LegCo is the legislature of the HKSAR. The Chief Executive in Council, in accordance with the Legislative Council Ordinance, has specified Jan. 1, 2022 as the commencement date of the seventh-term LegCo of the HKSAR. Enditem

Related:

HKSAR's 7th-term LegCo election kicks off, active voting urged

Xinhua Commentary: Smearing no way to impede orderly process of HKSAR's LegCo election

Election Committee constituency voter turnout tops 90 pct in HKSAR's 7th-term LegCo election

A staff member debugs devices at the media center of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center in Hong Kong, south China, Dec. 19, 2021. The election for the seventh-term Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) kicked off Sunday morning, the first since the improvement to the HKSAR electoral system. More than 600 polling stations opened at 8:30 a.m. local time (0030 GMT) across Hong Kong for about 4.5 million registered electors to cast vote. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

Voters leave a polling station after casting ballot in Tsuen Wan of Hong Kong, south China, Dec. 19, 2021. The election for the seventh-term Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) kicked off Sunday morning, the first since the improvement to the HKSAR electoral system. More than 600 polling stations opened at 8:30 a.m. local time (0030 GMT) across Hong Kong for about 4.5 million registered electors to cast vote. (Xinhua/Lo Ping Fai)

Staff members are seen at the counting station of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center in Hong Kong, south China, Dec. 19, 2021. The election for the seventh-term Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) kicked off Sunday morning, the first since the improvement to the HKSAR electoral system. More than 600 polling stations opened at 8:30 a.m. local time (0030 GMT) across Hong Kong for about 4.5 million registered electors to cast vote. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

Staff members are seen at the polling station of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center in Hong Kong, south China, Dec. 19, 2021. The election for the seventh-term Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) kicked off Sunday morning, the first since the improvement to the HKSAR electoral system. More than 600 polling stations opened at 8:30 a.m. local time (0030 GMT) across Hong Kong for about 4.5 million registered electors to cast vote. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

Posters about the election for the seventh-term Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) are seen in Hong Kong, south China, Dec. 19, 2021. The election for the seventh-term HKSAR LegCo kicked off Sunday morning, the first since the improvement to the HKSAR electoral system. More than 600 polling stations opened at 8:30 a.m. local time (0030 GMT) across Hong Kong for about 4.5 million registered electors to cast vote. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

Voters enter a polling station to cast ballot in Wan Chai of Hong Kong, south China, Dec. 19, 2021. The election for the seventh-term Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) kicked off Sunday morning, the first since the improvement to the HKSAR electoral system. More than 600 polling stations opened at 8:30 a.m. local time (0030 GMT) across Hong Kong for about 4.5 million registered electors to cast their votes. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaochu)

Voters wait to cast ballot at a polling station in Wan Chai of Hong Kong, south China, Dec. 19, 2021. The election for the seventh-term Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) kicked off Sunday morning, the first since the improvement to the HKSAR electoral system. More than 600 polling stations opened at 8:30 a.m. local time (0030 GMT) across Hong Kong for about 4.5 million registered electors to cast their votes. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaochu)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-19 15:54:30|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, attends a gathering in celebration of the 20th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland and the inauguration of the fifth-term government of the Macao Special Administrative Region and delivers a speech at the Macao East Asian Games Dome, in Macao, south China, Dec. 20, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

BEIJING, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Monday marks the 22nd anniversary of Macao's return to China. Two years ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited this special administrative region. One highlight of his itinerary was a trip to a local school.

The school is affiliated to Hou Kong Middle School, which was founded in 1932 and has the most students among Macao's basic education institutions. The school also has a patriotic tradition.

The Chinese president described the visit as "a wish come true," as he had considered the visit after an exchange of correspondence with the school's students.

Chinese President Xi Jinping watches a Chinese history class themed "'one country, two systems' and Macao" at the Premier School Affiliated to Hou Kong Middle School, in south China's Macao, Dec. 19, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

In their letter to Xi, the students spoke of their understanding of the motherland and their commitment to making the motherland and Macao better when they grow up.

"At such a young age, you already realize that the motherland is Macao's staunch supporter," Xi said in his reply letter in May 2019. "I am so glad."

When visiting the school, Xi chose to observe a history lesson on the theme "'one country, two systems' and Macao."

"Patriotic education lays a solid social and political foundation for Macao to implement the principle of 'one country, two systems' and guides its practice to always proceed in the correct direction," Xi told students and teachers.

Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks after watching a Chinese history class themed "'one country, two systems' and Macao" at the Premier School Affiliated to Hou Kong Middle School, in south China's Macao, Dec. 19, 2019. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

He also emphasized the significance of history.

"One can easily feel a strong sense of national self-esteem and national pride after learning about our uninterrupted history spanning over five millennia," he said. "And only by knowing the nation's history of humiliation after the Opium War, can one understand the Chinese people's strong yearning for national rejuvenation."

Xi expressed confidence that today's young people in Macao will mature into "a capable generation of which we are proud of" and serve as the backbone of both Macao and the country.

"Since antiquity, it is from adolescents that heroes emerge," says a Chinese proverb. Students in the Macao school have reacted positively to the president's words. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-19 23:00:53|Editor: huaxia

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Staff members are seen at the polling station of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center in Hong Kong, south China, Dec. 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

The election for the Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has been smooth overall, with the cumulative turnout rate in the Election Committee constituency topping 90 percent early in the afternoon and that of more than ten functional constituencies already reaching over 50 percent.

BEIJING, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Over 1 million voters have cast their ballots in the election for the seventh-term Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) as of 17:30 (0930 GMT) on Sunday, crushing a campaign riddled with lies from external forces while demonstrating the true will of the people in the Chinese city.

The election, the first since the improvement in the HKSAR's electoral system, has attracted wide attention. But certain external forces intent on destabilizing China have gone to great lengths to disrupt the city's electoral system, going so far as publicly inciting voters to boycott the election or cast a blank ballot.

These efforts to interfere in China's internal affairs have led nowhere. The LegCo election in Hong Kong has been smooth overall, with the cumulative turnout rate in the Election Committee constituency topping 90 percent early in the afternoon and that of more than ten functional constituencies already reaching over 50 percent.

Despite a global pandemic and constant outside interference, voters from various sectors of Hong Kong have fulfilled their duty as electoral participants. A major factor that motivates them to do so is their expectation of good governance in the city and their action illustrates the public's strong faith in the new LegCo.

According to a recent poll published by Hong Kong-based think tank Bauhinia Institute, 77.9 percent of surveyed voters believe the LegCo election is of great importance to the future of Hong Kong. A different survey conducted by Youth Vision HK recently showed that more than 70 percent of respondents say that candidates of the LegCo election represent a wide political spectrum, while nearly 70 percent believe the candidates are better qualified than in previous elections.

Voters wait to cast ballot at a polling station in Whampoa, south China's Hong Kong, Dec. 19, 2021. The election for the seventh-term Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) kicked off Sunday morning, the first since the improvement to the HKSAR electoral system. (Xinhua/Wang Shen)

Hong Kong voters have displayed their recognition of the new electoral system featuring broad representation, political inclusiveness, balanced participation, and fair competition.

Many seniors cast their ballots early in the morning despite the cold weather, and families heading to the polls together was a common sight.

And the cold response to incitation to cast blank or invalid ballots has reflected the collective will of Hong Kong to remain calm and peaceful and reject the interference of forces seeking to undermine China.

In the United States, election laws are so strict that election-related crime is quite low, nearly one-fifth the average rate of other crimes. Hong Kong's electoral law also has strict terms, but some forces in the United States and the West are encouraging the people of Hong Kong to break the law.

But whatever those external forces do, they will never succeed in preventing the LegCo election from being held in an orderly fashion, not to mention stopping Hong Kong from marching forward on its path towards democracy and the rule of law.

Dec. 19, 2021 will go down in the history of the HKSAR and enter the historical memories of its citizens, a day when the broad masses of Hong Kong went to the polls to make the "Pearl of the Orient" shine more brightly. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-20 01:42:40|Editor: huaxia

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-- The election for the seventh-term Legislative Council (LegCo) of the HKSAR has been held smoothly and orderly after improvement to the HKSAR electoral system.

-- Leung Chun-ying, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), believed that the composition of the new LegCo will be in line with the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" and is broadly representative, which is conducive to the better development of Hong Kong.

-- "Their votes are not only to elect the LegCo members of their choice, but also to support the improved electoral system," HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam said.

HONG KONG, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Polls closed late Sunday in the election for the seventh-term Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), the first since improvement to the HKSAR electoral system.

Voting ended at around 11:00 p.m. local time (1500 GMT), about half an hour later than originally scheduled due to technical glitches at some polling stations.

Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam casts vote in south China's Hong Kong, Dec. 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai)

"I want to express my sincere thanks to the more than 1.3 million voters who cast their ballots today," HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam said in a statement after the polls closed.

"Their votes are not only to elect the LegCo members of their choice, but also to support the improved electoral system. The votes also reflect their expectation for the HKSAR to enhance the effectiveness of its administration, and through this, to develop the economy and improve people's livelihood," she said.

More than 600 polling stations opened at 8:30 a.m. local time (0030 GMT) on Sunday across Hong Kong for 4.47 million registered electors to cast their votes. Voters followed anti-epidemic measures and practiced social distancing on a polling day that was orderly, smooth and safe.

Voters wait to cast ballot at a polling station in Wan Chai of Hong Kong, south China, Dec. 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaochu)

Hong Kong people value their votes because they want to elect qualified representatives who are good at bringing tangible benefits for the people and solving Hong Kong's deap-seated problems, said a man in his 30s, who only identified himself as Leung outside the polling station at St. Andrew's Catholic Primary School.

"Hong Kong has been mired in many old problems for a long time. In the past, the LegCo was disrupted by filibustering and unable to do anything, and people have long been tired of it. I hope this election will be a gamechanger," Leung said.

On March 30, 2021, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress adopted the amended Annex II to the Basic Law of the HKSAR, which sets out in detail the new methods for forming the LegCo to better implement the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong." The membership of the seventh term of the HKSAR LegCo will increase from 70 to 90.

A staff member debugs devices at the media center of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center in Hong Kong, south China, Dec. 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

In the Election Committee constituency, 51 candidates vied for 40 seats, in the functional constituencies, 67 candidates contested for 30 seats, and in the geographical constituencies, 35 candidates competed for 20 seats.

Leung Chun-ying, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), cast his ballot at the polling station at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center.

He said the votes would be significant not only in selecting the wise and capable, but also serving as a "no" to the previously stagnant, inefficient LegCo and some of its filibustering members.

He believed that the composition of the new LegCo will be in line with the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" and is broadly representative, which is conducive to the better development of Hong Kong.

Voters leave a polling station after casting ballot in Tsuen Wan of Hong Kong, south China, Dec. 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Lo Ping Fai)

HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam cast her vote at 9:00 a.m. local time (0100 GMT) at the Raimondi College polling station.

Calling the election a vote of confidence for the improved electoral system and the future of the HKSAR, she said it will pave the way for safeguarding Hong Kong's long-term peace and stability.

John Lee, chief secretary for administration of the HKSAR government, voted at the Yaumati Kaifong Association School polling station.

He said this election will elect legislators who will do real work for Hong Kong, serve the interests of Hong Kong, and will not betray Hong Kong by becoming "foreign agents."

Staff members are seen at the counting station of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center in Hong Kong, south China, Dec. 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

Financial Secretary Paul Chan and Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng also cast their ballots. They said the very diverse background of the candidates is conducive to making more diverse voices heard, so that the HKSAR government can better promote good governance for the overall interests of Hong Kong.

Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs of the HKSAR government Erick Tsang, Secretary for Security Chris Tang and Chairman of the HKSAR Electoral Affairs Commission Fung Wah visited polling stations on Sunday and urged the public to vote actively.

The LegCo is the legislature of the HKSAR. The Chief Executive in Council, in accordance with the Legislative Council Ordinance, has specified Jan. 1, 2022 as the commencement date of the seventh-term LegCo of the HKSAR.

The term of office of the LegCo is four years.

(Video reporters: Zhang Yichi, Lin Ning, Wan Houde, Qi Xin; Video editors: Lin Lin, Zheng Xin, Zhu Jianhui) 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-19 21:12:32|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Twelve people died after the bandit attacked remote villages in the northern Kenyan county of Marsabit late Saturday, police confirmed on Sunday.

Robinson Mboloi, Marsabit county police commander said heavily armed bandits who raided the remote villages also disappeared with a large herd of cattle.

He said a multi-agency security team was in hot pursuit of the bandits adding that cooperation from the public is key to end cattle rustling in northern Kenya.

The vast and semi-arid Marsabit county has lately grappled with banditry and inter-communal strife linked to competition over dwindling water sources and pasture. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-19 22:54:14|Editor: huaxia

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ABUJA, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Over 20 people were killed when bandits attacked villages in Nigeria's northwestern state of Kaduna on Saturday, a local official said Sunday.

Samuel Aruwan, the commissioner for internal security affairs in Kaduna, said in a statement that four villages in the state's Giwa local government area came under heavy attacks, as the bandits went on the rampage, shooting at the villagers and setting ablaze houses late Saturday.

Aruwan said the state government has immediately directed an urgent assessment of the affected areas or communities toward providing relief, and security agencies will sustain surveillance in the general area.

Armed attacks have been a primary security threat in Nigeria's northern and central regions, leading to deaths and kidnappings in recent months. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-19 09:11:21|Editor: huaxia

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SYDNEY, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- As daily COVID-19 case numbers in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) continue to surge, authorities have pushed booster shots as the way forward instead of restrictions.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard on Sunday called for all eligible citizens to get the booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine.

He noted that people were already "voting with their feet", saying that NSW Health Facilities had given 57,000 booster shots in the last week up from 15,000 in the previous week.

On Sunday, NSW reported 2,566 new cases in the 24 hours to 8:00 p.m. Saturday, a slight increase from 2,482 cases reported on Saturday.

A total of 313 cases of the Omicron variant have been confirmed in the state since the first case was detected in late November.

Hospitalizations, which have yet to follow the sharp rise in cases over the past week, have also begun to grow, with 227 COVID patients reported to be in the hospital, up from 206 on Saturday.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said rising cases would be "the new normal" and rebutted calls for re-imposing indoor mask mandates and restrictions, saying that numbers in intensive care units (ICU) would be a key metric going forward.

"We want to make sure that our health system has the capacity as we move through this next challenge of the pandemic," he said.

Currently 28 individuals in NSW are in ICU with the disease.

"When we believe there's evidence in front of us (that) we need to potentially tighten restrictions, we will," said Perrottet.

Meanwhile the island state of Tasmania announced on Sunday that masks would be made mandatory in response to three new cases detected, which brought their total number of cases since opening borders to the rest of Australia on Wednesday to seven. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-19 10:30:30|Editor: huaxia

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KUALA LUMPUR, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia reported 4,083 new COVID-19 infections as of midnight Saturday, bringing the national total to 2,715,847, according to the health ministry.

The ministry said 34 of the new cases are imported, with 4,049 being local transmissions.

Twenty-nine deaths have been reported, bringing the death toll to 31,073.

About 5,435 patients have been released after recovery, bringing the total number of cured and discharged to 2,630,680.

There are 54,094 active cases, with 391 being held in intensive care and 215 of those in need of assisted breathing.

The country reported 71,650 vaccine doses administered on Saturday alone. About 79.4 percent of the population have received at least one dose and 78.2 percent are fully vaccinated.

Separately, the ministry reported 11 more Omicron COVID-19 cases on Saturday, bringing the total identified to 13.

All 11 new infections are imported, comprising three who traveled from Britain, three from the United States, two from Nigeria, two from Saudi Arabia and one from Australia, Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a statement. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-19 12:08:22|Editor: huaxia

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MANILA, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from Typhoon Rai that battered the Philippines earlier this week has climbed to at least 65, local officials said Sunday.

The number of deaths is likely to rise as data gathering from the field continues in the wake of the strongest typhoon to hit the country this year.

The officials said 49 died in Bohol province, six in Southern Leyte province in the central Philippines, and 10 in Dinagat Islands in the southern Philippines.

On Saturday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said it received reports of 31 deaths in central and southern Philippines and one missing. The NDRRMC has yet to update its death tally.

Communications are still down in typhoon-ravaged areas, making it difficult for the NDRRMC to contact its regional and provincial agencies.

"Presently, communications are still down, proof of which only 21 mayors out of 48 have reached us. They have reported at least 49 deaths from their towns with 10 missing and 13 injured," Bohol Governor Arthur Yap said in a video message he posted on Facebook.

Bohol, a province in the central Philippines, is still without electricity. Yap said it might take up to three weeks to restore power in the affected areas, and the residents of some hardest-hit towns were asking for food and water.

Jeffrey Crisostomo, the spokesperson for Dinagat Islands province, said at least 10 people have died from the typhoon, and five more are missing.

Lord Byron Torrecarion, the director of the Office of Civil Defense in the Eastern Visayas region, reported six deaths and one missing in Southern Leyte province.

Typhoon Rai made landfall on the Siargao Island on Thursday afternoon. It was blowing maximum winds of 195 km per hour and with gusts of up to 240 km per hour when it slammed into the island in Surigao del Norte province.

The typhoon swelled rivers and flooded low-lying areas while cutting through towns and villages in the central Philippines and the northern Mindanao in the southern part of the country.

The NDRRMC said Rai affected more than 700,000 people, caused power outages, damaged buildings and houses in nine regions. The damage to crops and infrastructure is still being calculated.

The Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, mainly due to its location along the Pacific Ring of Fire and Pacific typhoon belt. On average, this archipelagic country experiences 20 typhoons every year, some of which are intense and destructive.

The World Bank said natural disasters have killed 33,000 Filipinos in the past 30 years, affecting 120 million people. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-19 13:51:53|Editor: huaxia

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PHNOM PENH, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia confirmed two more cases of the Omicron COVID-19 variant, bringing the total number of such cases in the southeast Asian nation to four, the Ministry of Health (MoH) said in a statement Saturday midnight.

One patient is a 47-year-old Cambodian woman arriving in the kingdom on Thursday from the United States of America, with a connecting flight in South Korea, and the other is a 33-year-old Cambodian woman taking a flight from France passing through Singapore before arriving in Cambodia on Friday.

"Upon landing at the Phnom Penh International Airport, the two women were given a rapid test which indicated that they were positive for COVID-19, and their samples were then sent to the Pasteur Institute in Cambodia for further testing," the statement said.

"The results released by the Pasteur Institute in Cambodia on Dec. 18 showed that the two women were positive for the Omicron COVID-19 variant."

The patients are currently being treated at a COVID-19 treatment facility in Phnom Penh.

The country reported the first case of the Omicron variant on Dec. 14 on a pregnant Cambodian woman returning from Ghana, and the second case on Dec. 17 on an Iranian male tourist traveling to the kingdom from Kenya.

The Omicron variant was first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) from South Africa on Nov. 24, 2021 and it was classified a "variant of concern" by the WHO. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-19 15:50:45|Editor: huaxia

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SYDNEY, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The government of Australia's state of New South Wales (NSW) has announced that a large wetland area in the state's northwest would be listed as an internationally important wetland.

The proposed listing of Caryapundy Swamp is Australia's latest addition to the global 1971 Ramsar Convention agreement, and would add approximately 700 square kilometers of protected wetlands in NSW, bringing Australia's total listed area to over 8.37 million hectares.

The convention, to which Australia has already signed 67 sites, is designed to promote the conservation of wetlands, and establish nature reserves in areas important for biological diversity.

Australia's minister for environment Sussan Ley said the site would play "a critical role for species like the Australasian Shoveler, Grey Teal and Red-necked Avocet which use the site as a drought refuge."

The swamp is situated in a major basin which captures floodwaters from across a basin in the state's northwest, and during times of flood more than 100,000 birds have been known to flock to the wetlands surrounding Caryapundy.

Floods represent an important factor in the life cycle of wetlands, and many Australian bird species require substantial flooding in order to trigger large-scale breeding events.

The wetlands are also an important stop-off point for migratory shorebirds that fly to southern Australia during the winter.

The status would prevent these waters from being rerouted to reservoirs or for use in agriculture.

NSW Environment Minister Matt Kean said it was the first site that has been nominated by the NSW government in over a decade.

"This application is the result of close collaboration between NSW and the Commonwealth, as well as consultation with Aboriginal stakeholders and traditional owners on the significant cultural values the region has," said Kean.

"This convention is the global gold standard for wetland conservation and will shine an international spotlight on the area driving economic opportunities, including tourism, for the local community."

The listing coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Ramsar Convention. Kean said that there are a total of 2,400 wetlands listed worldwide, which protects over 254.6 million hectares of critical waterbird habitat. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-19 18:22:40|Editor: huaxia

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by Farid Behbud

KABUL, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. dollar has depreciated against afghani, Afghanistan's national currency, from 130 afghanis days ago to 98 afghanis on Sunday, according to Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB), but the price of basic goods and foods still remained high.

"I face a lot of problems at home, but when I visit local bazaars I face much bigger problems including the high price of basic goods and foodstuff. The price of essential goods is doubled in comparison with a month ago," Sayyed Mohammad, a resident from northern Jawzjan province, told Xinhua on Saturday.

He said the prices of goods skyrocketed following a sharp decline of afghani value early this week. "The rate of foreign currencies has dropped in recent days, but the price of food, gas and fuel as well as car rent did not drop so far."

Since the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban in mid-August and the formation of the Taliban-led caretaker government in September, the country has faced economic problems.

Basic services in Afghanistan are collapsing while food and other life-saving aid are about to run out.

The situation worsened following the freezing of over 9 billion U.S. dollars of DAB, the country's central bank, assets by the United States as well as a halt of funds by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

"We are facing a major economic crisis and the reason behind the crisis is the freeze of Afghanistan's assets by the United States, I came to Kabul to withdraw my savings from a private bank after I failed to get money in my hometown, however, I failed to collect money despite wasting time and waiting for days," Mohammad said.

"If the U.S. does not return our assets, Afghans will face a humanitarian catastrophe soon," he said.

The Taliban caretaker government has repeatedly called upon the United States to unfreeze assets with aid agencies warning of acute food shortages for more than 22 million Afghans in the coming winter.

"I have been trying to get my salary for two weeks after a government announcement. There is uncertainty in banks around the country, we cannot get our savings or salaries from our own accounts," Mohammad Sharif, a civil servant, said.

The majority of some 400,000 state employees have only received wages of two months since July. The Taliban government has announced that civil servant can receive their salaries, however, problems and crises in the banks remained a hurdle for servants to get salary on time, according to Sharif.

"The government is facing a financial crisis amid a decline in revenue and it is still unable to pay the salaries of the several remaining months. On one side, business owners have increased the prices of their goods because the foreign currencies are rising quickly. On the other side, most Afghans have so little in their wallets to buy food and firewood as the winter is coming," he said.

The recent crisis has forced many Afghans to flee the country, but the Taliban officials have been trying to convince the people to stay, promising them that the challenges will be solved in near future.

On Saturday, the Taliban's caretaker government marked International Migrants Day. Officials urged Afghans to stay and rebuild their country as "the civil war has come to an end."

"The security is ensured across Afghanistan now, there is no war, and there is no danger to pose threat to life of Afghans, every person can live in his country with dignity and glory," Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, deputy foreign minister of the caretaker government, told participants in a meeting marking the migrant day on Saturday.

"Unfortunately, the Afghan citizens no longer have enough money to buy goods, everyone is suffering a stifling economic crisis," said Salim Khan, a Kabul resident. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-19 18:35:05|Editor: huaxia

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MANILA, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The election for the seventh-term Legislative Council (LegCo) of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) will usher in optimism for the future of the financial hub's post-pandemic recovery, a Philippine political analyst said Sunday.

The seventh-term LegCo election of the HKSAR kicked off Sunday morning, the first since the improvement to the HKSAR electoral system.

Herman Tiu Laurel, founder of Philippine BRICS Strategic Studies, said the election will boost the success of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development in the region.

"The Greater Bay Area project will achieve a much higher degree of success and synergize economic expansion not only of the area but the entire regions engaged with the economy of Hong Kong," Laurel said in an interview with Xinhua.

He said Hong Kong's stability is good news for the region including the Philippines, adding that the Philippines anchors its hope for post-pandemic economic recovery in China's mainland and China's Hong Kong as the major engine of economic growth for Asia.

"It is such good news for us Filipinos to see Hong Kong achieving full political normalization with the conduct of elections after the terrible year of 2019 when Hong Kong was wracked with endless radical actions to destabilize the HKSAR," Laurel added.

The Philippines has hundreds of thousands of workers in Hong Kong, earning livelihood and sending remittance to their families, he said.

In 2019, many Filipino workers in Hong Kong complained about the damage by the violent demonstrations to Hong Kong. "Some feared their safety and job security," Laurel added.

He said the Philippines would like to see a stable and strong Hong Kong, adding that the "one country, two systems" principle "ensures a stable Asia continuing to work towards prosperity of Asia." Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-19 19:36:21|Editor: huaxia

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DHAKA, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Bangladeshi government started administering COVID-19 vaccine booster shots on a trial basis Sunday.

The country's Health Minister Zahid Maleque inaugurated the program in Dhaka on Sunday, while a nurse Runu Veronica Costa, who had received the first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine in the country, received the first booster dose.

After inaugurating the program, Maleque told journalists that the drive will be extended throughout the country in phases.

He said frontliners and the elderly will be given priority for booster shots initially.

Senior health ministry officials, journalists and religious leaders also received their booster doses on the day.

Bangladesh launched its COVID-19 vaccination drive in January to contain the pandemic that has spread across the South Asian country. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-19 20:01:43|Editor: huaxia

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MANILA, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from Typhoon Rai that battered the Philippines this week has climbed to at least 144, local officials said on Sunday.

Bohol province in the central Philippines is the worst-hit with 72 deaths, while Negros Occidental reported 18, Cebu 16, Dinagat Islands 10, Southern Leyte six, among others.

The number of deaths is likely to rise as local officials gather data from the field.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) has yet to update its death tally after saying on Saturday night it had received reports of 31 deaths in central and southern Philippines due to Rai.

Communications are still down in typhoon-ravaged areas, making it difficult for the NDRRMC to contact its regional and provincial agencies.

Bohol Governor Arthur Yap said his province has tallied 72 deaths as reports trickle in from the field.

"Presently, communications are still down. The signal is intermittent," Yap said, adding that the central Philippine province is still without electricity. He said it might take up to three weeks to restore power in the province.

Yap appealed to fuel suppliers to triple the deliveries of gasoline and fuel, saying the province is dependent on generator sets.

He said the residents of some hardest-hit towns are asking for food and water. More chainsaws are also needed to clear fallen trees and debris. "Many of the smaller roads are still not passable," he added.

On Sunday, the police posted a video about rescuing 26 people, including nine minors and nine elderly, trapped on a tree for hours in Negros Occidental province.

President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the speedy delivery of food, water, and necessary items such as tents and tarps to the typhoon victims after visiting the affected areas by aircraft.

He also ordered the military and the Philippine Coast Guard to send boats and ships to augment the immediate delivery of needed supplies.

The military will send medical teams onboard two Navy ships to augment the health personnel in Siargao and Dinagat Islands, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said.

Typhoon Rai made landfall on the Siargao Island on Thursday afternoon. It was blowing maximum winds of 195 km per hour and with gusts of up to 240 km per hour when it slammed into the island in Surigao del Norte province.

The typhoon swelled rivers and flooded low-lying areas while cutting through towns and villages in the central Philippines and the northern Mindanao in the southern part of the country.

The NDRRMC said Rai affected more than 700,000 people in nine regions, caused power outages, damaged buildings and houses in these areas. The government is still assessing the typhoon's damage to crops and infrastructure.

The Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, mainly due to its location along the Pacific Ring of Fire and Pacific typhoon belt. On average, this archipelagic country experiences 20 typhoons every year, some of which are intense and destructive.

The World Bank said natural disasters have killed 33,000 Filipinos in the past 30 years, affecting 120 million people. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-19 09:39:23|Editor: huaxia

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LISBON, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Portugal started vaccinating children ages 5-11 against COVID-19 on Saturday, said the country's Directorate-General for Health (DGS).

About 41,200 children were vaccinated on Saturday, with priority being given to those with comorbidities, it added.

According to the government forecast, a total of 77,000 children will receive vaccines formulated in pediatric doses by the Pfizer laboratory, with the second dose being administered between Feb. 5 and March 13 next year.

Deputy Secretary of State and Health Antonio Lacerda Sales said that all children up to 11 years old "may come to vaccination centers and receive the vaccine."

Portugal has surpassed the so-called "red line" of pandemic emergency with the highest incidence being children over 10 years of age.

Portuguese Health Minister Marta Temido revealed that the Omicron variant represents 20 percent of COVID-19 cases in the country.

"Based on estimates, we know that this variant could reach 50 percent by Christmas and 80 percent in the week of the end of the year," she told a press conference.

Portugal has reported another 5,062 infections and 12 deaths related to COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, according to the DGS. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-19 20:38:29|Editor: huaxia

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PIRAEUS, Greece, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The center of Piraeus, Greece's largest port, turned red on Sunday, as some 1,000 people of all ages dressed in Santa Claus costumes participated in the Piraeus 2021 Santa Run.

Starting from the City Hall, they finished in front of the municipal theater, spreading joy and wishes for Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

It was the second time the event was organized by the municipality of Piraeus, Iosif Vourakis, Deputy mayor of Piraeus responsible for Sports, Culture and Youth, told Xinhua.

"We hope that from now on everything will be like this, with a smile and light. We have been through a lot of darkness for two years now, so from here in Piraeus we send this message of light, happiness and health to all," he said.

"I believe we will all enjoy a festive atmosphere. We need it so much," added Michalis Agraniotis, president of Piraeus city council.

"I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and that we can quickly overcome all this pandemic adventure," Peter, a younger participant, said. Enditem
MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa yesterday told mourners at the burial of the late human rights activist, Dewa Mavhinga that he had warned him not to come back to Zimbabwe, a few days before he died.

Mavhinga, who was southern Africa director for Human Rights Watch, succumbed to COVID-19 on December 6, in South Africa.

The Human Rights Watch said Mavhinga had died a few days after he returned to Johannesburg from a research mission in Zimbabwe.

He was laid to rest yesterday at his rural home in Chivhu, where several senior opposition party members, civic society members, and human right activists were in attendance.

I had told Dewa to defer his visit to Zimbabwe, but he insisted that he would come,Chamisa said.

He told me that he was in the southern region visiting other countries including Mozambique. He inquired why I was stopping him from coming to Zimbabwe. I also insisted that he should not come to Zimbabwe. About four weeks ago, we held a virtual meeting with Dewa and three others for over an hour planning the way forward on the 2023 elections. Dewa was a veteran, a stalwart, very resolute and a beast on fighting for human rights. It is not possible to become a human rights defender without a human rights attacker. He was a defender because our people are being attacked. We have been robbed as a country, as the whole world, as a generation.

He also described Mavhinga as an intelligent cadre who was determined to fight rights abuse.

Mavhinga started his career in human rights as deputy co-ordinator at the forums International Liaison Office in London from April 2007 to April 2008. He then joined the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition regional office in South Africa before joining the Human Rights Watch.





He started as a senior researcher and advocate before being elevated to the position of director, a post he held until his death.

In 2012, Mavhinga co-founded the Zimbabwe Democracy Institute. He was also the founding chairperson of the Living Together Institute and also a board member for the Savanna Arts Trust Theatre Group. Newsday
THE Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has launched an investigation into a case where a 15-year-old girl from Kadoma was married off to a Chinese national and forced to drop out of school.

The victim (name withheld) of ward 5, Chief Neuso in Sanyati district, Mashonaland West province was reportedly married off to the Chinese national and US$2 000 was paid to her parents as lobola on November 26 this year.

The Chinese national allegedly works at Ringxin/Mambo Mine as an engineer.

Police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the incident to NewsDay.

As police, I can confirm that we have launched an investigation into the case. For now, we cant comment any further despite the fact that we are still conducting investigations, Nyathi said.

On Wednesday, the police in Sanyati intervened and rescued the girl, although her parents are insisting that the Chinese national is their son-in-law.

Sources say the Chinese nationals working at mines near Kadoma target young girls, mostly virgins, for marriage.

One Tichaona Mapara said the problem was being fuelled by poverty among families that live in the gold-rich area.

Several parents of unmarried virgin girls are also eyeing these Chinese men to marry off their young girls in early forced marriages, Mapara told NewsDay.

Areas such as Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East and Mashonaland West are the worst affected by child marriages. Newsday
PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has suggested that the remains of British imperialist Cecil John Rhodes can be removed from the Matopos National Park in Matabeleland South and returned to the United Kingdom.

Mnangagwa told traditional leaders on Friday in the capital that the remains of the founder of the former British colony, Rhodesia, were of no importance to the country.

Rhodes, who was born in 1853 and died in 1902 was an imperialist, businessman and politician who played a dominant role in southern Africa in the late 19th Century, driving the annexation of vast swathes of land.

He founded the De Beers diamond firm which until recently controlled global trade.

Rhodes dreamt of an uninterrupted railway link stretching from Cape Town to Cairo, Egypt  the entire north to south controlled at the time by the British Empire.

Rhodes remains lie atop a granite hill in Matopos.

We still have Rhodes remains in Matobo.

What do you think about it? If you go to the shrine, you dont know whether you are talking to Rhodes or our ancestors, Mnangagwa said.

His remains must be returned to where he hailed from and we can also have our ancestral remains which are being kept in Europe.

In 2012, the late former president Robert Mugabe blocked ex-combatants and members of his ruling Zanu PF party from exhuming his remains, saying his legacy was part of the countrys history.

In May 2020, the Rhodes Stable located at the Matopos National Park was burnt down by unknown people.

The stables, built in 1897, are one of the oldest buildings in the country where Rhodes used to shelter his horses.

In South Africa, statues and monuments of colonial-era leaders were once targets of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests.

In 2015, South Africas University of Cape Town removed the statue of the British colonialist and 19th Century figure, unveiled in 1934. Standard
THE Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) is proposing to include Braille voting and extending privileges to people admitted in hospitals during elections, as part of electoral reforms that will be incorporated into the amended Electoral Act.

This comes as the Portfolio Committee on Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs is discussing a draft document on a raft of electoral reforms, and has since presented it to ZEC.

The Government is currently implementing a number of reforms, which include political and economic reforms, as part of the Vision 2030 agenda.

The Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Ziyambi Ziyambi, could not shed more light on the draft document presented to ZEC, but confirmed to The Sunday Mail that the Government was working on a raft of electoral reforms.

I have not seen it (the document), but we are still working on it (electoral reforms), he said.

ZEC Commissioner, Joyce Kazembe, said the country had also started implementing some of the recommendations suggested by foreign and local observers after the 2018 elections.

We always get these recommendations after elections. We had a meeting in Nyanga for those who had observed, foreign and local observers as well as Civil Society observers, and we took into account the recommendations that they made. We have begun implementing the recommendations through the electoral reforms, she said.

Currently, we are just looking at the submissions from the Parliamentary Committee on Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, since we have been engaging them. They just sent a document with proposed reforms, some of them which we proposed even in 2013.

We have made an input, agreed with them on certain things, and on other things we did not agree.

Quite a number of issues in the Electoral Act need changing, for example, media monitoring. What we are using currently are the 2008 media regulations, which are highly outdated.

We tried last time, it did not work. However, we are hoping this will be amended this time around.

Commissioner Kazembe said ZEC was working on accommodating people with mobility challenges so that they can exercise their right to vote.

For the visually impaired we are playing around the possibility of coming up with a ballot that they can read, she said.

There is also an extension of a postal ballot to anyone who will not be able to vote on voting day, in particular, officials on duty; we get a lot of staff from State institutions.

We are also contemplating extending this to people with disabilities, since we have been limiting ourselves to people with no physical challenges. So, we are trying to be as broad as possible.

Like in South Africa, they go to hospitals during voting periods. However, in South Africa, they have no wards to talk about, it is party based, they vote for individuals.

So we will give them a postal vote and we will have a register which says, this person is in hospital, indicating the polling station.

These postal votes will be arranged according to the constituency, polling area and ward. All these details will be in an envelope including the number of ballots that we have, that is the President, constituency and wards.

These will be sent to the person wherever they will be. There will be indications of how the ballots will be brought here and counted, long before everyone else has voted.

So that by the time everyone votes, these envelopes should be at the wards the person has indicated, so that the vote is not lost.

The Government has been calling on various stakeholders, including political parties and interest groups, to take advantage of the Electoral Amendment Act to bring forward all contentious issues related to electoral reforms.

Last Friday, the Political Actors Dialogue (Polad) presented a document on a raft of proposed electoral reforms. Sunday Mail
U.S. still sees no pathway back to Iran nuclear deal after talks



Zionwarrior6/Twitter AP



The Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI) has announced that it will conduct security checks on

the recently installed cameras at its Karaj nuclear facility

By David Wainer and Nick Wadhams/ Bloomberg News

LONDON

Petroleumworld 12 17 2021

The Biden administration still sees no pathway back to a revived nuclear deal with Iran after the latest round of talks in Vienna even though world powers including Russia and China are unified, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Friday.

Its not going well in the sense that we do not yet have a pathway back into the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the deal that former President Donald Trump quit in 2018, Sullivan told the Council on Foreign Relations. Restoring mutual compliance with the deal has proven more difficult over the course of this year than we would have liked to see, Sullivan added.

Sullivans remarks were yet another reminder of how little progress there has been in the seven rounds of talks in Vienna, the latest of which resumed last week following nearly a six-month break. After some early progress, officials have said the negotiating team of Irans new president, Ebrahim Raisi, have made demands that set the talks back and have been impossible to meet.

The silver lining is that the U.S. and Europe are finding rare common ground with Russia and China in talks aimed at bringing Iran back into compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal even as Tehrans breakout time to have a nuclear weapon grows shorter.

What is going well, is unity with our European partners, greater alignment with China and Russia, Sullivan said. And I think an increasing recognition by Iran that it needs to come to the table in a seriously constructive way, and that our patience is by no means unlimited.

Iran, UN Agree Deal on Nuclear Site Cameras in Boost for Talks

Progress in Vienna has remained stalled while Iran has continued to ramp up nuclear enrichment activities that leave it ever closer to having weapons-grade uranium. U.S. and European officials on Tuesday issued stern warnings that time was running out for Iran to revise a set of draft proposals presented in the Austrian capital last week.

U.S. officials havent said what their plan B would be if talks fail or Iran makes so much progress that returning to the 2015 accord is effectively meaningless.

For now, the Iranian nuclear talks are a priority concern for the Biden administration and will be very much at the center of diplomatic efforts during the first quarter of next year, a separate senior U.S. administration official told reporters Friday while reviewing President Joe Bidens Mideast diplomacy in 2021.

Iran Risks Frayed Ties With Top Ally China Over Nuclear Gambit

Earlier this week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggested that the U.S. could soon shift its attention away from attempting to resurrect the 2015 accord. The warning came as France, Germany and U.K. negotiators signaled they were rapidly reaching the end of the road in the nuclear talks, according to a statement.

Perhaps in response to the diplomatic pressure, Iran and nuclear monitors with the International Atomic Energy Agency struck an agreement allowing the United Nations body to replace cameras at a key atomic research site near Tehran.

The decision on reinstalling the cameras -- a major demand of the IAEA -- at a centrifuge workshop that was attacked in June is an important development that would allow inspectors to resume necessary continuity of knowledge, according to a statement from the Vienna-based body.

Despite the Biden administrations professed interest in shifting its foreign policy focus to Asia, Middle East issues continue to be a priority as well, the official said, adding that Bidens daily national security briefing always includes one or two items from the region.


Maersk Drilling and Aker BP agree to $1 billion drilling pact

Bloomberg



Employees work aboard the Maersk Invincible rig, operated by Maersk Drilling Services A/S, in the Valhall field in the North Sea off the coast of Stavanger, Norway, on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019.

By Jill R. Shah / Bloomberg News

NEW YORK

Petroleumworld 12 17 2021

The boss of Maersk Drilling is in no rush to make acquisitions because he believes a rout in equity prices for offshore drillers has further to go.

Maersk Drilling extended a drilling agreement with Aker BP ASA in a $1 billion five-year contract, securing a major revenue source.

The agreement grants Norwegian oil operator Aker BP the use of two rigs, the companies jointly announced Saturday. The two Maersk rigs -- Maersk Integrator and Maersk Invincible -- will be used for activities offshore Norway during the period.

We are absolutely delighted to re-affirm our commitment to Aker BP for another five years and to secure major scope additions during these five years, said Maersk Drilling CEO Jrn Madsen in a statement.

Denmarks Maersk Drilling increased its profit guidance for 2021 based on solid rig performance and contract extensions in the latest quarterly report. It will report annual results in February of next year.

Maersk reported revenue of about $1 billion in 2020 and posted losses for four of the past five years.

Aker BP is a joint venture of BP Plc and Aker ASA.
Chile former candidate Parisi backs Kast in last minute bid

Bloomberg



Jose Antonio Kast, presidential candidate of the Republican party, speaks during a closing rally ahead of runoff elections in Santiago, Chile, on Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021.

By Fabiola Zerpa / Bloomberg News

SANTIAGO

Petroleumworld 12 19 2021

Chilean assets gained Thursday as the lead that left-wing presidential candidate Gabriel Boric held over conservative Kast appeared to be tightening, according to unofficial polls circulating in the market. , Bloomberg

Chiles former presidential candidate Franco Parisi offered his support to conservative Jose Antonio Kast, hours ahead of Sundays presidential runoff, arguing left-winger Gabriel Boric had persistently attacked his party.

In a video posted in his Twitter account, Parisi, who came third in the first round of the presidential vote last month, vowed his party would vote for Kast after an internal consultation Friday showed 61% support for the conservative candidate versus 6% for Boric.

The support is crucial for whats seen as a tight race where Boric is leading. Recent surveys show Kast was narrowing the gap in a country with an ongoing project to rewrite the constitution after unprecedented social upheaval.

The Partido de la Gente -- Parisis party, known as PDG-- spoke loud and clear, he said in video posted in his twitter account. Tomorrow a large part of the PDG will vote for Kast. I follow my collective, who opted for Kast. Parisi added Boric has done a lot of damage by attacking the PDG, and failed to explain his presidential plans.

Parisi, a celebrity economist, campaigned entirely via social networks from his residence in Alabama and nevertheless finished in third place with 12.8% of the first round vote in the final tally of Nov. 21.

Chiles presidential elections, the most polarized in years, will determine if the country follows up with its free-market economy or turns left with more regulation and social spending.
Ve nezuela experiences blackouts in capital and

at least 15 of 23 states when black

FNA



Areas of Venezuelas capital Caracas and at least 15 of the 30 states of country suffered blackouts on

Friday which authorities attributed to an attack on the electrical system.

Reporting by Vivian Sequera and Mayela Armas / Reuters

CARACAS

Petroleumworld 12 17 2021

Areas of Venezuela's capital Caracas and at least 15 states across the country suffered blackouts on Friday which authorities attributed to an attack on the electrical system.

From 2 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. local time (6 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. GMT) blackouts took place in Caracas and 15 of the country's 23 states though power was largely restored by 11 a.m local time, Reuters journalists said.

Nestor Reverol, Vice President of Public Works and Services and Minister of Electrical Energy, said in a statement on state television: "There has been a new attack on the national electricity system, specifically in El Guri."

El Guri is the site of a reservoir and dam in the south of the country which generates a large part of Venezuela's electricity.

Reverol did not provide additional details though Vice President Delcy Rodriguez assured followers on Twitter that workers were doing all they could to restore service.

Venezuela suffered three national blackouts in 2019, some lasting as long as three days, which authorities also attributed to attacks on the system - such as damaging power lines - by saboteurs and opponents of President Nicolas Maduro's government.

It was not clear if Venezuela's oil industry had been affected by the power cuts. State-owned oil company PDVSA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The El Palito refinery and the Yagua filling station were able to run on backup power generators, sources told Reuters.

Venezuela's electricity woes started in late 2009 following years of divestment and mismanagement, government critics and analysts say.
If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





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A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that the government will try to ensure that scientific evidence is sent electronically to courts and police stations at the earliest.

On the second day of his Maharashtra visit, Shah formally inaugurated the Camp Complex of the 5th Battalion of the NDRF in Pune, inspected the new campus of the CFSL and inaugurated its new building.

Speaking on the occasion, Shah said that the Government of India has developed many softwares, which are also being linked to the courts and Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), so that no person or prosecutor in the court will be able to say that the FSL report is yet to be received.

"The report will reach the court records directly and a copy will go to the police station and a copy will go to the Home Department of the state. The day this system is established, many delays will be eliminated and using science we will be able to increase proof of conviction," he said.

He pointed out that so far, there are seven Central Forensic Scientific Laboratories (CFSL) in the country and said, "If we have to strengthen the internal security and judicial system of a country like India in this area, then we still have to do a lot of work".

He mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, had planned intensively to make the Forensic Science Laboratory of Gujarat world class and today the Gujarat FSL is known as one of the best in the world.

He pointed out that the biggest drawback in the spread of FSL was the lack of a specialised human resource force, there was no such course designed for this field.

"In the field of forensic science, not a single college, university was established in the country. The country's first forensic science university was established in Gujarat. Our target is that in every state, the state government should establish one college each and with this university they should be associated with the college of forensic science," he said.

He stated that the day at least one forensic science college will be set up in all the states, then there will be no dearth of human resource force in this country and experts from different fields of forensic science will be produced by these colleges and universities and fulfil our needs.

"Thereafter, at least two mobile FSLs should be established in every district, which should cover every police station. If we can do this in the coming five to ten years, then a change can also be made in the country so that we can make the visit of the FSL team mandatory in the cases of punishment of six years or more," he said.
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context: ... 21: </%method> 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: </%perl> 28: <table width="90%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> 29: <tr> ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25

/usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951

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ARISS contact scheduled for students at Berufliche Schule Direktorat 1 Nurnberg, Germany

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has received schedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact with astronauts. ARISS is the group that puts together special amateur radio contacts between students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses on the International Space Station (ISS).

This will be a telebridge contact via amateur radio and students in Nuremberg, Germany who will take turns asking their questions of Matthias Maurer, amateur radio call sign KI5KFH.

Local Covid-19 protocols are adhered to as applicable for each ARISS contact.

The downlink frequency for this contact is 145.800 MHZ and may be heard by listeners that are within the ISS-footprint that also encompasses the telebridge station.

ARISS team member Jan Poppeliers in Aartselaar, Belgium using radio call sign ON4ISS, will serve as the ARISS relay amateur radio station. The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for December 21, 2021 at 9:24 am CET (Nuremberg, DE), (8:24 UTC, 3:24 am EST, 2:24 am CST, 1:24 am MST and 12:24 am PST).

Berufliche Schule Direktorat 1 Nurnberg (about 2,500 students) is a vocational school in the south of Germany. Courses include electrical engineering, electronics, information technology, and mechanics/mechatronics. Classes combine theoretical lessons and practical training in workshops and industrial settings. Student-activities include amateur radio, which allow students to operate ham radio transceivers and electronics, which includes building circuit boards.

As time allows, students will ask these questions:

1. Wie fuhlt man sich als Astronaut mit dem Gedanken das man so weit weg von der Erde ist?

2. Ist es wahr, dass Astronauten im Universum Aliens oder irgendwelche andere Lebewesen gesehen haben?

3. Kann unser Sonnensystem, bestehend aus den Planeten und der Monde ein Teil oder sogar Ursprung eines schwarzen Loches sein?

4. Bemerken Sie es auf der Raumstation, wenn die ISS von Objekten, wie Weltraumschrott getroffen wird und wie hort oder fuhlt sich das an?

5. Fuhren Sie auch Auenreparaturen aus und wenn ja, was empfinden Sie dabei, wenn Sie am "seidenen Faden" hangen?

6. Welches Experiment fuhren Sie zur Zeit am liebsten aus?

7. Funktioniert das Experiment mit der Herstellung von Joghurt auf der ISS?

8. Wie anstrengend ist der Sport fur Sie auf der ISS?

9. Astronauten bleiben im Durchschnitt 6 Monate auf der ISS. Wie lange konnte man auf der ISS bleiben ohne gesundheitliche Schaden zu erleiden?

10. Was ist fur Sie das Schonste, wenn Sie unsere Erde von der ISS aus betrachten?

11. Was vermissen Sie am meisten auf der ISS?

12. Wie viele Menschen sind gerade auf der ISS?

13. Was ist Ihre Botschaft an die Kinder und Jugendlichen auf der Erde?

14. Wie lange dauert der Flug zur ISS?

15. Wie lange arbeiten Astronauten pro Tag?

16. Wie schlaft man im All?

17. Wie wird man Astronaut?

18. Welche Sprachen muss ein Astronaut sprechen konnen?

19. Wie putzt man sich in einer Raumstation die Zahne?

20. Hat man im All Internet?

(Translated from German):

1. How does it feel to be so far away from Earth?

2. Is it true that astronauts have seen aliens or any other living beings in the universe?

3. Can our solar system, consisting of the planets and the moons, be part of or even the origin of a black hole?

4. Do you notice it on the space station when the ISS is hit by objects, like space debris, and what does it sound or feel like?

5. Do you also carry out exterior repairs and if so, how do you feel about hanging by a "thread"?

6. What is your favorite experiment at the moment?

7. Does the experiment with yoghurt production on the ISS work?

8. How hard is the sport for you on the ISS?

9. Astronauts stay on the ISS for an average of 6 months. How long could one stay on the ISS without suffering health damage?

10. What is the most beautiful thing for you when you look at our Earth from the ISS?

11. What do you miss most on the ISS?

12. How many people are on the ISS right now?

13. What is your message to the children and young people on earth?

14. How long does the flight to the ISS take?

15. How long do astronauts work per day?

16. How do you sleep in space?

17. How do you become an astronaut?

18. What languages must an astronaut be able to speak?

19. How do you brush your teeth in a space station?

20. Do you have internet in space?

ARISS  Celebrating 20 Years of Amateur Radio Continuous Operations on the ISS

About ARISS:

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS National Lab-Space Station Explorers, and NASAs Space communications and Navigation program.

The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics topics. ARISS does this by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities take part in hands-on learning activities tied to space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org .

Media Contact:

Dave Jordan, AA4KN

ARISS PR

Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Search on Amateur Radio on the ISS and @ARISS_status.

Check out ARISS on Youtube.com.
German regulator says Russian state media is broadcasting without a license German regulators have launched proceedings against Russian state-controlled media RT for broadcasting in the country without a valid license.



RT DE, the German-language channel of broadcaster RT, suddenly began satellite broadcasts in Germany on December 16 using a questionable Serbian license, MABB media regulator for Berlin and the surrounding state of Brandenburg said on December 17.



Germany does not grant broadcasting licenses to foreign-owned state media, although RT DE is allowed to have a bureau in Berlin.



RT - formerly Russia Today  which has been repeatedly criticized in the West as a source of Kremlin propaganda, has been trying to expand its German-language television channel for some time, but lacks a license to broadcast in the country using terrestrial or satellite signals.



RT DE still has articles and an online streaming service on its website that are accessible in Germany.



In August, neighboring Luxembourg refused to grant a license for RT DE to broadcast in Germany because its operations are based in Berlin.



However, RT DEs parent organization TV Novosti received a license in Serbia after its failed attempt in Luxembourg. This only became known on December 16 when RT DE began broadcasting in Germany.



For this program, a broadcast license was neither applied for nor granted by MABB, the regulator said in a statement to RFE/RL. It added that a formal procedure had been launched and RT DE now has until the end of the year to respond.



Such proceedings could potentially lead to the channel being banned or receiving a fine of up to 500,000 euros ($563,700).



Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

https://www.rferl.org/a/german-rt-russia-television-/31615017.html
Algiers, Dec 19 2021 (SPS) - The international film festival of Western Sahara "FiSahara" attributed Saturday, in Madrid, the Sahrawi nationality to Spanish actress and activist for Western Sahara cause Pilar Bardem, at an honorary edition of the festival dedicated to her, the event's organizers said.



Passed away last July, Pilar Bardem is known to have embraced the Sahrawi cause and her support to Western Sahara people's right to self-determination and their liberation from Moroccan colonization.



Accompanied by her son, the world film star Javier Bardem, she often went to Sahrawi refugee camps where she met former Sahrawi President Mohamed Abdelaziz.



She often participated in the FiSahara film festival, an international event created in 2003 to show movies and documentaries on the struggles of peoples in various regions of the world, especially Western Sahara people, for independence.



Pilar Bardem also participated in several fundraising and support campaigns for Sahrawi people, a path also taken by her children, mainly Javier Bardem, who produced a documentary film in 2012 entitled " Sons of the Clouds: The Last Colony."



The documentary won the Goya Award for Best Documentary in 2013, considered as the highest distinction of Spanish cinema.



It denounces the complicity of some European countries with the Moroccan occupation regime in the plunder of occupied Western Sahara's resources.



062/T
Ajit Nivad Cabraal, a Moses appointed by the present government as the Central Bank Governer with a Cabinet rank for the first time in the history of this country, to save the nation from bankruptcy, is now receiving 74 percent of his earlier salary as pension and Rs 400,000 a month as current salaryup from the Rs 150,000 immediate predecessor Indrajit Coomaraswamy earned. Arjuna Mahendran, who left CBSL over bond scam allegations, made Rs 70,000 a month and was excluded from the new pension scheme, Namini Wijedasa of Sunday Times in Colombo has revealed today.

Here is the full report published in the paper;

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) has passed a total of Rs 7mn for the arrears of newly-approved pensions for current and former Governors, including for Ajith Nivard Cabraal who is on his second term, authoritative sources said.

Cabral the Saviour or a Swindler?

Mr Cabraal is now receiving 74 percent of his earlier salary as pension and Rs 400,000 a month as current salaryup from the Rs 150,000 immediate predecessor Indrajit Coomaraswamy earned. Arjuna Mahendran, who left CBSL over bond scam allegations, made Rs 70,000 a month and was excluded from the new pension scheme.

Having taken over as CBSL Governor in September 2021, Mr Cabraal will get his next pension based on the new salary. The bulk of arrears was paid to him, the sources confirmed. W. D. Lakshman, who was made to retire to make way for the new appointee, also gets a lifetime pension having served just two years at CBSL.

Before he assumed his second term, Mr Cabraal was State Minister of Finance, Capital Markets and State Enterprise Reforms. The Sunday Times exclusively reported that he had requested a pension for his previous eight-year stint from July 1, 2006, to January 8, 2015. He claimed that his appointment letter had provided for one, and that it had not been paid even 4 years after resigning.

However, Mr Cabraals appointment letter had deemed him eligible only for pension benefits already available to staff, authoritative sources said. At the time he assumed the position, employees recruited after 1998 were still not entitled to them.

Mr Cabraal later admitted that he had canvassed Mr Coomaraswamy for the facility while he was Governor. But the widely respected economist had referred it to the appointing authority, who is the President.

After the change in administration, Mr Cabraal continued his efforts with the Monetary Board of Sri Lanka (MBSL) which then questionably approved a pension scheme for all CBSL Governors despite legal experts saying it did not have the authority to do so under the Monetary Law Act (MLA).

The MBSLs general powers are contained in Section 10 of the MLA which provides authority to approve salaries for the staff. Section 10(b) provides for pension schemes. The Governor, however, is not a member of the staff under the MLA. There are, therefore, separate provisions on his or her appointment, remuneration, etc, in Section 11. Section 11(3) states how the Governors salary is fixed by the President as the appointing authority on the recommendation of Minister of Finance.

Under the new scheme, Governors will be eligible for pensions regardless of their service periods, despite other public sector employees requiring at least 10 years of service to qualify. The only exception relates to parliamentarians who received a pension after five years (the 2022 Budget proposes that this, too, be raised to 10 years).

Until 1998, all CBSL employees, including Governors, and State Bank workers were eligible for pensions. That year, however, the Government suspended pensions for new employees while sustaining it for those deemed already qualified.

Then, after requests from public sector trade unions, all Government employees were again made eligible for pension. This was still not extended to State bank or CBSL workers. The State banks later introduced a contributory pension scheme for new employees.

In 2015, under Governor Arjuna Mahendran, CBSL introduced a similar arrangement for employees recruited after 1998. But this did not apply to Governors as it was deemed unethical for the MBSLwhich is headed by the Governorto approve pensions for its own Chair. Therefore, everyone who held that position after A. S Jayawardena (who was Governor from 1998 to 2004) was deemed ineligible.

At the time Mr Cabraal finished his first term, there was still no pension scheme available. When a new one was finally brought in, the criteria included at least 10 years of service. Again, it did not make Governors eligible. Nor did it provide any exception to Governors of the required service period. This only changed with the MBSLs decision this year.
A current of reason, moderation, and tolerance always existed in modern Lankan Buddhism. But it was never the dominant one, for neither politicians nor the media had any use for it. Since it could not be manipulated for political power or commercial profit, it was sidelined.

by Tisaranee Gunasekara

One day, I was in Kelaniya with the thero of Misisawetiya. Then you (Mahinda Rajapaksa) came like a lion. Misiawetiya thero said, Look theres a lion coming. I said, Not a lion. Mahinda Rajapaka is a culture. Mahinda Rajapkasa is a civilisation... Medagoda Abeytissa Thero (Lanka News Web  24.8.2020)

Independent Lanka experienced three waves of weaponsation of Buddhism. The first was when SWRD Bandaranaike embraced the Buddhist Commission Report. DS Senanayake had refused, on constitutional grounds, a request by the All Ceylon Buddhist Congress to appoint a royal commission to study Buddhist grievances. The ACBC appointed its own commission in 1954. The Commission released its report in February 1956. SWRD Bandaranaike, who needed to defeat the UNP while outflanking a left strengthened by the successful Hartal, embraced the report. An overtly Sinhala-Buddhist election campaign ensued, with the Eksath Bikkhu Peramuna (United Bikkhu Front) playing a vanguard role. The MEP won (though its national average was only 39.5), SWRD Bandaranaike realised his hearts desire of becoming prime minister, and was assassinated 3 years later by a monk.

The killing created a popular backlash against Sangha in general. In one of his political novels (Peraliya  Transformation), TB Illangaratne mentions that monks had to stop going in buses or on pindapatha for a while due to public opprobrium. The violent end to that first attempt at creating a nexus between religion and politics had somewhat of a sobering effect on the political class. Politicians would continue to use religion tactically but a major weaponisation of Buddhism would not happen for almost 45 years.

The second wave was unleashed early in the new millennium. Gangodawila Some Thero had begun his political preaching by targeting Lankan Muslims. When he was trounced by MHM Ashraff in their widely watched television debate, he shifted targets, focusing his fire on Christians/Catholics. His unexpected death, caused by exposure to Russian Winter, gave rise to a wave of hysterical grief and anger. A group of Sinhala-Buddhist extremists (led by Champika Ranawaka, with Udaya Gammanpila as his sidekick) saw an opportunity and moved in with aggressive determination. They renamed their party Sihala Urumaya as Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) and donated it to the Sangha. A monk-only slate was nominated for the 2004 general election, with the promise of building a Dharma Rajya in six months. The new party scored only 5.97|% and fell into acrimonious squabbling almost before the election was over. A kidnapping drama and a parliamentary brawl were followed by a bomb attack on a musical show featuring Indian artistes in which several JHU stalwarts were implicated. Once again, public outrage at the partys shenanigans reflected on all monks. For a while, party symbol hakgediya (conch shell) became a popular slang word for a monk.

The third wave commenced post-Eelam War. The Rajapaksas needed a new enemy. After some attacks on churches, focus shifted to Muslims. The Bodu Bala Sena came into divisive life with the anti-Halal campaign. The Buddhist flag was flown alongside the national flag at the Independence Square. An actor playing historian gave the Rajapaksas a family tree linking them not just to hero-king Dutigemunu but also to the Buddha.

The third wave crested during the 2019 presidential election, as monks became politically mobilised on an unprecedented scale. During the parliamentary election, the political/civic act of voting was turned explicitly into a religious act, bringing into play the Buddhist concepts of merit and demerit. The project to impose first an ethnic and then an ethno-religious state on a nation state has reached its apotheosis.

No other refuge

In another infamous first, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has appointed a Buddhist monk to the Human Rights Commission.

This week Fitch Ratings downgraded Lanka to CC, one notch away from bankruptcy. The economy contracted by 1.5% in the third quarter. The forex crisis and the fertiliser crisis, created by Gotabaya Rajapaksas hubristic ignorance, remain unresolved. Domestic gas continues to explode. Having forced the government to agree to pay 67million dollars for a ship of contaminated fertiliser, China is fishing in troubled waters, this time in the North. The Chinese Ambassador undertook a two day visit to Jaffna and Mannar, worshipping at Nallur kovil, bare bodied as tradition dictates, and distributing largesse to fishing communities at conflict with Tamilnadu fishermen poaching in Lankan waters.

The Rajapaksas returned to power in 2019 at the head of a Saptha Maha Balavegaya, monks, physicians, teachers, peasants, workers, soldiers and youth. Within two years their support among five of those forces have plummeted, increasing their dependence on the military and the monks. For their own survival, the Rajapaksas must continue weaponising Buddhism. But the alliance between politicians and monks was never a marriage of equals. As Prof. HL Seneviratne pointed out in The Work of Kings, since the Lankan monks lack overarching and unifying social structures, By its very nature the Sangha cannot be a power. It can only be a handmaid of power.

Violently racist and obscenity sprouting monk Galagoda-Atte Gnanasara is not the problem. He is merely a symptom. The problem is the weaponisation of Buddhism by the Rajapaksas in their political and dynastic interests. The egregious monk remains in position even after he threatened two fellow monks with lethal violence because the Rajapaksas need him. If he didnt exist, the Family would have had to create him  which is quite possibly what they did in 2011/2012.

Turkish scholar Mustafa Akoyal commenting on the Ulema-state alliance dominant in most Islamic-majority countries points out that many religious scholars are happy to justify autocratic rulers as long as the latter pose as defender of faith (Reopening Muslim Minds: A Return to Reason, Freedom, and Tolerance). Similarly, the Rajapaksas are promoting and showcasing monks in the hope of maintaining their self-anointed status as the sole defenders of a Sinhala-Buddhist Sri Lanka. If anyone wants to see the danger of this path, they need to look no further than Pakistan.

Sharia Law was introduced in Pakistan by a pro-American general who came to power in a military coup and began his rule by hanging his elected civilian predecessor after a spurious trial. As Eqbal Ahmed pointed out, Zia needed a constituency. He had none. He needed the support of a party. No party was willing to support him except Jamat-e-Islami which charged a fee: Islamisation of higher educational institutions. During the pro-Western government of Zia ul Haq physics professors could not be appointed if they could not name the wives of the Holy Prophet (On Empire). The result of this bargain was a populace contaminated by the virus of religious extremism.

In January 2011, Punjab governor Salman Taseer was gunned down by his own bodyguard. His crime was defending Aasia Bibi, an impoverished Christian woman accused of blasphemy (she was subsequently acquitted by the Pakistani Supreme Court). Mr. Taseers killer became an instant hero while clerics refused to perform the last rites for the victim (the cleric who eventually did so was forced to flee the country). When the killer appeared in court, some lawyers showered him with rose petals. He was convicted and hung. Today his tomb in the outskirts of Islamabad is a shrine teeming with worshippers.

When religious killers are venerated, it encourages other religious killers. The Sialkot lynching might not have happened, if the murder of Salman Taseer (and many others) had given rise to a rational discussion and examination of blasphemy laws. Instead, a vocal minority of religious-extremists hogged the stage while the majority either consented in silence or hid their heads, Ostrich-fashion, hoping the problem would go away. The result was the strengthening of what Salman Taseers estranged son Aatish Taseer called Pakistans parallel morality, a morality distorted by faith (Stranger to History: A Sons Journey through Islamic Lands). As we condemn the Sialkot lynching, let us remember that religious violence can sprout in other places too, when the social soil turns fertile.

Muslim people dont love us... I say dont go to those shops. Dont eat or drink from those shops.... It is clear that they are a group who gave poison to our people, who tried to destroy our people... I think that the younger generation who eats (from them) will not have children in the future.... Also everyone knows what a doctor-gentleman did in Matale. Lakhs of our children were destroyed. These traitors should not be allowed to live free. Some upasakammas said they must be stoned to death (gal gahala maranna ona). I dont say that. But that is what should be done... Laws and regulations wont work. This was not the BBS chief, but the most venerable Maha Nayaka of the Asgiriya Chapter in June 2019 ((https://youtu.be/P7AVLSm2I_Aset - Translation and emphasis mine). If such ideas are given a free pass, the next Sialkot might happen in Sri Lanka.

Whoever dons the saffron robe with mind purged of all defilements, restrained and truthful, he indeed is worthy of the saffron robe. So said the Buddha (Dhammapada -Yamaka Vagga). But when Buddhism is weaponised for political purposes, prominence is often given to those who are defiled, unrestrained, and untruthful, those who are unworthy of the saffron robe, according to what the Buddha taught. They become the public face of Buddhism, tainting it with their own reek. When history reckons with the lethal legacy of the Rajapaksas, the debasement of a great teaching may well head the list.

Glimmers of Hope?

Omicron is here, exposing Namal Rajapaksas claim of an app that can identify and stop the new strain from entering Sri Lanka for what it is  an idle boast totally devoid of facts. This is nothing new. Unreason and anti-factuality coloured the Rajapaksa response to the pandemic from the beginning. Instead of focusing on obtaining vaccine stocks, the Rajapaksas encouraged the public to place their faith in religious cures and mystical nostrums. For instance, in October 2020, PM Mahinda Rajapaksa was the chief guest at a week-long ceremony to chant Ratana Sutta at Abhayarama to save Sri Lanka from Corona. The second wave still came, soon followed by the deadly third one.

In this context, a historical analysis of the practice of seeking supernatural protection from natural illnesses made by Prof. MMJ Marasinghe, former vice chancellor and head of the Department of Pali and Buddhist Studies in the Kelaniya University, makes interesting reading. It is Buddhaghosa who claims in his commentary on the Ratana Sutta that it was first chanted by the Buddha to heal the city of Vesali of the devastating epidemic and affliction by non-humans. It must be noted here that Buddhaghosa's claim of an epidemic is not supported by any other literary or historical source. Further, the Vajjian tribal oligarchy was an exemplary tribal state, too strong for the neighbouring Magadhan Emperor to wage war as clearly stated in the Mahaparinibbana Sutta of the Diigha NBikaya. Thus, the story of an epidemic is another of Buddhaghosa's fairy tales used to make new rites and rituals acceptable by giving them religious sanction (The Great Betrayal of Theravada Buddhism  Sri Lanka Guardian  21.5.2014).

A current of reason, moderation, and tolerance always existed in modern Lankan Buddhism. But it was never the dominant one, for neither politicians nor the media had any use for it. Since it could not be manipulated for political power or commercial profit, it was sidelined. Another example of this moderate current is a series of discussions organised by the Rahula Centre and Galkande Dhammananda thero. Based on a contextual analysis of Buddhist texts (both primary and secondary), Uduwahara Ananda thero uses the Buddhas words to provide a fascinating glimpse of a teaching that is liberal and progressive, one that possess a strangely modern sensibility. As the Rajapaksa rule sinks, dragging political Buddhism with it, a space might be created for the rational currents to gain greater visibility and play a bigger role in healing wounds made by successive efforts to imprison a pluralist Lanka in a mono-ethnic/religious mould.

Politicians of whatever ilk will not be interested in such a positive change. The opposition dreams of making tactical use of religion in its own quest for power. For example, when Muruttetuwe Ananda Thero started to criticise the government, many presidential hopefuls, including Ranil Wickrmesinghe and Sajith Premadasa, hastened to Abhayarama.

Against such blatant opportunism, the principled stand taken by a group of Colombo University students and academics provide a stark  and a hopeful  contrast. Management faculty student and staff refused to attend a convocation presided over by the universitys new chancellor, Muruttetuwe Ananda thero. Their refusal compelled university administration to change tradition. The VC awarded degree certificates relegating the robed chancellor to the role of a glorified onlooker. Such societal responses, firm and civilised, determined and non-violent, indicate the possibility, however slim, of a post-Rajapaksa future that is free of the worst Rajapaksa practices - starting with the weaponisation of Buddhism.
Parliament would have been the best forum for these questions to be answered and discussed. However with Parliament being prorogued until January 18, 2022 that avenue is shut for the moment.

by Javid Yusuf

The events surrounding the attempt by the Government to sell 40 percent of the shares in the Yugadanavi Power Plant to a United States based Company, have increasingly become an issue of serious national concern.

As more and more facts emerge, the Governments failure to set the record straight with regard to the allegations made by concerned parties including constituents of the Government, is a worrying matter.

While it is very clear from the information coming to light that the whole transaction is steeped in irregularities, what is most significant is that the opposition to both the contents of the agreement as well as the process (or the lack of it) has emerged from within the ranks of the Government.

The fact that three Government Ministers Wimal Weerawansa, Udaya Gammanpila and Vasudeva Nanayakkara have thrown themselves into the fray against the transaction must make the country sit up and take notice.

The three have taken the unprecedented step of throwing their lot with the petition filed in the Supreme Court by Cardinal Malcolm Ranjit and Venerable Elle Gunawansa Thera, challenging the Yugadanavi deal.

The three ministers have clearly smelt (or seen) a rat over the deal that has pushed them to a confrontation with the Government where they have put their ministerial portfolios at risk.

What has irked the trio is what they see as an attempt by the Government to pull a fast one over them and other minsters by claiming that the Cabinet had approved the deal when in fact it had not been presented to the Cabinet as explained by Minister Wimal Weerawansa.

The fact that they have been unable to persuade the Government to see their point of view through internal discussions has compelled them to take their concerns to the Supreme Court.

The actions of the three ministers raise interesting questions about the concept of the doctrine of collective responsibility of the Cabinet. Have they violated this concept by pitting themselves against the Government and taking a stand opposing the Yugadanavi transaction?

The answer to this is probably found in the stand that the trio have taken. If the Cabinet has in fact taken no decision in respect of the Yugadanavi deal as claimed by Messrs Weerawansa, Gammanpila and Nanayakkara they cannot be held responsible for a decision taken outside the Cabinet.

In fact Gammanpila has hinted at corruption surrounding the deal and said that none of the previous Governments has entered into such a corrupt deal.

The opposition to the deal has also come from other quarters. The 11 constituent parties of the Government have also clearly expressed their disapproval at a meeting held under the banner of the Mahajana Manthrana Sabhawa ostensibly to complain to the people about the actions of the Government.

The Samagi Jana Balavegaya and trade unions attached to the Ceylon Electricity Board have also expressed their opposition, which amounts to a substantial section of public opinion questioning the whole deal.

The Yugadanavi controversy took a new turn last week when Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake tabled a document in Parliament claiming that it was the document that had been signed in respect of the Yugadanavi transaction.

The JVP Leader made the startling revelation that the agreement had been signed not with New Fortress Energy but with some other company.

Previously Dissanayake had raised the issue of the Yugadanavi transaction on the floor of the House and queried why the Government had failed to table in Parliament the Agreement that had been signed as far back as July 21 this year, as promised several times by the Government.

When his request was not complied with, the JVP leader produced his trump card which was at variance with Government claims.

What is significant is that the Government has maintained a loud silence in the face of the JVP leaders claims and neither contradicted nor endorsed the allegations made by him.

In fact there are several matters in respect of the Yugadanavi deal that require answers from the Government, some of which are:

Was there a tender process already underway when the Government accepted an unsolicited proposal from the US based company

If so why did the Government accept the unsolicited proposal without completing the tender process

Why was the agreement shrouded in secrecy and signed after midnight

Why did the Government not present and obtain Cabinet approval before signing the Agreement

What are the benefits to the country from the transaction

What is the Governments response to the allegations with regard to the harm that could ensue to the country as a result of the agreement

What is the Governments response to the JVP leaders allegations with regard to the signatories to the document tabled in Parliament by him.

Parliament would have been the best forum for these questions to be answered and discussed. However with Parliament being prorogued until January 18, 2022 that avenue is shut for the moment.

But the whole issue is so critical to the National Interest that it demands urgent answers. Apart from the representations made by political parties and trade unions, the public has the right to know what is going on.

A successful democracy depends on the Government keeping the public informed and taking them into confidence about what the Government is doing. What the Government should do even at this late stage is to hold a media conference and respond to all the allegations that are being made.

Or if the Government is not comfortable facing the media and being grilled by journalists it can at least issue a comprehensive media statement setting out its version of the facts surrounding the transaction pending the resumption of Parliament.

Transparency in Government is a salutary and necessary tool in taking the public along with whatever the Government wants to do.

When it comes to mega deals like the Yugadanavi transaction there is no option but to take the people into confidence.
MBABANE  There is a strong call for a new public health order for Africa to lessen effects of future pandemics on the lives and livelihoods of Africans.

In order to enhance pandemic response speed, the new public health order calls for continental collaboration to bolster African manufacturing capacity for vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics. It has been said that this new approach to issues of public health in the continent requires more predictable and long-term funding. Recently, the African Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) estimated that the starting budget for the programme could be E300 million (US$20 million). However, Africa CDC made it clear that tens of billions of US dollars would be needed to train nurses, physicians, epidemiologists, and other health care workers.

decision

In a brief interview, Dr. Vusi Magagula, the Director of Health Services in the Ministry of Health in Eswatini, said: Its a good political decision but whats stopping Africa from doing so? Africas vaccination rate is about six per cent and Eswatini is at 24.7 per cent and whats delaying us from having the vaccine manufacturing plants in Africa. Meanwhile, Africa CDC had pointed out that continental manufacturing of vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics would also require up-front investments in infrastructure, materials, and staff.

The call for the new public health order for Africa and health security was made stronger and understandable this week during the three-day virtual International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA 2021). Over 140 African policymakers, scientists, public health experts, data experts, and civil society representatives presented the latest learnings and research from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the actions needed to better guard against current and future health crises.

The conference, hosted by the AU and Africa CDC), also featured heads of state and government leaders, and it attracted over 10 000 participants. Africa CDC is a public health agency of the African Union (AU) established to support the public health initiatives of member states and strengthen the capacity of their health institutions to deal with disease threats. Dr. John Nkengasong, the Director of Africa CDC, said the continent needed people-centred health systems that were inclusive. He said equity started by regionalising health systems so that when a crisis hits, regions have the capacity and ability to respond.

He said COVID-19 was a tragedy whose lessons were too significant to ignore. If we take those lessons learned and translate them into a new public health order, we can lessen the effects of future pandemics on our lives and livelihoods, he said. As of November 3, 2021, there were 8.5 million confirmed cases and over 218 000 COVID-19 fatalities across the continent. It is said that the pandemic has overwhelmed health systems, taking scarce resources away from fending off concurrent epidemics and managing an already high disease burden.

burden

Dr. Nkengasong said such a burden was related to factors that included rapid population growth; infectious and non-communicable diseases; high maternal morbidity; and environmental, climatic, and ecological changes. Africa is fighting these battles with about three million health care workers, representing three doctors per 10 000 people, compared with nearly 30 for the Americas and more than 40 for Europe. It was mentioned during the conference that Africans should unite and strengthen public health institutions for people-centred care; expand the public health workforce; establish respectful, action-oriented partnerships and engage with the private sector. The Africa CDC director said: Maybe the Ebola outbreak of 2014 to 2016 was a call to action that something bigger was to come. And maybe COVID-19 is the signal that something even bigger will come. So, we must be prepared and take our health security destiny into our own hands.



He said it could mean the continent had to fight the next pandemic in a way unparalleled to the way it was fighting COVID-19. I am very convinced that we will do that given the mobilisation, commitment and investments that are currently going on, he said. Other speakers felt that regional solutions were needed to get Africa through the next pandemic as COVID-19 has created a historic opportunity to build the new public health order that could effectively guard against future health crises. It was said that the new public health order for Africa would guarantee health security and benefits for the continent. There are five core areas for the continents mid-to-longer term health security.

Strong regional institutions - To guide priorities, coordinate policies and programmes, and drive standard-setting and disease surveillance; Local production of vaccines -Therapeutics, and diagnostics to drive down procurement costs and increase response speed; Investment in the public health workforce and leadership programmes; Strong, high-level partnerships, including between donors and governments and the public and private sectors and with public health institutions; and a greater role for regional organisations in pandemic governance, by decentralising institutions and through regional representatives in key agencies to ensure that the specificities and needs of each region are considered in the planning of central mechanisms such as surveillance systems.

During the opening ceremony, speakers reflected on the impact of COVID-19 in Africa over the past two years and lessons learnt. The inaugural Conference on Public Health in Africa is happening at an important time in history, said Chairperson of the AU Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat.

effects

Mahamat is the former prime minister of Chad. He added: The African continent has not been spared the devastating effects of COVID-19, pushing our health systems to the limits. But, we have great hopes for the future, and a historic opportunity to build a new public health order that can effectively guard against future health crises. This conference is at the first step in making this a reality.  Paul Kagame, the President of Rwanda and AU Champion for Domestic Health Financing, said there was a need for renewed commitments by governments and national parliaments to increase domestic financing for health in Africa.

President Kagame said the increase in domestic financing for health has been a priority of the African Union for several years. He was concerned that progress has not been fast enough.

We cannot continue to rely on external funding for something so important to our future, said the president. He said the continent needed to invest much more in national health systems. The president said the ability to implement critical health programmes, including regular mass vaccination campaigns, depended on the quality of national health services and the trust the public had in them.
MBABANE  There are fears that the forthcoming national dialogue may reach a stalemate.

Political analysts and observers told the Times SUNDAY that differences in political opinion could cause the deadlock. The political analysts said the differences were too obvious to be ignored. They said the country could revert to a chaotic situation if the situation was not carefully checked and managed. The Swaziland Multi-Stakeholder Forum has already pointed out that it would not recognise the Constitution of the Kingdom of Eswatini because it was the cause of the current political problems in the country.

It has also said that the dialogue would not take place unless incarcerated members of Parliament, Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube were released from prison. They also want the criminal charges preferred against ex-Siphofaneni MP Mduduzi Gawuzela Simelane to be dropped. Those who are in exile should be allowed to return to the country.

enshrined

On the other hand, Cyril Ramaphosa, the President of South Africa and Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security, said the process towards the national dialogue would take into account and incorporate structures and processes enshrined in the Constitution of the Kingdom of Eswatini, including the role of Parliament and Sibaya as convened by His Majesty King Mswati III. After meeting the King last month, Ramaphosa said verbatim:The process towards the national dialogue will take into account and incorporate structures and processes enshrined in the Constitution of the Kingdom of Eswatini, including the role of the Parliament of the kingdom, and the Sibaya convened by His Majesty King Mswati III.

Ramaphosa and His Majesty both called for all stakeholders to work together to end violence and conflict, and maintain peace and calm as work commences on the national dialogue process.

rejected

It must be said that progressive formations and civil society affiliated to the Swaziland Multi-Stakeholder Forum also rejected the consideration of Sibaya. Dr. Petros Qambukusa Magagula, popularly known as PQ, said successful dialogues required a strong willingness to negotiate, not to win everything. Dr. Magagula said it was imperative for challengers and the challenged in a dispute settlement to subject themselves to the discipline of political science. The former political science lecturer of the University of Eswatini (UNESWA), said it was true that power could be won forcefully or through the ballot box. However, he advised that the willingness to of the disputants to talk to each other genuinely played a huge role in settling disputes and restoring peace. He frowned upon the winner-takes-all practice or concept, adding that there shouldnt be a camp, for peace sake, getting zero at the national dialogue table.

dispute

Dr. Magagula mentioned that a document, which could be a core of the dispute, wouldnt be useful in a dispute settlement. He made an example of the African National Congress (ANC) and others at the negotiation table with the Apartheid regime of South Africa whereby the Constitution of the government of that time was never used as a guiding document. The ANC didnt recognise the Constitution of the Apartheid regime, he said, adding that the late ex-president of South Africa, Frederick de Klerk, had to be commended for the demonstration of the willingness to negotiate genuinely.

During the Arab Springs in 2011, he said, other countries like Tunisia, who had to negotiate genuinely, came out better while Libyan authorities who included the late former President, Muammar Gaddafi received public condemnation, resulting in his death. The noted political scholar: In politics, you can say I want to reach there and only to find that it is very difficult to get where you want to be. But, you can say I have to, at least, settle for this and appreciate that I cannot get everything.

Dr Magagula said disagreements among political parties would always be there, adding that the ANC was accustomed to internal politics, which resulted in differences in opinion. He said Ramaphosa and former President Jacob Zuma would never be always on the same page or at the same wavelength.

That is part of politics, he said.

factional

The former UNESWA lecturer said it was, however, crucial for groups to ensure they did not fight over the factional ideologies. He urged them to stick to the national goal  the fundamental national political question. Political analyst Christopher Zambakari, said national dialogues were used as mechanisms to bring the major stakeholders together when political institutions and governments were delegitimised or collapse. He said they were also increasingly used in transitional societies as a means of collective deliberation upon key issues essential to progress.

Zambakari mentioned that peace-building by the means of a national dialogue was a demanding and arduous process with great possibilities  but only when attention to the details and process preceded action. Given the sudden preference for national dialogues, he advised that those who organised them should consider six factors for success:

*National dialogues are a tool for resolving intractable conflicts.

* In need of alternative methods for conflict transformation, conflict management organisations have turned to national dialogues for peace-building and to resolve deep-seated conflicts in divided societies. However, national dialogues are not restricted to open conflicts.

* National dialogues take many forms including: national conferences, roundtables and constituent assemblies.

* National dialogues can also be deployed in contexts such as a political stalemate or where political institutions are de-legitimised  as in Bahrain, Yemen, Tunisia, and Lebanon. Issues to be resolved should be realistic and determined in an inclusive, consultative forum.

* National dialogues can be established through consultative meetings, which produce consensus on key issues around which the dialogues are organised. It is often important to determine such issues of importance and decide which are fit for a large-scale forum and which are suitable for deliberation in smaller forums.

* The scope of the dialogue must be clearly defined so that it is realistic, achievable and manageable by the body responsible for the dialogue in the time allocated for the deliberation.

The issues selected should also be balanced against the role that other political or transition processes might play. This suggests that the issues to be discussed, the actors that should take part, and those included or excluded in the dialogue must be carefully defined and managed. He said the exclusion of key members was unwise, inclusion of too many issues could also overwhelm a dialogue, increase the burden for resolution, and ensure that little progress was made during periods of tense negotiation.

considering

He said countries considering a national dialogue should streamline the agenda to the greatest extent possible, weighing carefully which political issues do, or do not, lend themselves to a large-scale public forum. The balance between a big national dialogue and smaller peace processes must also be weighted carefully. In some cases, national dialogues and other negotiations can run on multiple tracks within the same effort. For example, security sector reform can be discussed in a separate, non-national dialogue forum given how big a topic it often is, and how many actors are involved, he said. Zambakari said countries in transition often valued such mechanisms because they could galvanise all parties and the public to focus on issues of national importance.

They do so at a price. The time and focus devoted to them can detract or derail other transition processes or even simply distract the government and public sector from business as usual, he said.

successful

He pointed to the fact that every successful national dialogue has certain phases  and duration. He said each national dialogue was unique to a particular context and some broad phases needed to be carefully considered, including: preparation; establishment of mechanisms/committees to oversee, manage, and lead the process; conference; consultations; consensus; implementation; and developing a strategy for the post-national dialogue period. He noted that many experts believed that for an effective dialogue to occur, the timeframe should be adequate  anywhere between a few months to a few years. The expert said the process leading to the organisation of a national dialogue should be democratic  namely, broadened to include all key stakeholders in society, such as civil society organisations, professional associations, religious leaders, political parties, and armed or unarmed resistance movements/oppositions.
MBABANE  Back in the air!

The Kingdom of Eswatini will soon revive its national airline after purchasing two aircraft that will be operated by the Royal Eswatini National Airways Corporation (RENAC)  a Category A public enterprise. This will not be the first time that Eswatini has a national airline as it has on previous occasions operated the Lijubantsendzele and also the Ludvondvolo aircraft. The Times SUNDAY has it in authority that RENAC has concluded a deal with HOP!, which is a subsidiary of Air France, for the purchase of the two aircraft and this transaction has been confirmed by the government companys Chief Executive Officer, President Dhlamini.

Information from the CAPA  Centre for Aviation is that HOP!, trading as Air France HOP, is a full-service regional airline of Air France, combining Air France Regional, Airlinair and Brit Air. The carrier operates inter-regional routes in France and Europe with a fleet of aircraft seating 48 to 100 passengers each. HOP! operates over 500 daily services to over 130 destinations from Paris Orly and Paris Charles de Gaulle. Air France rebranded HOP! as Air France HOP as a way of consolidating brand strength and increasing clarity and overall consistency of the Air France-KLM service offering. As confirmed by the CEO, the two aircraft are the Embraer ERJ-145 and each has a carrying capacity of 50 passengers. Dhlamini refused to disclose the price that has been spent in purchasing the two aircraft, citing confidentiality protocols.

confidentiality

The terms of our agreement with the agent that sourced the aircraft for us has a confidentiality clause and I am not at liberty to divulge the terms, he said.

What is noteworthy is that these aircraft are not brand new as they were previously operated by HOP! However, according to Aero Corner, a brand new Embraer ERJ-145 retails between US$ 19.6 million and US$ 21 million in the USA, which is about E313.6 million to E336 million when calculated according to the latest Lilangeni/Dollar exchange rate.

The price for pre-owned ERJ-145 could not be determined at the time of compiling this report, but the price for a pre-owned ERJ-145ER, according to Aircraft Cost Calculator, is US$7 995 000 (about E127.9 million), depending on numerous factors. The ERJ, as per www.aerospace-technology.com, has different versions: The extended-range ERJ-145ER is the original version of the aircraft which has a range of 2 963km; the long-range ERJ-145LR, introduced in 1998, has a range of 3 037km; and the extra long-range ERJ-145XR, with improved fuel efficiency and a range of 3 704km.

There are three variants of the aircraft  the 50-passenger ERJ-145 launched in 1989; a shorter fuselage 37-passenger ERJ-135 launched in 1997; and the medium-size 44-seat ERJ-140 launched in 1999. It is understood that a team from RENAC was in France for close to a month to conclude the deal and only returned to Eswatini about a fortnight ago.

This has also been confirmed by Dhlamini, who said the purpose of the visit was for the team to physically inspect and audit the aircraft, as well as audit its maintenance and operational documentation, including the conduct of a test flight.

protocols

The period required for this exercise was just over two weeks for the two Embraer ERJ 145, as it included the administration of export protocols and aviation authority permits, said the CEO. While sources had hinted to this publication that the aircraft had arrived in the country, Dhlamini clarified that they had not, as yet. They are still undergoing post-delivery maintenance and branding, he said. The purpose of RENAC reviving the national airline is to provide air travel from Eswatini to other destinations in the SADC region because currently, the only route is to Johannesburg (O.R Tambo International Airport).

Initial routes to be serviced will be Harare (Zimbabwe), Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg (all South Africa). The carrying capacity of each aircraft is 50 passengers, Dhlamini said. The CEO, when asked how affordable these routes would be to travellers because the concern at present regarding the route to Johannesburg was that it was expensive, hence people opt to travel by road, he said the prices would be competitive.

Currently, the return airfare from the King Mswati III (KMIII) International Airport to O.R Tambo International Airport in is around E5 000. Our national airline will be offering competitive prices for all our routes. Dhlamini said, and further stated: Our aim is to make flying affordable and a preferred mode of transport. With the imminent opening of the Manzini-Mbadlane-Sikhuphe Highway, travel time to the airport will be greatly reduced, making flying more attractive.

The time that is focused for the airline to hit the sky to mark the commencement of servicing the routes, according to the CEO, is the second quarter of 2022.

Presently, the Johannesburg route is the monopoly of Eswatini Airlink and there have always been questions as to whether having two operators for this path would be viable; but Dhlamini believes so. With the number of travellers in and out of the country, by both road and air, there is enough traffic to accommodate two operators, he said.

destinations

Dhlamini continued: Those passengers from all over the world, who land in Johannesburg and then come to Eswatini by road, will now have an option of connecting on our airline at our four destinations that have international connections and fly straight to Eswatini at affordable rates. The revival of the national airline to operate regional commercial flights is part of RENACs five-year strategy, of which Dhlamini gave a briefing to members of the Parliament portfolio on public works in transport during a workshop held in October at the Royal Villas. The CEO said the plan included partnering with other international airlines, which would connect emaSwati to other international destinations.

He said this was the trend even with other airlines in various countries, which partnered with their international counterparts to connect their customers to other parts of the world. Plans to revive the national airline began being spoken about back in 2013 by then Director of the Eswatini Civil Aviation Authority, Solomon Dube, who said this was so that the KMIII International Airport would be made viable. Then, Dube had envisaged that the airline could start offering service in 2014. News of reviving the national airline had been positively welcomed by the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA), which said it was in support of every initiative that is designed to revive economic activism in all the sectors, including that of the aviation industry. Secretary General (SG) Mduduzi Gina said such programmes, however, must be carried out after due diligence had been observed as regarded by the financial returns.

cost-effective

In most countries, decisions on national airlines are taken for political reasons than economic ones. We believe the revival of this sector can contribute to investment confidence and can be a cost-effective way for investors to do business; an investor can have a breakfast meeting in Cape Town, a lunch meeting in Manzini and dinner meeting in Harare all in one day, he said. The SG said they were, however, challenging RENAC, as a Public Enterprise, to assure the nation that they carried out a due diligence exercise and determined if the country can:

1. Afford to buy, maintain and manage the operation of two airlines and tell the nation what were the causes of the failures of previous attempts to own an airline;

2. The challenges, if any, of the cooperation that currently exists between them and SA under the Airlink arrangement;

3. If the government and other State-owned enterprises will not collapse the airline by having costly free rides or delayed payments.

Eswatinis aviation history is a rich one, spanning from the 1970s. As reported by Times Aerospace, RENAC, then known as the Royal Swazi National Airways, started operations in 1978 and through the years this airline operated central, eastern and southern Africa routes using a Fokker F28, A Fokker 100, a Vickers Viscount and Boeing 737-200. Destinations it serviced included Cape Town, Dar es Salem, Gaborone, Harare, Johannesburg, Lusaka, Maseru and Nairobi.

However, once sanctions on South Africa were lifted in the 1990s, passenger numbers dropped. The Eswatini Government decided to restructure the airline and ultimately sold off the last two aircraft, triggering Royal Swazi National Airways to cease airline operations in 1999, Times Aerospace reported in 2018. Government formed a joint-venture partnership with Airlink South Africa and formed Eswatini Airlink which has ably serviced the Johannesburg route over the years.

The countrys aviation history has not been without drama; as reported by this publication on November 17, 2013, Mike Hoare, a fierce Irish guerrilla fighter in the 1980s, published a book in 2012 in which he revealed how he hijacked Eswatinis (then Swazilands) Fokker F28 and flew to the Seychelles Islands to overthrow that countrys former president. That was in 1981.

assassinate

Hoare, the mercenary, boarded a scheduled Fokker 28 on November 25, 1981 with a group of 43 mercenaries led by him at Matsapha International Airport to Mahe in the Seychelles in an attempt to overthrow the Seychelles then President France-Albert Rene. In Hoares book, titled, The Seychelles Affair, he called that the journey to Seychelles to assassinate President Rene began in the Kingdom of Swaziland  at Matsapha International Airport. In 1981, Seychelles exiles in South Africa, acting on behalf of ex-President James Mancham, had begun discussions with officials concerning a coup attempt to be launched in Seychelles in 1978.

The operation was entrusted to the then 58-year-old Hoare, who was living in South Africa as a civilian. Among the 53 people selected to carry out the coup were some members of the South African Special Forces (Recces), several former Rhodesian (now Zimbabwe) soldiers and ex-Congo mercenaries. Hoare and 43 mercenaries were disguised as tourists: Rugby players and members of a beer-drinking group called the Ancient Order of Froth-blowers. They arrived in a Royal Swazi jet, landing at Mahe airport, carrying their own weapons. It is said that nine members had already arrived on the island as an advance guard.

On the evening of Wednesday, November 25, the coup was detected when a Customs officer spotted an AK-47 in the luggage of one of Mike Hoares mercenaries.

The mercenaries then fought a brief gun-battle at the airport and most of the mercenaries escaped aboard an Air India jet (Air India Boeing aircraft Flight 224), which happened to be on the runway, which they hijacked. One mercenary died during the skirmish. This was 24-year-old Johan Fritz of Westcliff from South Africa; the son of a General Mining executive who grew up on Millionaires Row.

Five soldiers, a female accomplice and also Martin Dolinchek (alias Anton Lubic) were left behind. Hoare had been promised US$1 million (about E16 million in todays exchange rate) to dethrone the Seychelles president. He revealed that Eswatini customs and the police believed that they were rugby players destined for Seychelles for an international tournament; totally unaware that AK-47s were hidden in their luggage. They thought the bulging bags contained sportswear.

They were exposed as they passed through customs when an alert Seychelles official discovered a dismantled AK-47 in one of the mercenaries luggage.

damaged

A shootout at the Seychelles airport ensued. Bullets were fired at Swazilands airline and it was damaged in the ensuing firefight between Seychelles officials and the mercenaries at Seychelles International Airport. After this incident, the airline ceased flights to the Seychelles. This is not the only dramatic incident involving an Eswatini Airline: On June 5, 1993, the Associated Press reported that the same plane and same pilot were hijacked by a drunk gunman who wanted out of Mozambique and Africa. The Fokker F-28 aircraft was en route from Maputo, Mozambique, to Eswatini, carrying two passengers and four crew members, when the Portuguese-speaking man, shortly after takeoff, went to the cockpit with an AK-47 assault rifle and demanded to go to Australia.

When told that was beyond the planes range, he said he wanted to go to Lesotho. However, that airport was closed so the plane, low on fuel, was diverted to Johannesburg. The hijacker then released the two flight attendants in exchange for more fuel. The plane took off, but soon returned to the Johannesburg airport when officials convinced the gunman the plane still needed more fuel. About three hours after the aircraft first landed in Johannesburg, police stormed the plane and a gun battle erupted and the man was shot in the head.

The pilot and one of the passengers on the twin-engine Fokker plane were also hit in the gun battle Sunday night. The then S.A Foreign Minister Pik Botha told a news conference that all three were reported in stable condition.
By Trend

A report was released by bp this week that the volume of oil transportation through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline reached 500 million tons, Trend reports.

The milestone was achieved on December 12 when the 500 millionth tons of Caspian crude was loaded on the 4922-nd tanker named Nordorse and departed for Trieste (Italy).

Besides, this week it was reported that according to the forecast of the International Energy Agency (IEA), in 2021 oil production in Azerbaijan will amount to 700,000 barrels.

According to another report of the outgoing week, the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) consortium is finalizing the studies on the possibility of transporting hydrogen via the system. In all three host countries, TAP is in contact with producers of green hydrogen, looking for potential opportunities to host a mixture of natural gas and hydrogen in the pipeline.

According to the consortium, TAP pipelines expansion capacity is offered to the market through regular market tests. The market test is the regulated process through which shippers can get access to new, long-term capacity in TAP. TAPs capacity can be expanded up to 20 bcm/a.

The capacity of the pipeline can be increased in stages; for instance: limited expansion (approx. 14.4 bcm/a), partial expansion (approx. 17.1 bcm/a) or full expansion (approx. 20 bcm/a).

This week it was also reported that the first parts of a bridge were installed near the Oil Rocks field [in Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea] in 2021, which will connect it to the new Absheron platform. This year, a submarine cable was laid between the wellhead equipment of the Absheron field at a depth of 450 meters and a new platform of the same name near Oil Rocks. The subsea cable, made up of electrical wires and hydraulic hoses, is an important link between the field and the platform.
Professional services firm Deloitte was appointed by Elite Co. to prepare the business for sale, manage a competitive auction process, select a preferred bidder and assist with delivering a successful outcome.



The acquirer, GreenDome Investments, is a logistics investment vehicle owned by regional industry leaders. This acquisition represents one of the Middle East regions largest transactions in the logistics sector.



Elite Co., founded in the 1990s, is a highly specialised overland freight and courier services business with operations and assets across Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE, with its regional hub in Dubai.



We are delighted to have supported Elite Co. on the sale of the company to GreenDome Investments. This represents a milestone transaction within the regional logistics sector and we wish Elite Co. all the success under its new ownership, said Mark Taylor, Director, Financial Advisory, Deloitte Middle East.



GreenDome Investments aims to build an integrated logistics services powerhouse to service the Middle East and the world's growing logistics and e-commerce industry. The company is backed by regional industry leaders, including UAE-based Rais Hassan Saadi Group, Sharaf Group and Logipoint, a subsidiary of Saudi Industrial Services Company, SISCO, a listed company on the Saudi Arabia stock exchange.



Robin Butteriss, Partner, Financial Advisory at Deloitte Middle East commented: At Deloitte we have built a leading team focused on regional mid-market M&A. This recent transaction demonstrates our capabilities and commitment to delivering successful exits to private business owners.  TradeArabia News Service
Omantel, a leading integrated telecom services provider in the Sultanate, has signed a multi-year agreement with Optiva to upgrade Optiva Charging Engine to a cloud-native architecture on Omantels private cloud.



The upgrade represents the next phase of Omantels digital transformation strategy to use technology and automation to drive superior customer experience and significantly improve time to market for new services.



The upgrade will support new business models for 5G monetization and introduce Optiva Test Framework to reduce deployment time by up to 70%. As a result, Omantel will gain platform capabilities to deliver new customer-centric services and expand its customer base across consumer, fixed, broadband and enterprise market segments, supported by Optiva's platform.



With Optiva as our partner, we feel confident to execute our digital transformation strategy and play our role in the Oman 2040 vision. Optivas cloud-native technology leadership and automation framework will allow us to launch services faster as we embark on the next phase of our growth with 5G and new digital services, said Samy Ghassany, COO of Omantel.



We are proud to support Omantel with our end-to-end offering, including our charging and payment platform and full suite of maintenance and managed services. Our collaboration allows Omantel to harness the transformational power of innovation and grow its mission-critical capabilities both commercially and operationally. Omantels commitment to technology adoption is exemplary, and Optiva is proud to play a strategic partner role supporting Omantel in its digital transformation journey, said John Giere, President and CEO of Optiva.  TradeArabia News Service
The joint UAE-Bahraini nanosatellite Light-1 will be launched into the International Space Station on December 21.

It represents a major milestone of cooperation in space science, technology and engineering between the UAE and Bahrain.

The nanosatellite was built and designed in collaboration between the UAE Space Agency and Bahrain's National Space Science Agency (NSSA), the project was executed at Khalifa University and New York University Abu Dhabi.

It is a testament to the bilateral ties between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the UAE, underscoring the social, economic and scientific cooperation between both countries in priority industries, including space.

Light-1 will take off onboard a SpaceX CRS-24 flight on board of a Falcon 9 rocket after undergoing rigorous safety and environmental tests for thermal and vibration, communication systems and more.

It will then get deployed from the Japanese Experiment Module (KIBO) in the ISS into orbit under supervision from the Japanese Aerospace Space Agency (JAXA).

It is a nanosatellite, but no different from other larger satellites in terms of the technology or technical expertise required to build or launch it. It is also a cube satellite that consists of three units and is often referred to as a 3U CubeSat.

Light-1s name was inspired by HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Bahrains book, The First Light. It recounts key points in Bahrain's history and the name symbolizes the countrys growth and scientific progress.

The research spacecraft was developed by leading Bahraini and Emirati engineers and scientists working from labs in the UAE. The team is made up of 23 students, including nine Bahrainis and 14 Emiratis from Khalifa University and NYU Abu Dhabi.

After reaching its orbit around Earth, Light-1 will monitor and study terrestrial gamma ray flashes (TGRs) from thunderstorms and cumulus clouds.

TRG analysis is an emerging field of geoscientific research which the mission will contribute to at an international level. It will be the first study of its kinds in the region. New York University will be leading the science data analysis aspect for this mission.

In addition to the joint Light-1 satellite, the Khalifa University of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi supports the capacity building of NSSA staff by including them in key projects. This has helped train and upskill talent in space field.

The strong and mutually-beneficial partnership between the UAE Space Agency and NSSA will also see the UAE Space Agency participate in the Bahrain International Airshow 2022.

An agreement was signed by Sarah bint Yousef Al Amiri, UAE Minister of State for Advanced Technology and Chairwoman of the UAE Space Agency, and Engineer Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed, Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications and Chairman of the NSSA at the Dubai Airshow 2021.

Dubai Airshow 2021 witnessed significant Bahraini participation. Bahrain is also a member of the Arab Space Cooperation Group, an initiative adopted to promote cooperation on space among Arab countries. It has 14 member states and is headquartered in Abu Dhabi.
Washington, Dec 18 (UNI) The US Marine Corps has discharged 103 service members for refusing Covid-19 vaccination.

The Marine Corps announced its decision on Thursday.

The military services have begun to discharge a pool of possibly as many as 30,000 active duty service members who still refuse to be vaccinated -- even after multiple opportunities to do so past vaccination deadlines, ABC news reports.

In August, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had ordered mandatory Covid-19 vaccination must for all US military personnel.

Since Lloyd's decision, the military services set its own deadlines and warned the service members to get vaccinated or else they will be discharged off duty.

While the percentage of vaccinated active duty personnel in each service is at 95% or higher, the number of unvaccinated personnel is close to 30,000, ABC News reports.

The Air Force had discharged 27 airmen this week.

UNI RNJ
Oldest US World War II veteran dies at 112 : WWII Museum 06 Jan 2022 | 3:23 PM Washington, Jan 6 (UNI) USs oldest surviving World War II veteran, Lawrence Brooks, died at the age of 112, the National WWII Museum said. see more..

UP election clash: 4 people killed b/w police-BGB firing in Bangladesh 06 Jan 2022 | 3:08 PM Dhaka, Jan 6 (UNI) Four people were killed in a clash between police and BGB personnel and supporters of Awami League (AL)-backed chairman candidate of a union parishad (UP) polls at Gabtoli upazila in Bogura district. see more..

Vaccine certificate needed even for launch-train travel in Bangladesh 06 Jan 2022 | 3:00 PM Dhaka, Jan 6 (UNI) Bangladesh government is considering making vaccine certificate mandatory even for the journey by train and launch. see more..

Russia confirms 15,316 new Covid cases over past 24 hours - Response Center 06 Jan 2022 | 2:47 PM Moscow, Jan 6 (UNI/Sputnik) Russia has confirmed 15,316 new Covid-19 cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the cumulative total to 10,601,300, the federal response center said on Thursday. see more..
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Source: Xinhua| 2021-04-06 00:45:14|Editor: huaxia

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ADDIS ABABA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The Eritrea Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) announced on Monday the Red Sea nation will resume partial international flights starting from mid-April.

In a press statement, the ministry said there will be resumption of weekly flights from the Eritrean capital Asmara to Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa as well as from Asmara to Dubai starting from mid-April.

"There will be weekly flights from Asmara to Addis Ababa and Asmara-Dubai with implementation of strict preventive measures including prior Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing, Rapid Antigen Testing upon arrival at the airport and other preventive measures," the statement from MoTC read.

Eritrea already resumed educational classes on Thursday, which had been suspended for almost a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Easing of restrictions is prompted by the imperative to ensure academic continuity and will be undertaken under robust preventive measures," read the statement from the Eritrea Ministry of Education.

Eritrea has so far recorded 3,3340 COVID-19 cases and 10 COVID-19 related deaths.

The country confirmed its first case of COVID-19 on March 21 last year. Enditem
#Ahora , desde Villa el Salvador, el ministro Hernando Cevallos anuncio que la variante #Omicron habria sido detectada en el Peru. pic.twitter.com/lQZnl9Rh1n

#NoBajemosLaGuardia | Equipos epidemiologicos del Minsa realizan el cerco de los cuatro casos de la variante omicron que han sido detectados en el Peru, anuncio el ministro de Salud, Hernando Cevallos. pic.twitter.com/LMXy98EHoO
AUBURN  Tim Ryan said he believes his only memory of his brother Donald was hearing that he died.

Cpl. Donald Ryan, who was in the United States Marine Corps, was killed in the Vietnam War in 1967. Tim, who was 3 when Donald died, and their brother Tom carried a wreath honoring Donald during the Wreaths Across America ceremony at the Episcopal Church of SS. Peter and John in Auburn Saturday.

The event acknowledged veterans and U.S. military members who died, are missing in action or are prisoners of war, with the Auburn ceremony taking place at the same time as over 1,200 other wreath-laying events. Tom and Tim spoke after the Auburn function was over, with Tom saying he and Tim both often go to the cemetery where Donald and their parents are buried.

Tom, who was 17 when he heard of Donald's death, said his brother "had a big heart" and was patriotic, as Donald left high school in Auburn in his senior year to join the Marines. The wreath event brought back memories for Tom. Tim, who was with his wife, Tammy, and his daughter, Sierra, said Tom told him about Donald, as did their parents.

Tom said he believes those who died in Vietnam have received far more "deserved recognition" in recent years and than they did in the past.

The Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter No. 704, of Cayuga County, worked with students from Cayuga Community College Criminal Justice Club, the Auburn High School orchestra and Dana L. West Jr.-Sr. High School in Port Byron on the ceremony. Before the wreaths were laid, Dr. Linda Townsend, the event's organizer, paid homage to the veterans of Cayuga County. She thanked them for their sacrifices and efforts and talked about the importance of recognizing them, and acknowledged many Vietnam received harsh treatment from the public upon their treatment

"Being a veteran is an earned status, without monetary price," she said.

Over 45 wreaths were laid at the church. Nicholas Valenti, central district director of the Vietnam Veterans of America's New York State Council, read off the names of those who presented the wreaths and those who escorted them. Auburn Mayor Mike Quill and former Cayuga County Sheriff and current Cayuga County Legislator David Gould, both Vietnam Veterans, escorted people to lay wreaths.

After the event, Townsend noted the ceremony was not held last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and said she was happy about the turnout on Saturday.

"It's a reaffirmation of our county's dedication and commitment to our veterans," she said.

Staff writer Kelly Rocheleau can be reached at (315) 282-2243 or kelly.rocheleau@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @KellyRocheleau.

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The Cayuga County Legislature will be welcoming six new members on Jan. 1, and one of them is the frontrunner to lead the entire 15-member body next year.

Former Cayuga County Sheriff David Gould, R-Fleming, ran unopposed for the Legislature's District 5 seat last election, and he became part of a wave of Republican gains that gave his party majority status and the upper hand in choosing the person who will serve as chairperson in 2022.

Gould emerged as the person the GOP caucus plans to back, and they believe they have enough support from independent members of the Legislature to secure him the seat. The final decision will be made by the full body at its re-organizational meeting on New Year's Day.

If Gould becomes the chairperson, he'll take over for Aileen McNabb-Coleman, D-Owasco, who has held that seat the past two years.

Gould is one of five Republicans who won in the eight Legislature races this year, and he believes his past experience leading a county government department for 12 years, his more than 40 years in law enforcement and extensive service on community organization boards all set him up well to lead the county.

"I went back and counted up all the county meetings I was at as sheriff, and it was well over 420 meetings," he said during an interview Friday.

"I've lived in the county my whole life, and think I know the county really well," he added. "I really feel like I can make a difference."

Chris Petrus, a Republican legislator who has served as vice chairman for the Legislature this year, said the GOP caucus has had multiple meetings to discuss the position.

"We talked about who has the experience, administrative experience, who has the intellectual capability, who has the best ability to represent the county as a whole," Petrus said. "I think he's an excellent choice."

Petrus said he would love to serve as chairperson but he still works full-time and can't give that job up, which he feels wold be necessary.

"It would be a disservice to the community if I took that on without being able to make a full-time commitment," he said of the chairperson's seat.

Gould was elected to the seat that been held by Legislator Paul Pinckney of Aurelius, who could not seek reelection because of the county's term limits. Gould successfully ran for sheriff three times, retiring in 2018 after 12 years in the seat. He's also a U.S. Army veteran.

"I give you my word that if elected in 2021, I will honor and respect the Legislature seat for which I seek and I will also honor, work with and respect all my fellow legislators, no matter which political party they are affiliated with," he wrote to in a letter to legislators and party leaders about a year ago when he announced his intention to run.

In discussing his approach to being a chairperson, Gould said the word "respect" would be his underlying theme, saying he'll insist that all legislators treat each other respectfully.

"I'll say that word 1,000 times if I get in that seat," he said on Friday. "We cannot be Washington; I don't want us to be Washington. We cannot be Albany; I don't want us to be Albany."

He offered praise for the work McNabb-Coleman has done.

"I think Aileen has done a great job," he said, noting the challenges the COVID-19 has created for county government. "She had to run the county during the worst time in our county's history."

Gould also said he has tremendous appreciation for the county government's department heads and their employees.

"We don't realize how lucky we are," he said of the workforce and day-to-day leadership.

Priorities for Gould if elected chairperson would include taking action on the crumbling Cayuga County Office Building downtown, drawing legislative district lines ahead of the 2023 election and facilitating the transition to a long-term leadership structure for county government, which has relied on the chairperson to be the chief executive officer since firing a county administrator in spring 2019.

The position of chairperson is set to be paid $45,000 in 2022, a reduction of $15,000 from the current salary. The decrease was approved by the Legislature in anticipation of hiring a county operations officer who will work with the chair to run the daily operations.

Jeremy Boyer can be reached at (315) 282-2231 or jeremy.boyer@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @CitizenBoyer

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While overdue, it's good news that Gov. Kathy Hochul's office said she will soon fill the two local seats on the state siting board overseeing a sprawling solar farm proposed in the town of Conquest.

State law for the siting process that covers the 200-megawatt Garnett Energy Center proposal establishes a seven-person siting board, with two local residents joining five state officials. But the law does not require that those local posts be filled, even though local leaders are required to submit nominations to the state Legislature.

That's a flaw in the law's language that must be fixed. Hochul may be doing the right thing, but there's no guarantee that would have happened if not for the attention these vacancies recently received after Assemblyman Brian Manktelow drafted a letter about the matter and issued a press release.

There's also no guarantee that future governors would so the same thing and make the appointments.

To that end, we wholeheartedly support legislation that Manktelow is co-sponsoring that prevents a siting board from making official decisions without the local "ad hoc" seats filled. Without those two people serving on the board, local say on such decisions is completely eliminated.

Manktelow also raises a good point about a new process that's recently become law to replace the review board being used for the Conquest project. In an effort so hasten the development of green energy power generation in New York state, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Legislature pushed through a law that established an Office of Renewable Energy Siting. That office, not a siting board, now has final say on big projects and has no local representation whatsoever.

A large windmill farm proposed in southern Cayuga County is being reviewed under that process.

That's a flaw that needs to be fixed, as well, and we hope that our local representatives join Manktelow in advocating for legislative changes that restore some level of official local input in these decisions that have a major impact on communities.

The Citizen editorial board includes President and Director of Local sales and Marketing Michelle Bowers, Executive Editor Jeremy Boyer and Managing Editor Mike Dowd.

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Egypt has tasked a state-owned company with building affordable electric vehicles for the country in collaboration with a Chinese firm by using their renewable energy boom to power them. This is the country's effort to encourage its citizens to adopt electric vehicles.

Authorities are in contact with three potential companies to seek partnership for El Nasr Automotive Manufacturing Co.

for the project that will get an investment of 2 billion pounds, said Public Enterprise Minister Hisham Tawfik, Bloomberg reported. However, Tawfik did not divulge any names. Production of the electric vehicle is set to start in 2023 and the authorities are aiming to increase the output to 20,000 units per year over next three years.

(Also read | Top electric scooters launched in India in 2021)

The minister also said that the country's electric model will either be named E70 or A70 and its price will be set at $20,000, making it affordable. The pricing will be similar to Europes cheapest EV - Renaults made-in-China Dacia Spring. Half of the buyers of the affordable electric model could probably be taxi or Uber drivers.

The private sector will also be offered a 40 per cent role in a new company established to operate pay-to-use charging stations which will be 10 per cent owned by El Nasr and the remaining half will be taken by state entity, said Tawfik. Around 3,000 charging points will be established around the cities of Cairo and Alexandria before being introduced anywhere else.

The minister also added that Egypt now produces all kinds of clean energy. This means we have the infrastructure to leap into the future with the automotive industry," he added. Early this year, Egypt signed a memorandum of understanding with Chinas Dongfeng Motor Co. to build EVs, though it got expired and wasnt renewed, informed Tawfik.

Brightskies Inc., an Egyptian company, has also signed a deal with state-owned Engineering Automotive Manufacturing Co. to develop and produce electric buses and minibuses from 2022. The minister further added that the country will also look at making hydrogen-powered EVs in the longer term.

(Also read | Audi reveals S1 e-tron Quattro Hoonitron, a wild one-off drift electric car)

The initiatives come as Egypt prepares to host the COP27 climate summit in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh next year.
Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) is expecting a growth of around 60 per cent in the overall wholesales in the current year as compared to last year. The company has attributed this to the rising demand trends gravitating back to pre-Covid times, a senior company official told PTI.

Toyota is witnessing a constant increase in customer orders and is looking at dispatching around 1.3 lakh units this year as compared to 76,111 units in 2020.

Similar Cars

"For 2021, we are hopeful of closing the year with over 60 per cent growth to show over last year's annual wholesales," the company's Associate General Manager - Sales and Strategic Marketing, V Wiseline Sigamani said.

(Also read | Toyota to make record 800,000 vehicles in January as it ramps up production)

The company sells models like Fortuner, Innova Crysta and Urban Cruiser in the domestic market. Of these, Crysta and Fortuner continue to dominate in their respective segments. "More so after we launched the Legender, which has received a tremendous response from our customers and it has become the flagship model in this segment," Sigamani informed. He added that product refreshments in both these models have helped retain customer interest.

The Glanza and the Urban Cruiser too have been runaway success for the company, garnering sustained demand from younger customers. All other segments have also attracted good traction which is reflected in our sales performance in November," Sigamani stated.

Speaking of the coming year, Sigamani noted that the new year will bring several opportunities for the company along with likely challenges. We also think that the market will remain cautiously optimistic, with demand set to stabilise. Growth for us is not just defined in terms of sales numbers but with an enhanced product portfolio," he said.

Toyota Kirloskar is also looking to expand its footprints in Tier-II and -III markets, especially with models like Urban Cruiser and Glanza.
75 years ago

1946: There were numerous sore arms last Thursday because of the mass influenza immunization of 500 college students and members of the faculty.The shots were free to all college students but a cost fee of $0.75 was charged for faculty members. Dosage for approximately 300 persons were leftover last Friday as many students did not report. First put to practical and safe use by U.S. army in 1943, this dual-purpose vaccine has proven to be potent but not yet entirely perfect. In the winters of 1944 and 1945, it was used more extensively by the army on thousands of soldiers before they embarked from foreign ports for the United States to help prevent another disastrous pandemic similar to the one that swept over the world after World War I and took a toll of an estimated 100 million victims, of which 21 million died. Proof of the value of vaccinations lies in the fact that three to four times as many cases developed in the unprotected as in the vaccinated.

50 years ago

1971: Shopping at Penneys. The Flagstaff city police were in the process of investigating a burglary early today. The suspects were 9 and 12 years old, according to the police. When the custodian of the J.C. Penney Co. store in the downtown area arrived at work, he noticed two small people casually trying to stroll out of the store. He apprehended the suspects and turned them over to police, who learned they had apparently been locked inside the building the night before and had been unable to get out, even though they had tried to break one of the big plate glass windows.

Don't let your wife drive. Michael Baldwin and his wife, Edna, were driving to Flagstaff in their 1971 yellow Pinto. Someplace between the communities of Tuba City and Flagstaff, an argument developed, Baldwin eventually told city police. Somewhere between Camp Townsend and the Flagstaff city limits, Baldwin tired of driving and told his wife to take the wheel. He got out of the car to change places and Edna drove off. Baldwin spent the night in the county jail booked as a sleeper and no one has since seen Edna or the yellow 1971 Pinto.

Flagstaff Community Hospital is embarking on an ambitious expansion program. The hospital's board of trustees have adopted a $2.25 million program that will provide modern, extended facilities to provide a community with the best in medical care. When the project is completed, it will have available 110 beds in the main facility, air conditioning throughout the new four-story tower section and other remodeled areas, plus a remodeled laboratory and X-ray departments The City of Flagstaff has added several new medical doctors in the past year, and many of them are specialists. This enhances Flagstaff's position as a Regional Medical Center, serving northern Arizona.

25 years ago

1996: Burning skies lands Clinton gig. On one of the most important nights of his life, the biggest VIP in Washington D.C. will get a good strong dose of Burning Sky. The Flagstaff band will play at one of the balls being thrown for the 53rd presidential inauguration on Jan. 20, and the man of honor himself, President Bill Clinton, is expected to show up to the shindig at the Regency. One member of Burning Sky said the band doesn't plan to dilute its traditionally strong messages about social justice and mistreatment of American Indians. Band members often talk to the audience about relocation, the theft of resources from reservations and social issues about native America. They are still the poorest people in Coconino County. The band will likely perform a newly recorded song, "Sounds of Freedom," written for imprisoned American Indian activist Leonard Peltier.

The windy city. Arizona Snowbowl closed Wednesday after fierce winds knocked down trees on Snowbowl Road and on some ski runs. Top wind speeds reached 105 mph, clocked on Snowbowls wind gauge, 11,500 feet up the peak. Employees have cleared all down trees off the runs. The cold spell also threatened to damage citrus groves and ornamentals south of Flagstaff.

All events were taken from issues of the Arizona Daily Sun and its predecessors, the Coconino Weekly Sun and the Coconino Sun. Bruce Carl Ertmann assisted with compiling the events.

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This years health news was again dominated by COVID-19. The second year of pandemic brought new variants as well as new ways of fighting the virus, starting with restrictions and mitigation measures that have slowly shifted as vaccines became available to a wider range of the population.

Here are the top local health stories from 2021.

Vaccines

Vaccinations were a major determinant of the pandemics direction in 2021. The first doses arrived in Arizona on Dec. 14, 2020, and by one year later, 81,378 Coconino County residents had been fully vaccinated, 67.3% of those eligible.

As more residents became eligible to receive doses, Coconino County shifted from mitigation measures to vaccination as its primary method of responding to the pandemic. Now, the majority of hospitalized COVID patients are those who have not been fully vaccinated, with an Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) report finding that, in October, unvaccinated individuals were 3.9 times more likely to test positive for COVID and 15.2 times as likely to die of the disease than those who had been vaccinated.

Distribution

The very first vaccines were administered in Coconino County in the last days of 2020, with eligibility expanding to 1A groups at the start of the new year. First Pfizer, then Moderna, then a little later, the Johnson & Johnson vaccines were made available to county residents under emergency use authorization from the FDA. (Pfizer later received full approval and a new name -- Cormirnaty -- over the summer. The other two have submitted applications for full approval.)

Supply was limited at first -- capacity on Jan. 22 was listed at 789 per day across Coconino County and 414 in Flagstaff -- so eligibility came in phases based on age, occupation and other high-risk groups before gradually expanding to include more and more of the population. On March 19, all residents ages 18 and older were able to sign up for their first doses.

The initial goal was to vaccinate 120,000 residents, about 84% of the countys population. The Fort Tuthill testing site switched to administering vaccines and spots filled up quickly; it closed May 18 as the countys vaccine strategy shifted to smaller pop-up clinics. Vaccination efforts are still ongoing.

Coconino County shifts COVID-19 focus to vaccinations Beginning Saturday, Coconino Countys COVID-19 testing operations at Fort Tuthill will be re

State site comes to NAU

A state vaccination site opened April 19 at Northern Arizona University's Fieldhouse, representing the first steady supply of the Pfizer vaccine in Coconino County. At that point, vaccinations opened to residents 16 and older.

The Fieldhouse site was part of a state government expansion of vaccine distribution away from the Phoenix metro area. At the time, 42% of county residents had received at least one dose and supply was beginning to overtake demand for the first time. In its opening week, the site offered 1,000 doses a day, later expanding to more than 4,000 a day.

The site closed June 26, though the Fieldhouse still offers testing and vaccines.

Incentives

For a brief period early in the summer, incentives seemed to be the way to encourage vaccinations among county residents.

The county organized the Be A Big Shot campaign over the summer. A handful of local businesses offered discounts or free items to people showing proof of vaccination. Businesses such as Mother Road and FlagTag offered perks to vaccinated patrons.

NAU also announced a vaccine incentive program in the lead-up to the start of the fall semester, called Jacks are Vaxxed. Students who uploaded their vaccination cards to the Campus Health Services portal would be entered into a drawing to win prizes ranging from a Snowbowl season pass to Apple watches, and housing and dining scholarships.

Mandates

Northern Arizona Healthcare (NAH) was the first major employer to mandate vaccinations among its employees. The healthcare provider announced in mid-September that it would require its employees to submit proof of vaccination by the end of the year. At the time, around 80% of NAH employees were either vaccinated or intended to receive the vaccine.

The Arizona Board of Regents announced a vaccine mandate for employees at Arizona public universities Oct. 14. NAU employees, including student workers were required to upload documentation by Dec. 8.

Both NAU and NAH cited national guidance as reason for creating of their vaccine mandates and offered exemptions for medical or religious reasons. The Safer Federal Workforce Taskforce, created by President Joe Biden, required vaccinations for federal employees by Nov. 22.

Northern Arizona Healthcare gives more details on employee vaccine requirement Northern Arizona Healthcare (NAH) announced on Sept. 13 that it will require all employees t

Eligibility expands

The latter part of the year saw vaccines approved for even more people. Boosters had been anticipated since the start of COVID vaccines becoming available, as had eligibility for younger people.

Child doses

Vaccine approval for those under 18 came in stages, with kids 12 and older receiving approval to receive a full series of the Pfizer vaccine May 13. In November, the age threshold came down once more, with a smaller dose of the Pfizer adult vaccine being approved for children ages 5 to 11.

This added about 12,000 new residents to the number eligible for vaccination. A new vaccine location was opened at the Flagstaff Mall and shortly after shifted to administering only child doses due to high demand.

Coconino County Health and Human Services continues child vaccination efforts COVID-19 vaccine guidance has changed several times in the past few months, with adult boost

An extra dose

Boosters had been a possibility from the early days of the vaccine, and studies showing waning efficacy (though still high for all three vaccines) led to their approval throughout the fall. Boosters are a third dose of a vaccine meant to provide additional protection as immunity wanes over time.

Individuals with certain health conditions first became eligible for booster shots over the summer. Pfizer boosters were approved for additional groups on Sept. 25 and the week before Thanksgiving, everyone 18 and older became eligible, regardless of which vaccine theyd received initially. Eligibility continues to expand: as of Dec. 9, 16- and 17-year-olds can receive a booster dose.

They are now recommended six months after the initial series or two months after the J&J dose. Vaccination rates in Coconino County rose in November and December, according to ADHS data. By Nov. 19, 12,600 people in the county had already received a booster due to their previous eligibility.

COVID vaccines still effective, boosters encouraged for high-risk populations Pfizer received CDC approval last week to administer booster doses of its COVID-19 vaccine t

COVID

Of course, there was more happening with COVID in Coconino County than just vaccines. According to its Dec. 17 dashboard report, the county had reported a total of 26,202 cases and 380 deaths (with an additional five probable deaths) since the start of the pandemic. A total of 1,823 residents had been hospitalized with COVID-19 since March of 2020.

Variants cause rise in cases

After the summer began with two months of lower case rates, metrics began to rise again at the beginning of July. This was mostly attributed to the newly identified, more easily spread delta variant, which in the following months came to account for nearly all sequenced genomes in both the state and county.

Delta first appeared in Arizona in May, growing from 43% of sequenced variants in the state in June to 89% in July to 99% in September (TGens Arizona COVID Sequencing Dashboard was also new this year). It has remained around that level since. This trend was similar in Coconino County, with delta first appearing in June and accounting for over 95% of sequenced variants since August.

Case rates have remained high through December, though delta is no longer the variant everyones talking about. First discovered in South Africa Thanksgiving weekend, omicron is looking like a possible future for the virus.

The first case in Arizona of omicron was reported in Yavapai County Dec. 8 and 15 had been sequenced in the state as of Dec. 17 (0.78% of the month's total cases). Coconino County's first confirmed case of the variant was found in a Flagstaff resident Dec. 16 and Coconino Country Health and Human Services Director Kim Musselman said she expected to find more in the coming weeks.

COVID-19 variants increase in Coconino County According to Coconino Countys July 16 dashboard data report, 452 cases out of the 1,298 seq

Masks, schools and mitigation measures

When vaccines first began to be distributed across the country, masks began to be a less common part of daily life for vaccinated people. In July, the CDC amended its guidance, recommending masks for everyone once again in areas with substantial or high transmission levels.

Coconino County fell into this category, prompting schools, businesses and individuals to rethink their approach to mask-wearing. The City of Flagstaff was one of the first to bring back its mask requirement in its facilities, announcing the change July 30.

Flagstaff Unified School District's school board decided to require masks on its campuses the night before school started, prompting a number of other K-12 schools in the city to pass similar guidance. At the time, a law had been passed in the state budget, saying that mask or vaccine requirements would not be allowed in Arizona schools after Sept. 29.

A Maricopa County Superior Court judge found the law invalid in late September and, because the county still had a high transmission rate, Flagstaff K-12 schools extended their mandates. Community members have attended school board meetings to protest mandates through December.

COVID cases increase in county as CDC updates guidance The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released new guidance Tuesday, making changes to their

New CCHHS director

In addition to all the COVID changes, 2021 had a couple of nonrelated health developments.

Kim Musselman was named the director of Coconino County Health and Human Services (CCHHS) in February, having served in the interim role since June 2020. She had lived in Flagstaff for 32 years at the time and had worked for the county for over 28. She continues to lead CCHHS, guiding the countys response to the pandemic and other health initiatives.

Kim Musselman named Coconino County Health and Human Services Director Coconino County has named Kim Musselman as Director of Coconino County Health and Human Serv

New FMC campus

NAH announced in the spring that it had plans to move the Flagstaff Medical Center (FMC) to a new 190-acre campus off Beulah Boulevard by Fort Tuthill County Park. The center is northern Arizonas only Level I trauma center.

Zoning applications for the $750 million project were first submitted April 30 and NAH hosted a series of community outreach sessions over the summer. The plan is to have the new FMC be the center of a health and wellness village that will be constructed in parts.

A large part of the reason for the move is to expand the hospitals capacity, which is not possible through renovating the current site. In October, NAH said the plan was to break ground in Sept. 2022, with the ambulatory care center completed in 2024 and the hospital in 2026.

Northern Arizona Healthcare submits plans to move hospital near Fort Tuthill Northern Arizonas only Level 1 trauma center is looking to relocate from its position on Fl

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In the framework of the exhibition Vietnam cultural heritages, landscapes and traditional handicrafts belonging to the National Tourism Year 2021 which is running from December 17 to 24 in Ninh Binh, Thua Thien Hue introduced the ao dai performance show named The color of heritage on December 18.

Ao dai Hue is introduced and honored in Ninh Binh. Photo: Viet Bao QB

The program, being directed by the designer Viet Bao, introduced nearly 40 sets of ao dai, including Nhat Binh ao dai, five-panel ao dai; as well as the ao dai collection using paintings of Hue artists as background patterns, inspired by royal fine art, the images from sketches of Hue cultural heritages of the designer Viet Bao, etc.

Furthermore, the exhibition of Hue Museum of Fine Arts also displayed Nhat Binh ao dai, five-panel ao dai and the ao dai collection of the designer Viet Bao; the collection Ao dai with cinema inspired by movie posters taking part in the 22nd Vietnam Film Festival.

The exhibition Vietnam cultural heritages, landscapes and traditional handicrafts consisted of various activities to introduce, promote and honor cultural values, as well as the heritages and beautiful landscapes of Vietnam.

By Minh Hien
Country

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Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. 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China is making preparations for a moon landing that will place its astronauts on the lunar surface, according to a senior official at the China Manned Space Agency.

Dong Nengli, head of the agency's technology bureau, said at a news conference at the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee in Beijing on Friday afternoon that space program planners and engineers are researching the road map and technologies for the manned moon landing.

"The results of their work will be seen in due course. Our astronauts will definitely touch down on the moon," he told reporters.

The news conference invited key figures from China's manned space programs, who are also members of the Communist Party of China, to share their stories and thoughts with journalists.

China's space authorities have a long-term plan to land astronauts on the moon and set up at least one scientific station there. They hope to use the manned missions to carry out scientific surveys and technological research, explore ways to develop lunar resources and strengthen the nation's space capabilities.

Zhou Yanfei, a deputy chief designer of China's manned space program, said in September 2020 that the country has the capacity to independently land astronauts on the moon because of its technologies, well-trained, innovative professionals and efficient research and management systems.

Toward that goal, Wang Yanan, editor-in-chief of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, said Chinese engineers need to build new, stronger carrier rockets and spacecraft before they arrange a moon-bound journey for Chinese astronauts.

"The nation's current rockets and manned spaceships can't send astronauts to the moon because they are not designed for such a mission. We need to design a new rocket, a new spacecraft, a lunar landing capsule and a new spacesuit fit for a moon walk. We also need to upgrade our ground support system that was designed for operations in low-Earth orbit rather than on the lunar surface," he explained.

Designers at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, the country's major maker of carrier rockets, are researching a super-heavy rocket that will be several times bigger and mightier than the Long March 5, now the biggest and strongest in China's Long March rocket family.

With a length of nearly 90 meters, the new rocket, which has yet to be named, will have a liftoff weight of about 2,000 metric tons and will be able to place a 25-ton spacecraft into an Earth-moon trajectory, designers said, adding that this new model will serve the manned lunar landing.

China has conducted three robotic landings on the moon, deployed two rovers and brought samples back to the Earth.






MISSOULA  A 16-year-old Hellgate High School student is credited by firefighters with saving a man trapped in a burning vehicle in Bonner late Friday night.

The student and his mother were in their residence in the vicinity of Cambridge Road and Highway 200 East when they heard a commotion, said Battalion Chief Michael Bowman of the Missoula Rural Fire District.

When he went outside, the boy saw a vehicle off the road on fire, with a man trapped in the driver's seat, Bowman said. The man was unable to free himself and had an altered level of consciousness. The boy pulled him out of the driver's window, dragged him to safety as far as he could and remained with him until emergency responders arrived.

Neither the boy nor the man were named in a fire department news release about the incident.

"On his 16th birthday as it happens, this boys quick thinking and actions saved a life this evening," Bowman said.

A Missoula County sheriff's deputy arrived on the scene first and found the vehicle fully ablaze with the driver on the side of the road needing medical attention, the news release said. Firefighters were dispatched at 9:41 p.m.
Although she has a job lined up for after graduation, Melzer-Roush wants to find a permanent position to kick-start her career. Many school districts start advertising positions in early spring and she wants to make sure she has everything she needs to secure her dream job.

She and other graduates worry that if they dont have their licenses by the time they apply for jobs in the spring, superintendents might be wary of hiring them, she said.

While she would like to teach overseas in Germany, where some of her family lives, she has her heart set on teaching in Montana for the time being, though she would consider venturing out of state if she struggles to get a license during the transition.

I could definitely see, like if I couldnt get my Montana (license) and I needed a job and I found it somewhere else, I could see myself going to a different state, Melzer-Roush said. I could definitely think of a few people in our cohort who would go to another state to get a job if they could get a license there.

I mean, they have families to support, themselves to support, and if theyre not able to get one here, I mean, why would you stay here and not be able to do the job you went to school for?
As is, the Munger Mountain parcel returns small annual fees to the school trust. About $1,900 a year is generated, the bulk of which comes from a grazing lease.

An Office of State Lands study completed in fall 2020 described the Under Canvas proposal as feasible.

Under Canvass proposal will allow the state to retain control of their land by increasing the lease income and allowing a low impact and sustainable development that will encourage and promote best land management, wildlife habitat practices, and the opportunity to maintain other leases in place on the subject land, a project summary stated.

This past summer Crowder and state office colleagues visited the Munger parcel as part of a tour of state lands in Teton County. They hiked around the square-mile chunk, concluding that the topography, in areas, was friendly for development, Crowder said.

But he also said that the glamping proposal is not running on any kind of inside track to win a lease agreement through his office.

I havent been in contact with this group, Crowder said. I know about them, and thats it. I dont know what their purpose is. They havent really approached us to look for anything.

While theres no timeline for releasing a request for proposals for the Munger parcel, the state is actively soliciting commercial development proposals for another section of school trust land in Jackson Hole. That state-owned parcel, just south of Teton Village, has been broken into nine individual tracts that can be bid on, ranging from 0.91 acres to 5.73 acres. The request for proposals went out Tuesday, with pitches due Feb. 1.

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Due to the burgeoning real estate market in Jackson Hole, Teton County property would generate tens of millions of dollars in revenue if the bill is enacted. In 2020, the real estate market produced $2.45 billion over roughly 900 sales. This year is projected to break the $3 billion threshold, according to testimony from the meeting.

Lawmakers are interested in using that revenue to pay for affordable housing or other public services, especially in Teton County, where the cost of housing continues to dramatically escalate. But as it stands, theres no language in the bill that earmarks the funds for that purpose.

I think for Jackson, this is one tool in the tool box, said Rep. Mike Yin, D-Jackson, who voted in favor of the bill. We need all kinds of solutions, and this can contribute.

Not all property sales would be taxed, however. An agricultural exemption within the bill prompted some discussion among lawmakers, who wondered if pricey ranches that are used only for residential purposes would get a tax break.

Chairman Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, voiced concern that a big ranch will actually have no true agricultural value because in todays environment a lot of large ranches are not utilized for that purpose.
As 2021  a year to remember  comes to a close, the Community Crisis Center would like to express our gratitude for the incredible kindness bestowed on the associates and clients of the Community Crisis Center. The CCC is open 24/7 for persons 18 and above in crisis due to mental health, substance use struggles and social service needs. We endured the challenges because of the exceptional community of Billings. In 2021, the CCC provided frontline care for over 13,500 resolved encounters for those in the most need.

We would like thank everyone for the love, kindness, generosity and compassion. Special thanks to everyone who helped keep us operational: hospitals, law enforcement, students, volunteers, churches, public and private donors, local media, state of Montana, neighborhoods that gathered food and supplies, persons who brought treats/gift cards for the clients and employees, community partners, law enforcement, city and county officials, and the incredible employees of the CCC.

We are grateful for the numerous contributions such as: financial support, food, products, clothing and shoes, time and manpower, gifts for clients, meals, barbecues, cleaning and painting, client activities, group projects, advocacy, memorials, and donors who acknowledge the amazing employees of the CCC.
Since 2002, the Alpha Writers Workshop has hosted a group of a teenagers from 14 to 19 years of age for an 11-day residential writing workshop at the University of Pittsburgh's Greensburg campus. As far as I'm aware, it's the only teen workshop to focus on science fiction, fantasy, and horror writing, too.

In that way, it's similar to the Clarion Writer's Workshop that both Cory Doctorow and myself (and many others) attended, but for teenagers; in fact, there are quite a few Clarion grads who also attended Alpha, including Lara Elena Donnelly, author of the Amberlough Dossier books as well as the upcoming Base Notes (who serves on the board as well). The students get to work alongside professional writing mentors as. This year's teaching staff includes Charlie Jane Anders, P. Djeli Clark, Fonda Lee, and DongWon Song.

Alpha was originally founded as part of the Pittsburgh-based science fiction organization Parsec. In 2021, however, the workshop incorporated as its own independent 501c3 organization  meaning that next summer's workshop will be its first as a completely independent entity, without the broader organizational support structure of Parsec*.

As such, the Alpha Young Writer's Workshop is more in need of financial support than usual. Tuition costs $1200 per student, which covers food and lodging, but the organization wants to be able to ensure admission to any talented teenager who applies, regardless of their financial capability.

A little more from the organization themselves about how far a donation goes:

 $10-$15 buys a case of Pop Tarts, the quintessential Alpha snack.



 $50 covers one night's stay in a single room on campus.



 $200 buys all students and staff pizza to refuel after traveling to the workshop on Day One.



 $250 covers the airport shuttle to escort all weeping Alpha graduates to their planes at the end of the workshop.



 $300 covers one delicious dinner (including vegetarian/vegan/gluten-free options!) for our 20 students + 10 staff in the cafeteria, complete with an ice cream waffle tower!



 $1,200 covers tuition for a student in need.



 $5000 covers bringing 4 awesome guest authors to the workshop.



 $22,000 covers our operating costs for one year.

Also, if you give a minimum of $50, you get a dope Alpha 20th anniversary coffee mug. And who doesn't want that?

Missed the opening of our 2021 fundraiser? That's ok, we get it  there's a lot going on. Check out this student testimonial  your support goes towards more experiences like these. https://t.co/Or7oW7lrZK pic.twitter.com/bUmT4kHrk1  Alpha Workshop (@AlphaWorkshop) December 6, 2021

Alpha Young Writer's Workshop 20th Anniversary Fundraiser

*There's no dramatic reason for this split, as far as I'm aware; it was simply that Alpha's growth goals surpassed Parsec's capabilities, and it no longer made sense for them to have to answer upward and rely on Parsec, which has other priorities to care for as well.
Ashby said she first heard about the books in the Cheyenne district after tuning in to conservative podcasts. She then checked an online school library book database to see which books mentioned in the podcasts were in Cheyenne.

I figured living in Cheyenne, Wyoming, we would be safe, said Ashby, who removed her three children from the district at the start of the school year because of the mask mandate.

Cheyenne school officials haven't begun reviewing the books Ashby opposes because nobody has filed a formal complaint, Superintendent Margaret Crespo said.

Crespo said book opponents at school board meetings represent a small fraction of the community and not those who've written or spoken to school officials in support, though the district has begun adjusting its policies for books, including how they are purchased and checked out.

Opponents of the books gained one school board member's sympathy after district officials deleted Ashby's reading of the sexual material from an online video out of concern YouTube could suspend the district's account.
PHOENIX (AP)  Nine people in Arizona have been indicted on allegations they fraudulently obtained more than $23 million in government pandemic assistance.

Federal prosecutors allege Jason Coleman, 40, and Kimberly Coleman, 38, of Mesa conspired to prepare and submit about two-dozen fraudulent applications seeking $30 million in loans under the Paycheck Protection Program. They received $13 million from 10 of their applications, according to prosecutors, who say the couple submitted fake employment data and fictitious payroll.

The PPP program gave employers billions of dollars in low-interest loans that would be entirely forgiven if the money was used for specific purposes such as payroll costs. The program was created early in the COVID-19 pandemic as officials ordered many businesses to close and urged people to stay home.

Authorities alleged the Colemans used the money to purchase four properties including a $3.8 million home, luxury vehicles, furniture and investments.

Jason and Kimberly Coleman pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges of conspiracy, bank fraud, wire fraud and transactional money laundering. A magistrate ordered both detained pending trial, ruling they are a flight risk and a danger.
But some colleges and universities across the country, including Cornell University in Ithaca, shut down toward the end of the fall semester due to surging numbers of Covid-19 cases among students, including the presence of the Omicron variant of the virus.

ECCs current 14-day test positivity rate was 2.35%, less than half the states rolling average of 5%. Erie Countys most recent rolling average was 8.3%, according to state data.

Reuter said the three ECC campuses were very safe, but he also acknowledged that the virus continues to be unpredictable and could impact spring enrollment further, especially if the college is forced to switch to remote instruction again.

If Covid hits our numbers and we cant open in person for spring, that changes the whole dialogue, he said.

ECC board deliberating over four finalists as search for new president winds down Erie Community College has four new finalists for its presidency, nearly six months after rebooting an earlier search that ended with two of the three final candidates bowing out.

The colleges enrollment numbers would be bottoming out now if it werent for Covid-19, which also has led to a worker shortage that has attracted would-be students to jobs paying upwards of $15 per hour, Reuter said.
However, antigen tests are less accurate than molecular tests and are more likely to produce false negative results, especially if they aren't administered within the first week of symptoms. For those who have no symptoms, or who have had longstanding symptoms for more than a week, the likelihood that someone might test negative, when they are actually positive, grows.

A spokesman for the county Health Department said the county has a lot of available testing options that are free and more accurate, and the Health Department wants more assurance that rapid antigen tests can detect the new Omicron variant.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration stated last month that preliminary findings show both PCR and rapid antigen tests detect the Omicron variant. Antigen tests don't specify which variant of the virus a person has, only whether or not an individual is infected.

Hardwick said Thursday that even though he supports further discussion on the distribution of free at-home rapid tests, he thinks that discussion should happen soon.

"I think we all need to do something, and I think masks and vaccines are part of it," he said. "But I think so, too, is testing. So I would urge the county executive, I would urge the health commissioner, to take another look at this idea. They could implement this before the end of the year, so that when these gatherings do happen and these infections do result, we could pick up on them right away. I still think there's time to do that."

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In case you havent noticed, its already 2022  at least as far as the contest for governor of New York is concerned.

Nobody is yet slating rallies in Niagara Square, and the candidates are saving their TV dollars for later. But its under way.

And some of the most important aspects in the contest for governor occur in what you dont see.

Take Gov. Kathy Hochul. You dont see her spending much time at her Buffalo home. Sure, she addressed lakefront flooding problems last weekend in Hamburg. But the new governor spends most of her time these days in New York City. Because thats where the votes are.

Indeed, Tom Precious of The Buffalo News Albany Bureau reported back in October that Hochul had spent 62% of all or part of her days as governor in New York City. Through late October, she held 60 public events in the Big Town, not counting the many undisclosed private meetings, dinners or fundraisers.

New York City will deliver more than half the primary vote for governor in June, he wrote in October, and nothing  including Hochuls schedule  has changed since then.
"That's wonderful, because we don't have another grain elevator of that type in Buffalo," Pierro said. "It was an important step in the development of grain elevators that originated here in Buffalo in 1842."

Jemal is working on or has completed several large-scale projects in Buffalo, including the redevelopment of the Statler Building, the downtown Simon properties and modernizing the recently purchased Buffalo Hyatt Regency. He is also negotiating to develop the Richardson Olmsted Campus.

Jemal said some possibilities for reusing the Great Northern could be apartments  which he noted is being done at Silo City  manufacturing or, possibly, a tech hub.

"You can do anything with it," Jemal said. "You have to restore it, respect it and bring it back to its adaptive reuse life. It will have historic significance and be so damn cool. Who wouldn't want to be there?"

Jemal said he's rebuilt numerous historic structures in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere after being told they were unsafe and needed to come down.

"Guess what? I restored them and made a fortune," he said.
Experts said Erin Eldridge, the prosecutor who questioned Potter, was generally strong in cross-examination.

Brandt said Potter came across as too defensive and slightly combative when she gave short answers to Eldridge, but he said Eldridge started looking like a bully when Potter began crying. Moran said Eldridge wasn't particularly aggressive, but kept bulldozing through her cross-examination, even as Potter had what Moran called a visible breakdown. She said it's hard to say how that will play with the jury.

Moran also said that Potters immediate reaction to the shooting, which is seen on the police videos, shows she knew she did something horribly wrong and did not intend to use her gun. She said Eldridge was strong in establishing that during her cross-examination.

Notably, Eldridge at one point got Potter to agree that she didnt plan to use deadly force  Potter's attorneys have been arguing that even if this wasn't a mistake, Potter would have been justified in using deadly force because she feared Johnson's life was in danger.

Baker said another highlight was when Eldridge walked Potter through the body camera video and showed Potter what she did.
0:52 Ethics panel rescinds lucrative Cuomo book deal approval The Joint Commission on Public Ethics voted 12-1 to undo permission that was given by agency staff  a move that could be a costly one for Cuomo.

The governor, it belatedly decided, violated the agencys approval of the $5.1 million deal by using staff and state resources to help produce the book.

A lawyer for Cuomo vowed to fight the order in court, but its not necessary even to get to the question of whether Cuomo violated JCOPEs rules to understand the larger point that JCOPE isnt even a paper tiger. Its a wash rag, and a dirty one, at that.

The question is what to do next and the best solution is to follow Hochuls advice to blow it up and start over. Fortunately, that work has begun.

State Sen. Liz Krueger, D-Manhattan, has sponsored a constitutional amendment that would abolish JCOPE and replace it with an ethics watchdog Krueger says is actually independent and nonpartisan. Its model would be the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct.

The Editorial Board: Pandemic tops list of issues awaiting Kathy Hochul Hochul must quickly gather New Yorks best and brightest minds to help her conquer a list of pressing challenges.

The measure is now in committee and, under the best of circumstances, couldnt be in place before November 2023, given the lengthy process of amending the state constitution.
Children play where the school sheltering Qusay Saad's family stood before a Jan. 13, 2017, U.S. airstrike hit it, in East Mosul, Iraq. (Ali Al-Baroodi/The New York Times)

In the years since American boots on the ground gave way to a war of airstrikes in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, the U.S. military has made a central promise: that precision bombs and drones would kill enemies while minimizing the risks to civilians.

Recent investigations by The New York Times have undercut that promise. In September, The Times reported that a drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan, which U.S. officials said had destroyed a vehicle laden with bombs, had instead killed 10 members of a family. Last month, The Times reported that dozens of civilians had been killed in a 2019 bombing in Syria that the military had hidden from public view.

Now, a Times investigation has found that these were not outliers but rather the regular casualties of a transformed way of war gone wrong.

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Drawing on more than 1,300 documents from a hidden Pentagon archive, the investigation reveals that, since 2014, the American air war has been plagued by deeply flawed intelligence, rushed and imprecise targeting and the deaths of thousands of civilians, many of them children.

In addition to reviewing the militarys assessments of reports of civilian casualties  obtained through Freedom of Information requests and lawsuits against the Defense Department and U.S. Central Command  The Times visited nearly 100 casualty sites in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan and interviewed scores of surviving residents and current and former U.S. officials.

Here are key takeaways from Part 1 of the investigation. Part 2 will be published in the coming days.

Civilian Deaths Have Been Drastically Undercounted

According to the militarys count, 1,417 civilians have died in airstrikes in the campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria; since 2018 in Afghanistan, U.S. air operations have killed at least 188 civilians. But The Times found that the civilian death toll was significantly higher. Discrepancies arose in case after case  none more stark than a 2016 bombing in the Syrian hamlet of Tokhar.

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U.S. Special Operations forces hit what they believed were three ISIS staging areas, confident they were killing scores of ISIS fighters. A military investigation concluded that seven to 24 civilians intermixed with the fighters might have died. But, The Times found, the targeted buildings were houses where families had sought refuge. More than 120 civilians were killed.

In 1,311 Reports, One Possible Violation

The Pentagon has also failed to uphold pledges of transparency and accountability.

Until now, only a handful of the assessments have been made public. None included a finding of wrongdoing or disciplinary action. Only one cited a possible violation of the rules of engagement  a breach in the procedure for identifying a target. Fewer than a dozen condolence payments were made, even though injured survivors often required costly medical care. The records show little effort by the military to identify patterns of failure or lessons learned.

In many instances, the command that had approved a strike was responsible for examining it, often using incorrect or incomplete evidence. In only one case did investigators visit the site of a strike. In only two did they interview survivors or witnesses.

Taken together, the 5,400 pages of records point to an institutional acceptance of civilian casualties. In the logic of the military, a strike was justifiable as long as the expected risk to civilians had been properly weighed against the military gain, and it had been approved up the chain of command.

Over 50,000 Airstrikes, Most Not Planned in Advance

Americas new way of war took shape after the 2009 surge of U.S. forces into Afghanistan. By the end of 2014, President Barack Obama declared Americas ground war essentially done, shifting the militarys mission to mostly air support and advice for Afghan forces battling the Taliban. At roughly the same time, he authorized a campaign of airstrikes against ISIS targets and in support of allied forces in Iraq and Syria.

At an ever-quickening pace over the next five years, and as the administration of Obama gave way to that of Donald Trump, U.S. forces executed more than 50,000 airstrikes in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.

When the wars intensified, the authority to approve strikes was pushed further down the chain of command, even as an overwhelming majority of strikes were carried out in the heat of war, and not planned far in advance.

Biases and Blind Spots Created Danger

The records suggest that civilian deaths were often the result of confirmation bias, or the tendency to find and interpret information in a way that confirms preexisting beliefs. People rushing to a bombing site were assumed to be ISIS fighters, not civilian rescuers. Men on motorcycles, thought to be moving in formation, displaying the signature of an imminent attack, were just men on motorcycles.

Cultural blind spots also left innocent civilians vulnerable to attack. The military judged, for example, that there was no civilian presence in a house where families were napping during the days of the Ramadan fast or sheltering from the heat or intense fighting.

Breakdowns in Technology and Surveillance

For all their promise of pinpoint accuracy, at times U.S. weapons simply missed. In 2016, the military reported that it had killed Neil Prakash, a notorious Australian ISIS recruiter, in a strike on a house in East Mosul. Four civilians died in the strike, according to the Pentagon. Months later, Prakash was arrested crossing from Syria into Turkey.

Poor or insufficient surveillance footage often contributed to deadly targeting failures. Afterward, it also hamstrung efforts to examine strikes. Of the 1,311 reports examined by The Times, the military had deemed 216 allegations credible. Reports of civilian casualties were often dismissed because video showed no bodies in the rubble, yet the footage was often too brief to make a reliable determination.

Sometimes, only seconds worth of footage was taken before a strike, hardly enough for investigators to assess civilians presence. In some other cases, there was no footage at all for review, which became the basis for rejecting the allegation. That was often because of equipment error, because no aircraft had observed or recorded the strike, or because the unit could not or would not find the footage or had not preserved it as required.

Failure to Account for Secondary Explosions

A target such as a weapons cache or power station came with the potential for secondary explosions, which often reached far beyond the expected blast radius. These accounted for nearly one-third of all civilian casualties acknowledged by the military and half of all civilian deaths and injuries at the sites visited by The Times.

A June 2015 strike on a car-bomb factory in Hawija, Iraq, is among the deadliest examples. In plans for the nighttime attack, the nearest collateral concern was assessed to be a shed. But apartment buildings ringed the site, and dozens of displaced families, unable to afford rent, had also been squatting in abandoned buildings close by. According to the military investigation, as many as 70 civilians were killed that night.

In response to questions from The Times, Capt. Bill Urban, the spokesperson for the U.S. Central Command, said that even with the best technology in the world, mistakes do happen, whether based on incomplete information or misinterpretation of the information available. And we try to learn from those mistakes. He added, We work diligently to avoid such harm. We investigate each credible instance. And we regret each loss of innocent life.

 2021 The New York Times Company
Millennium Dome architect Richard Rogers has died aged 88 (PA) (PA Media)

Millennium Dome architect Richard Rogers has died aged 88.

Lord Rogers, who also designed the Pompidou Centre in Paris and the Lloyds of London building, passed away quietly on Saturday evening, Freud Communications Matthew Freud said.

American architecture critic Paul Goldberger called the news heartbreaking, adding on Twitter it was another huge loss for architecture in 2021. A gracious man and a glorious talent. RIP.

(PA Archive)

Lord Rogers was born in 1933 to an Anglo-Italian family in Florence, Italy and at a young age moved to England, where he later trained at the Architectural Association School of Architure in London before graduating with a masters from Yale.

His designs, which also include the Senedd building in Cardiff and Strasbourgs European Court of Human Rights, won critical acclaim with the Royal Gold Medal and the Pritzker Prize.

The jury when awarding him the Pritzker in 2017 praised him for having revolutionised museums, transforming what had once been elite monuments into popular places of social and cultural exchange, woven into the heart of the city.

RIP Richard Rogers, whose wonderful buildings are testament to an amazing, inventive, charismatic man. Big loss. pic.twitter.com/7ZiogELPdt  Krishnan Guru-Murthy (@krishgm) December 19, 2021

He received the Freedom of the City of London at Guildhall Art Gallery in 2014 in recognition of his contribution to architecture and urbanism.

Channel 4 News presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy early on Sunday paid tribute to Lord Rogers, whose firm designed the channels 124 Horseferry Road headquarters, as someone whose wonderful buildings are testament to an amazing, inventive, charismatic man.

The New York Times reported Lord Rogers is survived by his wife Lady Ruth, sons Ab, Ben, Roo and Zad, his brother Peter and 13 grandchildren.
In Buea, in the South-West region of Cameroon, single-use plastic bags can easily be found at local markets despite a ban brought in seven years ago. With the ongoing security crisis in the Anglophone regions, police no longer have time to enforce the rules.

Trader Julius Nga parks his wheelbarrow filled with onions, garlic, salt and bouillon cubes to sell to customers at Soppo market. He also has the plastic-backed white butcher paper for sale, a product that was banned more than seven years ago.

Today, unlike in the past, Nga doesnt have any problems with government controllers who monitor single-use plastics.

"There are times that the police have come to the market, seizing all the plastic, but I have not seen them recently," he says.

Some seven years after the government in Cameroon banned the use of single-use plastic, the non-biodegradable product is still found in markets and on the streets of Buea.

Pharmacies, bakeries, supermarkets and distributors of plastic packaging were initially targeted, but security problems in the region mean police are busy elsewhere.

The plastic is easy to find, says packaging dealer Collins Njoh.

"We buy some bags from Douala but others, like the butcher paper wraps are being imported from Nigeria," says Njoh, adding that while the control team from the Delegation of Environment used to bother them, they no longer do.

"There are times police enter the market for control. We were being bothered but as a family man you cant sit in the house without doing anything, so I am just managing," he says.

No alternatives?

Njoh and others who spoke to Africa Calling's Batata Boris Karloff say they know that they shouldnt use this plastic because it is not biodegradable. Small traders, commonly called buyam- sellams say they cant find alternatives, however.

Market orange-seller Elizabeth Ngomo says shes aware of the dangers of using non-biodegradable plastics.

"They told us that the wrappings cannot decay. And I am not happy selling with them but I dont have a choice because there no alternatives that could use," she says.

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Packaging by Ekose was founded a year after the deadline on single-use plastic imposed by the Cameroon government.

The paper bag manufacturer distributes in major towns like Douala, Maroua, Yaounde, and Buea. Founder Hamlet Tandy admits there are some challenges like a hike in prices of raw materials, as well the difficulty in finding skilled staff.

"Everybody that choses paper bags over plastics helps to protect the environment," Tandy, the founder of the company.

"Once you do that, you know that in a little way you have contributed in protecting the environment because paper tears down faster than plastics," he says.

Anglophone crisis

The governments regional delegations recorded some success at the initial stage of the ban but with the outbreak of the Anglophone crisis and lack of alternatives, an all-out ban has proven difficult.

The conflict between the army and separatists in the North-West and South-West English-speaking regions has killed more than 3,500 people and displaced around 700,000 since it began in 2017.

"When any thin plastic is intercepted at the port we are informed so that measures are put in place to destroy the plastic," South-West region environment chief Patience Asanji Dufela says.

She says that the government decided to stick to patrolling illegal plastic on the borders, rather than going into the markets, due to the ongoing insecurity.

"Our chief of post and the custom duty people help intercept plastic at the borders, but you know, Cameroon, especially the South-West, has a large border with Nigeria, so we cant say its been 100 percent successful," she adds.
(CNN) -- US President Joe Biden will give an Omicron variant-focused speech on Tuesday as the nation contends with higher case numbers, deaths and hospitalizations from the coronavirus heading into the holidays.

"Building off his Winter Plan, @POTUS will announce new steps the Administration is taking to help communities in need of assistance, while also issuing a stark warning of what the winter will look like for Americans that choose to remain unvaccinated," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a series of tweets. "We are prepared for the rising case levels, and @POTUS will detail how we will respond to this challenge."

NBC News first reported on the speech.

Psaki's comments that the administration is "prepared for the rising case levels," comes as Vice President Kamala Harris told the Los Angeles Times in an interview published Friday that the administration was caught unprepared for the rise of Covid variants.

"We didn't see Delta coming. I think most scientists did not  upon whose advice and direction we have relied  didn't see Delta coming," Harris told the Times in a year-end interview. "We didn't see Omicron coming. And that's the nature of what this, this awful virus has been, which as it turns out, has mutations and variants."

News of Biden's speech on the new variant comes after he delivered a "direct message" to the country on Thursday, warning that people who are not vaccinated against Covid-19 are looking at a bleak and dangerous winter if they do not get their shots soon.

"I want to send a direct message to the American people: Due to the steps we've taken Omicron has not yet spread as fast as it would have otherwise done," Biden said in remarks at the White House following his Covid-19 briefing Thursday.

Ahead of his Thursday remarks, Biden's top health officials urged him to deliver that message in the clearest terms possible, according to people familiar with the session. Only by laying out the stark difference in outcomes between vaccinated and unvaccinated infections could the gravity of the moment come through.

Biden and his team -- which included Dr. Anthony Fauci, two top vaccine experts from the National Institutes of Health, White House Covid response coordinator Jeff Zients and his deputy Natalie Quillian -- set to work writing out by hand the grave warning he would deliver later when cameras were ushered into the room.

The emergence of the Omicron variant has thrust the nation -- and the White House -- back into an uncertain pandemic reality, posing both public health and political challenges for a leader whose ultimate success depends almost entirely on his ability to contain the virus.

Already, cases and hospitalizations are surging in some parts of the country, leading to a 31% increase in cases and a 20% increase in hospitalizations from two weeks ago.

Yet Biden and his team have all but ruled out new lockdowns, and behind the scenes, administration officials have been debating how to shift public attention from the total number of cases -- which appear likely to surge, even if many are mild -- toward the number of severe infections that are overloading health systems and causing interruptions to normal life.

This story was first published on CNN.com "Biden to give Omicron-focused speech on Tuesday".
CNN Exclusive: Port-au-Prince, Haiti  The smell of raw sewage and food waste permeates the air in the entrance to Haiti's National Penitentiary in downtown Port-au-Prince.

Its source is the exposed pipe that visitors must walk over as a liquid mix slides through to the street.

A pat-down of even our heads from quiet security guards follows and then a large metal door swings open, revealing a courtyard on the other side.

In this world exclusive, CNN came to the prison hoping to speak to a certain group of inmates whom the government has refused to make available until now: Some of the 26 Colombians and two Haitian-Americans that investigators say entered Haitian President Jovenel Moise's bedroom in the early morning hours of July 7 and killed him in a hail of gunfire.

Haitian authorities call these men assassins. They call themselves innocent.

"We were useful idiots for someone else," one of the men told us. "But we did not commit this crime." More than five months detained after that deadly night, the men have not been formally charged.

Above, the scene outside the National Penitentiary where family members bring food for prisoners inside.

CNN was allowed to enter the penitentiary after months of negotiation, with only paper and a pen, and told to wait in a wooden hut in the prison courtyard. Twenty minutes later, five Colombian men clearly not expecting our visit walked toward us in shorts, t-shirts and dark blue croc-style sandals, looking gaunt and unhealthy.

In an exclusive interview, these five are the first and only suspects in the assassination case to speak out publicly. They agreed to do so only if their identities were withheld, fearing for their own safety and that of their families.

Their message was consistent over an hour-long conversation in their native Spanish -- they are innocent, they have been tortured and they have been set-up.

Afraid to talk

All five men said they arrived in Haiti in June, about a month before the assassination that would upturn their lives and throw the country's political landscape into chaos.

All former Colombian soldiers, they told CNN they were hired as private security by a company called CTU.

Promised anywhere from $2,700-3,000 a month, they took on the job. According to the five men CNN spoke to and the wives of several others, they were never paid a dime.

CTU has not responded to CNN's prior requests for comment and it's unclear if the company even still exists.

"We were told that we were going to provide security for a Haiti presidential candidate," said one of the men. "We had no idea what was going to happen."

In Haiti, they were part of a group of more than two dozen Colombians who lived and worked together in a compound in the capital city Port-au-Prince, not that far from where then-President Moise lived.

In the dead of night on July 7, this group was loaded into a convoy that would rumble up Pelerin Road to the presidential compound.

The president would be fatally shot shortly afterward. His wife, First Lady Martine Moise, was severely injured in the gunfire as well.

CNN asked the five prisoners repeatedly for more details about the assassination, including what happened during the assassination, who was behind it, what their individual involvement specifically was and what they did in the hours after that killing.

They insisted they were not responsible for the president's death but declined to answer further questions or go into details about that fatal morning for two common reasons: First, that none currently have legal representation and second, that they fear for their lives.

"We are stuck in this prison," said one man. "We have to stay here. I will scream out loud all that I know when I can leave here but while we are here, we are terrified of reprisals."

"I am scared for what they might do to me but also for what they might do to my family [in Colombia]," said another man.

'They beat all of us'

Sometime after Moise was assassinated in the early morning hours, the five men interviewed by CNN left in that same convoy. Their vehicles were captured on cell phone video shot by several locals in the area.

But they didn't make it very far before they were boxed-in by Haitian security forces, they said. Forced out of their cars, they took shelter in a nearby empty building. Hours later, they fled out the back of the building and up a steep hill, making their way to the Taiwan embassy.

According to Taiwan's foreign ministry and a source in Haitian security forces, the group of Colombians forced their way inside, tying up two guards in the process. But Haitian law enforcement officers tracked them down, and they turned themselves in.

Once in custody, the beatings began, the prisoners allege.

One of the Colombians was stabbed multiple times by Haitian police while several others were pistol whipped over the head, they said. Others were beaten, with one attacked so brutally that his face would be disfigured by the blows, they recounted to CNN.

The men said before being transferred to the notorious National Penitentiary, they were held in an undisclosed location for more than three weeks.

"They held us somewhere else for 25 days, handcuffed in pairs. We went to the bathroom on the floor," said one prisoner.

The men said the beatings were continuous and brutal, and that they feared for their families' safety back home in Colombia.

"Do you know how hard it is when they show you a picture of your family on a cell phone?," asked one man, tears welling up in his eyes. "We had to do what they said."

And what they were asked to do, said each man, was sign their names to official statements they did not give and which were written in a language they could not read.

"I was sitting quietly, not saying a word and the officer was writing my statement for me," said one man. "He kept looking at me and writing more even though I hadn't said anything. They were writing and we were quiet."

He then signed a name to a document written in French, a language that he could not understand, he said.

All five men alleged that they had been forced to sign declarations under duress.

"The real people responsible for this are outside of the prison and we're stuck in here. We were cheated, framed, and scammed," said one man.

Haiti's National Police did not reply to CNN's request for comment. Asked about the allegations of torture in police custody, a Haitian federal government spokesperson said the government "has nothing to hide" pointing out that CNN had "full permission to visit the Colombians."

The same spokesperson denied that any official testimony was recorded without the Colombians' knowledge of what was being written.

"Based on credible information, they were provided translators so they understood what to sign or not," said the spokesman.

Little food, no legal representation

The five men have been held at Haiti's National Penitentiary since late summer.

The conditions in the prison are visibly horrific, with multiple men crowded into a single cell. Sanitation appeared to be an afterthought. Rats scampered across the grounds.

"Our lives are worth nothing in here," one of the Colombian prisoners told us.

The men say they receive one plate of rice per day, or sometimes corn. Each says they have lost more than 30 pounds. Some are noticeably losing their hair leaving patchy clumps on their heads, a clear sign of malnutrition.

"It's inhuman what is happening to us here," one of the men, in tears, said.

Haiti's leading human rights organization, The National Human Rights Defense Network (RNDDH), also describes general conditions in the prison as inhumane. "The prison doesn't have enough food, gas to cook and adequate access to care despite receiving more and more prisoners in the 12 months," they said in a report released last month.

"We fully respect human rights," said a Haitian federal government spokesperson. "We have no grudges against the Colombian prisoners."

The government did not respond to questions about why the men had not yet been formally charged.

But more than five months after the assassination, none of the men have legal representation -- a prerequisite to having their testimonies heard by a judge. They say the Haitian judicial system has only offered them junior lawyers with whom they could not communicate.

"They sent me some lawyer in his second semester who didn't speak Spanish," said one of the men. "I'm not going to trust my life with him."

According to a person close to the case, the lawyers provided to represent the men were not students, but rather apprentices. Before becoming practicing lawyers, law graduates must serve what is typically a two-year apprenticeship.

Though they are not fully qualified lawyers and have little experience, these apprentices are commonly appointed to represent those who cannot afford a private attorney, according to Brian Concannon, an expert with decades of experience working Haiti's legal system.

"So they are defending serious felony cases when they are not allowed to appear in a simple contract case [because they are not yet practicing attorneys]," said Concannon. "They have no budget for investigation and typically get no compensation for their time."

The men had hoped the Colombian government would provide them with some legal assistance, but that so far has not happened.

Haiti's government has also said the responsibility lies with Colombia now. "We hope government officials of Colombia provide lawyers to the prisoners so they can be examined by the judge [overseeing this case]," said a Haitian government spokesperson, adding that they cannot be officially questioned without an attorney present.

The Colombian federal government in Bogota did not respond to CNN's request for comment, and the Colombian Embassy in Haiti referred our questions to the Foreign Ministry.

A public statement from late July said Colombian government representatives met with Colombian suspects with an attorney present. However, the men we spoke to said that none of the Colombians in the prison currently have legal representation.

Adding insult to injury, the men say, they have never received an explanation of the legal basis for their long detention.

"At no point has someone in [the legal process] looked me in the face and said, 'This is why you are here,'" said one of the men. "We obviously know why we're in here but there is no rule of law or due process here. Everyone should be innocent until proven guilty and we all have rights to legal representation."

The prisoners wrapped up the hour-long conversation with a message to the international community.

"Please find the love in your hearts to understand our situation and give us some benefit of the doubt," said one man. "The best thing that could happen is that this is brought to an international tribunal. When I am out of this country, I will tell the world everything I know."

This was first published on CNN.com, "'We were cheated, framed, and scammed'"
The masonry crew had already worked nine straight days  most of them for 12 hours a day  disassembling the pedestal when worker Cleon James saw something hed never seen before. He was jackhammering between the granite blocks when he came upon a layer of mortar that had been cleanly spread with a trowel.

James and his crew leader, Tim Albee, grabbed a hammer and chisel and tapped at the mortar. What was beneath was a copper box measuring 14 by 14 by 8 inches. Albee ran to the edge of the scaffolding and shouted down to Michael Spence, the construction superintendent.

They had found something.

It was 7:11 a.m. Friday  the workers meticulously noted the time  when they discovered what is believed to be a time capsule placed in the Robert E. Lee statues pedestal in 1887. Its contents are believed to include Confederate memorabilia, including a potentially rare photo of Abraham Lincoln in his grave.

Erected in 1890, the statue of Robert E. Lee that stood on Monument Avenue for more than 130 years came down in September. State officials announced this month that they would disassemble the 40-foot granite plinth and then give the plot of land to the city of Richmond.

The crew spent eight hours Friday carefully removing the 1,500-pound block containing the box and transporting it via articulated forklift to the Department of Historic Resources, where officials expect to open it in the coming days.

Having discovered what they could not find three months earlier, the mood was uplifting.

Im invigorated, Spence said. Its incredible. Its a great piece of history.

Back in September, the Connecticut-based Summit Masonry crew spent a full day looking for the time capsule. They never found it.

Ive been getting a hard time back at the office not finding it the first time, Albee said.

Theres a good reason why they came up empty-handed. The capsule was nowhere near where they thought it would be.

***

Newspaper accounts from 1887 described how the capsule was placed in a cornerstone during a ceremony three years before the statue was complete. Masonic tradition indicated that the northeast corner was the most likely destination. So the crew spent 12 hours looking near the ground of the northeast corner.

It turns out the time capsule was placed 20 feet up, inside the pedestal, toward the northwest side of the structure.

The granite block containing the capsule could be considered a cornerstone, Albee said, because its on the corner of the pedestals interior structure. Putting the capsule inside the pedestal was a sensible decision, Spence added, because on the outside, it could have been stolen.

The masonry crew discovered that the Lee pedestal has two structures, an inside or backup structure and an outside facade. In between the two, the builders placed rocks, boulders and mortar to fill the space. Concrete would have been too expensive at the time, Spence said.

This is just quality craftsmanship, he added.

While the location seemingly did not match the 1887 newspaper accounts, the color and size of the box did.

According to the newspapers, there are 60 objects inside, mostly of Confederate origin, including: a history of Monumental Church; a collection of Confederate buttons; a copy of Carlton McCarthys Detailed Minutiae of Soldier Life in the Army of Northern Virginia; bullets, a piece of shell and a Minie ball lodged in a piece of wood; a battle flag; a Confederate bond; the Oct. 26, 1887, edition of The Richmond Dispatch and  most famously  a picture of Abraham Lincoln in his grave.

The photo of a deceased Lincoln placed beneath a Confederate hero was meant as an insult toward the Union, said Dale Brumfield, an author and historian who has studied the capsules history. The time capsule was one more way to celebrate the Lost Cause.

Photos of Lincoln after his death are rare, and if its a unique photo, it could be worth $250,000, Brumfield estimated. Or it could be a fake or reproduction with no real value. Or it could be destroyed from more than a century of air and water.

But given that the capsule was placed up high and not on the ground increases the likelihood that the boxs contents arent damaged, Brumfield said.

It was dry as a bone when we found it, Spence said.

***

At 2 p.m., one of the workers blasted an air horn, and the block containing the box was hoisted into the air by a crane and placed on the ground. Worried they might damage the capsule, workers moved the entire 1,500-pound block holding it.

Once the time capsule was on the ground, the workers from Summit kept disassembling. The pedestal is composed of 500 to 600 granite blocks, some weighing up to 9,000 pounds, Albee said.

Each block has been labeled, placed on a wood pallet on a flatbed truck, and transported away to a storage facility.

Albee has meticulously charted the location of each stone and marked them with a letter and number. Should someone want to rebuild the pedestal at some point in the future, there will be a blueprint waiting for its assembly.

The job is about half done, and Summit hopes to finish by Dec. 23. The crew has never done a job like this before, Albee said. Much of their work has taken place at Yale University, where they dissemble, restore and reassemble old buildings.

Were glad to be a part of it, Albee said. This is a big deal.

After the workers placed the capsule and its block on the forklift, they covered it in shrink wrap and duct-taped it together. With a police escort, a worker drove the forklift  at about 4 mph  down Monument Avenue toward the Department of Historic Resources.

Staffers there will have to chisel away some of the granite in order to pry away the box, said Julie Langan, director of the department. Then they will X-ray it in hopes of ascertaining how to open it without causing damage.

Sometime next week, DHR staffers plan to open it, possibly settling the long-wondered mystery of whats inside.
Sanger

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A highway expansion created a food desert. Sanger leadership hopes the new highway will also fix it.

Jeff Woo / Jeff Woo/DRC Vehicles travel past a future construction site for the upcoming Interstate 35 expansion project that will run through Sanger. Many businesses on the I-35 service road have had to move to make way for the project, including Super Save, the citys only grocery store, which was demolished earlier this year.

SANGER  For Holly Bourquins family, the demolition of Sangers only grocery store meant more than the loss of a convenient place to shop. Her husbands grandfather originally owned the store, then named Burrus, which opened in 1979.

My father-in-law worked for his father at the store after high school and met my mother-in-law at the store, Bourquin said. If it werent for Burrus grocery store, my in-laws would probably never have met and my husband or children wouldnt exist either.

Bourquins father-in-law watched the demolition of the Super Save building hed once worked in earlier this summer. The grocery store was one of a combined 150-plus property acquisitions by the Texas Department of Transportation for two adjacent highway expansion projects expected to begin construction as early as summer 2022.

The first project will widen FM455 from west of FM2450 to east of Marion Road in Sanger, making the two-lane roadway into four lanes with a center left-hand turn lane. The second project will reconstruct 4,500 feet of the Interstate 35 interchange over FM455 as part of a breakout project.

Most people wont notice the difference between the two projects  theyre letting [for construction] at the same time, and theyll be under construction at the same time for both FM455 projects, TxDOT spokesperson Emily McCann said.

Acquisitions were completed in 2019. The Super Save was one of several properties on Stemmons Street (the I-35 frontage road) that were in the path of both intersecting projects. Snap Shop, The Donut Shop, Shell Convenience Store, Oriental Express and Howard Mortuary either closed or moved outside city limits, while others such as Sonic moved to a new location in Sanger. Several residential properties along Third Street and Chapman Drive also were demolished for the project, and auto repair shop Car Care Center also closed in 2019.

With the closure of Super Save in April, Sanger residents are driving to Denton for most of their groceries. Though 156 Produce and Ks Gourmet Foods have helped fill the gap for produce and baked goods, many say not having access to a full grocery store remains a hardship.

With the gas prices being so high, its one of the biggest things on my mind, resident Jo Haigwood Johnson said.

The city of Sanger released a statement in April addressing resident concerns about the closures.

City Council and staff are aware of the communitys desire to have more retail businesses in town, especially a new grocery store, the statement read in part. We are confident that the continued growth that is occurring in the Sanger area positions our city to be a very desirable location for a new grocery store.

The city has been reaching out to chains for years in the hopes of attracting a grocer to the area, Sanger Mayor Thomas Muir told the Denton Record-Chronicle in July. Among top factors for grocers when looking at a new market are the number of residents and their discretionary income, Muir said. City officials hope the closure of Super Save will make the area more attractive for retailers.

It creates a void, where now with that extra available market and some of the growth weve seen in Sanger, those two things combined, I think were ripe for some action, Muir said. We cant force developers to come, but were trying to be friendly and make sure were doing all we can to facilitate that.

The projects will address congestion on FM455 and accommodate future growth, according to TxDOT. Sanger leaders hope the projects also will bring new opportunities for the city.

While we understand it [the construction] will be painful probably for everybody to live through, it solves a longer-term transportation problem for the city and opens up that 455 corridor for redevelopment to the benefit of retail businesses that can serve the residents of Sanger, Muir said. We think its an opportunity to bring in new retail establishments to serve the residents and upgrade the retail businesses that are in town so the residents have services and businesses they didnt have beforehand.

But some say the city cannot afford to wait.

If we wait for the I-35 project to be completed before establishing basic services [like] grocery, gas, dining, Sanger will be hard-pressed to recover, resident Janice Joyce-Campbell said.

For current business owners, too, the projects have brought challenges. Sandra Dobbs, owner of The Salon Escape, had to move her business from North Fifth Street to its current location on North Stemmons Street, where she said her rent doubled.

I love our new location, but it [rent] almost tripled when you count bills because I didnt have to pay sewer and all those extra fees that I do here, Dobbs said. I think we pick up a little bit more business being here on the service road, but its a lot of stress when youre under that kind of pressure [to move].

Joe and Joann Baker own Texas Auto Towing Service, which theyve operated out of a leased building on Stemmons Street for nearly six years. They also were told they would have to relocate to make way for the expansions. Although they qualified for TxDOTs relocation program, theres no available property in Sanger that works for their business, so theyre moving it to Valley View.

Because of the way we have to operate because of our contracts, theres certain things were required to have and do, so that makes it a little bit harder to find a commercial property, Joann Baker said.

The property they did find needs upgrades, which have been about a year in the making. The Bakers have been working with TxDOT and a third-party group as part of the relocation program, but the process has been a slow and at times frustrating one, with each step needing approval.

Youre being forced to leave the property where your business is at, but at the same time, they want to drag their feet, Joann Baker said. It would be nice if you werent always having to hunt somebody down to get an answer.

The Bakers have not been given a deadline to vacate, but with construction slated to start in less than a year, they know it may come any day.

Its been a hardship on us and a big stressor, Joe Baker said. They want to come in and do this project and say its going to be good for the city, good for who? The big chains and corporations that can come in after? What about the mom-and-pop businesses that have built their business here?

Sanger wouldnt be what it is without them.

For other residents, the growing pains feel like necessary ones.

It should bring good business opportunities and a commercial tax base to help fund the infrastructure growth our city and school district desperately need, resident John Harvey Reed Jr. said. But I think a good deal of that growth will be postponed until the road projects are complete or near complete. Timing large construction projects around a potentially fluid TxDOT timeline can be very difficult and costly.

Despite the hurdles brought on by the projects, Muir said local officials are remaining optimistic. Though Sanger wont quite be the same city after the projects completion, they hope it can, in some ways, be a better one.

It takes some time to develop, but we do think business comes when you get that type of good, solid infrastructure in place to support those businesses and the flowing of traffic, Muir said. Were living where our residents are living because were residents of Sanger, so we would just request patience.
The case was sent to juvenile court because of Colvins age, and records show a judge found her delinquent and placed her on probation as a ward of the state pending good behavior. Colvin never got official word that she had completed probation through the ensuing decades, and relatives said they assumed police would arrest her for any reason they could.

At the time she asked a court in October to expunge her record, Colvin said she did not want to be considered a juvenile delinquent anymore.

I am an old woman now. Having my records expunged will mean something to my grandchildren and great grandchildren. And it will mean something for other Black children, Colvin said at the time in a sworn statement.

Now that Juvenile Court Judge Calvin L. Williams has approved the request, Colvin said in a statement that she wants "us to move forward and be better.

When I think about why Im seeking to have my name cleared by the state, it is because I believe if that happened it would show the generation growing up now that progress is possible, and things do get better. It will inspire them to make the world better, she said.
Wallace Community College-Dothan (WCCD) recently recognized the contributions of former Wallace administrator Dr. Imogene Mathison Mixson at a naming ceremony officially naming the Dr. Imogene Mathison Mixson Writing Center in her honor.

The college is proud to honor Dr. Imogene Mathison Mixson for the tremendous imprint she has made on this institution, as well as on the entire Alabama Community College System during her tenure of service, said Dr. Linda Young, WCCD president. Dr. Mixson spent her professional career encouraging others to work hard at every task and to achieve their dreams no matter what obstacles appeared before them.

Mixson began her career in the community college system as the English department chair at Enterprise State Junior College (now Enterprise State Community College). She then became an academic dean at Wallace, and later was interim president both of Wallace and of the Alabama Aviation and Technical College in Ozark.
This couldnt have been possible without the help of that team, the Jackson County Commission and county administration, Brunner said. Zach Gilmore, with the help of the full JCEDC group, he added, put together a comprehensive list of sites available in Jackson County and that was presented to the company with further expressions of support from county commissioners and administration.

Brunner said there are 10 Frazer ambulances in the countys fleet right now and that two more are due here in early 2022. It became a favored brand of the county over time, with the first of them bought by the local board in 1999.

To have a repair/warranty workshop right here, he said, will save the county money in getting ambulances to the shop, doing away with the trip to Texas and also eliminate many out-of-service downtime days for units that need repair, since they wont have to be sent away for service.

The center is expected to serve customers east and west of here from Escambia to Suwanee counties, south to Dixie County, and potentially beyond those points.
DECEMBER 12

Assault-domestic-harassment-family third degree was reported from South Randolph Avenue (Fairlane Meadows Apartments).

DECEMBER 13

Unlawful breaking and entering a vehicle was reported from State Docks Road. Four catalytic converters ($2,000) were reported stolen.

Receiving/possession of a stolen vehicle first degree was reported from Randolph Avenue at Church Street. A 2001 Toyota Tacoma was recovered.

Larceny/theft-vehicle parts second degree ($1,500-$2,500) and unlawful breaking and entering a vehicle were reported from East Boundary Street. One catalytic converter ($700) was reported stolen.

Unlawful breaking and entering a vehicle was reported from East Broad Street. Two catalytic converters ($1,000) were reported stolen.

Unlawful breaking and entering a vehicle was reported from Forsyth Avenue. One steering wheel column ($200) was reported stolen.

Larceny/theft-shoplifting fourth degree (less than $500) and possession of methamphetamine was reported from South Eufaula Avenue.

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Music journalists and fans delighted in Caldwell's unique sound and boundless creativity. His death highlighted the violent demise of other talented young Black musicians, including fellow LA rapper Nipsey Hussle in 2019 and the highly influential Tupac Shakur in 1996. Both men were shot.

Snoop Dogg posted on social media condolences to Caldwell's family and prayers to those affected by the tragedy. I'm praying for peace in hip hop, he said.

Caldwell, who started releasing mixtapes in 2015 and this past February debuted his first album The Truth Hurts, has been called the most original stylist on the West Coast for his darkly comedic lyrics and deadpan delivery. His mixtape Thank You for Using GTL contains verses recorded at the Mens Central Jail in Los Angeles.

He grew up listening to acts like Hot Boyz, Boosie, Webbie and Dipset, but said it was a battle rapper named Cocky who influenced him to rap.

He was so smooth and calm while rapping, despite saying some of the craziest stuff, he told Billboard earlier this year. It showed me you didnt have to yell or be loud to get your point across.
He was confirmed by the Senate via a voice vote, according to the Congress.gov website.

Information regarding Knapper's tenure or when he will take office is yet to be announced by the U.S. State Department. He was nominated as ambassador to Vietnam in April.

Knapper is a career diplomat who's the State Department's current Deputy Assistant Secretary for Japan and Korea in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.

Before assuming that position, Knapper was the Charge dAffaires a.i. of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, Korea, in 2017 and 2018, and earlier, the embassy's deputy chief of mission.

He has also been the Director of the State Department's Office of India Affairs and the Office of Japanese Affairs.

After completing his B.A. from Princeton University and his M.A. from the Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Knapper has spent almost his entire career spanning over 25 years working on policy issues of the East Asian region and studying its languages and culture.

He speaks Vietnamese and led the political section of the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi from 2004 to 2007.

"This extensive and substantive experience in the region, coupled with his demonstrated ability to lead large interagency teams as well as policy-oriented offices, makes him an excellent candidate to be the U.S. Ambassador to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam," according to the Department of State.

Knapper has said his prime objective once he's approved to be the ambassador to Vietnam would be to bolster relations between the two countries, including their bilateral security cooperation.

He said he believed that Vietnam was one of the U.S.'s strong partners in the region, and that both countries share interests and concerns on regional issues, including those regarding the South China Sea.

Knapper ha also said that he would focus on other key fields including commerce and investment and addressing war legacies.

Gregory Poling, director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said in April that President Biden has displayed high regard for the position of ambassador to Vietnam and the two countries' relations in nominating Knapper.

Carl Thayer, Emeritus Professor at The University of New South Wales, Australia, has expressed high regard for Knapper's knowledge and understanding of Vietnam's history, culture and political system. His experiences in South Korea and Japan, which have good relations with Vietnam, would also be a positive factor in his upcoming tenure, Thayer said.
Firefighters are battling a blaze at South Africa's national Parliament Building in Cape Town, an official confirmed Sunday.
The launching ceremony on Saturday for the new national strategy was attended by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi

The President of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHCR) Nazhat Shameem Khan on Saturday praised Egypt's launching of the first National Strategy for Human Rights, which was launched by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on Saturday.

In a recorded video message screened at the ceremony, Shameem Khan said the new strategy aims to boost and protect human rights for all in Egypt and is a "significant" step for implementing international human rights criteria and guaranteeing human rights, .

The new human rights strategy in Egypt is a key tool to protect and promote human rights, a pillar of the work of the UNHRC, she noted.

It targets translating the commitments into concrete steps on the ground, with the aim of strengthening the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights as well as protecting the human rights of vulnerable segments, atop of which are women, children, challenged people and seniors, she added.

She also praised Egypt for taking into consideration during the preparation of the new strategy previous recommendations of the UNHRC on the human rights file in Egypt.

The UNHRC has several useful resources that can be used by Egypt to support the strategy, she stressed, adding the UN council's agenda will ensure the implementation of the strategy effectively.

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Afghanistan is being hit by multiple crises that are progressively getting worse, with drought, economic collapse and displacement all pushing the population into catastrophic hunger, a senior international aid official said Thursday.

The onset of winter will only increase the pain for Afghans and drive some closer to disaster, warned Alexander Matheou, Asia-Pacific regional director for the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Staying warm and putting food on the table is now harder than it was before. And if you fall sick, you are more likely to struggle in trying to access health care, he said in an interview with The Associated Press at the end of a visit to Afghanistan.

For people who already vulnerable, they will become more vulnerable. For people already in critical condition, it could become deadly, Matheou added.

According to U.N. figures from early November, almost 24 million people in Afghanistan, around 60% percent of the population, suffer from acute hunger. That includes 8.7 million living in near- famine. Increasing numbers of malnourished children have filled hospital wards.

Afghanistan has been suffering from its worst drought in decades since last year, hitting 80% of the country. The drought has reduced crops and wrecked incomes for farming families, driving many to leave their villages. More than 700,000 people were displaced from their homes this year, whether by fighting or drought, adding to the ranks of some 3.5 million displaced from past years of fighting.

After the Taliban took over the country of 38 million people on Aug. 15, the bottom dropped out of the already dilapidated economy.

Sanctions on the Taliban cut off hundreds of millions of dollars in international financing on which the government relied. Billions of dollars in Afghan assets abroad were frozen. Afghanistan's banking system was largely cut off from the world. As a result, the government has largely been unable to pay salaries and jobs across the economy have disappeared.

Now it's the converging of all those factors that is creating a major humanitarian crisis, which is progressively getting worse, Matheou said.

At Kabul's Ataturk Children's Hospital, the malnutrition ward was filled to capacity with emaciated children.

Lina, who brought her 3-month-old son Osman to the hospital, said she couldn't afford to feed her children. There's no work. The economy has is wrecked since the Taliban came. Everyone is out of work, she said.

With the cut-off of foreign financing, many health facilities around the country have also closed, making it even more difficult for Afghans to get medical treatment. The U.N. has been drawing up plans to start paying salaries for medical workers - who have not received pay for months - and provide other support.

The IFRC has brought in 3,000 tons of food supplies, enough to feed 210,000 people for two months, and is providing families with blankets, thermal insulation and heaters. The organization also finances some 140 health facilities around the country.

It is clearly a help, but it is not enough. That sort of activity needs to be scaled up to meet the needs of millions not of thousands, Matheou said.

He said the banking crisis needs to be resolved, and most importantly, sanctions must have exemptions for humanitarian action'' and ``not cause harm to vulnerable people.

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The UN said Tuesday it had received credible allegations of over 100 extrajudicial killings in Afghanistan since the Taliban took power in August, with most carried out by the Taliban.

United Nations deputy rights chief Nada Al-Nashif said she was deeply alarmed by continuing reports of such killings, despite a general amnesty announced by the new Taliban rulers after August 15.

"Between August and November, we received credible allegations of more than 100 killings of former Afghan national security forces and others associated with the former government," she told the UN Human Rights Council.

"At least 72 of these killings," she said, were "attributed to the Taliban."

"In several cases, the bodies were publicly displayed. This has exacerbated fear among this sizeable category of the population," she said.

The comments, given during a scheduled update to council on the rights situation in Afghanistan, came after the United States and other countries harshly condemned the Taliban following a Human Rights Watch report earlier this month documenting 47 summary executions.

Those killings were of former members of the Afghan National Security Forces, other military personnel, police and intelligence agents "who had surrendered to or were apprehended by Taliban forces" from mid-August through October, it said.

The Taliban spokesman Qari Sayed Khosti flatly rejected the report and other claims about extrajudicial killings as "not based on evidences."

He said there were some cases of former members of the now-defunct Afghan National Defence and Security Forces who had been killed, but that was "because of personal rivalries and enmities."

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The Egyptian and Russian navies concluded joint Bridge of Friendship drills on Saturday 11 December.

A statement by the Egyptian army said the joint training came as part of the distinguished relations between Egypt and Russia, with the aim of enhancing cooperation and exchanging experiences between the armed forces of both countries.

The statement said the training started with a reception ceremony for the Russian forces participating in the drills which were conducted at the Alexandria naval base of Ras Al-Tin. A number of naval units, frigates, rocket launchers, auxiliary supply ships and divisions of the special navy forces from both sides took part in the drill, according to the statement.

The final stage of the drill was attended by commander of the Egyptian Naval Forces Vice Admiral Ahmed Khaled, Deputy Commander of the Black Sea Fleet Vice Admiral Arkady Romanov, the Russian ambassador in Cairo, and military commanders from the two countries.

The joint military drills between Egypt and Russia were not the first. The two countries kicked off their first Bridge of Friendship naval drill in 2015. Since then there have been joint military exercises between the armies of the two countries every year. In 2021 the two armies conducted two military exercises, the first  the Protectors of Friendship 5  was in October. The second, the Bridge of Friendship, was between the navies of Egypt and Russia last week.

General Mohamed Zaki, Egypts commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces and Minister of Defence and Military Production, and his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoygu signed a cooperation protocol that took Egyptian-Russian military relations to new heights. Zaki said Egypt wishes to take military cooperation with Russia to a new level, and the progress in our military cooperation achieved over a short period of time confirms that we are on the right track. We greatly desire to continue boosting military cooperation between our two countries in all directions, and in the spirit of mutual trust between us.

Shoygu said the growing military relations between Moscow and Cairo reflect the strong friendship and the mutual trust between the leaders of the two countries Vladimir Putin and Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi. He said the cooperation protocol means stronger military bonds between Egypt and Russia in military exercises and modern armaments.

Presidents Putin and Al-Sisi talked by phone a month ago in which they discussed means of boosting Egyptian-Russian military, economic, business, industrial and energy cooperation.

Presidential Spokesman Bassam Radi said the two presidents tackled the importance of military relations between their countries, as well as the latest developments regarding the Dabaa nuclear power plant, Egypts first nuclear plant, near Marsa Matrouh, east of Alexandria.

The plant, which is being implemented by the Russian nuclear energy corporation Rosatom under an agreement signed between Egypt and Russia in 2015, is expected to begin producing power in 2028.

Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli said the Dabaa project reflects the current strong and strategic relations between Egypt and Russia. Egypt and Russia now have strategic relations and these reflect the political coordination between the two countries at the highest levels, Madbouli said.

Madboulis statement came on the heels of the Egyptian-Russian Nuclear Forum which concluded on 7 December. Madbouli said Russia has always been a reliable partner to Egypt. When the Soviet Union was there, Russia helped Egypt build its first nuclear reactor in Anshas in the 1960s, adding that it seems that history repeats itself as Egypts political leadership decided to choose Russia again to take charge of building the countrys new national project  Dabaa nuclear plant  the first of its kind for generating electric power.

Madbouli said nuclear power is a major source of clean energy that is free from carbon emissions which cause pollution on a wide scale. It is part of our long-term development plan to resort to nuclear power and other clean energy sources, and we believe that Russia is the best partner in this respect because of its high experience and skill in this field, Madbouli said.

Anatoly Kovtunov, the director of the construction of Dabaa, confirmed that work on the plant is progressing. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, work on Dabaa has never stopped, and the plants first reactor will go into operation in 2028 as scheduled.

Grigory Sonsnin, director-general of the Dabaa nuclear plant project, indicated that the four nuclear reactors which form Dabaa plant will be of the third generation, considered the latest, best, and safest in the world and in line with the most up-to-date international standards.

Sonsnin said the Dabaa will be the cornerstone of strategic relations between Egypt and Russia for many years to come. This project, which aims to improve the standards of living in Egypt, will be as historical as the High Dam which Russia helped Egypt build in the 1960s, Sonsnin said.

Minister of Electricity Mohamed Shaker said the Dabaa project will take Egyptian-Russian relations to new heights, and that it will mean a lot for development in Egypt as not only will it reinforce the countrys clean energy potential but will contribute to improving the level of Egyptian industry.

Shaker said the objective of the Egyptian-Russian Nuclear Forum was to review progress in implementing the Dabaa. There is close coordination between Egypts Authority of Nuclear Power Stations and the Rosatom corporation to remove obstacles that might stand in the way of implementing the national project of the Dabaa, Shaker said.

Kovtunov said the Dabaa currently provides jobs to 1,000 workers  Egyptians and Russians  and that by the end of 2022, the total number of workers at the plant will reach 5,000, and that by 2028 the project will generate 30,000 job opportunities, 70 per cent of whom are Egyptians.

The phone call between Al-Sisi and Putin last month also saw the two leaders exchanging views on the latest developments concerning the establishment of the Russian industrial zone in eastern Port Said.

In July, Russian authorities and Egypts Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone) signed a preliminary agreement to expand the Russian industrial zone in the Suez Canal.

The Russian zone, under the agreement, will be extended to eastern Port Said and Ain Sokhna over an area of five million square metres.

Russias First Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Vasily Osmakov said at a Russian trade forum this week that Russia will start financing the construction of its Russian Zone (RIZ) next year. Construction was originally expected to begin in 2020 but was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic. But we are serious that construction will begin in 2022.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 16 December, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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Sudan's ruling Sovereign Council on Thursday suspended a section of a 2020 peace deal with rebel groups dealing with the east of the country following tribal protests against the deal.

In October 2020, the government signed a peace pact with multiple rebel groups in Sudan's far-flung regions with a view to ending the ethnic conflicts that have dogged the country since independence.

Although the deal focused on three battleground regions -- Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan -- it left minority communities in other parts of Sudan feeling sidelined.

Among those were members of the Beja people of eastern Sudan, who mounted protests across the east for more than a month from mid-September.

The demonstrations included a blockade of oil pipelines and the trade hub of Port Sudan, a move that sparked shortages of basic goods across the country and threatened an already-struggling economy.

The protesters ended their campaign on October 25 when the military staged a power grab in which top general Abdel Fattah al-Burhan dissolved the government.

But they warned they would resume the blockade of Port Sudan after December 19 unless the government revised the text of the 2020 deal.

On Thursday Sovereign Council vice-president Mohamed Hamdan Daglo said the eastern Sudan track of the deal had been suspended "until an accord is reached with residents of east Sudan".

"The parties to the East will sit together to reach an agreement to solve all the problems facing the people in East Sudan," Daglo was quoted as saying by the official SUNA news agency.

The Beja make up roughly around 10 percent of Sudan's 45 million people, according to the latest official figures published in 2008.

They are split into various tribes, including the rival Al-Hadendoa and Beni Amer tribes.

In 2020, members of the Beni Amer signed onto the section of the peace deal related to the east.

Member of Al-Hadendoa say those who signed do not represent all the Beja people, and accuse them of having made too many concessions to the government.

They are demanding better representation in decision-making, and more government funds for their impoverished region.

Though eastern Sudan is known for its fertile fields, gold mines, and maritime links it is also the most impoverished part of Sudan -- a country already ranked by the United Nations as among the poorest in the world.

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The new corona mutant "Omicron" prompted European governments to announce new restrictions to combat its spread.

The French government banned public concerts and fireworks displays at New Year's celebrations, and called people to avoid large gatherings and to limit the number of family members congregating at Christmas.

"The fifth wave is here and it is here in full force,'' French Prime Minister Jean Castex told a news conference, adding that the fast-spreading omicron variant is expected to dominate infections in France at the start of January.

With a daily average of 50,704 infections over the last week and 60,866 on Thursday alone, the prime minister also warned people who still refuse to get vaccinated, without a credible health reason.

"While we gave a lot of time to those who have hesitated and had doubts, we will reinforce incentives for vaccination in January because it is not acceptable that the refusal of a few million people to get vaccinated puts an entire country at risk'' Castex said.

Meanwhile, the Danish government announced Friday it would close cinemas, theatres and concert halls and restrict restaurant opening hours over a record number of daily Covid-19 cases, accelerated by the Omicron variant.

The government also plans to close other gathering places such as amusement parks and museums.

"Theatres, cinemas and concert halls, they will have to close," Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told a news conference.

The measures will come into force on Sunday morning for four weeks, the government said.

This is a sharp turnaround for the Nordic country, which had lifted all restrictions on September 10, before reintroducing a coronapass at the beginning of November and then announcing a first round of restrictions last week.

Denmark is among those countries with the highest numbers of confirmed Omicron cases.

More than 2,500 cases of the reportedly more transmissible variant have been recorded in the last 24 hours.

In Ireland, which has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, Prime Minister Micheal Martin announced on Friday new restrictions, as bars and restaurants will close from 8:00 pm from Sunday until January 30 in a bid to slow the spread of the Omicron variant.

Martin also announced that indoor and outdoor events held earlier than 8 pm would be limited to 50 percent capacity, while weddings will be allowed a maximum of 100 guests.

*This story was compiled by Ahram Online

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The northern governorates of Matrouh, Beheira, and Alexandria announced suspending classes in school on Sunday due to bad weather forecast during the coming two days.

Alexandria also suspended classes on Monday for all public and private schools as well as classes in Al-Azhar system, a statement by the governorate read.

Moderate to heavy rain is expected along the northern coast and Delta on Sunday and Monday, the Egyptian Meteorological Authority (EMA) said on Saturday.

This includes the governorates of Matrouh, Alexandria, Beheira, Kafr El-Sheikh and Damietta on both days as well as the governorates of Daqahliya and Port Said on Monday.

Dust storms are also likely to hit various parts of the country on Sunday, including parts of Greater Cairo, Lower Egypt, northern coast, cities of the Suez Canal, and northern Upper Egypt.

The sandstorms are expected to cause poor visibility and lower the temperature, the EMA said.

Alexandria Governor Mohamed El-Sherif also ordered a paid-day-off on Sunday and Monday for female employees who tend for a child under 12 years of age.

Employees in leadership positions and shift workers in Alexandria schools will report to work as usual, in accordance with the requirements set by heads of the education directorates.

The decision was made to preserve public safety and allow authorities to deal with the effects of the bad weather, the Alexandria governorate said.

Waves of bad weather and rainfall over the past month have forced many governorates to briefly close school to allow the removal of excess water from streets and protect students.

Bad weather may disturb navigation in the Mediterranean, causing waves to rise to 2-4 metres on Sunday and to 4-5 metres on Monday, the EMA expected.

Earlier this month, five-metre-high waves broke into streets in various areas of Alexandria governorate and flooded parts of the Engineers Syndicate Club overlooking the corniche.

A young woman was also injured as part of the corniche fence collapsed in the Louran neighbourhood due to the powerful winds and high sea waves.

Alexandria has been witnessing a series of annual rain storms (Nawa) since November with authorities raising the level of preparedness, sending vacuum trucks to remove water from streets, and cleaning storm drains.

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Egypt rejected on Saturday a statement made by the German government regarding an upcoming trial session for a number of defendants in Egyptian court, calling it a blatant and unjustified interference in the country's internal affairs.

In a statement, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry rebuked the German government statement as "comprising unacceptable infractions" and representing both "a blatant and unjustified interference in the internal Egyptian affairs" and "infringes upon a judicial path without objective evidence or proof.

The German Federal Foreign Office had called on Friday on the Egyptian government to ensure "a fair trial" and to release Egyptian lawyer Mohamed El-Baqer and activists Alaa Abdel-Fattah and Mohamed Ibrahim (aka Mohamed Oxygen) who have a trial session in the case 1228/2021 that is scheduled for 20 December.

The German Federal Foreign office said "the upcoming pronouncement of a judgment on 20 December 2021 in the trial of the lawyer Mohamed El-Baqer will show where the human rights situation in Egypt is heading."

The German statement also said Berlin "values" the recent launching of the country's National Strategy for Human Rights in September, and "will follow its implementation."

In October, the Egyptian prosecution referred the three defendants to the Emergency State Security Misdemeanour Court on various charges.

The defendants are standing trial on charges of spreading false news inside and outside the country, misusing social media, joining an illegal group that seeks to suspend the constitution and laws, and prevent state institutions from carrying out their duties.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry accused the German government of double standards since it calls on the one hand for respect to the rule of law while it calls on the other hand on the Egyptian government to intervene and influence the rulings of the country's independent judiciary.

It is surprising that the German government calls for respecting the law, while calling at the same time for interfering and influencing the rulings of the lofty Egyptian judiciary, which is known for independence, impartiality and integrity, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said.

It is better for the German government to heed its own internal challenges than to impose its guardianship on others, the foreign ministry said, stressing the need for respecting the rule of the law and the Egyptian constitution.

Assuming a specific outcome [of a trial] is utterly and categorically rejected as it represents a derogation of the judiciary, justice, and the principles of the rule of law and the separation of powers that is stipulated in the constitution, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry stressed.

In November, Egypt's Court of Cassation upheld a ruling to place Abdel-Fattah, El-Baqer and 26 others on the country's terrorism list for a five-year period in the case 1781/2019.

In a document, the State Security Prosecution said the defendants in the case 1781/2019 are accused in other cases of various terror-related crimes including belonging to an outlawed group; inciting against the state; calling for suspending the constitution; attempting to overthrow the regime; threatening national security; and spreading chaos.

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Two rockets struck Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, home to the US embassy, causing property damage but no casualties, Iraq's military said early Sunday.

Two rockets struck Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, home to the U.S. embassy, causing property damage but no casualties, Iraq's military said early Sunday.

One rocket was destroyed by the embassy's C-RAM defense system. Another fell near a national monument, causing damage to two civilian vehicles, the statement said. An investigation was launched by Iraqi security forces.

Along with the US embassy, the Green Zone houses other foreign diplomatic missions and Iraqi government buildings. The zone is a frequent target of rocket and drone attacks that American officials blame on Iran-backed Iraqi militia groups.

Iran-aligned groups have vowed revenge on the US for a 2020 drone strike that killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. They have conditioned the end of attacks against the US presence in Iraq on the exit of American troops from the country.

The US-led coalition formally ended it's combat mission supporting Iraqi forces in the ongoing fight against the Islamic State group this month. Some 2,500 troops will remain as the coalition shifts to an advisory mission to continue supporting Iraqi forces.

The rocket attacks, once near-daily occurrences, have slowed in recent months. In November, an explosive-laden drone targeted the residence of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi in an assassination attempt.

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Opposition activists in Sudan were set for new protests Sunday to mark the third anniversary of mass demonstrations that ended the dictatorship of president Omar al-Bashir as fears mount for the democratic transition.

Political parties and neighbourhood committees said they were mobilising thousands of supporters to demonstrate against General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the bloody crackdown he has led since his October 25 military takeover.

"No negotiation, no partnership and no legitimacy," is the slogan adopted by the organisers, who are bitterly opposed to a new partnership deal that civilian Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok struck with the military while still under effective house arrest last month.

Hamdok was reinstated under the November 21 agreement, which also set July 2023 as the date for Sudan's first free elections since 1986.

But it alienated many of Hamdok's pro-democracy supporters who dismissed it as a gift to the generals that provided a cloak of legitimacy for Burhan's military takeover.

Previous protests against the military takeover have been forcibly dispersed by the security forces. Nationwide, at least 45 people have been killed and scores wounded, according to the independent Doctors' Committee.

December 19 has a particular resonance in Sudanese history.

Not only was it the day in 2018 that thousands launched mass protests that ended Bashir's three decades in power, it was also the day in 1955 when Sudanese lawmakers declared independence from British colonial rule.

Military in 'complete control'

Following Bashir's ousting, a joint military-civilian transitional government took power but the troubled alliance was shattered by Burhan's military takeover.

"The military takeover has put obstacles in the way of the democratic transition and has given the military complete control over politics and the economy," Ashraf Abdel-Aziz, chief editor of the independent Al-Jarida newspaper, told AFP.

Sudan's military dominates lucrative companies specialising in everything from agriculture to infrastructure projects.

The prime minister said last year that 80 percent of the state's resources were "outside the finance ministry's control".

"The security apparatus has won out over political institutions. The success of a democratic transition rests on political action being the driving force," Abdel-Aziz said.

For Khaled Omer, a minister in the ousted government, the military takeover was a "catastrophe" but also "an opportunity to rectify the deficiencies" of the previous political arrangement with the army.

He warned that anything could happen over the next few months with the military still firmly in power.

"If the main political actors don't get their act together and the miliary establishment doesn't distance itself from politics... then all scenarios are on the table," Omer said.

Gains unravelling

Hamdok said he partnered with the military to "stop the bloodshed" that resulted from its crackdown on protests against the military takeover, and so as not to "squander the gains of the last two years".

But those achievements have been unravelling as the political turbulence in Khartoum rekindles conflicts in Sudan's far-flung regions that Hamdok's government had made a priority to resolve.

A peace deal it signed with key rebel groups in South Sudan's capital Juba last year saw the main conflict in Darfur subside, but the region remains awash with weapons and nearly 250 people have been killed in ethnic and tribal clashes over the past two months.

Some of the Arab militias that Bashir's government used as a counter-insurgency force in its infamous campaign against ethnic minority rebels in the early 2000s have been integrated into the security apparatus and critics say the deal did nothing to bring them to account.

"The Juba agreement did not solve Darfur's problems and that's why we're seeing this conflict flaring again," Abdel-Aziz said.

"What's more dangerous is that tribes have drawn on their foot soldiers among militias and the paramilitary forces" which has increased "the spread of weapons among civilians," he said.

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Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait said on Sunday that 82 percent of state bodies and 69 percent of economic authorities in Egypt have submitted their budgets for current FY2021/2022 based on programmes and performance based budgeting (PPBB) concepts, which contribute to achieving the rational management of public money.

PPBB budget is an effort the finance ministry has started to implement since FY2016/2017 under Egypts IMF-backed economic reform progaramme with an aim of reducing costs of the states bodies.

For his part, deputy finance minister for financial policies Ahmed Kojok noted that the government acts on linking the states budget to the global sustainable development goals (SDGs) and Egypts related agenda.

He added that Egypt is considering the issuance of its first quality bonds that contribute to attain Egypts SDGs agenda.

He also pointed out to Egypts first issuance of green bonds, the first of its kind in the MENA region, noting that such instruments will improve Egypt ranking globally in such filed; as Egypt is placed the 19th globally and the first in MENA.

The value of Egypt's current FY2021/22, whose first half ends by end-December, estimated at EGP 2.6 trillion, the biggest in Egypts history, increasing from a value of EGP 2.2 trillion for the FY2020/2021.

Egypts GDP is projected to grow between 6 percent and 7 percent in the second quarter of current FY2021/2022 (October-December), which is lower than the first quarter growth of 9.8 percent, according to Egypts Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala El-Said.

Egypt targets an economic growth of 5.5 percent up to 5.7 percent during current FY2021/2022.

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E-commerce transactions in the Egyptian market are expected to reach EGP 100 billion by the end of 2021, according to a new report published by Boost  a digital strategy provider for companies and entrepreneurs.

E-commerce transactions value in the Middle East region is also projected to record $71 billion by end of 2021, according to the report.

The report also said that electronics top the revenues of e-commerce in Egypt with 28 percent, followed by fashion (21 percent), food and personal care (19 percent), toys, hobby and do it yourself products (19 percent), and furniture and appliances (12 percent).

The report also highlighted the Direct to Consumer (D2C) Companies as a part of the e-commerce world.

D2C are retailers that sell directly to consumers usually by investing in new product development and branding while outsourcing their supply chains, underlining they are typically selling using digital channels or direct distribution while omitting retail overheads and capitalizing heavily on social media marketing.

In this respect, the report noted that the D2C companies like Amazon, Jumia, and Noon only account for 50 percent of the e-commerce sector.

The CEO of Boost and member of the Egyptian Junior Businessmen Association (EJB) Sherif Makhlouf expected that the spread of the D2C would positively impact the Egyptian economy given that many e-commerce brands are sourcing and manufacturing locally and many of them are shipping products globally.

He also predicted that e-commerce market in Egypt does not need any regulations different from the current enforced retail and consumer protection laws, asserting the importance of providing it with support and incentives to allow it to flourish.

Makhlouf predicted that the fashion industry would be the most demanded sector through the D2C because of the relatively advanced supply chain of the industry and new product development in Egypt, followed by home accessories, personal care, toys, hobby, pet products, furniture, and appliances.

He also forecasted that the electronics and media sector would not achieve progress in the D2C model due to the complexity of the production and supply chain.

D2C brands will lure more foreign direct investments in Egypt. Amazons acquisition of Souq Egypt and German group Rocket Internet's investment in Egypt through Jumia represent examples of that, Makhlouf explained.

He added that the pandemic has accelerated the adoption of e-commerce by the Egyptian consumers.

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Azerbaijan said Sunday it had freed 10 more Armenian soldiers captured last month during fighting between the Caucasus arch foes.

"Azerbaijan, with mediation of the European Union, handed over 10 soldiers of Armenian origin" who had been captured on November 16, the Azeri committee in charge of prisoners of war said in a statement.

Baku said that the move was a result of a meeting between Azeri President Ilham Aliyev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and European Council chief Charles Michel in Brussels on September 14.

"Warmly welcome Baku's release of 10 Armenian detainees in follow up to discussions with azpresident and NikolPashinyan," Michel wrote in a tweet on Sunday.

"An important humanitarian gesture demonstrating the mutual will to strengthen confidence as discussed in Brussels. EU facilitated transfer to Yerevan."

Azerbaijan had already handed over 10 prisoners to Yerevan on December 4, following Russia-mediated talks, in the first concrete sign of a decrease in tensions since last month's fighting, which killed 13 people.

Those were the worst clashes along the shared border since a six-week war last year over Nagorno-Karabakh that claimed more than 6,500 lives.

At the end of that war, Armenia was forced to sign a humiliating Russian-brokered accord with Azerbaijan that saw it cede three districts around Karabakh that it had captured in the 1990s.

Ethnic Armenian separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh broke away from Azerbaijan as the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, and around 30,000 people died in the ensuing conflict.

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Optimists believed that the parliamentary elections held in Iraq in October would solve the troubled nations lingering crisis, pave the way for a more stable country and deliver badly needed reforms.

Iraqis have suffered hardship over nearly two decades, and the vote that came in the footsteps of a widespread anti-establishment popular uprising gave hope that change could happen to the beleaguered nation.

However, like the half a dozen ballots that Iraq has held since the overthrow of former dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003, the latest one has proved that in a deeply flawed political system an election is a problem rather than a solution.

An embarrassingly low voter turnout and a dispute over the elections outcome triggered further distrust in the countrys political parties, leaders, government and the electoral process itself.

Even if the struggling political groups now succeed in forming a sort of coalition government after the traditional horse-trading, any post-election euphoria is unlikely to help to fix Iraq and bring it back on its feet.

As Iraq enters a new year gripped by severe political instability, terrorism, government dysfunction, corruption and increasing foreign meddling, any hopes that the future will bring change to the country look forlorn.

Problems on this scale are usually caused by structural failures and should be addressed by policymakers and analysts beyond focusing only on superficial issues and leaving the rest to resolve themselves.

Nearly nineteen years after the US-led invasion, Iraq is still a fragile and divided country facing a Hamiltonian moment. Its most serious challenge is state and nation-building, not ballots or mere leadership changes, as many in the Iraq expert community hypothesised in regard to the October elections.

By almost any measure, Iraqs experience following the US-led invasion has been a failure. Saddam and his authoritarian Iraqi Baath Party no longer lord it over Iraq, but the Iraqis now are as miserable as they were under Saddam, and they live in greater peril than they did under the dictators rule.

Since the US-led invasion, Iraq has been defined by tensions between its multiple ethnicities, which are fighting for power and resources. The root cause behind this national dilemma is Iraqs governance, which, forged by the US occupation, is built on a sectarian quota system institutionalised as consensus democracy.

The lesson to be learned from the last two decades is a simple one: unless drastic reforms in Iraqs dysfunctional political system are introduced to bring about more efficient and effective governance, there will be dire consequences far into the future.

This call to action is even more imperative as Iraq remains in a situation of perpetual stalemate with high hopes but tepid actions. As the country enters a new era of confusion, attempts should be made to rebuild its political system, government institutions, security forces and civil society.

Alongside its miserable polity, Iraq is facing formidable economic troubles. Despite increased aspirations and hundreds of billions of dollars in oil revenues pouring into the countrys coffers, deep changes to Iraqs economic governance and outcomes have failed to materialise over the last two decades.

As if things were not bad enough under Saddam when the Iraqi economy was devastated by wars, conflict and UN-imposed economic sanctions, matters are a lot worse under the new regime, which remains mired in incompetence and corruption leaving the countrys economy in a shambles.

Iraq is one of the most oil-dependent countries in the world, and oil revenues amount to more than 95 per cent of the countrys exports, which account for 85 per cent of the governments budget and 65 per cent of GDP.

Successive governments in Iraq since Saddams fall have relied on oil revenues to pay salaries and run a broken system with no real investment in infrastructure.

Neglect and corruption have shattered Iraqs economy as thousands of factories and millions of hectares of arable land that took generations to build and cultivate are now sputtering and the country depends on imports of almost all its needs from abroad.

Today, Iraq has the highest proportion of state employees in the world, with about seven million people from its 40 million population living on government salaries and working either in the security forces or in the vast and unproductive bureaucracy.

Even so, as of January 2021, Iraqs unemployment rate was more than 10 percentage points higher than its pre-Covid-19 level of 12.7 per cent.

In comparison with other oil-exporting countries, the rate of growth in Iraq is poor. In a rentier economy, oil price fluctuations have a huge impact on growth, and in Iraqs case the fall in prices has had dire consequences, including the devaluation of the local currency and lower incomes for millions of Iraqis.

The falling prices, which have triggered additional macroeconomic volatility, have been coupled with a deepening Covid-19 crisis, worsening security conditions and potential deterioration in the education system, as well as the intensification of climate change shocks.

A key challenge for the country is the deeply entrenched corruption, which is pervasive at all levels of government. Billions of dollars of oil money have been smuggled out of Iraq in corrupt deals since the 2003 invasion. Consecutive governments since then have promised to tackle corruption through economic and political reforms. But these promises have not been followed through by sufficient action.

Addressing the impacts of these risks means overhauling the entire system in Iraq. They cannot be dealt with by short-term policies or illusionary reforms such as those envisioned in a white paper by Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimis cabinet that is trying to leave them for the next government.

The new government that has yet to be formed must begin with tangible actions to restore trust in order to tackle pandemic challenges and achieve sustainable development. The economic status of the ruling cliques in Iraq says a lot about why the country is still underdeveloped.

Of paramount importance is stopping graft, and one measure of how far this is succeeding will be the degree to which corruption by Iraqs oligarchs is fought. Iraq will not get on the right track until corruption is eliminated. The money that is today spent on corruption could have a positive impact on Iraqs development.

Perhaps Iraqs biggest challenge is to find leaders who can implement change. Since Saddams ouster, Iraq has been saddled with poor leadership, which explains why successive governments have failed to steer the country away from the quagmire and start its reconstruction.

Leadership failure is at the centre of all the countrys challenges after corruption.

It is hard, and probably inaccurate, to refer to the factional leaders who have been in charge of governments in Iraq since 2003 as the countrys political elite or political class. They are kleptocrats who compete with various rivals for power and for the foreign exchange generated by Iraqs lucrative oil reserves.

Kleptocracy in Iraq has introduced corruption, fraud, cronyism, underdeveloped infrastructure, poor leadership and failed development. These things have mostly been caused by the type of leaders empowered to take on leadership positions.

Iraqs future may now centre around waiting for a new type of leaders to emerge who will be capable of carving out a prosperous future for their country by creating long-term sustainable improvements and devise, implement and evaluate reconstruction strategies.

Iraqs current leaders have mismanaged the post-Saddam order. The countrys coming leaders need to find a model that will work for Iraq as they navigate dangerous waters in the years ahead. Iraq remains at a crossroads, and nothing can save it unless its problems are properly addressed.

Unless a new generation of visionary, skilled and trusted leaders emerges and institutions commanding respect are firmly established, there are no reasons to be optimistic about Iraqs future and the country will remain a failed state.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 23 December, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Violence, partisan and military rifts, arms proliferation, and angry protests are but some of the threats endangering the very existence of Sudan, reports Haitham Nouri

Sudan has drastically changed since the military takeover of 25 October, closing the year with more questions than answers and more threats than stability indicators. The current protests on the street are facing challenges never seen during the revolutions that toppled the first and second military regimes.

It is violence that is the greatest cause of worry among the Sudanese, be they civilian, military, tribal; Islamist, liberal or leftist. Arms are widespread and they are not only held by the state, but also by militias, foremost among which are the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), armed resistance movements and large numbers of Bedouin tribes.

Since late October, Sudans streets have been seeing mass demonstrations in protest at sidelining the civilian component from the power-sharing agreement that came into force following the overthrow of Omar Al-Bashir.

If anything, the protests are proof that the latest deal between Army Commander General Abdul-Fattah Al-Burhan and Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok did not resolve the crisis, but rather complicated the matter further.

The deal was publicly rejected, and led to Hamdok losing much of his popularity and legitimacy, cornering him; he either has to find a formula to make amends to Sudanese supporters of the revolution or tender his resignation.

Continuous protests show that the Sudanese people reject the militias and their role in the 25 October events. This manifested in the public chant No to a militia that governs a state.

DIVISIONS: Sudan is clearly divided between the camp of conservative forces, represented by the Native Administration that is made up of tribal leaders, especially in the central west of pastoral tribes, Sufi orders, the Umma Party, representing the Ansar sect, the largest religious sect in the country and Islamists from various fronts, most notably the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafi movement.

This is in addition to the armed movements that fought against Al-Bashirs regime, including the Islamists in Darfur, represented by the Justice and Equality Movement, led by the Minister of Finance Jibril Ibrahim, and the pragmatists such as Arko Minnawi, the leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement. Both Ibrahim and Minnawi have combatants fighting in Libya. The United Nations demanded the exit of these fighters.

All these groups support, and are supported by, the army.

On the other hand, there is the middle class that roughly extends from north Khartoum up until the border with Egypt. It stands in support of the civil forces and was the main contributor in the three revolutions of October 1964, April 1985 and December 2018, which toppled Al-Bashir following five months of protests.

However, the civil camp is replete with rifts, tempting the military to remove it.

Meanwhile, the military camp is also seeing sharp fissures, albeit under the surface. Sudans military, who ruled the country for more than half a century, since its independence from Britain in early 1956, will never accept an armed partner.

This means that the RSF, which belongs to the Armed Forces only as much as the latter needs, is threatened with liquidation or the integration of its elements into the ranks of the army. This was repeatedly rejected by its leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, aka Hamidti, even openly when he said, Leave the RSF to me.

Moreover, armed factions in Darfur and other regions are benefiting from their weapons politically and financially. They refuse to contest the general elections because that would reveal their real influence. These factions, throughout the history of Sudan, have claimed to represent marginalised non-Arab ethnicities, but the fact is they have never been elected by those groups.

Standing in support of the military are two archenemies: the armed movements in Darfur and the RSF whose majority of elements are Janjaweed militias accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity against non-Arab groups in Darfur.

This makes it more difficult for the army to appease its supporters.

DEMANDS: The transitional period in Sudan began with a government of technocrats, which was brought down by politicians, claiming it was unable to take major decisions due to its lack of political cover, in the words of Umma Party leader Othman Al-Bushra.

However, the government of politicians did not have enough professionals, according to Fayez Al-Salik, a former media adviser to the prime minister.

Because the government represented a limited number of parties, the military demanded that it should expand into a broad-based government to represent Sufi orders, tribal forces and armed movements, among others. After the 25 October takeover, the military and its supporters demanded a government of technocrats, putting Hamdok in a difficult position, again.

ANGRY STREET: Since his refusal to accept the finance portfolio in the late period of Al-Bashirs rule, Hamdok, the professional politician with an international face, was accepted among the circles of those who oppose the Muslim Brotherhood regime that remained in power for 30 years.

Indeed, the civil forces agreed to make Hamdok their candidate for prime minister. Increasing his popularity were his economic capabilities and his exceptional acceptance in the West. However, after the deal that reinstalled Hamdok weeks after his house arrest in his position, he lost much of his popularity with the public.

In his first move to pacify the street, Hamdok said he was unable to form a government, regardless of its components, without public support, and that he would resign if he lacked such support. This would detonate a bomb in the midst of the camp of revolutionaries and their civilian supporters who find it difficult to agree with the military on one candidate that would also be welcomed by the West.

Even if Hamdok can find the right formula to appease the street, he will encounter major obstacles when forming a government of technocrats. Jibril Ibrahim, the minister of finance, refuses to step down, which means that Hamdok will not be able to manage the key economic files.

For months Ibrahim stood in opposition to the prime minister and his directives, which resulted in the disruption of much work in one of the most important ministries in the country.

Hamdoks resignation will harm the civilian camp and benefit the military and members of the former regime who belong to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Nonetheless, the conservative camp will not agree on the man to assume the premiership, and it seems this is the reason this position was cancelled during the era of military coups, where the president assumed the position of the prime minister as well.

The civil parties are at present between a rock and a hard place. They are fragile because the Popular Committee in the Neighbourhood is more conservative and has a louder voice.

Convincing the street to accept Hamdok once more is going to be difficult, said Al-Bushra, who was close to his party during the agreement between Hamdok and the army commander. Some people from political parties were swept up in the revolutionary moment of 25 October and complicated the situation even further by raising the ceiling of demands, he added.

EYE ON THE THRONE: A large number of military supporters reiterated their desire to rule Sudan, according to leaks by veteran Sudanese journalist Othman Al-Mirghani, former chief editor of the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper.

Ibrahim told some of his supporters, we want to rule Sudan, while Minnawi said compromising his groups privileges means an all-out war, according to Al-Mirghani.

Hamidti, meanwhile, refuses to integrate his RSF fully into the army.

It is also notable that the strongest group is the RSF, which represents the pastoral Arab tribes of Kordofan and Darfur, led in the field by the Native Administration, a system initiated under British colonialism that grants tribal elders the power to manage the affairs of their followers. One of their strongest points is their control of the huge livestock wealth that belongs to the tribe. Moreover, the collapse of the agricultural sector under Muslim Brotherhood rule limited Sudans exports to livestock and Arabic gum, which is controlled by the tribes of the centre west.

Al-Bashirs government supported these tribes financially and militarily during its war against the demands of non-Arab ethnicities, such as the Fur and Zaghawa.

This kind of support improved the combat skills of the RSF, which gained even more military experience during the war in Yemen, where the RSF had been part of the Arab Coalition forces for several years.

Furthermore, the Sudanese of the west control the leadership of the Umma Party and the Ansar group. In the end, Hamidti is from Ansar, we can support him if the circumstances are suitable, said Al-Bushri.

However, the RSF threatens the Democracy in Sudan bill submitted to the US Congress, which provides for imposing sanctions on leaders of the military and the RSF and their companies, interests and funds seen as being used to impede the transitional period and democratic transition, which could lead to unprecedented international intervention in Sudan should the bill be activated.

Civil War, violence or even involvement in the conflicts of neighbouring countries will allow either international intervention or international negligence. Both are dangerous. Moreover, using armed force by one or more groups will end stability and open the doors of hell on Khartoum.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 23 December, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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The Egyptian Ministry of Environment has advised the elderly, respiratory disease patients and children nationwide to stay indoors on Sunday and Monday due to poor air quality.

Based on reports by the Egyptian Meteorological Authority (EMA) as well as the ministrys early warning system, dust storms are expected to affect an area stretching from the countrys north to northern Upper Egypt on Sunday and Monday, a statement by the ministry said on Saturday.

The dust storms are expected to negatively affect air quality, the ministry added.

Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad urged the elderly and those with chest and respiratory diseases to avoid daily activities in the open air during the 48 hour period to avoid harm, the statement said.

Fouad noted that in the event of rain, the air quality index would rise, reducing the severity of the crisis.

On Saturday, the EMA issued a statement warning that moderate to heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms is expected along the northern coast and Delta on Sunday and Monday.

Citizens can file complaints about air pollution of any kind with the ministry around the clock using the 19808 hotline, or via Whatsapp at 01222693333, the ministry added in Sundays statement.

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Egyptian home services application FilKhedma was acquired for an undisclosed sum by Naspers-backed SweepSouth, a South African online home services platform, the two companies said in a joint statement.

FilKhedma is an Egyptian company established in 2014 to provide high-quality home maintenance and improvement services.

The application operates in Cairo, Giza and Alexandria. It offers a wide range of services ranging from cleaning, plumbing, carpentry, and others to 2000 service partners.

It has already raised significant funding, including from Naspers and the Cairo Angels investment network.

SweepSouth is a South African online platform launched in 2013 to provide home cleaning services across various South African cities.

This acquisition will enable SweepSouth to expand its market share at the same time it is looking to launch new services in South Africa, Egypt, Kenya and Nigeria.

In a joint statement, the CEO and co-founder of SweepSouth Aisha Pandor said that they are "thrilled" to have FilKhedma as part of the company. Pandor also asserted that both companies share the same values and passion.

Co-founder of SweepSouth Alen Ribic asserted that this acquisition allows the company to expand its market to Egypt, a huge market with millions of households.

"Coming together with the FilKhedma team represents the next phase of building SweepSouth into a global platform, Ribic added.

As part of the acquisition, FilKhedma founder and CEO Omar Ramadan will take over as new the entitys chief business officer.

We are happy with this incredible milestone and excited about joining forces with the SweepSouth team to fulfill our vision of empowering providers and delivering quality services in Africa and beyond, Ramadan said.

In parallel with the expansion, SweepSouth is planning to launch a marketing campaign in the first quarter of 2022 to grow its business in Egypt.

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Developments in 2021 affected the security and well-being of all the countries in the world as part of processes that are set to continue into 2022.

The outgoing year brought numerous developments in major international and regional questions, from the fights against Covid-19 and climate change, to the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the region as a whole and renewed attention to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Iranian dimensions of this question.

What all these things have in common is their crucial impact on the security and well-being of all countries and the fact that no one country can handle them alone. The centrality of such issues to international relations brings us to another major development, namely Chinas rise as a superpower. The following are general trends in the Middle East and the rest of the world.

COVID-19: In its rampage across all the world, the Covid-19 pandemic has left hundreds of thousands of dead behind it, while its repercussions have rocked global economic, political and social stability.

All held their breath out of fears that the virus would reach the developing nations in Africa that are not equipped for this type of crisis. Ultimately, the pandemic proved to be a test for the nation-state in both the developed and the developing countries, as well as a test of the efficacy of international cooperation in containing its spread in our closely interconnected world.

When the pandemic hit, people talked about the revolution in their lives, but without defining it and its impacts very clearly. But major crises do more to expose existing conditions than to generate new ones. The world is constantly changing in many ways. When the pandemic hit, it had an exponential effect on both the size and rate of such changes. This has generated qualitatively different circumstances that in turn have become the new normal.

TERRORISM

Another new normal descended on the region with the US withdrawal from Afghanistan after its 20-year war in the country.

In September 2021, Mark Milley, chair of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, declared a logistical success but a strategic failure in Afghanistan. What he meant was that Washington had managed to withdraw its troops and evacuate its supporters in Kabul, but that it had failed to uproot terrorism.

Some two decades ago, the US and its allies sent their troops, drones and other hardware into Afghanistan and elsewhere in the world to hunt down and defeat terrorists. As the battles dragged on, the fight against terrorism began to appear more and more like a forever war, however.

The conclusion that the international community drew was that we simply had to get on with our lives as normally as possible while treating terrorism much the same as organised crime. Of course, this did not mean relaxing intelligence activities, security precautions and the technological development efforts needed to protect airports, airplanes and other vital targets, and to improve security in general.

CHINA

A third new normal is China as a superpower. It is no longer on its way; it has arrived.

China no longer needs the US to fight terrorism in Afghanistan. It is in the process of forging collaborations or alliances towards this end with Pakistan, Russia and Iran, in order to keep Afghanistan from becoming a sponsor of terrorism. Unlike the US, Beijing is not interested in the spread of democracy in Kabul. It is still focused on building itself up as a superpower that leads the world in everything on earth and in the race into space.

If the US once believed that China could not produce another Apple, Amazon or Tesla, it now needs only to look at Chinas Ali Baba, electric cars, satellites, transnationals and Belt and Road Initiative.

What makes the great rise of China so exciting is that it has occurred in tandem with a US exit. One is reminded of a previous era, when the arms race and the US Star Wars Programme wore out the former Soviet Union. But this development has brought something new and different in form and substance. This is not history repeating itself, and there are new phenomena at play and new rules of engagement.

THE MIDDLE EAST

The Middle East began to change in many ways in 2021. Borders did not shift, but patterns of political interests and strategic calculations did.

Perhaps the most salient change was the US withdrawal from Afghanistan along with its agreement with Baghdad to withdraw from Iraq before the end of the year. There was also talk of withdrawing the remainder of US forces from Syria.

The US departure from a region it has grown accustomed to staying in since 11 September 2001 has thrown power balances in the region and the world off kilter. More importantly, the role this superpower played in the region has receded after decades of its being a dominant presence in all the major issues from the Arab-Israeli conflict to nuclear proliferation.

The most recent chapter in the latter issue is the Iranian bid to acquire a nuclear weapon, which led to the Iranian nuclear deal between Tehran and the P5+1 group (China, France, Russia, the UK and the United States, plus Germany) in 2015. Although the former US Trump administration unilaterally withdrew from this agreement in 2018, the Biden administration has entered negotiations in order to revive it.

The details and fate of these negotiations aside, what matters in this context is that the US return to the agreement will round out the image of a US that avoids military confrontations and approaches international politics from the perspective of diplomacy and economic capacity. Countries in this region have been taking measures to accommodate this.

REFORM

The Arab states that withstood the storms of the 2011 Arab Spring have launched sweeping reform processes with their targets set for 2030.

In so doing, they have set themselves on the beginning of the road to the 21st century, and while their reforms differ markedly in approach, philosophy and methodology, each case is informed by the particular history and circumstances of the country in question, whether we are speaking of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries, or of Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia.

Regardless of the many differences, they all share a central trait  namely, they have all taken radical economic reforms as their starting point in emulating models set by the emergent economies in Asia that have achieved such amazing progress over the past four decades. In order to stimulate their economies, they have invested heavily in infrastructure and urban development and upgraded their manufacturing and technological sectors.

If the comprehensiveness of these reform processes did not take on board certain concepts pushed by Western powers and institutions, they were nevertheless inclusive, embracing all the ethnic, religious and other social components of society and all parts of the country.

The Saudi Arabian experience featured an overall westward thrust towards the Red Sea. This has gone beyond the ambitious Neom City project to extend all the way down the Red Sea coast. In like manner, Egypt has embarked on the geographical expansion of its development efforts under the slogan from the Nile Valley to the Sea.

RECONCILIATION

The reaction in the region to the US withdrawal from it has taken the form of an overall trend to restore calm, resolve conflicts and promote reconciliation with an eye to creating the foundations for a regional political and security order able to avert the resurgence of major conflicts and explore solutions to chronic problems.

The Al-Ula Declaration adopted by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit meeting in January 2021 laid the basis for the restoration of relations between the Arab Quartet of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain and Qatar. A similar process occurred later in the year at the Baghdad Summit on Iraqi security that paved the way for talks and potential reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Egypt and Turkey, Egypt and Qatar, and the UAE and Qatar and Turkey.

With regard to Egypt, landmarks in the reconciliation process included the meeting between President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi and Qatari Emir Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani and the exchange of high-level diplomatic visits between Cairo and Ankara.

In the context of the regional trend towards the restoration of calm and the search for regional solutions to regional problems, the course of peace with Israel has taken two directions, both of an economic nature. One is the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum, which includes seven countries, including Palestine, Israel, Jordan and Egypt. The other is the Abraham Accords that the UAE and Bahrain have signed with Israel. These developments support the impression that the Middle East has set in motion arrangements for the post-US withdrawal era.

Many of these trends will carry over into 2022. As far as this region is concerned, I believe the new year will bring stronger momentum towards regional reconciliation and towards resolutions to the Libyan and Syrian crises. The Abraham Accords will most likely gain in impetus, as will strategic moves to further regional collaboration on security, technology and energy.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 23 December, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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As the conflict in Syria enters its 11th year, there is still no solution in sight

There were no significant changes for the Syrian people in 2021, and there was no progress in the crisis that has been tearing the country apart over the last decade. Despite a drop in the intensity of the fighting, both the regime led by Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and the opposition are worried about what will come next and what the countries intervening in the conflict are planning for the next stage.

The opposition began 2021 with the hope that the world would pressure the Syrian regime and its allies to move forward with a political solution to the crisis based on UN Security Council Resolution 2254. This would bring the country a step closer to the dream of a pluralist and democratic state not controlled by the security agencies and not in the hands of one family or sect.

The regime began 2021 with the hope that it could convince the world that it has been victorious militarily in the conflict, that the opposition are terrorists, that it has not committed crimes against humanity, and that it must be recognised as the legitimate Syrian government and reintegrated into the international order. It also wants funds to be allowed to flow into Syria for post-conflict reconstruction.

Neither side has achieved its goals. The opposition is weak and ineffective, and its international support is fragmented. It has remained dependent on external support without mustering influence within the country. The regime has failed to convince the West that it can be reintegrated into the international order, and its propaganda has failed to reverse the Wests outlook.

The Syrian quagmire remains one of the most complicated issues on the international stage today in terms of the humanitarian tragedy in the country, the international refugee problem, the political tensions and the clash of regional and international interests in the Middle East. Syria is a battleground for five regional forces and major world powers, and the crisis in the country remains a threat to the entire region.

It is rare for a regime to remain in power without change for an entire decade under the kind of circumstances seen in Syria today, said Syrian commentator Mounir Shahood. The regime is boasting of its steadfastness and resilience, ignoring the fact that this has been due to external factors and has come at the expense of the country itself.

The regime is ruling a dilapidated country on the brink of starvation through the use of the security forces, deepening the divisions in society, he said.

There were indications in 2021 that the international community intends to rehabilitate the regime despite the horrors that have occurred in Syria over the last decade. The US Biden administration approved an agreement allowing Egyptian gas and electricity to be delivered to Lebanon through Jordan and Syria, violating the US Caesar Act putting sanctions on Syria.

Washington has not objected to Syrias return to Interpol, the international police organisation, which the opposition worries the regime will use to demand the arrest of opposition members. Several senior US officials have also visited Syria and met with regime members, with Washington being content to say that we do not encourage the normalisation of relations with the Syrian regime.

The US Treasury has made exemptions for some activities to continue in Syria despite the sanctions, including allowing NGOs to deal with the regime. Some believe that the Biden administration is no longer interested in Syria, though towards the end of the year Washington said it would not normalise relations with the Syrian regime.

US envoy to Syria Ethan Goldrich said that lifting the sanctions against Damascus was not on the table in the recent US talks with Russia. He said that the US was against normalising ties with the regime and was only making exceptions for humanitarian purposes.

Visits by Arab officials have also not led to normalising relations between their countries and Syria or brought Syria back into the Arab League. The Arab countries expect the latter step can be made if followed by the Syrian regimes facilitating the passage of humanitarian aid, releasing prisoners, allowing the return of refugees and making progress on the political process.

It will be difficult to rehabilitate Al-Assad, said Syrian commentator Saeed Moqbel. Neither the US nor Europe will be able to face the world if they accept a murderous regime whose crimes are well known, he added.

From a moral standpoint, it would be difficult to rehabilitate the regime even without looking at the issue from the global political and security perspectives. The regime wants to give the world the impression that it is close to being widely accepted on the international stage. But this will not happen without genuine political change.

Meanwhile, the opposition has had few successes in making its case better known. International interest has not increased, and the opposition has not been able to make a dent in the Constitutional Committee assigned by the UN to draft a new constitution. It has remained fragmented due to diverging ideologies, interests and supporters.

The opposition continued to attend meetings of the Constitutional Committee in 2021, including the sixth round of talks. It has remained proactive in its desire to make progress on a new constitution, and it has accepted some proposals by the regime about constitutional principles. However, on the last day of the sixth round of the talks, the regime delegation rejected all the ideas discussed, returning to Damascus with little care for international opinion.

While the opposition has been unable to force the regime to respect UN resolutions or make progress in the constitutional process, this is because the international community has not put pressure on the Syrian regime and its Russian ally to forge ahead with drafting a new constitution.

Iran has also made gains in Syria in 2021. It has converted its military influence into societal penetration by manipulating demographics and spreading Shiism, trying to gradually take control of an already fragile economy.

As the Syrian conflict approaches its 11th year, there is no solution in sight. There can only be a solution if Russia and the US reach an agreement as part of a solution based on UN Security Council Resolution 2254, the opposition says.

The language used during the war is no longer relevant, and the words regime and opposition mean nothing now, Shahood said. No one has won this conflict, and Syria will never return to how it was. It is currently governed by delicate regional and international balances that are difficult to determine, he added.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 23 December, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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The Yemeni crisis is much the same at the end of the outgoing year as it has been during the past six years since the Saudi-led Arab Coalition launched Operation Decisive Storm in March 2015: there is still no end in sight.

Like other irregular wars, the one in Yemen will not produce a winner or a loser. Nevertheless, the peacemaking efforts continue to flounder, and this applies not only to the battle between the internationally recognised government of Yemen and the Ansarullah (Houthi) insurrection, but also to the crisis between the government and the secessionist Southern Transitional Council.

If anything, 2021 brought increased military escalation with its consequent toll on an already disastrous humanitarian situation.

The new administration that came to power in Washington at the outset of this year has failed to live up to the hopes pinned on it and achieve a breakthrough in the Yemeni conflict. The attention that US President Joe Biden gave to the Yemeni question in his inaugural address gave the impression that it would receive almost as much priority as the Chinese and Russian questions. This impression was reinforced when the Biden administration revoked the terrorist designation that Washington had applied to the Houthis in the final days of the Trump administration.

In so doing, Biden hoped to give the Houthis an incentive to make peace, towards which end he appointed Tim Lenderking as the US special envoy to Yemen in order to help restart the stalled negotiations. Washington also helped draw up a new plan for a negotiation process, billing it as a new peace initiative from the Arab Coalition. It told Iran that it had to cease its support for the Houthis and its regional expansionist policies as a precondition for the resumption of the nuclear agreement with Tehran.

None of these efforts played out as planned. Iran is more embroiled in Yemen than ever, after having rejected any linkage between its regional policies and Washingtons return to the agreement.

On the negotiating front, the meetings hosted by Oman between the Houthis and the US and UN envoys have made no progress, the main reason being that the Houthis were unwilling to halt their offensive against Marib despite all the incentives.

Neither a plan to demarcate spheres of influence at the ceasefire lines in Marib upon the conclusion of a ceasefire or offers to reopen Sanaa Airport and the Hodeida Seaport could sway the Houthis from their determination to seize Marib. As they pushed further into Marib, they upped their conditions, and as they advanced into Shabwa they acquired additional means of pressure.

In the Gulf, officials began to complain that Washington was abandoning its allies by attempting to halt the war at their expense. Saudi Arabia and the UAE want an end to the war, but they feel that the US strategy has been unclear and that Washington has handed the Houthis gifts without exacting anything in return from them or from Iran.

No sooner were the Houthis removed from Washingtons terror list than they ratcheted up drone and missile attacks against Saudi oil installations and military sites. Washingtons behaviour conflicted with important US aims and interests in the region, especially maritime security in the Red Sea and alleviating Yemens humanitarian crisis.

In the Yemeni zero-sum game, as the Houthis gained ground and carried out increased strikes against Saudi Arabia and targeted civilians in Marib and its vicinity, Lenderkings tours in the Gulf were reduced to stocktaking visits and opportunities to restate US positions.

On the battlefield itself, the Coalition-backed Joint Forces, an attempted merger of pro-government forces and some southern militias, failed to make significant progress. Either there was no feasible plan or the main aim was merely to block the Houthis advance, which also failed despite massive air support from the coalition.

Not only were the Joint Forces poorly integrated and insufficiently trained, but they sometimes also seemed to lack the will to fight. According to sources in Yemen, some of the factions in the Joint Forces acted as though the battle in the north was not their battle, but a coalition one.

The Houthi forces also encountered some cohesion and recruitment problems. As they expanded their military reach, their losses climbed, but they also found it increasingly difficult to muster troops from local tribes that had already made huge sacrifices. Some tribes began to openly rebel, to which the Houthis responded by notching up coercive tactics that included eliminating local tribal leaders.

The Houthis increasing recourse to drones and missiles is a reflection of their dwindling troop numbers, but their intensified drone and missile attacks against vital economic and civil targets in Saudi Arabia may also have other objectives.

Their targets have ranged from the Asir region across Yemens northern border to as far as Jeddah and the Saudi capital. If these strikes have reflected the Houthis growing offensive capacities, the Saudis, thanks to US training support, have simultaneously developed their ability to intercept hostile missiles. According to official estimates, Saudi Arabia has prevented 90 per cent of Houthi missiles and drones from reaching their targets.

A turning point came in November 2021 when the Saudis shifted from a defensive to a deterrent footing and began striking targets in the Yemeni capital such as Sanaa Airport. Riyadh stated that the airport was no longer a civilian facility since the Houthis had converted it into a military one.

The Saudi shift from reaction to action and targeting Houthi locations in the capital aims to reverse Houthi military advances by forcing the group to recoil to the centre of the country. After the Saudi bombardment of Sanaa Airport, the Houthis will not easily be able to bring it back into operation. They had long hoped to be able to pressure the coalition into lifting its blockade.

Politically, the foregoing translates into a turning point in the international mood as concerns the Houthis. The US has once again begun to add Houthi individuals and entities to its terror blacklist. It may also have given the green light to the Saudi attacks against locations in Sanaa, as long as civilian collateral damage was kept to a minimum.

Clearly, Washington realises that some effective military pressure needs to be brought to bear on the Houthis and that it only has to give the nod for others to do it. Another sign of change in Washington was the Congressional approval in December of an arms contract with Riyadh that had previously been suspended in the framework of the administrations decision to put a hold on all arms contracts related to US weapons used in the war in Yemen.

The outgoing year brought renewed political fissuring in the south. The power-sharing agreement that Riyadh brokered between the Yemeni government and the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in November 2019 remains unimplemented. It has proved impossible to melt the ice between the two sides since the ceasefire along the front to the north of Aden.

But the STC has continued to act cordially towards the Saudi-backed government of Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, and it agreed to let Maeen Abdulmalik, whom Hadi appointed prime minister, to exercise his duties from within the country in Aden, rather than from Riyadh where the Hadi government has been based since the Houthi insurrection.

More recently, however, there have been reports of tensions between the prime minister and the president. To compound the fracturing in the south, Ahmed Obaid Bin Dagher, the speaker of the Yemeni Shura Council, announced an initiative to end the war and restart the Yemeni National Dialogue.

Bin Dagher said that the Arab Coalition had strayed from its aims and that Hadi lacked the means to manage the situation. Despite his political weight as a leader of the General Peoples Congress Party and as the prime minister who preceded Abdulmalik, Bin Daghers initiative failed to gain traction, even among political allies.

While the south has not experienced full-scale war, the humanitarian situation there is grim due to a lack of resources and a deterioration in basic services, such as electricity, healthcare and hygiene. Public discontent is mounting.

Ironically, this has not lent impetus to the Southern Movements call for a return to the pre-unification period in Yemen. Against the backdrop of the current hardships, most southerners say they want to see prosperity return to their region before any fighting to restore the independent southern state. But prospects of any economic upturn are remote, given the state of collapse of the Yemeni economy.

For the Yemenis as a whole, the watershed that will shift the situation in favour of peace is nowhere in sight. The interplay between stakeholders at home and abroad suggests that they are too set on their different agendas to see shared interests or the possibility of building common ground.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 23 December, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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A Cairo Criminal Court sentenced Mahmoud Ezzat  the acting supreme guide of the Muslim Brotherhood  in a retrial on Sunday to life in prison for collaborating with the Palestinian group Hamas and other foreign organisations and disclosing information pertaining to Egypts national security.

According to the prosecutions investigation on the case that dates back to 2013, Ezzat, along with others, is charged with committing acts that undermine the independence, unity, and territorial integrity of the country.

A life sentence in Egypt carries 25 years in jail.

The official charges levelled against the defendants are communicating with foreign organisations with the aim of committing terrorist acts inside the country and financing terrorism to achieve the purposes of the international organisation formally known as the Muslim Brotherhood.

Investigations showed that the defendants cooperated with elements affiliated with a terrorist group in Sinai and qualified others to spread rumors to influence public opinion.

Ezzat, who was arrested in 2020, was first handed a death sentence in absentia in 2015.

Under Egyptian law, in absentia convictions must be re-tried once the defendant is apprehended.

Todays ruling against Ezzat, who is currently standing trial in other cases, can be appealed.

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Egypt and Libya announced on Sunday that they will launch an electronic link system that will allow Egyptian workers willing to work in Libya to apply for jobs and travel to the Arab country this week.

The Egyptian Ministry of Manpower will be the only entity in charge of transferring Egyptian workers to Libya through the electronic linkage system, a statement by the ministry said.

The remarks were made during a meeting for the Egyptian-Libyan Technical Committee between Egypts Minister of Manpower Mohamed Saafan and his Libyan counterpart, Ali Al-Abed, in Cairo.

The committee seeks to coordinate the return of Egyptian labour to Libya to participate in the reconstruction of the Arab country, the ministry said.

The Libyan side will receive job applications in the required specialties through the electronic linkage system, according to the statement.

The system seeks to save time and effort for Libyan companies willing to bring in Egyptian workers through the Egyptian ministry without any brokers or mediators.

This provides the necessary protection for Egyptian labour from falling into the clutches of fraud from fictitious companies, especially since most of Egyptian labour is ready to return to work on Libyan lands, the ministry said.

Companies operating in Libya are looking for thousands of skilled Egyptian workers, Al-Abed, the Libyan labour and rehabilitation minister said.

In April, Egypt announced forming a ministerial committee to examine frameworks for the return of Egyptian workers to Libya.

The announcement came after a visit by a governmental delegation  comprising Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and 11 ministers  to Tripoli for talks on development in Libya.

The return of Egyptian labour was part of numerous MoUs and agreements signed between the two countries during the visit.

Speaking in a press conference during the visit, Madbouly said Libya had embraced 3 million Egyptian workers until 2011.

Since the 2011 uprising in Libya, which toppled the regime of Moammar Gadhafi, the Egyptian foreign ministry repeatedly called for Egyptian expats to leave Libya.

The number of Egyptian expats dramatically dropped due to the deadly conflicts in Libya since then, with no official reports on the number of Egyptian workers who still remain in Libya.

In September, Al-Abed announced the launch of the Wafid portal to regulate the flow of foreign labour into Libya.

In an interview with Al-Ahram in September, Al-Abed said the portal would help safeguard workers rights by documenting the exact number of workers in the country, their places of work, and their specialisation, as well as whether they work for companies or individuals.

The application will end the old crisis that used to happen in the past when fake companies were used to bring workers to Libya, said the minister, adding that at the same time, any worker who is not registered in the application will be considered an illegal migrant and the Libyan government would not be responsible for them.

On the other hand, registered workers will have privileges provided by the Libyan government like health and social insurance as well as a retirement pension that can be transferred to Egypt. The workers can also bring their families according to Al-Abed.

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Egypt has started sending text notifications to fully vaccinated individuals detailing appointment slots for booster shots of the coronavirus vaccine, as the health authorities appropriate booster types.

The additional shot, meant to provide stronger and longer-lasting protection against the virus and its new variant, may be different from the two initial doses, according to a recently issued circular by the Egyptian Ministry of Health.

Except for the Sputink vaccine, the booster shots for all the vaccines used in the Egyptian inculcation campaign can match the initial doses, with other types recommended as second option in case of the unavailability of the primary vaccines.

People who received two shots of either the AstraZeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines may be offered booster shots of the other two types.

Those who received the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine may be offered a second shot from AstraZeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna.

Those who took two shots of the Sinopharm vaccine may be offered boosters from Sinovac, AstraZeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna, while those who took Sinovac shots may be offered boosters from Sinopharm, AstraZeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna.

The recipients of Sputnik vaccine will not be offered booster shots from the same vaccine, according to the health ministry's circular, but will be offered shots from AstraZeneca or Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna.

The country is currently prioritising the booster shot, which is optional, for an initial group totaling around 4.1 million whose health and work conditions put them at elevated risk of contracting the virus.

The group includes patients who suffer from immunodeficiency, patients undergoing immunosuppressive therapy, the elderly, and healthcare workers, the government announced in late November.

Egypt has so for administered some 52 million COVID-19 vaccine doses since the launch of its mass campaign in January.

Acting Health Minister Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar said on Thursday that the country has currently 64.5 million vaccine doses available for use and will secure up to an additional 23 million booster shots till 30 June 2022.

Omicron plan

Abdel-Ghaffar said on Sunday that Egypt has already prepared a proactive plan to deal with the new Omicron variant, of which the country detected three cases on Thursday.

"We are not worried about Omicron and there is nothing to be afraid of. The health [ministry] has made all the necessary preparations to confront any changes to [coronavirus] infections in Egypt," Abdel-Ghaffar added.

The detected Omicron cases are "quite stable," he told reports during the launch of a national campaign to vaccinate children against polio earlier today.

He added that the Delta plus variant is more dominant globally than Omicron and also causes more complications, offering assurances that the country has tracing and surveillance system in-place that is able to detect any Omicron cases among the arrivals at any of the country's different ports.

Three Egyptian nationals returning from abroad were found to have the variant among 26 arrivals that tested positive for coronavirus at Cairo International Airport on Thursday, the Egyptian health ministry announced on Friday.

Egypt has recently tightened pandemic-related safety measures at its ports, including imposing travel restrictions on travellers coming from south African countries where the new variant  which the World Health Organisation labeled a "variant of concern"  emerged.

Entry into Egypt by land, sea or air is limited to arrivals who are vaccinated with a vaccine approved by the WHO or the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA); otherwise, arrivals must present a negative PCR test certificate or undergo testing upon arrival.

Passengers coming from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Eswatini, Mozambique and Lesotho to Cairo as a final destination or stopping at Cairo International Airport as a transit point before reaching their final destination will take a rapid test, with positive cases to be deported and negative cases to undergo an additional seven day self-isolation period.

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The northern governorates of Cairo, Giza, Kafr El-Sheikh, Damietta, Beheira, Alexandria, and Matrouh announced the suspension of classes in all public and private schools on Monday due to incoming bad weather.

Alexandria and Matrouh, both coastal governorates, have already suspended classes today.

Alexandria Governor Mohamed El-Sherif also ordered a paid-day-off on Sunday and Monday for female employees who have children under the age of 12.

The Ministry of Health also declared a state of maximum preparedness at hospitals in all governorates as part of its plan to deal with the turbulent weather, an official statement circulated on social media read.

According to the statement, Health Ministry Spokesman Hossam Abdel-Ghaffar said that ambulances have been deployed in remote areas and on highways in anticipation of any accidents or injuries caused by any possible rain and dust storms.

Moderate to heavy rain is expected on Monday along parts of the northern coast and northern Delta, the Egyptian Meteorological Authority (EMA) said on Sunday.

This includes the governorates of Matrouh, Alexandria, Beheira, Kafr El-Sheikh, Damietta, Daqahliya, and Port Said.

Moderate rainfall is also expected in parts of Greater Cairo, the southern Delta, the Suez Canals cities, and northern Upper Egypt, the EMA added.

This includes the governorates of Gharbiya, Sharqiya, Menoufiya, Beni Suef, Fayoum, and Minya.

Furthermore, dusty winds are expected to affect an area stretching from the countrys north to northern Upper Egypt on Monday, causing colder temperatures and poor vision, the EMA said.

In a statement on Saturday, the Ministry of Environment urged the elderly and those with chest and respiratory diseases to avoid any activities in the open air on Sunday and Monday to avoid falling ill.

Fouad noted that in the event of rain, the air quality index would rise, reducing the severity of the expected weather conditions.

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With Egypt announcing this week its first cases of the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus, MPs voiced their concern regarding the governments efforts to counter this dangerous development in a session on Sunday.

In a question directed to Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, independent MP Mohamed Abdallah Zein El-Din said that the detection of the Omicron variant should have pushed Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar, the minister of higher education and acting minister of health, to hold a press conference to announce the complete details of the new Omicron cases and what measures the government intends to take to contain the highly transmissible and contagious virus.

Zein El-Din also asked if the government has the financial resources to combat the Omicron variant and if the treatment protocols used by the Ministry of Health-affiliated hospitals are effective enough to stem the spread of this new dangerous variant of the coronavirus

Furthermore, he proposed that representatives from the ministries of health, local development, finance, health, and higher education hold an urgent meeting to answer the medias questions on the new variant and explain how the government is preparing to deal with it.

Meanwhile, MP Akram El-Biyaddi, a member of the opposition Egyptian Social Democratic Party, asked about the whereabouts of the actual Minister of Health, Hala Zayed.

On 28 October, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly issued a decree appointing Minister Abdel-Ghaffar as the acting minister of health.

Prime Minister Madbouly said that Minister Abdel-Ghaffar would undertake the duties of Health Minister Zayed until she recovers from her health problems, said El-Biyaddi.

He added that even though PM Madboulys decree is now more than a month old, with some media reports revealing that Zayed made a recovery and was discharged from the hospital, and that the prosecution-general announced that some officials at Zayeds office were arrested on corruption charges, no new decrees were issued on whether Zayed would be dismissed or if she had decided to resign or if she still intends to reassume her position as the minister of health.

El-Biayddi also said that while it is a constitutional fact that it is up to the president of the republic and the prime minister to dismiss cabinet ministers or delegate the duties of some of them to others, and while the minister of higher education is doing a good job as an acting minister of health, the current state affairs may need a minister that is not juggling two ministries at the same time.

On 29 October, then health ministry spokesperson Khaled Megahed revealed that Zayed had suffered from a heart attack on 26 October and that she was transferred to the hospital to receive treatment.

While some Egyptian media reports claimed that Zayed left the hospital and returned to her home, others say she was taken abroad to receive treatment.

Two days prior, Egypts prosecutor-general Hamada El-Sawy said that a number of officials inside the Ministry of Health are being investigated for corruption. The prosecutors office said it would announce all the details about the case when it is appropriate to do so and in a way that preserves the integrity of the investigation.

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The Democratic Republic of Congo army and its Ugandan allies said Sunday they had destroyed rebel "strongholds" in the country's restive east this week, in a campaign launched last month against ADF rebels.

Troops from the two countries bombarded "new enemy camps identified in the Beni district of North Kivu province and in Ituri province" to the north, the DR Congo armed forces said in a statement posted to Twitter.

Since the joint operation was launched on November 30, soldiers had initially improved the region's roads to make troop movements easier.

The army said it had attacked positions of the Allied Democratic Forces, accused of massacres in eastern DR Congo and bomb blasts in Uganda in the Virunga national park.

Meanwhile in Ituri, the armed forces said they had "captured 35 ADF terrorists" from several villages in the Irumu district between December 13 and 15.

Uganda's army had said Saturday that the allies would "step up the operations in different sectors now that the terrorists are no longer encamped, having been dislodged from their former strongholds".

So far, the armies have not made public a toll of dead or wounded in the anti-ADF push.

They said on December 11 that they had arrested 35 rebels, destroyed four camps and freed 31 Congolese hostages.

On Sunday, they also asked local people to provide the troops with information on the ADF.

Congolese army spokesman in the Beni region, Antony Mualushayi, said soldiers had arrested a civil society figure in the town of Mbau, not far from the fighting, for "passing intelligence to the terrorists".

Several attacks that killed at least eight this week in villages in Ituri have been blamed on ADF fighters "fleeing the joint military operation", one military official said.

The ADF was historically a Ugandan rebel coalition whose biggest group comprised Muslims opposed to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.

But it established itself in eastern DRC in 1995, becoming the deadliest of scores of outlawed forces in the troubled region.

It has been blamed for the killings of thousands of civilians over the past decade in the DRC, as well as for bombings in Uganda.

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The US emphasized the vital contribution their defence partnership with Qatar provides for the security and stability of the region, vowing to continue the relationship in the coming year.

The US state department said on Sunday that "this strong and lasting partnership is key to successfully combating terrorism, countering violent extremism and deterring external aggression."

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed comfort over continued economic and security cooperation with Qatar.

"The bond between the United States and Qatar has never been stronger, thanks to our extraordinary partnership this year to address regional and global challenges," he said in a statement by the State Department.

"I have no doubt our friendship, economic ties, cultural exchanges, and security cooperation will continue to deepen in the year ahead."

Blinken made his remarks on the 50th anniversary of Qatars National Day.

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Tens of thousands of Sudanese protesters rallied Sunday to mark three years since the start of mass demonstrations that led to the ouster of strongman Omar al-Bashir, as fears mount for the democratic transition.

Security forces fired tear gas at a huge crowd of protesters near the republican palace in the capital Khartoum, chanting slogans against the current military chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who led a coup on October 25.

"The people want the downfall of Burhan", protesters shouted.

The generals had initially detained civilian leader Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok for weeks under effective house arrest, but reinstated him on November 21.

But the move alienated many of Hamdok's pro-democracy supporters, who dismissed it as providing a cloak of legitimacy for Burhan's coup.

Hamdok, who has argued he wants to avoid further bloodshed, warned late Saturday of "the country's slide toward the abyss," urging restraint from the protesters.

"We're facing today a sizeable regression in the path of our revolution that threatens the security of the nation, its unity and its stability," Hamdok said.

Protest organisers have however vowed, in a key slogan, "No negotiation, no partnership and no legitimacy".

Previous protests against the military takeover have been forcibly dispersed by the security forces.

Nationwide, at least 45 people have been killed and scores more wounded, according to the independent Doctors' Committee.

On Sunday, authorities shut off bridges linking the capital Khartoum with its twin city Omdurman, but large crowds still gathered.

"The numbers are huge and security forces can't control them," said Mohamed Hamed, who saw the protests in Omdurman.

Military in 'complete control'

December 19 has a particular resonance in Sudanese history.

Not only was it the day in 2018 when thousands launched mass protests that ended Bashir's three decades in power, it was also the day in 1955 when Sudanese lawmakers declared independence from British colonial rule.

Following Bashir's ouster, a joint military-civilian transitional government took power but the troubled alliance was shattered by Burhan's power grab.

"The coup has put obstacles in the way of the democratic transition and has given the military complete control over politics and the economy," Ashraf Abdel-Aziz, chief editor of the independent Al-Jarida newspaper, told AFP.

Sudan's military dominates lucrative companies specialising in everything from agriculture to infrastructure projects.

The prime minister said last year that 80 percent of the state's resources were "outside the finance ministry's control".

"The security apparatus has won out over political institutions. The success of a democratic transition rests on political action being the driving force," Abdel-Aziz said.

Khaled Omer, a minister in the ousted government, said the coup was a "catastrophe" but also "an opportunity to rectify the deficiencies" of the previous political arrangement with the army.

He warned that anything could happen over the next few months with the military still firmly in power.

"If the main political actors don't get their act together and the miliary establishment doesn't distance itself from politics, then all scenarios are on the table," Omer said.

Gains unravelling

The November 21 agreement also set July 2023 as the date for Sudan's first free elections since 1986.

Hamdok said he partnered with the military to "stop the bloodshed" that resulted from its crackdown on protests, and so as not to "squander the gains of the last two years".

But those achievements have been unravelling, as the political turbulence in Khartoum rekindles conflicts in Sudan's far-flung regions that Hamdok's government had made a priority to resolve.

A peace deal signed with key rebel groups last year saw the main conflict in Darfur subside, but the region remains awash with weapons and nearly 250 people have been killed in ethnic clashes over the past two months.

Some of the Arab militias that Bashir's government used as a counter-insurgency force in its infamous campaign in the early 2000s against ethnic minority rebels, have been integrated into the security apparatus.

Critics say the deal did nothing to bring them to account.

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At least eight Palestinians were injured by Israeli gunfire Saturday as clashes broke out between Palestinian civilians and Israeli soldiers in the village of Burqa, north of the West Bank city of Nablus, WAFA reported.

The clashes erupted after soldiers intervened to protect dozens of Israeli settlers who attacked the entrance of the village village.

The most recent clash came a day after a series of attacks by settlers on the village left several homes damaged, and one property set afire.

Attacks and vandalism by settlers targeting the village in particular and other areas in the West Bank in general intensified over the past two days.

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Envoys from 57 Islamic nations as well as observer delegations were meeting in Pakistan Sunday for a summit aimed at relieving the humanitarian crisis in neighbouring Afghanistan, while testing diplomatic ties with its new Taliban rulers.

The meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation is the biggest major conference on Afghanistan since the US-backed government fell in August.

After the Taliban's lightning return to power, billions of dollars in aid and assets were frozen by the international community, and the nation of 38 million now faces a bitter winter.

The United Nations has repeatedly warned that Afghanistan is on the brink of the world's worst humanitarian emergency with a combined food, fuel and cash crisis.

On Sunday, Pakistan's capital was on lockdown, ring-fenced with barbed wire barriers and shipping-container roadblocks where police and soldiers stood guard.

Any aid pledges were set to be announced Sunday evening.

Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is among the delegates, alongside others from the United States, China, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations.

Pakistani officials said 70 delegations were taking part.

No nations have yet formally recognised the Taliban government and diplomats face the delicate task of channelling aid to the stricken Afghan economy without also propping up the hardline Islamists.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said the meeting would speak "for the people of Afghanistan" rather than "a particular group".

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were the only three countries to recognise the previous Taliban government of 1996 to 2001.

Qureshi said there was a difference between "recognition and engagement" with the new order in Kabul.

"Let us nudge them through persuasion, through incentives, to move in the right direction," he told reporters ahead of the OIC meeting.

"A policy of coercion and intimidation did not work. If it had worked, we wouldn't have been in this situation."

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Chile chooses Sunday between far-right and leftist candidates for a president to lead the country through a period of constitutional change amid a clamor for social reform.

The country of 19 million people is on edge, fearing renewed mass protests in response to the outcome of the neck-and-neck race between ultra-conservative lawyer Jose Antonio Kast, 55, and former student activist Gabriel Boric, a millennial 20 years Kast's junior.

For a country that has voted centrist since the democratic ousting of brutal dictator Augusto Pinochet 31 years ago, there is a stark choice between two political outsiders, one promising a "social welfare" state, the other a continuation of Chile's neo-liberal economic model.

Many fear the socially and fiscally conservative policies of law-and-order candidate Kast -- an apologist for Pinochet, who is also anti-same-sex marriage and abortion and a proponent of cutting taxes and social spending.

Others are put off by Boric's political alliance with the Communist Party, which many in Chile equate with the failure of Venezuela, from where it hosts many migrants widely blamed for a rise in crime.

Socially liberal Boric, who has taken up the mantle of Chile's 2019 anti-inequality uprising, has vowed to increase social spending in a country with one of the world's largest gaps between rich and poor.

'Very nervous'

Polls opened at 8:00 am (1100 GMT) and after casting his ballot, Boric reiterated his plans for "a more humane Chile, a more dignified Chile, a more egalitarian Chile."

Kast, for his part, emphasized the country needed "justice, order, security."

Boric pledged to recognize the election's outcome, unlike Kast who said he might seek a recount if the final margin is under 50,000 votes.

"We have hope, we believe that we will enter another stage in Chile, a stage where we can test the concept of the welfare state," Boric-backer Sebastian Vera, a 35-year-old history teacher, told AFP on his way to the ballot box.

But if Kast wins, he said, "I am afraid of a setback... to a place where our neo-liberal system will become even tougher than it already is."

Nataly Hidd, a 32-year-old civil servant, said she was "scared of what can happen to my country" after Sunday's vote.

"There will be protests, one way or the other."

Student Nicolas Julio, 21, said he too was scared.

"I don't trust either of the two," he said, adding he "panicked" over having to decide which candidate was "the lesser evil."

Kast edged out six other candidates in the first presidential election round in November to take the top spot, with 27.9 percent of the vote.

Boric came second, with 25.8 percent.

Both candidates have softened their policy proposals in a bid to appeal to Chileans left without an obvious candidate when they split the centrist vote in the first round, leaving only the two antipodes.

There will be 'noise'

Chile has a high abstention rate, with about 50 percent of its 15 million eligible voters regularly giving the ballot box a wide berth.

The country is going through profound change after voting overwhelmingly last year in favor of drawing up a new constitution to replace the one enacted in the Pinochet years.

This was in response to an anti-inequality social uprising in 2019 that left dozens dead and prompted the government to call a referendum.

The drafting process, in the hands of a largely left-leaning body elected in May, must yield a constitution for approval next year, on the new president's watch.

The campaign has been polarized, with much antagonistic messaging and misinformation offensives.

President Sebastian Pinera, who leaves office with a low approval rating, said Sunday the country was living in "an environment of excessive polarization, confrontation, disputes."

After casting his vote, he urged citizens to do the same for the sake of a better Chile.

"I feel sometimes that the country is better than politics because I see... that the people have more capacity for dialogue, for agreement, for understanding than politics."

Analyst Patricio Nava of New York University told AFP there is likely to be unrest, or at least unease, ahead.

"There is going to be some noise, be it in the stock markets" if Boric wins, "or in the streets," if Kast prevails.

Whoever ends up victorious, governing will not be easy with a Congress split almost 50-50, requiring negotiation on every policy proposal and compromise.

Polls close at 6:00 pm (2100 GMT) and results are expected a few hours later.

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The Saudi United Electronics Company (EXtra) announced on Sunday that it will establish a fully owned subsidiary in Egypt with an initial direct investment of up to EGP 1 billion.

The company said that the new facility will be its first expansion outside the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, adding that the investment will be funded through internal cash flows and borrowing.

The company has 18 years of experience in the consumer electronics sector.

This step comes to strengthen the companys regional footprint, and to support its strategy to diversify sources of income and maximize profits through offering the best value to its customers, which will add real value to its shareholders, the company said in a statement.

It also added that it will immediately start obtaining the approvals and licenses from all concerned parties needed to establish the subsidiary.

The company noted that further announcements would elaborate on any material developments and financial impact of incorporating the new facility.

Saudi Arabia is the second largest investor in Egypt, with investments surpassing $6 billion distributed across more than 500 investment projects, according to Egypts Ministry of Trade and Investment.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow to Egypt recorded $ 5.9 billion in 2020, accounting for 14.5 percent of the USD 40.5 billion invested in the region, according to a recent report published by Arab Investment and Export Credit Guarantee Corporations Investment.

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The Ministry of Education continued its efforts to modernise the Egyptian education system by introducing new techniques in teaching and examining K-12 students. The new system, which Education Minister Tarek Shawki has been working on since 2018, emphasises students ability to undertake research and use technology rather than memorise and learn by rote.

In Junes Thanawaya Amma exams, rather than traditional essay questions, for the first time students answered a set of multiple-choice questions on bubble sheets, and were allowed to consult text books during the exam.

The students, who sat three trial online exams between April and June, were told days before the actual exams that they would be answering the questions using bubble sheets, a technique which they had never tried.

While 81.5 per cent of students passed their exams in 2019-20, last year the figure fell to 74 per cent. This year 154,000 students had to re-sit exams in one or two subjects, compared to 1,000 in the previous year. Lower grades this year have also led universities to reduce their minimum qualifications, in the case of medicine faculties from 97 per cent to 90.7 per cent. Around 500,000 students have complained about their grades and asked for regrading.

While Covid-19 impacted heavily on the 2020-21 school year, with many schools closing and families refusing to send their children to school for fear of their falling sick, the Education Ministry made it clear that 2021-22 would be a regular academic year. Teachers and school staff were required to be vaccinated before the beginning of the year, and in November it was agreed with the Ministry of Health that students aged between 15 and 18 be given the Pfizer vaccine.

Early in the year the 20 per cent on foreign ownership of private schools was removed in an attempt to attract investment to the sector. According to Reda Hegazi, deputy to the minister of education, LE130 billion is needed to establish new schools, an amount which the ministrys budget falls well short of covering.

The education budget for the year 2020-21, says Hegazy, was LE157.58 billion, of which 94 per cent was spent on salaries.

Limited resources were reflected in images of students sitting on the floors of overcrowded classrooms that went viral at the beginning of the school year, placing Shawki under fire.

The Ministry of Education also says there is a nationwide shortage of 320,000 teachers across Egypts 57,000 schools, and announced in October it was hiring part-time teachers for the 2021-22 school year to make up for the shortage. Part-time applicants, who should be less than 50, will teach a maximum of 24 classes a week, and be paid LE20 per class.

In addition to using the Knowledge Bank and the YouTube educational channels, students now have access to three specialised television channels, Madrasetna (Our School) 1, 2 and 3. Launched in 2021, the channels cover the primary, preparatory, and secondary curricula.

Shawki revealed earlier this month that the three branches of the current Thanaweya Amma system  science, mathematics, and arts  will be merged into two by academic year 2022-23. The science and mathematics sections will be joined, allowing all science students to obtain the mathematical knowledge required for their preferred university majors, said Shawki.

The minister said the curricula will be changed in a number of subjects to avoid overburdening students. Dozens of MPs have tabled questions requesting details of the changes.

Meanwhile, on 7 December the cabinet approved amendments to Law 126/2006 penalising parents who fail to send their children to school. They could now face a fine of LE500-LE1,000, and their access to public services be curtailed should the offence be repeated.

Egypts constitution stipulates free and compulsory education for all children between the ages of six and 15.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 23 December, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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In 2021, the government continued the roll-out of universal health insurance despite challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic

This year saw the roll-out of Egypts ambitious system of universal health insurance (UHI) in Ismailia, Luxor, and North Sinai, reports Reem Leila. The three governorates followed Port Said, where a UHI pilot project was implemented in 2019. The first phase of UHI implementation is also slated to include the governorates of South Sinai, Aswan, and Suez and, according to Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait, who chairs the UHI Authority, should be completed by the end of the current fiscal year.

UHI is the flagship project of the New Republic, the foundations of which were laid by President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi, Maait said in October. Priority in implementing the system is being given to Egypts poorest governorates. Rolling out the system across the whole of Egypt will take 10 years, with Cairo included in the sixth and final phase, and when complete the UHI will ensure all citizens, regardless of income or location, have access to quality healthcare.

Egypts 2014 constitution placed health services at the heart of the development agenda, mandating a minimum budget allocation of three per cent of GDP. Though it was originally envisaged that a nationwide roll-out would take 15 years, the system, says Maait, is now on track to become fully operational within a decade.

The overall cost of the first phase of the rollout, according to Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar, the minister of higher education and scientific research and acting health minister, is LE51.2 billion, which covers improvements to health facility infrastructure, medical and non-medical equipment, and three months operating and administrative costs.

In addition to primary healthcare, UHI will cover more than 3,000 medical services, including surgery, analysis, radiology, tumour treatment, organ transplants, prosthetic devices, visual and audio aids, dental treatment, therapeutic foods, and other supplements.

A 2015 World Bank paper, A roadmap to achieve social justice in healthcare in Egypt, identified the expansion of priority services and population coverage, and the reduction of out-of-pocket expenditure, as key to implementing universal health coverage.

During the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, patients in areas where UHI has been rolled out have been able to access remote consultations, including information on how to prevent infections and advice on how best to isolate, and the elderly and those with chronic conditions can have medications delivered to their door free of charge.

The World Bank paper said the expansion of family health services to all Egyptian citizens by 2030, with a focus on disadvantaged populations, was central to realising universal health coverage, and stipulated that such services should cover maternal and child health, reproductive health, family planning, the prevention, screening, and treatment of noncommunicable diseases, mental health, and nutrition.

Expanding mandatory social health insurance to all citizens by 2030, with an initial focus on disadvantaged populations, will ensure that Egyptians receive financial protections in an equitable manner, the World Bank concluded, and that no Egyptian will be pushed into or kept in poverty by paying for healthcare.

UHI is overseen by three regulatory authorities supervised by the Ministry of Finance and the Central Auditing Organisation. The General Authority for Accreditation and Health Control sets quality standards, accredits healthcare providers, and regulates compliance; the General Authority for Healthcare oversees the provision of services, and the UHI Authority distributes funds.

Employees contribute to the system to the tune of one per cent of their salary, with employers required to pay three per cent. The government steps in to cover the payments of anyone unable to pay contributions, including widows and those with special needs, both of whom are exempted from insurance payments. The system will also receive 0.25 per cent corporate tax revenue, a portion of the duty levied on cigarettes, and some of the income generated by toll tickets and driving licence renewal fees.

Medical staff, nurses, administrators, quality and infection controllers, and second-line administrators, are already receiving training in advance of the planned national roll-out of UHI.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 23 December, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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East Africa had a gruelling 2021 as the countries of the region reeled beneath a range of complex crises with interwoven local, regional and even international dimensions that combined to jeopardise some of the states concerned.

In addition to the extraordinary circumstances they still have to endure due to the Covid-19 pandemic and its economic and political repercussions, the East African countries are facing problems of a severity that threatens their stability and security. The outgoing year offers plenty of evidence to support this grim prognosis.

On 4 November, the Ethiopian War entered its second year after seeing radical transformations. It began as a limited operation dedicated to upholding the law but quickly escalated into a full-scale war engaging warplanes and air strikes. The theatre of operations was supposed to have been limited to the northernmost Tigray region of Ethiopia, but by autumn it had expanded southwards and eastwards into the Amhara and Afar regions.

Although the conflict was originally between the Ethiopian federal government in Addis Ababa and the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF), other factions took advantage of the fragile security situation in the country to reignite fronts in the Oromia and Benishangul-Gumuz regions. In the absence of a central authority to restrain them, other ethnic and political fault lines reopened, for example in the long and complex border conflict between the Afar and Somali peoples.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed initially billed the central governments campaign against the TPLF as a limited operation that would last no more than a few weeks. His premature declaration of victory after fewer than four weeks ran up against the reality of the volatility of the situation, fuelling a spiral into a protracted war with no end in sight. Nor did Ahmed foresee how the tables would turn after seven months. Not only did the TPLF succeed in recapturing the Tigray capital Mekelle, but it also shifted to the offensive on several fronts.

However, perhaps the most consequential of the many transformations in the Ethiopian war was structural. This occurred with the creation of the United Front of Ethiopian and Confederalist Forces (UFEFCF), a coalition of nine groups that was officially launched on 5 November. The development put paid to the prime ministers long-held claim that Addis Ababas campaign targeted an illegal terrorist group ensconced in the north.

Other East African countries continued to be rocked by destabilising events and circumstances in 2021. In Sudan, the transitional phase increased in complexity with the entrance of a third partner into the civilian-military power-sharing arrangements in accordance with the Juba Agreement between the Sudanese authorities and five main Sudanese rebel forces. The latter was instrumental in splitting the civilian Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) and in propelling the army into sidelining the civilian forces.

The transitional process was further jeopardised by a resurgence of tensions in eastern Sudan and by the fact that the Juba arrangements did not include two of the most powerful rebel factions, one led by Abdelwahid Mohamed Nour in Darfur and the other led by Abdulaziz Held in the Blue Nile state. These complications formed the backdrop of the crisis that came to a head on 25 October when the armed forces arrested Sudanese Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok and several ministers, after which military leader Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan announced a state of emergency, dissolved the countrys Sovereignty Council and cabinet, dismissed the governors of the states and froze the activities of the Empowerment Removal Committee that had been formed to combat corruption.

Al-Burhan also announced that he would form a new government of technocrats that would run the country until general elections set for July 2023. His actions precipitated an international outcry, and following several weeks of intense foreign pressure he backed down. On 21 November, Al-Burhan and Hamdok signed a framework agreement to relaunch the civilian-military partnership in Sudan, reinstating Hamdok as prime minister and charging him with forming a non-partisan government.

Regarding the stability of the federal government in Ethiopia, although national elections were held in the summer of this year after several postponements, they offered little hope of reconciliation. The Tigray region held separate elections in 2020, which was one of the issues that sparked the conflict to begin with. Addis Ababa was unable to hold the second round of the elections in September as planned due to security breakdowns in other regions. Ahmeds political future now hangs in the balance due to uncertainties surrounding the war and its repercussions.

Somalia has also been suffering from a governmental crisis that has persisted since the end of the constitutional term of the president and the federal parliament at the outset of the year. The country has been unable to hold new elections despite the fact that the international community has approved its indirect electoral system along the lines of previous models used in 2004, 2009, 2012 and 2017.

Progress with the electoral arrangements is still painfully slow, despite pressure by Somalias international partners to step up the process. The sense of urgency has been heightened by complicating factors with major security implications. Not the least of these are the approaching end of the mandate of the African Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and the drought in the south of the country.

The Al-Shabaab Al-Mujahideen group continues to pose a grave security threat in Somalia as well as to neighbouring countries, despite drone strikes by US forces. During the past year, this Somali terrorist organisation carried out a series of attacks that enabled it to seize control of road networks in northeastern Kenya. It also staged terrorist attacks against the Ugandan capital, Kampala, in October and November.

Terrorist organisations in East Africa have also expanded their scope of operations further down the Indian Ocean coast, especially since the emergence of the Islamic State-Central Africa Province (IS-CAP), which includes fighter groups from Mozambique. This organisation posed such a threat to the government in Maputo that it was forced to seek help from Russian, Rwandan and SADC (Southern African Development Community) forces.

Aside from such terrorist hotspots, other East African countries are vulnerable to the spread of terrorism in the future, as evidenced by the discovery in Khartoum of an IS-affiliated cell that Sudanese security forces managed to eliminate.

Meanwhile, after years in which internal strife has dominated conflicts in Africa, conventional warfare between national armies over disputed territory has once again begun to rear its head. The confrontation between Sudan and Ethiopia over the Fashqa region in eastern Sudan is a salient example. Several skirmishes between armed groups from Amhara in Ethiopia and Sudanese farmers escalated into deadly clashes between the Ethiopian and Sudanese armies. Heavy weapons were used and the hostilities claimed casualties on both sides.

The dispute over Fashqa has been fuelled by tensions between Khartoum and Addis Ababa over other issues, especially Ethiopias Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) project and the fallout from the conflict in Tigray, which has generated waves of displaced civilians in the direction of Sudan.

To the east, Kenya and Somalia began to face off following an International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling in October in favour of the latter in their dispute over the demarcation of their maritime border in an area rich in natural gas. So far, the level of violence has been limited, in large measure due to the presence of Kenyan forces in the African Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). However, border skirmishes in which the Kenyan army inflicted civilian casualties on Somalia do not augur well for the future.

What makes the above-mentioned trends more ominous is the fact that the demand for conflict-prevention and resolution mechanisms in the region has not been adequately met. The proposed conventional and unconventional dispute-containment and settlement mechanisms have little chance of working effectively in this complex environment, considerably reducing the chances of success of any foreign attempt to intervene.

The writer is head of African studies at the Egyptian Centre for Strategic Studies.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 23 December, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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If Ethiopia continues on the path of war, it will not only see one of the worlds worst famines but a dark fate of disintegration

Less than two years ago Ethiopia hailed Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for winning the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for his brave moves to effect peace with archenemy Eritrea and the democratic measures encouraging exiled Ethiopians to return to their homeland.

Below the surface, however, ethnic and social tensions were brewing  reaching boiling point, even  when Ahmeds government launched a campaign against what it claimed was corruption. The majority of the victims of this campaign were from Tigray, a group that had remained at the helm of the state for three decades, until Ahmed assumed the position of prime minister in April 2018.

The rapprochement with Eritrea was a step to tighten the noose on the Tigrayans. Many observers had noted that the 1998-2000 war between Addis Ababa and Asmara was in fact a conflict between the Tigrayans and their late leader Meles Zenawi on one side and the Eritreans and their leading figure Isaias Afwerki on the other.

Two years after that peace accord, the Tigrayans have been reiterating the idea that their expectations had been spot-on: Ahmed and Afwerki were not seeking peace as much as they hoped to strike an alliance against Tigray.

Four years into Ahmeds rule, Ethiopia turned from the country with the highest growth rates in Africa south of the Sahara to a troubled country enduring a large-scale Civil War and threatened with fragmentation and famine.

Is Ethiopia following in the footsteps of the former Yugoslavia?

In November 2020 Ahmed waged war against the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF)  the ruling movement in the northern region  after Tigrayan elements launched an attack on a military base.

Ahmeds father belongs to the Oromo which comprises 34 per cent of the Ethiopian population, while his mother hails from the Amhara which make up 27 per cent of Ethiopia. At the beginning of his rule, he had the support of both ethnicities, but siding with the Amhara made him lose ground with the Oromo.

The prime ministers army didnt have the capabilities to confront the Tigrayans  seven per cent of the population  who throughout their 30-year rule comprised more than one-third of the officers in the army. Today, these officers are fighting in the ranks of the armed opposition.

Since the war broke out, Ahmed depended on the militias hailing from the Amhara, Afar, and to a lesser extent from Oromia regions. This formation pitted the Tigrayans against not the army but the rest of Ethiopias ethnic groups.

A large number of Ethiopians volunteered in the ranks of the Amhara to join the war against the Tigrayans, proving the popularity of Ahmeds government.

Such massive support for Ahmed and the local militias complicated the mission of Tigray and its allies to march on Addis Ababa, although they were able to approach the Ethiopian capital and were stationed 400 miles from its outskirts. The Tigrayans threatened to cut off the main road and railways connecting the capital and the Djibouti Port, Ethiopias principal gateway.

Despite Ahmeds popularity, his alliance was fragile, much like the state of the Tigrayans.

The Oromo and Afar groups that support the prime minister dont trust the Amhara who want to see Ethiopia return to the pre-1991 status quo, when Ethiopia was a central state with one main language, the Amharic, one main religion, the Christian Orthodox and a church governed by the Amhara.

That state of affairs was not so different in Tigray. The TFLP doesnt trust the regional government following decades of the latters unfulfilled promises of making the country more democratic and less hegemonic.

Moreover, the Tigrayans were in two minds about deciding the fate of their region; they were not decisive about remaining part of Ethiopia or seceding.

The recent victories Ahmeds forces achieved after he joined the troops on the battlefield forced the Tigrayans to withdraw to their mountainous stronghold in the northernmost part of the country to prolong the war and conduct attrition attacks to bleed out the Amhara and Afar forces, and more importantly to be able to fend off a possible attack on their regions by the Eritrean army.

This was not the first time the Tigrayans retreated. Their spearheading figures withdrew from Addis Ababa and barricaded themselves in the north when Ahmed launched a campaign against them in mid-2018, ahead of a confrontation both parties knew was approaching.

It appears the Tigrayans withdrawal will tip the scale in favour of those supporting the regions secession. The countrys conditions have differed immensely from the 1990s, ushering in a new chapter of conflicts.

If the Tigrayans seek to secede, they wont be the first group in Ethiopia. The Ethiopian Somalia region has sought either secession with the Ogadin region or to be annexed to the greater Somalia.

Meanwhile, Asmara will not rest assured until it sees Tigray growing weaker. This could drive it to attempt to wage another war in the region, but then the move will cost the Eritrean capital dearly no matter how many war crimes its soldiers commit.

During the first months of the war, the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments denied Asmaras forces were fighting against the Tigrayans. Later, however, they admitted it. UN and Western reports came out accusing Eritrean soldiers of committing rape and looting during their participation in the war.

AFRICAS YUGOSLAVIA

Although Yugoslavia was for decades the most successful model in the Eastern bloc under the leadership of late leader Josip Broz Tito, it witnessed ethnic conflicts following his death in 1980. Many observers fear that Ethiopia will meet the same fate. The two countries share some characteristics, but differ in others.

Both are multi-ethnic federations, and the Communist League  very similar to Ethiopias Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front  ruled Yugoslavia for about 50 years until its dissolution in the mid-1990s. The federation in the two countries contributed to alleviating ethnic tension, by allowing each nation to have autonomy. Over time, ethnic tensions were further fuelled by local institutions and regional geography.

The two countries witnessed political transformations: Yugoslavia in the late 1980s and Ethiopia under Ahmeds rule. In both cases, questions were raised about the future of the economic and political system. This transformation made the Serbs in the army and the state lose their power, as has been the case with the Tigrayans. In the two countries, conflict arose from a strong desire to re-establish the state on a central rather than federal basis, depriving the smaller ethnic groups of gains previously made.

Unity in Ethiopia is stronger than in Yugoslavia, but it is not without flaws. The Ethiopian regions are controlled by conservative forces that prevent law enforcement and shelter criminals in the areas under their control.

The freedom enjoyed by Yugoslavia after Titos death produced a national struggle fuelled by memories of the heinous crimes committed during World War II and the Yugoslav struggle against Hitlers Nazism. This is not the case in Ethiopia, where everyone boasts of standing up to the Italian occupation 80 years ago. In Yugoslavia there were collaborators with the Nazis. The Croats even re-established a ruling party inspired by the principles of Croatian fascism, or Ustashi.

The Ethiopian regions were not a state, in the modern sense of the word, until the establishment of the Ethiopian empire in the late 19th century. The Serbs and Croats, meanwhile, had their own countries before the establishment of the Yugoslav state.

Despite the association of small ethnicities in Ethiopia with neighbouring countries, such as the Gambella region of the rival Dinka and Nuer groups in South Sudan and Somalia with Somalia, the larger ethnicities cannot be manipulated by neighbouring countries. For example, the Oromo is the largest ethnic group in the country and it shares no borders with any country, except for a short strip with Sudan, which makes it less prone to foreign interference.

Ethiopia is the size of almost all of its neighbouring countries combined. In fact, its neighbours include failed states such as Somalia, very small countries that do not affect Addis Ababa, such as Djibouti, or poor countries whose people are on the verge of famine, such as South Sudan. On the other hand, influential European countries, such as Italy and Germany, did interfere to stop the disintegration of Yugoslavia.

UNITY OR DISINTEGRATION

There are strong factors at play in favour of Ethiopias unity. Transformations in ethnic communities, however, can be a source of menace because a newfound freedom of expression may help one group to monopolise power and incite against suppressed injustices.

Ethiopian politicians are increasing the tone of polarisation, not unity, because this allows them to control the ethnicities from which they hail by spreading fear and hate speech.

More often than not, parties are founded on ethnic basis. In fact, cross-ethnic political movements are mostly described as foreign agents that work to destroy a certain group.

Ethiopia is in peril and its disintegration will not be in favour of the fragile region of the Horn of Africa. Nevertheless, the majority of the Horn countries fear the notion of a large, united Ethiopia that constructed many dams on rivers, causing much damage to herding and agriculture in neighbouring countries.

FAR-FETCHED SOLUTION

The majority of observers of the Ethiopian conflict agree that there is no military solution to the war, but Ahmeds government does not share that opinion, wanting instead to bury our enemies to revive Ethiopias glory.

Ahmeds government turned down international mediation to stop the war, turned its back on its Western allies, and started importing weapons from China, Russia, Turkey and Iran to arm its militias fighting against the Tigray and Oromo.

Ethiopia is supported by a strong Eritrean drive to destroy its historical enemies, the Tigrayans. However, the government wants to clear the air with Sudan regarding the Fashqa region. After all, Addis Ababa cant engage in two wars at the same time. It realises this could only spell its fragmentation.

Sudan has its own concerns as well; it fears a large-scale wave of refugees that will increase its burdens and enflame an already tension-laden region even further.

Kenya fears that the situation in Ethiopia will worsen, resorting to mobilising its forces on the borders between the two countries. However, Kenya is suffering from the drying up of Lake Turkana, whose water level has decreased by more than a metre since 2016, due to the operation of the third Gebe Dam on the Omo River, which flows into the lake. This drought has meant the exodus of thousands from Kenyas cities, and thus more political tension and violence.

Somalia fears Ethiopias withdrawal from the African peacekeeping forces combating Shabab Mujahideen terrorism, which threatens the escalation of terrorist operations in the country, which has disintegrated since the fall of the rule of General Siad Barre in 1991. Mogadishu fears Somali nationalists will drive it to a war in Ogaden or Somalia regions while it is ill-prepared.

South Sudan, which used the Gambella region as a rear base in its conflict with Sudan in the 1980s and 1990s, fears waves of migration and being drawn into the conflict between the Dinka and Nuer.

However, all of Ethiopias neighbours cannot pressure Addis Ababa to negotiate to stop the war that may result in one of the worlds worst famines.

As far as Western powers are concerned, they are facing pressure from European and US aid organisations that have been warning of the worsening of the famine created by Ahmeds forces due to their burning of crops, preventing humanitarian aid from reaching Tigray, and the wave of rape crimes that forces entire families to flee to areas where survival is impossible without aid.

Western pressures, however, are not yet serious enough. World governments and international aid organisations are busy with several man-made famines in north Nigeria, Yemen, South Sudan, Somalia and north Syria.

The Tigray famine will nonetheless be the worst, just as was the case in 1983.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 23 December, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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If this year marked the worlds recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, it marked a lot more for the Arabian Gulf countries, where it was the regions settling-down year.

The shock of declining oil prices in the spring of the previous year meant more stringent internal policies with oil prices rising again by almost half this year. A barrel of oil selling for around $55 at the start of the year was fetching $85 by years end. Warmer relations with Israel culminated in the Abraham Accords between the Jewish state and both the UAE and Bahrain, becoming more mainstream in 2021. It was also the year that saw a change in leadership in two of the Gulf countries: Kuwait and Oman. This year was meant to be the year to settle the bloody war in Yemen, but it fell short of achieving that goal and instead saw an escalation in fighting.

The most important preamble to the year was the change in the White House, as the Americans elected Democratic candidate Joe Biden to replace Donald Trump in November 2020. This shifted the dynamics in the Gulf region and beyond, so much so that 2021 ended with a Gulf tour by Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman which started with a rare visit to Omani capital Muscat and included the first visit to Doha in almost four years.

The year opened with the resolution of the Qatar crisis that had started in the summer of 2017 when Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt boycotted Qatar for its support of terrorism and militant groups. It ended with Saudi Arabia starting to reclaim its leading position in the Gulf after years of a kind of bipartisan leadership of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). While the three countries boycotting Qatar exerted pressure on the tiny energy-rich state to abandon its support of the Muslim Brotherhood and its terrorist offshoots, Kuwait and Oman tried to mediate and sided with Qatar. Oman and Qatar had a different approach to the Arab Gulf traditional adversary, Iran. As the year progressed Qatar and Oman also maintained good relations with Turkey, another major regional player.

The rift in the GCC started to heal with the reconciliation summit in January that ended the Qatar boycott. It almost took the whole of 2021 to neutralise differences within the Gulf. That paved the way for Bin Salmans Gulf tour before this years GCC summit. The Gulfs foreign policy during Trumps years in the White House (2016-2020) has now been reshaped too. The UAE has been leading diplomatic openness to Turkey, Iran and regional hotspots like Syria, Libya and others. That approach moves them closer to the Omani-Kuwaiti stance of low-tension and quiet diplomacy.

It was also a year to continue building a bridge with rising global powers like China, Russia and others. That trend started earlier but established itself in 2021. For example, Saudi Arabia built on its cooperation with Russia in the alliance of OPEC+ to stabilise global oil markets. That led to a better demand-supply balance that pushed prices steadily up.

The Gulf countries are still heavily reliant on energy export revenue. Tens of billions of dollars poured into the coffers of GCC countries. That helped Kuwait, for example, overcome its deficit crisis in the year of the pandemic. It helped Oman adjust its severe constraints on the budget. For Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the flow of oil money helped to finance major changes the two countries are introducing to wean their economies off energy export reliance.

Diversification and sustainability became a Gulf trademark, especially in economic and social policies. Both requires a regional environment of stability and mutual cooperation, rather than tension and aggressive foreign policy. That seems to be the realisation of almost all Gulf countries in 2021. Boycotts within the GCC, animosity with regional powers, excessive foreign ambitions proved to be the wrong choices. Instead of arrogant stubbornness, most Gulf countries changed course in 2021.

Turmoil continues to plague the region, whether in the south  Yemen or the north  the Levant. This is no doubt linked to Iran with ongoing negotiations revive the Iran nuclear deal of 2015. Gulf countries needed to decide on the best way to protect their interests. If they are unable to eliminate Tehrans influence in the region their best bet is to work on containing it. The same, albeit to a less significant degree, applies to Turkey.

One change is that militants are no longer the imminent threat that the Gulf had feared for years. The Muslim Brotherhood is losing its last bastion in Tunisia, and this reflects badly on all terrorist groups in the region and beyond. Qatar and Turkey are also moving away from strong support for Brotherhood and linked groups.

This isnt a guarantee of zero problems and challenges. However, 2021 was the start of a shift that set a positive trajectory for the upcoming year. The Gulf enhanced its relations with Iraq this year, after years of indifference or just anger over Iranian influence. Joint projects with Baghdad, including connecting power grids with some Gulf countries, could counterbalance Iranian influence in Iraq.

This year witnessed meetings between Saudi and Iranian officials in Baghdad and Muscat. Though they were low-level meetings with negligible outcomes, they set up an image for the future. The threatening and inflammatory rhetoric between Iran and its Gulf neighbours relaxed in 2021. Yet the Yemen War between the Iran-backed Houthi militia and the Saudi-backed legitimate government did not let up. But there is a realisation now in the Gulf that ending the Yemen conflict is linked to Tehrans rehabilitation by the big powers.

The latest GCC summit by the end of December might be the launching pad for a new Gulf, focusing more on national interests through cooperation. That would apply to economic, social and foreign policy. A new chapter of coherent Gulf policy might bring more stability and security to the region and beyond.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 23 December, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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Three challenges still stand in the way of democratic change in the region in the wake of the grassroots uprisings of the Arab Spring.

It has been ten years since the Arab Spring and the first wave of grassroots uprisings in the Arab region encompassing Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Syria.

The directions these experiences took varied, from Civil War and institutional collapse in Libya to experiments in democratic transition that are still stumbling forward in Tunisia. In Egypt, the need to fight terrorism and promote economic and social development was seen as more urgent than the advancement of political and civil rights.

After a period in which the Arab Spring had begun to appear an anomaly in what otherwise was relative grassroots inactivity, a second wave of uprisings erupted in Algeria, Sudan, Iraq and Lebanon. Some of these led to democratic transition processes that still face grave dangers, such as in Sudan, while others have sustained popular pressures for change in power structures, such as in Algeria. In Lebanon and Iraq, systems for the distribution and sharing of power remain the same.

The Arab uprisings were fed by a rejection not just of dictatorship, but also of certain types of never-ending systems of government that failed to meet democratic aspirations.

In Egypt, the 30-year rule of former president Hosni Mubarak, not to mention the widespread suspicion that he was scheming to pass power on to his son, was a major factor behind the eruption of the 25 January Revolution. The same applied to the Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali regime in Tunisia, which had been in power for 22 years, and to the Gaddafi regime in Libya, in power for 42 years.

The Ali Abdullah Salah regime had been in power in Yemen for 34 years, and the Bashar Al-Assad regime in Syria, which has been in power for 20 years, is still planning to perpetuate itself indefinitely. In the second wave of uprisings, the revolutions in Sudan and Algeria aimed to topple the Omar Al-Bashir regime that had been in power for 30 years and the Abdelaziz Bouteflika regime, which had been in power for 20 years, respectively.

Generally speaking, some of the Arab uprisings brought change. While some of them precipitated anarchy and collapse, others led to democratic transitions of varying success, or reforms within the system, albeit insufficient in the opinion of many. Yet others brought no substantial change to the governing system.

This article will examine three challenges that need to be addressed in order to understand what stands in the way of democratic change in the region.

INSTITUTIONAL REFORM

Perhaps the main thrust of the third wave of democratic transitions in Eastern Europe was for the reform of government structures and authorities in the executive, security and judicial branches of the state.

These experiences did not result in an institutional collapse or a split between government bodies and the military establishment. Nor did they descend into Civil War and the proliferation of paramilitary organisations and militia brigades. Instead, they saw the application of programmes for gradual institutional reform with the support of generous funding, advice and political backing from the US and Western Europe.

The same thing cannot be said of most experiences in the Arab region. The first wave of uprisings in some cases caused the total or partial collapse of the state and Civil War, as in Syria and Libya. The Iraqi state and army had been dismantled long before the uprising in that country took place as a consequence of the 2003 US-led invasion.

On the other hand, the military establishment played a major role in most of the Arab cases, and where the state remained intact and warfare did not erupt the army not only retained its cohesion but it also came to represent the nation, in the sense of the state and the people, as opposed to the regime.

Egypt and Tunisia exemplified this dynamic, regardless of the different paths they took towards institutional reform and the rule of law.

It is also clear that in the second wave of the Arab uprisings the cohesion of the army improved the chances of democratic transition, regardless of the differences between contexts and the relative strength and influence of the armies involved.

The extent to which a given army intervened in the political process was contingent on the ability of civilian political elites and movements to forge consensus and fill the vacuum that follows regime change. As was seen in the first wave of the uprisings, in cases where civilian forces were weak, disorganised and divided, Islamist organisations and the army were the only powers capable of filling the power vacuum.

In cases where the uprisings gave way to Civil War, the collapse of the state or widespread turmoil, people began to yearn for a return to autocracy, thinking that at least that had been better than anarchy and destruction. However, the reinstatement or survival of the state without significant reform means that nothing has changed.

In both the first and second waves of the Arab Spring, attempts to promote change ran up against a discourse of the need to preserve the state, as though this were an end in and of itself. In fact, the preservation of the state is a vehicle for realising development, social justice and the rule of law. But in order for the state to serve as such a vehicle, it needs to undergo the type of institutional reform that has been applied in all successful cases of democratic change.

ISLAMIST CHALLENGES: The Islamist movements that were a dominant force in the first wave of the Arab uprisings posed one of the greatest threats to the drives for democratic change.

This became all the more evident in cases where the movements gained power and took control of the democratic transition process. In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood had refused to comply with laws requiring it to register as a civil society organisation dedicated to religious work, which would have subjected it to the rules of transparency and non-involvement in politics that apply to hundreds of other religious organisations.

It continued to see itself as above the law after coming to power, as a result of which the political party it formed remained a wing of the organisations central bureau. It took little trouble to hide this as it proceeded to exclude other political forces. Eventually, the Muslim Brotherhoods antidemocratic behaviour and mismanagement precipitated widespread protests that led to the armys intervention to oust former president Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood regime.

Following the revolution in Tunisia, the Islamist Ennahda Movement clashed with the countrys other political forces, compelling it to back down and compromise. However, after Tunisias 2019 elections, in which Ennahda obtained a majority in parliament (although with only 54 seats this was not an absolute majority), it began to reassert itself in a bid to dominate key functions of the state. This was one of the main reasons why Tunisian President Kais Saied dismissed parliament and took other such exceptional measures in July this year.

Sudan is a case in which the people rose up against a 30-year-old dictatorship run by the Sudanese chapter of the Muslim Brotherhood. Islamists elsewhere in the region saw it as a dream of Islamist rule come true. The Sudanese peoples overthrow of former president Omar Al-Bashir delivered some powerful and symbolic messages in this regard.

Islamist movements played little if any part in the grassroots uprisings in Iraq and Lebanon. But there too part of the popular anger was directed against the Islamist parties and the denominational power-sharing systems in the country.

The Tunisian case will remain significant in terms of the Islamists designs on power because Ennahda remains a force to be reckoned with. It is unlikely that it will be excluded from the Tunisian political arena because of the nature of a context characterised by a diversity of political actors and a strong civil society.

At the same time, Kais Saieds supporters, such as the Tunisian General Labour Union, have made their support for him conditional on the continuation of the process of democratic transition and the pursuit of social justice. Ennahda, in contrast to the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, is also constituted and conducts itself as a political party, and its members are committed to the partys platform and to attaining it through parliamentary and local elections, rather than to the Muslim Brotherhoods ideological aim of universal control.

Tunisia now has a historic opportunity to clip the Islamist organisations wings through civil and democratic means. In order to achieve this end, the president will need to introduce profound political and social reforms that will include constitutional amendments approved in a national referendum. If these moves succeed, they will usher in a new and democratic presidential system in the country.

BUILDING ALTERNATIVES: Building a system of government based on the rule of law is the only real guarantee for successful democratic change.

The region has offered too many examples of movements that have been unable to shift from protest mode to the institution-building that would create a genuine alternative to the previously existing autocracies. The roar and courage of thousands of people in the streets has a thrill and iconicity that is difficult to resist, but it will all turn out to be a mirage unless this energy is channelled into a single entity that has the means, programme and grassroots backing to fill a power vacuum and advance a viable alternative.

This is not about building a revolutionary movement or ideology in the manner of the Marxist movements of the 20th century. The revolutions in the Arab world may not have espoused a clear revolutionary theory, but this is only natural in that there is no magic formula for effecting change in todays complex world. Indeed, even in those countries where leftist movements helped bring about democratic change, such as in Latin America, they did not aim to build regimes based on revolutionary theory, but instead wanted to build reformist-minded leaderships with the skills to govern, manage and interact with the world.

In Sudan, the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) are an example of this type of constructive outlook in a world where there is no revolutionary alternative to despotism and corruption. There is no disputing that it took a grassroots uprising to topple Al-Bashir and that grassroots pressure forced military leader Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan to back down and reinstate Abdullah Hamdok as prime minister. However, it was never an option for the FFC to refuse to negotiate with the military top brass and to attempt to sideline the army and its support base.

In sustaining the negotiations, the FFC followed in the footsteps of many Latin American experiences in the last century, when civilian forces, including Marxist ones, entered into negotiations with the military for the sake of democratic change. In fact, in order for their efforts to succeed they often had to offer certain guarantees to military leaders in exchange for relinquishing power.

Were the Sudanese civil forces to refuse to negotiate with the army in accordance with some principle that held that negotiating with the enemy was betrayal, then the momentum for constructive change would give way to a momentum for street action, which would undermine the current understandings between Al-Burhan and Hamdok without offering a viable alternative.

Perpetuating protest movements that protest against everything is no answer to the absence of revolutionary theory. Protest activism is only half the way forward. It helps to bring down dictatorships, but it is no recipe for success if it does not provide an alternative project, the practical means of building it, and the political and professional talents that have the ability to get things done.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 23 December, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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KYODO NEWS - Dec 19, 2021 - 18:53 | All, Japan

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has failed to win public support for his government's plan to provide cash and vouchers to families with children to boost the economy, with nearly 80 percent of households preferring all-cash handouts, a Kyodo News poll suggested Sunday.

The approval rating for his Cabinet stands at 60.0 percent, down 0.5 point from November, while the disapproval rating fell to 22.7 percent from 23.0 percent, according to the survey that came as the government has been struggling to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus.

Kishida is working to revive the pandemic-hit economy with steps such as cash handouts for households, but he has been accused of reversing his position and causing confusion.

In the two-day telephone poll conducted through Sunday, 79.2 percent of respondents supported providing the 100,000 yen ($880) in benefits to child-rearing households in the form of cash.

Kishida's government had planned to initially give 50,000 yen in cash and the remainder in vouchers later for each child aged 18 or younger living in a household in which the primary earner's annual income is less than 9.6 million yen.

The government later decided to allow municipalities to provide all-cash benefits. Opposition parties had argued that issuing vouchers would result in massive additional costs and add to the burden on local governments that are currently preparing to administer booster vaccine doses for COVID-19.

Kishida has also allowed local governments to decide on whether to eliminate the income cap, a move endorsed by 52.1 percent of respondents and opposed by 45.1 percent.

The poll also showed anger among the public following the government's admission this month that monthly construction order data had been overstated for about eight years, with 77.6 percent saying it had hurt their trust in official statistics.

As for the government's response to the pandemic response, 60.9 percent said Kishida has handled it properly, up 2.6 points, while 35.2 percent his handling has been poor.

On Friday, Kishida announced a plan to reduce the interval for administering COVID-19 booster shots by one to two months for about 31 million health care workers and senior citizens.

The move was seen as "appropriate" by 53.5 percent, while 32.0 percent said it should apply to the wider public.

Asked which political party they support, 43.8 percent named Kishida's Liberal Democratic Party, while 3.4 percent backed its coalition partner Komeito.

Among the opposition, the Japan Innovation Party was supported by 12.5 percent, followed by the larger Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan at 11.6 percent.

The Japanese Communist Party was chosen by 4.3 percent. The Democratic Party for the People garnered 2.0 percent, with the anti-establishment Reiwa Shinsengumi at 1.6 percent.

The share of respondents who said they do not support a party was 17.9 percent.

Kyodo News called 669 randomly selected households with eligible voters and 1,126 mobile phone users, receiving 540 and 525 responses, respectively.

Related coverage:

Japan's tight entry rules over Omicron variant to last into next year

Only 1 in 5 Japanese happy with 100,000 yen handout plan: Kyodo poll

Kishida Cabinet's approval rate rises to 58%: Kyodo poll
New Delhi:

Prominent Indian-origin Pakistani politician and human rights activist BM Kutty died on Sunday in Karachi after a protracted illness. He was 89. "He was ill for a while. He spent his life fighting for civil and human rights," Marvi Sarmad, a human rights activist and journalist, said. His wife Birjis Siddiqui died in 2010. The couple has four children.

"Sad to learn about the death of veteran left activist BM Kutty. Originally, from Kerala, Kutty came to Pakistan as a young man and became a key figure in the politics of his new homeland, championing progressive causes...," Talat Aslam, a Pakistani journalist and editor of the News International daily, tweeted.

Who was BM Kutty?

Biyyothil Mohyuddin Kutty, popularly known as BM Kutty, migrated to Pakistan from Kerala 70 years ago in 1949.

Born in 1930 in Tirur town in Kerala's Malappuram district, Kutty migrated to Pakistan at the age of 19. The eldest of five siblings, he belonged to a Malayali Muslim family of peasants and landowners and was raised in middle-class circumstances.

Kutty came to limelight after he launched his autobiography "Sixty years in self-exile: No Regrets; A Political Autobiography" in 2011.

In the autobiography, he narrated the story about his journey from Kerala to Karachi, explaining why he had opted to stay in Pakistan.

Kutty was the general secretary of Pakistan Peace Coalition, a group that has been working to promote peace process between India and Pakistan.

During his student days, Kutty developed socialist and leftist political views and joined the Kerala Students Federation affiliated with the Communist Party.

In 1946, he also joined the Muslim Students Federation under the All-India Muslim League. He attended Mohammedan College in Chennai, where he studied science for four years.

Kutty also served as political secretary to the governor of Balochistan. He took part in several political movements. The high point of his career was his association with Ghaus Baksh Bizenjo, the governor of Balochistan province in 1972.

Intellectuals, journalists and politicians expressed their condolences on Kutty's death and paid him rich tribute for his services for Pakistan and the community.

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New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday arrived in France to attend the G7 Summit where he will speak on burning global issues of environment, climate and digital transformation and also meet the world leaders. PM Modi arrived from Manama after concluding his three-nation tour to France, the UAE and Bahrain where he offered prayers at the Shreenathji Temple, the oldest temple in the Gulf region.

During the G7 Summit, which will be held in the picturesque seaside French town of Biarritz, the Prime Minister will address sessions on environment, climate, oceans and digital transformation. Though India is not a member of the G-7 grouping, Modi has been personally invited by French President Emmanuel Macron.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had said that the invitation was a reflection of the personal chemistry between the two leaders and also recognition of India as a major economic power.

The countries which are part of the G7 include the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the US. On the sidelines of the G7 Summit, Modi and US President Donald Trump are likely to discuss the situation in Kashmir, trade issues and other topics of mutual interest.

Earlier this week in Washington, Trump said that he would discuss with Prime Minister Modi the situation in Kashmir and help ease the Indo-Pak tensions when they meet at the G7 Summit in France this weekend.

Tensions between India and Pakistan spiked after India abrogated provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution to withdraw Jammu and Kashmirs special status and bifurcated it into two Union Territories, evoking strong reactions from Pakistan.

India has categorically told the international community that the scrapping of Article 370 of the Constitution to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was an internal matter and also advised Pakistan to accept the reality.

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Dakar:

Fourteen-year-old Hussaini said he first heard screaming. Then people fired guns, shooting at and killing at least one of his teachers in his northern Burkina Faso village. It's been more than a year since Hussaini has been to school. "I used to love school, to read, to count and to play during recess," the boy, identified only by his first name, told the United Nations Children's Agency.

He is not alone. More than 9,000 schools have closed and more than 1.9 million children in West and Central Africa have been forced out of school because of increasing violence in the region and attacks specifically targeting education facilities, UNICEF said Friday, saying it's triple the amount closed in 2017.

Attacks on schools in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, where an Islamic extremist insurgency has grown, have doubled in the past two years, the agency said in its report, adding that those countries have seen a six-fold increase in school closures because of the violence.

"In many conflicts in this region, education is at the heart of the issue of these disputes. There is a mistrust toward what is perceived as western style education, so that means it is deliberately attacked," said an author of the report and UNICEF Johannesburg-based Chief of Communications Patsy Nakell.

"These are regions that are already deprived in education and access to education for girls in particular.

"School is also the one place where children of conflict still have joy and are challenged to learn new things, said Nakell who noted the trend as catastrophic.

More than 2,000 schools are closed in Burkina Faso, along with more than 900 in Mali, due to an increase in violence across both countries, UNICEF said.

In April 2017, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger had 512 schools closed and now they have a combined 3,005 since June 2019, the agency said. Islamic extremists in the region have spread attacks further and increased attacks along the border regions of these nations.

Insecurity in Cameroon's Anglophone regions has left more than 4,400 schools forcibly closed since 2017, UNICEF said.In Central African Republic, there was a 20 per cent increase in attacks on schools, UNICEF said.

UNICEF has called on governments, armed forces, the international community and those who are a part of the conflict to "take concerted action to stop attacks and threats against schools, students, teachers and other school personnel in West and Central Africa - and to support quality learning for every child in the region.

"Many of the gains that were made in these regions are now at risk, and more than 70 per cent of emergency education programs are underfunded, said Nakell. "With more than 40 million 6 to 14-year-old children missing out on their right to education in West and Central Africa, it is crucial that governments and their partners work to diversify available options for quality education," said UNICEF Regional Director for West and Central Africa Marie-Pierre Poirier.

"Culturally suitable models with innovative, inclusive and flexible approaches, which meet quality learning standards, can help reach many children, especially in situation of conflict."

UNICEF has worked with authorities to support what they call alternative learning opportunities.In Nigeria for example, the organisation said basic education is being introduced into Quranic schools.

In Burkina Faso and Cameroon, lessons are being broadcast, and children who have never been to school in Burkina Faso, and Congo can also now learn via radio.

In Mali, there are now community learning centers. The threats, however, remain. Father Arcadius Sawadogo of the Catholic Church in the insecure town of Dori in northern Burkina Faso says that education is key for the region.

"For us to develop, we need education. Especially for girls. Without education, our children are facing a future of joblessness and poverty. It is a catastrophe."

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New Delhi:

Shock and sorrow engulfed the political corridor of India as former Union minister Arun Jaitley breathed his last at AIIMS, Delhi, on Saturday, ending an era of immeasurable importance in the Ministry of Finance. The BJP stalwart was rushed to the hospital on August 9 following complaints of breathlessness and restlessness. He was 66. Meanwhile, top political leaders, cutting across party lines, took to social media platforms and paid rich tributes to the veteran politician. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi termed him a "valued friend", Union Home Minister Amit Shah said Jaitley's death was a personal loss. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor also remembered his first meeting with Jaitley while sharing a picture of the two on Instagram.

READ | PM Modi speaks to late BJP leader Arun Jaitley's family, insisted not to cancel UAE tour

Check out the Twitter reactions here:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi:

Arun Jaitley Ji was a political giant, towering intellectual and legal luminary. He was an articulate leader who made a lasting contribution to India. His passing away is very saddening. Spoke to his wife Sangeeta Ji as well as son Rohan, and expressed condolences. Om Shanti. Read Here

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor:

Deeply saddened by the tragic passing of my friend and Delhi University senior, Arun Jaitley. We first met when he was at DUSU and I was President of St. Stephens College Union. Despite political differences, we enjoyed a healthy mutual respect and debated his Budget often in the Lok Sabha. A great loss for India.

AAP leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal:

Untimely demise of former FM and senior leader Sh Arun Jaitley ji is a huge loss to the nation. A legal luminary and an experienced political leader known for his governance skills will be missed by the country. Thoughts and prayers with his family in this moment of grief. RIP.

The Indian National Congress:

We are deeply saddened to hear the passing of Shri Arun Jaitley. Our condolences to his family. Our thoughts and prayers are with them in this time of grief.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah:

I am deeply saddened by the death of Arun Jaitley, Jaitley's departure is a personal loss for me. As him, I have lost not only a senior leader of the organization but also an integral member of the family whose support and guidance I have been receiving for years.

READ | Arun Jaitley's contributions to public life will be remembered forever: Sonia Gandhi

President Ram Nath Kovind:

Shri Arun Jaitley possessed a unique ability of discharging the most onerous responsibility with poise, passion and studied understanding. His passing leaves a huge void in our public life and our intellectual ecosystem. Condolences to his family and associates.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik:

Deeply saddened to hear about passing away of former Union Minister Arun Jaitley ji. He was a distinguished lawyer, parliamentarian and an erudite person. His contribution to governance has been profound. Heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, friends and followers.

Former Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu:

Extremely sad to hear about passing away of our dear friend,legal brain,sharp mind,astute strategist,seasoned politician, exemplary Parliamentian,exceptional communicator,Sr leader,colleague of years Arun Jaitley will always feel void,could never forget him and contribution Om Shanti.

Union Minister Smriti Irani:

A stalwart who paid tribute to his simple beginnings by helping those with meagre means . Orator par excellence, legal luminary Arun Jaitley ji served the Nation and sangathan with dedication and zeal. My tributes to him. Condolences to loved ones. Om Shanti.

READ | Arun Jaitleys last rites to be performed tomorrow at Delhis Nigambodh Ghat

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee:

Extremely saddened at the passing away of Arun Jaitley Ji, after a battle bravely borne. An outstanding Parliamentarian and a brilliant lawyer, appreciated across parties. His contribution to Indian polity will be remembered. My condolences to his wife, children, friends and admirers.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh:

Jaitleyji will always be remembered for pulling the economy out of the gloom and putting it back on the right track. The BJP will miss Arunji's presence. I extend my heartfelt condolences to his bereaved family.

Former Indian cricketer and BJP MP Gautam Gambhir:

A father teaches u to speak but a father figure teaches u to talk. A father teaches u to walk but a father figure teaches u to march on. A father gives u a name but a father figure gives u an identity. A part of me is gone with my Father Figure Shri Arun Jaitley Ji. RIP Sir.

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New Delhi:

Born in the year 1952 to Maharaj Kishen Jaitley and Ratan Prabha Jaitley, Arun Jaitley was one of the most senior leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who held some key profiles in the Narendra Modi cabinet.

Arun Jaitley did his schooling at St. Xaviers School, New Delhi from 1960-69 and did his graduation in Commerce from Shri Ram College of Commerce, New Delhi in 1973. He obtained is Law degree from the University of Delhi, in 1977. Jaitley was the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) student activist in the Delhi University in the seventies and became President of the University Students Union in 1974.

After obtaining LLB, Jaitley started practising law before the Supreme Court of India and several High Courts in the country since 1977. In January 1990, he was designated as a Senior Advocate by the Delhi High Court and was appointed Additional Solicitor General in 1989. On behalf of the Government of India, Jaitley was part of the delegation to the United Nations General Assembly Session in June 1998 where the Declaration on Laws Relating to Drugs and Money Laundering was approved.

During the period of proclamation of Internal Emergency (1975-77), he was placed under preventive detention first in the Ambala Jail and then in the Tihar Jail, Delhi. In 1977, being the convener of the Loktantric Yuva Morcha at a time when the Congress suffered defeat in the General Elections, Jaitley was appointed the president of the Delhi ABVP and All India Secretary of the ABVP. Later, he headed the youth wing of the BJP as its president.

In his political journey, Arun Jaitley wore different hats. He has been a member of the national executive of Bharatiya Janata Party since 1991. On 13 October 1999, in the Vajpayee Government, he was appointed as the Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting (Independent Charge). He was also appointed as Minister of State for Disinvestment (Independent Charge), a new ministry created for the first time to give effect to the policy of disinvestments.

He also took additional charge of the Ministry of Law, Justice and Company Affairs on 23 July 2000. Later, Jaitley became a Cabinet Minister in November 2000 and simultaneously took charge of the Minister of Law, Justice and Company Affairs and Shipping. He was chosen as the Leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha on 3 June 2009.

In the Narendra Modi cabinet, Arun Jaitley looked after the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. He was also the Minister of Defence (2014 & 2017) and the Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India (2014-2016).

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New Delhi:

As many as 51 Govindas were injured in Mumbai on Saturday during Dahi Handi celebrations, marking the birth of Lord Krishna, which remained subdued in the wake of floods in western Maharashtra. Most of the injuries occurred due to falling while setting up human pyramids to break the dahi handi or curd pitcher, said a BMC official.

The celebrations remained low-key in other parts of the state as well. He said 27 of the 51 Govindas or revellers were discharged after primary treatment while rest remained admitted in 12 civic-run hospitals across the city.

The usual fervour associated with the festival was missing this year as several dahi handi mandals and organisers of events decided to keep the celebrations low-key, to express solidarity with the people affected by the devastating floods. Some of the mandals are also donating money for the flood relief work.

The dahi handi ritual is part of the Janmashtami festival in Maharashtra, where youngsters (called Govindas), dressed in colourful attire, make human pyramid to reach an earthen pot containing buttermilk and suspended in mid-air, and break it.

Gorakhnath Mahila Dahi Handi Pathak Mandal, an organisation of women Govindas, has decided to celebrate the festival just to keep the tradition alive.

We are going to celebrate the dahi handi festival, but not with usual fervour. We will celebrate it just to keep our tradition on. We cannot forget the hardships our brothers and sisters are facing in parts of state due to severe floods, founder of the mandal Bhau Koregaonkar said.

Our women Govindas will reach the place and just break the pot, he added. BJP leader Ram Kadam, who is known for holding grand dahi handi events, has also decided to celebrate the festival this year without any glitter.

We will celebrate this festival as part of our culture, but it will be done in a simple manner. There is no need to splurge money and the saved money will be sent to help the flood-hit brothers and sisters of the state, he said.

The festival was also celebrated in corporate offices. Celebrations were held in different areas like Dadar, Worli, Wadala, Ghatkopar, Andheri, Lokhandawala, Borivali, Kandivali, Jogeshwari, Mulund and Vile Parle.

The Radha Gopinath temple of the Indian Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) at Girgaum celebrated the festival in a traditional style. ISKCON spiritual leader Radhanath Swami said Lord Krishnas teachings have been relevant since centuries.

On their part, Mumbai Police warned revelers against making noise and tweeted a photo appealing them to not violate norms. Mach Gaya Shor Saari Nagari, Within Permitted Decibels Only, Mumbai Police tweeted.

The disaster management cell of the BMC was on alert to deal with any eventuality, while hospitals were asked to keep medical staff on standby. In the past, several Govindas were injured after falling off human pyramids.

In neighbouring Dombivali in Thane district, police seized a Dahi Handi depicting an Electronic Votimg Machine (EVM). The handi was allegedly being put up by MNS activists.

The Raj Thackeray-led party has been demanding that upcoming assembly elections in the state be held through ballot papers. MNS activists wearing black T-shirts shouted slogans against the Modi government. Police and the activists clashed when the EVM dahi handi was being seized.

Heavy rains and floods battered several areas of western Maharashtra and Konkan region earlier this month, with Kolhapur and Sangli districts bearing the maximum brunt. The floods claimed 58 lives in western Maharashtra.

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Biarritz :

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres held "fruitful discussions" on a wide range of issues of mutual interest in Biarritz on Sunday. Modi met Guterres on the sidelines of the G-7 Summit being held in this in this picturesque southwestern seaside French town. The prime minister arrived in Biarritz from Manama, the capital of Bahrain after concluding the first-ever prime ministerial visit to the Gulf nation.

"PM Narendra Modi met UN Secretary General Mr Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the G7 Summit. The two leaders had fruitful discussions on a wide range of subjects," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted.

"PM Narendra Modi met with UNSG Antonio Guterres on the margins of G7 summit in Biarritz. Good exchange of views on India's participation at the Climate Action Summit at the UN and other issues of mutual interest," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

France: Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, at the #G7Summit in Biarritz. pic.twitter.com/GGTBgGo6dS  ANI (@ANI) August 25, 2019

Their meeting came against the backdrop of the Indian government revoking the special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcating the state into two Union Territories.

The two leaders are here to attend the G-7 Summit. Modi arrived in Biarritz from Bahrain after concluding his three-nation tour to France, the UAE and Bahrain.

Earlier this month, Guterres urged India and Pakistan to exercise "maximum restraint" and refrain from taking steps that could affect the status of Jammu and Kashmir. He had also highlighted the Simla Agreement which rejects any third-party mediation on the issue after Islamabad asked him to play his "due role" following New Delhi's decision on Kashmir.

A rare closed-door consultations on Kashmir by the Security Council ended without any outcome or statement from the powerful 15-nation UN organ, dealing a huge snub to Pakistan and its all-weather ally China to internationalise the issue, which an overwhelming majority stressed is a bilateral matter between New Delhi and Islamabad.

The meeting of Modi and Guterres also comes a day after Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi called the UN chief to apprise him about the "evolving and delicate situation" in Jammu and Kashmir.

Tensions between India and Pakistan spiked after New Delhi abrogated provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution to withdraw Jammu and Kashmir's special status and bifurcated the State into two Union Territories on August 5.

India has categorically told the international community that the scrapping of the Article 370 was an internal matter and also advised Pakistan to accept the reality.

Guterres had told Qureshi that he was ready today as he was before to defuse the tension and will meet Prime Minister Modi in France.

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New Delhi:

Two alleged stone pelters were arrested in the early hours of Monday for allegedly throwing stones at a truck in Anantnag district of Kashmir, killing the driver of the vehicle. According to police, six others have been detained for questioning in connection with the incident.

The arrested youths were being questioned to ascertain their motive behind the crime, police said, adding that the duo had no past criminal history.

The truck driver, identified as Noor Mohammed Dar, belonged to the same Zradipora Uranhall locality, was returning home when protesters mistook his truck for a security force vehicle and hurled stones at it.

The 42-year-old driver, who was hit on the head, was shifted to a hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead, they said. The police said protesters have been hurling stones even at civilians and earlier this month, they injured an 11-year-old girl in the eye at downtown of Srinagar city.

Meanwhile, Governor Satya Pal Malik on Sunday defended communication blockade in the Valley saying theres no harm in taking such steps if it saves lives.

In all the crises that have happened in Kashmir in the past, at least 50 people used to die in the first week itself. Our attitude is such that there should be no loss of human lives. Dus din telephone nahi honge, nahi honge, lekin hum bahut jaldi sab wapas kar denge (Its okay if that means there is no telephone service for 10 days but we will restore everything very soon), Malik told reporters when asked to comment on how long the restrictions will continue.

Earlier, there were reports that people in the Valley have been facing acute problems as medical shops are running out of lifesaving medicines amid lockdown following the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5. The shortage had also led to several numbers of deaths in the region, doctors told media.

The Centre had on August 5 announced abrogation of provisions of Article 370 and decided to bifurcate the state into Union territories - Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh - hours after Kashmir was placed under a total clampdown

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New Delhi:

The countrys largest car maker Maruti Suzuki India is pinning hopes on the festive season for a turnaround in the auto industry irrespective of government help forthcoming or not, according to a senior company official.

With some of the factors responsible for the slowdown in auto sales such as concern over monsoon and elections behind, the company is hopeful that revival in demand especially from rural markets and peak discounts along with new model launches will play a crucial role converting inquiries into real purchases.

We are not going to speculate on whether or not the government will provide some extra relief to the industry ... how much or how little it would be or when, now or later, will it be...What we are trying to do is to be more constructive in our approach, Maruti Suzuki India Executive Director, Marketing and Sales Shashank Srivastava told PTI in an interview here.

The auto industry has been asking the government for reduction of GST on automobiles to 18 per cent from 28 per cent as part of a stimulus package.

Srivastava said instead of waiting for government steps, the company is focusing on what it can do to revive demand by bringing new models and also providing attractive offers to consumers.

We have launched the XL6 and we will continue to introduce new models. We will have another model coming up later, he said.

Stating that the company is focusing on retail sales, Srivastava said, We have focused on consumer offers which are at a peak. This is the best time to buy.

Discounts in August will be slightly higher than what MSI had in the first quarter of the fiscal, he added without elaborating.

Moreover, he said,We are advertising with the same vigour as before.

With all those actions, he said, We are hopeful that this festival season it will turn around.

Elaborating on why MSI is hopeful of a turn around this festive season, Srivastava said some uncertainty like monsoon and election that were also responsible for sales drop earlier in the year have gone.

Also, the government has sought to address to an extent the liquidity issues associated with NBFCs by allowing banks to lend more to these financial institutions in the budget, he added.

Moreover, Srivastava said, We are also confident because of the number of inquiries at showrooms.

The key is to convert those inquiries into purchases, he added.

When asked if theres light at the end of the tunnel for the auto industry, Srivastava said, MSI as a company, we are very optimistic that there is this light. How far it is the question. It is better to answer that, a better estimate after we see this festive season, end of October.

This festive season is very critical and the industry is looking forward to it, he said.

Automobile sales in India witnessed its sharpest decline in nearly 19 years in July, dropping 18.71 per cent, rendering almost 15,000 workers jobless over the past two-three months as the sector reels under a prolonged slump.

Passenger vehicle sales slumped by 30.98 per cent to 2,00,790 units as compared with 2,90,931 units in the same month last year. It was the ninth month of consecutive decline.

Recently, Maruti Suzuki launched its much-awaited multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) XL6 at a price starting from Rs 9.79 lakh to Rs 11.46 (ex-showroom, Delhi).

Maruti Suzuki XL6 comes with a BS-VI compliant K15 petrol engine along with Smart Hybrid technology. It will be offered across two variant levels with a choice of manual and automatic transmissions. The premium MPV will be powered by a BSVI compliant 1.5-litre K15B Smart Hybrid petrol engine that will deliver 105 hp and 138 Nm of torque. It will be offered with manual as well as automatic transmission options.

Manual trims are priced at Rs 9.79 lakh and Rs 10.36 lakh while the automatic versions are tagged at Rs 10.89 lakh and Rs 11.46 lakh respectively. It comes with six seat configurations with captain seats in second row.

(With inputs from PTI)
New Delhi:

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday alleged Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal "structured" a number of tax evading schemes and siphoned off huge funds in foreign jurisdictions. The federal probe agency had carried out searches on Friday at a dozen locations of Goyal, his firms and partner agencies in Mumbai and Delhi on charges of alleged contravention of the foreign exchange law.

"The search resulted in the seizure of various incriminating documents and digital evidences. Further investigation and analysis of the seized documents is going on," the agency said in a statement.

It said preliminary probe "indicates that Goyal structured various tax evading schemes involving its domestic and foreign companies, thereby siphoning off huge amount in foreign jurisdictions through dubious or fictitious transactions".

The ED said Goyal "indirectly" controls various entities abroad, some of which are in tax haven nations. "Fictitious and inflated payments appear to have been made to some of these foreign entities under various airline lease agreements, aircraft maintenance agreements, among others".

READ | Pay Rs 18,000 crore to travel abroad: Delhi High Court to Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal

"Huge amounts appear to have been sent abroad by way of inflated commission to its own group entity in Dubai which acted as airline's exclusive overseas general sales agent (GSA)," the ED alleged.

The agency said probe indicates that Goyal is "likely to be" the beneficial owner of some bank accounts abroad having huge deposits. "Prima facie these transactions involve various violations under the Foreign Exchange Management Act," it said.

Official sources added that the charge of undisclosed assets held abroad could lead the agency to book Goyal under the stringent and criminal anti-money laundering law in the coming day.

READ | Jet Airways' deputy CEO and CFO Amit Agarwal quits over 'personal reasons'

A dozen premises, including Goyal's Mumbai residence, his group companies, their directors and offices of Jet Airways, were searched on Friday. The businessman's empire, the agency said, had 19 privately-held companies, five of which were registered abroad.

A particular company under the ED scanner is the Isle of Man-based Tail Winds Corporation and it is suspected that it controlled all the activities of Jet Airways. The company (Tail Winds) was formed by Goyal in 1992 and the agency also had searched the premises of one Hasmukh Deepchand Gardi, a partner and investor in the Isle of Man firm, the officials had said.

They said Gardi, who is based in Dubai, also had a mention in the global offshore holdings list, known as the "Panama Papers", and the agency suspected that the money invested in Tail Winds was sourced through illegal means.

READ | Jet Airways employees take out candle march near Jantar Mantar, appeal to lenders to 'save' airline

A full-service carrier, Jet Airways shut down its operations on April 17 after running out of cash. A Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) inspection report had found large-scale irregularities, including diversion of funds, at the airline, sources had said in July.

In March, Goyal stepped down as the chairman of Jet Airways. Currently, the airline is going through the resolution process under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code.

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New Delhi:

Asteroid called 16 Psyche could hold thousands of billions of pounds worth of gold? Yes, you read it right. The NASA is planning to send a probe to the asteroid that could hold thousands of billions of pounds worth of gold, platinum and other special metals. The asteroid 16 Psyche, which is located in the primary asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, could contain precious metals such as gold and platinum, which may be worth thousands of billions of pounds.

Daily Express reported that the NASA is planning to launch a solar powered space probe towards the asteroid in 2022, which should arrive in 2026. It would then spend two years investigating the asteroids metallic composition.

According to NBC News, experts believe the asteroid could contain precious metals such as gold and platinum, which may be worth thousands of billions of pounds.

Also Read: NASA asteroid alert: 3,248 feet city-killer space rock dangerously heading towards Earth on THIS date, may hit

In March, US Vice President Mike Pence announced that he wanted to put astronauts back on the Moon by 2024, despite setting his previous goal at 2028. US President Donald Trump, however, is yet to make it clear whether he supports the mission.

Scott Moore, who heads up EuroSun Mining, said the sheer amount of gold in the asteroid threatens to throw the gold industry into chaos.

"The 'Titans of Gold' now control hundreds of the best-producing properties around the world," he told Oil Price.

Also Read: NASA asteroid alert: 2,100-feet monstrous space rock hurtling towards Earth at 14,000mph, humans in grave danger

"But the 4-5 million ounces of gold they bring to the market every year pales in comparison to the conquests available in space."

Dubbed the Discovery Mission, it will arrive at Psyche 16 around 2026. But bringing back an asteroid of this value could completely wipe out our global economy.

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Leh:

Ladakh BJP MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal has said that the development in the region has taken a hit due to the successive wars fought in the cold desert and its people want peace now. But, he asserted, that Ladakhis are "true patriots" and will not back out if it comes to another military confrontation to uphold the sovereignty of the country.

"Ladakh will welcome every decision of the Centre. However, I feel the issues with neighbouring countries should be resolved peacefully," the 34-year-old MP said when asked about Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's recent statement that India can reconsider its no-first-use nuclear policy.

Ladakh has borne the brunt of several military confrontations and has not been able to recover from the damage caused in the successive wars, he said.

"It takes a lot of effort and time to rebuild lives and infrastructure. We want peace. But if it comes to war and there's no other option, the Ladakhis will not back out. We are true patriots," Namgyal, who shot to fame after his impassioned speech on Article 370 in Parliament, said.

"Ladakh has been part of every war India fought, be it in 1947-48, 1962, 1965, 1971 or 1999. Many people view it as a battleground. Because of these wars, development in the region has taken a hit," he added. Asked about Pakistan and China opposing the decision to scrap Article 370, Namgyal said, "It's an internal issue concerning the development of a region and if our neighbours are unhappy about it, we cannot do anything."

The first-time parliamentarian had earlier said the region did not get due importance in defence policies under the Congress rule because of which "China has captured its area up to the Demchok sector".

"Jawaharlal Nehru formulated the 'forward policy', which said we should move towards China inch by inch. During its implementation, it became a 'backward policy'. The (Chinese troops) continued to intrude into our territory and we continued to retreat," Namgyal had told PTI.

"It's the reason Aksai Chin is completely under China. The People's Liberation Army personnel have come up to Demchok's 'nullah' because Ladakh didn't get due importance in defence policies in the 55 years of Congress rule," he had said.

Namgyal had also claimed that the Congress governments ruined Kashmir by following the policy of "appeasement" in hostile situations and Ladakh became "collateral damage".

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New Delhi:

Asteroid 2019 QQ pounced by Earth at 9:30 EST (3:30 BST) on Friday night, Inquisitr quoted the NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) as saying. The space rock was estimated to measure as much as 177 feet across.

Interestingly, the asteroid 2019 QQ was only discovered on August 21  just two days before its impending close brush with Earth. The space rock was about to perform a momentous flyby of Earth and was on course for its closest-ever approach to the Earth, according to a new report released by the JPL.

The JPL scientists classified 2019 QQ as a near-Earth object (NEO), specifically an Apollo-type asteroid. When NEOs orbit around the sun they can comes as close as a few times the distance to the moon to Earth.

Also Read: NASA asteroid alert: 3,248 feet city-killer space rock dangerously heading towards Earth on THIS date, may hit

Meanwhile, reports suggest that an asteroid called 2000 QW7, almost the size of Burj Khalifa, is approaching towards the Earth, and likely to pass the planet at a speed of 23,112 kilometres per hour on September 14, according to reports. The space rock, measuring between 290 and 650 metres, is larger than The Shard in London. Currently, the NASA's Centre for Near Earth Object Studies is monitoring its activities.

However, 2000 QW7 will not be a danger to the Earth as the asteroid will pass within 0.03564 astronomical units of the Earth - or 5.3 million km away from the surface.

Also Read: NASA asteroid alert: 2,100-feet monstrous space rock hurtling towards Earth at 14,000mph, humans in grave danger

The NASA is also planning to send a probe to an asteroid called 16 Psyche that could hold thousands of billions of pounds worth of gold, platinum and other special metals. The asteroid 16 Psyche, which is located in the primary asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, could contain precious metals such as gold and platinum, which may be worth thousands of billions of pounds.

Daily Express reported that the NASA is planning to launch a solar powered space probe towards the asteroid in 2022, which should arrive in 2026. It would then spend two years investigating the asteroids metallic composition.

According to NBC News, experts believe the asteroid could contain precious metals such as gold and platinum, which may be worth thousands of billions of pounds.

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New Delhi:

A flood threat is looming large over Punjabs border district of Ferozepur after Pakistan released more water into the Indian territory, washing away a major portion of an embankment in the catchment area of the Sutlej River. The state government has deployed NDRF and Army teams in the area as a precautionary measure, officials said on Sunday.

"Pakistan has released water in huge quantity which caused damage to the embankment in Tendiwala village, and there is danger of floods in some villages," a spokesperson of the Punjab government said.

"Being on guard, the district administration has announced evacuation in most sensitive villages along the Sutlej River as a precautionary step besides deploying various teams of the health department, food and civil supplies department and others," he added.

Taking note of the grim situation, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has directed Water Resources Department to work out a joint action plan with the Army to repair the embankment at the village on the Indo-Pak border.

"Presiding over a high-level meeting to review the flood situation in Ferozepur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala and Rupnagar districts, he directed the principal secretary Water Resources to ensure strengthening of Tendiwala embankment on war footing to avert the flooding of nearby villages," an official statement said.

The spokesperson asked people not to panic and remain calm, assuring that the administration is geared up for any situation and relief work at vulnerable points is going on at a fast pace. The authorities have stacked sand filled gunny bags in a huge quantity and work is on to strengthen the embankment in Tendiwala village.

"In the wake of the damage to the embankment due to heavy discharge of water from the Pakistan side, the strengthening work of Tendiwala embankment is being undertaken on war footing," the spokesperson said.

A few days back, as many as 17 villages of Ferozepur district were flooded after Pakistan opened headworks gates in its area on the Sutlej River. Several villages of Ferozepur remain already inundated because of the recent rains and breaches in embankments of the river.

(With inputs from PTI)

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New Delhi:

The first batch of 4 Apache attack helicopters, which was handed over to India in July, will be formally inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF)s fleet in Pathankot, Punjab next month. On July 27, US aerospace major Boeing delivered the first four of the 22 Apache attack helicopters to the IAF.

Speaking to the news agency IANS, a senior Defence Ministry official said that Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to preside over the induction ceremony as the chief guest on September 3.

"Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa has already given his consent for the induction ceremony. The helicopters will be handed over by the manufacturer to the Air Force. The induction ceremony will be held at the Pathankot Air Force Station," the official was quoted as saying.

READ | IAF's MiG-21 which shot down Pakistan's F-16 jet, to be phased out soon: BS Dhanoa

The development comes nearly four years after a multi-billion-dollar deal was sealed for 22 AH-64E Apache, which is one of the world's most advanced multi-role combat helicopters and is flown by the US Army.

The IAF had signed the multi-billion-dollar contract with the US government and Boeing Ltd in September 2015 for 22 Apache helicopters. The addition will significantly enhance the force's combat capabilities as the chopper has been customised to suit IAF's future requirements, the IAF officials earlier said in a statment.

READ | Veena Malik does it again, mocks IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, gets trolled

Boeing said the AH-64E has the latest technology insertions, maintaining its standing as the world's best attack helicopter. The AH-64E Apache for the Indian Air Force completed successful first flights in July 2018. The first batch of Indian Air Force crew began their training to fly the Apache in the US in 2018.

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Mumbai:

At least 119 Govindas were injured in Mumbai and 14 in neighbouring Thane on Saturday during dahi-handi celebrations, officials said, even as the events to mark the birth of Lord Krishna remained low key in several areas. Most of the Govindas were injured as their human pyramids, to break the 'dahi-handi' or curd pitcher, fell, a BMC official said.

The celebrations remained low key in many areas.

Several dahi-handi organisers expressed solidarity with the people affected by devastating floods in the state and some mandals decided to donate money for relief work. A civic official said 26 revellers were admitted to civic-run hospitals across Mumbai while the rest were discharged after primary treatment.

In Thane, a 10-year-old boy's leg was fractured after he fell from the second rung of a pyramid and was undergoing treatment at a nearby hospital, a civic official said.

In another incident in Thane, a teenage girl, enjoying the celebrations, was injured after a pyramid collapsed and people fell on her, the official added.

The dahi-handi ritual is part of the Janmashtami festival in Maharashtra, where youngsters (called Govindas), dressed in colourful attire, make human pyramids to reach an earthen pot containing buttermilk suspended in mid-air, and break it.

Gorakhnath Mahila Dahi Handi Pathak Mandal, an organisation of women Govindas, celebrated the festival to "keep our tradition" alive.

"We celebrated the dahi-handi festival, but not with the usual fervour. We celebrate it just to keep our tradition on. We cannot forget the hardships our brothers and sisters are facing in parts of state due to floods," Bhau Koregaonkar, the founder of the mandal, said.

BJP leader Ram Kadam, who is known for holding grand dahi-handi events, also decided to celebrate the festival without any glitter.

"We celebrated this festival as part of our culture, but it will be done in a simple manner. There is no need to splurge money and the saved money will be sent to help the flood-hit brothers and sisters of the state," he said before the festival started.

The Mumbai Police had asked people to not play loud music.

"Mach Gaya Shor Saari Nagari, Within Permitted Decibels Only," it tweeted.

Celebrations were held in Dadar, Worli, Wadala, Ghatkopar, Andheri, Lokhandawala, Borivali, Kandivali, Jogeshwari, Mulund and Vile Parle.

The Radha Gopinath temple of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) at Girgaum was decked up as devotees waited in ques to offer prayers.

ISKCON spiritual leader Radhanath Swami said Lord Krishna's teachings have been relevant for centuries.

BMC's disaster management cell was on alert to deal with any eventuality, while hospitals were asked to keep medical staff on standby.

In Dombivali in Thane district, police seized a 'dahi-handi' depicting an Electronic Voting Machine, allegedly put up by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena workers.

The Raj Thackeray-led party has been demanding that upcoming state elections be held through ballot papers. MNS activists wore black T-shirts and shouted slogans against the Modi government.

The Police and the activists clashed when the 'EVM dahi-handi' was seized.

Floods ravaged several areas of western Maharashtra and Konkan region earlier this month, with Kolhapur and Sangli districts bearing the maximum brunt.

Fifty-eight people died in floods in western Maharashtra.
New Delhi:

In his third episode of Mann Ki Baat after returning to power in May this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday revealed how technology helped in carrying out a fast conversation between him and TV host Bear Grylls in his jungle survival programme "Man Vs Wild" on Discovery channel. The prime minister chose to talk about it because people were asking him about how exactly the episode was shot.

But there is another interesting thing, some people ask me one thing albeit with some hesitation -Modi ji, you were speaking in Hindi and Bear Grylls does not know Hindi, so how did you carry on such a fast conversation between the two of you? Was this episode edited later? How many times did the shooting happen for this episode and how it happened? They ask with great curiosity, he said while addressing the nation through his monthly programme.

The prime minister said that he was speaking in Hindi during the live shooting but Bear Grylls heard it in English because of the use of technology.

Now, there is no secret in this. Many people have this question in their minds, so I will unravel this secret. Well, in a way it is no secret at all! The reality is that technology was used extensively in my conversation with Bear Grylls. Whenever I spoke immediately there was a simultaneous translation into English or simultaneous interpretation and Bear Grylls had a small cordless instrument in his ear. So I used to speak in Hindi but he heard it in English and because of that the communication became very easy and this is an amazing aspect about technology, he said.

Emphasising that a large number of people have been discussing about Jim Corbett National Park after the "Man Vs Wild with Bear Grylls and Prime Minister Modi" went live, he urged people to visit sites associated with nature and wildlife and animals.

You must also visit sites associated with nature and wildlife and animals. As I have said before, and I emphasize, that you must visit the north-east in your lifetime. What a glorious abundance of nature exists there. You will be left wonderstruck! Your horizon will expand, the prime minister said.

Our country is full of diversity and this wide range of diversity will also inculcate variations within you as a teacher. Your life will be enriched. Your thinking will expand. And trust me, there are places within India from where you will come back with renewed energy, enthusiasm, zeal and inspiration, and maybe you will feel like returning to certain places again and again; your family too would feel the same, he added.

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New Delhi:

As Brazil grapples with thousands of wildfires burning in the Amazon rainforest for the last few days, United States President Donald Trump on Saturday offered help to the South American country.

In his tweet posted about some 6 hours ago, Trump said that he had just spoken with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, adding that the existing trade prospects and relationship between the countries are "perhaps stronger than ever". "I told him if the United States can help with the Amazon Rainforest fires, we stand ready to assist!" the President added.

Just spoke with President @JairBolsonaro of Brazil. Our future Trade prospects are very exciting and our relationship is strong, perhaps stronger than ever before. I told him if the United States can help with the Amazon Rainforest fires, we stand ready to assist!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 23, 2019

READ | Pray for Amazonia: Earth's lungs are BURNING, view this unprecedented carnage in Brazil

Meanwhile, Bolsonaro has authorised the deployment of Brazil's armed forces to help combat the fires amid a growing global outcry, sparking protests across Brazil's all major cities and threatening a huge trade deal.

Plumes of thick smoke rose into the sky above dense forest in the north western state of Rondonia, where bright orange flames from various fires were visible for kilometres - videos and photographs emerged on various social media platforms showed.

As per the latest official figures, 76,720 forest fires were recorded in Brazil so far this year - the highest number for any year since 2013 - which experts blame on accelerating deforestation as land is cleared during the months-long dry season to make way for crops or grazing. More than half are in the Amazon - the largest rainforest of the world.

READ | Amazon fires: 'Deeply concerned', says UN chief, Macron calls it international crisis

Around 700 new fires were ignited between Wednesday and Thursday, according to the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), fuelling air contamination in cities including Sao Paulo, where thick smog turned day into night on Monday. European leaders also expressed growing concern over the blaze.

Environmental specialists say the fires have accompanied a rapid rate of deforestation in the Amazon region, which in July quadrupled compared to the same month in 2018, according to INPE data, which Bolsonaro previously described as lies and prompted the sacking of the agency's head.

Bolsonaro instead attributes the blazes to increased drought, and accuses environmental groups and NGOs of whipping up an "environmental psychosis" to harm Brazil's economic interests. Earlier in the week, Bolsonaro accused NGOs of starting the fires.

READ | 'Colonialist mentality': Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro blasts Macron over Amazon fire comment

Brazil's powerful agriculture sector - a key supporter of Bolsonaro - has expressed concerns over the president's rhetoric, fearing a boycott of their products in key markets.

Neighboring Paraguay and Bolivia are also battling separate wildfires that have devastated large areas of their rainforests. The Bolivian government on Friday took delivery of a "super-tanker" aircraft to help extinguish fires that have destroyed around 7,770 square kilometres of the eastern province of Santa Cruz for the past month.

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New Delhi:

Harpal Singh Cheema, a senior leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Leader of the Opposition, accusing the ruling Congress party of being biased in allocating funds to MLAs, said that Congress leaders has looted Punjab exchequer with both hands, but no development has been done. Simultaneously, Harpal Singh Cheema announced that with the formation of Aam Aadmi Party government in 2022, the facility of MLA Constituency Development Fund would be introduced for every MLA like the MPs.

In a statement issued from the party headquarters here on Saturday, Harpal Singh Cheema demanded a judicial inquiry, under the supervision of the Honble High Court, into the billions of rupees released by former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to the Congress MLAs. He added that people must demand an account of every penny from the Congress leaders, because it is people's own money, which the Congress leaders have openly devoured.

If the Aam Aadmi Party MLAs had received half as much funds as the Congress MLAs, then the AAP MLAs would have changed the face of their respective constituencies and accounted to the public for the funds spent on development works in each village and locality, as the party president and Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann does. Stated, Aam Aadmi Partys principles are based on spending public money on public works. Aam Aadmi Party does not usurp public money itself. Public in Delhi bears witness to this fact, where Kejriwal government built a Rs 250 crore bridge in Rs 150 crore only and are spending the remaining Rs 100 crore on public health facilities.

Harpal Singh Cheema said that Congress and Badal-BJP talk about constituency development funds; but they do not follow their word when they are in power. Citing the example of Kejriwal's government in Delhi, Harpal Singh Cheema said that a constituency development fund of crores of rupees earmarked for each MLA in Delhi, has been released, for the development of constituency, to all MLAs equally whether hes from AAP or BJP.

Cheema questioned the former Chief Minister as to why Capt. Amarinder Singh, who is now demanding an account of funds from his MLAs, was asleep when he was releasing billions of rupees to the same Congress MLAs. Cheema said that Capt. Amarinder Singh was bribing Congress MLAs in the name of development funds to save his seat. If development funds had been given, Captain would have demanded their account while he was the Chief Minister, which was never mentioned then. After losing the power position today, captain is suddenly interested in this calculation.

Cheema questioned the intentions and policy of the Congress, saying that the Congress did not care about the mandate of the people, just like Badals, if it had, equal funds would have been released for the development of each constituency. They have only looted the exchequer in the name of development, but did not release a single penny to the MLAs of the Opposition for the development of their constituencies. The same was the case with the Badals earlier, due to which the Congress, as the Opposition at that time, claimed that after coming to power, in Punjab the MLA would get a fixed development fund for equal development of each constituency. But after forming the government in the stated, Congress reneged on this promise like any other. Harpal Singh Cheema said that Aam Aadmi Party respects the will of the people in a democracy whereas Congress and Akali-BJP are vindictive with the people of those constituencies where their party did not get majority vote shares.

Mr. Harpal Singh Cheema reminded the Chief Minister Mr. Charanjit Singh Channi about the days, when Mr. Charanjit Singh Channi was the Leader of Opposition in the Badal government, talking about implementing Constituency Development Fund policy, same for every MLA. Cheema said that Channi did not keep his word, when now he has the authority and means to actually make it happen. He said that after becoming the Chief Minister, he did not even make hollow declaration in this case, regarding constituency MLA fund, which is very unlike Announcer Channi.

Harpal Singh Cheema said that after coming to power in 2022, the Aam Aadmi Party would implement the Constituency Development Fund for every MLA without any discrimination policy, as has been implemented by the Kejriwal government in Delhi.

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New Delhi:

The Centre has reached out to former chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti who have been under detention since the announcement of abrogation of Article 370 on August 5 raising possibility of political dialogue in the Valley. According to media reports, a team comprising senior IB and RAW officials met Omar Abdullah at Hari Niwas Palace and Mehbooba Mufti at Chashme Shahi where they have been kept under detention in Srinagar.

The political lockdown cannot continue forever. There has been some movement to sound out the two leaders for possible easing of restrictions on them. There is need to create space, The Indian Express quoted a source as saying.



Tensions are high in Kashmir after New Delhi abrogated provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution to withdraw Jammu and Kashmirs special status and bifurcated it into two Union Territories on August 5.



According to sources, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Ghulam Nabi Azad and other opposition leaders will visit Srinagar today, days after the former Congress president accepted Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Governor Satya Pal Malik's offer to visit the Valley to review the situation after the abrogation of provisions of Article 370 that gave a special status to the state.

On August 13, Gandhi said he and other opposition leaders would visit Jammu and Kashmir and urged Malik to allow them the freedom to meet people, and soldiers.

Gandhi said in a tweet, "Dear Governor Malik, A delegation of opposition leaders & I will take you up on your gracious invitation to visit J&K and Ladakh. We won't need an aircraft but please ensure us the freedom to travel & meet the people, mainstream leaders and our soldiers stationed over there."



The Jammu and Kashmir government issued a statement asking political leaders not to visit the Valley as it would disturb the gradual restoration of peace and normal life.



"Political leaders are requested to cooperate and not visit Srinagar as they would be putting other people to inconvenience. They would also be violating restrictions that are still there in many areas. Senior leaders should understand that top priority would be given to maintaining peace, order and preventing loss of human lives," the statement said.

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New Delhi:

Days after resigning, IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan, who claimed he quit as he wanted to express his views against the denial of freedom of expression in Kashmir, on Sunday said people of the Valley have to be convinced on Article 370, but it cannot be done by not allowing them to express their views.

The 32-year-old officer of 2012 batch came into limelight after he hid his identity to join volunteers in relief work during the 2018 Kerala floods Gopinathan, who was Secretary, Power Department, of the Union Territories of Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, submitted his resignation last Wednesday.

His resignation made no mention of the Kashmir issue. I want to exercise my freedom of expression but it is not possible while I am in the service. There are certain rules and regulations in that, he said on Sunday.

Gopinathan, who hails from Kottayam District of Kerala, said that to abrogate Article 370 is the right of an elected government, but in a democracy the people have the right to respond to such decisions.

After taking the decision on Kashmir, nearly 20 days have passed and even now, the people there are not allowed to react or respond to it and that is not acceptable in a democratic set up. Personally, I could not accept it and continue in the service during such a time, he told PTI.

This is not something I can accept in my country. I know that my acceptance doesnt make any difference. But I wanted to express that this is not correct. We should allow them their Freedom of Expression. If they dont like it we can try to convince them. We dont convince by locking them up and not allowing them to express their views, he said.

He said the people should be allowed freedom of expression.

To abrogate Article 370 is the right of an elected government and to right to decide whether it is right or not is vested in the Supreme Court. As a bureaucrat I have limitations. But in a democracy, people have the right to respond against such decisions. The citizens of a democratic country has the right to react or respond to a decision taken by the government, Gopinathan told PTI.

He said the resignation was a decision he took out of a very strong feeling that he could not accept the kind of denial of right to the people there.

He said he never wanted to say anything publicly until his resignation was accepted but the word leaked from some social media group where he had shared his views and news of resignation.

Maybe I am wrong. My perception of the situation might be wrong. My conviction could be wrong. But I just know that this is my perception and this is my conviction and I would like to be vocal and express my views on my conviction, he said.

Gopinathan had in 2018 joined volunteers at three places in flood-hit Kerala without revealing that he was an IAS officer. Later when he was carrying sacks of materials on his back, Ernakulam Collector and the sub-collector recognised himit.

A day after his resignation, when PTI contacted him in Silvassa, the IAS officer had said he resigned as he was not happy with the Indian governance system.

I Kannan G, IAS officer of 2012 batch, AGMUT Cadre, hereby submit my letter of resignation from the Indian Administrative Service. I humbly request you to kindly accept my resignation and relive me, read his resignation letter.

Gopinathan had said he tried to change the system but has come to the conclusion that it cannot be changed.

An electrical engineer from the Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, he worked as a design engineer with a private firm before entering the Indian Administrative Service (IAS).

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New Delhi:

The Election Commision on Sunday announced the date of bypolls to four assembly constituencies in four states. Bypolls will be held for Hamirpur seat in Uttar Pradesh, Dantewada in Chhattisgarh, Pala in Kerala and Bhadarghat in Tripura on September 23.

The counting of votes will be held on September 27.

Here's the full schedule of the bypolls:

Date of Issue of Gazette Notification: 28.08.2019 (WEDNESDAY)

Last Date of Nominations: 04.09.2019 (WEDNESDAY)

Date for Scrutiny of Nominations: 05.09.2019 (THURSDAY)

Last Date for Withdrawal of candidatures: 07.09.2019 (SATURDAY)

Date of Poll: 23.09.2019 (MONDAY)

Date of Counting: 27.09.2019 (FRIDAY)

Date before which election shall be completed: 29.09.2019 (SUNDAY)

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New Delhi:

Kannan Gopinathan, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer who shot to prominence for his anonymous participation in the flood relief efforts in Kerala last year, has submitted his resignation from the service.

I want my freedom of expression back. I want to live like me, even if it is for a day, said Kannan Gopinathan, a 2012-batch IAS officer hailing from Kerala, who submitted his resignation to the Dadra and Nagar Haveli administration.

The AGMUT cadre IAS officer is currently in charge as secretary of power, urban development and agriculture departments in the Dadra and Nagar Haveli administration.

According to The News Minute, Kannan wrote a letter to the Home Secretary on August 21 saying he wishes to be relieved from the Indian Administrative Service.

"I want my freedom of expression intact. I joined the services believing I can give voice to others, but here I am unable to use my own voice. My resignation will give me my freedom of expression back," Kannan Gopinathan told TNM.

"I know this won't make any impact, it would be news for half a day only. But I wanted to do it nevertheless. I wanted to act as per my consciousness," he added.

Kannan was was disturbed by the recent events in Jammu and Kashmir.

Speaking to The Hindu, Gopinathan said, "Over the past few days, I have been really perturbed by what is happening in the country, wherein a large section of our population have had their fundamental rights suspended. There has been a lack of response to it. We seem to be perfectly fine with it."

"We got into the service thinking that we can provide voice to people, but then we ended up with our own voice being taken away from us. In a democracy, lets say Hong Kong or any other democracy, if the Government takes a decision, that is their right. But the response to that decision is the peoples right. Here, we have taken a decision and then we have detained everybody. They are not even allowed to respond to that decision. That is dangerous," he added.

Gopinathan became well known in September 2018 for his selfless work during the Kerala floods. The officer who was the then District Collector of the Union Territory Dadra and Nagar Haveli had rushed to Kerala to help at a relief collection centre and had toiled without telling anyone that he was a District Collector. His identity became known only after another officer recognised him.

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Mumbai: Shiv Sena launched a scathing attack last Saturday asking, 'Is Prime Minister Narendra Modi scared or ashamed to name late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi during a recent celebration to mark 50 years of Bangladesh's independence?' Shiv Sena also said, "President Ram Nath Kovind visited Dhaka to celebrate the victory, but there he did not even mention the name of Indira Gandhi, the creator of Bangladesh. At the same time, Shiv Sena raised the issue in its mouthpiece Saamna. In the meantime, the party said sharply, "By ignoring Indira in this way, you can neither write the history of India nor the world. But who will explain to such narrow-minded rulers of our country? It is an insult to women.''

Shiv Sena also said, "50 years have passed since the 1971 Bangladesh war, which India won, the sacrifices of our brave soldiers were remembered, but Modi did not even show the courtesy of referring to Indira Gandhi on December 16. The newspaper further read, "If Indira Gandhi had not shown courage, Pakistan would never have been taught a life-long lesson. He divided Pakistan into two pieces.''

Not only that, it further wrote, "Even the then Jan Sangh leader later Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee called Indira Gandhi Durga. Moreover, Shiv Sena praised Indira Gandhi's skills and said, "After Bangladesh, she emerged as a powerful world leader. With a clear warning that if you look at India with bad eyes, we will tear you to pieces.''

It has been said, "When she (Indira Gandhi) achieved this feat, the present rulers in New Delhi will be lying in bed as a child. A ruler can build a temple or a building can clean a river, but cannot break Pakistan to build Bangladesh, which only Indira Gandhi had the courage to do. Shiv Sena also said, "Instead of joining the surgical strike, Indira Gandhi ordered a direct attack by the Indian Army to teach Pakistan a lesson. Even the Indian Air Force, the Indian Navy, was used. Karachi port was destroyed.''

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" " 'Avengers: Endgame' stars Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo and Kevin Feige, producer and president of Marvel Studios (extreme left) participate in the Hand And Footprint Ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California. Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney

In "Avengers: Endgame," the surviving heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) will square up against the mad titan Thanos  but what are their chances for victory?

Scientist and author Sebastian Alvarado, Ph.D. knows a thing or two about their powers, having authored "The Science of Marvel," an entertaining and informative breakdown of all the comic book super powers in the MCU and just how they match up with real-life scientific principles

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"I'm very optimistic," Alvarado tells HowStuffWorks via e-mail. "The remaining half of the Avengers is the most experienced, prepared and powerful team.

"Between Thor, Captain Marvel, and the Hulk, the Avengers are wielding the power of a god, the sun, and gamma-fueled rage," he adds. "That should be enough for tacticians like Cap and Tony to find an opening while Ant-Man can coordinate several unseen attacks. The one concern I have is that they may be facing off with new foes that they know nothing about. "

To refresh, 2018's "Avengers: Infinity War" saw the mad titan finally succeed in collecting all six infinity stones. He locked them into the Infinity Gauntlet and snapped his fingers  an act that erased half the life across the universe.

It's a devastating moment in the film, reducing several beloved Marvel super heroes to dust. But Alvarado points out that, taken in the context of past extinction events on Earth, the snap didn't do that much damage.

"In the 3.5 billion years life has been around, 99.9 percent of all species that ever lived on Earth are already extinct," he says. "That's definitely more than half, but it didn't occur during a snap of a finger. Thanos' snap is just another extinction event."

And as for Thanos' reasoning for his attack  that it would save an overpopulated and unsustainable universe from true extinction  it turns out he's been leaning pretty heavily on outdated 18th century demography.

MCU Meets IRL

As Alvarado points out in his book, English cleric and economist Thomas Malthus (1766-1824) theorized that a growing human population would outstrip its ability to produce adequate food. However, Malthus never envisioned how advances in agriculture and technology would transform food production and transportation. His predictions of spiraling starvation didn't hold up over the centuries of human history to follow.

" " "The Science of Marvel" was published in April 2019. Simon & Schuster | Adams Media

That's not to say modern humans (or their MCU counterparts) have achieved a post-scarcity society. Sustainability is still an issue. But if you're going to address sustainability problems across the universe with an almighty gauntlet, why resort to a mass extinction snap?

"Imagine being omnipotent with the power of the Infinity Gauntlet and interstellar travel," Alvarado says. "I think we can be a little more creative with that power to sustain life than to just eliminate it. I preferred Thanos' cosmic love affair with Death from the comics. That made more sense since we can all relate to the crazy things we do to impress someone we love."

But then again, we are talking about the mad titan here and not the perfectly reasonable titan, so perhaps we should cut big screen Thanos some slack.

Not everyone wants to think about quantum physics during a cinematic superhero battle. Sometimes we just need to lose ourselves in the CGI excess of a good Hulk rampage. But for Alvarado, however, the scientific questions are half the fun.

"Since I was old enough to pick up a comic book and argue over which hero or villain would win against who and why," he says. "Nothing motivated me more to win such arguments than learning about science. This became a little more serious when I started consulting on these matters during my Ph.D. The only difference there was to communicate the science effectively."

By day, Alvarado studies molecular ecology and behavioral neuroscience at Queens College, City University of New York, where he serves as an assistant professor. But, in keeping with his love of science communication through super heroics, he also cofounded the science and communication consulting firm, Thwacke! The company works with films, video game companies and exhibits to ensure that scientific subjects are portrayed more realistically.

In "The Science of Marvel," Alvarado weighs in on every corner of the MCU. To account for Groot's amazing growth, he considers how the plant-based alien from "Guardians of the Galaxy" might depend on meristematic cells (undifferentiated cells that become the various organs of a plant)  and a super dose of energy through pubescent leaf growth. In pondering the powers of the heart-shaped herb in "Black Panther," he turns to such examples of real-life pharmacology as the use of stimulating and psychoactive herbs in traditional Chinese medicine. The real-world analogs don't necessarily explain everything we see on screen, but they do drive home the fact the natural world packs plenty of weirdness and wonder to rival anything up Tony Stark's sleeve.

"I was really surprised by the new fields I had to dip my toes into," Alvarado says. "Like quantum mechanics, nuclear physics, aerospace engineering, etc. For example, Falcon's Redwing in ['Captain America: The Winter Soldier'] could see enemies behind walls, which seemed a little far-fetched until I learned that this is something that can be inferred from antennae detecting long wavelength electromagnetic radiation like WiFi. Other examples include how time, space, gravity and light can be controlled or understood under incredibly controlled experiments. To me, this was like finding out the secrets of every magic trick ever invented."

And there are more than enough scientific glimmers in an "Avengers" movie to keep Alvarado thinking.

"For the MCU, you can often see them putting together these incredible set pieces inspired by science," he says. "Consider Nidavellir's neutron star that was used to forge Thor's Stormbreaker. I don't need to know what a neutron star is or how impossible it is to contain, but I know it's enough to almost kill a Norse god and pique the interest of a cybernetic raccoon. If I get more curious, I can read a book about it, tweet a scientist, or browse YouTube to learn more. When you realize something like the Avengers can make you curious about the world around you, it's like being a kid."

Now That's Testing Your Bladder At three hours, "Avengers: Endgame" is the longest movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
China's securities regulator and American authorities have initiated talks on the audit inspection of US-listed Chinese companies, which could stave off the potential delisting of these firms after years of non-compliance.

"The relevant regulators of China and the US have started the negotiations over the regulatory cooperation issues [and] have made some progress," according to a statement from the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) on Friday.

The CSRC released the statement soon after US regulator the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) published early on Friday a report, which determined that it was "unable to inspect or investigate completely" registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong because of the position taken by authorities in those markets.

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Seven mainland Chinese and eight Hong Kong accounting firms are currently overdue for inspection, according to the PCAOB. The report indicated that the PCAOB has never completed an inspection of a mainland Chinese firm and has not finished an inspection of a Hong Kong firm since 2010.

The facade of the China Securities Regulatory Commission headquarters in Beijing. Photo: Simon Song alt=The facade of the China Securities Regulatory Commission headquarters in Beijing. Photo: Simon Song>

The 15 accounting firms mentioned in the US regulator's report are responsible for auditing 191 US-listed Chinese firms with a combined market capitalisation at US$1.9 trillion.

The CSRC, however, said on Friday that the US report did not fully reflect China's efforts to reach a solution. It indicated that both the US Securities and Exchange Commission and PCAOB have been working with Chinese authorities to draw up a solution

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"We are ready to have further discussions with US authorities any time," the CSRC said. "As long as both sides adopt an approach of mutual respect and trust that follows international practice, the two sides can find a path that could meet the regulatory requirements of both parties to protect the interests of the global investors and the development of the capital markets of the two countries."

Last year, the CSRC presented proposals to collaborate with the PCAOB since 2019. These were geared towards reconciling local auditing rules with global bookkeeping standards, rebutting criticisms that Beijing was allowing Chinese companies to "cheat" on US capital markets.

The CSRC's latest statement comes months after it pledged to cooperate with the US over how it supervises the auditing of Chinese companies, which could prevent these firms from being delisted from American bourses in three years if they do not share their audits for review.

China has long denied US securities regulators the ability to inspect the financial audits of its US-listed companies, saying they contain state secrets. Chinese law bars financial institutions, including accounting, audit and legal firms, from providing any securities-related documents to foreign parties without permission.

Despite the creation of a pilot scheme for cross-border cooperation in 2016, the PCAOB has not completed any investigation about audit work done on US-listed Chinese companies because Beijing refuses to allow the US regulator to conduct such routine inspection.

As such, the PCAOB report said Hong Kong and mainland China cannot comply with audit inspection requirements under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act. A company that fails to comply with this US law for over three consecutive years is subject to delisting.

People are seen on Wall Street outside the New York Stock Exchange building in New York City. Photo: Reuters alt=People are seen on Wall Street outside the New York Stock Exchange building in New York City. Photo: Reuters>

While the PCAOB is expected to publish another report about this matter next year, it is still keen to negotiate with mainland Chinese regulators.

"We remain interested in a relationship with [Chinese] authorities that facilitates the access necessary to oversee PCAOB-registered audit firms in mainland China and Hong Kong, consistent with the robust international regulatory cooperation we experience everywhere else in the world," said Duane DesParte, acting chairman of PCAOB, in a statement on Thursday.

"To protect investors and to carry out the PCAOB's mandate, our inspectors and investigators need consistent access across all jurisdictions to the audit work performed for public companies in US capital markets."

"The PCAOB report marks a step on the journey to delist the Chinese issuers should the present situation remain unresolved," said Clement Chan, chairman of Hong Kong Association of Registered Public Interested Entity Auditors.

"However, it is not a dead-end yet," said Chan, who is managing director of BDO, one of the Hong Kong-based accounting firms identified in the US report. "The CSRC and PCAOB should continue their efforts to reach a middle ground and overcome this hurdle, as both have the same goal of maintaining a robust and healthy capital equity market."

Local brokers also urge the two sides to reach an agreement as soon as possible.

"It is vital for Hong Kong, as an international financial centre, to give confidence to investors," said Tom Chan Pak-lam, chairman of the Hong Kong Institute Securities Dealers, an industry body of local brokerage houses. "There are a lot of US-listed Chinese companies that have dual primary listing or secondary listing in Hong Kong. If they were labelled as non-compliant with the US regulation, it will affect investors' confidence in these companies."

Representatives of other accounting firms, the Hong Kong government and local regulator the Financial Reporting Council did not comment. Earlier this month, Christopher Hui Ching-yu, the city's Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury denied claims that Hong Kong was not cooperating with US authorities.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2021 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2021. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
The CNN logo stands outside the venue of the second Democratic 2020 U.S. presidential candidates debate, in the Fox Theater in Detroit

By Maria Ponnezhath

(Reuters) -CNN is closing its offices in the United States to all nonessential employees as COVID-19 cases increase, the network said on Saturday in an internal memo to staff seen by Reuters.

CNN, part of AT&T Inc's WarnerMedia division, will close its offices to all employees who do not have work in the office, the memo said.

"We are doing this out of an abundance of caution," CNN President Jeff Zucker said in the memo. "And it will also protect those who will be in the office by minimizing the number of people who are there."

Employees who need to come to the office will be required to wear a mask at all times, CNN said.

The network will also make changes to its studios and control rooms to minimize the number of people at offices, according to the memo.

The news was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

The network had set a tentative return-to-office date in January and it isn't known if that date will move, the Journal reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.

CNN requires all employees to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 to come to office or to work on field with other employees.

In August, the company terminated three of its workers for coming to the office unvaccinated.

(Reporting by Maria Ponnezhath and Ann Maria Shibu in Bengaluru; Editing by Leslie Adler and William Mallard)
(Bloomberg) -- Cruise LLC Chief Executive Officer Dan Ammann had a slate of meetings on Dec. 16 when he got an early afternoon call from General Motors Co. CEO Mary Barra. She told Ammann he was being dismissed from the robotaxi startup that GM controls through a majority stake, say people familiar with the events.

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What seemed abrupt to outsiders and people working at Cruise had been building for months. The two executives didnt agree on how to focus the breakthrough self-driving technology that the Silicon Valley unit is preparing to launch with a taxi service. Barra and GMs board were pushing a grand vision that included transferring that knowledge to create luxury Cadillacs, self-driving cars sold at retail or delivery vehicles for GMs new electric-van business. The opportunities, and their potential value, were immense.

Ammann -- a star in his own right who once competed with Barra to run GM -- was open to all of those things eventually, but he disagreed on some key points. First, he thought Cruise needed to focus on starting its taxi business before spreading its resources. Second, he wanted Barra and GMs board to take Cruise public sooner rather than later, giving it stock to lure the rare talent that can program cars to drive themselves, said two people familiar with his thinking.

Ultimately, the dispute was about control: In the vision shared by Barra and the board, keeping Cruise in-house gave GM both a high-margin robotaxi business and more direct access to the companys resources to make other autonomous vehicles and services. Cruise could also enhance GMs own assisted-driving features. People didnt think the collaboration was smooth enough. If Ammann prevailed, there would be the further complication of public stakeholders in a new company to consider, not just the strategic interest and shareholder value of GM.

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Ammann, 49, discovered the hard way that Barra and her board call the shots, even though Cruise is legally a separate entity with other private shareholders besides GM. When he didnt fall in line with that vision, it was over. How it all went down is instructive to how Cruise will be an integral part of GM and how it will probably be managed when Barra finds a new CEO.

Rivals for CEO

The split is an end to a long relationship between Barra and Ammann, who were the finalists for the top job at GM when Dan Akerson was looking for his replacement before retiring in 2014. Before GMs board decided on Barra, the two candidates approached the directors and said that whoever didnt get the top job would stay and work with the new CEO, said several people familiar with the matter who asked not to be named. Afterward, they worked in lockstep when cutting weak businesses and acquiring Cruise.

In recent months, the pair of executives started to see more and more aspects of Cruise differently, the people said. If Ammann wanted, for example, to expand robotaxi services to other cities after San Francisco, did he need GM approval to start laying that groundwork? More and more, the answer was yes and GM was exerting its influence over the startup.

Ammann reported to a Cruise board that is chaired by Barra and included Cruise founder and now-interim CEO Kyle Vogt. Other GM brass on Cruises board included President Mark Reuss, product development chief Doug Parks, general counsel Craig Glidden and GM director Devin Wenig. Former Alphabet Inc. executive Regina Dugan, the CEO of non-profit Wellcome Leap, also has a seat. Softbank Vision Fund and Honda Motor Co. have non-voting observer status on the board.

They were consulted about the management change and didnt object, two of the people said.

Tensions Arise

It was a quick fall for Ammann, who didnt return a phone call or email seeking comment.

Ammann had a starring role in October at GMs investor day, when Barra made a case that GM could double revenue to $280 billion by 2030. He laid out how the company would start its self-driving taxi business soon and grow revenue to $50 billion in the next seven years. Margins could be 40%.

Tension had been building for some time but the drama started amping up after a Cruise board meeting on Nov. 2. Thats when Barra made it clear that Cruises mission, in addition to its taxi business, was to develop technology for GM and create value for its shareholders. An IPO was not in the offing. Even though Ammann wasnt completely aligned with that vision, Barra left the meeting feeling that the matter was settled, two of the people said.

Cruises technology would serve as a platform for GM autonomous vehicles and services the same way the Ultium battery serves as a platform for many electric cars and the Ultifi software system will provide different connected services for GM vehicle owners. GM has been pressured by investors to spin out Ultium as a separate business, which Barra doesnt want.

After the November meeting, Ammann continued to try to make his case for an IPO and to have a bigger hand in deciding where the company would focus its resources. He was certainly willing to work on other projects with GM, but stressed the importance of letting his robotaxi plans remain the priority, which would push out the timing of other self-driving applications, two of the people said. Conversations were tense and leaders at GM felt collaboration was too challenging with Ammann in charge, they said.

Ammann was still in the job after GMs board meeting on Dec. 7. It was after that when Barra made the decision, consulting with both boards before make the move, two of the people said.

Ammans Dismissal

In a sign of the inner turmoil, GM initially put out a press release at 4 p.m. Dec. 16 before quickly pulling it off the internet while Barra addressed Cruises staff. Vogt, Cruises founder, chief technical officer and now acting CEO, put Barra on speaker phone. He thanked Ammann for his service and Barra told Cruise managers that GM remained committed to the mission of developing self-driving cars. She said the company would find a first-rate CEO and that the company was special and deserved a special leader, two of the people said.

One idea that had been floated was to make Vogt the CEO. He refused. Then there was a discussion about making Cruises Chief Operating Officer Gil West either CEO or co-CEO with Vogt. West, who had joined the company in January after leaving Delta Air Lines, also declined, two of the people said. He said it would be best if Vogt led the company that he founded.

When the full press release was eventually circulated, it was devoid of any praise for Ammann: General Motors Co. announced today that Dan Ammann, Chief Executive Officer of Cruise, is leaving the company. Kyle Vogt, Cruise President and Chief Technical Officer, will serve as interim CEO. By contrast, when former Chief Financial Officer Dhivya Suryadevara left GM for financial-technology startup Stripe, Barra lavished her with praise.

The news didnt sit well with investors. GMs stock price fell 5.5% on Dec. 17, more than the days drop in the broader markets, and declined another 2.8% as of 9:44 a.m. Monday in New York.

What I really want the investor community to know is that Cruise and GM are totally aligned on accelerating the joint autonomous-vehicle strategy we outlined on our last Investor Day, Reuss, the automakers president, said in a Dec. 17 interview on Bloomberg TV.

Decade at GM

Its an ignominious end for Ammanns decade of work at GM. He was part of Morgan Stanleys restructuring and IPO team and later joined the automaker as treasurer. He climbed to chief financial officer before being named president on the same day Barra was promoted to CEO. He played a big role in downsizing GMs money-losing overseas operations, including Opel in Europe. That global restructuring has been a hallmark of Barras tenure and a big reason the company has grown profits.

Ammann was central in buying Cruise, and Barra sent him to run it two years ago. The self-driving taxi startup has applied for permission from the California Public Utilities Commission to start charging for rides in autonomous vehicles that have no safety driver. Cruise also plans to launch a service in Dubai in 2023.

Under Ammann, Cruise raised more than $6 billion from partners Microsoft Corp., T. Rowe Price Associates Inc., Honda and SoftBank Vision Fund. Those cash-raising rounds brought Cruise a valuation of more than $30 billion.

When Barra sent Ammann to Cruise, the company gave him a compensation package that provided incentive to sell the company or execute an IPO. Ammann stood to get an estimated $25.6 million in restricted stock if Cruise was sold or went public, and hed get 101,000 warrants in the self-driving startup.

That showed that GMs board wanted an IPO at some point, but nothing very soon. When asked about taking Cruise public on the companys third-quarter earnings call, Barra was non-committal and said the close relationship was an advantage.

With Cruise, the vertical integration with GM is a key differentiator, Barra said. The message on Cruise is were well-funded and we have rapid commercialization plans in front of us, and thats the play were executing. And over the longer term, the board will look at what best enhances the overall value creation and shareholder value for the GM shareholder.

(Updates with quote from GM President Reuss and GM share trading)

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RUKLA, Lithuania Dec 19 (Reuters) - NATO will discuss Russia's security proposals but it will not let Moscow dictate the alliance's military posture, German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht said on Sunday on a visit to German troops based in Lithuania to deter a Russian attack.

On Friday, Moscow set out a list of demands https://www.reuters.com/world/russia-unveils-security-guarantees-says-western-response-not-encouraging-2021-12-17 for the West that includes withdrawing NATO battalions from Poland and Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, once part of the Soviet Union.

Russia is also demanding a legally binding guarantee that NATO will give up any military activity in Eastern Europe and Ukraine and an effective Russian veto on future NATO membership for Ukraine - which the West has already ruled out.

"We need to solve the current tensions on the diplomatic level but just as well by putting up a credible deterrence," Lambrecht told reporters in Rukla on her first visit to German troops abroad.

The combat units, deployed three years after Moscow's annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula Crimea in 2014, are meant to stall an assault and buy time for additional NATO troops to arrive at the frontline.

"We will discuss Russia's proposals...But it cannot be that Russia dictates to NATO partners their posture, and that is something that we will make very clear in the talks (next week at the NATO council)," she added.

The West has threatened harsh economic sanctions on Russia should Moscow escalate its military build-up on Ukraine's border. Moscow says it is only responding to threats to its security from Kyiv's increasingly close relations with NATO.

Speaking alongside Lambrecht on Sunday, Lithuania's Defence Minister Arvydas Anusauskas accused Russia of trying to drive a wedge into the alliance, and said NATO must not allow Moscow to divide Europe into spheres of influence.

"We need to support Ukraine with all means, which includes the delivery of lethal weapons," Anusauskas added, without giving details on what kind of weapons he meant.

Lambrecht declined to comment on a report by Spiegel on Saturday that NATO's top general Tod Wolters had suggested the alliance should establish a similar military presence as in Poland and the Baltic states in Bulgaria and Romania. (Reporting by Sabine Siebold, Editing by Victoria Waldersee, Kirsten Donovan)
If youre sick of finding pandemic parallels in everything, no need to worry about Peter Bergendys period horror Post Mortem, the Hungarian Oscar entry. It manages to avoid saying anything about our current moment despite being set during the Spanish Flu outbreak of 1918, when that virus was well on its way to killing 50 million people globally. Worry instead that, as good as it looks with its fun special effects and promisingly creepy premise, this oddly un-scary ghost story is going to devolve into a hopeless muddle: Can a horror-movie village ever just be too haunted? It would seem it can.

There is a clever idea nestled in the films bleak setting, however. At the end of the then-unprecedented loss of life occasioned by the Great War, with a pandemic raging, its quite believable that unquiet spirit activity might be at an all-time high. The constant death rate is certainly enough to keep ex-soldier Tomas (Viktor Klem) in business as a post-mortem photographer, who takes painstakingly primped and posed shots of the recently deceased, so their relatives can have a keepsake.

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That unflappable Tomas is not squeamish about touching, and in some cases prying, the rigor mortis-ed limbs of his dead sitters into position, is perhaps because he himself has had a brush with the beyond. Hed been left for dead on the battlefield, when a vision of a young girl brought him back and he was plucked from the heap of corpses by an older soldier (Gabor Reviczky).

Six months later, Tomas and the soldier are part of a traveling carnival, in which the old man embellishes Tomas afterlife experience to tell to rapt audiences, while next door, the younger man plies his ghoulish trade. Then Anna (Fruzsina Hais) shows up, and suddenly Tomas is being asked to come to her hamlet by the town elders, in order to photograph the many corpses that are still awaiting burial there, given the ground is frozen solid. Tomas agrees, but mainly because Anna is, of course, the girl from his vision.

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Its frankly a weird relationship. The strapping foreign photographer and the 10-year-old orphan girl interact in unsettling ways that do not seem intentional but are perhaps a by-product of clunky, misjudged storytelling and some rather wooden performances. As if to try to dismiss any potential inappropriateness, a sort of love interest is hastily ginned up in Marcsa (Judit Schell), the widow with whom Tomas stays while in the village, but its undernourished and barely convincing, especially when so many of Tomas and Annas scenes have a peculiar undercurrent that can only really be described as romantic. Thankfully, though, there isnt too much dwelling on such matters as pretty soon Tomas photos are picking up ghostly shadows skimming across the walls, weird noises ring out at night and the fingers on the towns many corpses begin to twitch.

This place has been beset by ghosts for some time to the point that some townspeople wear scarecrow sacks over their heads as protection. And the supernatural activity only increases with Tomas arrival. Soon he and Anna, like the Ghostbusters of WWI-era Hungary, are investigating the many strange somethings in the neighborhood: levitations, reanimations, mysterious water sluicing down walls, scorchmarks on the chests of the dead and the actual murder-by-ghost of an elderly neighbor who is for some reason stuffed up her own chimney.

DP Andras Nagys crisply composed photography goes some way toward classing up the silliness, more so anyway than the generic descending string drones of Atti Pacsays horror-by-numbers score. And the special effects, especially those on the lo-fi end, work well: Theres a nice line in finding new ways for a body to bend, so that people turn briefly into ragdolls to be grotesquely flung around by malevolent whatsits. But after a while, even the best-rendered poltergeist sequence becomes humdrum if theres no sense that were ever going to understand why these spirits are acting this way  except because it looks cool.

At times, the overkill provides unintentional comedy, as when four characters have simultaneous separate violent hauntings in different parts of the same house. Or when some poor background unfortunate is staggering around on fire between houses from which unseen forces drag people out like theyre the excessive runtime of this ultimately wearisome movie.

It all comes down to a lack of atmosphere, despite the evident investment in scrupulous production design. Perhaps that scrupulousness is part of the problem: Along with Tomas distractingly modern haircut, its the very precision of the period detailing that makes Post Mortem feel like a tourist-theme-park vision of the past. And even a town overrun by the dead should feel more alive than this one.

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NEW ORLEANS, Dec. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have until February 15, 2022 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Robinhood Markets Inc. (NasdaqGS: HOOD), if they purchased the Company's shares issued in connection with its July 2021 initial public stock offering (the "IPO"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.

(PRNewsfoto/Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC)

What You May Do

If you purchased shares of Robinhood and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email (lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nasdaqgs-hood/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court by February 15, 2022 .

About the Lawsuit

Robinhood and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information in the Registration Statement and Prospectus issued in conjunction with the initial public offering, violating federal securities laws.

The alleged false and misleading statements and omissions include, but are not limited to, that: (i) the Company's revenue growth was experiencing a major reversal, with transaction-based revenues from cryptocurrency trading serving only as a short-term, transitory injection, masking what was actually stagnating growth; (ii) the Company's "significant investments" in enhancing the reliability and scalability of its platform were patently inadequate and/or defective, exposing Robinhood to worsening service-level disruptions and security breaches; (iii) as a result of the foregoing, the Company's statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

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The case is Golubowski v. ON24, Inc., et al., 21-cv-9767.

About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

KSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. KSF serves a variety of clients  including public institutional investors, hedge funds, money managers and retail investors  in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, California, Louisiana and New Jersey.

To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com.

Contact:

Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

Lewis Kahn, Managing Partner

lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com

1-877-515-1850

1100 Poydras St., Suite 3200

New Orleans, LA 70163

Cision

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Streem brand and platform to continue in Australia and New Zealand

Current leadership team retained with a long-term growth mandate

Deal enables Streem to leverage the global capability of Cision across social, data and distribution.

Cision to have full-service entry into the valuable ANZ market with its local and global customers benefiting from access to Streem's unique content and capabilities.

SYDNEY, Dec. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Realtime media monitoring company Streem today announced it has accepted an offer to be acquired by global communications intelligence company Cision.

Cision

Streem

The terms of the deal were not disclosed, however the transaction results in a sale of 100% of Streem shares to Cision and will see the Streem brand and platform continue in Australia and New Zealand under its current leadership team and local staff.



Significant benefits will flow to Streem customers from the global reach of Cision, and clients will continue to receive the same local support, expertise and Streem platform they have experienced since the company's launch.

Streem came to market in 2017, led by CEO Elgar Welch, a former staffer in the prime minister's office, and CTO Antoine Sabourin with a mission to provide the market's first realtime media monitoring platform. Today, Streem is one of the fastest growing media intelligence companies in ANZ and services the majority of the market's major government departments, banks, airlines, telecommunications and energy companies.



Early financial backers included Quantium founding director Tony Davis, former ACCC chief Graeme Samuel and ex-Wallabies captain John Eales. The company's local Board of Directors are Samuel Marks, Karyn Munsie and David Wakeley.

The company's innovative technology and platform offering resulted in a major recasting of the ANZ media intelligence industry, with hundreds of major brands including Telstra, Qantas, the Commonwealth Bank and the Department of Prime Minister & Cabinet moving to Streem in the last four years.

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"With more than 100 local staff servicing over 400 leading clients, Streem has grown faster than we ever could have imagined thanks to great tech, strong support from customers and an incredible local team," Streem CEO Elgar Welch said. "Backed by Cision, we'll continue to build upon that growth, delivering new tools and products to help communications teams work smarter."

Cision is the world's largest provider of communications intelligence, with nearly 5,000 staff across 24 countries. Already active in Australia and New Zealand with its PR Newswire, Brandwatch and Falcon.io brands, the acquisition of Streem adds a full-suite of media monitoring and analysis capabilities that gives both local and global customers interested in ANZ coverage access to a significantly enhanced service.



"Streem has quickly established itself as the customer preferred media intelligence platform in the ANZ market," Cision CEO Abel Clark said. "Streem's customers will benefit enormously from Cision's global reach and we're excited to be able to offer a full-suite of monitoring, distribution, insights and social media solutions in ANZ that both our local and global customers can benefit from."

Streem will continue to operate as an independent brand with its full-service media monitoring and insights services, and customers will quickly see the benefits of Cision's global footprint including integrations of Brandwatch's social data, PR Newswire's media database and global media content and analytics spanning millions of sources.

Streem CTO and co-founder Antoine Sabourin said the company's success was driven by a strong focus on solving real world problems for communications teams.

"Cision's investment means Streem can keep investing in great people, tech and innovation, resulting in major benefits for customers in the coming weeks and months," Sabourin said.



Streem's Management team will continue with the business, and original co-founders Elgar Welch (CEO) and Antoine Sabourin (CTO) will remain in their respective roles.

The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of calendar 2022 and is subject to clearance by Australia's Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) and the Department of Justice (DoJ) in the United States.

About Streem

Streem is the ANZ market's fastest growing media intelligence company, delivering comprehensive and realtime Print, Online, TV, Radio & Social media monitoring, insights and reporting to leading corporate and government organisations including Telstra, Qantas, Commonwealth Bank and the Department of Prime Minister & Cabinet. Through Desktop, Tablet and Mobile, Streem's customers can see, stream and analyse millions of news items in realtime, helping PR and Corporate Affairs teams to do their jobs.

About Cision

As a global leader in PR, marketing and social media management technology and intelligence, Cision helps brands and organizations to identify, connect and engage with customers and stakeholders to drive business results. PR Newswire, a network of over 1.1 billion influencers, in-depth monitoring, analytics and its Brandwatch and Falcon.io social media platforms headline a premier suite of solutions. Cision has offices in 24 countries throughout the Americas, EMEA and APAC. For more information about Cision's award-winning solutions, including its next-gen Cision Communications Cloud, visit www.cision.com and follow @Cision on Twitter.

SOURCE Cision Ltd
The United States, a close ally of Warsaw, had urged lawmakers not to pass the law. The U.S. charge d'affaires, Bix Aliu, said the U.S. was extremely disappointed by the passage of the bill and urged Duda to use his leadership to protect free speech and business.

Duda, who is allied with the ruling party, in the summer indicated that he would not support it, but on Friday he said he still needed to analyze it.

A protester in Warsaw, Joanna Glowczyk Zobek, said the authorities probably wouldnt care about the protests, but let the world see that in Poland there are not only supporters of Law and Justice, supporters of dull propaganda, there are also normal people who want to be citizens of Europe and who want to have good relations with the whole world.

TVN launched an online petition Sunday calling on Duda to veto the bill, which by the evening was signed by 2 million people in the country of 38 million.

The attack on media freedom has far-reaching consequences for the future of Poland, the appeal reads. Mutual relations with the USA, the greatest ally and guarantor of our countrys security, are being destroyed. We cannot allow it!

Discovery also vowed in a statement to relentlessly fight for our business.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
President Joe Biden seems to understand this. In a speech in July, Biden denounced the efforts of some state legislatures to politicize the administration of elections as 21st century Jim Crow.

Biden advocated not only for congressional action, but also for a broad movement in the service of democratic renewal: We have to forge a coalition of Americans of every background and political partythe advocates, the students, the faith leaders, the business executivesand raise the urgency of this moment.

Indeed we do. But Bidens rhetoric has not always translated into practice.

For example, though Biden should be applauded for assembling a bipartisan commission to analyze potential reforms to the Supreme Court, the commission consists of an extraordinarily narrow constituency: The 36 commissioners consist of former federal judges, law professors and law scholars. Biden all but ensured that foundational questions would not be explored; that deliberations instead would circle around narrow, procedural concerns; and that the country, when all was said and done, would still lack anything approximating a road map or mandate for systemic change.
The humanitarian situation in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan was discussed at a December 19 extraordinary meeting of foreign ministers from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan warned the gathering in Islamabad that Afghanistan might soon face the "biggest man-made crisis" if the world fails to act. The Taliban-led government's acting foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, also attended.
PESHAWAR -- Counting is under way after polling ended in local government elections in a northwestern Pakistani province that were marred by deadly violence and allegations of fraud by the opposition.

Authorities said that at least five people were killed and at least 10 polling stations were set ablaze in separate incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province on December 19 as voters headed to the polls in 17 districts.

Elections to determine the makeup of subdistrict (tehsil) councils, as well as town and village councils in the provinces remaining 18 districts, are to take place on January 16.

The leader of the opposition Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, called on the Election Commission of Pakistan to ensure free and fair elections," accusing the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e Insaf (PTI) of vote rigging.

There were no immediate comments from PTI leaders.

As voting was under way in the town of Karak, two people were shot dead when supporters of two rival candidates clashed with each other outside a polling station, a local police official told Radio Mashaal.

Several armed men then raided the polling station and took away ballot boxes, along with ballots and stamps, the official said. The incident took place in Karaks Takht-e Nusrati area.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity, citing security concerns.

Two people were killed and four others were injured when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in the Bajaur tribal district, local official said. The victims were representatives of the Awami National Party on their way to a local polling station to monitor the voting process.

In another incident, at least one person was shot dead and two others were wounded when unidentified gunmen opened fire outside a polling station in the Kohat district, a police officer said. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity as he wasnt authorized to speak to the media.

Police said the Kohat incident wasnt connected to the election, but it disrupted voting for several hours.

Separately, elders in Kohats Samari area barred women from casting their ballots alongside men. The elders in the religiously conservative community accused the authorities of failing to set up separate polling stations for women.

In the town of Darra Adam Khel, dozens of demonstrators set fire to 10 polling stations to condemn the central governments 2018 decision to merge the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. Darra Adam Khel was part of FATA before the provinces merged.

Protesters also attacked a federal ministers vehicle, injuring his guard and driver, police said.

Shibli Faraz, the minister for science and technology, was on his way from Kohat to Peshawar when protesters attacked his vehicle and threw stones at it, a police spokesman told Radio Mashaal. Faraz escaped unhurt.

Ahead of the elections, a candidate in the city of Dera Ismail Khan was shot dead in a drive-by attack. The victim, Omar Khitab Sherani, was a member of Pakistan's secular Awami National Party (ANP).

According to the Election Commission of Pakistan, a total of 9,223 polling stations and 28,892 polling booths had been set up for the December 19 elections.

There are a total of 12.7 million registered voters across the 17 districts.

With reporting by Dawn
Member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have agreed to establish a trust fund to address the growing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan that has left millions facing hunger following the Taliban takeover in August.

The fund would be set up under the aegis of the Islamic Development Bank to channel humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan in coordination with other groups, delegates of the 57-member OIC said on December 19 in a unanimously adopted resolution released after an extraordinary meeting in Islamabad.

The delegates urged the Islamic Development Bank to expeditiously operationalize the Humanitarian Trust Fund by the first quarter of 2022 and called on the international community to announce pledges to the fund and provide assistance to Afghanistan.

The one-day meeting -- the biggest international gathering on Afghanistan since the Taliban toppled the Western-backed government in Kabul -- comes as the UN has repeatedly warned that Afghanistan teeters on the brink of an economic and humanitarian catastrophe with millions of Afghans being left without work and lacking food.

The international community has refused to recognize Afghanistans new rulers, urging them to establish an inclusive government and to ensure the fundamental human rights of all Afghans. Key global donors have blocked most of their aid to the country, and reserves of the Afghan central bank held abroad were also frozen.

In their resolution, the IOC delegates urged Afghanistan's rulers to abide by "obligations under international human rights covenants, especially with regards to the rights of women, children, youth, elderly, and people with special needs."

The Islamabad meeting was attended by a number of foreign ministers from the OIC, as well as delegates from the United States, China, Russia, the European Union, and UN. The Taliban-led government was represented by Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

"We cannot ignore the danger of complete economic meltdown," Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said at the opening of the conference.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan called on the United States to delink the Taliban government from 40 million Afghan citizens, even if they [have] been in conflict with the Taliban for 20 years.

In his speech, Muttaqi called the freezing of Afghan assets "a clear violation of the human rights of Afghans."

Earlier this month, the World Bank said donors approved the transfer of $280 million from a frozen trust fund to two aid agencies to help Afghanistan respond to its humanitarian crisis, while the United States formalized guidance allowing personal remittances to flow to Afghanistan.

With reporting by Reuters, dpa, and AFP
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A Gazette investigation shows an increasing number of soldiers, including wounded combat veterans, are being kicked out of the service for misconduct, often with no benefits, as the Army downsizes after a decade of war.
Gov. Jared Polis reiterated his desire recently for local authorities, not the state, to institute masking and other public responses.
Hickenlooper is in a jam sandwich with the oil and gas industry, which is critical to Colorado's economy, and the most progressive members of his party who contend hes not doing enough, if his hair is not on fire.
Children's Hospital Colorado continues to see high volumes of pediatric patients, with an influx of mental health patients to emergency rooms causing the hospital to sometimes open up overflow space in a tent outside of the building.
Two Britt women are among a group of Iowans facing a potential class-action lawsuit alleging they constructed an elaborate scheme to violate Californias ban on puppy-mill dogs by laundering puppies through companies intended to look like rescue organizations.

The lawsuit was filed Thursday in U.S. District Court by the Animal Legal Defense Fund on behalf of two California consumers.

In 2019, California enacted a law prohibiting the retail sale of puppies except for those rescued by bona fide shelters and nonprofit rescue organizations.

The newly filed lawsuit alleges that a group of Iowans, led by JAKs Puppies Inc., an Iowa corporation named after founders Jolyn Noethe and Kimberly Dolphin, have routinely and systematically violated the California law.

JAKs is a for-profit puppy broker based in Britt, Iowa, and according to the plaintiffs it churns through thousands of designer and pure-bred puppies annually and acquires its dogs from puppy mills.

JAKs is located at 2685 Grant Ave., in Britt, and is inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as an animal broker. An August 2020 inspection report indicates there were 254 puppies on the site at that time.

The lawsuit alleges that after the Iowa attorney general sued JAKs and others in 2019 over a puppy laundering designed to thwart a Chicago puppy-mill ban, JAKs embarked on a separate scheme to sell puppy mill dogs to California consumers.

According to the Animal Legal Defense Fund, JAKs and others created an elaborate vertical scheme whereby each of the necessary steps in the puppy laundering  purchase from puppy mills, rebranding of puppies as rescues, transport of such rebranded puppies, and sale of such puppies to consumers through pet stores  was perpetrated by knowing co-conspirators/associates.

One of the newly created entities is alleged to be Rescue Pets Iowa, formed two weeks before the California ban took effect. Russell Kirk of Ottumwa was the owner of Rescue Pets Iowa, and was also a defendant in the lawsuit brought by the attorney general.

According to the new lawsuit, Rescue Pets Iowa was a corporate shell whose only purpose was to serve as a conduit through which JAKs could route the legal titles for commercially bred dogs so they could be labeled as rescues before reaching consumers in California.

The lawsuit claims Kirk is also a member of an entity called TBHF, which does business as The Pet X Change, an Iowa company. TBHF allegedly paid for the certificates of veterinary inspections that were required to transfer the rescue puppies from Iowa to California, and is located at Noethes personal residence in Britt.

A third Iowa company, Subject Enterprise Inc, based in Wesley, is a transportation company that exclusively serves JAKs and trucks puppies into California for sale to pet stores. The owner of Subject Enterprises is Coda Subject, the nephew of Noethe, according to the lawsuit.

Each of the shipments were grueling, 30-plus hour affairs for the weeks-old puppies transported from Iowa to California, the lawsuit alleges. Puppies did not survive the trip. According to Subject Enterprise notes, a chihuahua was dropped and died, another puppy died on west coast truck, and a pet store refused to pay for a puppy who died in transit.

Upon their arrival in California, the puppies spent two to three hours at a business named Bark Adoption  a garage operated out of the owners home, which was outfitted with 20 stacked cages. From there, the dogs were quickly sent to pet stores where they were displayed in cages bearing the legally required statement disclosing the shelter or rescue group from which each animal was obtained.

The stores disguised their payments to JAKs through exorbitant transport costs paid to Subject Enterprise, allegedly paying Subject up to $900 per puppy for transportation, rather than the usual rate of $35 to $65 per puppy. Subject then relayed all but a small portion of the payments to JAKs, the lawsuit alleges.

From November 2018, through September 2019, these entities are alleged to have sent more than 2,000 puppies to pet stores in California. Shipments continued well into 2020, the lawsuit alleges.

As part of the resolution of the Iowa attorney generals lawsuit, Rescue Pets Iowa was forced to dissolve in October 2019. However, Kirks involvement in the alleged puppy laundering ring continued through his role in TBHF, which he allegedly ran with his brother, Noethes alleged romantic partner, the lawsuit claims.

Iowa puppy-laundering ring involving Britt rescue dissolved An Iowa-based puppy laundering ring, which included a breeder and pet rescue in Britt, agreed to a consent judgment that dissolves the organizations operating it.

The lawsuit accuses the defendants of money-laundering and wire-fraud violations of the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, as well as violations of Californias Unfair Competition law and the California Consumer Legal Remedies Act.

The lawsuit seeks an order enjoining the defendants from selling in California any dogs that are sourced

from puppy mills or commercial breeders, as well as restitution for consumers, punitive damages and a full accounting and disgorgement the profits that grew out of the allegedly unlawful conduct.

The plaintiffs in the case are Rebecca Carey a resident of Santa Barbara County who purchased a cockapoo puppy from an Animal Kingdom pet store in January 2019, and Cody Latzer, a San Luis Obispo County resident who purchased an Australian cattle dog from an Animal Kingdom in March 2019.

In addition to the Iowa companies, the defendants in the case include Bark Adoptions, a California corporation run by Stephanie Vaughn of Winchester, California, and Ana Diaz, of Menifee, California; Pet Connect Rescue Inc., a Missouri-based company owned by Ray and Alysia Rothman; and Micada Inc., which does business as Animal Kingdom Pet Shop and is owned by Adam Tipton, a resident of California.

The defendants have not yet filed responses to the lawsuit.

The 2019 lawsuit brought by the Iowa attorney general resulted in a consent judgment that led to a $60,000 payment to the states Consumer Education and Litigation Fund. Under the terms of that deal, Hobo K9 Rescue, which was run by Noethe, and Rescue Pets Iowa were permanently dissolved; all of the defendants promised to refrain from transferring dogs in an attempt to evade laws restricting the sale of commercially bred dogs; and Noethe, Dolphin and Kirk were prohibited from organizing any new non-profit corporations or serving as officers or directors of any animal non-profit for three years.

The consent judgment did not prevent consumers or others from taking further action against the defendants.

This story is republished from Iowa Capital Dispatch under Creative Commons license.

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The 100-year-old covered bridge over the Dan River that connected mills at Dan River Inc. is on its way to becoming a pedestrian bridge for users of the Riverwalk Trail.

Environmental work on the 966-foot structure has been underway since Nov. 1.

Our contractors have removed the asbestos pipe insulation inside of the bridge, Danville Economic Development Director Corrie T. Bobe told the Danville Register & Bee via email Monday. They should finish scraping the lead paint this week and will then begin removing the metal side panels.

Waco Inc., whose corporate headquarters are in Richmond, is the contractor performing the $1.08 million rehabilitation of the bridge.

The projects cost is being covered by a $500,000 grant from the Virginia Brownfields Restoration and Economic Development Assistance Fund and $587,140 from New Market Tax Credit money through Danville, Virginia CDE, Inc., Bobe said.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency describes a brownfield as a property in which the expansion, redevelopment or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant.
1st Sgt. Steve Grinnell kept sounding his air horn, but the distraught woman kept walking into traffic on a busy four-lane road.

I knew I had to do something, said Grinnell, with the Lincoln County Sheriffs Office, before he thwarted what he learned was a suicide attempt.

She wouldnt look up, Grinnell said. She kept her head down and kept walking.

Grinnell was dispatched to check on the woman after a 911 caller reported her walking down an exit ramp to the edge of busy southbound U.S. 321 on Monday afternoon.

When the sergeant arrived, he saw the woman walking northbound in the southbound lane just off the travel lane. She then walked straight from the shoulder into the travel lane, he said.

The woman ignored him when he activated his blue lights about 500 feet ahead of her and sounded his horn, he said.

He momentarily tried to block traffic with his patrol car, but the oncoming cars were approaching too fast, he said.
We thank God: Teen, family praise the NC high school staff that saved his life

Quick responses from a resource officer and nurse saved the life of a 17-year-old North Carolina high school student after the teen suffered a cardiac episode last week, the Union County Sheriffs Office said Thursday.

Sheriffs Deputy Baucom saw Matthew Carter collapse at Piedmont High School in Monroe, the sheriffs office said in a news release. Baucom and school nurse Tracy Hamilton checked Carter and found he had no pulse and wasnt breathing.

Baucom and Hamilton administered CPR and applied an automated external defibrillator, the sheriffs office said. Carter underwent three rounds of chest compressions and rescue breathing.

His pulse returned and he started to breathe again, the sheriffs office said. Union EMS arrived and took Carter to a hospital for further medical treatment.

On Thursday, Carter and his family returned to school to thank those who helped save his life.

He is recovering well and his regaining his strength, his parents said.
REIDSVILLE  Reidsville has an up-and-coming downtown in Rockingham County. The city, with a population of over 14,000, has a beautiful downtown that has been and continues to be revitalized.

The Reidsville Downtown Corporation, a non-profit organization dedicated to nurturing the downtown through promotions and events, building renovations and assisting small businesses, is an anchor to all the revitalization that is happening.

In 2021, RDC offered three different grant programs: Paint Grants, Rehabilitation Grants and a Duke Energy Grant. The Paint Grant is intended to encourage property owners to follow a suggested paint palette for their buildings exterior that brings back the history and charm of that facade and the time in which it was built.

The Rehabilitation Grant is designed for renovations and restoration projects that return the buildings to their historic beauty.

The City of Reidsville was one of only two cities in the region to receive a new grant through Duke Energy. The energy company donated $25,000 to downtown Reidsville to support small businesses that suffered hardships during the COVID-19 pandemic.
When Westminster United Methodist Church in Houston resumed in-person services late last year, after a seven-month halt due to COVID-19, there were Sundays when only three worshippers showed up, according to the pastor, Meredith Mills.

Since then, attendance has inched back up, but its still only about half the pre-pandemic turnout of 160 or 170, Mills estimates.

Its frustrating, she said. People just seem to want to leave home less these days.

Some houses of worship are faring better than Mills church, some worse. Polls by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows how dramatically church attendance fell during the worst of the pandemic last year, even as many say they are now returning to regular service attendance.

Among mainline Protestants, just 1% said in a May 2020 poll that they were attending in-person services at least once a week. In the new poll, 14% say theyre doing so now, compared to 16% who say they did in 2019.

Among evangelical Protestants, 37% now say they are attending services in person at least weekly, while 42% said they did that in 2019. In the May 2020 poll, just 11% said they were attending services in person that often.
Question: I just read in the paper that the N.C. Zoo got a new grizzly bear from Arizona. How did they transport the bear all the way from Arizona to North Carolina?

B.S.

Answer: Very carefully and not in the backseat.

Deborah Fuchs, the public relations officer for the N.C. Zoo, said that Ronan, the grizzly bear, is doing well in his new home.

Moving large, dangerous animals takes special skills! Ronan arrived at the Zoo by airplane. He traveled in a special crate made just for big bears and escorted by zookeepers and a vet the entire way.

Hes doing great here at the zoo and all the staff just love him, Fuchs said.

The zoo said in a news release that Ronan is a 9-year-old, 740-pound grizzly bear that previously lived at the Reid Park Zoo in Tucson, Arizona. He and his twin sister, Finley, shared a habitat, but because grizzly bears are solitary animals, zoo officials decided that Ronan needed a new home. They began working with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks to find him new digs.
GREENSBORO  Authorities are investigating the distribution of antisemitic flyers in the city Sunday morning, a Greensboro police spokesman said.

The flyers mention a COVID agenda and name several federal health and corporate officials  noting them as Jewish. They were put in plastic bags and thrown in hundreds of driveways and yards in many different neighborhoods, said Marilyn Chandler, executive director at Greensboro Jewish Federation.

Ron Glenn, spokesman for Greensboro police, said the department is investigating what happened and that police had received complaints from people around the Old Irving Park neighborhood. He did not know how many flyers had been distributed.

Although some of the flyers were thrown next to newspapers, they were not from the newspaper carrier, they came from some other source, Chandler said in a telephone interview.

Temple Emanuel posted a statement on its Facebook page:

This morning a number of members of the local Jewish community, and others, received a vile piece of antisemitic hatred. ... It seeks to spread antisemitic, blatantly false, and evil conspiracies about the Covid virus and our nations efforts to combat its spread.
Crews from nearly 45 agencies across six counties were still battling a five-alarm fire at a QVC distribution center near Rocky Mount, more than 12 hours after it began, officials said Saturday afternoon.

More than 300 employees were working at the massive, 1.2 million-square-foot facility when the fire was reported shortly after 2 a.m., Edgecombe County Manager Eric Evans said at a press conference.

This is devastating for our county, this is a blow to our local economy, but most importantly, were concerned about the employees who work at that facility, Evans said. We want you to know there are lots of resources that were working very hard to coordinate to make sure that we can provide the assistance that we need to them.

QVC representatives reported that all employees safely evacuated the warehouse and were accounted for but one, whose family hadnt yet heard from them, Evans said. The Edgecombe County Sheriffs Office is looking for that person, Evans added.

About 75% of the building had been damaged as of Saturday afternoon, said Rocky Mount Fire Chief Corey Mercer.
The texts, sent to Meadows from legislators, pundits and even Donald Trump Jr., reveal the panic many were feeling as what some thought would be a political rally spun out of control into a violent attack on the Capitol  and on Capitol Police officers  led by Trump supporters.

Perhaps most dramatically, Trumps son urged Meadows to plead with his father. Hes got to condemn this s--- ASAP, he texted, later adding, We need an Oval office address. He has to lead now. It has gone too far and gotten out of hand.

Meadows response: Im pushing it hard. I agree.

But it was still almost three hours before the Trump whisperer could convince Trump to intervene, praising the violent rioters even as he urged them to go home.

Meadows also stood by before Jan. 6 and watched as Trump entertained storybook strategies from crackpot lawyers like Rudy Giuliani, Lin Wood and Sidney Powell. Another lawyer, John Eastman, joined Trump in trying to persuade Vice President Mike Pence to subvert the Constitution by throwing out legitimate electors from seven states.
Media Center of SDF issued a statement regarding the allegations made by media outlets affiliated with Damascus government about SDF operations against ISIS cells in northern Deir al-Zor countryside, and the statement reads:

"SANA" news agency, affiliated to Damascus government, published false news about our forces operations against ISIS cells, as it was reported by SANA that our forces "raids several houses in Abu al-Natel town in northern Deir al-Zor countryside with the support of international coalition helicopters and arrested a number of the people".

We confirm that this news is not true and our forces have not carried out any operation during the past few days. The agency also claimed that 3 of our fighters martyred in an attack carried out by terrorist groups that Damascus authority media, called it"Popular Resistance Factions" on Al-Omar oil field road east of Deir al-Zor. We confirm that this news is also false, and our fighters were not subjected to any attack in the mentioned area".

The statement added: "SANA agency's adoption of terrorist operations targeting the region, and confirms the efforts of those in charge of it to take revenge from the people of NES, who strongly rejected the so-called "reconciliation" operations that Damascus authority was promoting during the last period in liberated Deir al-Zor region. Also, SANA agencys premeditated of ISIS cells members arrested by our forces as if they were civilians. And that confirms the attempts to mislead public opinion and its inability to bear the successes of our forces in protecting the people and the region from the danger of ISIS.

After a few days, "SANA" agency will end a decade of "false news" that it published over last years against north and east Syria liberated from ISIS terrorism. And it seems that agency's management and editor-in-chief are tempted to publish such news in an attempt to attract terrorist cells that trying to undermine stability and security in the region.

Sh-S

ANHA
" " Reflexology uses massage techniques on the feet, hands and even ears to help relieve stress throughout your body. Image Source/Getty Images

Some time in the mid-90s, my mom posted a mysterious map above her manicurist station at the salon. She'd been professionally perfecting and polishing nails my whole life, but this new addition to her workplace had nothing to do with fingertips and focused on other body parts entirely: the hands and feet.

I was barely old enough to do long division (spoiler alert: I still can't), but I quickly learned the definition of my mom's new training modality  reflexology. All these years later, I still find that those unfamiliar with the practice mystified by its meaning and purpose, so here's a brief tutorial on the massage technique that might just become one of your new favorite self-care tactics.

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What Is Reflexology?

"Reflexology uses specific touch techniques to work on the feet, hands and ears to help relieve stress throughout the body," says San Francisco-based reflexology practitioner and teacher, Robin Varga. "It's a non-invasive technique that not only eases stress, but can also help the body's natural healing process. And it feels wonderful because it focuses on our feet and hands, two very neglected parts of our bodies. It feels great and can be therapeutic."

The general concept behind reflexology is that different areas of the hands and feet correspond to different organs and systems throughout the body. By applying pressure to various points on these body parts, practitioners aim to relax, relieve or stimulate areas of the body in need of tender loving care. Hand and foot charts, like the one my mom had plastered above her manicurist station, are meant to guide practitioners in their work, offering a roadmap of the pressure points and their respective bodily counterparts.

The top of the big toe, for example, is thought to affect the pituitary gland; the heel corresponds to the lower back and glutes; and the center of each foot represents each kidney. On the hands, the fingertips supposedly connect to the brain and sinuses, the lower palms to the intestines, and the base of the thumbs to the neck.

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Where Did Reflexology Originate?

Some researchers believe reflexology's roots are in China and the practice dates back about 5,000 years, but others think it began in in the Egyptian culture around 2330 B.C.E. By the 14th century, it had made its way to Europe under the name "zone therapy," and when Dr. William Fitzgerald (often referred to as the father of modern reflexology) started singing its praises in the United States around the turn of the century, he credited several Native American tribes for incorporating foot massage into their healing regimens.

Depending on who you attribute the practice to, the roots of the philosophies and body maps differ. If reflexology is being used as a form of Chinese medicine, practitioners may consider it a technique to improve the flow of qi, loosely translated to "vital energy." By unblocking the flow of qi, practitioners believe they can restore balance in the body and aid in disease prevention.

Other practitioners may rely on reflexology as a way to access the nervous system, which 19th-century British scientists discovered is connected to the skin and internal organs. By methodically touching the skin, practitioners believe they can help calm and soothe nervous system distress, mood issues and emotional turmoil.

As for reflexology charts, the current models may be modern interpretations of ancient Chinese texts that were translated into Italian (by Marco Polo!) in the 1300s, and then adapted by Fitzgerald in 1917, who wrote about 10 vertical zones that extend through the length of the body. Dr. Shelby Riley also expanded on Fitzgerald's work, developing a map of horizontal zones that inform the pressure point maps of the hands and feet, as well as others on the outer ear.

But it was Eunice Ingham who many credit with the creation of today's modern charts. According to Ingham, the feet are the most sensitive and responsive to treatment, which is why she developed foot-specific maps that were introduced to non-medical circles in the 1930s.

" " The reflexology map shows which parts of the feet correspond to which parts of the body. Wikimedia Commons

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What Does Science Say?

Most people would agree that massage of any kind typically feels pretty nice, but does reflexology actually do anything other than incite pleasant feelings?

"There is scientific evidence to support the effectiveness," Varga says. "In 1993, a double-blind study was done through the American Academy of Reflexology by Bill Flocco and Terry Oleson and there are many case studies which explain and show the efficacy of reflexology."

Flocco and Oleson's small study, "Randomized Controlled Study of Premenstrual Symptoms Treated with Ear, Hand, and Foot Reflexology," was published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The researchers found that of the participants, 35 women with premenstrual syndrome, the subjects randomly assigned to receive reflexology experienced a greater decrease in symptoms than the women in the placebo group.

A more recent 2012 study titled "Health-related quality-of-life outcomes: a reflexology trial with patients with advanced-stage breast cancer" found that women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer who received regular reflexology treatments showed significant improvements in their ability to walk, carry groceries and climb stairs, compared to their counterparts who did not receive reflexology. The researchers concluded that "reflexology can be recommended for safety and usefulness in relieving dyspnea and enhancing functional status among women with advanced-stage breast cancer."

However, while there have been studies that demonstrate potential benefits of using reflexology as an adjunct therapy, there's no science to back up the pressure point theory itself. According to a 2011 systematic review of randomized clinical trials concluded "that the best clinical evidence does not demonstrate convincingly reflexology to be an effective treatment for any medical condition." So while applying pressure to specific areas of your hands and feet is definitely not guaranteed to alleviate any sort of illness, the low-risk option may be a nice complement to other forms of health care and wellness strategies, and most people can feel safe seeking it out.

"The time needed to see results varies from person to person," Varga says. "Many factors play a part: type of ache or pain, complaint, issue, etc. Also, how long someone has had the issue can sometimes influence the recovery time. My experience shows that 99 percent [of people] feel at least some sense of relaxation after the first session."

Varga does, however, caution that expectant moms might want to steer clear. "During the first trimester of pregnancy, there are areas on the feet, hands and ears that shouldn't be reflexed, though the remainder of the area can be touched," she says. As birth doula and co-founder of Birth Day Presence, Jada Shapiro, told Parents.com, the risk is that reflexology may bring on uterine contractions, so working with a trusted expert is key.

"As for side effects, a little drowsiness, a burst of energy, queasiness, or slight headache can sometimes occur," Varga says. "Usually these are brief, if at all, and with proper hydration, can be eliminated."

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How to Become a Reflexologist

The type of education and training required to become a reflexologist depends on a practitioner's geographic location. Some states mandate up to 1,000 hours of education, plus a written licensing exam, while other states don't require certification of any kind. One way for would-be reflexologists to learn about the rules in their specific state is to contact the Reflexology Association of America. The site also has a search tool for anyone looking to find a professional in their area.

"I was trained as a massage therapist at The National Holistic Institute (NHI) in Emeryville, California," Varga says. "During that training, I was introduced to foot reflexology ... [and] I knew immediately that I would pursue reflexology further. Following that training, I enrolled in The American Academy of Reflexology and now, 27 years later, I am still loving this work. I also teach a few times a year, helping to encourage new interest in the field."

Now That's Interesting Each foot contains 26 bones, 33 joints, 19 muscles, 10 tendons, 107 ligaments and 8,000 nerves  no wonder they're so sensitive.
I write in response to Congressman Matt Rosendales opinion on Afghans resettling in the United States. He recommends putting an end to that effort and sending the Afghan refugees somewhere else.

It is a cruel response toward people to whom we owe a debt  a debt not only to the Afghans who aided the U.S. military during the past 20 years, but also a debt to a country submerged in violence and war for almost five decades as a victim of the Cold War.

Fifty years ago, I lived and studied for five months in Afghanistan. I traveled safely from Kabul to Mazar-i-Sharif, Kandahar, Herat, the Bamiyan Buddhas and Panjshir Valley. I crossed into Peshawar, Pakistan via the Khyber Pass two times. At that time, Afghanistan was a constitutional monarchy that had been at peace for several decades as it jockeyed aid from both the Americans and the Soviets.

In 1973, the longtime King Zahir Shah was overthrown by a cousin, who in turn was murdered five years later when a pro-Communist Afghan government seized control. The Soviet Union arrived to shore up that government and in response, the United States armed the rebellion of men calling themselves the mujahideen  guerrilla fighters who were a mix of local strongmen and Islamic warriors.

The proxy war between the Soviet Union and the United States lasted for nine years. It shattered the once-peaceful country and prevented fledgling steps toward a constitutional government. When the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989, the Cold War powers left behind a fully armed, fractured country with little government infrastructure and few professionals to manage the affairs of what is a complicated nation. It was entirely predictable that the fighting and resultant chaos would continue.

The Taliban gained control in the mid-1990s. They enacted draconian rules and sheltered radical jihadists like Al-Qaeda. After 9/11, Afghan suffering was impossible to separate from our own. We re-engaged and sent in troops until President Biden completed the process of withdrawing all troops, as promised under the Doha agreement former President Trump negotiated with the Taliban. The fragile government and army collapsed, the Taliban took control and Afghans who helped the U.S. and thousands more who just wanted to live in peace sought refuge in the U.S.

Rosendales response to the arrival of those Afghans lacks humanity and understanding. It implies that we are too weak to help those who helped us. It ignores that U.S. policy contributed significantly to the suffering and violence from which people are naturally fleeing. He says the Afghans threaten our security and safety, when thats what the Cold War robbed them of decades ago.

We are better than that and the Afghans deserve better from us.

Marcia Hogan studied the language, history and culture of Afghanistan. After a career in the U.S. Forest Service, she continued studying Middle East history at UM. She serves as an Afghan welcome volunteer for the International Rescue Committee office in Missoula.

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Todays Highlight in History:

On Dec. 19, 1998, President Bill Clinton was impeached by the Republican-controlled House for perjury and obstruction of justice. (Clinton was subsequently acquitted by the Senate.)

On Dec. 19:

In 1777, during the American Revolutionary War, Gen. George Washington led his army of about 11,000 men to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, to camp for the winter.

In 1813, British forces captured Fort Niagara during the War of 1812.

In 1907, 239 workers died in a coal mine explosion in Jacobs Creek, Pennsylvania.

In 1946, war broke out in Indochina as troops under Ho Chi Minh launched widespread attacks against the French.

In 1950, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower was named commander of the military forces of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

In 1960, fire broke out on the hangar deck of the nearly completed aircraft carrier USS Constellation at the New York Naval Shipyard; 50 civilian workers were killed.

In 1972, Apollo 17 splashed down in the Pacific, winding up the Apollo program of manned lunar landings.

In 1974, Nelson A. Rockefeller was sworn in as the 41st vice president of the United States in the U.S. Senate chamber by Chief Justice Warren Burger with President Gerald R. Ford looking on.

In 2001, the fires that had burned beneath the ruins of the World Trade Center in New York City for the previous three months were declared extinguished except for a few scattered hot spots.

In 2002, Secretary of State Colin Powell declared Iraq in material breach of a U.N. disarmament resolution.

In 2003, design plans were unveiled for the signature skyscraper  a 1,776-foot glass tower  at the site of the World Trade Center in New York City.

In 2008, citing imminent danger to the national economy, President George W. Bush ordered an emergency bailout of the U.S. auto industry.

In 2011, North Korea announced the death two days earlier of leader Kim Jong Il; North Koreans marched by the thousands to mourn their Dear Leader while state media proclaimed his youngest son, Kim Jong Un, a Great Successor. Paroled American Lori Berenson, who had stirred international controversy after being convicted of aiding Peruvian guerrillas, left Lima on a flight to the United States for her first visit back home since her arrest in 1995.

In 2016, a truck rammed into a crowded Christmas market in central Berlin, killing 12 people in an attack claimed by Islamic State. (The suspected attacker was killed in a police shootout four days later.) A Turkish policeman fatally shot Russian ambassador Andrei Karlov at a photo exhibit in Ankara. (The assailant was later killed in a police shootout.)

In 2020, contradicting his secretary of state and other top officials, President Donald Trump suggested without evidence that China  not Russia  might have been behind a cyberespionage operation against the United States government; Trump also tried to downplay its impact. Millions of people in England learned they would have to cancel their Christmas get-togethers and holiday shopping trips; British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said holiday gatherings could not go ahead and non-essential shops would have to close in London and much of southern England as part of a higher level of coronavirus restrictions.

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Illinois hospitals are being flooded with patients more than at any other time of the pandemic, a Tribune analysis of state data has found, with fewer beds open than during the deadliest COVID-19 surge a year earlier.

State regulators say hospitals become seriously stressed in regions where bed availability drops below 20%. As of Thursday night, intensive care units in the region covering DuPage and Kane counties averaged 15% of their beds available, and thats the best rate in the Chicago area. At worst, the rate was 7% for hospitals in the region covering Will and Kankakee counties.

Among the reasons for the strain: Hospitals are losing health care workers to burnout or better-paying positions, reducing the number of staffed hospital beds overall. The state also has seen a dramatic increase in patients hospitalized with other ailments, from cancer to heart disease  many of whom are arriving in worse shape because of delayed care.

So when COVID-19 surged again this winter, it was like pouring water into a nearly full tub faster than it can drain.

Were surrounded by states that are already overflowing with COVID patients, and Im very concerned were going to be next, said Dr. Shikha Jain, an oncologist who also helps run the advocacy group Illinois Medical Professionals Action Collaborative Team.

The Tribunes analysis found Illinois hospitals were staffing about 900 more beds at the height of last years patient crush than they are now. At the same time, they are caring for an average of 1,500 more total patients each day. Theres still room to spare, but the struggle has left hospitals with their lowest levels of bed availability since the state began publishing figures in summer 2020.

Now it just feels, to be honest, overwhelming, said Erik McIntosh, a nurse practitioner at Rush University Medical Center who sees patients with and without COVID-19. Were still dealing with this very deadly virus in this pandemic, but were trying to figure out how to live with it and continue business as usual. And thats tricky, very tricky.

The space crunch is so bad at Community First Medical Center, in Chicagos Portage Park neighborhood, that some patients who would normally go to the hospitals intensive care unit are waiting in beds in the emergency department for more than a week, said ER nurse Kathy Haff.

Its just chaos, said Haff, whos worked at the hospital for 29 years.

The Illinois Department of Public Health said one hospital, which officials declined to name, has even implemented crisis standards of care, a designation indicating it may not be able to provide adequate care to everyone who comes in.

The problem spans the state. In nearly all regions of Illinois, hospitals have fewer than 20% of beds available on average, both in intensive care units and those handling less critical care.

Heading into a second pandemic winter, there are few publicly palatable options to stem the spread of virus variants that have grown increasingly infectious, from delta now engulfing the state to omicron starting to infiltrate. Illinois is among the rare states with an indoor mask mandate, but surveys have shown some people regularly refuse to wear masks, particularly in rural areas.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has not suggested a return to stricter rules prohibiting indoor dining, drinking or gatherings. His general message to Illinoisans has been to push masking, social distancing and voluntary vaccination, while his administration tries to help hospitals outlast the latest surge by distributing promising treatments and directing supplemental staff to the hardest-hit areas.

Im hopeful that what is now a surge of delta variant that is filling our hospitals will abate over time and that well be able to manage through omicron, which so far appears to be a little less virulent, Pritzker said Dec. 7.

Shrinking staff, fewer beds

Even before the pandemic, many hospitals were struggling to find nurses to fill jobs and had cut beds to make room for more outpatient procedures.

But in the adrenaline-filled days of 2020, Illinois hospitals were able to marshal more staff and equipment, state data shows. At the height of the surge a year ago, hospitals said they could staff 32,600 beds within four hours, if need be.

As delta took hold across Illinois, that tally has shrunk by about 3% overall, with the biggest declines occurring in ICUs.

For example, when comparing a recent four-day stretch to a similar one from December 2020, staffed ICU beds dropped by 18% in the region covering Will and Kankakee counties, meaning nearly 30 fewer ICU beds are staffed now than a year ago.

The trend means some hospitals have rooms loaded with equipment but sitting dark.

Even if we have the beds, sometimes we cant staff them, said Dr. Russell Fiorella, system chief medical officer and vice president of medical affairs for Sinai Chicago.

Sinai now has more than 100 full-time equivalent positions open for nurses across its hospital system, which includes Mount Sinai and Holy Cross hospitals, Fiorella said.

Full-time jobs can be tough to fill. Many longtime nurses have quit hospitals to become travel nurses, earning much more money by working through an employment agency that places them back into hospitals on temporary contracts.

A few health care providers may have balked at vaccination requirements, but hospital executives, doctors and nurses have said thats not a major driver of staffing shortages.

Instead, many workers have just had it, Jain said, after months of COVID-19 hospitalizations that could have been prevented if more people had gotten vaccinated and were willing to mask up.

Unfortunately, because enough people didnt do the right thing, were now in a position where our health care systems are stretched to the brink, and our health care workers are completely burned out and feel no help is coming, Jain said. So more and more people are leaving the field.

To get by, hospitals are having to pay more for fewer workers. Across the country, labor costs for hospitals rose 2.7% from September to October, while staffing levels dropped 4.5% compared with last year, according to a recent report by the Chicago-based advisory and consulting firm Kaufman, Hall and Associates.

Overall demand is up

Dr. Susan Lopez has watched the pandemic patient load shift over a year at Rush, a relatively new hospital seemingly built to weather a pandemic.

In fall 2020, the butterfly-shaped hospital was deluged with COVID-19 patients and many people suffering from other ailments stayed away, if they could.

A year later, the hospitals COVID floor isnt as swamped. The problem is now seen on other floors, handling all those other patients. They are coming in for the same reasons people sought hospital care before the pandemic, Lopez said. But theyre coming in sicker, often with issues related to those treatment delays of 2020.

Theyre much more medically complicated, Lopez said. So they take longer to get better, or get well enough to get home. So the hospital just stays fuller, longer.

Hospitals across the country are seeing increases in non-COVID patients, said Dr. Michael Barnett, who teaches health policy and management at Harvard Universitys T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The reasons may go beyond the pent-up demand of the pandemic, he said, including changes to admissions policies and challenges in discharging patients.

We didnt go into the pandemic in great shape, and now that were coming out of it, were having this increased demand for reasons we have yet to figure out, he said.

Sinai, for example, has been seeing about 30% more trauma patients, over the last few months, than it did at the same time last year, Fiorella said. Most of Sinais trauma patients are victims of violence; they also include people hurt in car accidents, among other injuries.

Statewide, the average number of non-COVID patients in hospitals during the first two weeks of this month was nearly 25% higher than the same period two years ago, according to a Tribune analysis of state data.

In other words, even if all COVID-19 patients were suddenly cured, Illinois hospitals still would be treating far more patients than before the pandemic. Add in the surging numbers of patients with COVID-19, and Illinois hospitals are seeing roughly 40% more patients than in December 2019.

Younger patients, staying longer

Patients with COVID-19 may not be in the majority at hospitals, but surges of them can quickly overwhelm resources.

Dr. Tabassum Nafsi has watched the worst of it unfold in the ICU of a Rockford hospital, UW Health SwedishAmerican. The states North region, west of the Chicago area, was largely spared from the worst of earlier surges, but residents there are now being hospitalized for COVID-19 at twice the rate of Chicagoans.

Unvaccinated people make up the vast majority of those hospitalizations, state data shows, and Nafsi said her hospitals ICU is full of unvaccinated residents.

This group is younger than what Nafsi saw during earlier surges, she said. And they tend to spend longer hooked up to a ventilator while their bodies struggle for life. She said one 29-year-old patient spent 75 days on a ventilator before being transferred to another hospital for a possible lung transplant.

Others dont survive.

I just pronounced (dead) a 35-year-old, with a 1-year-old at home, she told a reporter during an afternoon break from tracking and treating about two dozen patients.

While Nafsis patients languish in the ICU, others are waiting to get in. Its a challenge that doctors and nurses say is springing up across the states 200-plus hospitals, to varying degrees.

Early this spring, hospitals reported an average of about 10,000 open beds, about 1,000 of them in ICUs. The latest figures have dropped below 6,000 beds, with fewer than 350 in ICUs.

If we werent having this surge of unvaccinated COVID patients, we would not being having the strain were having on our ICU beds right now, said Dr. Kalisha Hill, regional chief medical officer at Amita Health.

When ICUs and other hospital wards fill up, hospitals may be forced to board patients in emergency rooms. Doctors and nurses then must watch over these patients while triaging even more arrivals, sometimes delaying emergency care for hours.

Thats what Haff said is happening at Community First, in Portage Park.

The longtime nurse said at least three ICU patients are boarding in the emergency room at nearly all times now, as rooms back up and patients keep streaming in, meaning hourslong waits for care in the ER and nurses who are stretched thin.

Weve been through hell and back and this is still the worst its been, and its getting worse, she said. Youre so afraid youre going to miss something important because youre running.

Community First Chief Nursing Officer Dina Lipowich said in a statement: We are definitely starting to feel the impact of the latest COVID surge in our communities, and she encouraged people to get vaccinated and to get tested and seek treatment if theyve been exposed to the illness.

Overstretched hospitals can ask the state to declare them on bypass  meaning ambulances are diverted elsewhere  but the state has tightened the rules during the pandemic. IDPH said it couldnt immediately provide a list of those whose requests it approved.

Hospitals also can stop taking transfers from other overloaded facilities.

Among facilities slowing their intake of transfers is Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. As of Tuesday, its medical ICU  an ICU unit for patients with problems such as COVID-19, respiratory illnesses and diabetes  had 52 patients despite typically having 42 beds. The extras were put in other ICU units in the hospital.

Its just literally almost impossible to get an external transfer in unless its an extreme emergency, said Dr. Richard Wunderink, medical director of the hospitals medical ICU.

At their worst, hospitals can impose crisis standards of care. Thats a designation in which a hospital declares to state regulators that demands for space, supplies and staffing are highly disproportionate to the available resources and the hospital is forced to ration supplies and modify standards of care, according to IDPHs website.

After the Tribune asked if any hospitals had imposed that designation, IDPH acknowledged Wednesday night that one had. But it wouldnt name the facility except in response to an open-records request, which the Tribune filed that same night. Such requests can take weeks to fill.

Whats next?

Its tough to predict trends of COVID-19 hospitalizations. One early indicator  the percentage of COVID-19 tests coming back positive  appears to be stabilizing. But COVID wards could fill back up with patients infected with the omicron variant.

Omicron may be a milder variant than delta, but it could also spread faster and infect plenty of people still vulnerable to serious illness. Millions of Illinoisans have yet to get vaccinated, the best way doctors say people can limit the risk of hospitalization.

Doctors continue to implore people to get vaccinated, mask up indoors and  if getting together with friends or family during the holidays  get tested beforehand.

Calling the increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations very concerning, IDPH said its discussed the challenges with hospitals.

The big relief valve for hospital officials a year ago was canceling nonemergency surgeries, but that step has drawbacks, delaying important care while depriving hospitals of resources at a time when they are already drained from the pandemic.

New York has ordered some elective surgeries canceled in the busiest hospitals in the hardest-hit areas, but Illinois has not. An IDPH spokesperson, Melaney Arnold, told the Tribune it wouldnt be fair to punish people needing hernia surgeries, knee replacements or other important, pain-reducing procedures because their neighbors refuse to get vaccinated.

Some hospitals have adjusted their surgery schedules without canceling all elective surgeries. Otherwise, IDPH guidance suggests that hospitals cancel surgeries if numbers suggest they wont have enough beds to handle a surge without imposing crisis standards of care.

Even if COVID-19 cases ease off, hospitals expect theyll remain extremely busy with all the other patients theyre now seeing. Nobody can say how long it will be until patient loads settle close to pre-pandemic levels, but health care workers cautioned there is no quick fix.

I would say its going to be a while, Lopez said.

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My very first day teaching in public elementary school, Jimmy looked up at me and said, Mr. Talley, I just cant hardly read. And it makes every subject in school so hard because I cant.

Of course, I then took it upon myself to see that Jimmy was swamped by good books galore, both at school and at home.

The Appalachian Literacy Initiative, a nonprofit right here in good ol Bristol, helps kids like Jimmy get access to their own good books at home. In fact, these wonderful people are giving me hundreds of new childrens books to distribute the very morning I am typing this column. (Due to my partnering up with another great local nonprofit, Communities in Schools, every one of those books will find its way directly into the hands of local elementary-aged children.)

Before going on, Id like to add one more integral (but often overlooked) factor in getting children to read at home; the fact is they must have at least one significant caretaker at home who sees their need to read and provides them with a safe and quiet place. I found this fact out early in my career, too. Just handing out books to kids can often be much like handing out cash to the poor; the waste can be phenomenal.
SEATTLE (AP)  Washington state Sen. Doug Ericksen, a staunch conservative, has died at age 52.

Ericksen's death Friday came weeks after he said he had tested positive for the coronavirus while in El Salvador, though his cause of death wasn't immediately released. The state Senate Republican Caucus confirmed his passing Saturday but did not say where he died.

Ericksen, a Ferndale Republican, reached out to Republican colleagues last month saying he had taken a trip to El Salvador and tested positive for COVID-19 shortly after he arrived. Reasons for his visit were unclear.

In a message to state House and Senate members, Ericksen asked for advice on how to receive monoclonal antibodies, which were not available in the Latin American nation.
The group has done a total of five hikes alongside family and friends since its launch in October.

I am very happy that there is a hiking group. Having a Latino one is important because we can share our culture and different dialects of Spanish. It has been a great experience to do what I like (hiking) with people who share the same interest, said Peruvian native and Charlotte resident Claudia Ramos, 44.

Like many members of the group, Ramos heard of the group through Ortiz, then spread the word to friends interested in the same activity.

Thanks to the group, Ramos experienced hiking for the first time and was able to create many memories alongside other members.

It has been a beautiful experience. It is amazing to be able to have a connection with different people from all parts of the world, Ramos said.

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Participants of the hikes are from around North Carolina. Some drive more than 50 miles to head out to the next adventure. These hikers also bring their children to take part in the hike, exposing them to sunlight and nature.
In relation to the balance of power, trending dynamics feature more prominently in the contemporary China-U.S. rivalry than in the earlier U.S.-Soviet rivalry. During the Cold War, the world was bipolar, with the United States and the Soviet Union as equal, or near equal, competitors. The United States current rivalry with China, on the other hand, developed over time as Chinas economy began to catch up to that of the United States.

Nuclear strategy and competition featured much more prominently in the United States rivalry with the Soviet Union than in the United States current rivalry with China. In the Cold War, the United States and Soviet Unions nuclear arsenals were functionally equivalent. There was deterrence based on the premise of mutually assured destruction (or MAD)  neither side would initiate a nuclear attack knowing that there would be a corresponding counter-attack that would result in ones own destruction. Chinas nuclear capability today pales in comparison to the United States arsenal. And rather than nuclear relations between China and the U.S. being based on deterrence through MAD, China is committed to a No First Use (NFU) nuclear policy. Ideological competition also featured much more prominently in the U.S.-Soviet rivalry than in the current China-U.S. rivalry. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union actively supported communist movements, parties, and governments throughout the world. A stated principle of Chinas foreign policy, in contrast, is non-interference in the domestic affairs of other states. Communism, with its critique of capitalism and promise of a utopian future in which everyone is equal, had broader potential appeal than Chinas less-ideologically-rooted single-party authoritarian model has today.
Over the next decade, we expect trillions of dollars to be allocated to impact investing given its potential to drive tangible change, said Donna Parr, Managing Partner at CBIV. The timing could not be better for us to launch our impact fund, which has already attracted interest from investors in global markets that are looking to make a difference in the world while seeking venture returns.

Annie Theriault, Managing Partner at CBIV, has been immersed in impact investing, venture capital, royalty financing, and capital markets throughout her career. As a venture capital investor and venture advisor, she worked with high impact companies to mobilize more than $100 million in non-dilutive capital. Annie was previously a director on the boards of several North American venture-backed companies, is an advisor to crowdfunding fintech company FrontFundr, and, prior to the launch of CBIV, was Chief Investment Officer at Grand Challenges Canada. Annie obtained her PhD in Management from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, is a CFA Charterholder, and holds the ICD.D designation. She also has a masters degree in Business Economics from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Bachelor of Science with First Class Honours in Chemistry from Mount Allison University.
COMPANY NEWS: DHL Supply Chain, the worlds leading contract logistics provider, has accelerated its business expansion to meet a boom in demand for its services, while simultaneously increasing agent retention to a record high, with the help of a suite of Avaya OneCloud solutions.

Based in Singapore, DHL Contact Centre Services provides logistics solutions across a range of industries, including service logistics, technology, and public agencies. The COVID-19 pandemic created more opportunity to better support its customers increasing demand for fast and cost-effective contact centre services.

As many businesses found during the pandemic, the last 18 months were characterised by a huge spike in demand for high-quality customer experience services. Between 2019 and today, alongside the rollout of Avaya OneCloud, our number of concurrent agents has increased 300%, said DHL Supply Chain Singapore cluster CEO Jerome Gillet.

Retention in the contact centre industry has been a challenge for several years. With the support of a comprehensive, cloud-based collaboration tool, and an AI-powered contact centre, our retention rate has significantly increased to become the best-in-class in the industry.

The security and scalability of the product means we can replicate this customer service environment in other markets, enabling contact centre agents to log in from anywhere, at any time, and gain access to the communication and collaboration capabilities, Gillet added. In the near future, we will be scaling our contact centre offering to Japan, Korea, Australia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

DHL Supply Chain is oiling the wheels of businesses during an essential time, allowing it to meet demands that have only accelerated during and after the pandemic, said Avaya chief revenue officer Stephen Spears.

Cloud-based customer service capabilities, automation and knowledge management are combining to deliver these offerings at a much quicker rate while supporting those charged with providing the service.

Avaya is highlighting customer success stories and Avaya Experience Builders innovation at the annual Avaya Engage user conference in Orlando, FL this week. For more information, go to Avaya Engage 2021.
The American news agency Bloomberg has claimed that Chinese telecommunications vendor Huawei used malicious code to spy on Optus in 2012, a claim that the telco has denied. The story in question is replete with dubious assertions, risible claims and quotes that do not match what the reporters say they do.

The story claims that Australia's ban on Huawei supplying equipment for the NBN was because of this incident, but offers little genuine evidence to bolster that timeline. The NBN ban was put in place in March 2012.

Filed on 17 December, the story is written by Jordan Robertson and Jamie Tarabay, with assistance from Michael Riley and Christopher Cannon. Those who follow such matters will recognise the names of Robertson and Riley as being behind highly dubious stories about infiltration of tech supply chains to a server manufacturer in the US.

In October 2018, Bloomberg claimed that chips implanted in servers made in China for US server manufacturer Supermicro Computer  and which were also supplied to a company named Elemental which Amazon acquired  were used to spy on Apple and Amazon, and also a number of government agencies.

The news agencyin February 2021, but offered no fresh evidence to prove its claims. The company has also, in the past, published claims that the US Government had prior knowledge of the, a serious vulnerability in OpenSSL, before it was announced. Bloomberg did not issue a follow-up after the story was

Bloomberg, which for some reason is deemed a reliable source, has a policy of paying higher annual bonuses to those who write stories that move markets.

An interesting aspect about the 17 December story is that the quotes from named individuals do not offer any specifics to back up the claims. All the specific claims are made by unnamed sources.

If one were to believe what the story claims, then Optus accepted a software update from Huawei directly  without any checks to see what it would do. This update, the story goes, pilfered data and sent it to China, before self-destroying. That sounds like high-level fiction, but is delivered in the guise of a news story.

There have been cases of intelligence agencies slipping in malicious code through equipment, but all those took place before the gear was shipped, not through software updates. The NSA is known to have intercepted Cisco routers and implanted malicious firmware, according to documents made public by whistleblower Edward Snowden.

And then there is the case of global networking products manufacturer Juniper Networks in 2008 incorporating a flawed algorithm from the NSA in its NetScreen devices, even though the company was aware of the flaw that was suspected to provide a backdoor.

But the claim that any company, especially one of Optus' size, would accept an update without first testing it, sits in the same category as Grimms or Andersen's fairy tales. Many sites have run this story without questioning any of its claims, but then media entities are, these days, largely playing the same role as stenographers so one should, perhaps, not be unduly perturbed.

Malcolm Turnbull also figures in the story, with the statement from his memoir that the ban on Huawei was a hedge against a future threat, not the identification of a smoking gun, but a loaded one" cited. This statement is on page 434 of Turnbull's book A Bigger Picture.

However, Turnbull has denied to Bloomberg that this statement could be taken to indicate that there was no untoward action in Australia by Huawei. Strange, but true.

One of the many risible quotes in the story is from Keith Krach, the former under secretary for economic growth, energy and the environment at the US State Department, who says: Huaweis software updates can push whatever code they want into those machines, whenever they want, without anyone knowing.

Huawei's cyber security chief John Suffolk has pushed back at this, saying it is a fantasy  a serious understatement, if ever there was one  and adding: "There is not a general software update mechanism, patches are not pushed at will and Huawei has no control or say when an operator decides to upgrade or patch their network."

As to why an alleged incident that is nine years old has been leaked by intelligence agencies now, one can only speculate. One reason could be that Australian spooks want to shore up the reasons they have advanced for getting government to pass a new law, in November, so that they can meddle in private cyber incidents in the country without any judicial oversight.

Throwing mud at Huawei at this stage does not serve any particular purpose as the US has done plenty of it over the last three or so years. But Washington is in the middle of trying to sell F-35s to the UAE and the latter country has struck a deal with Huawei which is a sticking point. So this story could, perhaps, be used to raise additional suspicion and scupper the deal.

Or perhaps Robertson and Riley wanted a bigger Christmas bonus. That is the most plausible reason. Last time around, Riley was promoted after the Supermicro yarn.

Another strange thing about this story is that it was published on a Friday in the week before Christmas, surely not the best time if one wants to get some traction for a yarn.
BLOOMINGTON  Social media has exploded over the past four months with rumors and speculation about the mysterious disappearance and death of Jelani Day.

Posts have dissected the limited amount of information released by authorities about the 25-year-olds final days and theorized how he ended up in the Illinois River. Some dispute the findings of the autopsy and official records while scouring the internet for possible connections to the late Illinois State University graduate student.

As the case has become a national story, there also has been a growing focus on the Beyond/Hello cannabis dispensary in Bloomington, where authorities say Day was last seen alive.

Bloomington police Officer John Fermon, a department spokesman, confirmed to The Pantagraph that theyve opened an investigation into "criminal complaints that were reported to the BPD" stemming from social media posts and accounts.

He would not elaborate about the nature of the inquiry.

The Bloomington Police Department also denied a Pantagraph Freedom of Information Act Request for any reports related to harassment at the store, stating that it would "interfere with a pending or actually and reasonably contemplated law enforcement proceedings."

Officials for Boca Raton, Florida-based Jushi Holdings Inc., which operates more than two dozen cannabis dispensaries across the country, in November approached The Pantagraph about the social media posts related to the Day investigation.

A spokesperson told The Pantagraph the company is facing "bizarre" allegations on social media based on Day's Aug. 24 visit to the store. A family member of one of those named in the posts reached out to Jushi to ask the company to help clear up rumors, the official said.

Some posts questioned why police didnt release security footage of Day leaving the business, the spokesperson said. There also have been alarming threats of violence, prompting the business to file reports with local police, the FBI and Facebook itself, the official said.

The posts, the company official said, are "exploiting the confusion and anxiety of people surrounding the death.

The newspaper agreed to a request by the company to not name employees because Jushi said doing so would invite additional harassment and threats. The information provided by them through a spokesperson was verified by The Pantagraph.

Day, of Danville, was reported missing Aug. 25, the day after he was shown to be at the 1515 N. Veterans Parkway Beyond/Hello dispensary, according to police. His body was pulled from the Illinois River in the Peru area, 60 miles north of ISU, on Sept. 4.

An autopsy determined he had drowned, but Days family is adamant that he was murdered. They have been critical of the investigation and have said the case wasnt getting enough attention from law enforcement. There also were concerns about how long it took to identify Days remains.

Exploiting the confusion and anxiety of people

The Jushi official said the Facebook posts about the Bloomington store were initially questions about why the dispensary's security footage only showed Day entering the building. The company opened the Bloomington store in February.

As part of the preliminary missing person investigation, Bloomington police downloaded security camera footage onto a hard drive, the company spokesperson said. Images from that footage showing Day entering the building were used to help the public identify him.

When social media posts began circulating, Jushi asked that the department release video of Day leaving the store, but that has yet to happen, the company official said. Numerous Facebook posts zeroed in on the lack of any images showing Day exiting the store and speculated something happened inside.

One Facebook account has posted various photos of people with Day and incorrectly claimed they worked at the store, the spokesperson said. Personal and private information also was made public.

As a large retailer, Jushi deals with "internet trolls" for a variety of reasons, the official said. In this case, theyve filed complaints with Facebook about the posts but no steps have been taken, the spokesperson said.

"Many posts have been reported for harassment, false information, and in some cases death threats depending on the comments, however, at least from what we observed, very little of this activity has been addressed by Facebook," the spokesperson said.

Facebook did not respond to a request from The Pantagraph to comment for this story.

Generally, police departments don't release evidence

Asked about the security camera footage, Fermon, the police official, said the department did not release the video because the case had evolved into a multi-jurisdictional death investigation in which BPD is not the lead agency or media contact.

"That is a decision to be made by the Jelani Day Task Force  not by me or the BPD," he said. "Generally, police departments don't release evidence unless it assists in investigations or if it's required to be released by FOIA."

Jushi provided The Pantagraph with a recording of security footage appearing to show Day leaving the business the morning of Aug. 24 and entering the parking lot.

Jushi has also filed reports with the Bloomington police and FBI Cybercrimes division regarding the posts.

An FBI spokesperson said the agency "does not comment on whether an investigation does or does not exist," but the circumstances of the incident are something the FBI would investigate. The agency does not release information on investigations in most instances, the official said.

Fermon said they were notified of "several issues on and/or stemming from social media posts and social media accounts.

He said people can file reports by calling the BPD's non-emergency line at (309) 820-8888 or call 911 in an emergency.

Fermon added that people can report social posts violating Facebook's community standards. More information on the company's community standards is at transparency.fb.com.

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $10,000 and Day's family is offering a $25,000 reward for information.

Anyone with information on the disappearance and death of Day is asked to call (800) 225-5324 or go to tips.fbi.gov. Tips can be submitted anonymously.

Contact Sierra Henry at 309-820-3234. Follow her on Twitter: @pg_sierrahenry.

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CHICAGO - Nineteen aldermen signed on this week to a City Council resolution aimed at improving public restroom access in Chicago, a long-standing problem for residents, tourists, people experiencing homelessness and the medically vulnerable.

Ald. Daniel La Spata, 1st, pitched the resolution following a Tribune investigation finding that large swaths of Chicago have few or no publicly operated bathrooms.

What jumps out for most people is that this is related primarily to homelessness, but really its for all Chicagoans, La Spata said in an interview. Anyone whos out for a run, any parent whos out with their child  and had an emergency need and felt like they had no options, this is a resolution promoting a solution for you.

The measure, co-sponsored by Ald. Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez, 33rd, calls on City Council to develop a plan to increase public restroom access. More than 20 organizations and state officials are also backing the resolution, including the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, Arab American Family Services and the Center on Halsted.

Tedd Peso, director of strategic partnerships at The Night Ministry, helped develop the resolution along with La Spatas office and said he hopes the pilot project will create more conversation around a serious personal and public health issue.

Access to public restrooms is critically important for people, for using the restroom, hand-washing, things like that, Peso said. Ive heard stories of folks who dont take medications that their doctors recommend because theyre not able to access public restrooms during the day.

Illinois Rep. Lindsey LaPointe, D-Portage Park, who has signed on in support of the resolution, said she and the Jefferson Park Working Group on Homelessness saw firsthand the difference a public restroom can make in a high-need area when portable toilets appeared for little over a week near the Jefferson Park L stop earlier this year as part of a maintenance project.

People were getting off the bus and making a beeline to the restroom, LaPointe said. We got reports of people that were homeless saying, Wow this is amazing, I have what I need; I feel valued.

Local business owners shared positive feedback too, LaPointe said, and have since supported the working groups ongoing effort to bring a public bathroom to the area. A restroom pilot program could work well in a location like the Jefferson Park transit hub, she said.

We know there are parts of the city that would welcome this, LaPointe said.

The Tribune report, published in October, identified and mapped as many barrier-free public restrooms as possible. Most of the public restrooms are not open at night, and dozens close during the fall and winter months. Though the Chicago Transit Authority maintains roughly 250 restrooms, they are not open to members of the public.

Public urination and defecation is prohibited by a city ordinance, and Chicago police officers have issued more than 29,000 tickets for it since 2016, according to department data.

The lack of public restrooms is particularly problematic for the citys homeless population and those with medical needs that require urgent access to a restroom facility, though the problem can affect anyone using Chicagos public spaces.

La Spata said that though the resolution is not binding, he is optimistic it will lead to exploring various solutions used in other cities, like adding stand-alone restrooms and incentivizing businesses to offer access, as well as looking at funding that is already available to the city through homelessness support services.

It doesnt have to be a one-size-fits-all for meeting this need, as long as were looking seriously about how we do meet this need, La Spata said.

The matter was assigned Wednesday to the councils Committee on Health and Human Relations.

Other locales have made recent efforts to improve access to public restrooms through adding temporary or permanent toilet facilities. The city of Portland, Oregon, designed and installed several crime- and graffiti-resistant Portland Loo stand-alone restrooms. San Francisco developed a job training program employing attendants to monitor restrooms throughout the city in an effort to address complaints about public urination and defecation while reducing safety issues at the toilet facilities. Washington, D.C., is testing out a pilot program that would add two low-maintenance stand-alone public toilets that are open 24/7, as well as mimic a program in England that incentivizes businesses that open their restrooms to the public during business hours.

In Illinois, the last major successful effort to increase restroom access was a state law that went into effect in 2005. That law requires most businesses to allow individuals with medical issues like Crohns disease, colitis or pregnancy access to private restrooms.

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CHICAGO - Commonwealth Edison has proposed giving consumers $21.1 million in refunds through credits on their bills to address Illinois Commerce Commission probes into the bribery scandal that led to ex-Speaker Michael Madigans ouster.

The amount of the refunds is mostly tied to pay and benefits received by former ComEd executives whose misconduct was outlined in the deal struck with federal prosecutors last year in which the company agreed to pay a $200 million fine.

But utility watchdog Abe Scarr of Illinois PIRG called the proposed refund chump change for a utility that is soon expected to rake in $1 billion a year in profits and may not offer the credit until the spring of 2023.

He estimated the refund meant significantly less than $5 on average for residential customers  a tiny sum compared with what ComEd gained from the scheme outlined by the feds. Individual refunds would depend on the amount of electricity a customer uses.

Scarr said he considers the ComEd refund proposal as the first salvo in the ongoing action before the ICC, which would need to approve any proposal from the utility before it would take effect.

The ComEd offer emerged late Thursday in legal proceedings with the ICC, which initiated an investigation in August and then launched a second probe that was required by the new energy law approved this fall. One major goal of the investigations is to see if ComEd recovered costs from customers that were not properly recoverable.

ComEd CEO Gil Quiniones said the company voluntarily offered to provide our customers a refund of more than $21 million  an amount that includes all of the costs that were in customers rates for the compensation and benefits earned by the former ComEd executives.

The company tallied costs from the bribery scheme that lasted from roughly 2011 through 2019, when U.S. Attorney John Lauschs office began sending subpoenas to ComEd and Madigan associates.

ComEd agreed in July 2020 to pay the $200 million fine, the largest ever levied at Chicagos federal courthouse. In exchange, federal authorities will drop a charge of bribery against ComEd after three years if the power company cooperates.

ComEds scheme was allegedly aimed at influencing Madigan to go along with the power companys Springfield agenda. Madigan has not been charged in the case and has denied wrongdoing.

The proposed refund would include at least some costs for dozens of interns, and a very small number of employees and contractors that the company determined did not perform work to management expectations, ComEd said.

Though ComEds Springfield lobbying efforts have been a major focus of the scandal, the company said actual lobbying costs were not included in the projected refunds because those costs are not included when figuring rates.

But major non-lobbying costs were included in refunds. For example, former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, whos under indictment, was listed in a chart as being paid $1.8 million in compensation and benefits in 2011 for non-lobbying activity. John Hooker, a former top executive and lobbyist also indicted, received $1.15 million in compensation and benefits in 2011 for similar non-lobbying activity. And Fidel Marquez, an ex-executive who oversaw lobbying and who has pleaded guilty, earned $748,000 in 2012, also for non-lobbying activity. Those payments are included in ComEds proposed refund, ComEd said.

In addition, ComEd said the proposed refunds would cover some non-lobbying costs for other operatives, including indicted Madigan confidant Mike McClain, a top contract lobbyist for the utility. McClain received $438,000 from ComEd for non-lobbying work after he had retired from lobbying, some of which would be in the proposed refund. McClain has pleaded not guilty in case.

A chart filed with the ICC showed former City Club President Jay Dohertys consulting firm received $3.7 million from 2010 through 2019 for duties ranging from promoting positive relations with ward organizations to working with the office of the mayor and city agencies. But none of the money paid to Doherty or his subcontractors would be included in the refund total, ComEd said. Doherty, also under indictment in the case, has pleaded not guilty.

ComEd identified three Doherty subcontractors as doing little or no work, including Ray Nice, a longtime precinct captain in Madigans 13th Ward. Nice picked up $450,000 from February 2012 through July 2019.

The other two subcontractors were former 13th Ward Ald. Frank Olivo, who received $384,000 from August 2011 through July 2019, and former Ald. Mike Zalewski of the neighboring 23rd Ward, who collected $70,000 from June 2018 through July 2019.

Nice, Olivo and Zalewski have not been charged in the case.

Madigan, weighed down by the ComEd investigation and the lingering impact of a 2018 #MeToo scandal among his staff, failed to win enough votes to be reelected to a new term as speaker of the Illinois House in January.

After ending his national record run of 36 years as speaker, Madigan stepped down from the House seat hed held for over half a century and gave up the chairmanship of the Democratic Party of Illinois that he had held since 1998.

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If many of the largest U.S. electric utilities stick to pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their energy-producing facilities, overall power sector emissions could be reduced by one-third compared to 2018 levels, according to a study released Friday.

The paper, which appears in the journal One Earth, also found that one-seventh of the cuts utilities have promised are reductions they would have to make anyway due to existing state requirements.

That means theres still significant potential to go above and beyond what utilities would be required to do, said Christopher Galik, lead researcher for the study and an associate professor of public administration at N.C. State University. This is particularly important in those parts of the country where there are no existing renewable energy production or (greenhouse gas) reduction requirements on the books.

Researchers examined emission pledges from 36 major electric utilities and dozens of subsidiaries operating in 43 states.

Charlotte-based Duke Energy and Atlanta-based Southern Company account for roughly one-third of the pledged reductions cited in the study.
According to a news release from Linville Team Partners, which marketed the properties, Two Cities plans to move from its 854 W. Northwest Blvd. facilities once construction is completed.

Discussing the Two Cities and new Brunson Elementary projects, Linville official Aubrey Linville said these two organizations are bringing to this area of vacant land in Industry Hill will no doubt be transformational for Industry Hill and the growth of downtown Winston-Salem.

In 2018, Two Cities Church moved into a former Chatham Manufacturing Co. facility at 854 W. Northwest Blvd. where it holds one Saturday service and three Sunday services.

We are a church for all people. We are diverse socioeconomically, as well as generationally, with many college students, young professionals and many from the medical community, Mercer said in 2018.

Mercer, a Pittsburgh native, is married with three children. He received his Masters of Divinity from Southeastern Seminary in 2014 and led the college ministry at First Baptist Church in Durham for three years before helping to plant Two Cities in Winston-Salem in the summer of 2016.
Members of Team Rubicon, a veteran-focused disaster relief organization, are taking on a new mission: furnishing homes for Afghan refugees seeking safety in The United States.

There is a quietly evolving story  multiple stories, actually  happening across our area. Families are arriving each week from Afghanistan and are being welcomed by groups of sponsors. Some of these sponsoring groups are neighbors, friends, book club members. Others are from faith communities.

As the refugees and sponsors work together to find housing, attend classes, secure employment and settle into their new culture, friendships are being formed and the blessings abound for everyone.

The new arrivals have experienced upheaval and trauma that few of us could ever comprehend. With their lives endangered, they escaped with very little, leaving behind homes, jobs, relatives, friends. They find themselves now in a totally unfamiliar culture with strange food, different celebrations and customs, and a wide range of religious practices. And yet all of us who are walking alongside them are amazed at their graciousness, their courage, their determination to start a new life and to contribute in some way to our community. We feel honored that they are sharing their stories, their lives, their culture with us.
Pity poor Mark Meadows, former North Carolina representative and White House chief of staff, who has traded his dignity for the worst of causes.

The loss came to light last week as we learned more about his role in former President Donald Trumps illicit attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election, as illuminated and detailed by thousands of pages of documents and texts Meadows turned over to the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection.

At first, it seemed Meadows realized his duty to cooperate with the committee.

But he has since withdrawn his cooperation and sued the committee, claiming executive privilege as justification for his refusal to appear before the committee in person.

Thats one way to disguise his complicity in a scheme to overthrow the U.S. government  a summary of events that becomes more difficult to deny with every new revelation.
Extreme tactics

A lot of people are upset over these new revelations about former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and all the people who texted him on Jan. 6. Im one of them.

But having said so, Im not a lawyer and I dont know that any of them did anything illegal. Even the people who planned what the mainstream media is calling a coup may have been working within legal constraints  and they may have actually believed their strategies were legitimate.

But I dont say that to forgive them. What they were doing was extreme and immoral and if theyd been successful, the results would have been disastrous for the nation.

Because neither our Constitution nor our election laws are perfect, there probably are legal methods to change the outcome of an election. But should they be used?

If one party introduces a new tactic, they can be certain that the other party will eventually use it. Imagine that in 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris tries to change the outcome of the election through the same means former President Trump pushed on Vice President Mike Pence. Imagine she succeeds. Would that be OK?
Muslims erected the present-day Dome of the Rock on the spot from which the prophet Muhammed ascended to heaven. Empress Helen, the mother of Emperor Constantine, had already identified and marked the sites of Jesus crucifixion and burial cave in 327 A.D. All of these venerated structures are found on the area known as the Noble Sanctuary in the Old City section of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem was ruled by the Knights Templar of the medieval Crusades and the Ottoman Turks before falling to the British forces during World War I. Following the Allied victory in World War II, in response to the Zionist movement the country of Israel was created as a permanent homeland for Jews. Originally partitioned between Jewish settlers and Palestinian Muslims, twentieth century wars have resulted in the return of the entire city of Jerusalem to the state of modern Israel.

Archeological exploration of the porous limestone beneath the city began during the American Civil War. Mark Twain and Abraham Lincoln both desired to visit the historic sites within the city but only Twain got the opportunity.
Hulse, who has led the union for two years and will navigate the group through collective bargaining next spring, said talks had stalled after Ewins expressed a desire to unilaterally appoint lieutenants to different stations and shifts, rather than allowing officers to submit requests, called "bids," for the location and time they'd prefer to work.

"Well, no. No, no, no, no, no," Hulse said. "We bid where we want to go. That's by seniority. And so we didn't like  that was one of the big hang-ups.

"I didn't want to put in for a position and then have her tell me that, 'Oh, you're gonna go to ... Northwest Team.' Well, what if Northwest Team doesn't work for me?"

Hulse said by the time the union and department sat down to bargain the creation of the new position in mid-October, their current labor agreement only allowed about a month to set things in stone.

Discussions were evolving, Hulse said, "but we just ran out of time."

Ewins described the nature of the command staff's disagreement with the union differently, noting that whether lieutenants would be a part of the union at all remained in question. (As of now, sergeant is the highest rank allowed among Lincoln Police Union members.)
The last shoe has dropped and it landed outside the ring.

Dave Heineman's decision not to enter the 2022 gubernatorial race likely has settled the lineup for the Republican nomination.

Heineman would have begun the race at the head of the pack, armed with name recognition and a deep understanding of the issues and state government along with exceptional political instincts and a record of strong voter support.

The results of a private poll pointed to a Heineman lead right out of the gate.

But the state party and its organizational clout in counties throughout the state is no longer his and campaign funds are far more difficult to raise when you are out of power.

Silent thus far, Gov. Pete Ricketts appears poised to endorse Jim Pillen and the state party apparatus will get in line behind him.

It may not have been pretty if Heineman had entered the race since some of the other Republican contenders might have seen an overriding political need to try to tear him down.
The ease of committing a crime like that is, in some part, traceable to decisions made by the retailers themselves, according to industry analysts.

Tony Sheppard, an executive at Canadian loss prevention software company ThinkLP, received his first exposure to the issue as a store detective at a Montgomery Ward store in the Boston area in the 1990s. "The first shoplifter I ever went to detain was a booster stealing a whole rack of coats," Sheppard said. At the time, he carried handcuffs and detained the suspected thief himself. "Nowadays, unfortunately, because of safety concerns and liability issues, a lot of companies are very hands-off."

Lawsuits from people injured by security guards in the process of apprehending shoplifters  in some cases, even from the alleged shoplifters themselves  have made aggressive in-store policing a losing proposition, Sheppard said.

In one recent case, a West Virginia woman won nearly $17 million in damages from Walmart after she was injured when a man being pursued for shoplifting stumbled into her, on the basis that Walmart escalated the situation. "Most companies realized from a financial standpoint it's just not worth it. A couple big lawsuits take away anything you gain by making all those apprehensions," he said.
Dec. 13-17

This list is not comprehensive. Municipalities are listed as they appear on the criminal complaint. Suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. To see mugshots of the accused, visit journaltimes.com/gallery. Additional information about the complaints can be found at: journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts.

Sharief A Blackmon, 2100 block of Mead Street, Racine, misdemeanor battery (domestic abuse assessments), disorderly conduct (domestic abuse assessments).

Dereginald O Campbell, 6500 block of San Marino Drive, Mount Pleasant, attempt robbery with use of force.

Michael A Cantwell, 3800 block of Wyoming Way, Racine, possession of narcotic drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia, misdemeanor bail jumping.

Jermaine (aka Lil Joe) NMI Conner 2200 block of Ashland Avenue, Racine, burglary of a building or dwelling, obstructing an officer, felony bail jumping.

Michael J Curiel, 1800 block of Parkland Court, Racine, battery to a law enforcement officer, resisting an officer causing a soft tissue injury to officer, misdemeanor battery (domestic abuse assessments), disorderly conduct (domestic abuse assessments, use of a dangerous weapon).

Shaquell M Daniel, 58900 block of 10th Avenue, Kenosha, criminal trespass, felony bail jumping.

Johnnie Delacruz, 2300 block of Rosalind Avenue, Racine, obstructing an officer, possession of drug paraphernalia, misdemeanor bail jumping, felony bail jumping.

Dion Derrick Dillon, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, attempting to flee or elude an officer, felony bail jumping, second degree recklessly endangering safety.

Tia D Eggerson, 2500 block of Loraine Avenue, Racine, burglary (commit battery on a person), misdemeanor battery, criminal damage to property, misdemeanor theft.

William Allan Garcia, Franklin, Wisconsin, operating a motor vehicle while under the influence (5th or 6th offense, general alcohol concentration enhancer), operating with prohibited alcohol concentration (5th or 6th offense, general alcohol concentration enhancer), operate motor vehicle while revoked, failure to install ignition interlock device.

Juan C Hernandez, 1300 block of Geneva Street, Racine, operating without a license (2nd offense within 3 years), misdemeanor bail jumping.

Imogene Higgins, Chicago, Illinois, misdemeanor theft, felony personal ID theft (financial gain).

Anthony B Jackson, 1400 block of Washington Avenue, Racine, substantial battery (use of a dangerous weapon), disorderly conduct (use of a dangerous weapon), felony theft (movable property (between $5,000-$10,000), misdemeanor theft.

Bobby T Jackson Sr., 4000 block of Erie Street, Racine, possession of THC, possession of drug paraphernalia.

Donnie D Jackson, 3500 block of Sherwood Street, Mount Pleasant, substantial battery (domestic abuse assessments), disorderly conduct (domestic abuse assessments, use of a dangerous weapon), misdemeanor battery (domestic abuse assessments).

Steven A Jedkins, 3900 block of Colorado Court, Racine, possession of THC, possession of a controlled substance, obstructing an officer, resisting an officer, felony bail jumping.

Steven M Jenders, 1100 block of Oakes Road, Mount Pleasant, disorderly conduct (domestic abuse assessments).

Christopher M Koderca, 3300 block of Meachem Road, Racine, operate motor vehicle while revoked, possession of drug paraphernalia, misdemeanor bail jumping.

Denielle K Kossack, 1100 block of Oakes Road, Mount Pleasant, disorderly conduct (domestic abuse assessments), misdemeanor bail jumping.

Donnie J Maynor, 500 block of Edgewood Drive, Burlington, strangulation and suffocation (domestic abuse assessments), disorderly conduct (domestic abuse assessments).

Nygil A McDaniel, 8600 block of Buckingham Drive, Sturtevant, neglecting a child (specified harm did not occur and child under 6 years of age).

Grady D McNish, Jackson, Michigan, throw or discharge bodily fluids safety worker, misdemeanor battery, resisting an officer, disorderly conduct.

Vaughn A Mikulance, 28400 block of Coyote Circle, Burlington, threat to a law enforcement officer, resisting an officer, disorderly conduct, felony bail jumping, misdemeanor bail jumping.

Moises Morales, 3600 block of 63rd Street, Kenosha, operating a motor vehicle while under the influence (3rd offense, general alcohol concentration enhancer), failure to install ignition interlock device, operate motor vehicle while revoked, possession of a controlled substance, misdemeanor bail jumping.

Michael J Parrett, 2400 block of Six Mile Road, Racine, burglary of a building or dwelling, removal of a major part of a vehicle, criminal damage to property, disorderly conduct, possession of drug paraphernalia.

Angelo F Pattalio, 1800 block of Wind Dale Drive, Racine, criminal damage to property, misdemeanor bail jumping.

Kari L Pavia, 2400 block of Green Street, Racine, possession of narcotic drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia.

Janice M Petri, 1500 block of Augusta Street, Racine, disorderly conduct, misdemeanor bail jumping (domestic abuse assessments).

Jose R Reynoso-Nuno, 1600 block of Grand Avenue, Racine, misdemeanor bail jumping (domestic abuse assessments).

Terrance D Singleton, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, operating a motor vehicle while under the influence (2nd offense), operate motor vehicle while revoked, misdemeanor bail jumping.

Pengbin Sheng, Chicago, Illinois, resisting an officer, criminal damage to property (domestic abuse assessments), disorderly conduct (domestic abuse assessments).

Isaiah M Smith, 1200 block of Marquette Street, Racine, receiving stolen property (less than $2,500), felony bail jumping.

Deandre Jerral Sparks, 1300 block of Buchanan Street, Racine, stalking (domestic abuse assessments), strangulation and suffocation (domestic abuse assessments), misdemeanor battery (domestic abuse assessments), disorderly conduct (domestic abuse assessments), felony intimidation of a victim (domestic abuse assessments).

Robert (aka Big Head) V Swearengen Sr., 1800 block of Roosevelt Avenue, Racine, manufacture/deliver cocaine (between 5-15 grams), manufacture/deliver cocaine (between 1-5 grams).

Larry E Thomas, Waukesha, Wisconsin, operating a motor vehicle while under the influence (4th offense, general alcohol concentration enhancer), failure to install ignition interlock device, operate motor vehicle while revoked.

Brandon L Wagner, 5600 block of 73rd Street, Kenosha, criminal damage to property (domestic abuse assessments), disorderly conduct (domestic abuse assessments), resisting an officer.

Rivers L Wells, 1900 block of West Lawn Avenue, Racine, misdemeanor retail theft (intentionally take less than to equal to $500).

Jerelle D Williams, 1200 block of Grand Avenue, Racine, possession of a firearm by a felon (firearm mandatory minimum enhancer), second degree recklessly endangering safety (firearm mandatory minimum enhancer), misdemeanor battery, possession of THC.

Garren E Woods, 2200 block of 54th Street, Kenosha, manufacture/deliver cocaine (between 1-5 grams, possession with intent to deliver/distribute a controlled substance on or near a park), manufacture/deliver cocaine (less than or equal to 1 gram, possession with intent to deliver/distribute a controlled substance on or near a park).

Wayne C Young, Bristol, Wisconsin, misdemeanor theft.

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As a leading provider of news, information and advertising solutions in southeast Wisconsin, we are excited to announce that during the week of Dec. 1926, all members of our communities will have unlimited and free access to our websites at JournalTimes.com, KenoshaNews.com and LakeGenevaNews.net.

This program is presented through the generous sponsorship of Carpetland U.S.A. It is one way we are giving back to the community during this holiday season.

Since our inception, we have partnered with local businesses across our region to deliver the best in advertising, news coverage and sponsorships throughout our community.

Our companys greatest assets, by far, are the local communities we serve, and the people just like you who live in them. With a great partner like Carpetland U.S.A., we can present unlimited access for you and your families to stay up to date on all the events, news and information you need as you plan and gather for the holidays.

We have seen record-setting trends in page views, and users who are accessing our content both in our printed newspaper, and through our digital platforms. When you log on, you can expect robust local content, photo galleries, videos and much, much more. We strive to cover the things that matter to you.

Our hope is that you take this week to enjoy all our websites have to offer. Thank you to Carpetland U.S.A., for their partnership in making this possible. We would both like to wish you a happy holiday season, and a wonderful and joyous end to 2021.

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Demolition is shown in progress at Giese Elementary School, 5120 Byrd Avenue, on Tuesday. Giese is among the first to be demolished among the 
Its one thing to open up a history book and read about the past. Its another to walk down the very streets where the history happened and see the places where the events from the past occurred.

Racines new Underground Railroad plaques help give people a real sense of the citys history and involvement with the Underground Railroad.

Several of the plaques tell the story of Joshua Glover.

Glover was a slave who had escaped to Racine and sold handmade items in Monument Square, then known as Haymarket Square, until he was arrested in 1854 and taken to a jail in Milwaukee. About 100 men gathered in Haymarket Square, then took a steamer to Milwaukee to protest Glovers arrest, which eventually led to them breaking him out of jail. Glover was smuggled via the Underground Railroad to Canada, where he lived out the rest of his life.

To commemorate his story, there are several plaques including one on State Street telling the story of how after Glover was freed from jail, he was taken to the home of Rev. Martin P. Kinney, pastor of the Congressional Church at 826 State St. The sign states: Because the Lake Michigan shipping season had not yet begun, Glover was taken from Kinneys to the Burlington area where he was hidden for about a month until a ship was available to take him to freedom.

But not everyone was as fortunate as Joshua Glover.

That is where the story of Justinian Cartwright comes in and his plaque on Sixth Street.

Cartwright was born a freed slave in Kentucky and served as a waiting boy to Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans. Around 1848, in search of freedom in a free state, he moved his family to Racine and opened a blacksmith shop, in which his son also worked. Cartwrights success enabled him to replace his wooden shop in 1854 with a brick building. But his story doesnt end on a good note. He died in 1862 of complications following an attack on his home by four anti-black assailants.

That is not a story people want to think about, but it is just as important to remember as part of the citys story.

Having these plaques physically installed gives people the chance to learn about this history as they take a walk around town. Its good for both youths and adults and, if marketed well, could be a tourist attraction for Racine.

People from all over the world come to see Wingspread and the S.C. Johnson campus, both designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. This trail, with its markers, is another opportunity to attract people to visit Racine and learn about history.

Combined with the Underground Railroad history on the western side of Racine County and in Kenosha County, it could become an attraction for the region and an opportunity to help educate people about our history.

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1. Crime. Too much violence, too many shootings. Police have to get a handle on it.

2. Coronavirus. The omicron variant and others to follow threaten the community.

3. Roads. Killeen-area roads are still a mess after last years storm  a serious problem.

4.Government. Elections are on the horizon, and voters will have hard choices to make.

5. Unsure. Its hard to say which single issue will stand out at this point.

Vote

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They fell in love with both each other and the floral business. Todd had started delivering flowers at Kearney Floral while a UNK student in 1975. After graduation, he turned down a job offer at a musical dinner theater in Denver to work at Kearney Floral. He stayed there, happily, for 46 years. When he and Lois married in 1982, it became her life, too.

Theres never been a day when I havent wanted to go into work, he said. We didnt say no to anything. There was no project beyond what we could do.

Planting the seeds

In his early years at Kearney Floral, Todd did planting, watering and transplanting. By 1980, he got into floral design and gradually began ordering flowers.

He and Lois purchased the business in 1990 when former owner Jack Erickson retired. Kearney Floral, founded in 1907, had been purchased by the Ericksons in 1924.

The Ericksons felt like we were family. We were honored to think they would entrust us with something that had been in their family over 66 years, Todd said.
I accept and respect what the defendant has said about his lack of intent to hurt people, but he made a series of terrible decisions, reckless decisions, District Court Judge Bruce Jones said, according to CBS Denver. If I had the discretion, it would not be my sentence.

The 110-year sentence for Aguilera-Mederos is twice as long as the sentence some murderers have received in the state, according to the Denver Post. His convictions triggered state law that requires a minimum 110-year sentence.

Many people, including the millions who signed the petition, want the sentence changed.

This is a grossly excessive sentence, Mark Silverstein, legal director for the ACLU of Colorado, told the Denver Post. It cries out for the reform of sentencing laws. But I think calls for change also need to be directed at the seldom-criticized but largely unchecked power of prosecutors.

Domingo Garcia, the national president of Latino civil rights organization LULAC, told The Denver Channel that the organization is supporting the petition and the case is so egregious.
Dahl Automotive has again partnered with the Wisconsin Automobile and Truck Dealers Association (WATDA) and others to provide Wisconsin high school graduates and continuing education students with opportunities to receive automotive technician scholarships.

Recipients will use the scholarship awards to fund their vehicle service education in automotive, diesel, motorcycle or collision technology at the Wisconsin Technical College of their choice.

Among the recent recipients are Dahl Ford team members Noah Busse of Trempealeau and Dawson Bryant of Onalaska, who are both attending Western Technical College in La Crosse.

They each will receive a $1,500 tuition scholarship sponsored by Dahl Automotive. Dahl Ford in Onalaska will provide Bryant and Busse with on-the-job training and mentoring while they work toward their degree in automotive technology. In addition to the scholarship, they will each receive a tool set valued at $4,355 from Snap-on Corporation headquartered in Kenosha, and additional tuition incentives provided by Dahl Automotive.

Scholarship recipients are selected based on their completed application, GPA, testing and interviews. Dahl Automotive is proud to support, encourage and assist students to pursue a career in the automotive industry.

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A Christmas tradition will continue at Fiesta Mexicana, 5200 Mormon Coulee Road, La Crosse, when the community is invited for a Christmas Day meal from noon to 2 p.m.

They will be serving free tacos, burritos, rice and beans, desserts, soda, iced tea, coffee, and much more. Santa Claus also will be at the event.

This is their 17th annual free Christmas meal event since opening in 2004. It is owner Enrique Valeras way of thanking our community for their continued support.

All are welcome. Donations are welcomed but not required.

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Youll begin to meet the new class of Tribune Extra Effort students today, with the first story published featuring Catherine Hurlburt of Arcadia High School.

Other stories will follow, at least once a week, as we receive nominations from schools in our region.

This is the 26th year of the Tribunes Extra Effort scholarship program, and like every year it will recognize high school seniors who have overcome obstacles and met challenges on their way to graduating and planning further education.

These are often remarkable stories of courage and persistence, and many times Extra Effort may be the first award the student receives. But it is a special one, and it comes with a scholarship from area colleges or individual or organization donors.

In recent months we made a move that will make this award even more special. Extra Effort now is partnering with the La Crosse Community Foundation, and that means community members can help support this unique program if they choose.

Any contributions are welcome and will go directly to Extra Effort students. Our aim through this partnership is to increase the scholarship awards.

Already the community has responded. and impressively so. Earlier this month a $15,000 anonymous donation arrived for the Tribune Extra Effort fund at the foundation.

As of today, the Tribune Extra Effort fund has $61,000, according to Jamie Schloegel, executive director of the La Crosse Community Foundation.

Broadening support for students enables greater success for us all, Schloegel said. Scholarship support that students receive from their own community seems to instill a greater sense of belonging  and motivation  to make it through their higher education. The students feel a greater sense of accountability.

Its all a win-win, as I said when we announced the move to the foundation. Its exciting to grow an important and longstanding program that benefits local students with new community support.

Its easy to donate, and gifts now qualify for tax deductions. To give online visit www.laxcommfoundation.com. Checks can be written to Extra Effort Fund and mailed to the Foundation at 401 Main Street, Ste. 205, La Crosse, WI 54601.

Gifts for 2022 Extra Effort students can be made until January 14, 2022, Schloegel said.

To date, weve received Extra Effort student nominations from Arcadia, Bangor, Black River Falls, Brookwood, Caledonia, Logan, Logan LaCrossroads, Luther, Onalaska, Viroqua, Westby and Whitehall.

Thanks to our school contacts for sending in the nominations so we could begin reporting the stories.

Nominations are due from the rest of the schools by January 13, or the end of January at the latest. All of our school contacts were notified of the deadline in September and again in November. They will receive another email in early January. Any questions should be sent to me.

We plan to honor the Tribune Extra Efforts students and their families at a scholarship ceremony on May 4 at the Lunda Center at Western Technical College.

After two years of awarding the scholarships in virtual events during the pandemic, an in-person presentation will go a long way to recognize the students for their achievement.

Thanks to everyone involved with Extra Effort. You are making an incredible difference, helping local students get a big lift toward their careers.

Bob Heisse is executive editor of the Tribune and the River Valley Media Group. He can be reached at bob.heisse@lee.net or 608-791-8285.

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Band breakups can be hard, bitter events, where the members cant even stand to be in the same room anymore. But when The Troubadogs decided to disband once and for all more than 20 years after forming, their next step was an unusual one.

Now that theyd broken up, they decided they should record the bands debut album.

The La Crosse-based Troubadogs, first disbanded in 2005, but the Dogs remained good friends. Over the years they did a few reunions shows, and late in 2018 decided it was time to revive the band for real. By the end of 2019, the band was back in fighting shape and itching to play more shows. Between the pandemic and life getting in the way, however, two key members had decided to drop out by summer 2020. Rather than go out on a low note, the band opted for the high road and doing something theyd never done.

Chris Van Alstine, one of three songwriters in the band and the only Troubadog with major recording studio experience, pitched the idea: Record an album with four songs from each songwriter in the band. Before the songs were even chosen, the album title was decided. They settled on The Last Walk, a nod to The Last Waltz, the epic finale of The Band (a major influence and inspiration) and an irresistible chance to make another dog joke. Its the leash they could do.

Recorded, mixed and mastered at Blast House Studios in Madison with award-winning sound engineer Landon Arkens, The Last Walk has an organic feel that captures the dynamics and joie de vivre The Troubadogs always exuded in front of an audience. Thats not an accident. The band recorded all the instrumental tracks live the first weekend in the studio. On subsequent visits the band laid down lead vocals and the meaty vocal harmonies for which The Troubadogs are known.

The albums first track, Down at Fox Hollow, is an ode to the first place The Troubadogs played, a rural roadside tavern where the bands journey began. Guitarist Randy Erickson wrote the song, reminiscent of the Kentucky Headhunters, after that first Fox Hollow show, inspired by the enthusiastic crowd.

The album closes with Van Alstines The Road Well Travelled, a song he surprised the band with at their last gig in 2005. He performed the song solo at that first finale, but it gets the full treatment on The Last Walk. Band members wives even contributed harmonies on this powerful love song to The Troubadogs, undoubtedly the best power ballad ever written about a bar band.

The 10 songs between Down at Fox Hollow and The Road Well Travelled cover a wide swath of the Americana music map. Songs written and sung by Dick Mial, who plays mandolin and acoustic guitar on the album, include two rollicking folk-rock numbers, Whole Life Mutual Blues and Estes to Beale Street, and two more subdued, the spare, elegiac Why Cant I Sing and Youngstown, Ohio, a ballad with a propulsive shuffle beat recounting the downfall of a rust belt town and its hard-luck inhabitants.

Ericksons Mando Man, a folkie salute to Mial and his mandolin playing, was written as a 50th birthday present for Mial in the bands early days. Mial, Erickson and guitarist Tom Streicher all worked at the La Crosse Tribune when the band was formed.

Erickson, who handles all the electric guitar parts on the album, wrote Higher Than High as a rockin twist on the lonesome truckers lament. Must Be Love (or Something Like That) was written in 1986, penned just before Erickson got up the nerve to ask for a date with his future wife, the inspiration for the song. In the 80s the Must Be Love had a jagged, new wave quality, but with The Troubadogs treatment it takes on a more pop-country-meets-Tom-Petty feel.

Van Alstine, who plays keyboards and harmonica and is the architect of the bands vocal harmony sound, gives The Troubadogs a workout on the choruses of his Lonesome Road, a blend of rockabilly and doowop elements, and Still Falling in Love, which would have fit right into AM radio pop playlists in the 1970s.

Providing the sturdy framework for the band are drummer Ken Isler and bassist Dan Backhaus, who sings Van Alstines Sometimes I Dont Know How You Put Up with Me, a languid countryish expression of gratitude and contrition to a romantic partner, perfect for slow dances (or, as Backhaus calls them, belly rubbers).

With its well-crafted songs polished by their many years of playing together, The Last Walk doesnt sound like a debut album. It represents what a Troubadogs show would sound like on the best night of their lives with a world-class sound engineer running the board.

They wont be doing a star-studded final concert to promote The Last Walk (unless Martin Scorcese comes calling with an offer to film it). But then, the important thing to The Troubadogs always was to make the best music they could while pegging the needle on the fun meter, not commercial concerns. From the beginning, the band had one mantra: Arf for arfs sake.

"The Last Walk" can be heard at www.reverbnation.com/troubadogs, which also has photos and a music video for "The Road Well Traveled." The album also is available for streaming and downloading on Spotify, iTunes, Pandora, Apple Music, Amazon and Deezer

AT A GLANCE WHAT: The Last Walk, an album by The Troubadogs WHEN: The album was recorded in summer 2021 at Blast House Studios in Madison. WHO: Band members include Tom T-Dawg Streicher (acoustic rhythm guitar), Dan Marmaduke Backhaus (bass guitar), Randy Randog Erickson (electric guitars), Kenny K-Dawg Isler (percussion), Richard Mando Man Mial (mandolin, acoustic guitar) and Chris East-er Dog Van Alstine (keyboards, harmonica, tambourine) WHERE: The Last Walk is streaming on Spotify, Pandora, iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon and Deezer. ON THE WEB: www.reverbnation.com/troubadogs

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Sen. Brad Pfaff (D-Onalaska) and Village President Cheryl Purvis announced that the Village of La Farge will receive up to $628,556 as part of the 2021 Community Development Block Grant for Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Project. This grant will support long-term recovery from flood damage.

Following the announcement, Pfaff said, When natural disasters hit rural communities, neighbors pull together and rebuild. La Farge residents have shown incredible resilience, and I am pleased that these funds are available to assist with recovery.

This money will be used prudently to meet the villages needs by the people who understand the situation best  folks who live and work here.

Village President Cheryl Purvis said, As a small low-income community located along the Kickapoo River, we have lost just under 30 homes since 2008 due to several flooding events. This grant will help us to start rebuilding much-needed affordable housing.

CDBG-DR funds are distributed by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and made available through the Wisconsin Department of Administration.

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Wisconsins conspiratorial U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson has spouted plenty of garbage in recent months  that mouthwash has been proven to kill COVID-19, that unvaccinated people are being put basically into internment camps, that climate change is bullsh-t.

But the Oshkosh Republicans worst idea among many doozies went like this: He wants his partisan pals at the statehouse in Madison to take over the administration of Wisconsin elections.

Republicans who control the Legislature have already gerrymandered voting districts in Wisconsin to give conservative candidates an unfair advantage in elections. Johnson isnt satisfied with that because the rigged maps wont help him. He has to run statewide for his U.S. Senate seat.

So Johnson wants his colleagues to go further. He called on Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and other GOP leaders to all but count the votes following elections so Republican candidates are more assured of victory.

Republicans in other states are similarly trying to seize control of election administration. They hope to decide close races in their favor by manipulating voting rules before and after Election Day. If a Democrat narrowly wins, for example, just throw out some of the Democrats votes on a subjective technicality.

Wisconsin should reject and prevent such devious attempts to undermine our democracy.

Johnson recently accused the Wisconsin Elections Commission of systematically violating laws for running the 2020 election, and he suggested that Vos and Co. unilaterally usurp the WECs powers, regardless of what Democratic Gov. Tony Evers might think.

Theres no mention of the governor in the Constitution when it comes to running elections, Johnson told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. It says state legislatures. And so if I were running the joint  and Im not  I would come out and I would just say, Were reclaiming our authority. Dont listen to WEC anymore. Their guidances are null and void.

The WEC is far from perfect. Though its staff is professional and nonpartisan, the commissioners who oversee that staff are split into two partisan sides: three Republicans and three Democrats. Sometimes this forces bipartisan agreement on election rules that both parties can accept.

But often it doesnt. A recent State Journal analysis showed that commissioners deadlocked 3-3 on important decisions 32 times during the 2020 elections. Split votes can leave local election officials and candidates without clear guidance on how to properly handle ballots and run campaigns.

The WEC is a poor substitute for its predecessor, the Government Accountability Board, which was overseen by retired judges who were nonpartisan and insulated from state politics as much as possible. With sweeping bipartisan support following scandals more than a decade ago, Republicans including Vos created the GAB. It did a fine job of staying above the political fray and issuing clear and fair decisions.

But when Vos didnt like some of the rulings the neutral GAB made, Vos and other Republicans replaced the GAB with the WEC, whose partisan members are appointed by legislative leaders and the governor. Now Vos is complaining that the WEC isnt subservient enough because it doesnt always do what he wants.

Enter Johnsons bad idea.

Not only would putting the politicians in charge of elections allow them to further rig the rules for voting and campaigning in their favor, it also would destroy public trust in fair elections. Wisconsin needs neutral or at least balanced referees overseeing our democracy  not participants in elections setting election rules on the fly to help them get reelected. Thats obviously a conflict of interest.

Johnson and Vos have incessantly run down Wisconsins solid election system to try to appease former President Donald Trump, their failed presidential candidate who still refuses  more than a year later  to concede defeat. So Johnsons latest ploy is no surprise.

To his credit, Vos downplayed Johnsons proposed power grab, saying Vos didnt know if the Legislature had the authority to follow Johnsons advice.

Yet Vos recklessly called for the resignation of Meagan Wolfe, the WECs nonpartisan administrator. Vos faulted Wolfe and the WEC for allowing shut-ins at nursing homes last year to vote without special voting deputies on site, as required by law. Instead, the bipartisan WEC  which includes a former GOP lawmaker appointed by Vos  agreed to let these frail residents vote by absentee ballot without voting deputies present. They did so for a very good reason: Wisconsin was in the depths of the worst pandemic in a century. Many nursing homes wouldnt let the special voting deputies enter their facilities because of public health restrictions.

That was a reasonable decision that neither Johnson nor Vos objected to when the WEC voted at a public meeting last year to allow the exemption. Johnson and Vos are only complaining now to further appease Trump, whose support they think they need to stay in power.

Johnson faces a difficult reelection next fall if he runs, so hes searching for every possible advantage.

Wisconsin should reject his self-serving call for partisan-tilted election administration. Instead, voters should question Johnsons fitness for office if he seeks a third term.

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Amazon recently announced that it will soon be bringing a distribution center to Pewaukee, marking yet another warehouse opened by the e-commerce platform in the Badger State.

Although Amazon might repeatedly try to entice state and local officials with the number of jobs it promises to create, lawmakers should be wary. It almost appears Amazon may be dangling investments to ensure that state leaders remain far away from antitrust enforcement.

In Wisconsin alone, Amazon has six warehouses, from Kenosha to Oak Creek. Wisconsin has also provided Amazon with over $51 million in subsidies in recent years, rewarding one of our nations most profitable companies with lucrative tax breaks.

While lawmakers may view this exchange as beneficial for Wisconsins economic growth, research shows thats not the case. A report by the Economic Policy Institute found the opposite states have more to lose by offering Amazon tax incentives to bolster job creation.

One may wonder why Amazon continues to expand aggressively across Wisconsin, even though it already has a throng of fulfillment centers and distribution centers all over the state. Perhaps these facilities are nothing more than an effort to win over lawmakers given that antitrust enforcement is right on the horizon  particularly at the state level and particularly with respect to Big Tech companies like Amazon.

Nowadays, states are beginning to take notice of the dominant status obtained by leading technology firms, and are looking for ways to level the playing field for small businesses. In New York, the state senate recently passed a landmark antitrust bill that would prohibit the abuse of dominance by companies, and mandate greater transparency in transactions and mergers. Although it has yet to become law, the strong support for the bill demonstrates how states can begin to act on their own volitions to protect their constituents from the far-reaching power of tech companies.

With respect to Amazon, attorneys general across the country have begun to investigate the company for antitrust violations. Pennsylvania and Massachusetts are now reported to be collaborating with New York and California on probes into the tech giant. And in the District of Columbia, Attorney General Karl Racine has broadened his antitrust lawsuit against Amazon to address its agreements with wholesalers as well as third-party sellers.

While federal lawmakers have continued to look for ways to rein in Big Tech, Build Back Better and other competing priorities have instead remained top of mind for lawmakers. This is why it is all the more crucial for Wisconsin to step in and protect local businesses from dominant tech firms  and why Wisconsin lawmakers should not be won over by bold job promises and new warehouses.

State antitrust efforts are for good reason given the status reached by Amazon and other technology companies, and the sizeable impact these firms have on small businesses. For instance, a Wall Street Journal investigation found that the company mines data from individual sellers to create similar products under its own private label. Amazon has also done little to stop counterfeit products from appearing on its marketplace  which hinders sellers on its platform selling legitimate, safe merchandise. And not a single state attorney general has investigated Amazon directly for rampant price gouging during the COVID-19 pandemic.

With this in mind, there are many ways in which Madison can take necessary action and restore balance to Wisconsins economy. For instance, lawmakers can provide the Wisconsin attorney generals office with additional resources to go after the largest monopolistic offenders. Lawmakers can also follow the lead of New York and begin to enact a similar abuse of dominance standard for Wisconsins antitrust laws  allowing state leaders to more easily challenge Big Techs domineering practices.

Regarding Amazon, one area worthy of scrutiny is its longstanding efforts to skirt paying state sales taxes, which has allowed it to dominate the market. Such actions undercut competitors, keeping prices low on its third-party marketplace  all while Amazon can dangle the jobs it has created in Wisconsin as leverage.

Amazons strategy to avoid scrutiny in Wisconsin is simple  pumping warehouses and hiring thousands of workers to curry favor with those in Madison. But this unspoken exchange between states and Amazon comes at a price to small businesses. Wisconsin lawmakers cannot fall prey to this misrepresented opportunity. Greater antitrust enforcement is desperately needed here in Wisconsin  even if Amazon keeps trying to tell lawmakers otherwise.

Paul Rafelson is the executive director of the Online Merchants Guild, the largest network of small and micro e-commerce businesses nationwide.

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The Futures exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., gives viewers a look at what may happen in the years to come. It is open November 20, 2021 through July 6, 2022.

The exhibit opened as part of the 175th anniversary of the Smithsonian. It is being held at the Arts and Industries Building, which reopened in November after being closed for almost 20 years.

With more than 150 ideas, improvements, technologies and historical pieces, the installation permits viewers to think about how they will live in the future.

Some of those exhibits include how human remains can be put to good ecological use by using them to grow a tree. Another is a taxi, but unlike a normal car, it flies, and it can fly itself.

The Virgin Hyperloop is also exhibited. It is a futuristic transport tube that could become a new form of train-like transportation. Virgin said on its hyperloop website that it could have "a lower environmental impact than other forms of mass transportation. Virgin said it could transport people at speeds of more than 1,000 kph.

The exhibit also provides chances for thought by looking back to past technological improvements, like an 1800s experimental telephone.

The exhibit was designed by the Lab of Rockwell Group, a building and exhibit design firm in New York.

David Tracy is the director of creative technology at Rockwell. He said, "The exhibition opens up many different possible forms that the future can take The exhibits are several, small looks at possible futures.

The company designed the newest technology installations called beacons. They have questions that help  people's imaginations and get them to think about the kind of future they want to see, Tracy told VOA.

Tracy said to answer the questions, people use hand movements, holding their hand over an answer. This provides health and safety measures since people do not have to touch anything.

Not surprisingly, there are more questions than answers.

Jane McGonigal is the director of game research and development at the Institute for the Future in Palo Alto, California. She said it's difficult for people "to imagine how the future may be different and the technologies that might make it different."

McGonigal told VOA she provided the questions for visitors to help them imagine the future more clearly.

One question asks viewers when they think moon tourism will happen. Another looks at what the future might be like if meat does not come from an animal, but is grown in a laboratory.

Viewer Raj Goel from New York got a taste of what that might be like as he looked at an exhibit that was set up like a store with possible food in the future.

Goel said he is concerned about meat being grown in a lab. But he said he liked the idea of mushrooms, a plant-like food, being used as a sort of meatless meat.

Goel said "Futures" makes him feel a bit like he's walked into a science movie.

He said he was hopeful "because many things I saw here made me think the future is bright."

Im Gregory Stachel.

Deborah Block reported this story for Voice of America. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

exhibit  n. an object or a collection of objects that have been put out in a public space for people to look at

installation  n. a work of art that usually has several parts (such as a sculpture, lights, and sound) and that is usually shown in a large space

taxi  n. a car that carries passengers to a place for an amount of money that is based on the distance traveled

impact  n. a powerful or major influence or effect

tourism  n. the activity of traveling to a place for pleasure


The United States Supreme Court's decision last week to leave in place a Texas law banning most abortions gives states a chance to restrict other rights, including gun ownership.

To do that, states could pass laws copying the Texas laws enforcement procedure. It is unclear how many states will actually do so.

The Republican-supported Texas law takes enforcement away from state officials. That way, the law avoids judicial review. Instead, the law permits private citizens to sue anyone who performs or assists a woman in getting an abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy. The law awards $10,000 to citizens for successful lawsuits.

The Texas law was designed to be difficult for courts to block because it removed state officials from enforcement. That makes it hard to know who to sue and get a ruling that would end it statewide. The Supreme Court largely accepted the enforcement structure. But the court is permitting abortion providers to continue with a legal challenge aimed at some medical licensing officials.

The Center for Reproductive Rights is a legal group in favor of abortion rights. It says legislators in five other Republican-led states have introduced abortion bills modeled on the Texas law, but none have yet been passed.

Critics have said that ruling would allow states to pass laws that avoid other recognized rights like gay and religious rights, as well as guns.

The day after the Supreme Court decision, California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, began to work on a bill to limit gun use. It would also permit private citizens to sue anyone who builds, distributes or sells assault weapons or self-built ghost guns. Citizens would also be awarded at least $10,000 in damages.

In Illinois, one Democratic legislator has proposed targeting gun dealers with a measure similar to the one California is considering.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, another Democrat, said on television Tuesday that she would support a similar effort in her state.

Stacey Radnor is a spokesperson for the gun-control group Everytown for Gun Safety. She said in a statement that Californias bill is "an interesting approach that we're going to examine further as we get more details."

The Supreme Court is not preventing laws that infringe constitutionally protected rights. I do think this is a bit of an invitation to other states," said David Noll. He is a professor at Rutgers Law School in New Jersey.

James White is a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives who supports the state's abortion law. He questioned in a letter to the state's attorney general whether private individuals must follow the Supreme Court's 2015 ruling legalizing gay marriage.

But White told Reuters he does not expect a state law similar to the abortion law targeting the rights of same-sex relationships.

Shannon Minter is with the National Center for Lesbian Rights. She said that any such measure would be discriminatory and illegal. But she said that she has not yet heard of any such proposal.

"I have not, and I hope I never do," Minter said.

Im Dan Novak.

Reuters reported this story. Dan Novak adapted it for VOA Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor.

____________________________________________

Words in This Story

sue  v. to use a legal process by which you try to get a court of law to force a person, company, or organization that has treated you unfairly or hurt you in some way to give you something or to do something

infringe  v. to wrongly limit or restrict
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Saving for retirement independently could spare you a world of financial stress once your career comes to an end. That's because Social Security most likely won't pay you enough money to live on, so you'll need income outside of those benefits to keep up with your bills as a senior.

If you have access to a 401(k) plan, you have a prime opportunity to build yourself a nice nest egg. And here are three essential moves to make in your 401(k) at the start of the new year.

1. Ramp up your contribution rate

In 2022, 401(k) savers get a little more leeway with contributions. That's because the contribution limit is rising by $1,000 over 2021's levels.

Next year, you'll have the option to sock away up to $20,500 in your 401(k) if you're under the age of 50. If you're 50 or older, your catch-up contribution will hold steady at $6,500. But with that $1,000 boost, it'll bring your total allowable contribution up to $27,000.

If you've been maxing out your 401(k) in recent years, you may need to change your contribution level to account for this change. And if you don't normally max out your 401(k), which is totally understandable, you may want to at least do your best to increase your savings rate a tiny bit -- even if that means sneaking an extra $30 or $40 into your plan every month.

2. Find out what your employer match entails

Many companies that sponsor 401(k) plans also match worker contributions to different degrees. Your employer's matching program can change from year to year, though, so spend a few minutes digging around and finding out what it looks like for 2022.

It may be that your company used to offer a dollar-for-dollar match on up to $2,500 in contributions. If that offer has now increased to a dollar-for-dollar match on $3,000 in contributions, that could prompt you to sneak extra money into your 401(k) to avoid leaving free cash on the table.

3. Review your investments

Investing your 401(k) too conservatively could cause you to fall short on meeting your retirement goals. Take a look at how your savings are invested. If you're many years away from retirement, you should be putting the bulk of your savings into the stock market to generate more robust returns.

You should also check your investments to make sure they're not resulting in overly high fees that eat away at your returns over time. Generally, you'll do better fee-wise with index funds, which are passively managed, than with actively managed mutual funds. That's because actively managed mutual funds employ people to handpick investments, and your fees help pay their salaries.

It's also common to invest a 401(k) in a target date fund. But these funds can be fee-heavy, as well, so be careful about keeping your money there.

Saving in a 401(k) is a good way to secure your financial future. Make these key moves at the start of the new year to set yourself on a solid path.

The $16,728 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook

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Twin Falls Health Initiatives Trust awards grants

The Twin Falls Health Initiatives Trust Board granted $298,019 to seventeen local nonprofit organizations during an award ceremony Friday at the County West Planning & Zoning Room. This funding is for nonprofit organizations that provide health, wellness or health-related educational solutions to disadvantaged, minority and uninsured or under-insured populations in our communities.

Over the past fourteen years, the trust has provided a total of $3,940,568.00 in grants specifically targeted in Twin Falls County.

All Twin Falls County nonprofits may apply for grant funding focused on one or more of the following priorities (as identified in periodic community health needs assessments). Projects should address mental health, healthy weight, nutrition, exercise, substance abuse, and strengthening family wellness. More information about the Twin Falls Health Initiatives Trust and its grant application process can be found at tfhit.org or by contacting Misti Charters, TFHIT executive assistant, at 208-899-5262, or by email at info@tfhit.org.

Macie Youree wins Idaho Make It with Wool Award

Macie Youree from Twin Falls received a certificate of recognition for outstanding construction in the pre-teen division of the Make It With Wool contest sponsored by the Idaho Wool Growers Association.

Youree, 12, entered a 100% Pendleton wool cape with a plaid Pendleton 100% wool accent collar and facing. This was her first time sewing with wool. Youree learned to sew in 4-H and owns a herd of sheep. In addition to the certificate of recognition, Youree was awarded 100% Pendleton wool, sewing equipment, and a sewing reference book.

East End Providers receives donation

East End Providers in Kimberly received $1,575 from D.L. Evans Bank thanks to a nomination from Kimberly branch personal banker Leslie Bohm. The banks employee directed donation initiative also adds an additional 5% to the total in the employees name.

East End Providers, a non-profit organization in Kimberly, provides food boxes, blankets, coats and other clothes, holiday items, and meals, back-to-school supplies, and more to families in need throughout the year.

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KUNA (AP)  Idaho lawmakers are looking at a $400 million tax relief package for the upcoming legislative session that includes a $200 million income tax cut, a top Republican House member said.

House Assistant Majority Leader Jason Monks said Friday the income tax cut involves lowering the top income tax bracket from 6.5% to 6%.

Monks spoke at a legislative district town hall meeting in Kuna with several other lawmakers.

Monks said Republican Gov. Brad Little is behind the income tax cut plan, as is the House Revenue and Taxation Committee chairman.

Theyre greasing the skids pretty good on this, Monks said.

He said the other $200 million would come from a one-time tax relief package.

Republican lawmakers last year passed nearly $400 million in tax relief that Democrats said mainly benefitted the wealthy.

Idahos budget surplus is estimated at $1.6 billion, much of that attributed to the $5 billion the federal government has sent to Idaho in coronavirus relief money.

The Legislature is scheduled to meet in Boise on Jan. 10, and lawmakers will look at setting state agency budgets.

Republican Gov. Brad Little earlier this month hinted at possible tax cuts stemming from the projected surplus.

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BOISE  The Idaho Department of Health and Welfares indoor environment program is offering six free radon training courses starting in December for homeowners, home builders, real estate agents, inspectors and others involved in the construction of new homes, according to a press release from the department.

The first course is Dec. 28. Additional courses are available through mid-February.

Radon is an invisible radioactive gas that can build up in homes over time. It is the second leading cause of lung cancer in Idaho, after smoking, according to the release. Radon forms from natural deposits of uranium and radium in soils and enters homes and buildings through gaps and cracks in crawl spaces and foundations. Two out of every five homes tested in Idaho have higher-than-recommended radon levels, according to the release.

Because you cant see, taste, or smell radon, people may not realize they have high radon levels in their homes or be aware of the health effects, said Brigitta Gruenberg, environmental health program manager. The only way to know if you have radon in your home is to do a simple test. Testing is especially important during the pandemic because many people are now working from home, increasing the amount of time they may be exposed to radon.

The two-hour, interactive course explains what radon is, how it enters a home and what can be done to help prevent exposure and reduce the risk of lung cancer-related deaths in Idaho, according to the release. The course will cover mitigation strategies that can be done when a house is being built, what products are needed, where to find them and how to install them.

A radon mitigation system is much easier and less expensive to install during construction than after the home is built, Gruenberg said.

Register for the training at www.radonidaho.org.

For information about testing your home or where to find a test kit, call the Idaho Careline at 2-1-1 or visit www.radonidaho.org.

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BOISE  Idaho physicians allege, in complaints to a Washington medical board, that patients came into their hospitals sick with COVID-19 after taking advice or treatment from Dr. Ryan Cole, according to documents obtained by the Idaho Capital Sun through a public records request.

In addition, the American Board of Pathology urged the Washington Medical Commission to consider the actions of Cole, who is licensed to practice in Washington and previously told the Idaho Capital Sun he prescribed medications including ivermectin to at least one patient in Washington, via telehealth.

Cole is certified by the American Board of Pathology as a clinical and anatomic pathologist, a doctor who examines tissue from a biopsy to look for cancer, for example. He has operated a lab, Cole Diagnostics, for nearly 20 years as a pathologist  as opposed to examining patients or working as a primary care provider.

Cole could not be reached for comment.

The Idaho Medical Association also has filed a complaint to the Idaho Board of Medicine asking for disciplinary action, partly on that basis: a pathologists scope of practice does not include direct patient care, or treatment of COVID-19.

The Sun reported in October that Cole was the subject of an investigation by the Washington Medical Commission.

Cole is the sole physician member of the Central District Health board, the largest regional public health board in Idaho.

The pathology boards letter notes his public comments, which insist that vaccines are harmful and masks are ineffective.

He has advised patients to take hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin without scientific data to support their use in the treatment of patients with COVID-19, the pathology board wrote. We also received an allegation that Dr. Cole may have provided prescriptions to patients in the absence of a physician-patient relationship and without sufficient medical record keeping.

The pathology boards letter says it agrees with the stance of the Federation of State Medical Boards, that doctors may be disciplined for spreading false information related to public health.

Patients must be able to trust physicians with their lives and health, the pathology board wrote.

A batch of documents that accompanied a complaint filed to the Washington Medical Commission included signed affidavits from Treasure Valley doctors who work in local emergency departments.

One physician said he was told by many patients that they are taking ivermectin for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 and chose not to be vaccinated on the advice of individuals who are publicly advising them to do so, including Dr. Ryan Cole.

Another doctor who works in two local emergency departments said some of her patients reported taking ivermectin upon the advice or prescription of Dr. Ryan Cole and were quite surprised to learn that ivermectin did not prevent or cure their COVID infection.

A third physician reported similar experiences.

Some of my patients inform me that they are taking ivermectin for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19, that physician wrote. A substantial percentage of them tell me it was prescribed or recommended by Dr. Ryan Cole who they have trusted for medical advice due to his warnings about taking the COVID vaccine or his recorded lectures touting the dangers of the vaccine and the effectiveness of ivermectin.

The doctor said those patients had developed severe COVID-19 and many require hospital admission, with some requiring critical care services, adding that they had relied on Coles statements because he is a physician and because of the expertise he has represented, and his commitment to sharing what he indicates is the real science behind COVID-19.

The patients believed ivermectin would treat their COVID-19 symptoms, the doctor wrote. But ivermectin  a medication used in the U.S. and globally to treat parasitic infections  did not help them, and the patients unwittingly [contributed] to the hospital capacity constraints that we are currently facing by relying on disinformation perpetuated by Dr. Cole, which not only presents a danger to the health and well-being of the patients, but also our community, the doctor wrote.

The records show that an investigator for the Washington Medical Commission followed up with physicians to seek more details and patient records.

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Heres a depressing thought. The three people most likely to appear at the top of the November ballot in 2024 are President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.

If Biden, who turns 80 next year, declines to run for a second term, the net contest could be 2016 all over again, when many voters had to choose between two unlikable nominees, Trump and Hillary Clinton.

On paper, Harris, 57, looks better than in person. A former district attorney, state attorney general and U.S. senator  Harris resume would impress even if she wasnt the first woman of color to hold those positions. She won every election in which she ran, until she ran for president in the 2020 election. What plays in Marin County, California, doesnt necessarily win in Iowa.

(Harris became the first Democrat to drop out of the primary when the RealClearPolitics polling average put her in sixth place with 3% support.)

Shes a very weak general election candidate, California Republican strategist Kevin Spillane told me, and she has been very lucky in the weak opposition she faced as a candidate in California, where winning the Democratic primary usually means winning the race.

Spillane should know. He worked for Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley, who narrowly lost to Harris in the California attorney general race in 2010, when Democrats for all other statewide offices won by double digits.

This seasons big year-end political story is about staff turnover and turmoil in Kamalaland. The Washington Post reported on her dysfunctional staff. Big guns have resigned.

Former Harris aide Gil Duran wrote in the San Francisco Examiner that the veeps staff is bailing for the same reason he did after working for Harris for five months in 2013  tantrums, turmoil, poor management and lack of discipline.

Shes not well liked by the majority of people that had to interact with her on the Homeland Security Committee, an unnamed department official told Dan Morain, author of Kamalas Way: An American Life. The same source said that four Department of Homeland Security officials who were ready to support Biden publicly in 2020 backed off after they found out Harris would be the running mate. For them, quoth the source, it seemed like she was always about politics, and not about the mission.

In short, Harris comes across as phony.

Or as Spillane put it, She doesnt connect with people. And not just because of the phony laugh.

When Harris ran for San Francisco district attorney in 2003, she pledged not to seek the death penalty because of her personal opposition to it. When a gang member shot and killed San Francisco police officer Isaac Espinoza, Harris announced she would stick to her beliefs and not seek a capital sentence for the killer  before the funeral and without consulting Espinozas widow.

But then in 2010, when Harris wanted to be attorney general of a state where voters consistently support capital punishment, she promised to enforce the death penalty. So much for those deeply held beliefs.

Biden handed dicey issues including immigration to his second in a way that was supposed to boost her visibility. For me, that move confirmed a suspicion that Biden picked Harris as insurance against impeachment attempts. (There were voices calling for his removal after the botched Afghanistan withdrawal.)

The RealClearPolitics polling average puts Harris underwater by 12 points, with nearly 53% of respondents having an unfavorable view of her. Biden is underwater by 6 points.

When she ran for president in 2020, Harris didnt even poll among the top three in her own state. Californians knew that Harris didnt have what it takes.

No wonder her staffers are bailing from their plum positions.

As Duran wrote during the 2020 primary, You cant run the country if you cant run the campaign.

Debra J. Saunders is a fellow at the Discovery Institutes Chapman Center for Citizen Leadership. Contact her at dsaunders@discovery.org.

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Who needs farms and ranches when food industrializers have petri dishes, fetal bovine serum, and cell vats?

Todays most explosive front in the epic struggle pitting agri-culture against agri-business is in the realm of meat, including hostility over the very meaning of the word. But this is not hamburgers versus veggie burgers, both of which are from nature. Rather its meat versus faux meat, whether your patty, fillet, etc., is a natural part cut from an animal  or a lab concoction of biological and chemical goo transformed into pseudo-flesh by techno-giants branding themselves the cell-cultured meat industry.

The corporate assertion is that with enough capital and bio-wizardry they can make meat on a scale that will replace animals, feed the world and save the environment. A God-like miracle! Theyve enticed celebrity billionaires like Richard Branson, Bill Gates and Peter Thiel to invest in the creation of lab-assembled steak. Also, the establishment media has swallowed the fake meat PR: One of the defining agricultural products of the future, gushed New York Times columnist Ezra Klein. This is not science fiction, Klein proclaims, but a cultivated protein thats dinner-plate ready, calling on government to supercharge this industry by putting money and muscle into a moonshot for meatless meat.

Uh ... hold your horses. As investigative digger Tom Philpott points out in an August Mother Jones article, mimicking the complex biological processes that generate what eaters know as meat is mind-bogglingly difficult. Yes, and ag-biz bioengineers are not in shouting distance of Mother Nature. Indeed, an unadvertised secret of meatless meat makers is that their elaborate process begins with meat!

The corporations extract stem cells from slaughtered cows, pigs, etc., to produce tiny shreds of tissue in high-tech laboratories. Of course, for these bits to grow they must be fed, and the key ingredient for their sustenance is fetal bovine serum  the blood and mysterious compounds taken from the unborn fetuses of slaughtered cows.

Structural barriers to making and marketing this stuff are gargantuan. No. 1: Playing God is inordinately expensive (the price for one 5-ounce artificial hamburger patty introduced with great fanfare in 2013 turned out to be $330,000). No. 2: Entire new technologies, supply chains and safety systems would have to be invented and implemented. No. 3: Billionaires want profit  even Bill Gates expressed doubt: I dont know that (man-made meat) will ever be profitable. No. 4: Consumers need affordable prices (last year, a prominent engineering assessment of corporate-constructed meat determined that costs would likely preclude the affordability of their product as food).

This stuff is just the latest in a long line of whiz-bang money hustles by ag-tech speculators. To reject their magic meat scheme, however, is certainly not to embrace the status quo of todays tightly monopolized, industrialized meat system thats ripping off farmers, ranchers, workers, consumers and communities while essentially torturing the animals, spreading disease and contaminating our environment. Its a thoroughly rotten and corrupt system.

But far from competing with or displacing it, creation of a hyper-capitalized industry of faux-meat fabricators would simply be captured by it, for multinational meatpackers have the financial backing, marketing networks and political clout to own both the meat and meatless segments. Gotcha! Already, such top multibillion-dollar monopolists as Tyson and Cargill have bought into startup tech firms that are trying to make flesh in a vat.

The most damning thing about todays high-tech meatless fad is that it is so unimaginative. Pour more capital and technology into the furnace of the existing industrial structure  what could go wrong? Remember just a couple decades ago when the pesticide spewers, then the genetic manipulators, were going to fix agriculture? These are the same hucksters coming at us today, but with a new gimmick.

The first question to ask these flimflammers is: Who needs it? You want a meatless burger or chickenless chicken cacciatore? Look to the exciting community of small entrepreneurs and pioneering chefs around the world who are cooking up beans, beets and other veggies into truly delicious and healthy animal alternatives; lets supercharge them to develop and democratize the meatless future. Meanwhile, lets dismantle Big Meats monopolies and subsidies and instead put our public support behind the thousands of family farmers and ranchers who treat animals and our natural resources with respect and care.

Populist author, public speaker and radio commentator Jim Hightower writes The Hightower Lowdown, a monthly newsletter chronicling the ongoing fights by Americas ordinary people against rule by plutocratic elites. Sign up at HightowerLowdown.org.

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Credit: CC0 Public Domain

EU members will get an additional 20 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in the first three months of 2022 to fight the fast-spreading Omicron variant, the European Commission said on Sunday.

The announcement comes as Europe braces for a new COVID-19 wave, driven by the highly mutated and transmissible Omicron variant and fanned by socialising over the Christmas holidays.

Many countries are ramping up their vaccination drives and reimposing travel restrictions and other curbs to try to put a break on infections weeks after the variant was first detected in South Africa.

Member states will get an additional five million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech jab in January, five million in February and 10 million in March, the Commission said in a statement.

"These doses come on top of the already scheduled 195 million doses from Pfizer-BioNTech, bringing the total number of deliveries in the first quarter to 215 million."

Full vaccination and boosters are "now even more urgent than ever" given the "expected rapid increase in infections due to the Omicron variant".

The EU is due to receive 650 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech jabs in total in 2022.

Omicron is expected to become the dominant strain by mid January in the EU, where 67 percent of the population is fully vaccinated.

 2021 AFP
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Fresh measures are urgently needed in Germany to fight the surge in the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, a government advisory group said Sunday.

The experts warned in a report of a growing risk that "critical infrastructure" such as hospitals, security, the health services and basic utilities could be disrupted if further steps are not taken.

"If the spread of the Omicron variant in Germany continues as it has, a significant part of the population will fall sick and/or will go into quarantine simultaneously," the report by the 19-member panel said.

The report did not raise the spectre of a new confinement but urged "strong reductions in contacts" within the populace in "the coming days".

Omicron has given a "new dimension" to the pandemic because it is "infecting many more people in a very short time and affects more of the recovered and the vaccinated", the experts said.

The variant could lead to an "explosive spread", with cases doubling within two to four days, the experts projected.

Earlier Sunday, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach ruled out a lockdown "before Christmas" such as that ordered in the Netherlands, and said it was unlikely after the holidays.

On Friday, Lauterbach said he was bracing for a "massive wave" of the Omicron variant.

The experts' report called for "complete and immediate preparation" to protect Germany's critical infrastructure.

It said "control mechanisms need to be available in the short term", while testing capacity and adequate supply chains must be ensured.

A number of restrictions are in place in Germany, notably affecting the unvaccinated who are barred from most public places.

A surge in infections of the Delta variant that started in early autumn has abated but between 30,000 and 50,000 new cases are recorded every 24 hours.

Around 70 percent of the German population are now fully vaccinated.

Germany restricts travel from UK

Meanwhile Germany's health authority announced late Saturday that Britain had been added to its list of COVID high-risk countries, which will mean tighter travel restrictions.

The decision is a response to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, which forced London's mayor Sadiq Khan to declare a "major incident" on Saturday in the British capital.

As a result of the change, enforceable from Sunday, arrivals from Britain must now observe a two-week quarantine regardless of whether they are vaccinated, said the country's health agency, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).

The United Kingdom is now considered a "variant zone" of COVID-19, a category reserved for nations where the risk is the highest.

More than 65,000 new COVID cases were confirmed in London over the past seven days, with 26,418 cases reported in the last 24 hoursthe highest number since the start of the pandemic.

Several other European countries, including France, have already taken steps to limit the entry of travellers from the United Kingdom.

German authorities have placed France and Denmark among the "high risk" contamination zones, a level below the UK.

 2021 AFP
Telephone conversation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus V.Makei with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan

On December 17, 2021 the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Vladimir Makei, held a telephone conversation with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, Jeyhun Bayramov.

The Ministers discussed current issues on bilateral agenda, plans for future meetings and joint events, including those in the field of trade and economic interaction between Belarus and Azerbaijan.

V.Makei expressed gratitude to his colleague for the allied and decent stance taken by the Azerbaijani side at the Eastern Partnership Summit in Brussels. Azerbaijan has demonstrated a responsible approach of a sovereign state, consistent with the spirit of strategic Belarus-Azerbaijan relations.

The parties also agreed to continue interaction and further mutual support at international platforms.

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SEATTLE (AP)  Washington state Sen. Doug Ericksen, a staunch conservative, has died at age 52.

Ericksen's death Friday came weeks after he said he had tested positive for the coronavirus while in El Salvador, though his cause of death wasn't immediately released. The state Senate Republican Caucus confirmed his passing Saturday but did not say where he died.

Ericksen, a Ferndale Republican, reached out to Republican colleagues last month saying he had taken a trip to El Salvador and tested positive for COVID-19 shortly after he arrived. Reasons for his visit were unclear.

In a message to state House and Senate members, Ericksen asked for advice on how to receive monoclonal antibodies, which were not available in the Latin American nation.

He soon arranged a medevac flight from El Salvador, former state Rep. Luanne Van Werven said. Van Werven said the next week that the senator was recovering at a Florida hospital. No information about his location or condition had since been released.

Ericksen represented the 42nd District in Whatcom County and had been in the Legislature since 1998, the Seattle Times reported. He served six terms in the state House before being elected to the Senate in 2010.

Ericksen was a former leader of Donald Trumps campaign in Washington. He also was an outspoken critic of Democratic Gov. Jay Inslees COVID-19 emergency orders, and had introduced legislation aimed at protecting the rights of people who do not wish to get vaccinated.

It was unclear if Ericksen had been inoculated against the coronavirus. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says people should be fully vaccinated before visiting El Salvador, where current levels of COVID-19 are high.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
A man has been arrested in Phillips County after apparently leaving the car he was driving on a railroad track in Malta where it was hit by a train.

At about 1:30 p.m. Friday, a westbound BNSF Railway train traveling through Malta hit the car dragging it 600 yards down the tracks, Phillips County Sheriff Jerry Lytle said in a statement.

There was no one in the vehicle at the time of the crash, the sheriff said.

The man believed to have been driving the car was arrested and jailed on suspicion of creating a hazard, criminal endangerment, criminal trespass, disorderly contact and driving under the influence of alcohol.

Earlier this month, a Hi-Line couple was killed when the car they were in was hit by a train on Route 246 about eight miles west of Glasgow.

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Recently, an immigrant family I know had to put their dreams of opening an authentic Mexican restaurant on hold. They needed a chef and line cooks, but there werent enough workers. Another local hotel owner told me, tearfully, that she was on the verge of shutting down two of her three locations, just to keep a single hotel properly staffed. She couldn't get the manpower she needed either.

And Ive heard from many international spouses  expertly trained doctors and engineers in their home countries  who have no legal way to work in America.

Ive practiced immigration law for more than 25 years. Its fair to say not too much surprises me. That doesnt make our backwards immigration policies any less frustrating. So many of our labor problems are due to the fact that immigrants on short-term visas cant access green cards. It defies common sense, since we desperately need workers at all skill levels, especially in rural states like Montana. Congress must pass a budget that gives our immigration system a true 21st-century update.

Green cards are increasingly difficult to obtain. If youre an immigrant in the United States who is already a citizen, and you petition to bring a family member over, the backlog is roughly 6-15 years. (If youre from the Philippines, its 20.) Some of my fellow immigration attorneys now estimate that processing new applications could take up to 100 years. By the time U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reviews your application, you and your family member both might be dead!

The backlog of work permit applications at USCIS is around 1.4 million. If youre legally here on a temporary high-skilled worker visa and applied for permanent residency, the path can be up to 10 years. 1990 was the last year that the U.S. Department of Labor updated "Schedule A," a list of occupations with substantial national shortages. Schedule A allows for a streamlined process for green cards, but only applies to registered nurses and physical therapists. Schedule A was meant to be updated regularly, based on labor market indicators. That hasnt happened for more than 30 years.

The new budget bill would start addressing problems. It would recapture approximately 400,000 unused visas for family- and employment-based green card applications, giving immigrants and their employers badly needed security. Montana businesses would benefit substantially. According to research from nonprofit New American Economy (NAE), 11.6 STEM jobs were advertised online in Montana for every unemployed STEM worker in 2014. Although foreign-born residents are only 2.3% of our states population, they are over-represented in many fields, from health care to engineering. We churn out many excellent foreign-born masters and doctoral graduates from the Montana University System and Montana Tech. But few pathways exist for our companies to hire them long-term.

Finally, we cant fix our labor issues without providing security to undocumented immigrants. They are already filling vital shortages in sectors from hospitality to health care. And contrary to popular belief, the vast majority pay their taxes, including sales and property taxes. In Montana, they contribute $222.6 million in taxes to our state, according to NAE. They're putting money into the economy and government.

With a shortage of qualified, available U.S.-born employees, we need to let immigrants contribute more. We still have a long way to go, but the budget is a real chance to empower our economy, here in Montana and nationwide. Recapturing employment and family green cards would add hundreds of billions of dollars to the GDP. Our representatives in Congress must work together. If they do, we can emerge from the pandemic stronger than we were before.

Randall Caudle is an attorney and the founder of River Mountain Immigration, which provides individual, family and business immigration legal services in Montana and the greater Pacific Northwest.

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As I write this, the quarters of a white-tailed buck deer I harvested over the Thanksgiving weekend hang in my garage. Its not that I couldnt find time in the last 10 days to get the cutting, grinding and packaging done. I wont butcher it until I get back the testing results for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).

CWD is an always-fatal neurological condition thats spreading rapidly in our countrys deer herds. It also affects elk and moose. Much of its workings are still a mystery to researchers. CWD is not caused by bacteria or a virus. Rather, it occurs in relation to mutated proteins (prions) that deform tissues, particularly in the brain. Its closely related to Mad Cow Disease in cattle, scrapie in sheep and Creutzfeldt-Jakobs disease in humans. Its not known to infect humans, but health officials strongly recommend we dont eat animals that test positive.

Montana hunters are aware that CWD is a serious threat to our big game herds, particularly mule and white-tailed deer. Deer are the mostly widely hunted and harvested species in the state. Sales of deer tags for resident and nonresident hunters provide a substantial amount of the funding for the Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Deer hunters drop hundreds of thousands of dollars into rural communities and stores in places like Billings, Great Falls and Helena. Venison feeds many Montana families (like mine) through the winter.

As weve seen in other states, deer numbers are dropping as CWD becomes more prevalent. Its no exaggeration to state that chronic wasting disease could cause the extinction of some local deer herds (especially mule deer) within a few decades. Investment in research and monitoring is key to combatting its effects. In a 2018 article in a national hunting magazine I wrote, this is an area where government investment in the form of tax dollars or higher license fees earmarked for CWD research is critical for detection, research and management.

Thats why hunters are baffled that Montana Rep. Matt Rosendale didnt even show up to vote on a key bill that provides critical funding to control CWD. The Chronic Wasting Disease Research and Management Act was sponsored by a Republican and a Democrat. It recently passed on an overwhelming 393-33 vote. Yet, Rosendale, who represents a state in which big game hunting is a foundational element of the economy and culture, couldnt bother to vote.

The bill provides $70 million in federal funding for states to manage and research CWD. This could mean quicker turn-around times for hunters on test results, and perhaps the development of rapid testing protocols where animals could be tested in the field, not a laboratory.

Rosendale often claims to be for Montana hunters and rural voters. How does that square with an I cant bother to vote attitude toward something that literally threatens the survival of some of our most cherished big game species?

Jack Ballard of Red Lodge is running on the Democratic ticket for Montanas Second (eastern) Congressional District. He is a professional outdoors writer who has written hundreds of articles and several books on hunting, wildlife conservation and big game biology.

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A recent report to the Legislature showed that Montanas affordable housing crisis is fundamentally driven by a shortage of available homes. From 2010-2020 Montanas population grew 10% while housing only increased 7%  contributing to sky-high home prices.

So why isnt the market keeping up with demand for affordable housing? One answer is simply that affordable homes are illegal to build in large portions of Montanas fastest-growing communities.

Homebuilders will tell you its most economical to build two- to four-family housing like duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes. But many local governments impose strict zoning regulations, minimum lot sizes and parking mandates which prohibit the creation of affordable multi-family housing.

I frequently argue on these pages that its time for governments to legalize affordable housing and embrace regulatory reform as a key strategy. I often receive passionate arguments in opposition to this view. These arguments tend to rely on faulty reasoning, which Ill address directly now:

Myth #1: Governments shouldnt allow multi-family housing because it is not desirable

Montanans traditionally value having a bit of elbow room, so it makes sense that single-family homes on large lots are highly desirable. But claims that multi-family housing is of no value to anyone is a fatal conceit.

In the old days, the rule was you lived within your means and bought a home that fits your budget. Fifty years ago, my grandpa moved his young family into a tiny two-bedroom home in Missoula he bought for $15,000. Not an ideal quality housing situation, but thats what they could afford at the time. By sacrificing to purchase a home within his means, my grandpa saved money and later moved his family to a 10-acre lot in the Bitterroot Valley.

Housing regulations make it nearly impossible for young folks to follow this prudent path today. In the modern marketplace, its absurd to expect a young family with little savings to purchase a three-bedroom house on a large lot in the middle of the city. Yet, these are the only types of homes allowed in many high-demand areas.

Instead, we should reduce regulations and let developers build homes young families can afford, allowing families to save money and move on to bigger and better quality homes when it makes sense for their budget.

Myth #2: Without strict regulations, Montanans will be forced into dense housing and mass transit

This argument makes two critical errors. First, it conflates the reduction of government restrictions on multi-family housing as a mandate that everyone live in apartments. Eliminating regulations simply gives people the freedom to choose, it doesnt force people into multi-family homes.

Second, this argument assumes that in the absence of government mandates no one would choose to live in a traditional single-family home with room for their car in the driveway. This speculation has no basis in current market dynamics. For those who can afford it, there is plenty of demand for single-family rural and suburban neighborhoods that offer a great quality of life.

Myth #3: Reducing regulations is not a viable strategy for addressing our housing crisis

The research consensus is clear that strict regulations discourage affordable housing by adding thousands to costs and stifling development. As opposed to other strategies, legalizing affordable housing requires zero taxpayer dollars to implement and has little downside economic risk. In fact, it would be an economic boon. Eliminating strict regulations on housing should be the starting point for governments when tackling our housing crisis.

Kendall Cotton is the president and CEO of the Frontier Institute, a Helena think tank dedicated to breaking down government barriers so that all Montanans can thrive.

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On Dec. 10, the investigating committee chair, Sen. Cris Dush, R-Jefferson, sent a letter requesting the digital data from the election computers and hardware used in the 2020 election by Fulton County.

Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems warned Fulton County that granting the Senate Republicans' contractor access to its equipment to get the digital data violates their contract.

But Dominion  whose voting equipment has been at the center of some of the most feverish conspiracy theories about last year's presidential election  said Fulton County has a backup copy of the data that it could simply provide without granting access to Dominion's equipment.

However, a lawyer representing Fulton County, Tom King, said in an interview Saturday that digital election data is not only what Dush wants.

Rather, Dush wants the Senate Republicans contractor, Envoy Sage, to conduct a forensic investigation to determine if Dominions equipment used there was the same equipment as was certified by the state of Pennsylvania for use in last years election, King said.
MUSCATINE  On Sunday afternoon, after spending what he characterized as the coldest night he has ever spent in the kettle, Salvation Army Lt. Greg Bock let Lil Miss Peal City, Harper Wittmer, take a turn manning the giant kettle parked in front of HyVee.

Bock commented that when he woke up Sunday morning, the temperature was 19 degrees. In the four years he has camped out inside the open kettle, he cant remember any colder temperature. Reminding himself of people in the community who are homeless and have no other choice but to deal with the cold, he pulled his warm arctic sleeping bag tighter and stuck it out. He was happy the following day to allow Harper her turn of ringing the bell at HyVee shoppers to remind them of the Salvation Armys fundraiser.

Im challenging my Miss Iowa friends and Miss Iowa Youth friends to come to donate to the Salvation Army, Harper said.
WHO IS GHISLAINE MAXWELL'S HUSBAND?

Also unclear! She was living with him when she was arrested in New Hampshire, but court documents have not made his name public. He did support her bail attempts, but has not been spotted at the trial.

DOES GHISLAINE MAXWELL HAVE ANY NOTABLE SUPPORTERS?

Her family  the scions of the late publishing magnate, Robert Maxwell  is sticking by her. Two of her siblings, Kevin and Isabel, have attended each day of proceedings. The Maxwells strongly assert the U.S. justice system is making a patsy of their youngest sister. Ghislaine is notably the baby of the family and said to have been the favorite of her father, who died falling off a yacht named for her.

WHO IS THE JUDGE FOR GHISLAINE MAXWELL'S TRIAL?

U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan, who was recently nominated by President Joe Biden to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. That promotion is not expected to interfere with proceedings in the Maxwell case, but the trial was in recess for the first three days of its third week so she could answer questions from the U.S. Senate panel charged with considering her elevation.
ROSELLE, Ill. (AP)  Not many people returning home from the hospital are accompanied by more than 80 police officers, emergency vehicles and even a garbage truck.

But that is how Bensenville police Officer Steven Kotlewski arrived at his in-laws home in Roselle in a wheelchair Saturday after 42 days in a rehabilitation center, ABC-7 in Chicago reports. Kotlewski was shot nine times while responding to a domestic dispute six weeks ago.

I kind of got shot the best nine possible ways a person can get shot," Kotlewski said. Most of my injuries are just orthopedic. Just bones, man. With the exception of a few nerves, I mean, they say Ill be running again, so its not much to be sad about, right?

The incident occurred about 1 a.m. Nov. 6 when Kotlewski was dispatched to an apartment where a woman wanted help in getting her 21-year-old son, Kiante Tyler, to leave, police said. Kotlewski was talking to the woman when Tyler allegedly fired as many as 10 rounds, wounding the officer in both legs, the upper arm and back and damaging his spine, liver and a kidney.
Consumers must start pressuring South Africas mobile network operators, or the spectrum auction scheduled for March 2022 could be derailed.

Radio frequency spectrum is the raw network capacity operators use for cellphones to communicate with their towers. It is the lifeblood of a cellular network.

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) issued spectrum auction guidelines on Friday, 10 December. The regulator issued the final Invitation To Apply (ITA), and the auction is scheduled to take place in March.

According to Icasa chairperson Keabetswe Modimoeng, the combined auction reserve prices would contribute at least R8 billion to the national fiscus.

However, Dominic Cull of Ellipsis Regulatory Solutions told City Press there are concerns the big players dont really want the auction to take place because theyve already received provisional spectrum.

Games are being played here. Consumers need to make themselves heard if these games continue, because were paying ridiculous prices.

Operators deadline to apply for these new spectrum licences and access the auction is 16:00 on 31 January 2022.

Cull explained the need for pressure from the public.

Cellphone and Internet users must realise that the auction is essential for data prices to come down and enable better connections overall, City Press quoted Cull as saying.

Telkom regulatory affairs head Siyabonga Mahlangu expressed early concerns with Icasas latest attempt to hold a spectrum auction.

Mahlangu said they were concerned that the big operatorsVodacom and MTNwould get large proportions of spectrum, leaving little for South Africas controversial Wireless Open Access Network (Woan).

According to Cull, Mahlangus concerns could be an early indication that the spectrum auction in March might be hindered.

Telkom, MTN, and E-tv took Icasa to court earlier this year over the spectrum auction, and the process was halted.

Telkom raised concerns that some of the spectrum was still occupied by TV broadcasters because of South Africas slow digital migration process.

At the same time, MTN took issue with how Icasa was conducting the auction.

MyBroadband understands that Telkom and MTN were ready to settle with Icasa and allow the spectrum auction to continue under certain conditions, but E-tv refused the settlement agreement.

As a result, Icasa consented to a Pretoria High Court order which set aside the previous Invitation To Apply (ITA), forcing the regulator back to the drawing board.

Icasa said at the time that it chose to consent to the order to avoid protracted litigation.

South Africas cellular network operators got new temporary spectrum in November 2021.

Icasa said it made the assignments under the new ICT Covid-19 National State of Disaster Regulations.

Now read: MTN SA CEO Godfrey Motsa steps down
Approximately 200 of Transnets new locomotives are lying dormant due to an inability to get spares combined with overhead cable theft, according to a Sunday Times report.

This is costing South Africa billions in lost export and Transnet may have to resort to de-electrifying its fleets as a lack of spares threatens to make the entire electric locomotive fleet redundant.

The rail company is unable to get spares due to a deal corrupted by state capture, which saw Transnet receive around 500 of the expected 1,046 locomotives, while the Guptas and their local allies reportedly got millions in kickbacks.

There were no spares contracts included in that  apart from initial delivery spares, there has been no support [from the manufacturers], Transnet Engineering chief executive Ralph Mills told the Sunday Times.

We have been limping along trying to keep these locomotives going.

Transnet is continuing to work with General Electric and BT Alstom. The first of which has delivered 233 diesel locomotives, while the seconds contract to supply 240 electric locomotives is ongoing.

Theres no problem getting spares out of them, Mills said.

The problem comes with the Chinese manufacturers because the contract is suspended and theres no service or goods exchange between the two parties.

Mills explained that Transnets fleet of 22E electric locomotives is also slowly diminishing as Transnet cannot get spares for them.

Furthermore, there is also a shortage of spares for the fleet of 195 20E and 21E locomotives supplied before the tainted deal.

Transnet is working to prolong its legacy fleets lifespan.

Weve had to continue operating some of our legacy fleet for a bit longer than anticipated, and of course those come with their own problems, the Sunday Times quoted Transnet Freight Rail CEO Sizakele Mzimela as saying.

Theres even greater maintenance that needs to be done and a greater failure rate because we had anticipated that we would already have pulled them out of service.

The struggling electric locomotive fleet adds to Transnets woes, as the company is being hard hit by a rise in cable theft.

As a result, Transnet may have to consider de-electrifying its entire fleet.

The South African government was warned about the potential collapse of the countrys railway system two decades ago but did not implement measures to prevent it, former Transnet executive Tau Morwe recently said.

Some 20 years back, Transnet  via Spoornet back then  went to Parliament and asked that the Railway Police be brought back, that has never happened, Morwe said.

Morwe was speaking on the back of a report from experienced rail journalist David Williams, which revealed the shocking state of South Africas railway system.

According to Williams, approximately 66% of the countrys above-ground electrical cables on the 3,000km network of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) has been stolen or damaged.

Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) said in November that it had lost more than 1,000km of copper cable to theft in 2021, which worked out to an average of 3.18km per day at the time.

TFR said it suffered an average of 600 incidents of theft and vandalism every month.

The incidents range from the theft of copper cable, vandalism of substations which are crucial to the running of our electrified fleet, theft of wiring and cable from locomotives, theft of wooden rail sleepers and other malicious damage to Transnet property, it said.

Williams said that at such high levels of damage, much of the remaining system had been rendered useless.

Engineers told him that restoring this infrastructure into working condition would cost about half a million rand per kilometre.

Now read: What to expect when travelling overseas this December
With Californias drought still looming, the Napa City Council will consider passing the citys 2020 Urban Water Management Plan on Tuesday, a state-required, 255-page document that evaluates the citys water supply and demand through 2045.

California requires water suppliers that provide water to more than 3,000 customers  such as the city of Napa  to create the plan and update it every five years, which effectively means that future predictions are constantly being projected and updated based on changing conditions, said Joy Eldredge, the citys deputy utilities director.

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The document looks at a range of water-related projections related to water demand, conservation, supply, drought contingencies and use of recycled water.

As far as service goes, the city of Napa served 25,264 water connections in 2020, according to the agenda documents, and delivered 14,092 acre-feet of potable water to customers.

Local demand for water is projected to rise to 15,555 acre-feet by 2045, according to the documents. Eldredge said projections for future use have dropped off considerably over the years, because of the citys water conservation programs coming into action and a lower population growth than anticipated.

We see we would be using a lot more water today if we didnt have our toilet retrofit program pretty much fully implemented, plus our cash for grass program, Eldredge said. We dont have a whole lot of growth within Napa, but with that half a percent per year, even with that growth, weve reduced what our overall demands are. Were using about the same amount of water in a whole year that we did in the early to mid-90s. And thats just efficiency, being wise with what we have and how we use it.

Eldredge added that back in 2010 the city predicted that peak daily demand of water  essentially the total number of gallons used on the hottest day in the summer  would be over 32 million gallons per day by now.

But the peak daily demand now is about 18 million to 20 million gallons a day, she said. One result of the much lower water use is that the citys been able to focus water-related funding on restoring old infrastructure instead of building the new infrastructure that would be needed if residents were using more water.

We would have to have more storage tanks on our hillsides; we would have to have more capacity at our treatment plants, Eldredge said. So one way to look at that is weve saved dollars on building our infrastructure, and were able to put those dollars towards important things like replacing old pipes.

Also at Tuesday's meeting, the council will hear a presentation about local financial impacts of COVID-19 from Robert Eyler, an economics professor at Sonoma State University.

The council will also hear updates on the Napa Countywide Road Maintenance Act (Measure T) 5-year work plan and the citys pavement repair and sidewalk repair programs.

And the council will hear a detailed presentation on Senate Bill 1383, which requires all California jurisdictions to collect organic waste from residents and businesses starting on Jan. 1, 2022.

You can reach Edward Booth at (707) 256-2213.

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The California Department of Food & Agriculture (CDFA) recently hosted its annual Pierces Disease Research Symposium, highlighting the work of countless scientists and industry professionals tackling the threat of Pierces Disease (PD) and the glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS).

A vector insect for PD, which causes grape leaves and fruit to dry and shrivel up when infected, and GWSS are a major threat to Californias ag industry, but have been largely avoided here in Napa County since the early 2000s thanks to these efforts.

A lot has happened since we first learned of the Pierces Disease and Glassy Winged Sharpshooter nexus back in 1999, said Craig Hanes, statewide coordinator for the Pierce's Disease Control Program through the California Department of Food & Agriculture (CDFA).

But the threat continues as seen by recent infestations in Solano County in the Vacaville area.

Over the last 20 years, members of the PD/GWSS Board have been working alongside CDFA Secretary Karen Ross to allocate funds for relevant research projects at UC Davis and beyond, all focused on mitigating the risk of PD in Californias grape growing regions. Funds are collected from PD winegrape assessments, and since 2010, the board has also been able to financially support projects researching other wine grape pests and diseases, too.

Despite these efforts, though, the risk of PD prevails, keeping researchers like those presenting at this month's symposium on their toes. However, Hanes stays positive and hopes are high among the community.

Solano County Agricultural Commissioner Ed King has done a great job working with our program to lineate and start to eradicate this isolated infestation, he said of the sightings in Solano County. And, over the past 20 years, 18 isolated infestations like this have been eradicated.

Ross also spoke at the symposium, congratulating her CDFA staff and other industry stakeholders for working together to continue research despite a tumultuous past two years.

We have done a lot of pivots in the last 20 months, as all businesses have, and I think the PD program has done it really, really well, she said. I am excited, even though it is not in person, to have this seminar to hear a good update on the types of research projects that are being funded, and to take a moment to reflect on the many successes of the program and of the research projects.

The symposium highlighted 15 different PD/GWSS-specific research projects, and offered sessions diving into found advancements in resistance and control strategies. Andy Walker of UC Davis Viticulture and Enology program presented alongside Summaira Riaz on PD-resistant grape varietals, growers Josh Polich and John Kovacevich of Anthony Vineyards discussed their experience with PD, and the like.

It is also an opportunity to salute leadership in the grower and vintner community who saw a threat and worked through a lot of stuff to create this assessment program that has been invested for the good of the whole industry, said Ross. This is a reflection of what can happen when we work together on a statewide basis.

Matt Kaiser, an environmental program manager for the PD Control Program and CDFA, also provided an update on the spotted lanternfly in California, which also could potentially cause a threat to wine country if infestations occur locally. Kaiser said that about two years ago the spotted lanternfly was designated as a pest of concern by the board, meaning they could funnel funds for research and outreach on this specific pest.

One of the key issues is that feeding is near or at harvest, so any attempts to control [the population] during feeding runs into some logistical problems with harvest, Kaiser said of the spotted lanternfly. It is a relatively easy to kill pest, there are plenty of products to hit it with that will knock it down, but the issue is its mobility.

Other pests and diseases including Red Blotch Disease, mealybugs, leafroll viruses and more were also discussed over the course of the two-day symposium. All research projects discussed are summarized on the CDFA website, cdfa.ca.gov.

You can reach Sam Jones at 707-256-2221 and sjones@napanews.com.

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A fire broke out inside a mobile home in a Napa senior community Sunday morning, injuring two people inside, according to Napa Fire.

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At about 9 a.m., firefighters were called to the blaze inside the Napa Valley Manor at 770 Lincoln Ave. just west of Soscol Avenue, according to Battalion Chief Christopher Gilbert. Seven engines were sent to the site, a collection of mobile homes, and fire crews ran a hose from Lincoln to the far end of a driveway where flames were shooting out of a manufactured home.

I heard the fire engine sirens, said Laura Mize, a resident. They were hightailing it, and they hit the speed bumps so hard I felt it in my house. It was scary I was hoping the people inside were OK, but man, it was fast.

The first Napa Fire unit to arrive saw heavy smoke billowing out of the mobile home, Gilbert said. Two males in the home suffered smoke inhalation and were taken by American Medical Response ambulance to Providence Queen of the Valley Medical Center.

Fire crews remained at the scene shortly after 10 a.m. hosing down remnants of the blaze, which burned through parts of the mobile homes siding.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation late Sunday afternoon.

You can reach Howard Yune at 530-763-2266 or hyune@napanews.com

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The more things change, the more things stay the same.

A little more than a year after the first COVID-19 vaccines arrived in California, the state is bracing for yet another surge  and piling back on protections.

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On Wednesday, the day California's new indoor mask mandate went into effect, the state Department of Public Health quietly updated its online guidance to emphasize that the rules  which are set to last through Jan. 15  apply to both public and private workplaces. Previously, the state had allowed most fully vaccinated workers to forgo masks.

Then the standards board of Cal/OSHA, the state's workplace safety agency, voted Thursday to, among other things, eliminate some distinctions between vaccinated and unvaccinated workers. Under the new temporary COVID workplace rules  which are slated to last from Jan. 14 to April 14  workers exposed to someone who's tested positive for the virus must quarantine for two weeks (though asymptomatic vaccinated employees will have the option to wear masks and social distance), and companies must make free COVID tests available to them at work.

But labor advocates say the changes will help protect workers: "Unfortunately, vaccination is not immunity, and vaccination doesn't mean you can't spread the disease," Stephen Knight, executive director of Worksafe, told Grace.

Indeed, California health officials are bracing for what Dr. Sara Cody, Santa Clara County's public health officer, called a "deluge of omicron." COVID hospitalizations have spiked 15% statewide in the last three weeks, from 3,439 patients on Nov. 23 to 3,971 on Wednesday, according to state data. And, as more COVID cases are confirmed across the state and uncertainty continues to swirl around the omicron variant, cancellations are pouring in.

The coronavirus bottom line:

As of Wednesday, California had 4,901,895 confirmed cases (+0.1% from previous day) and 74,879 deaths (+0.1% from previous day), according to state data. CalMatters is also tracking coronavirus hospitalizations by county.

California has administered 61,992,176 vaccine doses, and 69.9% of eligible Californians are fully vaccinated.

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Facing pressure from retailers, law enforcement, and lawmakers, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday announced plans for more than $300 million in spending to combat retail theft, gun violence and drugs in California.

The governor, joined by Attorney General Rob Bonta, said the plan is in response to a recent spate of "unacceptable" organized smash-and-grab robberies seen in Los Angeles and the Bay Area.

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"These organized retail mobs are not only increasing and heightening the anxiety that people are feeling, but more importantly, are expressing themselves in a way that has a profound impact on our feelings of safety," Newsom said during a press conference in Dublin.

This isn't the first action Newsom has taken on retail crime this year. In July he signed Assembly Bill 331, extending an organized crime crackdown started under former Gov. Jerry Brown.

But it could be months until Newsom's newest plans are put into action.

The proposed $335 million in crime prevention spending introduced Friday is a preview of the budget the Democratic governor will formally present in January. He will need the Legislature to allocate the funds for next year's spending plan, which will take effect July 1.

Newsom targets guns, drugs and theft

Under the proposal announced Friday, the state would provide millions in grants to law enforcement and district attorneys to go after criminals. The plan also proposes creating a full-time team at the Department of Justice devoted to prosecuting retail theft, and $20 million in grants for small businesses that are the victims of crime.

It would also provide $20 million to combat illegal drugs at the Mexican border, and $25 million to support local gun buyback programs.

At the press conference, Newsom and Bonta spoke forcefully about the need to "double down" and "crack down" on crime, a shift in tone from recent years, when Democrats have emphasized lowering incarceration rates and reducing sentencing for non-violent offenders.

"I have not met anyone who wants to be a victim of crime," Bonta said. "Republican, Democrat, it doesn't matter ... So public safety is the number one job."

Critics blame Democratic policies for the recent spike in organized retail theft, including California's Proposition 47, a 2014 initiative voters passed that reduced sentencing for some nonviolent crimes, including thefts where the value of the stolen goods is less than $950. '

Newsom said the organized thefts have nothing to do with Proposition 47 and that California can improve its criminal justice system while still holding criminals accountable.

"I'm just sick and tired of this 'either/or' debate, which I think is rather lazy and unfortunate," he said. "And as long as I'm here, I'm going to try to drive to improve public safety and a lot of these reforms have actually enhanced public safety."

Assembly Bill 331, signed this summer, created felony and misdemeanor charges for people who coordinate with others in retail theft and the coordinated sale of stolen retail goods, punishable by up to one year in county jail.

The law also created a task force, coordinated by the California Highway Patrol and the Department of Justice, to help local law enforcement agencies in areas with a lot of organized theft.

Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer, D-Los Angeles, who is the chairman of the Assembly's Public Safety Committee, introduced the original law and the extension bill.

The proposal Newsom announced Friday will increase funding for the task force to $20 million from $5 million. The additional money will enable the task force to expand to new parts of the state, Jones-Sawyer said.

He said the law has proven successful in the last three years.

"We have a tool and a vehicle to really address it," he said of organized retail theft. "And hopefully as law enforcement starts to bring these individuals in and interrogate them we can find the crux of what's really going on. That's part of the consternation for all of us, is we don't know what this is as it's increased."

Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, applauded Newsom's proposals and said he looks forward to working on crafting an effective strategy to stop shoplifting rings.

"Californians are scared and afraid to go out. That's no way to live," Ting said in a statement. "We must do more to protect businesses and make our communities safer."

Republicans, retailers react

Newsom's plans to crack down on crime were met with skepticism from Republicans who said Democrats have a history of encouraging "soft-on-crime" policies.

"The Democrats' relentless push for their 'criminals first' agenda has turned this once-majestic state into a sanctuary for criminals," said State Senate Republican Leader Scott Wilk (R-Santa Clarita).

"It shouldn't have taken increasing homicide rates, widespread news reports of smash-and-grabs, and pleas from Californians for Democrats to come to this realization.... It is no surprise criminals feel empowered here. Time will tell if today's announcement is about meaningful action or just more political grandstanding."

Assembly Public Safety Committee Vice Chair Tom Lackey, R-Palmdale, said the plan was "too little, too late."

"While Democrats around the state are scrambling to evade the fallout from a decade of pro-criminal policies, they can't hide from their record of zero bail, defunding the police and pathetically light sentences for criminals who repeatedly prey on innocent Californians," he said in a statement.

Conversely, the head of the California Retailers Association praised the budget package as a "big first step toward eliminating (organized retail crime)."

"We are pleased to support the Governor's retail theft package and we look forward to working for its passage in the Legislature," association President and CEO Rachel Michelin said in a statement.

The California Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jennifer Barrera also applauded Newsom's plan.

"The budget package announced today by Governor Newsom designates significant resources for improved public safety and prosecutorial efforts. This is welcome news," Barrera said in a statement. "We urge the Legislature to approve this budget package so the problems created by these organized theft rings can be most effectively addressed."

Wes Venteicher of The Sacramento Bee Capitol Bureau contributed to this report.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Mars has its own version of the Grand Canyon, and scientists have learned this dramatic feature is home to "significant amounts of water" after a discovery made by an orbiter circling the red planet, according to the European Space Agency(ESA), CNN reported.

The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, launched in 2016 as a joint mission between the European Space Agency and Roscosmos, detected the water in Valles Marineris on Mars. This canyon system is 10 times longer, five times deeper and 20 times wider than the Grand Canyon.

The water is located beneath the surface of the canyon system and was detected by the orbiter's FREND instrument, or Fine Resolution Epithermal Neutron Detector. This instrument is able to map hydrogen in the top meter (3.28 feet) of Martian soil.

Most water on Mars is located in the planet's polar regions and remains frozen as water ice. Valles Marineris is just south of the planet's equator, where temperatures typically aren't cold enough for water ice to remain.

The observations were collected by the orbiter between May 2018 to February 2021. Previously, other orbiters have searched for water just beneath the Martian surface and detected small amounts under Martian dust. A study detailing the findings was published in the journal Icarus.

To put that into perspective, this area is about the size of the Netherlands. It overlaps with Candor Chaos, a network of valleys within the canyon system.

The FREND instrument searches for neutrons to map hydrogen content in the Martian soil.

There are higher temperatures near the equator on Mars, so the researchers believe there must be some special blend of conditions that allow the water to remain and be replenished.

Future missions to Mars will land at lower latitudes. This discovery in Valles Marineris highlights the feature as an intriguing place for potential human exploration in the years ahead, especially because this water would be much more accessible than other previously discovered subsurface water sources.\

"Knowing more about how and where water exists on present-day Mars is essential to understand what happened to Mars' once-abundant water, and helps our search for habitable environments, possible signs of past life, and organic materials from Mars' earliest days," said Colin Wilson, ESA's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter project scientist, in a statement.
First plane with Russian CSTO contingent arrives in Almaty

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New blow for UK's Johnson as Brexit chief quits

Britain's outgoing Brexit minister, David Frost, said he had concerns about the government's direction. File photo: AP

British Brexit minister David Frost resigned on Saturday over disillusionment with the direction of Boris Johnson's government, dealing a major blow to the embattled prime minister as the Omicron variant sweeps the country.



The resignation of Frost, a core architect of Johnson's tumultuous Brexit strategy, raised questions about the future tone of the EU divorce and the immediate course of talks on Northern Ireland. It also added to a sense of turmoil in Johnson's Conservative government.



Frost said he was confident that Brexit was secure, but said he had concerns about the government's direction.



"You know my concerns about the current direction of travel," Frost told Johnson in a letter released by Downing Street.



"I hope we will move as fast as possible to where we need to get to: a lightly regulated, low tax, entrepreneurial economy, at the cutting edge of modern science and economic change."



His resignation was first reported by The Mail on Sunday, which said it was triggered by Johnson's tougher Covid restrictions but also by a broader discontent with tax rises and the cost of environmental policies.



Frost said he had agreed with Johnson earlier this month to leave in January, but because his move had been leaked it should happen with immediate effect.



"We also need to learn to live with Covid," Frost said. "I hope we can get back on track soon and not be tempted by the kind of coercive measures we have seen elsewhere."



Johnson said he was sorry to receive Frost's resignation.



The departure of the British government's most senior Brexit negotiator comes on top of warnings from some of his Johnson's own Conservative Party lawmakers that he must improve his leadership or face a challenge.



Johnson, who won a landslide election victory in December 2019, is facing the biggest crisis of his premiership after a litany of scandals and missteps, which his opponents say show he is unfit to be prime minister.



He has faced a barrage of criticism since a video emerged showing his staff laughing and joking about a Downing Street party during a 2020 Christmas lockdown when such festivities were banned.



Downing Street had denied a party took place. Britain's top civil servant, Simon Case, has stepped down from leading the investigation into alleged parties after it was disclosed that an event had been held in his own office.



The loss of a parliamentary seat in an election defeat in a Conservative stronghold earlier this week showed public dismay over the litany of scandals and stepped up pressure on Johnson. (Reuters)
Death toll passes 80 in Philippines storm tragedy

A woman salvages possessions from her ruined home in Cebu province in the Philippines. Photo: AP

More than 80 people have been reported killed in the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines this year, official tallies showed on Sunday, as efforts to deliver water and food to devastated islands ramped up.



More than 300,000 people fled their homes and beachfront resorts as Typhoon Rai ravaged the southern and central regions of the archipelago.



The storm knocked out communications and electricity in many areas, ripped off roofs, toppled concrete power poles and flooded villages.



Arthur Yap, governor of the popular tourist destination Bohol, said on his official Facebook page that mayors on the devastated island had so far reported 63 deaths in their towns.



That took the overall number of reported deaths to 89, according to the latest official figures.



But the toll was likely to rise as disaster agencies assessed the full extent of the death and destruction from the storm across the vast archipelago.



Rai smashed into the country Thursday as a super typhoon packing wind speeds of 195 kilometres per hour.



Thousands of military, police, coast guard and fire personnel are being deployed to assist in search and rescue efforts in the worst-affected areas.



Coast guard and naval vessels carrying food, water and medical supplies are being dispatched, while heavy machinery  like backhoes and front-end loaders  is being sent to help clear roads blocked by fallen power poles and trees.



Charities and emergency services have appealed for donations. (AFP)



An aerial survey of damage to parts of Bohol -- known for its beaches, rolling "Chocolate Hills", and tiny tarsier primates -- showed "our people have suffered greatly", Yap said.
The event as part of the Maha Satipatthana Sutta celebrations for the Theravada Sangha members from the above mentioned countries.

The Dalai Lama spoke on the first day of the event on December 17, which was followed by a question and answer session the next day.

He addressed the event from his residence in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh.

The organiser, Sri Lankan Tibetan Buddhist Brotherhood Society aims to raise understanding and awareness of the common Buddhist heritage of the Sri Lankan and Tibetan peoples.

--IANS ksk/

( 131 Words)

2021-12-19-10:34:03 (IANS)
The session was convened at the insistence of Saudi Arabia as the OIC Summit Chair.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will deliver the keynote address at the special moot taking place at Parliament House.

The conference will start with a statement by Minister for Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who will chair the session.

The chair of the OIC summit, Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al-Saud, will then speak to the delegates.

This will be followed by a statement from Hissein Brahim Taha, Secretary-General of the OIC, statements on behalf of OIC Regional Groups (Asia, Africa, Arab) and a statement by President Islamic Development Bank Dr Muhammad Al-Jasser

Several delegations, including foreign ministers, deputy foreign ministers, foreign secretaries and other senior government officials, have arrived from several countries, including Turkey, Sierra Leone, Somalia, the UAE, Tajikistan, Bangladesh, Jordan and Palestine, in Islamabad.

Interim Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is also in the federal capital to attend the special moot, the report said.

--IANS san/ksk/

( 213 Words)

2021-12-19-12:12:03 (IANS)
India and the five Central Asian countries on Sunday discussed the current situation in Afghanistan and decided to continue to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to the people of the country. At the third India-Central Asia Dialogue held here, the External Affairs Ministers of India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan discussed the current situation in Afghanistan and its impact on the region. In a joint statement, the six countries reiterated strong support for a peaceful, secure and stable Afghanistan while emphasising the respect for sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, and non-interference in its internal affairs. The ministers also discussed the current humanitarian situation and decided to continue to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people. They reaffirmed the importance of UNSC Resolution 2593 (2021) which unequivocally demands that Afghan territory not be used for sheltering, training, planning or financing terrorist acts and called for concerted action against all terrorist groups. The Ministers also agreed to continue close consultations on the situation in Afghanistan. "While taking note of the outcome document of the Delhi Regional Security Dialogue of November 10, 2021, Ministers noted that there is a broad 'regional consensus' on the issues related to Afghanistan, which includes formation of a truly representative and inclusive government, combating terrorism and drug trafficking, central role of the UN, providing immediate humanitarian assistance for the Afghan people and preserving the rights of women, children and other national ethnic groups," the joint statement said. The Ministers also emphasised that interaction in the fields of defence and security constitutes an important element of India-Central Asia cooperation. In this regard, they noted the importance of holding regular consultations among the National Security Councils of India and the Central Asian countries in the fight against terrorism and other emerging challenges in the region. "The Ministers condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and reiterated that providing safe haven, using terrorist proxies for cross-border terrorism, terror financing, arms and drugs trafficking, dissemination of a radical ideology and abuse of cyber space to spread disinformation and incite violence, goes against the basic principles of humanity and international relations," the statement said. They stressed that perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of terrorist acts must be held accountable and brought to justice in accordance with principle of "extradite or prosecute". In this context, they called for early adoption of the UN Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism. "They called on the international community to strengthen UN-led global counter-terrorism cooperation and fully implement the relevant UNSC resolutions, Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and FATF standards," it said. --IANS ssb/vd ( 442 Words) 2021-12-19-21:28:02 (IANS)
By Gyanendra Kumar Keshri New Delhi [India] December 19 (ANI) Intellectual Property (IP) protection and enforcement, standards, tariffs on several products, and data protection are among the key issues that would dominate the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) talks between India and the United Kingdom (UK), which are set to being early next year. Talking to ANI, Managing Director of UK India Business Council Kevin McCole said there is a strong political will and desire from the two countries to conclude a comprehensive free trade agreement as soon as possible. McCole said UK India Business Council has identified key areas of concern of the business community that needs to be addressed during the talks. "During the last summer, we conducted a round table. We engaged with around 200 business leaders. A number of priority areas came up," McCole said in a virtual interview from London. He said business leaders of both the UK and India want a defined standard of rules for trade and investment. "Having defined standards is very important. If we have a defined standard it will become easier for the Indian companies to export to the UK, and the UK companies to export to India." McCole said custom procedures and tariff rates on some products, notably, automotive and automotive components and Scotch Whiskey are among the major concerns of UK businesses doing trade with India. "On automotive components, India increased tariffs from 7.5 per cent to 15 per cent in 2020. Those tariffs are cost to UK exporters and Indian importers," he said. Tariff on UK-made Scotch Whiskey stands at around 150 per cent. Another area of concern is the ban on the sale of UK-made Scotch Whiskey in CSD canteens, which are operated by the Indian Armed Forces. When asked about the ideal rate of tariffs on these products, McCole said: "I don't want to give a number, but there should be a parity." McCole said Intellectual Property (IP) protection and enforcement regime, and data protection are other major areas of concern of UK businesses. "One major area of concern that comes up time and again is data protection rules. The future trade is going to be data-driven. It's going to be technology-driven. I think it's going to be the main driver of trade in the decades to come," he said. India and UK announced their intention to have a comprehensive free trade agreement during a virtual summit held in May 2021 between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Boris Johnson. During the May summit, the two countries agreed on a preliminary "Enhanced Trade Partnership" deal and start the FTA negotiation "in the autumn". However, the formal FTA negotiation between the two countries has not started yet. Following the Prime Minister level summit in May the two countries started the "pre-negotiation". It was led from the Indian side by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and from the UK side the then British Secretary of State for International Trade Liz Truss. However, the negotiations got delayed after Truss was replaced by Anne-Marie Trevelyan. In September, there was a change in the UK cabinet. Truss was appointed Foreign Secretary, while Trevelyan took charge as Secretary of State for International Trade. Speaking at the 94th annual convention of industry body FICCI on December 17, India's Commerce and Industry Minister Goyal said the negotiations on the free trade agreement between India and UK would start in January 2022. Earlier this month, a UK government spokesperson also announced that the two countries would start the FTA negotiations early next year. Asked about the expected timeframe to conclude the FTA deal, McCole said: "There seems to have political will and commitment from both the governments. Negotiating teams are in regular contact. Momentum is there, and I hope the momentum further picking up in the new year." McCole expressed hope that the issues of the business community of the two countries would be addressed through strong political will and commitment for the deal expressed by the Prime Minister of the two countries. India and UK share strong economic engagements. Merchandise trade between the two countries stood at USD 15.45 billion in 2019-20 with the trade balance in favour of India. UK is the 6th largest inward investor in India, after Mauritius, Singapore, Netherlands, Japan, and the US with a cumulative equity investment of USD 28.39 billion (April 2000-June 2020), accounting for around 6 per cent of all foreign direct investment into India. India invested in 120 projects and created 5,429 new jobs in the UK to become the second-largest source of foreign direct investment after the US in 2019, according to the UK Department for International Trade (DIT) inward investment statistics for 2019-2020. (ANI)
'Spider-Man' series producer Amy Pascal and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige have an offbeat filmmaking partnership, as they demonstrated in a new interview. In a conversation with The New York Times' Brooks Barnes about 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' and the future of the franchise, the pair addressed Pascal's previous comments that Tom Holland would star in another 'Spider-Man' trilogy, reports variety.com. "We're producers, so we always believe everything will work out," Pascal said. "I love working with Kevin. We have a great partnership, along with Tom Rothman, who runs Sony and has been instrumental, a great leader with great ideas. I hope it lasts forever. "Amy and I and Disney and Sony are talking about, yes, we're actively beginning to develop where the story heads next, which I only say outright because I don't want fans to go through any separation trauma like what happened after 'Far From Home' (the second film in Marvel's 'Spider-Man' trilogy)," he said. "That will not be occurring this time," Feige added, referring to the 2019 financing dispute between Disney and Sony that called the possibility of 'No Way Home' into question. Pascal and Feige also explained how they first began working together. Pascal was Sony's top movie executive in 2014 when 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2' debuted to widespread poor reviews. She went to Feige for advice on how to continue forward with the character. When he suggested that Marvel Studios make the next 'Spider-Man' film, she didn't take it well. "I threw a sandwich at him," she said. "'I really want you to help on this next movie. We have these great ideas for the next one. It's amazing stuff'," Feige recalled. "And I said, 'I'm not good at that, giving advice and leaving. The only way I know how to help is if we just make the movie for you'." Despite Pascal's initial disdain for the idea, she became open to it after Feige made more specific suggestions about how to bring Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe: "(He) said, 'I have an idea. What if Tony Stark makes Peter's suit?' And as soon as he said that, I understood the possibilities of what we could do together." "To have Iron Man and Spidey in the same world, one rooted more in technological innovation, the new suit, and less in medical experimentation, which is where we were confined before, felt so much more modern." Since then, each of Marvel's Holland-led 'Spider-Man' films, which Pascal produces, have been critical and commercial successes. Part of the franchise's prevalence in pop culture is driven by the secrecy Marvel Studios has become notorious for. Plot and casting details are often kept completely concealed from audiences, and even key cast and crew members. Pascal emphasized that her producing strategy is about more than celebrity cameos, so she isn't concerned about outdoing aNo Way Home's' roster of guests when it comes to planning for potential 'Spider-Man' sequels. "You can't think about topping yourself in terms of spectacle. Otherwise movies just get larger and larger for no reason, and it's not a good result," she said. "But we do want to always try and top ourselves in terms of quality and emotion. Kevin and I never want to lose sight of one thing: Peter Parker. That he's a normal kid. That he is orphaned over and over again. That he's a teenager, so everything in his life is at a heightened pitch and everything matters more than anything. That he's fueled by goodness and guilt. That he's striving for a greater cause, and he's vilified by the press." On a lighter note, Feige commented on Holland's budding romance with co-star Zendaya. They aren't the first couple to take their 'Spider-Man' romance off-screen: Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst dated while making the original 'Spider-Man' movies, and Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone dated while making the 'Amazing Spider-Man' movies. "I took Tom and Zendaya aside, separately, when we first cast them and gave them a lecture," Pascal said. "'Don't go there, just don't. Try not to'. I gave the same advice to Andrew and Emma. It can just complicate things, you know? And they all ignored me." --IANS dc/ksk/ ( 710 Words) 2021-12-19-10:40:04 (IANS)
Several pictures and videos are doing the rounds on social media, which suggest the couple had their housewarming rituals on Sunday in their new apartment.

Vicky's parents -- Sham Kaushal and Veena Kaushal also arrived at their son's new place to attend the puja.

Vicky and Katrina, fondly called VicKat by fans, will be neighbours to Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli.

The newlyweds returned to Mumbai on Tuesday after enjoying a romantic honeymoon, which reports suggest was in the Maldives. The duo had jetted off to the exotic island country after tying the knot on December 9.

The couple had married in a private ceremony at the luxurious Six Senses Fort Barwara in Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan.

Ever since Vicky and Katrina got back to Mumbai, they have been sharing on social media beautiful moments from the various wedding functions. (ANI)
To mark the special day, Sakshi took to her Instagram handle and posted a beautiful picture of them together.

She added the caption, "Cheers to "14 years" of knowing each other! #december #jabwemet."

Fans flooded the post with likes and comments.

"Rab ne bana di jodi," a social media user wrote.

"Oh Mahi. So cute. Please post on your Instagram as well," another chimed in.

The couple had recently jetted off to Jaipur to attend the wedding function of NCP leader and former Union minister Praful Patel's son Prajay Patel.

The wedding was also attended by Bollywood celebrities including Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor and Shilpa Shetty Kundra. (ANI)
As per Fox News, the victim was identified as rapper Drakeo the Ruler. A news outlet reported that he was attacked by a group of people while backstage and was in critical condition when he was taken to a hospital.

He suffered a stab wound to the neck, the Los Angeles Police Department said, according to another news outlet.

Snoop cancelled his set at the 'Once Upon a Time in LA' festival at Banc of California Stadium in Exposition Park before the rest of the show was also halted, police said.

"There has been an incident at the Once Upon A Time in LA festival at the Banc of California," the Los Angeles Police Department wrote on Twitter, adding, "The festival has concluded early. LAPD will be in the area assisting CHP w/ the investigation."

According to Fox News, a video posted to social media showed attendees climbing over a fence to get out of the concert after the reported stabbing. (ANI)
South African comedian and TV host Trevor Noah has filed a lawsuit against a New York City hospital and doctor after they allegedly botched a surgery the comedian underwent in 2020. According to the legal complaint obtained by People magazine, last month, 'The Daily Show' host sued Dr Riley J. Williams III and the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. As Per the suit, Noah was a patient between August 25, 2020, and December 17, 2020, and he underwent surgery with the hospital and doctor on November 23, 2020. In the court papers, Noah said that the defendants "were negligent and careless in failing to treat and care for [him] in a careful and skilful manner." It also accused the defendants of "failing to use approved methods in general use in the care and treatment." The comedian also alleged that the defendants failed "to prescribe proper medications," failed to "discontinue certain prescription medications," and failed "to use proper tests and examinations in order to diagnose the conditions" that he "was suffering" from. The Hospital for Special Surgery has denied the claims. Elsewhere, the court documents allege that Noah suffered "serious personal injury" after his surgery, and it later described his injuries as "permanent, severe, and grievous." The injuries, the suit adds, allegedly left the Emmy award winner "rendered sick, sore, lame, and disabled." Noah reportedly "sustained severe and painful personal injuries; sustained severe nervous shock, mental anguish, severe emotional distress and great physical pain; was confined to bed and home for a long period of time; was compelled to undergo hospital and medical aid, treatment and attention; has suffered loss of enjoyment of life; was prevented from engaging in his usual occupation for a long period of time; and since some of his injuries are of a permanent nature, he will continue to suffer similar damages in the future." A representative for the Hospital for Special Surgery told People magazine they have received Noah's claims, which they call "meritless." "HSS received a complaint filed on behalf of Mr Trevor Noah. We have shared with Mr Noah's attorney a detailed rebuttal to the claims, which are meritless. Due to HIPAA, we are restricted by law from addressing publicly specific aspects of the treatment of any patient," the representative shares in a statement, as per People magazine. (ANI)
Bollywood actor Anushka Sharma on Sunday thanked media houses and paparazzi for not circulating videos and pictures of her daughter Vamika. The 'PK' actor took to her Instagram handle and shared a story in which she wrote, "We are deeply thankful to the Indian paparazzi and most of the media fraternity for not publishing pictures/videos of Vamika. As parents, our request to the few who carried the images/video will be to support us going forward. We seek privacy for our child and would like to do our best to give her a chance to live her life freely away from media and social media." "As she is older we cannot restrict her movement and hence your support is needed so kindly practice restraint in the matter. A special thank you to fan clubs and people of the internet for going out of your way to not post images. It was kind and highly mature of you," Anushka added. Virat Kohli and Anushka got married in a fairytale wedding that was only attended by the couple's family and friends on December 11 in 2017. Post their nuptials in Italy, the couple hosted grand receptions in Delhi and Mumbai. The duo had welcomed their daughter at Mumbai's Breach Candy hospital on January 11, 2021. Meanwhile, on the work front, Anushka, who was last seen in the 2018 movie 'Zero', co-starring actors Shah Rukh Khan and Katrina Kaif, has produced two acclaimed projects - Amazon Prime Video web series 'Pataal Lok' and Netflix movie 'Bulbbul'. She is currently producing 'Qala', which marks late actor Irrfan Khan's son Babil's debut. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday spoke to former Northern Army Commander Leutenant General (Retd) D.S. Hooda, and assured that the request of his ailing sister for a new breast cancer drug will be considered. Lt Gen Hooda had sought the PM's intervention in granting approval for a drug that can save the live of his 68-year-old sister, Sushma Hooda, and several others who are suffering from a special kind of cancer. Hooda in a tweet had tagged the Prime Minister's Office and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to seek government intervention to approve a drug that can give patients suffering from triple-negative metastatic breast cancer a chance of life. "I start this tweet by admitting that I have a personal interest. My sister Sushma Hooda is a cancer patient of several years with dwindling hope. Keeping sentiments aside, approval of the new drug may give a fighting chance of survival to many like her," said the former Indian Army officer in his tweet. Sushma Hooda is the wife of a former Indian Army officer and is suffering from triple-negative metastatic breast cancer, which has very limited treatment options in India. She is currently getting the treatment at the Army Hospital in Delhi. She wrote to the Prime Minister, "There is hope for us now as the USFDA has tested and approved as first-line treatment a new drug called Sacituzumab Govitecanor (Trodelvy) in April 2021. Also, the European Medicine Agency has approved it for medical use in November 2021." Appreciating the Prime Minister's gesture, Lt Gen Hooda tweeted, "Received a call from the Prime Minister's Office and spoke with Prime Minister Narendra Modi who expressed concern over the case. Truly humbled and honoured on receiving his call and his words that the case would be looked into. Proud to be an Indian and even prouder of the PM's personal intervention. Jai Hind." --IANS avr/arm ( 330 Words) 2021-12-18-23:04:03 (IANS)
Ireland's confirmed cases of Covid-19 on Saturday more than doubled to 7,333 from the previous day's figure of 3,628 due to the rapid spread of the new variant Omicron, according to the health department of Ireland. In a statement issued by the Irish Department of Health, Tony Holohan, chief medical officer with the department, warned that "Recent international experience and the rapid spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant here means we can expect to see a large number of cases over the next short period of time." The Saturday figure of the Covid-19 cases released by the Irish health authorities represented the third highest ever recorded in Ireland in a single day since the pandemic hit the country in February 2020, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the official tally. On Friday, the Irish Department of Health said in a statement that "approximately 35 percent of reported cases (in the country) are now due to the Omicron variant." Ireland reported its confirmed Omicron case at the very beginning of this month. The case is associated with travel to a country in southern part of Africa, said the Irish health department. The Irish government on Friday announced a number of new public health measures in order to control the rapid spread of the Omicron variant in the coming Christmas and New Year holidays. The measures, which will take effect from next Monday and last till January 30 of next year, include that all local restaurants and bars, excluding their takeaway and delivery services, must close at 8 p.m. and that there should be no indoor events after 8 p.m. except wedding receptions which must limit attendance to 100 guests. The government has also put a ceiling on the attendance at both indoor and outdoor events, demanding that attendance at indoor events in the day shall limit to 50 per cent of venue capacity or 1,000 people, whichever is lower, and that the number of people attending outdoor events shall not exceed 5,000 or 50 per cent of venue capacity, whichever is lower. The new rules also require close contacts of a confirmed Covid-19 case to self-isolate for at least five days, depending on their vaccination status. Starting from the midnight of Sunday(Irish time), passengers arriving into Ireland are also advised to take antigen testing on a daily basis for five consecutive days commencing on the day of their arrival. --IANS int/shs ( 418 Words) 2021-12-19-04:26:02 (IANS)
The quarantine will last five days, said Adel Bilbeisi, the Prime Minister's adviser on containing the Covid-19 pandemic, adding a PCR test will be conducted at the end of the quarantine. If the result is negative, Khasawneh will return to his office, Xinhua news agency reported.

He noted that the health protocol applies to everyone to contain the spread of the virus and protect society.

On Saturday, 40 Covid-19 deaths and 1,920 new cases were recorded in Jordan, increasing the caseload to 1,033,469 and the death toll to 12,191, the government said in a statement.

There are currently 62,068 active Covid-19 cases in Jordan.

Meanwhile, 4,555 recoveries were registered in hospitals and home quarantine on Saturday, bringing the total number of recoveries to 959,210.

The total number of people who received the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine has reached 4,266,786, while 3,854,574 have received their second shot.

--IANS

( 195 Words)

2021-12-19-05:34:03 (IANS)
With increasing adoption of 5G globally for a much faster internet experience, some studies have flagged health risks associated with the use of 5G on the human tissues -- amid conspiracy theories that 5G mobile networks are to be blamed for the Covid-19 pandemic. The fear psychosis among a section of people is such that 'anti-5G' necklaces, sleep masks and children's bracelets are being sold online on leading e-commerce platforms, with the claim that they protect against the harmful effects of 5G cell networks. However, these 'anti-5G' wearables have now themselves been classified as dangerous! The Dutch Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ANVS) last week issued product alerts for a pendant, a sleep mask, two necklaces and five different bracelets, including one for children, saying wearing these products continuously for a long time could cause tissue and DNA damage. According to industry experts, there is still no concrete evidence yet that 5G networks have negative health effects on humans, as 5G technology is currently at an early stage of deployment and the extent of any change in exposure to radio-frequency fields is still under investigation. The World Health Organization (WHO) says that currently, exposure to 5G infrastructure at around 3.5 GHz is similar to that from existing mobile phone base stations. "With the use of multiple beams from 5G antennas, exposure could be more variable as a function of location of the users and their usage," the WHO said. In India, where broadband technology is still in various trial stages as 5G spectrum roll-out gets delayed, experts are of the view that the country is currently following international norms on broadband technologies. "India has far stricter norms than what 198 countries have globally which are following the norms laid out by the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP)," Pankaj Mohindroo, Chairman, India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA), told IANS. ICNIRP is a non-profit organisation that provides scientific advice and guidance on the health and environmental effects of non-ionising radiation (NIR) to protect people and the environment from detrimental NIR exposure. "For example, our radiation value or specific absorption rate (SAR) value is maximum 1.6 watts on 1 gram of tissue, compared to 2 watts on 10 grams of tissue across the world (except the US and South Korea)," Mohindroo informed. "5G non-ionising radiation is not different from 4G or 3G as these norms are capped," he added. The Department of Telecom (DoT) clearly specifies that all the new designs of mobile handsets shall comply with the SAR values of 1.6 watts/kg, averaged over 1 gram of human tissue. Tissue heating is the main mechanism of interaction between radio-frequency fields and the human body. Radio-frequency exposure levels from current technologies result in negligible temperature rise in the human body. "As the frequency increases, there is less penetration into the body tissues and absorption of the energy becomes more confined to the surface of the body (skin and eye). Provided that the overall exposure remains below international guidelines, no consequences for public health are anticipated," according to the WHO. To date, and after much research performed, no adverse health effect has been causally linked with exposure to wireless technologies. Health-related conclusions are drawn from studies performed across the entire radio spectrum but, so far, only a few studies have been carried out at the frequencies to be used by 5G. According to Prabhu Ram, Head-Industry Intelligence Group (IIG), CMR, humans are exposed to varying types of radiation on a daily basis, including from sunlight. "5G generates non-ionising radiation at very safe levels, and well within the established safety parameters. Unlike earlier generations of mobile communications, 5G operates by using and emitting less power," Ram told IANS. A recent paper by the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) on health impact of 5G cited the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) which classified radio-frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (EMFs) as possibly carcinogenic to humans' and recommended RF exposure for re-evaluation 'with high priority'. The 5G pioneer bands identified at EU level have frequencies of 700 MHz, 3.6 GHz (3.4 to 3.8 GHz) and 26 GHz (24.25 to 27.5 GHz). "The first two frequencies are similar to those used for 2G to 4G technologies and have been investigated in both epidemiological and experimental studies for different end points (including carcinogenicity and reproductive/developmental effects), while 26 GHz and higher frequencies have not been adequately studied for the same end points," the EU paper read. Unfortunately, there is a lack of information on the potential harms of RF-EMF. "The information gap creates scope for deniers as well as alarmists, giving rise to social and political tension in many EU countries. Campaigns to inform the citizens should be therefore a priority," said the paper. What is definitely required is an early and proactive availability of comprehensive information around 5G and how it works. "These information resources should be easy-to-grasp and understand, for all consumer demographics," Ram noted. (Nishant Arora can be reached at nishant.a@ians.in) --IANS na/arm ( 846 Words) 2021-12-19-08:54:06 (IANS)
A new research has found that the drugs used to treat HIV/AIDS patients could be used to treat patients diagnosed with the most common form of primary brain tumour. The study has been published in the 'Cancer Research Journal'. The breakthrough, co-funded by the charity Brain Tumour Research, is significant because, if further research is conclusive, the anti-retroviral drugs could be prescribed for patients diagnosed with meningioma and acoustic neuroma brain tumours (also known as schwannoma). More effective approaches are urgently needed as there are very few treatment options for these tumour types which frequently return following surgery and radiotherapy. Meningioma is the most common form of primary brain tumour. Mostly low-grade, it can become cancerous over time and develops from cells located in the meninges which protect the brain and spinal cord. Acoustic neuroma is a different type of low-grade, or non-cancerous brain tumour, which develops in nerve-protecting cells called Schwann cells. Both tumours may occur spontaneously, usually in adulthood, or in the hereditary disease Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) in childhood/early adolescence. Researchers at the Brain Tumour Research Centre at the University of Plymouth showed previously that a tumour suppressor, named Merlin, contributed to the development of meningioma, acoustic neuroma and ependymoma tumours. It can also contribute to neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2). Tumour suppressor genes play important roles in normal cells by controlling division or repairing errors in DNA. However, when tumour suppressors do not work properly or are absent, cells can grow out of control, leading to cancer. In this latest study Dr Sylwia Ammoun, Senior Research Fellow, and her collaborator, Dr Robert Belshaw investigated the role that specific sections of our DNA play in tumour development. Named 'endogenous retrovirus HERV-K', these sections of DNA are relics of ancient infections that affected our primate ancestors, which have become stable elements of human DNA. Dr Ammoun said, "High levels of proteins produced by HERV-K DNA have previously been linked to the development of different tumours. In this study, the team showed that high levels of HERV-K proteins were present in meningioma and schwannoma cells obtained from patients. The team was also able to identify molecular events that may enable HERV-K proteins to stimulate the growth of these tumours. Furthermore, several drugs have identified that target these proteins, reducing the growth of schwannoma and grade I meningioma cells in the laboratory." Professor Oliver Hanemann, Director of the Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence, added, "Significantly, these drugs - the retroviral protease inhibitors ritonavir, atazanavir, and lopinavir - have already been approved by them for use in the treatment of HIV/AIDS in the USA and are also available in the UK. These results revealed HERV-K proteins to be critical regulators of growth in tumours that are deficient in Merlin." Hugh Adams, the spokesman for Brain Tumour Research, said, "These findings are extremely significant as drug repurposing is a valuable way to accelerate the testing of new approaches into clinical trials which, if successful, could reach patients sooner. "This is particularly critical for patients with brain tumours as many of them do not have the luxury of time," he added. (ANI)
The country also reported 63 fresh cases on Sunday, comprising 55 in the community and eight imported ones, Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying.

The overall nationwide caseload thus stood at 13,425, with a total of 49 deaths.

Four of the Omicron cases remain in boarder managed isolation facilities. One has now recovered and been released.

Among the new community infections, 41 were recorded in the largest city of Auckland, seven in Taranaki, four in Waikato and three in the Bay of Plenty.

According to the ministry, 90 per cent of eligible New Zealanders have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

Whole genome sequencing on all new border cases of Covid-19 is required in new precautionary measures against the Omicron variant.

All passengers on flights with Omicron cases are being required to complete a 10-day quarantine at border facilities.

Under the country's COVID-19 Protection Framework or traffic lights framework, the largest city Auckland and part of the North Island are at red settings while the rest of the country is at orange settings.

--IANS ksk/

( 221 Words)

2021-12-19-14:56:03 (IANS)
Two Cambodian nationals returning from the US and France have tested positive for the Omicron Covid-19 variant, bringing the total number of such cases in the southeast Asian nation to four, the Ministry of Health (MoH) said in a statement on Sunday. The two patients are a 47-year-old woman arriving in the kingdom on Thursday from the US, with a connecting flight in South Korea, and a 33-year-old woman taking a flight from France passing through Singapore before arriving in Cambodia on Friday, reports Xinhua news agency. "Upon landing at the Phnom Penh International Airport, the two women were given a rapid test which indicated that they were positive for Covid-19, and their samples were then sent to the Pasteur Institute in Cambodia for further testing," the Ministry statement said. "The results released by the Pasteur Institute in Cambodia on December 18 showed that the two women were positive for the Omicron Covid-19 variant." The patients are currently being treated at a Covid-19 treatment facility in Phnom Penh. The country reported the first case of the Omicron variant on December 14 -- pregnant Cambodian woman returning from Ghana - and the second case on December 17 on an Iranian male tourist travelling to the kingdom from Kenya. --IANS ksk/ ( 221 Words) 2021-12-19-15:36:03 (IANS)
The findings of a recent study suggest that people previously infected with COVID and those vaccinated will have some 'stronger than basic' defence against the Omicron strain of coronavirus. The research has been published in the 'Emerging Microbes & Infection Journal'. However, the test tube (or 'in-vitro', scientifically) samples of Omicron examined in this new research did not show that it "exceeds" all other variants in its potential capability to evade the protection gained from previous infection or vaccination. The findings also suggested that although a third-dose enhancement strategy can "significantly boost immunity," the protection from Omicron "may be compromised" -- but more research is needed to better understand this. Reporting on this very early study, lead author Youchun Wang, Senior Research Fellow from the National Institutes for Food and Drug Control in China, said that their results supported recent findings in South Africa which highlighted Omicron was "easy to evade immunity." "We found a large number of mutations of the Omicron variant did cause significant changes of neutralization sensitivity against people who had already had COVID," Wang said. "However, the average ED50 (protection level) against Omicron is still higher than the baseline, which indicated there is still some protection effect can be observed," Wang added. Wang, who is Former Chairman of the Medical Virology and Vice Chairman of the Medical Microbiology and Immunology of the Chinese Medical Association, did add caution though. He said that because the antibody protection -- in the form of previous infection or vaccination -- decreased gradually over a period of six months, Omicron "may be able to escape immunity even better." Plus, his team's paper predicted that whilst "a third-dose enhancement strategy can significantly boost immunity," the "protection from Omicron may be compromised." The expert team of 11 scientists looked at 28 serum samples from patients recovering from the original strain of SARS-CoV-2. They tested these against in-vitro Omicron samples, as well as four other strains marked 'of concern' by the World Health Organization (such as Delta), and two variants marked as 'of interest'. "This study verifies the enhanced immune escape of Omicron variant, which sounds the alarm to the world and has important implications for the public health planning and the development of matching strategies," Wang summarized. Now, the team stated that more research, carried out not just in-vitro but in real-world studies is urgently needed to better understand Omicron. And, specifically, whether it escaped from the vaccine-elicited immunity to cause more severe disease and death. "It needs to be re-evaluated whether the antibodies can still be effective against the Omicron variant," the authors stated. "The exact impact to human protection may be influenced by more factors such as the infectivity of Omicron variant relative to other variants to human populations and the viral fitness of Omicron once the humans are infected," they said. "More population studies including the level of immune protection and symptoms among people infected with Omicron are needed to fully establish the global impact of Omicron to the control of COVID-19 pandemic," they added The major caveat of this study is that it is in-vitro in nature and that it used pseudotyped (manufactured) viruses. However, previous studies have used in-vitro as an established measure of "good correlation" and the current vaccine literature has established that the in vitro neutralization assays are good predictors of vaccine protection efficacy and real-world vaccine effectiveness. Therefore, the authors stated that their data may well predict the potential reduction of vaccine protection against the new Omicron variant. (ANI)
Amid concern over rising cases of COVID-19 variant Omicron, a school in the Ghansoli area of Navi Mumbai has been shut for a week by the authorities after 18 students of the school tested COVID-19 positive. The sample of one student has been sent for genome sequencing, said Abhijit Bangar, Commissioner, Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation. "18 students of a school in Ghansoli, Navi Mumbai, have tested COVID-19 positive, out of more than 950 students who've been tested. The school will be shut for the next week; remaining students to be tested at their residences today," said Bangar on Saturday. One of the student's fathers has recently travelled to Qatar, though, he had tested COVID-19 negative. "The source student's father had a travel history to Qatar but had tested negative upon RT-PCR. The student's sample has been sent for genome sequencing. All close contacts of COVID positive students to be traced for testing," Bangar added. The School Principal said that doctors informed the school administration that a student of the school has been tested positive for Coronavirus after which every student got tested. "Doctors called us on December 16 to inform us that one of our students has tested positive for Coronavirus. After that tests are being conducted on every student. So far 18 have reported positive," said BR Jadhav, Principal, Shetkari High School. Meanwhile, Maharashtra reported eight new cases of Omicron variant of COVID-19 on Saturday, taking the cumulative tally of Omicron cases in the state to 48. According to the bulletin, Mumbai reported the highest cases of Omicron (18), followed by Pimpri Chinchwad (10), Pune (Rural) (6), three each in Pune Municipal Corporation and Satara, two each in Kalyan Dombivali and Osmanabad and one each in Latur, Buldhana, Nagpur and Vasai Virar. More than 100 cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 have been reported in the country so far. (ANI)
"I strongly condemn the attempt to commit sacrilege at Golden Temple in Amritsar. There should be a thorough investigation into this incident," the BJP president said in a tweet.

Earlier, R P Singh, national spokesperson of the BJP, condemned the incident and demanded that the Charanjit Singh Channi-led government hand over the investigation in the case to the CBI.

"I strongly condemn the attempt to desecrate Sri Guru Granth Sahib in Darbar Sahib. I also demand Charanjit Channi-led government immediately hand over the case to CBI so that truth can be known, unlike Bargari, culprits of which are still roaming free," he tweeted.

A man was beaten to death in an altercation by angry devotees after he allegedly attempted to commit sacrilege at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, police said on Saturday.

The incident took place during evening prayers today when the man jumped over the metal railing around the Guru Granth Sahib and allegedly attempted to desecrate the Holy Book of the Sikhs with a sword.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) of Amritsar City, Parminder Singh Bhandal told ANI: "Today, one 24-25-year-old man barged inside Golden Temple where the holy book (Guru Granth Sahib) is kept. He tried desecrating it with a sword and was escorted out by the Sangat people. He later died in an altercation."

The man was later declared dead by officials.

Further probe in the matter is underway. (ANI)
This will be the last edition of the year.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has called citizens to share their views for Mann ki Baat which will take place on Sunday, 26th December 2021.

Taking to Twitter, the Prime Minister said, "I have been receiving several inputs for this month's Mann Ki Baat on the 26, which will be the last one of 2021. The inputs cover so many different areas and celebrate the life journeys of several people working to bring grassroots level changes. Keep sharing your views."

The first episode of the programme was broadcast on October 3, 2014.

In his last episode of Mann Ki Baat, which was broadcast on October 24, the Prime Minister had emphasised the implementation of Swacch Bharat Abhiyan.

The PM had also highlighted that India is one of the first countries in the world, which is preparing digital records of land in its villages with the help of drones. (ANI)
"Acting on a tip-off, police arrested Sushant Behera (32), a property agent from Cuttack district of Odisha and Manoj Sharma (40), a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi on Friday evening," said a police official.

A case has been registered against both the people at Kasarvadavali police station under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.

Ambergris or whale vomit is used in making perfumes. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Goa on Sunday to attend Goa Liberation Day celebrations at Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium in Goa's Taleigao at around 3 pm. As per the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the Prime Minister will felicitate the freedom fighters and veterans of 'Operation Vijay' at the function. Goa Liberation Day is celebrated on December 19 every year to mark the success of 'Operation Vijay' undertaken by the Indian Armed Forces that liberated Goa from Portuguese rule. Prime Minister will inaugurate multiple development projects including the renovated Fort Aguada Jail Museum, Super Speciality Block at Goa Medical College, New South Goa District Hospital, Aviation Skill Development Center at Mopa Airport and the Gas-insulated Substation at Dabolim-Navelim, Margao. He will also lay the foundation stone for the India International University of Legal Education and Research of Bar Council of India Trust at Goa. It has been the constant endeavour of the Prime Minister to improve medical infrastructure and provide top-class medical facilities across the country. In line with this vision, the Super Speciality Block at Goa Medical College and Hospital has been constructed at a cost of over Rs 380 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana scheme. It is the only state-of-the-art super specialty hospital in the entire state of Goa, providing high-end super specialty services. It will provide specialized services like angioplasty, bypass surgery, liver transplant, kidney transplant, dialysis etc. The Super Speciality Block will also house a 1000 LPM PSA plant installed under PM-CARES. The New South Goa District Hospital, built at a cost of around Rs.220 crores, is equipped with modern medical infrastructure including OPD services in 33 specialities, the latest diagnostic and laboratory facilities and services like Physiotherapy, Audiometry etc. The hospital has 500 oxygenated beds, 5500 litre LMO tank and 2 PSA plants of 600 litres per minute (lpm). The re-development of Aguada Fort Jail Museum as a Heritage Tourism destination under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme, has been done at a cost of over Rs 28 crore. Before Goa's liberation, Aguada Fort was used to incarcerate and torture the freedom fighters. The Museum will highlight the contributions and sacrifices made by the prominent freedom fighters who fought for the liberation of Goa and will be a befitting tribute to them. The Aviation Skill Development Center at the upcoming Mopa Airport, built at a cost of around Rs. 8.5 crore, is aimed at providing training in 16 different job profiles. The trainees will be able to get job opportunities in the Mopa Airport project as it becomes operational, as well as at other Airports in India and abroad. Gas Insulated Substation at Davorlim-Navelim, Margao has been constructed at a cost of around Rs 16 crores under the Integrated Power Development Scheme of the Ministry of Power, Government of India. It will provide stable power supply to the villages of Davorlim, Nessai, Navelim, Aquem-Baixo and Telaulim. The India International University of Legal Education and Research of Bar Council of India Trust will be established in line with the focus of the government to transform Goa into a hub of higher and technical education. Prime Minister will also release a Special Cover and Special Cancellation to mark the commemoration of the Indian Armed Forces freeing Goa from Portuguese rule. This special episode of history is shown on the special cover, whereas the special cancellation depicts the war memorial at Indian Naval Ship Gomantak, constructed in memory of seven young gallant sailors and other personnel who laid down their lives in "Operation Vijay". The Prime Minister will also release 'My Stamp' depicting the Hutatma Smarak at Patradevi, which salutes the great sacrifices made by the martyrs of the Goa Liberation Movement. A 'Meghdoot Post Card' depicting a collage of pictures of different events during the Goa Liberation Struggle will also be presented to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister will also distribute awards to the best Panchayat/Municipality, Swayampurna Mitras and beneficiaries of Swayampurna Goa Programme. During his visit, at around 2:15 pm, the Prime Minister will also pay floral tributes at Martyr's Memorial, Azad Maidan, Panaji. At around 2:30 pm, he will attend the Sail Parade and flypast at Miramar, Panaji. (ANI)
"Our final and longest drone flight travelled from Mokokchung to Tuensang in 28 minutes (one-way) to deliver medical supplies, earlier in the day," said i-Drone Team, Tuensang.

The drone flight travelled 90 Km, which took seven to eight hours to reach Nagaland's Tuensang.

The drone equipped with about 3,525 units of medical supplies took about 28 minutes to reach Tuensang from Mokokchung.

As per the i-Drone team, it was the longest flight ever by Drone carrying medicines in India.

In a tweet, chief minister Neiphiu Rio said that ICMR Delhi and the state government scripted a new chapter in the history of public health practices.

"ICMR Delhi long with Nagaland Government scripts a new chapter in the history of public health practices. 3525 units of medical supplies were transported from Mokokchung to Tuensang covering an aerial dist. of 40kms in 28mnts - longest flight ever by a drone carrying medicines in India," Rio said in a tweet.

In collaboration with IIT, Kanpur, the ICMR developed i-Drone is the first of its kind in South Asia to be the first flying commercial drone in the region.

This aims at supplying the COVID-19 vaccines and essential medical supplies. (ANI)
Stating that Congress has lost its path, Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) Central Working President Alok Kumar on Saturday slammed the party leader Rahul Gandhi over the latter's 'Hindu versus Hindutvavadi' comments and said that the Wayanad MP tries to pretend Hindu but commit mistake every time. Alok Kumar said, "Rahul Gandhi needs a new writer. He says he is a Hindu but doesn't believe in Hindutva. This is like you are human but don't believe in humanity. Did he forget the number of bodies in the 1984 riots and how AICC people supported partition in 1947 and killings that happened later?" "Congress has lost its way and Rahul Gandhi tries hard to pretend to be Hindu but commits mistake every time," the VHP working president said. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday again spoke about Hindu versus Hindutvavadi stating that while a Hindutvavadi could be described as someone bathing alone in the Ganges, a Hindu is one who takes crores along. Addressing a rally in Jagdishpur in his former Lok Sabha constituency of Uttar Pradesh's Amethi, the Congress MP said that the true meaning of a Hindu is someone who only follows the path of truth and never converts his fear into violence, hate and anger. (ANI)
Delhi Police has arrested a senior scientist, working at the Defence Research Development Organisation(DRDO) for carrying out a blast at Rohini Court in the national capital, affirming there was no 'terror plot' linked to the incident, an official said on Saturday. Terming the act as a murder bid, Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana, in a media briefing, said that the scientist namely Bharat Bhushan Kataria, a resident of Ashok Vihar, Delhi was arrested and during interrogation, he admitted before the police that he planted the improvised explosive device (IED) to eliminate a lawyer. Bharat Bhushan planted the IED at a place where the lawyer was likely to sit, as he was "highly frustrated due to the protracted legal battles which were causing problems in his career as well as prolonged mental harassment and monetary loss to him and his family". Incriminating material and the attire of an advocate, used in the incident, have been recovered from the residence of the accused, Asthana said. On December 9, a low-intensity blast ripped off inside courtroom number 102 of Rohini court complex at around 10.30 a.m. injuring one person present within the blast radius. This was second such incident at Rohini court complex in the past three months. Sensing the gravity of the situation, the case was handed over to the anti-terror unit of Delhi Police. Preliminary findings of NSG and FSL indicated the use of easily available materials to fabricate IED. Components of the IED were identified from debris and 'exhaustive' efforts were made to track the source of all such components. Police began its probe by verifying the CCTV footage of the court complex. "The special cell had to analyse over 100 CCTV cameras that were installed in and around the court premises. They also examined over 1000 cars that had entered the court in the past few days before the blast," the senior official said. Voluminous telephonic data relevant to crime was analysed. Based on CCTV footage and eyewitness accounts, several persons present in the court complex were identified and verified. During the investigation, the name of one Bharat Bhushan Kataria, resident of Ashok Vihar came up as a person of interest. His case was listed for hearing on the day of the blast. His opposite party, Advocate Amit Vashistha was seated in the row next to which the IED exploded. Advocate Amit Vashistha also witnessed Bharat Bhushan being present in court just before the blast. During CCTV analysis, Bharat Bhushan Kataria was found entering the court on the day of the incident at 09:33 a.m. He was dressed in a black coat and trousers to appear like an advocate. He was carrying a bag in his hand and a laptop bag on his back. He was seen entering and leaving through multiple gates, trying to weave an evasive pattern. He was seen entering the court from gate no. 7 and concealing the bags at a location inside the court premises and leaving from same gate. He then entered via gate no. 8 and retrieved the two bags he had concealed. He was seen in various cameras inside the main court building. He finally left in a hurry at 10:35 a.m. from gate no. 8 with a laptop bag on his back, while the second bag was not with him. A search of his house has revealed several incriminating pieces of evidence. Several file covers, identical to those which were present in the bag which was used in the blast, similar screws that were used as shrapnel in IED and remnants of the black adhesive tape used in fabricating the IED have been recovered from his house. Attire used by the accused to enter the court complex (Black Coat and trousers) has also been recovered from his house. Some incriminating documents and other electronic devices including laptops and mobile phones have also been seized for further investigation. From the investigation conducted so far, it has emerged that Bharat Bhushan and Advocate Amit Vashistha were living in the same building till about 3 years ago. They have a long-standing dispute of over 10 years and have filed over a dozen civil and criminal cases against each other. One such case against Bharat Bhushan was listed on 09.12.2021 in Court No. 102 of the Rohini Court. Bharat Bhushan reached the Rohini Court,and went inside the courtroom no. 102 at about 10:15 a.m. and searched for advocate Amit Vashistha. He noticed the advocate is sitting on a chair in the back row. He placed the bag containing the IED behind the lawyer and triggered the IED from a safe distance with the remote. At 10:35 a.m., he walked out from the court complex from Ring Roadside and went back home in his Ertiga car. Linking small clues to bigger evidence, the police finally reached the conclusion and arrested the senior scientist in Delhi on Friday. "The probe is still going on but after preliminary investigation, we can confirm that there was no terror angle to this crime," the official said. The Rohini Court has been in limelight for the past two months after two back-to-back attacks that have raised several questions on the security arrangements at the court premises. Even local courts have several times come down heavily on the security scenario at the Court. Earlier on September 24, in an incident that seemed ripped from a Bollywood potboiler, top Delhi gangster Jitender Singh Mann, alias Gogi, was shot dead in Rohini Court by two assailants dressed in lawyers' garb. --IANS uj/jw/shs ( 935 Words) 2021-12-19-01:42:04 (IANS)
"On Goa Liberation Day, the nation pays homage to the martyrs and freedom fighters who fought to liberate Goa from colonial rule. We also salute the exemplary courage and valour of our armed forces. I will forever cherish the memories of the Goa@60 celebrations I attended last year," tweeted Kovind.

Goa Liberation Day is observed on December 19 every year in the country. It marks the day Indian armed forces freed Goa in 1961 following 450 years of Portuguese rule.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Goa on Sunday to attend Goa Liberation Day celebrations at Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium in Goa's Taleigao at around 3 pm. (ANI)
Two monkeys, reportedly involved in the killing of over 250 dogs, have been captured by the Forest Department in Maharashtra's Beed on Saturday. The killings are believed to be an act of revenge after a few dogs killed an infant monkey. These monkeys would be released in a nearby forest. Sachin Kand, Beed Forest Officer said, "Two monkeys involved in the killing of dogs have been captured by a Nagpur Forest Department team in Beed. Both the monkeys are being shifted to Nagpur to be released in a nearby forest." As per the villagers, the monkeys had been raising their children in the Lavool village. "In the last two-three months, there have been incidents where the langurs roaming in the area would catch puppies and take them to a place with considerable height to throw them from there. At least 250 dogs have been killed so far." The villagers contacted Dharur's Forest Department after the monkeys began picking up school-going children as well, creating panic. (ANI)
Ahead of crucial Assembly polls, BJP Kisan Morcha's national executive will meet on Sunday for the first time after the suspension of the three farm laws. The national executive of the BJP Kisan Morcha will meet in Gurugram on December 19, Manoj Yadav, national media in charge of BJP Kisan Morcha said. Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar will inaugurate the event and BJP President Jagat Prakash Nadda will address the concluding session, sources said. The meeting is likely to discuss how to reach the farmers with "schemes of interest" initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi government and how to connect them with natural farming. The meeting will also strategise on upcoming elections and how to reach out to the farming community. The National President of BJP Kisan Morcha, Rajkumar Chahar said that in the meeting, other than the expansion of the organisation, issues of farmers in the country will be discussed. "In the inaugural session of the meeting, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar will give his statement to discuss work done for farmers by the Central government," he added. The BJP is planning to reach out to the farmers on the issue of repeal of farm laws. Notably, thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh had laid siege to the Singhu, Ghazipur and Tikri borders in November 2020 to demand the repeal of the three farm laws, which were finally withdrawn in the Winter Session of Parliament earlier this month. Both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha passed the Farm Laws Repeal Bill on the first day of the winter session on November 29. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha has also announced the suspension of their year-long agitation. (ANI)
"Such heinous and inhumane acts of violence are dangerous to the state. I am sure that all the people would be ready to identify and isolate such killer groups and their hateful attitudes," Vijayan said in a press conference.

He assured that the police will take strict action against those behind the acts.

Two murders of senior political functionaries from SDPI and BJP have rocked Kerala's Alappuzha, forcing the local administration to impose Section 144 in the district.

In two separate incidents, Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) state secretary KS Shaan was allegedly attacked and murdered in Kerala's Alappuzha on Saturday night. This was followed by a separate incident in which BJP OBC morcha state secretary Renjith Sreenivasan was killed at his house by unidentified people early on Sunday morning in Alappuzha.

According to the police, Shaan was on a two-wheeler when a gang in a car attacked him on Saturday night. SDPI has alleged that RSS workers are behind this attack.

Within 12 hours after Shaan's murder, BJP OBC morcha state secretary Renjith Sreenivasan was killed at his house by unidentified people early on Sunday morning in Alappuzha.Further investigation is underway. (ANI)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday paid tributes to freedom fighters Veer P Ramprasad Bismil, Thakur Roshan Singh and Ashfaq Ullah Khan who were sentenced to death by the British government for their involvement in the Kakori conspiracy. "When an independent nation was only a dream for the countrymen, then Veer P. Ramprasad Bismil, Thakur Roshan Singh and Ashfaq Ullah Khan re-ignited the flame of independence among the people by challenging the foreign rule that was robbed in Kakori. Tributes to the brave sons of Mother Bharati on their sacrifice day," tweeted Shah. The Kakori Train Action or Kakori Conspiracy was a train robbery that took place at Kakori, a village near Lucknow, on 9 August 1925 during the Indian Independence Movement against the British colonial rule. The robbery was organized by Hindustan Republican Association and more than 40 persons were arrested in this incident and they were finally sentenced to death by the British government and also severe punishments were given to those people who helped this incident. Earlier in August, the Uttar Pradesh government has renamed the 'Kakori Kand' to 'Kakori Train action' as the word 'Kand' denotes a sense of insult to this incident under India's Independence struggle. (ANI)
After an alleged attempt of sacrilege at the Golden Temple in Amritsar came to light yesterday, another alleged incident has been reported from Nizampur village in Punjab's Kapurthala district on Sunday. In a video that went viral, the man who allegedly committed the sacrilege of Nishan Sahib was seen being beaten by the locals. He was later handed over to the police. Further details are awaited. (ANI)
India has logged 7,081 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the active caseload of the country to 83,913, the lowest in nearly 1.5 years, informed the Union Health Ministry on Sunday. As per the Ministry, India's active caseload is the lowest in 570 days. "Active cases constitute 0.24 per cent of the country's total positive cases, which is lowest since March 2020," stated the Ministry. With the recovery of 7,469 patients in the last 24 hours, the cumulative tally of recovered patients since the beginning of the pandemic has increased to 3,41,78,940. Consequently, India's recovery rate stands at 98.38 per cent, the highest since March 2020. As many as 264 deaths have also been reported in the last 24 hours. As per the ministry, the cumulative death tally due to COVID-19 is 4,77,422. As per the ministry's press release, a total of 12,11,977 tests had been conducted in India in the last 24 hours. "India has so far conducted over 66.41 crore (66,41,09,365) cumulative tests." "Weekly positivity rate at 0.61 per cent remains less than 1 per cent for the last 35 days now. The daily positivity rate has been reported to be 0.58 per cent. The daily positivity rate has remained below 2 per cent for the last 76 days and below 3 per cent for 111 consecutive days now," it read. Further, the ministry informed that with the administration of 76,54,466 vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 137.46 crore (1,37,46,13,252), as per provisional reports till 7 am today. (ANI)
High-stake battle is underway between BJP and TMC to gain control of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) in the civic polls on Sunday which will decide the fate of 950 candidates. Polling is underway at 4,959 polling booths in all 144 wards of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) amid tight security and with COVID-19 protocols. Began at 7 am, voting will continue till 5 PM on Sunday. The counting of votes will take place on December 21. Both the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and its biggest opponent BJP have fielded their candidates in all 144 seats. When BJP this time is mainly focussed on youth candidates, lawyers and professors, TMC picked up relatives of ministers. All the attention this time has been drawn by TMC candidate from ward number 73, Bhowanipore Kajari Banerjee, the sister-in-law of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Left and Congress who had fought the Assembly polls jointly have decided to contest the KMC polls independently. Importantly none of the parties be it TMC, BJP or Congress, has announced the face for the post of Mayor. The matter of security for conducting the KMC elections reached the door of Calcutta High Court to Apex Court. BJP sought deployment of central forces for the KMC elections citing that they do not have trust in the state police machinery. However, the court turned down the plea for central forces. Following the interim order of the Calcutta High Court, KMC elections are being held this time without any central force. The State Election Commission informed that adequate security measures have been put in place. Besides Kolkata and West Bengal police, the state's armed forces are also deputed for the polling duty. In the 2015 KMC polls, TMC won 114 wards while the Left bagged 15. BJP managed to win six wards, Congress five and others got three. However, many opposition councilors joined the ruling camp later. (ANI)
Andaman and Nicobar Islands achieved 100 per cent double-dose COVID-19 vaccination coverage, becoming the first State/UT to achieve the milestone using only Covisheild, informed the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Administration on Sunday. The union territory administration in a series of Tweets said, "A&N achieved 100% Covid vaccine coverage making it 1st State/UT to achieve the feat using only Covishield. UT Admin overcame Insurmountable odds for this extraordinary feat in one of the remotest part of world." The UT administration stated that the COVID-19 vaccination in Andaman and Nicobar Islands had started along with the national vaccination programme launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 16, with health care staff and frontline workers being the first to receive the vaccine. It further said, "The vaccination in A&N was extremely challenging as the UT is spread over 836 islands spread over 800 km from North to South separated by rough sea, extremely dense jungle, hills and exposed to inclement weather." "The Boldest Step under the able leadership of Hon'ble Lt. Governor @Admiral_DKJoshi was vaccinating most untouched Tribes of the world in A&NI. It was a leap of faith but was necessary to protect them from COVID19," it added. Meanwhile, Andaman and Nicobar reported one fresh COVID-19 infection in the last 24 hours. The total cases of the COVID-19 infection have moved up to 7,701 including two active cases. With no deaths in the last 24 hours reported in the union territory, the death toll in Andaman and Nicobar stands at 129. As many as 7,570 have recovered from the disease in the union territory so far, including one in the last 24 hours. (ANI)
Taking to Twitter, Banerjee said, "Greetings to all my Goan brothers and sisters on the 60th Goa Liberation Day. I salute the supreme sacrifice of all our freedom fighters. On this momentous occasion, come let us pledge to usher in a New Dawn for our beautiful state and honour their sacrifice."

Goa Liberation Day is observed on December 19 every year. It marks the day Indian armed forces freed Goa in 1961 following 450 years of Portuguese rule.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Goa on Sunday to attend Goa Liberation Day celebrations at Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium in Goa's Taleigao at around 3 pm.

Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) aggressively started campaigning for the upcoming polls after former Goa Chief Minister Luizinho Faleiro joined the party. Last week the TMC supremo was embarked on a three-day visit to the coastal state.

Goa is scheduled to go for the Assembly polls in early 2022. (ANI)
As per the Ministry, a fire had broken onboard MV Kavaratti in the starboard engine room on 30 November, which was subsequently extinguished by the crew. However, because of the damage caused by the fire, the ship could not start its engines and had anchored off Androth island on 30 November awaiting towing assistance for repairs.

Based on a request from the Lakshadweep administration for towing the ship from Androth to Kochi for repairs, the Indian Navy in a quick move dispatched INS Shardul to Androth for rendering assistance to the disabled ship on 16 December.

INS Shardul reached the area on 17 December. An expert team of officers and sailors of INS Shardul along with Officer-in-Charge Naval Detachment Androth Lietanant Commander Bishnu C Panda embarked MV Kavaratti am 17 December and undertook a detailed assessment of the damage.

During the interaction, the Naval crew assisted the crew of MV Kavaratti in starting the ship's port engine. Towing gears were passed to MV Kavaratti by INS Shardul and towing trials were conducted with MV Kavaratti.

The trials provided the much-needed confidence and reassurance to the crew of MV Kavaratti towards towing operations in case of failure of the port main engine en route.

After rehearsing various emergencies, INS Shardul escorted MV Kavaratti safely to Kochi PM 18 Dec 21. During the transit, personnel from INS Shardul and Naval Detachment Androth were embarked on board to provide assistance to the MV in case of any machinery breakdown. (ANI)
"Three Pakistani terrorists killed in Srinagar within 33 days. They were involved in several terror crimes including attacks on Police/Security forces and civilian killings. It shows that Pakistan is hell-bent to disturb peace in Valley," said the IGP.

Earlier on Sunday, a terrorist was killed in an encounter with security forces in the Harwan area of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir.

The terrorist had been identified as Saifulla @ Abu Khalid @ Shawaz, a resident of Karachi in Pakistan, said the IGP.

"He is affiliated with proscribed terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). He infiltrated in 2016 and was active in the general area of Harwan and was involved in several terror crimes," he added. (ANI)
The incident took place outside Taki Boys School in ward 36 of North Kolkata.

According to Kolkata Police sources, one Congress worker has been detained in connection with this crude bomb explosion. The man was identified by analyzing CCTV footage.

The man belongs to the neighbouring ward and is being questioned by police, said sources.

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar called for peaceful voting.

After casting his vote, Governor Dhankhar said, "Peaceful voting extremely important for people to vote without any fear. I told State Election Commissioner to make necessary arrangements for peaceful voting and to ensure no state intervention."

Polling is underway at 4,959 polling booths in all 144 wards of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) amid tight security and with COVID-19 protocols.

Began at 7 am, voting will continue till 5 PM on Sunday. The counting of votes will take place on December 21. (ANI)
"We are profoundly concerned about how the concerned authorities are handling the investigation and the safety of our leaders in general. In past years, Kerala has become a hub of ideological killings of RSS and BJP people," said Laxman.

"We demand an immediate investigation and strong action against the culprits by Kerala Government," he added.

Renjith, an advocate by profession was also a respectable BJP candidate in the 2016 assembly elections in the Alappuzha constituency, OBC Morcha Kerala state secretary, as well as a member of the BJP state committee.

BJP OBC morcha state secretary Renjith Sreenivasan was allegedly murdered at his house by unidentified people early on Sunday morning in the Alappuzha district in Kerala. (ANI)
The opposition unity in the country seems like a mirage for the Congress as many regional parties are flexing their muscles to lead the flock. The strongest desire is from Mamata Banerjee, who is trying to indirectly convey that she can lead the opposition in the next elections. But the grand old party, which has been at the helm for decades, is not willing to concede and the party leaders say that without Congress there cannot be a united opposition. Sensing the overtures made by the Trinamool Congress, Sonia Gandhi called a meeting of the opposition leaders last week though it was said the meeting was called for discussing the joint strategy in Parliament, but the main motive was to show that the Congress is the principal opposition party and Sonia Gandhi the leader of the UPA. In the meeting the discussion on Mamata Banerjee was a focal point and sources say that Congress doesn't want to upset the Trinamool leader at this juncture and wants to reach out. Sources say that NCP Chief Sharad Pawar is likely to talk to Mamata and after the Parliament session, Sonia may call another meeting in which Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Maharashta Chief Minister Uddhav Thackarey will be invited. All the three parties the DMK, JMM and Shiv Sena are in alliance with the Congress. Sonia Gandhi had met the opposition leaders of the DMK, National Conference (NC), Shiv Sena, NCP, CPI-M and other like-minded parties soon after Trinamool leader Mamata Banerjee said 'there is no UPA'. After the meeting, T.R. Balu said, "We discussed the suspension of the MPs in Rajya Sabha." Farooq Abdullah of the NC said that a consensus has been built to devise a strategy to move forward." But, Trinamool was quick to react and its MP Dola Sen said, "It was not a opposition meet, but of some parties as the entire opposition was not present." Congress wants to rope in TRS Chief K. Chandrashekhar Rao in the UPA fold as he was an ally in the past. The Congress will reach out to the leaders of TRS which has been upset with the BJP increasing its footprint in the state. Though TRS had been seen as a fence sitter in Parliament which has rescued the government on multiple occasions in the Upper House, but in this session it decided to boycott the remaining part of the Parliament session on the issue of paddy procurement in the state. But the real reason for the TRS getting miffed with the BJP is former TRS leader Eatala Rajender, who was dropped from the state cabinet by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao in May. Rajender quit the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and also resigned from the state Assembly, but later won the bypolls on a BJP ticket. The Congress is also trying to unite the opposition on the issue of suspended 12 Rajya Sabha MPs. Mallikarjun Kharge, the Leader of opposition, has held several meetings in the House, and even Rahul Gandhi participated in the march in solidarity with the suspended MPs. The suspended 12 MPs include those from Trinamool also, but the Trinamool kept itself at a distance from the rest of the opposition and raised the issue and participated in House proceedings a number of times. --IANS miz/dpb ( 568 Words) 2021-12-19-09:36:02 (IANS)
After the government cleared a proposal of increasing the age of marriage of girls from 18 to 21 years, a controversy has erupted with a Muslim body objecting and the Congress saying that it should not be implemented in 2022. Jamaat-e-Islami Hind has expressed its concern over the move to raise the legal age of marriage for women to 21 In a statement, the JIH President Sadatullah Husaini said: "We do not think it is a wise move to raise the legal age of marriage for women to 21 in India. Currently, there is a global consensus that the legal age of marriage for women should be 18 years." He said the government feels that increasing the age to 21 will increase the age of motherhood, lower fertility rates and improve the health of mothers and newborns. However, data does not support this approach. "The poor health indicators of mothers and young infants in our country are because of poverty and malnourishment. Raising the age limit will have no bearing on these health indicators if poverty and poor access to healthcare remain at existing elevated levels. Fertility rates are falling even in states with high rates of early marriage. So assuming that raising the legal age of marriage for women to 21 is going to improve the lot of women is erroneous and not backed by empirical data," he added Ina tweet Husaini said, "The government should not pass the law in haste, but evolve a consensus on the issue by initiating a dialogue with community leaders and subject matter experts from the associated domains." The Congress has also said that it is early to introduce the law and before that creating awareness is necessary. P. Chidambaram said, "There is a debate on the wisdom of raising the age of marriage to 21 for girls and making it the same as it is for boys. My view is that the age of marriage should be common for both girls and boys at 21 years. But the amended law should come into force on 1-1-2023 or later. The year 2022 should be used for a massive educational campaign on the benefits of marrying only after a boy or girl attains the age of 21 years." The Jamaat-e-Islami Hind argued that the move goes against the law of nature and will create psychological, medical, social and human rights issues. It is evident from surveys that some women who become a first time mother after the age of 30, might face a lot of problems. The increase in the age limit will also impact on the nature of our country's population, in the long run, which has now more number of younger people, say the Jamaat leaders. "Certainly, the young population is a most valuable asset for a country. Once the proposal becomes law, it will negatively affect the tribal communities and subject them to more harassment at the hands of law-enforcement machinery," it said. --IANS miz/dpb ( 511 Words) 2021-12-19-09:54:04 (IANS)
Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Saturday said that the incident of alleged sacrilege attempt at Golden Temple in Amritsar should not be politicised and demanded strict action in the matter. Addressing the media here, Badal said, "Those who commit sacrilege should be held. This is disrespect of the Guru. It should not be politicised. From the last five years, no action has been taken and therefore these people are now fearless. I ask the Congress government to take strict action at the soonest." He also termed the incident a "well-thought-out conspiracy" and urged the Centre and state government to find the "powers" behind these acts that surface every election. "The sacrilege at Golden Temple is the highest form of disrespect; it is unimaginable," he said while adding that such incidents must be stopped at once. An FIR under sections 295A and 307 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been filed against an unknown accused of the deliberate and malicious intention of outraging the religious feelings and attempt to murder. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Sanjeev Kumar informed that the security arrangements at the Golden Temple has been made and said that the situation has remained peaceful by far. "After yesterday''s incident, we have made security arrangements here (at Golden Temple). Many Sangats come on weekends... although the situation is peaceful," he said. Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has condemned the incident and directed state police to "thoroughly probe the matter and find the real conspirators". A man was beaten to death by angry devotees after he allegedly attempted to commit sacrilege at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, police said on Saturday. The incident took place during evening prayers yesterday when the man jumped over the metal railing around the Guru Granth Sahib and allegedly attempted to desecrate the Holy Book of the Sikhs with a sword. (ANI)
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday accused the media of suppressing the voice of the Opposition. "Sad! Many media companions only show the face of one person, suppress the voice of the opposition - do not allow it to reach the public. Did that person ever raise a voice for you?" said the Congress leader in a tweet in Hindi. "Do whatever you feel is right, but if there will be injustice-violence against you, then I was with you in the past, I will remain with you in the future," he added. (ANI)
Shankar, the farmer said that he had invested Rs 2.5 lakhs in garlic and was being offered only Rs 1 lakh for it.

"We do not want any bonus from the government, just the right price for our crop," he said.

Following the incident, mandi employees handed him over to the police.

Jitendra Pathak, Yashodharman police station in-charge said, "A farmer was upset for getting less price for his crop in the market, so he set his one quintal of garlic crop on fire."

"In the preliminary investigation, no damage has been done to anyone else in the vicinity," he added.

Presently, there is a bumper garlic crop in the Mandsaur Krishi Upaj Mandi and farmers from different districts are coming to sell their produce here. (ANI)
He recalled the 'monumental contributions' of the brave freedom fighters of Goa on the occasion of Goa Liberation Day.

"Delighted to be among my sisters and brothers of Goa, that too on the special occasion of Goa Liberation Day. Began my visit by paying tributes at the Martyrs' Memorial. We will never forget the monumental contributions of the brave freedom fighters of Goa," tweeted PM Modi.

PM Modi felicitated the freedom fighters and veterans of 'Operation Vijay' as part of Goa Liberation Day celebrations.

Earlier today, he paid floral tributes at Martyr's Memorial, Azad Maidan in Panaji.

Goa Liberation Day is celebrated on December 19 every year to mark the success of 'Operation Vijay' undertaken by the Indian Armed Forces that liberated Goa from Portuguese rule. (ANI)
After casting his vote, Dhankhar told the media, "Peaceful voting is extremely important for people to vote without any fear. I told State Election Commissioner to make necessary arrangements for peaceful voting and to ensure no state intervention."

"We all should work according to the law and order. Last night, State Election Commissioner Saurav Das directed that only Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and MP Abhishek Banerjee's security will be able to go to the polling booth. My security persons have also complied with this order. It is our duty to follow the law and order," he added.

The Governor said that the National Human Rights Commission has also commented many times on the violent incidents which took place after the 2021 assembly elections.

Amid the polling for Kolkata Municipal elections, a crude bomb was hurled today outside a polling booth injuring a voter. The incident took place outside Taki Boys School in ward 36 of North Kolkata.

According to Kolkata Police sources, one Congress worker has been detained in connection with this crude bomb explosion. The man was identified by analyzing CCTV footage.

Polling is underway at 4,959 polling booths in all 144 wards of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) amid tight security and with COVID-19 protocols.

The voting began at 7 am and will continue till 5 PM on Sunday. The counting of votes will take place on December 21. (ANI)
With the majority of the Bihar police busy in enforcing the liquor ban, the fuel mafias are using this situation to their advantage to smuggle fuel from the border areas, especially from the border districts adjoining Uttar Pradesh. At present, the difference in petrol and diesel prices in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh is big and it is turning out to be a great source of income for people living in West Champaran, Gopalganj, Siwan, Saran Bhojpur, Buxar, Kaimur and Rohtas districts. Such a situation emerged in the border areas after the central government reduced Value Added Tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel ahead of assembly elections in five states including Uttar Pradesh. It has also asked all the states to reduce VAT. Following the instructions of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, the BJP ruled states reduced VAT more than the states ruled by other parties. In Bihar, the NDA is in power in alliance with the JDU to which Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also belongs. But he has not reduced VAT as much as BJP ruled states like Uttar Pradesh did. At present, the price difference in petrol is Rs 13 per litre. In Bihar, the price of petrol is Rs 108.71 per litre while in Uttar Pradesh the price of petrol is just Rs 95.71 per litre. Similarly, the price of diesel in Bihar is Rs 93.72 per litre while it is available at Rs 87.24 in Uttar Pradesh. As a result, people living in West Champaran are crossing Kushinagar border, purchasing the fuel in gallons and returning to their native places during the night. Similarly, people living on the borders of Uttar Pradesh in Gopalganj district go to Kushinagar and Deoria, residents of Siwan and Saran go to Balia, residents of Buxar are frequently crossing the Bharauli border to enter Ghazipur district, Kaimur's residents go to Chandauli and Sonbhadra districts while Rohtas's residents generally go to Sonbhadra district to buy fuel at cheaper rates. "Smuggling of petrol and diesel is less dangerous than smuggling of liquor from Uttar Pradesh to Bihar. I used to go to Kushinagar in the evening and wait in the queue at fuel pumps for my turn. I used to completely fill the petrol tank of my WagonR car and also fill two cans of 30 litres each in the dickey and easily return to my native place in West Champaran. It is a fruitful business for us as we used to sell it for Rs 5 to Rs 6 less compared to the price of petrol at the petrol pumps in West Champaran," said Radhe Verma, a resident of West Champaran who did not mention the name of his village. "After the Bihar police's continuous raids to search of liquor in the state, we have left the manufacturing of liquor for some time. Now, we have jumped into the smuggling of petrol. It has a good margin of Rs 7 to Rs 8 per litre. The chances of a raid are minimal in this case. Moreover, we take non-motorable routes to smuggle petrol in the night using bicycles. The district police cannot dare to challenge us," said Lal Kishore Prasad, a resident of Gopalganj who also goes to Kushinagar. The administrations of the respective districts of Uttar Pradesh know that the long queues at the fuel pumps in Bihar were due to the illegal traders of petrol and diesel but they hardly stop them from buying such large quantities. One of the reasons is assembly elections. The Uttar Pradesh authorities know that these people have relatives in both the states and disturbing them could hurt the ruling party in the state. A fuel station manager at Hanumanganj in Kushinagar district said that the sale at his station has increased by 70%. "We are operating it round the clock to take maximum benefits from it," he said requesting anonymity. Santosh Kumar Yadav, the SHO of Hanumanganj police station in Kushinagar said: "We have received information about long queues outside fuel stations. The information has been passed to other police stations of other districts adjoining the borders of Bihar. We will initiate a campaign against it." The Bihar government is facing huge criticism over the poor implementation of the liquor ban. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, in a bid to stop wrongdoings in the state, has given the charge to KK Pathak, additional chief secretary, to curb the smuggling of liquor in the state especially from the border areas. Recently, he visited Dalkola check post in Purnea district and directed the officials to ascertain the geographical location of every road connected to the borders and prepare plans to stop the smuggling of liquor. It is believed that once liquor smuggling is stopped, it will put the breaks on other such activities. --IANS ajk/bg ( 812 Words) 2021-12-19-11:06:01 (IANS)
The killing of 14 persons in Mon district of Nagaland on December 4, 21 years after the 'Malom massacre' of 10 people in Manipur, both by the security forces, triggered a strong demand for the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) from the entire northeastern region. In November 2000, 10 people were killed by the para-military forces at a bus stop at Malom Makha Leikai in Manipur's Imphal West District and immediately after that rights activist Irom Sharmila went on a hunger strike that continued for 16 long years demanding the repeal of the AFSPA. Sharmila's hunger strike had rocked the entire northeast region against the AFSPA and drew the attention of the country and the world to this contentious act. Twenty one years after Manipur's 'Malom massacre', the killing of 14 people in Nagaland again vociferously raised the demand to repeal or withdraw the Act. Senior officials of the central para-military forces and other security officials on condition of anonymity separately told IANS that the situation had improved a lot in the region and militancy was also tamed, but withdrawing AFSPA at the moment would be risky considering the situation in certain parts of the region and in neighbouring Myanmar, where several northeast militant outfits have taken shelter. The AFSPA, which allows the Army and other central para-military forces to conduct raids, operations, arrest anyone anywhere without prior notice or arrest warrant, is in force in Nagaland, Assam, Manipur barring the Imphal municipal council area and certain districts of Arunachal Pradesh. Tripura is the only state in the northeastern region where AFSPA was withdrawn in May 2015 by the then Left Front government led by Chief Minister Manik Sarkar after terror activities were tamed. The AFSPA was also lifted from the bordering areas of Meghalaya in 2018. The Union Home Ministry from time to time reviewing the security situation extends the period of AFSPA from six months to one year. Political commentator in the northeast region and writer Sushanta Talukdar said: "The December 4 and 5 Nagaland incidents are likely to find Naga rebel groups hardening their positions on their demand for repeal of the AFPSA, making the task tougher for the government and the Centre's interlocutor besides hampering the ongoing peace dialogue with the NSCN (IM) and other groups." "A breakdown in the peace talks will hold the civilians hostage to an armed conflict situation for an uncertain period. The AFSPA issue is hanging like the Damocles sword over the Central Government," Talukdar told IANS. In November 2004, the Central government appointed a five-member committee headed by Justice (retd) B. P. Jeevan Reddy to review the provisions of the act in the northeastern states. The committee, which submitted its report in June 2005, had recommended that AFSPA should be repealed and appropriate provisions should be inserted in the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. The Unlawful Activities Act should be modified to clearly specify the powers of the armed forces and paramilitary forces and grievance cells should be set up in each district where the armed forces are deployed. Author and political commentator Sanjoy Hazarika, who was also a member of the Jeevan Reddy panel, has been suggesting withdrawing the AFSPA from the entire northeastern region. Terming the AFSPA as "draconian", National People's Party (NPP) MP Agatha Sangma demanded that the government repeal the act and accept the Jeevan Reddy committee recommendations. Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio in his series of comments after the December 4 killings, said that the firing by the security forces that left 14 civilians dead and 30 injured, was a misuse and abuse of the AFSPA which "is violative of human rights" and opposed by the Naga people for decades. Rio had said: "We have been asking the government to repeal the AFSPA from the entire country. This is a draconian law. There are so many acts and provisions to deal with the insurgency. India is a great democratic nation. Such an act and its misuse damages the image of the country." The Nagaland Chief Minister's comments were echoed by Meghalaya Chief Minister and NPP President Conrad K. Sangma. "The AFSPA did not help much in containing the militancy in the northeastern region. To curb the insurgency in the region, the government should take other approaches including inclusive development and ethnic friendly schemes," Sangma said. Except the Bharatiya Janata Party, all major political parties including the Congress, CPI-M, CPI, Trinamool Congress, Naga People's Front (NPF), National People's Party (NPP), Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and almost all local and regional parties have been demanding the repeal of the AFSPA. The NPP, NPF, IPFT and NDPP are the ruling allies of the BJP in Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura and Manipur. While demanding repeal of the AFSPA and a court monitored probe into the killing of 14 civilians by armed forces personnel, the influential Naga Students' Federation (NSF) in a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Nagaland government to probe the December 4 incident would not do justice to the wilful acts of the armed forces under the protection of the repressive AFSPA. Detailing the incidents of "killing and torture by the security forces since 1960", in Nagaland, the memorandum said that the "government of India continued to suppress the legitimate people's movement through military means even after having realised that the same would not reap the desired dividends". "Some Indian leaders are coming out publicly to defend the atrocious acts and thereby legitimising the murders, tortures, rapes, molestations of innocent Naga civilians and botched army operations, deeply hurting the sentiments of the Naga people while also flaring up our emotions," the six-page memorandum said on Friday. The Nagaland government would hold a special session of the Assembly on Monday to discuss and pass a resolution for repealing the AFSPA. (Sujit Chakraborty can be contacted at sujit.c@ians.in) --IANS sc/bg ( 1009 Words) 2021-12-19-11:08:01 (IANS)
The Tamil Nadu Police have arrested a self-styled godman Sathiya Narayanan and his wife Pushpalatha after he was charged with sexually abusing a woman devotee. Police said that Pushpalatha had helped Sathiya Narayanan rape the woman when she was 16 years of age. The arrests were made on Saturday. The police said that objectionable photos of the girl were taken. She was threatened that if she raised a complaint, her photos would be circulated in the public domain. The accused and his wife own a temple, 'Shirdipuram Sarva Shakthi Peedam Sai Baba Koil', in Chennai. The victim in her complaint said, "I was staying with my grandmother while I was in Class 12 and we frequented the temple. On April 12, 2016, I was asked to get the sacred ash. When I went to the temple Pushpalatha gave me juice and after two hours, I was lying naked in the bed with Sathiya Narayanan and Pushpalatha by my side." In the complaint, she also said that Sathiya Narayanan had informed her that she was burdened with sins and that he had freed her. She moved out of the place and got married in 2018. Her husband, according to her, went abroad in search of a job and Sathiya Narayanan called her in March 2020 and threatened her to meet him. In the complaint, she said, "I went to meet him and he raped me repeatedly stating that I would send my naked photos to my husband." In July 2020, the victim came to know that she was pregnant and Sathiya Narayan and Pushpalatha wanted her to abort the fetus which she did not support, and gave birth to a baby in January 2021. She said that her husband visited the family and returned in November after which Sathiya again called her to meet him and she had no other means but to inform her husband. After this, she lodged a complaint with the police who promptly arrested both Sathiya Narayanan and his wife Pushpalatha. Both have been remanded in judicial custody. --IANS aal/dpb ( 355 Words) 2021-12-19-11:30:05 (IANS)
Landmark decisions taken by the Jammu and Kashmir Government in the recent past have shaken leaders like Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti and National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah to the core. They are picking up holes with everything. Former J&K chief ministers are trying to tell the people that their rights are being snatched and they may end up losing everything in the near future. It's unfortunate that they are peddling blatant lies to become relevant again. After August 5, 2019 -- when the Centre announced its decision to revoke J&K's special status and bifurcated into two union territories -- many things have changed in the erstwhile state. The new progressive laws that have been introduced during the past two and a half years have put the traditional Kashmiri politicians in a quandary as J&K has witnessed a new era of development and prosperity. A common man in Kashmir has realised that their leaders only raised slogans and failed to deliver. Now, when things have started moving and a solid foundation is being laid for "Naya Jammu and Kashmir" these leaders are trying to reverse the clock by talking about getting everything back. Addressing a youth convention in frontier Rajouri district recently Mehbooba Mufti, asked youth to fight for restoration of 'snatched' rights peacefully. She told the youth that if they don't show courage today the coming generations would raise questions as the land, jobs and even mining minerals were going to the outsiders. Soon after the J&K administration announced the changes in the land use laws and approved the regulations framed by the Board of Revenue for conversion of agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes, Mehbooba cried foul by stating that it's an attempt to "change demography" of Jammu and Kashmir. Omar Abdullah too joined the chorus by saying that the changes in the land use rules would "undo the major reforms" undertaken in the erstwhile state. People are trying to gather what these leaders are trying to sell as their assertions and claims are in no way impressing them. Only 7 plots purchased by outsiders in 2-years The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) last week informed the Rajya Sabha that "seven plots of land" have been purchased by persons from outside the union territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir since August 5, 2019, and all these plots have been brought in the Jammu region. The Article 370 deprived J&K of witnessing an industrial boom as there were restrictions on land purchase due to the so-called special status enjoyed by the erstwhile princely state. After J&K's reorganisation, the Ministry of Home Affairs in October 2020 issued a notification to amend the Land Revenue Act. It paved the way for anyone from other parts of the country to buy land in J&K, including agricultural land. And now the government has empowered the District Collectors to grant permission to the change in land use from agricultural to non-agricultural purposes in accordance with the procedure as to be notified by the Board of Revenue. Infusing new life into moribund industrial sector All these steps are being taken to build a new industrial infrastructure in J&K. This sector remained in moribund condition since 1947. None of the erstwhile regimes either in the Centre or in the State made any attempt to infuse new life into J&K's industrial sector. Had the rulers focused on these issues, J&K would not have remained an area without industries. When the Centre is trying to attract investors into J&K and is making an effort to end the sufferings of people of the Himalayan region, the Kashmir-based leaders, who ruled J&K for the past seven decades are feeling uneasy. They are trying to build a fake narrative about everything being sold to outsiders and natives being deprived of their rights. They are not realising that despite the J&K administration trying to open up new avenues, not many people are coming forward to invest as no businessman would like to get stuck in a place where there is uncertainty and chaos. During the past two years the Central and J&K Governments have taken many steps to instill confidence among the investors. The Kashmiri leaders, who are trying to create a perception that J&K has lost everything and they are the Messiahs should understand that nothing can change till employment avenues are created and people's standard of living improves. Govt cannot employ everyone One cannot expect the rulers to provide government jobs to everyone. In the past two years more than 20,000 posts have been announced in J&K and the process is on to fill the vacancies in various departments. But only 20 to 30,000 people getting employed won't end unemployment. More needs to be done and the present dispensation is trying to do the same. After August 5, 2019, many big companies have shown interest to invest in J&K, but for that they need a secure environment and a guarantee that their investments would remain secure. The so-called Messiahs (Kashmir-based leaders) need to be told that corporate or big business houses can invest in any part of the world. The present J&K regime is trying to convince these big business houses to come and invest in J&K so that denizens don't have to migrate to other places to find decent jobs. J&K has an army of unemployed skilled and unskilled workers. The issue of unemployment cannot be addressed without throwing the union territory open to the investors. The Kashmir-based leaders should sit back and introspect. They need to ask themselves how keeping J&K out of bounds for the outsiders helped a common citizen in the Himalayan region? Since the day Article 370 has been abrogated the ground situation has changed and people have at least started thinking about investing in J&K. Kashmir-based leaders should stop selling the "old wine in a new bottle". They should become a part of change rather than acting as a stumbling block. Their attempts to instigate the people are not working and no one is taking them seriously. The common man has understood that the governance in J&K was at its lowest ebb when the political regimes ruled the erstwhile state. The Central rule has opened a plethora of opportunities for a common Kashmiri and he is no more interested in getting back what these leaders are talking about. --IANS dpb/ ( 1067 Words) 2021-12-19-11:40:03 (IANS)
Terming the Amritsar's sacrilege incident at Sri Darbar Sahib a most unfortunate, Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Sunday said that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Law and Order had been constituted, which would present an investigation report within two days. According to the Office of Deputy Chief Minister's, Punjab, Randhawa held a meeting with Civil and Police officers at Police Lines where IG Border Range Mohnish Chawla, Police Commissioner Dr Sukhchain Singh Gill, Deputy Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Khaira, SSP (Rural) Rakesh Kaushal, S Rajinder Singh Mehta, S Harjap Singh Suktanwind and S Sukhdev Singh Bhoorakona from SGPC were also present. After the meeting, the Deputy CM said that "it was a very unfortunate incident and the police will get to the bottom of it." It has come during a preliminary investigation that the accused entered the Sri Darbar Sahib complex at 11:30 am and he stayed at Parikarma of the holiest shrine, which termed that the accused was here with a target, the press statement said. The CCTV footage of markets adjoining Sri Darbar Sahib was also being scanned to ascertain that the accused came from which way and was there anyone with him, Randhawa said. The state government will enquire about the entire incident jointly with the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). He also made it clear that the accused was not identified so far and his post-mortem is being conducted shortly. Punjab Police in association with the SGPC will ensure that the Gurdwaras have its CCTV cameras, which should be fully operational, he added. The Deputy Chief Minister also mentioned that the Punjab Vidhan Sabha passed a resolution in 2018 to amend section 298 into 295-A but so far no action had been taken so far by the Centre. He said that section 295-A had a provision of 10-years imprisonment if anyone indulged in the sacrilege of any religion. The State Government will also send a letter to the Centre for approval of section 295-A. Randhawa also issued directions to the Director-General of Police (DGP), all Commissioners of Police and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSPs) to strengthen round the clock security around all Gurudwaras/Temples/Mosques/Churches and other religious places. The CCTVs should be functional in the complexes where Guru Granth Sahib are placed beside other religious scriptures in all religious places, the Deputy CM said. He also said that police should have an active liaison with SGPC and all gurudwaras committees and ensure that Guru Granth Saab should not be left unattended at any time. (ANI)
Apart from the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur, the municipal elections in Delhi are also slated for the next year, and the political parties are leaving no stone unturned to get maximum seats in these elections. Congress MP and the party's Delhi in-charge Shaktisinh Gohil shared some insights of how his party is preparing to reinstate itself in Delhi and the corporations. He said, "The love for the Congress party has always been there among the people of Delhi; The Sheila Dikshit-led government remained in power for 15 years and people have not been able to forget the developmental works that were done by her. Under the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, people are feeling cheated. "Congress is getting back its vote bank in Delhi and we are also working hard; we are taking out 'Poll-Khol' yatra in Delhi and considering the support of the people, it seems that the Congress will stand firmly." In the Delhi Municipal Corporation by-elections held earlier, in five wards, the AAP won four seats, while the Congress had captured one seat. According to Gohil, the vote percentage of the Congress has increased in the by-elections, and thus the party will get the benefit in the civic elections. Slamming the AAP for the promises being made by the Chief Minister in other states, Gohil said, "State Congress is exposing the truth of the promises being made by the Chief Minister in other states. The promises they (AAP) made in other states, they have not been able to deliver to the people in Delhi till now." He further said, "Delhi is a state where there is a surplus budget and during Sheila Dixit's time -- big flyovers were built, which ended the problem of traffic, but today we are again facing the same problem due to the lack of development." Municipal elections are slated to be held in April 2022 and the model code of conduct is likely to be imposed in March. According to Gohil, based on the public interaction, there are a lot of issues, which the Congress will take up. Recalling the Covid pandemic era, he said, "People had to face trouble without ICU beds in Delhi; the BJP and the AAP could not help the distressed people at the time of corona, we ran the 'Congress ki Rasoi' and our workers came forward to help the people." Congress and its leaders are constantly claiming that the party will get benefit in the civic and other elections, however many leaders have left the Delhi unit, due to which it is being believed that the party will have a big disadvantage in corporation elections. Although Gohil believes that there is always some reason behind leaving the party, possibly, greed or anger. "But those who left the Congress party in Delhi or other states have regretted it and later they also came back," he said. He said, "Good and bad times come for every party, but the voters and supporters do not go with those who compromise on their ideology. Those who are leaving the party will not cause long term loss to the party, but they themselves will repent." On a query regarding the benefits that the employees and people would have, if the Congress is voted to power, Gohil said, "During the Congress government, no matter whoever is in power in the corporation, the salaries of the employees were never stopped, but now the employees have to go on strike for salaries." "At present, the BJP and AAP are accusing each other, but what is the fault of common people in this? People are upset with the fight between the two parties. We will fix this in our government," he asserted. When asked about who will be the challenger for the Congress in the corporation elections, Gohil said, "It is the public which decides, our job is to serve the people, our leaders are preparing a positive manifesto for the people of Delhi in which there will be no tall claims and when we will come to power, we will fulfill our promises. The Delhi Congress would be depending on young faces in more than 130 wards in the upcoming municipal elections. At the same time, party leaders and workers are planning to highlight the developments done during the Sheila Dikshit government. --IANS msk/shs/dpb ( 738 Words) 2021-12-19-12:24:03 (IANS)
Police sources said that trooper Deonath Yadav of 118 battalion who hailed from Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh, committed suicide by shooting himself with his service rifle in the Gund area of Ganderbal district.

An FIR was registered and an investigation has been launched to find out the reason behind this extreme step, police sources said.

--IANS sq/sks/dpb

( 86 Words)

2021-12-19-12:30:02 (IANS)
The BJP has demanded CBI investigation into the alleged sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib in the sanctum sanctorum of Golden Temple in Amritsar 'so that such instances are not used to disturb the peace in Punjab'. The BJP has appealed to Union Minister Amit Shah to persuade Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Channi to handover the case to the CBI. Condemning the incident, BJP national spokesperson Sardar R.P. Singh said, "I strongly condemn the attempt to desecrate Sri Guru Granth Sahib in Darbar Sahib. I also demand the Charanjit Singh Channi government to immediately handover the case to the CBI so that the truth should be known, unlike Bargari, culprits of which are still roaming free." Singh pointed out that the CBI investigation will find truth like who the person was, what was his intention and people behind him. He appealed to the people to put pressure on the Channi government to handover the case to the CBI. "I appeal to Home Minister Amit Shah to persuade Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi to handover the matter of 'beadbi' (sacrilege) at Darbar Sahib immediately to the CBI for fair investigation so that this instance shouldn't be used to disturb the peace in Punjab," Singh said. On Saturday evening, a man was allegedly beaten to death after he tried to desecrate the sacred Guru Granth Sahib at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The youth, reportedly belonging to Uttar Pradesh, entered the restricted area and tried to pick up the sword kept in front of the Guru Granth Sahib. He was caught by security persons and was handed over to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) office, where he was beaten to death. --IANS ssb/dpb ( 297 Words) 2021-12-19-12:54:02 (IANS)
Most women's rights activists have welcomed the Centre's move to increase the minimum age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 years, but a few said that this step alone would not empower women and several others were needed. The union cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the decision to increase the minimum age of marriage for women from existing 18 years to 21 years. Speaking to ANI on the phone, a woman's rights activist, Abha Singh welcomed the government decision saying it would provide girls with a level-playing field in health and education. Another activist Barkha Shukla also welcomed the Centre's move saying that it would enable a girl to make her own choices and plan her future and help end age-old customs and traditions. Activist Zakia Soman too hailed the move, but said that this step alone would not be sufficient and more measures would be required to elevate their socio-economic condition. However, activist Subhashini Ali opposed the government's decision. She said the move would increase criminalisation of marriages in the cases of women who marry by their own choice. In such marriages by the girl's choice, parents opposed to it sometimes file cases of abduction and the chances of this would go up. However, opposing the move of the Centre, Vice President of All India Democratic Women's Association, Subhashini Ali said, "Our organisation, All India Democratic Women's Association, has issued a statement opposing the decision of the government. The problem is not being addressed that women are not free to exert choice in the matter of their own marriages and often when they enter into a choice marriage, their parents go to the police and file a complaint of abduction claiming that she is a minor and a criminal case is filed and the whole process of marriage becomes criminalised. If age is increased to 21, the possibility of this happening goes up even more." "When we talk about empowering women, the first thing we have to do is ensure their rights. Also, you have to increase the efforts and money spent on their higher education, nutrition and security," she added. On the contrary, Abha Singh said, "I welcome the decision of the government because it gives girls in India a level-playing field, be it in the field of health or education as 18 is no age to get married. Today, there are professional courses, competitive exams such as the IAS exam for which the minimum age is 21. So if a girl gets married at 18, how can she think of such exams? Those girls who want to study further and are ambitious would be able to do so with the increase in age. She can stand on her own feet and stand up to her parents' pressure. Even today, 25 per cent of the girls are married before they turn 18. Echoing similar views, Barkha Shukla said, "I think it is the right decision by the government because girls should be educated. It should be implemented. At the age of 18 one is too young to get married. 21 years is a good age to get married at. At this age, the girl can make her own choices and plan her future accordingly. Everyone should support the move of the government and end the orthodox traditions." Talking about the maternal mortality rate, Abha Singh said, "The latest study shows that the maternal mortality rate in Kerala is the least as it is the most literate state in India. The rate in the state is 43 women per 1 lakh. That means if the women are educated and independent, there is a lower maternal mortality rate. But Uttar Pradesh has 197 per 1 lakh maternal mortality rate." Adding to it, Zakia Soman said, "Definitely education will help and shedding the male-dominated mindset at home and outside will help." Asked about the political reactions on the issue from different political parties, Abha Singh said that the parties should suspend such leaders for making derogatory remarks. While speaking on the matter Barkha Shukla termed the reactions as the "political agenda" of the parties. Meanwhile, Zakia Soman said that the comments show the mindset of the political leaders today adding that they need to change with changing times. Earlier, Samajwadi Party MP ST Hasan had said that if the minimum marriageable age is increased to 21, there is a possibility of women becoming indisciplined. (ANI)
A day after a man was beaten to death for an alleged sacrilege attempt at Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Sunday visited the temple premises to take stock of the situation. Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa was also present at the venue along with the Chief Minister who paid obeisance at the shrine. Terming the incident at Sri Darbar Sahib as most unfortunate, Randhawa earlier today said that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under Amritsar's deputy commissioner of police (Law and Order) had been constituted, which would present an investigation report within two days. According to the Office of Deputy Chief Minister, Punjab, Randhawa held a meeting with Civil and Police officers at Police Lines where Inspector general of police (Border Range) Mohnish Chawla, Police Commissioner Dr Sukhchain Singh Gill, Deputy Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Khaira, SSP (Rural) Rakesh Kaushal, S Rajinder Singh Mehta, S Harjap Singh Suktanwind and S Sukhdev Singh Bhoorakona from SGPC were also present. After the meeting, the Deputy CM said that the incident was "very unfortunate" and that the police will get to the bottom of it. "It has come during a preliminary investigation that the accused entered the Sri Darbar Sahib complex at 11:30 am and he stayed at Parikarma of the holiest shrine, which termed that the accused was here with a target, the press statement said. The CCTV footage of markets adjoining Sri Darbar Sahib was also being scanned to ascertain where that the accused had come from and whether he was accompanied by anyone, Randhawa said. The state government will enquire about the entire incident jointly with the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). He also made it clear that the accused was not identified so far and his post-mortem will be conducted shortly. Punjab Police in association with the SGPC will ensure that the Gurdwaras have its CCTV cameras, which should be fully operational, he added. The Deputy Chief Minister also mentioned that the Punjab Vidhan Sabha passed a resolution in 2018 to amend section 298 into 295-A but so far no action had been taken so far by the Centre. He said that section 295-A had a provision of 10-years imprisonment if anyone indulged in the sacrilege of any religion. The State Government will also send a letter to the Centre for approval of section 295-A. Randhawa also issued directions to the Director-General of Police (DGP), all Commissioners of Police and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSPs) to strengthen round the clock security around all Gurudwaras/Temples/Mosques/Churches and other religious places. The CCTVs should be functional in the complexes where Guru Granth Sahib are placed beside other religious scriptures in all religious places, the Deputy CM said. He also said that police should have an active liaison with SGPC and all gurudwaras committees and ensure that Guru Granth Saab should not be left unattended at any time. (ANI)
For the first time after the passing away of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat in a helicopter crash, all the Army commanders of the 1.3 million-strong force would be in the national capital from December 23-24 to discuss the security situation along the China and Pakistan border in the present circumstances. The meeting would be taking place at a time when the senior-most military officer of the country lost his life in a chopper crash along with his wife Madhulika Rawat and 12 other personnel. "All the Army commanders would be meeting in Delhi on December 23 and 24 and discuss the present security situation along the borders with China and Pakistan," government sources told ANI. All Army commanders would also be briefed on the security situation especially along the China border which has maintained a high number of troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India opposite Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh area despite extreme winters. The Eastern, Central and Northern Commands of the Army are responsible for guarding the border with China from Arunachal Pradesh to Ladakh. The largest area is covered by the Eastern Army Command along the China border. After the passing away of the CDS, the government is working on the appointment of his successor and the process has already been initiated by the Defence ministry. The Army Commanders are also expected to hold discussions on the ongoing reforms in the Army and enhancing jointness with the other two services. (ANI)
Pappu Dev, the dreaded gangster of Bihar's Kosi region, has died of a heart attack at a hospital in Saharsa district. The dreaded criminal was arrested after an encounter in Saharsa on Friday night, when he along with his gang members went to Sarahi village to illegally acquire a piece of land. Pappu and his aides opened fire at a police party, which triggered the encounter. Besides Pappu Dev, three more gang members were also arrested, while some others managed to escape, officials said. "We conducted a raid in Sarahi village. Our police surrounded the area and asked them to surrender. Some of his aides managed to escape from the spot, while Pappu Dev and three of his men were trapped inside the premises where they went to acquire the land," an officer of the Sadar police station said. "We asked them to surrender before the police but they refused and tried to flee the spot by jumping a wall. However, Pappu Dev fell from the wall and was injured. As he was injured and was also complaining of chest pain, we admitted him to the Sadar hospital at 2.05 a.m. on Saturday. About an hour later when the doctors referred him to Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), he died on the way," the officer added. Saharsa police seized an automatic rifle, three pistols, three country made Kattas, 47 live bullets and several dead cartridges from their possession. Pappu Dev emerged as a notorious gangster of the Kosi region in the 1990s. --IANS ajk/sks/ksk/ ( 266 Words) 2021-12-19-13:34:04 (IANS)
Continuing the Hindu versus Hindutvavadi debate, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said that Hindus believe that every person's DNA is unique and different while a Hindutvavadi believes that all Indians have the same DNA. Taking to Twitter, the Wayanad MP said, "Hindus believe that every person's DNA is different and unique. Hindutvavadi believes that all Indians have the same DNA." Earlier on Saturday, he said that a Hindutvavadi could be described as someone bathing alone in the Ganges while a Hindu is one who takes crores along. Addressing a rally in Jagdishpur in his former Lok Sabha constituency of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress MP said the true meaning of a Hindu is that one follows only the path of truth and never converts his fear into violence, hate and anger. Reacting to his comment on Hindus versus Hindutvavadi, Vishva Hindu Parishad Central Working President Alok Kumar said Rahul Gandhi pretends to be a Hindu but commits a mistake every time. "Congress has lost its way and Rahul Gandhi tries hard to pretend to be Hindu but commits a mistake every time," the VHP working president said. "Rahul Gandhi needs a new writer. He says he is a Hindu but doesn't believe in Hindutva. This is like you are human but don't believe in humanity. Did he forget the number of bodies in the 1984 riots and how AICC people supported partition in 1947 and killings that happened later?" he asked. (ANI)
Shah was speaking after laying the foundation of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in Pune. He also unveiled a statue of Bhim Rao Ambedkar.

"At a time when even uttering the word 'Swarajya' instilled fear, Shivaji Maharaj spent his whole life establishing 'Hindavi Swarajya' in the country. Shivaji Maharaj worked for justice, social welfare, and self-defense in strategizing, building military, modernizing the military, and building the first navy in the 18th century," he said.

Shah further slammed Congress and said, "A BR Ambedkar statue was also unveiled today. Congress never left a chance to insult Ambedkar during his life and after his death."

"He received Bharat Ratna only during non-Congress rule. Prime Minister Narendra Modi came into power and celebrated Constitution Day but Congress still boycotts it."

Shah is on a two-day visit to Maharashtra, which commenced on Saturday.

Earlier in the day, Shah attended the convocation ceremony of VAMNICOM. He also inaugurated a new building of Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) in Pune. He also had lunch with the officers of the NDRF during the inauguration of CFSL. (ANI)
Justice Ramana and his wife had darshan at Bhadrakali temple and participated in various rituals.

Telangana High Court Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and his wife also accompanied the CJI couple.

The temple priests accorded a traditional welcome to them. Later, they were presented with 'prasadam' and mementoes by the temple officials.

The CJI and his wife also visited the historic thousand pillar temple at Hanamkonda. They offered prayers and went around the temple premises.

Earlier, Justice Ramana visited Ramappa temple at Palampet village near Mulugu on Saturday. He offered special prayers at the temple, which recently received the coveted tag of world heritage site by UNESCO.

Officials of the tourism department explained to him about the significance of Ramappa temple. The CJI appreciated the various sculptures present at the temple.

Speaking on the occasion, Justice Ramana said that it is a matter of pride not just for Telugu people but all Indians that Ramappa Temple, constructed 800 years ago, has been recognised by UNESCO as one of the heritage structures in the world.

He described Ramappa temple as an architectural marvel among temples. "This architectural marvel built by the great sculptor Ramappa under the leadership of the Kaktiya's chief of army Recherla Rudra Deva with the floating bricks and dolerite stone is still a shining star," he said.

He noted that though the temple is the abode of Rudreswara Swamy or Ramalingeswara Swamy, it became popular as Ramappa temple as sculptor Ramappa built it with much skill.

--IANS ms/dpb

( 278 Words)

2021-12-19-14:02:03 (IANS)
The Allahabad High Court has granted interim anticipatory bail to Quavi Ahmed, the son of former Samajwadi Party MLA Saeed Ahmad, in a case registered under various sections of IPC including 376 (rape) and sections 3, 5(1) (attempt of forceful conversion) of Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020, alleging attempt to convert forcefully by misrepresentation. While granting interim anticipatory bail to Quavi Ahmad, Justice Saumitra Dayal Singh has fixed January 7, 2022 as the next date of hearing and also directed the state government to file a reply (counter affidavit) in the case. The petitioner's plea was that false allegations were made in the FIR to pressurize him as he and the woman, who is complainant in the case, had business relations, which went sour with the passage of time and they started occurring losses in the business. On September 13 this year, an FIR was registered against Quavi Ahmad under various sections of IPC alleging assault, loot and rape and under UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020 alleging attempt to convert forcefully by misrepresentation. The FIR was lodged at Civil Lines police station of Prayagraj. The woman alleged in the FIR that she was preparing for Miss India competition and used to run a gym in Civil Lines. In 2018, she came in contact with Quavi Ahmad, who befriended her by changing his name. The accused took her to Lucknow on the pretext of opening a beauty parlour where he exploited her sexually after giving her sedatives. He made obscene videos of her and started blackmailing her. On September 12, 2021, the accused attacked the woman in the Civil Lines area of the city and chased her. To save her life, the victim ran into a police post after which she lodged the present FIR. --IANS amita/dpb ( 320 Words) 2021-12-19-14:18:02 (IANS)
A Pakistani terrorist identified as Abu Khalid who was linked with proscribed terror outfit LeT, was killed during an encounter in Srinagar, informed an official statement issued by Kashmir police on Sunday. "Based on specific input generated by Srinagar Police regarding the presence of a terrorist in Theed Harwan area of Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar, a joint cordon and search operation was launched by the police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Army in the said area," the statement read. During the search operation, as the presence of the trapped terrorist was ascertained, he was given ample opportunities to surrender. However, he denied the surrender opportunities and fired indiscriminately upon the joint search party which was retaliated leading to an encounter, it said. In the ensuing encounter, the terrorist was killed and his body was retrieved from the site of the encounter. "He has been identified as Safiulla alias Abu Khalid, Shawaz resident of Karachi Pakistan," the statement added. As per police records, the killed terrorist Saifulla was a categorized terrorist linked with proscribed terror outfit LeT who had infiltrated in 2016 via Bandipora Sector. Later on, he sneaked into Srinagar on the directions of Pakistan based Commanders of LeT outfit for intensifying terrorist-related activities in District Pulwama, Srinagar, Ganderbal and Budgam. It is pertinent to mention that the killed terrorist Saifulla was working as Group Commander of proscribed terror outfit LeT in Srinagar as he was operating earlier in Srinagar and was familiar with its topography and outskirts, the police said. Police informed that the killed terrorist also had a history of terror crime cases and was wanted by law for his complicity in terror crime cases which include attacks on police and civilian killings. "He along with his associates was involved in the attack on Army Convoy on NHW Bemina Bye-pass Srinagar near JVC Hospital Srinagar in 2017, resulting in injuries to three Army Jawans. He was also the mastermind behind the attack carried out by his associates at Lawaypora Srinagar in which two SF personnel were martyred and one AK-47 rifle was also snatched," the statement further read. The terrorist was also involved in an attack on the police party of Police Station Bandipora in which two police personnel were killed. Besides, attacks on Police or security forces, he was also involved in civilian killings which include the killing of BJP President Waseem Bari, his brother and his father in 2020, the police said. "Moreover, he was also behind the revival of terror folds by luring the gullible youth and a number of fresh recruitment of local youth into terrorist ranks. He was also instrumental in the reactivation of hardcore terrorist associates of the LeT outfit in the areas of Srinagar and Pulwama," the statement read. Incriminating materials, arms and ammunition including one AK-47 rifle, three magazines and one grenade were recovered from his possession. All the recovered materials have been taken into case records for further investigation. (ANI)
Slamming the opposition parties, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday said that some parties are greedy for power and have nothing to do with the development of the state. Union Minister Anurag Thakur and Dhami participated in the launch program of Vijay Sankalp Yatra in Bageshwar. Addressing a public gathering, Dhami said, "Some parties are greedy for power. They are not interested in the development of the state. During their rule, they performed antics and did not work." Lauding the efforts of the Centre in developing Uttarakhand, Dhami said, "There was a demand from all of you that the work of Tanakpur-Bageshwar railway line should be approved and its work should start soon. I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji that the work of Detailed Project Reports (DPR) of this project has started." "We had announced that we will provide tablets to the students studying in schools and colleges. We will make available its money in the account of students through DBT," he said. He added, "We are working continuously to take Uttarakhand forward. Our target is that in near future the recruitment process should be completed and all the vacant posts should be filled." Further speaking at the event, the Chief Minister said, "Whatever our government announces, it will fulfill it and will take it to the grassroots. All the announcements we have made, their mandates are being fulfilled." Ahead of Uttarakhand assembly polls, Chief Minister said that seeing such a huge crowd in Vijay Sankalp Rally, he believes that everybody has again decided to make the lotus bloom in Devbhoomi. On Saturday, BJP president JP Nadda took out a Vijay Sankalp Yatra in Haridwar. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had also participated in the 'yatra'. Uttarakhand Assembly elections are scheduled for next year. In the 2017 Uttarakhand Assembly elections, BJP won 57 seats, Congress won 11 seats and two seats were won by others. (ANI)
As per the Delhi government's health bulletin informed, the positivity rate for the day stands at 0.17 per cent, which is the highest since June 22.

one death was also recorded, taking the toll to 25,101. The case fatality rate is 1.74 per cent.

As many as 61,905 tests have been conducted in the last 24 hours. The positivity rate for the day stands at 0.17 per cent.

On June 25 this year, a total of 115 infections were recorded and the positivity rate of 0.19 per cent was reported on June 22.

The cumulative caseload reached 14,42,197 including 540 active cases. As many as 50 patients recovered in the last 24 hours, taking the total recoveries in the national capital to 14,16,556.

As many as 1,23,719 beneficiaries were vaccinated in the last 24 hours. Cumulative beneficiaries vaccinated so far stand at 2,48,30,215. (ANI)
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday appealed to people to vote the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to power stating that if it wins the city's municipal corporation elections it will turn the city into the most beautiful city in Asia again. "I don't know politics, but I do know how to work. You all gave 13 years to BJP and 12 years to Congress, give us five years too," Kejriwal said while addressing a rally here ahead of the municipal corporation elections in December 24. "Both Congress and BJP have ruined Chandigarh. Chandigarh Municipal Corporation was formed in 1996. It was controlled by BJP for 13 years and by Congress for 12 years. At one point, Chandigarh used to be the most beautiful place in Asia and at the top spot with regards to cleanliness. Now it is at number 66. "Elections are on December 24, you all can change this. When we come to power, these garbage mountains at places like Daddu Majra Colony will be removed. We will make sure that Chandigarh becomes the most beautiful city in Asia yet again," said Kejriwal He also assured that on coming to power, his party will eradicate corruption from the system in the city and the municipality officials will go to residents of the citizens to provide them with government services. "Now we do not need government offices in Delhi, government offices in Delhi are slowly being shut down. We will also stop the theft of money which was done by BJP and Congress and expenditure will be done on public," he added. Free electricity and water will be provided to the people in Chandigarh, promised Kejriwal. Kejriwal assured that on coming to power, all the works in housing societies like maintenance and development work, road construction, cleanliness will be carried out by the municipality. "For the purpose of woman security, CCTV cameras and streetlights will be installed all across the city. In Delhi, we have CCTV cameras twice as much as big cities like New York and London," he added. He urged the youth living in the city to join the party, asserting its status as a 'party of the youth'. The counting of votes will take place on December 27. (ANI)
As per the customs officials, no arrests have been made in the case. The gold seized is worth Rs 2 crores in the market.

They had brought four kilograms worth of gold from Sharjah by concealing it in their undergarments, spice bottles and footwear, the customs officials added.

Customs is currently interrogating all the accused. (ANI)
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Sunday urged the Union and Punjab governments to demonstrate sincerity and a sense of urgency in identifying, exposing and punishing the ones behind the acts of sacrilege against the Sikh community, adding that there is more politics in the minds of the governments than the pursuit of real culprits. "The Union & state government must demonstrate sincerity and a sense of urgency in their actions to identify, expose and punish those behind the most painful acts of sacrilege against Sikh Panth. There is more politics on their minds than the pursuit of real culprits. 1/2," said Badal in a tweet. He accused the Congress of wasting its tenure in the state in playing 'dirty politics that led to the ones committing sacrilege acts getting 'emboldened' going 'scot-free'. He added that the ones guilty of sacrilege would have escaped if Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and devotees were not vigilant. "Those committing these nefarious deeds were emboldened and went scot-free as Congress govt in Punjab wasted nearly 5 yrs in playing dirty politics. The guilty of these acts at Sri Harmandar Sahib & Kapurthala would have escaped if SGPC and the devotees were not vigilant. 2/2," said another tweet from Badal. Terming the Amritsar's sacrilege incident at Sri Darbar Sahib a most unfortunate, Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Sunday said that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Law and Order had been constituted, which would present an investigation report within two days. A man was beaten to death by angry devotees after he allegedly attempted to commit sacrilege at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, police said on Saturday. The incident took place during evening prayers yesterday when the man jumped over the metal railing around the Guru Granth Sahib and allegedly attempted to desecrate the Holy Book of the Sikhs with a sword. After an alleged attempt of sacrilege at the Golden Temple in Amritsar came to light yesterday, another alleged incident was reported from Nizampur village in Punjab's Kapurthala district on Sunday. In a video that went viral, the man who allegedly committed the sacrilege of Nishan Sahib was seen being beaten by the locals. He was later handed over to the police. (ANI)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that it was decided between the BJP and its then alliance partner Shiv Sena that the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections will be fought under the leadership of Devendra Fadnavis but Uddav Thackeray-led party compromised with Hindutva for power. Addressing the BJP workers at Ganesh Krida Maidan here, Shah dared Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to resign from the office and fight elections again. BJP and Shiv Sena contested the 2019 Assembly elections in Maharashtra in an alliance. However after the alliance emerged victorious, Sena parted ways from the BJP-led coalition over the issue of the chief minister's post. Later, Uddhav Thackeray joined hands with Congress and Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to form Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. "I was here during the Maharashtra elections. I myself had had a conversation with Shiv Sena. And I want to reiterate that it was decided that the election would be fought under the leadership of Devendra Fadnavis and the chief minister would be from the BJP. But they denied it. They compromised with Hindutva for power," Shah said at the event. "They sat on the lap of the ones against whom they have been fighting for two generations. They claimed that we never agreed on making the chief minister from the BJP. In your presence, I and PM Modi had said that the election is being fought under the leadership of Devendra Fadnavis and he would be the chief minister. But since you had to be the chief minister, you betrayed us." "If you dare, resign and come and fight against us. The BJP workers are ready. The people of Maharashtra are ready to pay back," he added. Amit Shah was on a two-day visit to Maharashtra. The former BJP national president said that decline of the Maharashtra government would begin from the Pune Municipal Corporation election results. "Maharashtra Aghadi government is such an auto-rickshaw whose three wheels are tri-directional with none of them having a movement. The decline of this government would begin from the results of Pune Municipal Corporation," he said. The Union Home Minister further hit out at Congress for being lenient towards corruption and terrorism during its tenure from 2004 to 2014. "Congress ruled for 10 years, under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh. There was a corruption of Rs 12 lakh crore. The economy was destroyed. Terrorists used to infiltrate and kill our soldiers and there used to be no response from the government. When the Modi government was formed, Uri and Pulwama happened. They forgot that it was not the Congress government in the country. Within 10 days, our soldiers retaliated successfully in Pakistan," Shah said. Addressing the party workers, Shah said that he had begun his career as a Booth President and it is only the BJP where a booth president can become the national president. "I had begun my career as a Booth President in Gujarat. I want to tell you all, out of the 1650 registered political parties in India, it is only BJP where a Booth President can become the National President. I do not have a political background, I am only a worker in the party which gave me the opportunity to be the national president. I want to share my experiences with all of you. The one who asks in the party never gets what he wants, and the one who does not ask for anything, he need not ask, the party itself rewards the worker," he said. Shah further said that BJP is not a party of leaders but the party of workers and they are the future of the party. "The party that began in 1950 is now the largest party in the world. The party whose prime minister taunted us saying 'Hum do hamare do', as we had only two seats in the Lok Sabha at one time, are down to 44 now. And we crossed the 300 mark twice under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Because this has never been a party of leaders, but workers. We on the stage are not the future of the party, you are," Shah said. (ANI)
Congress on Sunday demanded a time-bound SIT probe into an alleged land scam involving the Assam Chief Minister's family. It alleged that a company owned by Assam CM's wife and relatives has illegally grabbed government land. Addressing a joint press conference, Congress leaders Gaurav Vallabh, Ripun Bora, Jitendra Singh and Gaurav Gogoi said: "Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, on one hand is showing hard-handedness in evicting poor and deprived families on the ground that no one has the right to illegally takeover the government land, but on the other hand he is handing over the government land worth crores of rupees to his family members on his own whims and fancies," they alleged. The Congress alleged: "As per an investigation by leading media houses, a real estate company, RBS Realtors, Co-founded by the chief minister's wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma is allegedly occupying around 18 acres of government land intended for landless individuals and institutions." The party alleged that RBS Realtors Private Limited acquired most of the 18 acres in two stages, first in 2006-2007 and then in 2009. Individuals, who are landless and needy, are granted ceiling surplus land by the Assam government and are prohibited from selling that land for a 10-year period. "In 2009, a total of 11 bigha three katha and four lessa (i.e. 3,01,674 square feet or 6.92 acres) of ceiling surplus land in Bongora intended for and allotted to supposedly needy individuals by the government of Assam was bought by Himanta Biswa Sarma's wife's company, violating the 10-year lock-in period," it said. "A total of seven plots in North Guwahati were allegedly allocated to RBS realtors between 2008 and 2009 Plot 1- 4.37 acre land: Assam government allotted 4.37 acre ceiling surplus land to Lalmoti Talukdar on condition that it couldn't be sold for ten years. Barely two months later, on January 28, 2009, Talukdar sold 3.19 acres of the 4.37 acre to RBS Realtors Plot 2- 1872 square feet land: Assam government allotted 1,872 square feet (0.042 acre) ceiling surplus land to Basanta Nath with a 10-year lock-in period for sale," it said. "In 2017, 23.61 per cent of the Rs 100 face value shares of Vasistha Realtors were transferred to Meena Bhuyan, mother of Riniki Bhuyan Sarma and mother-in-law of the chief minister. On September 16, 2019 -- barely 18 days after Himanta Biswa Sarma's son Nandil Biswa Sarma became an adult -- Meena Bhuyan transferred her shares to him. As of FY-20, the chief minister's son owns 23.61 per cent shares of the company," the Congress alleged. Gaurav Vallabh said that a sitting CM, whose family is directly "involved in land grabbing", has no right to remain in power. Himanta Biswa Sarma should be sacked from his Chief Minister's post immediately, Gaurav Vallabh added. All unlawful land transfers to the aforementioned realtors must be immediately cancelled and provisions must be made to provide alternate land to the landless and needy people whose land was unscrupulously taken away, the Congress demanded. --IANS miz/svn/dpb ( 514 Words) 2021-12-19-15:42:04 (IANS)
Nadda said that 'Jan Vishwas Yatra' has created direct contact with around four crore citizens of Uttar Pradesh. He flagged off Jan Vishwas Yatra from Uttar Pradesh's Ambedkar Nagar on Sunday.

While speaking at the event, Nadda, said, "The 6th 'Jan Vishwas Yatra', in all of Uttar Pradesh, creates direct contact with around 4 crore citizens in 403 assembly constituencies for the public's trust."

"Samajwadi Chief (SP) Akhilesh Yadav took cases back against 15 terrorists. Later, when the case reopened, four out of the 15 terrorists were hanged to death and the rest got life imprisonment. Was he a 'Rakshak' or a 'Bhakshak'?" Inko (Akhilesh Yadav) aaram' do, Yogi ji ko 'kaam do (Let's give him rest, and give work to Yogi ji)," the BJP chief added.

The BJP is set to launch 'Jan Vishwas Yatra' from six places in the poll-bound state.

The Yatras were inaugurated by the party's top leaders including Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other union ministers from Bijnor, Mathura, Jhansi, Ghazipur, Ambedkar Nagar, and Ballia.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday heaped praises on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and coined a new slogan "UP plus Yogi bahut hai upyogi (UP plus Yogi is very useful)".

Uttar Pradesh is slated to go to Assembly polls early next year.

In the 2017 Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party bagged 312 seats out of the 403-seat Uttar Pradesh Assembly while Samajwadi Party (SP) bagged 47 seats, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) won 19 and Congress could manage to win only seven seats. The rest of the seats were bagged by other candidates. (ANI)
Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) State General Secretary PK Usman on Sunday alleged that the party State Secretary KS Shaan was brutally stabbed to death in Kerala's Alappuzha by Sangh Parivar activists on Saturday night. Speaking to ANI, Usman said, "He was brutally stabbed to death by Sangh Parivar activists. No human can so brutally kill others, only Sangh Parivar can do this." He further slammed the state government and police over their actions taken in such cases and said, "The approach taken by the state government and police in such murder cases helps to save the accused. This helps the Sangh Parivar to commit crimes without fear." "It would be a mistake to think that you can threaten us by killing our people. We will mobilize the people and face the violence of the Sangh Parivar," Usman warned. Two murders of senior political functionaries from SDPI and BJP have rocked Alappuzha in the state, forcing the local administration to impose Section 144 in the district. The alleged murder of the SDPI leader was followed by a separate incident in which BJP's OBC morcha state secretary Renjith Sreenivasan was killed at his house by unidentified people early on Sunday morning in Alappuzha. According to the police, Shaan was on a two-wheeler when a gang in a car attacked him on Saturday night. SDPI has alleged that RSS workers are behind this attack. Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condemned the two alleged murders, informed the Chief Minister's Office today. Earlier, an RSS worker S Sanjith was hacked to death allegedly by the workers of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the political wing of the PFI, on November 15. (ANI)
A BJP delegation led by Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari urged Governor Jagdeep Dhankar to declare Kolkata Municipal Corporation polls as null and void in "view of rampant violence and rigging". The BJP sought this in view of alleged 'rampant' violence during the polls that were held today. "BJP delegation led by LOP @SuvenduWB has urged the Governor to take steps to declare polls #KMC null and void in view of rampant violence, rigging and @KolkataPolice acting for the ruling party. A thorough probe was sought in the locking of opposition MLAs in the hostel," tweeted the office of the Governor of West Bengal, Jagdeep Dhankhar. The delegation also sought an investigation into the virtual house arrest by the Bidhannagar Police of Adhikari. A team of the police forces from the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate was stationed outside the Salt Lake residence in the afternoon and allegedly locked the main gate to prevent Adhikari and others from travelling to Kolkata. "Delegation also sought an investigation into the virtual house arrest @bidhannagarpc of LOP @SuvenduWB and several MLAs, being reminiscent of emergency. According to them, ruling party Ministers and MLAs had a free run with support @KolkataPolice," the Governor's office tweeted. Governor assured that delegation that he was seriously concerned at the grim situation and would take all steps called for at his end. "He told the delegation that governance of Mamata Banerjee has to conform to rule of law," Governor's office said. Today morning, Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari told reporters, "In salt lake my residence here, I was totally blocked by Bidhannagar police here. 20 BJP MLAs including some state leaders staying here. The delegation is to meet Governor today at 6 PM." "Police Commissioner of Bidhannagar Police justifies this action on the strength of SEC directive. There can just be no justifiable premise of such curtailment of liberty of senior opposition leaders including LOP @SuvenduWB. Democratic values @MamataOfficial cannot be allowed to be so compromised," the Governor said. On a contrary, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday said that she was happy that the people voted peacefully during the Kolkata Municipal Corporation Elections. "Voter turnout recorded till now is over 50 per cent. I am happy people voted peacefully. Kolkata Police is carrying out its duties efficiently," Mamata Banerjee told reporters after casting her vote at the Mitra institute in Bhowanipore along with her nephew Abhishek Banerjee. During Kolkata Municipal elections today, a crude bomb was hurled outside a polling booth injuring a voter. The incident took place outside Taki Boys School in ward 36 of North Kolkata today. Polling tool at 4,959 polling booths in all 144 wards of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) amid tight security and with COVID-19 protocols. The counting of votes will take place on December 21. (ANI)
Divisional Commissioner of Jammu Raghav Langer has written to the Indian Army seeking assistance for the restoration of electricity supply following a strike by the electricity department personnel. "It is to bring to your kind notice that due to strike by Electricity Department personnel in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir, essential services have been severely affected in the Jammu Region. We would like to hereby requisition the Indian Army to assist in the restoration of said essential services by provisioning manpower to man critical electricity stations and water supply sources," read the official communique by Langer today. The army's response on the matter is awaited. With the aim to facilitate consumers with alternative choices, the Centre on December 16 proposed to delicense electricity distribution to reduce entry barriers in the power sector enabling multiple distribution companies to operate in the same area of supply. In the Union Budget 2021-22, the Centre had said, "The distribution companies across the country are monopolies, either government or private. There is a need to provide choice to consumers by promoting competition. A framework will be put in place to give consumers alternatives to choose from among more than one Distribution Company." Pursuant to the Budget announcements, the Centre held a series of consultations with various stakeholders including state governments, electricity regulators and industry players. (ANI)
Senior Congress leader and Minister for Technical Education Rana Gurjeet Singh on Sunday lashed out at the Punjab Congress Committee President Navjot Singh Sidhu for trying to create divisions within the party and questioning the loyalty of the true and traditional Congressmen. "Beware and mind your language Sidhu while talking about a true Congressman", Rana told Sidhu, while asserting, "you are just like a mercenary having joined the party just with the sole purpose of becoming the Chief Minister, while I have been in the party right from my birth". Rana, while responding to Sidhu's remarks about him made at Sultanpur Lodhi on Saturday that it was an end of the road for him (Rana), said, "unlike Sidhu, I am a born Congressman and have not joined the party for the sole purpose to become Chief Minister (like a trader)". He said that Sidhu was just a "political mercenary bereft of any principles or ideology". "It is an irony that someone who is basically a political party hopper and has not even spent five years in the party, is preaching and pontificating to people like us who have spent an entire lifetime in the service of the party," he said. Taking a dig at Sidhu's flip-flops, Rana added, "keeping in mind Sidhu's unstable and eccentric behavior, nobody is sure about you whether you will stay in Congress till Vidhan Sabha elections or runoff from the battle of ballot well before. "But sooner you leave better it will be for the party as you have divided and damaged the party from within as if you were pursuing some hidden agenda of your 'real' political masters who are still pulling your strings", he said. The senior Congress leader questioned the intentions of Sidhu in opposing his own government and the Chief Minister, saying he has now been exposed. "You have been openly criticizing our Chief Minister as you have started feeling jealous and insecure about his popularity among the masses", Rana told Sidhu and warned him against weakening the party by trying to create divisions and fissures. As party president, your key responsibility is to keep the party united, but you did not keep any stone unturned to create fissures in the Campaign Committee, Manifesto Committee, and Screening Committee, which are constituted by the party high command, Rana added. (ANI)
The total number of people who tested positive for COVID-19 is 27,39,806 and active cases stand at 7,270 in the state.

A total of 36,680 people have lost their lives to the deadly virus so far in the state, as per the bulletin.

A total of 1,01,616 samples were tested for COVID-19 during the last 24 hours in the state.As many as 682 people recovered from the infection, taking the total number of recoveries in Tamil Nadu to 26,95,856.

While India has reported 7,081 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the active caseload of the country to 83,913, the lowest in nearly 1.5 years, informed the Union Health Ministry on Sunday. (ANI)
Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani on Sunday lashed out at Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav while lauding Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for taking actions against criminals and mafias in the state. The minister flagged off the 'Jan Vishwas Yatra' from Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur today. Addressing the yatra, Irani said, "SP chief Akhilesh Yadav was not hurt when farmers were troubled, mafia were looting poor people, women were sexually assaulted. He was hurt when Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ran a bulldozer over criminals and mafias in the state." "Adityanath worked for the welfare of people. He took actions on criminals and mafias because people here wanted to do so," she said. In her rally, she said, "Hindu is not the one who wears Janeu (sacred thread) over the coat when the election comes. But the Hindu is the one who blesses Ujjwala in the house of the poor. And if it gets the road constructed, then people of every religion should walk together on it." The six Yatras were inaugurated by the BJP's top leaders including Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other union ministers from Bijnor, Mathura, Jhansi, Ghazipur, Ambedkar Nagar, and Ballia. Uttar Pradesh is slated to go to Assembly polls early next year. In the 2017 Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party bagged 312 seats out of the 403-seat Uttar Pradesh Assembly while Samajwadi Party (SP) bagged 47 seats, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) won 19 and Congress could manage to win only seven seats. The rest of the seats were bagged by other candidates. (ANI)
Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Sunday that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has brought the vision to transform the lives of the farmers and turn them into producers of clean, green energy of the future. He was addressing the people in Bijnor during BJP's 'Jan Vishwas Yatra'. "The Bharatiya Janata Party has brought the vision of changing the lives of farmers and have them prepare the energy for our country. I have been saying since 2004 that farmers will be the 'Urjadatta' of our country. Our government decided that farmers of rice, maize and wheat will give us the alternate to petrol and diesel. We started work on Bio-ethanol and are opening ethanol pumps. Ethanol will be made out of sugarcane. Vehicles will start running on 100 per cent ethanol instead of 100 per cent petrol. Flex engines will start, which will run on either 100 per cent petrol or ethanol. Now sugarcane farmers will get the right price for their produce," he said. "We have also given permission to prepare ethanol from rice, 350 factories are being set up for this. One tonne of rice can produce 380 litres of ethanol. Also, the bagasse left after extracting the juice from sugarcane will be used to prepare green hydrogen," he added. Gadkari said that the conversion of knowledge into wealth and waste into wealth is the future of the country. Talking of roads and highways development, the minister said that work is going on for Delhi to Meerut highway of 16 lanes and assured the people that upon completion, it will take only 45 minutes hours to reach Meerut from Delhi. "We will also do the work on helping you reach Haridwar, Chandigarh. Jaipur from Delhi within two hours, Amritsar from Delhi in four hours, Katra from Delhi in six hours and finally Srinagar from Delhi in just eight hours. We are working on Delhi to Dehradun highway too. Upon completion, it will take two hours to travel from Delhi to Dehradun." he added. The minister remarked that lives in Bijnor will be transformed similarly via roads. "Roads lead to development. American president John F Kennedy used to say that American roads are not good because they are rich, but rather they are rich because their roads are good," he added. Gadkari said that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a true 'Ram Rajya' has been established and the leadership of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had given a new direction to the state. "Under the leadership of Yogi Adityanath, we are not only eradicating hooliganism, but also the hunger, unemployment and poverty. These five years were just a trailer. The real film is about to start," he added. Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh are due early next year. (ANI)
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Sunday wrote to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar requesting his intervention to secure the immediate release of 55 fishermen and 73 fishing boats apprehended by the Sri Lankan navy. The chief minister detailed "two incidents of apprehension of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy that took place in the last 24 hours." The 43 fishermen from Rameswaram, Ramanathapuram District, were fishing in the traditional waters of Palk Bay, in six mechanized fishing boats and were arrested on December 18 and taken to Mylatti, Naval base in Sri Lanka, the Tamil Nadu CM said in his letter. In another incident on December 19, 12 fishermen in two mechanized fishing boats from Mandapam, Ramanathapuram district were arrested and taken to Kalpatti, Naval base in Sri Lanka, Stalin wrote. "I am saddened to point out that the incidents of arrest and harassment of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy continue with alarming frequency despite several letters sent by the Government of Tamil Nadu," the Tamil Nadu chief minister wrote. Stalin further said "in the year 2021 itself there were 19 incidents of apprehension and attack of Tamil Nadu fishermen. Though the fishermen were released, fishing boats, the source of livelihood are still detained by Sri Lankan authorities. Further, during the same period, there were two instances of attacks, and five fishermen were killed." "The repeated attempts by the Sri Lankan Navy to prevent the exercise of traditional rights by fishermen of the State by intimidatory tactics must not be allowed to continue further. I request the concerted efforts by the Government of India to address this festering issue," Stalin said. Stalin further requested him to secure the immediate release of fishermen and fishing boats in the custody of the neighbouring country. (ANI)
According to the statement, Pulwama police received information about a terror crime incident at Bandzoo area of the district where terrorists had fired upon police personnel. Senior police officers along with reinforcement reached the terror crime spot.

A preliminary investigation has revealed that terrorists fired upon one police personnel identified as Mushtaq Ahmad Wagay near his house in the Bandzoo area of Pulwama.

In this terror incident, he had received gunshot injuries and was immediately shifted to the hospital for treatment, the statement read.

The police have registered a case in this regard under relevant sections of law. The area has been cordoned off and searches in the area are going on.

Further investigation is underway. (ANI)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday compared the Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in the state to an auto-rickshaw with stationary wheels. Addressing the Bharatiya Janata Party workers on the last day of his two-day visit to Maharashtra, Shah said, "Maharashtra Aghadi government is such an auto-rickshaw whose three wheels are tri-directional with none of them having a movement. The decline of this government would begin from the results of Pune Municipal Corporation." Hitting out at Chief Minister Thackeray, the union minister said that it was decided between the BJP and its then alliance partner Shiv Sena that the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections will be fought under the leadership of Devendra Fadnavis but Uddav Thackeray-led party compromised with Hindutva for power. "I was here during the Maharashtra elections. I myself had had a conversation with Shiv Sena. And I want to reiterate that it was decided that the election would be fought under the leadership of Devendra Fadnavis and the chief minister would be from the BJP. But they denied it. They compromised with Hindutva for power," Shah said at the event," he said. The Union Home Minister further hit out at Congress for being lenient towards corruption and terrorism during its tenure from 2004 to 2014. "Congress ruled for 10 years, under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh. There was corruption of Rs 12 lakh crore. The economy was destroyed. Terrorists used to infiltrate and kill our soldiers and there used to be no response from the government. When the Modi government was formed, Uri and Pulwama happened. They forgot that it was not the Congress government in the country. Within 10 days, our soldiers retaliated successfully against Pakistan," Shah said. Addressing the party workers, Shah said that he had begun his career as a booth president and it is only the BJP where a booth president can become the national president. "I had begun my career as a booth president in Gujarat. I want to tell you all, out of the 1650 registered political parties in India, it is only BJP where a Booth President can become the National President. I do not have a political background, I am only a worker in the party which gave me the opportunity to be the national president. I want to share my experiences with all of you. The one who asks in the party never gets what he wants, and the one who does not ask for anything, he need not ask, the party itself rewards the worker," he said. Shah further said that BJP is not a party of leaders but the party of workers and they are the future of the party. "The party that began in 1950 is now the largest party in the world. The party whose prime minister taunted us saying 'Hum do hamare do', as we had only two seats in the Lok Sabha at one time, are down to 44 now. And we crossed the 300 mark twice under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Because this has never been a party of leaders, but workers. We on the stage are not the future of the party, you are," Shah said. (ANI)
Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday questioned the Centre's move to call only four parties whose members in the Rajya Sabha have been suspended instead of all Opposition parties. In a letter today addressed to Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi, Kharge said, "I have received your letter of December 19th (7:10 PM) asking leaders of the four parties whose members in the Rajya Sabha have been suspended, to a meeting to be taken by Piyush Goyal and you at 10:00 AM tomorrow morning." "All Opposition parties are united in the protest against the suspension of the 12 MPs. We have been requesting from the evening of November 29th itself that either the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha or the Leader of the House Piyush Goyal should call leaders of all Opposition parties for a discussion to break the stalemate," the Congress leader said. "This reasonable request of ours has not been agreed to, further inviting only leaders of four Opposition parties instead of inviting leaders of all Opposition parties is unfair and unfortunate," he said. Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday said that it is a collective decision of the opposition to appeal to Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu against the 'illegal' suspension of 12 MPs. "We had a short discussion where I demanded the government to revoke the suspension but they are not ready to talk about it. It is a collective decision of the opposition to make an appeal against the illegal suspension of 12 MPs," Kharge said. The Congress MP said, "The government is agreeing in the notice that MPs were suspended on the incident that happened during the last session. They want the suspended members to apologize one by one in the House but they are not going to do anything of that sort." The Rajya Sabha was adjourned on Friday with an announcement from the Chair to meet at 11 am on Monday, citing a decision taken in a meeting held earlier in the day with the government and opposition leaders. A meeting was held earlier on Friday to find a solution regarding the uproar created in the House by the Opposition parties in previous days. Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu made the announcement soon after the House assembled for the day at 11 am and papers were laid on the table as well as government mentioned the business for next week. Naidu said it was discussed in the meeting to find a solution to the issue being raised by the Opposition parties and maintain peace and smooth functioning during House proceedings.Subsequently, the Rajya Sabha Chairman adjourned the House till 11 am on Monday (December 20).In previous days the House faced disruption on various issues, especially over the revocation of suspension of 12 MPs. In a move that angered the Opposition and set the stage for acrimonious exchanges, a dozen members of Opposition parties in Rajya Sabha were suspended from the winter session on the very first day on Monday following a motion brought in by the government. The members were suspended for alleged unruly conduct towards the end of the monsoon session in August when marshals were called after Opposition members stormed the Well of the House during the passage of the General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill, 2021. The suspended members comprise six from the Congress, two each from Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena, and one each from CPI and CPM: Phulo Devi Netam, Chhaya Verma, Ripun Bora, Rajamani Patel, Syed Nasir Hussain and Akhilesh Prasad Singh of Congress; Dola Sen, Shanta Chhetri of Trinamool Congress; Priyanka Chaturvedi, Anil Desai of Shiv Sena; Elamaram Kareem of CPM; and, Binoy Viswam of CPI. (ANI)
All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Director Dr Randeep Guleria said on Sunday that in view of rising COVID-19 cases in the United Kingdom, India should prepare itself for any eventuality. "We should prepare and hope that things are not as bad as in the United Kingdom. We need more data on Omicron. Whenever there is a surge in cases in other parts of the world, we need to monitor it closely and be prepared for any eventuality. It is better to stay prepared than to get caught off-guard," said Guleria while talking to ANI. India has so far reported over 100 cases of Omicron. The new variant of COVID-19 was first reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO) from South Africa on November 25. As per the WHO, the first known confirmed B.1.1.529 infection was from a specimen collected on November 9 this year. On November 26, the WHO named the new COVID-19 variant B.1.1.529, which has been detected in South Africa, as 'Omicron'. The WHO has classified Omicron as a 'variant of concern'. (ANI)
American tech giant Nvidia's upcoming RTX 2050 laptop GPUs don't sound "new" at all, considering that the company already released the RTX 3050 and 3050 Ti GPUs for laptops earlier this year. As per The Verge, however, it's clear that Nvidia isn't ready to retire its 20 series GPUs just yet, the company says that the RTX 2050 will be available in laptops starting in the spring of 2022. The RTX 2050 isn't just a piece of old hardware brought back from the dead. Unlike other 20 series chips, the RTX 2050 is based on Ampere GA107 architecture, not Turing. Ampere is the same architecture that the RTX 3050 (and all other 30 series cards) is powered by, and packaging it within a 20-series card could potentially offer some of the same ray-tracing improvements at a cheaper price. The RTX 2050 comes with the same 2,048 CUDA cores and 4GB of GDDR6 memory that the RTX 3050 has. However, it offers a 64-bit memory bus when compared to the RTX 3050's 128-bit, potentially leading to a bit of a downgrade in performance. While it's possible that Nvidia is releasing a GPU that doesn't belong to the latest and greatest 30 series due to the ongoing chip shortage, the move may also come as a way to provide a middle ground between the RTX 3050 and the RTX 1650. Nvidia might want a mid-range GPU that offers a boost in performance over the RTX 1650, but is still more affordable when compared to devices that carry the RTX 3050. In addition to the RTX 2050, Nvidia also announced the entry-level MX550 and MX570 laptop chips, but the company hasn't provided many details about their specs. Nvidia vaguely mentioned "more CUDA Cores" and "faster memory speeds" with no solid numbers to back it up just yet, as per The Verge. All this comes about two weeks after Nvidia released a new version of the RTX 2060, which was originally launched in 2019, that offers an upgrade of 12GB of video RAM when compared to the 6GB of VRAM that the standard model comes with. (ANI)
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday slammed Opposition parties in the state and said that they like to embrace the rioters whereas there was not a single incident of rioting during his government's tenure. Inaugurating the Jan Vishwas Yatra here, he said, "Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and Congress like to embrace rioters, remove cases of terrorists, plunder development works, encourage cow smugglers. No one would have forgotten Jawahar Bagh and Kosikalan riots during the rule of the SP. There has not been a single incident of a riot in the entire state for the past four and a half years." Lauding schemes launched by the Centre and the state governments, CM Yogi said they aimed to provide free houses to the poor and free health insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh. "For us, providing free houses to the poor is Ramrajya, every household getting toilet facility is Ramrajya, every poor getting free health insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh is Ramrajya. All these are being done today under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he said. The Chief Minister said that through the Jan Vishwas Yatra, he aims to go amidst the people and seek their blessings adding that his government has met the expectations of the people and the party. Earlier speaking to ANI, the Chief Minister said, "During the past four and a half years, under the leadership of PM Modi, the BJP government has worked towards infrastructure development, women security, the benefit of farmers in the state. With our Jan Vishwas Yatra, we are going amongst the public once again, to take their blessings. I have got the opportunity to kickstart the Yatra from Mathura. We have stood on the expectations of the people." The BJP today launched six Jan Vishwas Yatras from different places in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh flagged off the Yatra commencing from Jhansi in Bundelkhand. BJP National President Jagat Prakash Nadda launched the yatra from Ambedkar Nagar in eastern UP. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari launched the yatra from Bidurkoti in Bijnor in western UP while Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched the yatra from Ballia in eastern UP. Union Minister and Amethi MP Smriti Irani kicked off the yatra from Ghazipur Uttar Pradesh is slated to go to Assembly polls early next year and through the yatras, the party is attempting to reach out to the people with the achievements of the BJP government at the Centre and the State. In the 2017 Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP bagged 312 seats out of the 403-seat Uttar Pradesh Assembly while Samajwadi Party (SP) bagged 47 seats, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) won 19 and Congress could manage to win only seven seats. The rest of the seats were bagged by other candidates. (ANI)
Police said Anantnag Police and army's 1 RR arrested a terrorist associate identified as Feroz Ahmad Zargar alias Kamraan, resident of Gratbal Quimoh Kulgam and recovered one Chinese Pistol along with magazine and other ammunition from his possession.

Police have registered a case and investigations have been initiated.

This comes on a say when one LeT terrorist who was a Pakistani national was killed at Harwan on the outskirts of Srinagar.

The killed terrorist was identified as Saifulla alias Abu Khalid alias Shawaz, resident of Karachi, Pakistan.

--IANS zi/skp/

( 131 Words)

2021-12-19-17:52:02 (IANS)
Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday called a meeting of the floor leaders of "like-minded" parties in Parliament on Monday. The meeting is scheduled to be held at 9.45 am tomorrow. Kharge also today convened a joint meeting of Congress Coordination Group of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to discuss the strategy of the party for the next week of Parliament. The meeting was convened via video conferencing. Earlier today, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut told ANI that the Central government has invited five Opposition parties, whose MPs are among the 12 suspended legislators, for talks on Monday. With just four days to go for the culmination of the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, the move is seen as an attempt to break the deadlock between the government and the Opposition in the House. Raut said that Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi has called a meeting of leaders of Congress, TMC, Shiv Sena, CPI(M) and CPI -all parties whose Rajya Sabha MPs have been suspended "The Opposition leaders will meet tomorrow at 10 am at the Parliament Library Building to take a decision on participating in the meeting called by the Government", Raut further told ANI. Taking to Twitter, CPl MP Binoy Viswam also confirmed the invite by the government and said that the CPI will take a decision tomorrow about participating in the meeting. Meanwhile, Kharge also this evening wrote to parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi and termed the Centre's decision to invite just four parties as "unfair and unfortunate". "All Opposition parties are united in the protest against the suspension of the 12 MPs. We have been requesting from the evening of November 29 itself that either the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha or the Leader of the House Shri Piyush Goyal should call leaders of all Opposition parties for a discussion to break the stalemate." "This reasonable request of ours has not been agreed to, further inviting only leaders of four Opposition parties instead of inviting leaders of all Opposition parties is unfair and unfortunate." Twelve Rajya Sabha MPs were suspended from the House on the first day of the Winter session of Parliament from five Political Parties including Congress, TMC, Shivsena, CPI, CPI(M). After their suspension, all 12 MPs have been sitting in dharna on a daily basis in front of the Gandhi statue in Parliament. The Parliamentary Affairs Minister earlier said that the government was ready to consider revoking the suspension of the MPs if they apologise for their conduct in the House. The Opposition leaders have however said that they would not apologise. Rajya Sabha was adjourned several times in the ongoing Parliament Session due to the ruckus in the Upper House by the Opposition parties demanding revocation of the suspension of MPs. The Parliament is scheduled to culminate on 23 December. (ANI)
After taking the number of rural households in Rajasthan to get tap water supply from 11.74 lakh out of 1.01 crore (11.5 per cent) in August 2019 to 21.39 lakh (21.1 per cent), the Centre on Sunday said it approved allocation of Rs 10,180 crore for Jal Jeevan Mission in 2021-22 to assist the state achieve 'Har Ghar Jal'. The Rs 10,180 crore assistance is a four-fold increase from Rs 2,522 crore allocated in 2020-21 with a mission mode approach adopted in Rajasthan, Union Jal Shakti Minister, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, said in a statement. In 2021-22, the state plans to provide tap water connections to about 30 lakh rural households. "Regular review is taking place to expedite the implementation of the mission in the state so that the state can catch up with other good performing states," the Ministry statement said. Stating that there is no dearth of funds for implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission, Shekhawat reiterated that the Centre is providing all out support to states to make provision of tap water supply to every rural household of the country by 2024. Despite lockdown and disruptions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, in the last 27 months, more than 5.44 crore rural households in the country have been provided tap water connections. As on date, more than 8.67 crore (45.15 per cent) rural households have tap water supply in their homes, the release said. Apart from the funds under Jal Jeevan Mission, in 2021-22, Rs 1,712 crore has been allocated to Rajasthan as 15th Finance Commission tied grant for water and sanitation to Rural Local Bodies/PRIs. There is an assured funding of Rs 9,032 crore for the next five years i.e. up to 2025-26. "This huge investment in rural areas of Rajasthan will accelerate economic activities and boost the rural economy. It will create new employment opportunities in villages," the government claimed. --IANS niv/vd ( 331 Words) 2021-12-19-19:14:02 (IANS)
The Narendra Modi government's decision to increase the age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 years has come in for sharp criticism from several quarters, and the CPI-M has assailed the measure on various counts. CPI-M Politburo member Brinda Karat told IANS that the government's proposal is not going to help in the fight for empowerment of women. "It is absolutely wrong to criminalise the personal choice of adults. If the government wants to ensure gender equality, it should reduce the marriage age of boys from 21 to 18 years. The government should pay more attention to education and nutrition of girls," she said. The CPI-M has lodged strong protest against the marriage age bill. Senior party leader Sitaram Yechury told IANS that the logic of the government for such a bill is not convincing at all. The Bill should be referred to the Standing Committee of Parliament for in-depth examination and consultations with all stakeholders, he demanded. "A woman at the age of 18 is legally an adult. For the purpose of marriage, treating her as a juvenile is self-contradictory and the proposal violates an adult's right to make personal choices of her partner. This proposal deprives a woman of deciding the course of her life," he said. Yechury said that even when the minimum age was 18, official figures show that the average age of marriage for women across India in 2017 was 22.1 years. "Therefore such a law is unnecessary. If the bill is for health reasons, as the government claims, there is a need to ensure nutrition and food security to prevent maternal and infant mortality. Raising the marriageable age of women is not the solution," he added. Samajwadi Party MP Shafiqur Rahman has also strongly objected to the government's bid to increase the marriage age for women, telling IANS that this will have a bad impact on the girls, and "they will become vagabonds". However, BJP leaders support the move Uttar Pradesh's Child Development and Women Welfare Minister Swati Singh said that the Modi government wants to make a law in favour of women. "He gave rights to Muslim women by bringing a law on triple talaq. So, increasing the age of marriage of girls from 18 to 21 years will give women a feeling of equality. The marriage age of boys is already 21 years. As recommended by the National Human Rights Commission, the minimum age of marriage for boys and girls should be the same," she said. A task force headed by activist Jaya Jaitly had recommended to the Central government that the age of marriage of a girl should be increased from 18 to 21 years, as girls face problems in pregnancy at a young age. This recommendation was accepted by the government. Jaitly told IANS: "This decision has been taken keeping in mind the issue of gender equality and gender empowerment. Because it sends a very strange message that a girl can be fit for marriage at the age of 18, and boy at 21. --IANS ptk/skp/ ( 525 Words) 2021-12-19-19:30:03 (IANS)
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) scientist, who was arrested in connection with the Rohini district court blast case, allegedly attempted suicide by consuming a toxic substance in police custody, said police sources on Sunday. Bharat Bhushan Kataria was arrested on December 17 for allegedly planting a low-intensity bomb inside the Rohini district court in Delhi on December 9. According to Delhi Police sources, Bharat Bhushan Kataria is undergoing treatment at AIIMS and is completely stable. The police sources said that the DRDO scientist drank a toxic substance after which he was rushed to the hospital. He was admitted to AIIMS after complaining of abdominal pain and vomiting. However, now the accused scientist is under the supervision of the doctor and the condition of the accused is stable. "Whether he has drunk something or pretended to drink something, it will come out after investigation. At present the accused scientist is fine and is under observation.," said police sources. Further, the police sources informed that Kataria is continuously misleading the police during interrogation. "The scientist is continuously misleading the police during interrogation. When the police showed the CCTV footage and said that if it was him in the lawyer's dress? The scientist said that it seems that I have been there. When the police asked him where did you go after the blast, the scientist said, I don't remember anything," it said. The police suspect that the scientist had planned out the incident at Rohini district court and was also prepared for what to do if he got caught. A low-intensity explosion in a laptop bag took place at the Rohini court complex on December 9. No causality was reported in the incident. However, a court staff sustained minor injuries and was admitted to a hospital. Later the investigation of the case was handed over to the Special Cell. Delhi Police nabbed the accused on December 17on the basis of the CCTV footage, as per the police. Over 88 cameras were scanned and the suspect was seen coming out of the courtroom a few minutes before the blast. According to the CCTV footage analysed by Delhi Police, it was seen that the scientist had got two bags and in order to deceive the security mechanism he took a different route and placed one bag inside the courtroom. (ANI)
Communist Party of India (CPI) Rajya Sabha MP Binoy Viswam on Sunday said that the party will take a final decision on Monday on joining the meeting called by the Central government. "Opposition united is fighting the suspension of 12 MPs. Calling 5 parties for discussion at the fag end of the session is to divide the opposition unity. CPI will not subscribe to it. The final decision will be taken tomorrow in the joined opposition meeting," Viswam tweeted. Earlier on Sunday, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut told ANI that the Central government has invited five Opposition parties, whose MPs are among the 12 suspended legislators, for talks on Monday. With just four days to go for the culmination of the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, the move is seen as an attempt to break the deadlock between the government and the Opposition in the House. Raut said that Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi has called a meeting of leaders of Congress, TMC, Shiv Sena, CPI(M) and CPI -all parties whose Rajya Sabha MPs have been suspended "The Opposition leaders will meet tomorrow at 10 am at the Parliament Library Building to take a decision on participating in the meeting called by the Government", Raut further told ANI. Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge also this evening wrote to parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi and termed the Centre's decision to invite just four parties as "unfair and unfortunate". Twelve Rajya Sabha MPs were suspended from the House on the first day of the Winter session of Parliament from five Political Parties including Congress, TMC, Shivsena, CPI, CPI(M). After their suspension, all 12 MPs have been sitting in dharna on a daily basis in front of the Gandhi statue in Parliament. The Parliamentary Affairs Minister earlier said that the government was ready to consider revoking the suspension of the MPs if they apologise for their conduct in the House. The Opposition leaders have however said that they would not apologise. Rajya Sabha was adjourned several times in the ongoing Parliament session due to the ruckus in the Upper House by the Opposition parties demanding revocation of the suspension of MPs.The Parliament is scheduled to culminate on 23 December. (ANI)
Amid reports of students of school testing COVID-19 positive in Gujarat, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Nimisha Suthar said that currently there is no plan to close down schools, it will be done only if the situation so necessitates. "The state government taking necessary precautions in view of the Covid-19 numbers but has no plans to close down schools until the situation so necessitates," said Suthar on Saturday. Reacting to a question where a reporter asked about two students testing positive for COVID-19 in a school in Vadodara, Minister for State said "those two students will be kept in isolation. The studies of every student should not suffer. If the grim situation arises then we will take a decision on closing down schools, taking Education Ministry into confidence, until then there is no such plan." According to State Health Ministry, Gujarat has 571 active COVID-19 cases till Sunday evening. About 55 patients recovered in the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative tally of patients recovered to 8,17,715, as per the bulletin on Sunday. (ANI)
Following a secret trial, a military court in Pakistan has convicted human rights activist Idris Khattak of espionage and leaking sensitive information to a foreign intelligence agency, sentencing him to 14 years in prison, his family and lawyer say. His whereabouts are still unknown, Radio Mashaal reported. Rights activists suggest Khattak was arrested because he spoke out against the arbitrary detentions and forced disappearances committed by the military, which has an oversized role in domestic and foreign affairs, the report said. Khattak spent years compiling a list of the victims of enforced disappearances in the tribal belt in northwestern Pakistan, home to the country's largest ethnic minority, the Pashtuns. Khattak himself is a Pashtun. Criticism of the army has long been seen as a red line, with activists and journalists complaining of intimidation tactics including kidnappings, beatings, and even killings if they cross that line, it added. Authorities have not made the December 4 verdict public, leaving Khattak's family in the dark over the exact status of his case and conviction. "First they took my father and then they disappeared him," Talia Khattak, the 21-year-old daughter of the rights defender said. "Now they have found him guilty but haven't said what evidence they have against him", Radio Mashaal reported. She added that the family had not been notified of Khattak's trial. His conviction was disclosed by a liaison army officer during a hasty phone call, she said, the report added. "Without offering any details, they told me that my dad was found guilty of espionage," she said, adding that she also did not receive any information from her father's lawyer, the report said. "We are very worried," she added. "Fourteen years in prison means that my father would be 72 years old when he completes his sentence, if he stays healthy. He is diabetic and needs regular medical attention." --IANS san/skp/ ( 325 Words) 2021-12-19-22:04:03 (IANS)
Pakistan's the military's media affairs wing --Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR)-- said Ghafoor alias Jaleel, a close acquaintance of TTP's Faqir Mohammad, was killed in an intelligence-based operation in Bajaur district, Dawn reported.

Ghafoor was involved in many terrorist activities, the ISPR said, adding that a security official was injured during the exchange of fire in the operation.

Separately, the ISPR said, two more terrorists were killed in a clearance operation in the Boya area of North Waziristan district.

"The terrorists were spotted fleeing from Mohammad Khel Village towards Vezda Sar and [were] killed during an exchange of fire," according to the ISPR.

The killings have been reported a day after sources in the TTP claimed that Faqir Mohammad had escaped unhurt from a suspected drone strike on a safe house in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday.

Faqir Mohammad was arrested by the previous US-backed Kabul government and spent years in Afghanistan's notorious Bagram prison, but was released after the Taliban's lightning takeover of the country in August. (ANI)
Berlin [Germany], December 19 (ANI/Sputnik): Germany has included the United Kingdom in the high risk category amid the spread of Omicron and will introduce a temporary ban on almost all travellers arriving from the UK to Germany, the Robert Koch Institute said in a risk list update. "The classification of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland incl. all British Overseas Territories, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands as an area of variants of concern is effective as of 20 December 2021 at 0:00 a.m. [23:00 GMT on Sunday]," the Robert Koch Institute said on Saturday. The temporary ban will be effective until at least January 3, 2022. Travellers who are allowed to enter Germany despite the ban, such as German citizens, will be required to undergo PCR testing and will be subject to a mandatory quarantine. "Please be aware of the 14-day quarantine requirement, which also applies to vaccinated and recovered individuals. The duration of the 14-day quarantine may not be shortened," the Robert Koch Institute said in its update. Germany's current list of highest risk category countries includes Botswana, Eswatini, Malawi, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe, as well as South Africa, where the Omicron variant of the coronavirus emerged in November. (ANI/Sputnik)
Pakistan is set to host a special meeting of the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Sunday to discuss the situation in Afghanistan and navigate its way out of an emerging humanitarian and economic crisis. In addition to the members of the OIC, delegations from the US, Russia, Britain, the European Union, the World Bank and humanitarian organizations have also been invited to the conference. The OIC-led conference will be the biggest international gathering on Afghanistan since the Taliban took over the country in mid-August following US military drawdown from the country after two decades. This meeting comes at a time when Pakistan is rallying 57-member OIC to help Afghanistan stave off a crisis while at the same time trying to convince the Taliban led Afghanistan to soften its image abroad. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi earlier this month made a formal announcement for the OIC meeting stating that the purpose of the summit was to avert a humanitarian crisis rearing its head in Afghanistan following the US withdrawal. On Saturday, Qureshi said that countries participating in the 17th extraordinary session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) will be able to reach a consensus on measures to improve the situation in Afghanistan. Speaking with the media, he said that the world "seemed to be reaching consensus" on the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan and added that the country's economy was reeling from the effects of a non-functioning banking system, Dawn newspaper reported. Under the garb of humanitarian agenda, experts believe that Pakistan is attempting to push the interim Afghanistan government towards international recognition despite little progress on the human rights front by the outfit. More than 100 days have passed since the Taliban seized control over Afghanistan but the outfit is yet to be recognized by any country in the world. Respect for women and human rights, establishing inclusive government, not allowing Afghanistan to become a safe haven of terrorism are the preconditions for the recognition set by the international community. Moreover, Afghanistan is facing a looming economic meltdown and humanitarian catastrophe in the aftermath of the Taliban takeover. Billions of dollars worth of the country's assets abroad, mostly in the US, have been frozen and international funding to the country has ceased. (ANI)
Polling stations opened on Sunday in Hong Kong where people are voting in the patriots'-only Legislative Council election, the first one since the imposition of sweeping national security law and a shake-up of the city's electoral system. More than 10,000 police officers were deployed across the city to ensure order at the polls. The new system puts in place under the principle of "patriots ruling Hong Kong." Under this system, all the candidates must be approved by a national security vetting committee. The social democratic party in Hong Kong staged a small protest on Sunday morning, where Chief Executive Carrie Lam cast her vote at a polling station nearby, Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) reported. The slogans during the demonstrations included, "I want universal suffrage" and "the more we are silenced, the more we must raise our voice." "We are protesting against [Chief Executive] Carrie Lam for destroying our electoral system using under the guise of improving the election, but in reality, completely depriving the voting rights of Hong Kong people," said Chan Po-ying, chairperson of the League of Social Democrats (LSD). Earlier this year, the Chinese parliament passed the reform plan for the Hong Kong electoral system, which changed the procedures for electing the head of the city administration and forming the legislative body. The changes prompted criticism from the international community which said that the bill undermines Hong Kong's independence. Refuting all accusations, China has repeatedly stated that matters relating to Hong Kong are an internal affair and has warned against external pressure. Applications from over 150 candidates have been approved by a special committee. The council has been expanded from 70 to 90 seats, with 20 representatives getting elected by direct vote and another 30 being elected by business groupings. The remaining 40 seats will be taken up by members of the Election Committee. The Sunday election, which was originally set to take place on September 6, 2020, but was postponed because of the pandemic, is being held in accordance with the "patriots run Hong Kong" principle. There are about 4.47 million registered voters who are eligible to vote in the Hong Kong election. Under the city's law, incitement to boycott or intentional casting of invalid votes is considered a crime and could lead to up to three years in jail. The city new legislative council will begin its work on January 1, 2022. (ANI)
British Brexit minister David Frost has resigned from the cabinet and will depart in the new year, local media has reported. 'The Mail on Sunday' said in an exclusive that "Frost has sensationally resigned from Boris Johnson's government," due to his "disillusionment" with Johnson's government, including the imposition of tax rises and additional Covid-19 restrictions, as well as the staggering cost of "net zero" environmental policies. Frost quit in a letter to the prime minister last week, but won't officially leave until January, Xinhua news reported, citing the newspaper. Labor's shadow Brexit minister, Jenny Chapman, tweeted: "As if we didn't already know, Lord Frost resigning shows the government's in chaos. The country needs leadership not a lame duck PM whose MPs and cabinet have lost faith in him. Boris Johnson needs to apologise to the public and explain what his plan is for the next few weeks." Frost's departure is yet another blow to Johnson whose leadership has come under attack even from his own rebellious backbench MPs (Members of Parliament). Earlier this week, 99 Conservative MPs voted against stricter Covid-19 controls announced by Johnson. The legislation paving the way for stricter measures only got through the House of Commons (the lower house of the British Parliament) with support from the main opposition Labor Party. It was the biggest backbench rebellion of Johnson's premiership. The Conservatives were also hit by revelations of party workers holding Downing Street parties around last December's festive period when the country was in a strict government-imposed Covid-19 lockdown. Scandals and criticism of Johnson's handling of Covid-19 have sent the Conservatives' approval ratings to their lowest level since Johnson became prime minister. Latest polls have put the main opposition Labor Party ahead of the Conservatives. The Conservative Party lost a parliamentary seat in the North Shropshire by-election on Friday, a "safe" seat that the party had held for nearly 200 years. --IANS int/shs ( 325 Words) 2021-12-19-04:12:04 (IANS)
Kazakhstan Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi on Sunday said that strategic partnership with India is growing dynamically and are committed to fostering constructive cooperation in all its dimensions including economic and political spheres. At the opening remarks at the 3rd meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue, Tileuberdi said, "I'm confident that this forum serves as yet another milestone even to reaffirm our shared priorities and commitment to elevate our partnership to the quality of new level." It's very symbolic that our meeting is taking place at a time when Central Asia nations are celebrating their 30th anniversary of independence, he added. Kazakhstan Foreign Minister further noted the inaugural conference held in summer count in 2019, as well as the second virtual meeting in 2020, provided a great platform to an in-depth discussion on topical issues of regional and global agenda, thus facilitating a stronger dialogue and boosting regional connectivity. He acknowledged this dialogue and said it has an effective consultative mechanism "we are committed to for fostering constructive cooperation in all its dimensions including economic and political spheres." Tileuberdi continued saying that during the past three decades, Kazakhstan and India have developed successful and dynamic relations across the whole spectrum of cooperation. He added that "we have established solid cooperation in politics, economy, science, technology as well as cultural and humanitarian spheres." He said, "strategic partnership with India is dynamically growing and increasingly covers new areas of interaction." Tileuberdi stated that Kazakhstan is looking forward to organizing a high-level visit by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to India next year. "We are eager to maintain a trustworthy political dialogue and look forward to organizing a high-level visit by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to India next year. That could coincide with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries. During the events that we have scheduled for the next year will certainly help to boost bilateral political, economic, cultural and humanitarian ties," he said. Today, we restore pre-pandemic indicators in mutual trade. After a slight decline last year, the trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Central Asia countries has increased by 30 per cent to this August and amounted to 3.7 billion US dollars, he noted. While concluding his opening remarks, he stated that he believes this dialogue will also contribute to the relations with India both bilaterally and multilaterally, in terms of attracting huge potential for Central Asia Development. Jaishankar is hosting the third meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue that is aimed to further strengthen ties between the member countries, with a particular focus on trade, connectivity and development cooperation. This event, which will last till December 20, has will see participation from Foreign Ministers of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Jaishankar on Saturday hosted the Foreign Ministers of Central Asian countries to a welcome dinner. (ANI)
Kazakhstan Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi on Sunday said the country is looking forward to organize a high-level visit by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to India next year. At the opening remarks at the 3rd meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue here, Tileuberdi said, "We are eager to maintain a trustworthy political dialogue and look forward to organizing a high-level visit by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to India next year. That could coincide with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries. During the events that we have scheduled for the next year will certainly help to boost bilateral political, economic, cultural and humanitarian ties." Jaishankar is hosting the third meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue that is aimed to further strengthen ties between the member countries, with a particular focus on trade, connectivity and development cooperation. This event, which will last till December 20, will see participation from Foreign Ministers of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. During his opening remarks, Tileuberdi said that strategic partnership with India is growing dynamically and are committed to fostering constructive cooperation in all its dimensions including economic and political spheres. He continued by saying that "I'm confident that this forum serves as yet another milestone even to reaffirm our shared priorities and commitment to elevate our partnership to the quality of new level." It's very symbolic that our meeting is taking place at a time when Central Asia nations are celebrating their 30th anniversary of independence, he added. (ANI)
Noting the common historical, cultural and linguistic roots among the participating countries, Tajikistan Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin on Sunday said that dialogue plays a significant role in improving our connectivity and increasing trade in the region, as well as for forging closer ties between the people of India and Central Asia. In his opening remarks at the 3rd meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue, Muhriddin said," Cooperation with India, including within the framework of the India-Central Asia Dialogue and other mechanisms of regional cooperation has particular importance for Tajikistan." Ahead of the 30th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between the two countries next year, the minister said that "Tajikistan considers dialogue as a key to the development and strengthening of mutually beneficial partnerships." He said the dialogue plays a significant role in "improving our connectivity and increasing trade, as well as forging closer ties between the people of India and Central Asia." "The ties of India and Central Asia is based on common historical, cultural and linguistic roots that our countries preserved for many centuries." The minister noted that India is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. "...a powerful industrial base has been created (in India) and considerable scientific and technical potential has been accumulated. Both advantages create a favourable basis for increasing mutually beneficial cooperation in trade, industry, energy, health, education, agriculture and other areas." External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar is hosting the third meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue aimed to further strengthen ties between the member countries, with a particular focus on trade, connectivity and development cooperation. This Dialogue is seeing the participation from Foreign Ministers of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. It assumes importance due to the ongoing humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. Assuring India's readiness to take diplomatic relations to the next level, Jaishankar in his opening remarks said that India-Central Asia relations must focus on 4Cs -- Commerce, Capacity enhancement, Connectivity and Contacts. The minister noted that this meeting comes amid a rapidly changing global, economic and political situation. Earlier on Saturday, Jaishankar met with Tajikistan foreign minister and exchanged views on expanding bilateral cooperation in energy, connectivity, trade, security and capacity building. Both ministers also signed agreements on diplomatic training and program of cooperation. (ANI)
Highlighting that India and Central Asian countries share deep-rooted historical relations, Kyrgyzstan Foreign Minister Ruslan Kazakbaev on Sunday said that New Delhi is the strategic partner of all countries in the region. In his opening remarks at the 3rd meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue here, Kazakbaev said his country is very grateful for having diplomatic relations with India. "I'm very happy to say that we are having good relations and talks with India in the Central Asia region, which provides the dynamics of relations," he said, adding that dialogues between participating countries in such meetings are fruitful. Kyrgyzstan Foreign Minister said that being in Central Asia, at the center of the world, it has very warm relations with the Indian side and both share deep-rooted historical relations. "Today, India is the strategical partner for all countries of Central Asia and we have like political and economic, cultural relations and partnership and cooperation," he said. While recalling the recent talks on Afghanistan, Kazakbaev said a "special place of our relations is security and we are happy that we had recently talked about Afghanistan about the safety and security of the region.""We are ready to support and collaborate in all the measurements to make this region safer. And we wish that further also we would develop our relations," he said. Jaishankar is hosting the third meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue aiming to further strengthen ties between the member countries, with a particular focus on trade, connectivity and development cooperation. This dialogue is seeing the participation from Foreign Ministers of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. It assumes importance due to the ongoing humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. Since the Taliban's takeover of the country, Jaishankar has met several of the participating ministers for talks focusing on the issues concerning the troubled country. (ANI)
To commemorate 50th Victory Day, Bangladesh community members in the Washington DC Metro Region held a demonstration in front of the White House on Saturday demanding recognition of genocide perpetrated by the Pakistani Army in 1971. They were led by the US-based Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities (HRCBM) Executive Director Priya Saha and HRCBM Washington DC Metro Area Coordinator Pranesh Haldar. Demonstrators carried placards and raised slogans demanding US Congress should hold Pakistan responsible for the 'Bengali genocide.' Priya Saha informed the gathering that Pakistan Army had killed three million Bengalis and raped about 400,000 Bengali women and girls during the 1971 genocide. This is the second biggest genocide after the Holocaust and needs to be recognized as such by the global community. The US Administration also needs to sanction Pakistan and its Army officers involved in the 1971 genocide under the Magnitsky Act. Pranesh Haldar demanded that Pakistan Government should offer a formal apology to the Bangladesh government for the genocide perpetrated by its army. The Afghan community in Washington DC also supported the protests. Afghan activist Nisar Ahmed who attended the protests said that Afghan people stand shoulder to shoulder with their Bangladeshi brothers to condemn the atrocities of the Pakistan Army. HRCBM is leading the efforts to educate the US Congress members on the atrocities perpetrated by the Pakistani Army and its radical supporters on the helpless Bangladesh populace between March 25, 1971, and Dec 16, 1971. It has been lobbying for the formal recognition of the 1971 Bengali genocide by the US Congress. (ANI)
Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama has called India a role model of religious harmony in the world in his address during a two-day long virtual event on 'Maha Satipatthana Sutta' for Theravada Sangha. The event organised by the Sri Lankan Tibetan Buddhist Brotherhood Society on 'Unduvap Full Moon Poyaday' was attended by hundreds of Buddhist lamas from Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand. The Tibetan spiritual leader attended the event virtually from his residence in Dharmshala in Himachal Pradesh. "The Indian religious tradition teaches non-violence, not harming others. In India, the practice of non-violence - Ahimsa and Karuna have been practised for over 3,000 years. So, in India different religious traditions of the world such as Islam, Christianity, Jew and Judaism and so forth live together. India is an example, role model for religious harmony in the world. Since I came to exile in India as a refugee the practice of non-violence and religious harmony I found to be excellent in India," he said. One of the leading TV channels of Sri Lanka 'Hiru TV' reported that most Ven Niyangoda Vijithasiri, the Anunayake Theory of Malwatte Chapter of Siyam Maha Nikaya, Most Ven Waskaduwe Mahindawansa, the Mahanayake Thero of Sri Amarapura Sambuddha Sasanodaya Sangha Sabha and more than six hundred Maha Sangha representing the three main Nikayas of Sri Lanka participated in the programme. In his address, the Dalai Lama said, "Buddha himself has given us the freedom to analyse his own teaching and not take it on the face value, literally. So, in the Nalanda tradition therefore there is great emphasis on checking the teachings of the Buddha himself. So, the more you analyse through rational approach, the teachings of Buddha, the greater the certainty you gain. It's not like the more you do analyses of teaching you lose the track of your analyses and just stick to the faith alone. It's not like that. So, what we need is to develop faith in the teachings of the Buddha". The Buddhist monks who joined the event virtually asked several questions to Dalai Lama about the teaching of Buddha. They even raised questions about integrating or interpreting Mahasatipatthana to the modern people and non-religious ones. (ANI)
New York [US], December 19 (ANI/Xinhua): United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Saturday that showing solidarity with migrants is more important than ever in his message on International Migrants Day, celebrated each year on Dec. 18. "Solidarity with migrants has never been more urgent," said the UN chief, adding that "we need more effective international cooperation and a more compassionate approach to migration." Guterres said that "on this International Migrants Day, we recognize the contributions of migrants across the world in the face of many struggles including the COVID-19 pandemic." However, he said that "migrants continue to face widespread stigmatization, inequalities, xenophobia, and racism. Migrant women and girls face heightened risk of gender-based violence and have fewer options to seek support." "With borders closed, many migrants are stranded without income or shelter, unable to return home, separated from their families, and with uncertain futures," Guterres noted. According to the UN, approximately 281 million people were international migrants in 2020, representing 3.6 percent of the global population. The year 2021's theme for the International Migrants Day is "harnessing the potential of human mobility." For the UN chief, the world needs more effective international cooperation and a more compassionate approach to accomplish that goal. "This means managing borders humanely, fully respecting the human rights and humanitarian needs of everyone and ensuring that migrants are included in national COVID-19 vaccination plans," he said.It also means recognizing pathways for regular entry and addressing the drivers of migration, such as deep inequalities and human trafficking. Next year, the International Migration Review Forum will take stock of progress in implementing the milestone Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. For the UN chief, this "is an opportunity to advance efforts to ensure the full inclusion of migrants as we seek to build more resilient, just and sustainable societies." On Dec. 18, 1990, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. Each year on Dec. 18, the United Nations, through the UN-related agency International Organization for Migration, uses the day to highlight the contributions made by migrants and the challenges they face. (ANI/Xinhua):
India on Sunday welcomed the interest of Central Asian countries to utilize the services of Shahid Beheshti Terminal at Chabahar Port for facilitating their trade with India and beyond, said the joint statement after the India-Central Asia Dialogue here in New Delhi. The dialogue saw participation from Foreign Ministers of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. It assumes importance due to the ongoing humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. The Foreign Minister of India and five other Central Asian countries emphasized on optimum usage of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) as well as the Ashgabat Agreement on International Transport and Transit Corridor to enhance connectivity between India and the Central Asian countries. They stressed that connectivity initiatives should be based on the principles of transparency, broad participation, local priorities, financial sustainability and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. In 2018, Iran and India had signed an agreement worth USD 85 million to develop the Chabahar Port in south-eastern Iran. The port is located in the Gulf of Oman, and provides an alternative route for trade between India and Afghanistan. The Chabahar port is a key connectivity project to boost trade ties among India, Iran, and Afghanistan. The ministers welcomed the proposal to include Chabahar Port within the framework of INSTC and expressed interest in cooperation on issues related to the development and strengthening of regional connectivity in Central and South Asia. "In this regard, the Ministers noted the outcomes of the High-Level International Conference "Central and South Asia: Regional Connectivity; Challenges and Opportunities", held on 15-16 July 2021 in Tashkent as well as the second India-Uzbekistan-Iran trilateral meeting on the joint use of Chabahar Port in December 2021," the statement said. They agreed to continue engagement for further developing the transit and transport potential of their countries, improving the logistics network of the region and promoting joint initiatives to create regional and international transport corridors. The sides also agreed to explore possibilities to establish joint working group(s), including the participation of the private sector, to address issues of free movements of goods and services between India and Central Asian countries. External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar hosted the third meeting of this dialogue aimed at further strengthening ties between the member countries, with a particular focus on trade, connectivity and development cooperation. Assuring India's readiness to take diplomatic relations to the next level, Jaishankar in his opening remarks said that India-Central Asia relations must focus on 4Cs -- Commerce, Capacity enhancement, Connectivity and Contacts. (ANI)
US airstrikes conducted with imprecise targeting and "deeply flawed intelligence killed thousands of civilians in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, new US media reports have revealed. The civilian death toll was a lot higher than the 1,417 civilian deaths reported by the US military in Iraq and Syria and the 188 deaths reported in Afghanistan, according to a report published by The New York Times (NYT). The newspaper made the revelation after studying 1,311 documents from a hidden Pentagon archive. Reports of civilian casualties were often dismissed because surveillance footage was too brief, NYT report said. According to the report, interviews with surviving residents and current and former US officials revealed that the US military made little effort to identify patterns of failure and there have been no public assessments that included a finding of wrongdoing. The report further said that civilian deaths were often the result of "confirmation bias" on the part of the US military, which confused civilians with terrorist fighters or failed to make sure that the targeted buildings had no ordinary people inside. Earlier this month, the NYT report said that a secret US strike cell called Talon Anvil was responsible for civilian casualties in Syria resulting from airstrikes. As per the report, the unit rushed to destroy "enemies" and sidestepped safeguards, circumventing important rules that helped protect civilians. Some members of Talon Anvil even refused to participate in strikes targeting people who appeared to be innocent bystanders. The majority of the strikes were ordered by relatively low-ranking US Army commandos in Talon Anvil, and were labelled as defensive strikes in order to limit oversight, the report added. (ANI)
Convened by Saudi Arabia as OIC chair and being hosted by Pakistan, 70 delegates are participating in the historic session, reported The Express Tribune.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who is chairing the session, made an inaugural address at the meeting.

Prime Minister Imran Khan is also taking part in the meeting. He will make a keynote address to highlight the situation and draw the world attention towards the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan.

Under the garb of humanitarian agenda, experts believe that Pakistan is attempting to push the interim Afghanistan government towards international recognition despite little progress on the human rights front by the outfit.

More than 100 days have passed since the Taliban seized control over Afghanistan but the outfit is yet to be recognized by any country in the world.

Respect for women and human rights, establishing inclusive government, not allowing Afghanistan to become a safe haven of terrorism are the preconditions for the recognition set by the international community.

Moreover, Afghanistan is facing a looming economic meltdown and humanitarian catastrophe in the aftermath of the Taliban takeover. Billions of dollars worth of the country's assets abroad, mostly in the US, have been frozen and international funding to the country has ceased. (ANI)
The Foreign Minister of India and five other Central Asian countries on Sunday condemned all forms of terrorism and reiterated that providing safe haven, using terrorist proxies for cross-border terrorism, terror financing, goes against the basic principles of humanity and international relations. The sides also discussed the current situation in Afghanistan and its impact on the region. The Ministers reiterated strong support for a peaceful, secure and stable Afghanistan while emphasizing the respect for sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity and non-interference in its internal affairs. In a joint statement issued after India-Central Asia Dialogue, the ministers called on the international community to strengthen UN-led global counter-terrorism cooperation and fully implement the relevant UNSC resolutions, Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and FATF standards. "The Ministers condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and reiterated that providing safe haven, using terrorist proxies for cross-border terrorism, terror financing, arms and drugs trafficking, dissemination of a radical ideology and abuse of cyber space to spread disinformation and incite violence, goes against the basic principles of humanity and international relations," the joint statement said. They also discussed the current humanitarian situation and decided to continue to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people. The Ministers also reaffirmed the importance of UNSC Resolution 2593 (2021) which unequivocally demands that Afghan territory not be used for sheltering, training, planning or financing terrorist acts and called for concerted action against all terrorist groups. They also agreed to continue close consultations on the situation in Afghanistan. External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar hosted the third meeting of this dialogue aimed at further strengthening ties between the member countries. This dialogue saw participation from Foreign Ministers of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. It assumes importance due to the ongoing humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. (ANI)
Foreign Ministers of India and five Central Asian countries have reaffirmed the importance of UNSC Resolution 2593 (2021) which unequivocally demands that Afghan territory should not be used for sheltering, training, planning or financing terrorist acts and called for concerted action against all terrorist groups. The Ministers condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and called for early adoption of the UN Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism, said the joint statement after the India-Central Asia Dialogue here in New Delhi. The sides, during the Third meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue held here on Sunday, discussed the current situation in Afghanistan and its impact on the region. The Ministers reiterated strong support for a peaceful, secure and stable Afghanistan while emphasizing the respect for sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity and non-interference in its internal affairs, said a joint statement of the 3rd meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue. The meeting was in New Delhi under the chairmanship of the External Affairs Minister of India and witnessed the participation from Foreign Ministers of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. During the meeting, the Ministers reaffirmed the importance of UNSC Resolution 2593 (2021) which unequivocally demands that Afghan territory not be used for sheltering, training, planning or financing terrorist acts and called for concerted action against all terrorist groups. The Ministers also agreed to continue close consultations on the situation in Afghanistan. Resolution 2593 was passed by the UNSC under the presidency of India on August 30, 2021, with Russia and China abstaining from voting. This resolution demands that Afghan territory should not be used to threaten or attack any country or to finance terrorist acts. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Central Asian countries reiterated the support of their countries for permanent membership of India in an expanded and reformed UN Security Council. They welcomed the ongoing non-permanent tenure of India in the UNSC and its priorities. The participants expressed satisfaction at the ongoing Central Asia-India cooperation in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The Foreign Ministers of Central Asian countries appreciated India's assistance in the supply of vaccines and essential medicines during their early stage of the fight against COVID-19, the statement added. (ANI)
India and Central Asian nations on Sunday supported gradual restoration of the people-to-people contacts, tourism and business ties as they called on for early mutual recognition of COVID vaccine certification. This dialogue saw participation from Foreign Ministers of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. In a joint statement, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan welcomed the mutual recognition of COVID-19 vaccination certificates between India and their countries, while Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan looking forward to early mutual recognition of vaccine certification with India, said the joint statement after the India-Central Asia Dialogue. "The Ministers supported gradual restoration of the people-to-people contacts, tourism and business ties between India and Central Asian countries. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic welcomed the mutual recognition of Covid-19 vaccination certificates between India and their countries while the Ministers of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan looked forward to early mutual recognition of vaccine certification with India." They highly appreciated the role of the India-Central Asia Dialogue, as an effective platform for strengthening the multifaceted cooperation and exchanging views on various regional and international issues of mutual interest. They emphasized that the establishment of long-term relations between Central Asia and India is aimed at enhancing regional peace, security, stability, sustainable economic growth and prosperity in the region. They discussed further strengthening of the India-Central Asia Dialogue and agreed to hold regular annual meetings of the Dialogue. The Ministers expressed satisfaction at the ongoing Central Asia-India cooperation in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The Foreign Ministers of Central Asian countries appreciated India's assistance in the supply of vaccines and essential medicines during their early stage of fight against COVID-19. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar expressed gratitude for the supplies received from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and the offer made by Turkmenistan during the second wave of COVID-19 in India in April-May 2021. In the statement, the ministers also noted the current level of trade and investment between India and Central Asian countries and stressed on the importance of making concerted efforts to achieve the full potential for trade, especially in sectors like pharmaceuticals, information technology, agriculture, energy, textiles, gems and jewellery etc. They encouraged the development of direct contacts between the States of India and the Regions of Central Asian countries, including through the signing of Agreements/MoUs on the establishment of twinning/partnership relations between the states of the Republic of India and the regions of Central Asian countries. The ministers further noted the need for continued large-scale and long-term economic cooperation between Central Asian countries and India in order to strengthen and expand interconnectivity. In this context, the Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan stressed on the importance of the TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) gas pipeline project. The sides also expressed their desire to deepen cooperation between India and the Central Asian countries in the health-care sector, including medical tourism. Increasing tourist arrivals, including in the segments of pilgrimage and historical and cultural tourism, creating tourism trails across the region, encouraging investment in tourism infrastructure were emphasized. Taking note of a large number of students from India and the Central Asian countries studying in each other's higher educational institutions, the Ministers stressed the importance of ensuring their welfare. The ministers also expressed interest in strengthening mutual cooperation in the field of Science, Technology and Innovation by enhancing direct cooperation between government organizations, research institutes, innovation centres and technological enterprises of India and the Central Asian countries. (ANI)
The two-day conference titled, 'Secure Himalaya - Safe India: Reducing Climate Change Induced Risks & Vulnerabilities due to GLOF-Glacial Lake Outburst Floods in the Himalayas,' discussed the climate risks, community preparedness, the role of financial institutions and climate change action plan in the region.

"The conference is not only about the exchange of plans and ideas, but it is already long-standing cooperation between Germany and the state of Himachal Pradesh," Lindner told ANI.

"This is a very important two-day conference because the focus is on the exchange of views and ideas of experts rather than just long speeches," he said.

"We should focus on financial and technology assistance," he added.

German envoy also visited the Sairi village in Dhamoon Panchayat nearly 20 kilometres from Shimla city. He said that without the cooperation of India no nation can't fight against climate change issues. (ANI)
"Decades of fruitful implementation of the treaty showed that it has served well as a tool for strengthening confidence and security, creating additional opportunities for an objective and unbiased assessment of the military potential and military activities of the participating states," Xinhua news agency quoted the statement issued on Saturday as saying.

The Ministry mentioned that during Russia's participation in the Treaty, the country has conducted 646 flights, and allowed for 449 flights to be carried out over its territory among the 1,580 total flights made.

"Unfortunately, all our efforts did not allow us to preserve the treaty as it was intended by its authors," the Ministry statement said.

"The entire responsibility for the degradation of the agreement lies with the initiator of the collapse of the Treaty on Open Skies: the United States of America," it added.

After the formal US withdrawal in November 2020, the Foreign Ministry said this January that the country had started domestic legal procedures for the official pullout from the Treaty.

On June 7, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law to quit the Treaty.

The multilateral pact, which came into effect in 2002, allows its states-parties to conduct short-notice, unarmed reconnaissance flights over the others' territories to collect data on military forces and activities.

--IANS ksk/

( 240 Words)

2021-12-19-09:54:05 (IANS)
Pakistan's coronavirus mortality rate was 2.24 per cent against 1.97 per cent globally. It further showed that 28,870 deaths were reported across the country, out of which 61 per cent were males and 39per cent females, reported Dawn citing a document of the country's National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).

More Pakistanis died because they visited hospitals due to complications arising from Covid-19 rather than the infection itself, said Dr Javed Akram, member of the Scientific Task Force on COVID-19,

Referring to the high number of casualties, Akram cited poor health and diagnostic facilities as a major cause for the high mortality rate in the country.

"Unfortunately in Pakistan people do not visit hospitals with COVID-19; rather they visit hospitals once they develop complications, said Akram, emphasising, "We lack state-of-the-art health and diagnostic facilities."

Akram also stressed that Pakistan's intensive care units remained under pressure or were overburdened due to which the COVID-19 mortality ratio increased.

The minimum age of a Pakistani national who succumbed to the infection was two months and the maximum age was over 100 years, with the median age calculated at 62 years, said Dawn citing the NCOC document. (ANI)
External Affairs S Jaishankar met Foreign Ministers of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan separately on the sidelines of the Third India-Central Asia Dialogue held here on Sunday. Kyrgyzstan's Foreign Minister Ruslan Kazakbaev and Kazakhstan's Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi took part in the India-Central Asia dialogue, which was chaired by S Jaishankar on Sunday and witnessed participation from Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Participants in the dialogue have condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and reiterated that providing safe haven, using terrorist proxies for cross-border terrorism, terror financing, arms and drugs trafficking, dissemination of a radical ideology and abuse of cyberspace to spread disinformation and incite violence, go against the basic principles of humanity and international relations. The sides discussed the current situation in Afghanistan and its impact on the region. The Ministers reiterated strong support for a peaceful, secure and stable Afghanistan while emphasizing respect for sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity and non-interference in its internal affairs. They also discussed the current humanitarian situation and decided to continue to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people. (ANI)
Iran on Sunday called for sending humanitarian aids to Afghanistan regardless of political interests on the sideline of the Organization of Islamic Organization (OIC) Summit held in Pakistan. Assistant Foreign Minister and head of Iran's delegation to OIC in Islamabad Rasoul Mousavi said that the objective of the extraordinary session of the organization is to arrange humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, reported Khaama Press. He added that there is a consensus among all the 57 member states of the organization in this regard. Speaking exclusively to Iran's IRNA, Rasoul Mousavi said all the delegations are trying to find ways to provide humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. "As the Taliban's interim government has not been recognized by the international community yet, many of the OIC member states have been stressing upon the need to devise a mechanism for dispatching aid to Afghanistan," said Mousavi. The Iranian diplomat added that they support all international efforts to send humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and that Iran's borders are open for any relief activity, reported Khaama Press. OIC's 17th extraordinary session on Afghanistan is taking place in the Pakistani capital Islamabad. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who is chairing the session, made an inaugural address at the meeting. Convened by Saudi Arabia as OIC chair and being hosted by Pakistan, 70 delegates are participating in the historic session. Under the garb of humanitarian agenda, experts believe that Pakistan is attempting to push the interim Afghanistan government towards international recognition despite little progress on the human rights front by the outfit. More than 100 days have passed since the Taliban seized control over Afghanistan but the outfit is yet to be recognized by any country in the world. Respect for women and human rights, establishing inclusive government, not allowing Afghanistan to become a safe haven of terrorism are the preconditions for the recognition set by the international community. (ANI)
Hong Kong, December 19 (ANI/Sputnik): Chief Executive of Hong Kong Carrie Lam cast her vote in Sunday elections to the Legislative Council, the first ones since the autonomous city had its electoral system massively overhauled, and called on citizens to vote actively, Chinese media reported. Polling stations opened at 8.30 am (00:30 GMT), and citizens will be able to vote until 10.30 pm. Lam cast her ballot at 09:00 a.m. at the Raimondi College polling station, according to the Xinhua news agency. "I hope this election will be fair, just, open, clean and efficient," Lam said, as quoted by the media, adding that Hong Kongers should vote actively to fulfill their civic duty. A special committee approved applications from 153 candidates, who will compete for 90 seats in the parliament. Twenty representatives will be elected by direct vote and another 30 by business groupings. The remaining 40 seats will be taken up by members of the Election Committee. Before the reform, the council had 70 seats. Representatives of opposition parties do not participate in the elections, for the first time too. This past March, the Chinese parliament passed the reform plan for the Hong Kong electoral system, changing the procedures for electing the head of the city administration and forming the legislative body. China stated that matters relating to Hong Kong are an internal affair and warned against external pressure, when Western countries expressed their concern about Hong Kong's independence amid the reform. (ANI/Sputnik)
The third-largest city of Afghanistan, Herat, is witnessing a high rate of poverty due to a surge in unemployment after the Taliban took control of the country. The high rate of poverty has recently affected many people in the western province of Herat, officials said on Saturday, reported Tolo News. Herat has seen a rapid surge in unemployment that has severely affected its residents. This comes as the UN and other humanitarian organizations have repeatedly raised alarms over an economic meltdown in the country after the Taliban takeover of the country. The head of the provincial disaster management authority, Sayed Habib Rahman Ruhani, said that dozens of people are asking for help from the department on a daily basis. "The demands are high. But the assistance of the disaster management department is limited. It depends on the emergency situation. When a flood or drought takes place, we provide our aid," he said. Meanwhile, on Saturday the people received some aid from the humanitarian package provided by Turkmenistan. The aid consisted of one pack of vegetables, reported Tolo News. "It is not aid--- these are vegetables that are eaten after a meal- not as a meal. The people are struggling with economic problems," said Ahmad, a Herat resident. "We want them to provide us with flour, oil. What will we do with carrots and other vegetables?" said Naznin, a Herat resident. Some of the vulnerable people who were not enrolled gathered at the site to receive aid. They said that poverty has forced them to stand in the line and ask for help, reported Tolo News. "I am a widow and have four children. The price of food products are too high and I can't buy any," said Lily, a Herat resident. (ANI)
Xinhua news agency citing police reported that an improvised explosive device blasted as the vehicle carrying workers of a political party passed through the Kamar Sar area of Bajaur district.

Security forces and rescue teams rushed to the site and shifted the injured to a nearby hospital, where some of the injured were said to be in critical condition, Xinhua reported. (ANI)
Taliban's Deputy Foreign Minister Sher Muhammad Abbas Stanekzai on Saturday urged Afghan nationals to return to the country as he claimed that Afghanistan is now safe and secure. Speaking at a gathering in Kabul on the occasion of International Migrants Day, Abbas Stanekzai said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is committed to its general amnesty and all Afghans can live in peace, reported Khaama Press. Stanekzai said that Afghanistan is now safe and secure so all those who have left the country for economic and political reasons must return. He said that the Afghan specialists should come back and do their part in the development of Afghanistan, reported Khaama Press. The Deputy Foreign Minister further added that they have inherited an ongoing fragile economic situation from the previous Afghan government. Stanekzai also called on Iran and Pakistan to facilitate the best of lives for the Afghan refugees. The Taliban officials have again asked the International community to meet their pledges and assist Afghanistan in the areas of immigration, humanitarian aids, and building diplomatic relations with Afghanistan. More than 100 days have passed since the Taliban seized control over Afghanistan but the outfit is yet to be recognized by any country in the world. Respect for women and human rights, establishing inclusive government, not allowing Afghanistan to become a safe haven of terrorism are the preconditions for the recognition set by the international community. Moreover, Afghanistan is facing a looming economic meltdown and humanitarian catastrophe in the aftermath of the Taliban takeover. Billions of dollars worth of the country's assets abroad, mostly in the US, have been frozen and international funding to the country has ceased. (ANI)
"Among those who died are children, men and women, in addition to the [previously reported] tragic death of a police officer. This brings the death toll to 13 people," the police said on Twitter.

It was noted that two more law enforcement officers were injured in the clashes.

Chinquix borders the town of Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan. Disputes over water and land between the two localities date back to over 100 years. (ANI/Sputnik)
The GPS took 75 of 82 state Assembly seats, while the main opposition party Pakatan Harapan (PH) won two seats and another opposition party Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) won four seats, the election commission said.

The results for one remaining seat have been delayed due to continuing bad weather hitting the country, reports Xinhua news agency.

The elections were triggered following the expiry of the state government's 2016 mandate, but had been delayed by Covid-19 pandemic, with a state of emergency imposed in the state from July to November this year to slow the spread of the outbreak.

--IANS ksk/

( 138 Words)

2021-12-19-12:52:02 (IANS)
Aimed at covering up the deplorable condition of Hindu sacred places in the country, Pakistan authorities have speeded up refilling of the empty pond at the ancient Katas Raj Temple, which is hosting religious ceremonies that attracts international visitors, including from India. The sacred pond in the Katas Raj, a complex of several temples situated in the Chakwal district of Punjab province and considered one of the holiest places for the Hindu community in Pakistan, had dried up due to industrialization and the ongoing project of 'Best Way Cement Factory'. The pond has been in a pathetic condition and lies filled with garbage and waste material. There have been no considerable efforts made by cultural heritage and concerned district management. Supreme Court of Pakistan had earlier directed 'Best Way Cement Factory' to make arrangements for the recovery of water in the pond. The concerned local administration was also directed to make appropriate arrangements for the storage and cleaning of pond water. Best Way Cement factory responsible for the storage of pond water through turbine was needed to run turbine at least months ago. The turbine installed by the factory has been found in a miserable condition. The concerned administration tried to speed up the refill of the empty pond using turbines and started cleaning the pond just a few days ago. The pond however is still not filled at the appropriate level. Meanwhile, Indian pilgrims/Hindu Jatha to Katas Raj Temples arrived on Saturday comprising of 87 Indian national Hindu pilgrims led by Rakesh Kumar in Tehsil Choa Saiden Shah, District Chakwal in two buses and three cars. The Pakistan High Commission on Tuesday had issued visas to 112 Indian Hindu pilgrims for visiting Katas Raj temples. According to the Pakistan High Commission, the group will be visiting the renowned temple compound, also known as Qila Katas between December 17 to 23. The Katas Raj temples form a complex surrounding a pond named Katas -- which is regarded as sacred by the devotees. The visit is covered under the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines, 1974.A large number of Sikh and Hindu pilgrims from India visit Pakistan to observe various religious festivals every year. (ANI)
Kazakbaev is on his first-ever visit to India.

Earlier in the day the Kyrgyzstan minister met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and discussed issues related to telemedicine, Information Technology, education and heritage.

"Welcomed FM Ruslan Kazakbaev of Kyrgyz Republic on his first-ever visit to India. Our agenda covered telemedicine, IT, education and heritage conservation," Jaishankar said in a tweet today.

Both leaders met on the sidelines of the third India-Central Asia Dialogue, which was chaired by Jaishankar and witnessed participation from Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

Participants in the meeting have condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and reiterated that providing safe haven, using terrorist proxies for cross-border terrorism, terror financing, arms and drugs trafficking, dissemination of a radical ideology and abuse of cyberspace to spread disinformation and incite violence, go against the basic principles of humanity and international relations.

The sides also discussed the current situation in Afghanistan and its impact on the region. (ANI)
The 2022 briefings will begin Monday under the slogan, "Changes made with the people, a government fulfilling its responsibilities until the end", the presidential office or Cheong Wa Dae said in a statement.

"Through the policy briefings, we plan to go through the achievements made during the five years of the Moon Jae-in administration and check the government's policy directions and main project plans up until May 2022," Yonhap News Agency quoted the statement as saying.

Moon's single, five-year term is set to end in May 2022, and by law, he cannot seek re-election.

This year, the briefings will be submitted by paper because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The government has chosen five top themes it will concentrate on until the end of the administration, and for each theme, scheduled a joint press briefing involving the relevant ministries to explain its achievements and future goals to the public.

On Wednesday, the Finance Ministry will be among the first to brief the nation on reviving people's livelihoods, along with the culture, labour, SMEs and agriculture ministries.

On Thursday, the Unification Ministry will be joined by the Foreign and Defence Ministries to give a press briefing on peace on the Korean Peninsula.

The Land Ministry will give a presentation on stabilising the real estate market on December 27, followed by the Environment Ministry on carbon neutrality on December 28, and the Health Ministry on the Covid-19 response on December 30.

--IANS ksk/

( 275 Words)

2021-12-19-13:26:02 (IANS)
Welcoming the delegation to India, the President said that New Delhi and Vietnam enjoy excellent relations at the leadership level in the contemporary time. "Our people cherish the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi and President Ho Chi Minh," said President Kovind, according to a release by Presidential Secretariat.

He noted that India and Vietnam have been working with ASEAN to contribute to a free, open, peaceful, prosperous, inclusive and rules-based Indo-Pacific region governed by international law.

"Our bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership covers a wide range of areas - from political engagement to trade and investment ties, energy cooperation, development partnership, defence and security cooperation and people-to-people relations," President Kovind said.

Recalling his visit to Vietnam in 2018, the President said that he himself witnessed the rich cultural heritage of Vietnam and ancient civilizational exchanges between two countries, including our strong Buddhist connections.

Noting that economic engagement between India and Vietnam has maintained a positive direction, despite the disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he said that the defence partnership between India and Vietnam has been growing steadily.

"The strong defence cooperation between the two countries would contribute to peace, security and prosperity in the region," he added.

Speaking about the cooperation between New Delhi and Hanoi at multilateral fora, the President said that our coordinated efforts at the UN and other fora have given voice to the majority of developing countries. (ANI)
The ban will take effect on Wednesday and will include the United States, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Morocco, Portugal, Canada, Switzerland and Turkey, which will be labelled as "red" countries, according to the ministry.

The list of "red" countries already includes most of the African countries, eight European countries and the United Arab Emirates.

All Israelis returning from the banned countries, including vaccinated and recovered ones, must enter quarantine for at least seven days.

Foreign nationals are not allowed to travel from these countries to Israel, except in humanitarian cases with the approval of a special governmental committee.

To date, the ministry has reported 134 cases of the Omicron variant, of which 86 are passengers who have recently returned from abroad. (ANI/Xinhua)
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday warned that "if the Afghan government fails to counter terrorism, other countries may face spillover." Khan said that owing to a dearth of resources, if the Afghan government remained unable to counter terrorism, other countries may also face its spillover impact, reported Geo News. He made these remarks during his keynote address at the 17th Extraordinary Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) being held in Islamabad. Mentioning the presence of the Islamic State in Afghanistan, the prime minister said the only way to handle the terror outfit was a stable Afghanistan. He said the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) was capable of carrying out international attacks, reported Geo News. "The only way to handle the terror outfit is a stable Afghanistan," said Khan. While Pakistan has been blamed globally for the burgeoning Afghanistan crisis and helping the Taliban, Khan put the onus on corrupt government, suspension of foreign aid, freezing of foreign assets and a dysfunctional banking system for the collapse of Afghanistan. He also underscored the need for humanitarian aid to Kabul and said that if the world failed to act in a timely manner, Afghanistan could potentially become the "biggest man-made disaster." Highlighting the collapsing hospitals, education sector, and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, the prime minister called for the world to take immediate action as Afghanistan was heading towards chaos, reported Geo News. "Unless action is taken immediately, Afghanistan is heading for chaos. When it cannot pay salaries to public servants, doctors and nurses, any government is going to collapse. But chaos suits no one. It certainly does not suit the United States," he added. The premier also said that OIC has a huge responsibility as it is our religious duty too to support suffering Afghan brethren. Khan urged the world not to link their support with the Taliban, but rather that they must think of 40 million people. He also asked the international community to be sensitive to the cultural traditions of Afghanistan as well as adjoining areas in Pakistan, particularly considering girls' education, reported Geo News. In veiled support to the Taliban regarding girls' education, he said that in case of violation of their traditions, the families would never send their girls to school even if incentivised. Talking about the migration of Afghans, Khan took the case of Pakistan. He said that any chaos in Afghanistan would lead to the mass exodus of refugees which would be unaffordable for Pakistan. Pakistan is rallying 57-member OIC Muslim countries to help Afghanistan stave off a crisis while also cajoling the neighbouring country's new Taliban rulers to soften their image abroad. It has been more than 100 days since the Taliban seized control over Afghanistan but it has not been recognized by any nation of the world yet. Respect for women and human rights, establishing inclusive government, not allowing Afghanistan to become a safe haven of terrorism are the preconditions for recognition set by the international community.The Taliban has so far implemented none of these but has been promising to do so. Afghanistan is facing a looming economic meltdown and humanitarian catastrophe in the aftermath of the Taliban takeover. (ANI)
The petition was filed by Advocate Amanullah Kanrani who pleaded the court to disqualify the chief minister for distributing money among the protesters, reported Dawn.

"The Chief Minister does not comply with Article 62 and 63 after paying money to protesters," the petition said.

For the past several weeks, thousands of people were protesting demanding basic rights in support of the "Gwadar ko haq do" movement in the port city.

Among other things, thousands of residents were demanding access to clean drinking water and an end to the "trawler mafia". The demands also included the removal of additional check-posts at Pushkan, Sarbandan and Gwadar City, and the opening of the Pakistan-Iran border.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Balochistan government condemned what he called the propaganda against CM Bizenjo, reported Dawn.

The Balochistan government's spokesperson claimed that CM Bizenjo distributed money among poor women and children outside the area where the sit-in was held.

He said providing financial assistance to poor women is a tribal tradition in Balochistan and that there is nothing wrong with it. Criticising the chief minister for doing something which is a tradition of the province is unjustified, he added. (ANI)
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Sunday presented a six-point proposal to avert a crisis in Afghanistan, which includes the creation of a mechanism for immediate and continuous delivery of humanitarian and financial aid to the Afghan people. During the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting today, the Foreign Minister said: "The consequences of a humanitarian crisis and an economic collapse will be horrendous... we must not allow this to happen." "We should also agree to increase investment in the people of Afghanistan, bilaterally or through the OIC, in areas such as education, health and technical and vocational skills to the Afghan youth," he said during the 17th extraordinary session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Islamabad, as quoted by Pakistani newspaper Dawn. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan today warned that "If Afghan government fails to counter-terrorism, other countries may face spillover". Khan said that owing to a dearth of resources, if the Afghan government remained unable to counter-terrorism, other countries may also face its spillover impact, reported Geo News. While Pakistan has been blamed globally the for burgeoning Afghanistan crisis and helping the Taliban, Prime Minister Imran Khan put the onus on corrupt government, suspension of foreign aid, freezing of foreign assets and a dysfunctional banking system for the collapse of Afghanistan. He also underscored the need for humanitarian aid to Kabul and said that if the world failed to act in a timely manner, Afghanistan could potentially become the "biggest man-made disaster." Highlighting the collapsing hospitals, education sector, and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, the prime minister called for the world to take immediate action as Afghanistan was heading towards chaos, reported Geo News. (ANI)
Berlin [Germany], December 19 (ANI/Sputnik): NATO will discuss Russia's proposals on security guarantees next week, while being resolute about not allowing Moscow to "dictate" the alliance how to act, German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht said on Sunday. "I have clearly stated that we should look for a solution to the tense situation in which we find ourselves, both on the diplomatic level and with the help of credible deterrence. This also means talking to each other, i.e. discussing the proposals made by Russia. This an important and right [thing to do], but it should not be that Russia dictates the NATO partners how to act," Lambrecht said during her visit to Lithuania, adding that "we will discuss these proposals at the NATO council next week." The minister went on to say that Germany had increased the preparedness level of its rapid deployment forces. "This is an important signal that we act when actions are required. We will, of course, talk about Russia's proposals in the coming days, but I will say it once again: our presence here in Lithuania is very much conscious, for sending a deterrence signal," Lambrecht stated. On Friday, Moscow published draft agreements between Russia, the United States and NATO on security guarantees. The proposals, if agreed to, would ban NATO from expanding in eastern Europe and prohibit the US and Russia from deploying intermediate and shorter-range missiles within striking distance of each other's territory, among other terms. (ANI/Sputnik)
Maldives on Saturday expressed its concern over the attempts on spreading false information regarding ties with India. "The Government of Maldives is profoundly concerned by the attempts to spread misguided and unsubstantiated information to propagate hatred towards India, one of the closest bilateral partners of the Maldives by a small group of individuals and a few political personalities," said a statement by the Government of Maldives. "Spreading hatred and making false allegations regarding bilateral ties with neighbouring countries not only tarnishes the relations with trusted allies who extends consistent support to the Maldivian people, but also affect the safety and security of their citizens in the Maldives, and Maldivians living abroad," added the statement. Maldives government urged all parties, especially the political leadership, to act responsibly, and refrain from spreading false information that undermines the country's cordial relations with its neighbours, and the international community. Further, it also said that the Maldives champions the freedom of expression and freedom of assembly and advised that these fundamental rights should be exercised in a democratic and responsible manner. Maldives reaffirmed that the country's long-standing ties with all its international partners are based on principles of mutual respect and understanding, and in accordance with respective national and international law. "Such interactions in the international sphere does not, and will not undermine the Maldives' independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. In fact, they are designed to enhance the Maldives' national interests, and deliver for the people of the Maldives," read the statement. (ANI)
President of Tibetan government-in-exile Penpa Tsering on Sunday said Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat has specified that the Sangh has a pro-independence stance towards Tibet. Sikyong/President of Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) Tsering said, "Mohan Bhagwat ji specified that the position of the Sangh is pro-independence for Tibet and that they continue to do that. However, the government does have its own way of doing things so from the Sangh side they support the independence of Tibet." "Tibet has always been independent and that is the only leverage that we have for the middle way approach so it is important that when we have big organizations like Sangh who support us," he said. Bhagwat attended a seminar in Kangra today where about 60 intellectuals were invited including CTA President and Speaker of Tibetan parliament-in-exile, Khenpo Sonam Tenphel. "We were invited for this meeting and it is our duty to thank the leaders from whatever party they come from or from the ordinary people. It's our duty to thank the government and people of India for the support that they have given us for the last 50-60 years," added Tsering. Bhagwat will be meeting the Tibetan leader Dalai Lama tomorrow. "Tomorrow morning RSS chief will be meeting with his Holiness and my cabinet and Speaker and Deputy Speaker Dolma Tsering will also meet with him tomorrow after the audience," added Tsering. (ANI)
On Saturday, the blast happened in Karachi's Shershah area, Pakistan Urdu news channel Samaa reported. A building that hosted a bank partially collapsed in the blast.

The Pakistani publication said that police and rescue officials rushed to the spot and the injured had been moved to a nearby hospital. Media reports say that several people are suspected to be trapped under the rubble.

The nature of the blast is being determined by the police who is investigating the blast. Some media reports suggest the incident occurred due to gas leakage or detonation of explosives.

Special Assistant to the Pakistan Prime Minister on Political Communication Shahbaz Gill said the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf lawmaker Alamgir Khan's father, Dilawar Khan, had also died in the blast.

"We share the grief of Alamgir Khan and other bereaved families," Gill tweeted in Urdu. (ANI)
Across Europe there is a looming sense of dread over the surge in COVID-19 Omicron variant cases, forcing the Netherlands on Sunday to re-impose strict lockdown and UK mulling over new restrictive measures to contain the virus. The Netherlands entered a strict new lockdown due to fears over the Omicron coronavirus variant, and the UK's health minister wouldn't rule out further restrictions, as Europe braces for a surge in coronavirus infections over the usually busy festive period, reported CNN. Indoor gatherings in the Netherlands will now be limited to a maximum of two guests per household until at least mid-January, Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced Saturday. Non-essential shops, hospitality venues and cultural institutions will also be closed, while schools will remain shut until at least January 9, reported CNN. The Netherlands had already been battling a fresh wave of COVID-19 cases before the Omicron strain reached its shores last month. Some experts are now predicting it will become the dominant variant in the country before the end of the year. This year's Christmas will look a lot like 2020 as Omicron spreads at a phenomenal rate in parts of the continent, reported CNN. The UK too is in the grip of a surge in Omicron infections, with Health Secretary Sajid Javid telling a British broadcaster, that he could not rule out restrictions before Christmas. The Omicron variant now accounts for around 60 per cent of COVID-19 cases in England, Javid also told Sky News, reported CNN. Writing in the UK-based newspaper, Javid said that while a lot was still unknown about the severity of Omicron, the UK did know it was facing "a tsunami of infections in the coming days and weeks." "Omicron spreads at a pace we have never seen before and has been doubling about every two to three days. Yesterday saw more than 90,000 new cases were reported across the UK. We are extremely confident the number of infections -- people with the disease but who have not been confirmed by a test -- is significantly higher than that," Javid wrote, reported CNN. His comments come after London Mayor Sadiq Khan on Saturday declared a "major incident" in the capital due to rapidly rising case numbers. A "major incident" refers to an event requiring special arrangements between emergency services and local authorities. The UK in recent weeks reintroduced some measures -- including mask-wearing in most indoor public venues and working from home -- in an effort to curb infections. The government's Scientific Group for Emergencies (SAGE) also warned that if further coronavirus measures are not introduced very soon, COVID-19 hospital admissions could reach 3,000 a day in England, in a meeting Thursday, reported CNN. Meanwhile, Germany added the UK to its list of areas with "variants of concern" -- meaning only German citizens and residents will be able to enter the country from the UK. Across the continent, cities are already cancelling New Year festivities amid concerns over rising cases. France on Friday announced large outdoor events and gatherings will be banned on New Year's Eve as the country faces its fifth wave of infections, warning that Omicron will become the dominant variant by early 2022. Denmark has also proposed closing cinemas and theaters, and limiting the numbers of people in shops the week before Christmas, as it attempts to control a spike in cases. And Rome is among several Italian cities that have decided to cancel New Year's festivities over coronavirus concerns, authorities said on Thursday. (ANI)
Muttahidda Qaumi Movement's (MQM) founder Altaf Hussain has said that the ghoulish army of Pakistan is trading with the rights and future of the oppressed nations including Mohajirs, Sindhis and Balochs. He added that this army has agreed to place Sindh and Balochistan under the planned occupation of China on the pretext of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. "As far as Mohajir nation is concerned, this is struggling for the freedom of Sindh from Pakistan which is a terror-sponsoring state. Mohajirs want to save the future of the occupied territories and permanent citizen of Sindh means Mohajirs and Sindhis. Both Sindhi and Muhajir nations will fight for their freedom." "The military establishment continues to enjoy unbridled powers and is looting the resources of these occupied territories. The time has come for you to unite for the independence of Sindh by keeping the regional and linguistic differences aside," he said. Hussain expressed these views in his address to the people of Sindh from London on Saturday evening which was broadcast live on social media. He said that Pakistan has been practically bankrupted and impoverished. The country's economy has collapsed. The United States, the United Kingdom, the IMF and other donor agencies are no longer assisting the failed state of Pakistan. The MQM leader also said that the country is facing acute crises of electricity, gas, oil and petrol. He said that under the conspiracy, Sindh and Balochistan have been made part of CPEC and sold to China. "The youth have understood the conspiracy of how the ghoulish Pakistani establishment crushes them, causes riots and makes people living in the same geography become enemies of each other." "Fight and rule, fight and capture is the agenda of this demonic and terror-sponsoring state held hostage by this demonic army. The occupied territories of Sindh, Karachi and Gwadar have really been handed to China so that the later may control the region." The MQM Supremo Altaf Hussain said that today the imposters who are pretending to be the siders of Mohajirs betrayed the rights of the later. "These traitors stood pleaded in occupied Sindh Assembly to punish the MQM Founder with the capital sentence under article 6 of the constitution." "They openly asserted they are not Mohajir. They had on August 22 declared their disassociation with the founder of the movement," he said while asking whether traitors Farooq Sattar, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Aamir Khan, Afaq Ahmad and Mustafa Kamal, the Puppet of Army got fame through their family or due to the movement. Hussain said that the army has after inking the sale of the occupied territories started the process of selling Sindh to China. He said that the people of these occupied territories do not hate the Mohajirs. "If this were the case then the Sindhi people would not welcome the Mohajirs who migrated from India. At the contrary, the people of West Punjab pushed the caravans of Mohajirs towards Sindh but the Sindhis embraced them. Under the guise of the processions, to punish Mohajirs for supporting Fatima Jinnah, the sister of the founder of Pakistan Mohammad Ali Jinnah, dictator General Ayub Khan's son Gohar Ayub Khan brought packs of Pukhtuns from Peshawar." Mohajirs localities were attacked and their properties were razed and they were massacred. The Sindhi people did not support the attackers. He said that the Establishment introduced Zulfikar Ali Bhutto into politics and through him introduced measures like linguistic bill and quota system in Sindh so that Mohajirs could be crushed through it and the people of Sindh could divide on urban and rural basis. Hussain said that "Sindh is our homeland, we have to fight for its interest, rights, for its freedom and survival." Addressing the Sindhi people, he said that if anyone utters the word "Mohajir nation", then you shouldn't condemn it because that is what the whole world says. Mohajirs can't go back to India. Hussain said that G M Syed had also migrated from Arab but he made Sindh his homeland and fought for its independence all his life. Altaf Hussain also came from India but today he stands like a rock for the independence of Sindh. He said that the independence of Sindh is in his veins. He said that the people of Sindh have come to the conclusion that Sindh cannot get its legitimate rights while living in the geography of Pakistan. Independence of Sindh is now a dream of the children of Sindh for which every son of Sindh is struggling. "We do not hate Punjabis, Pukhtuns and Kashmiris living in Sindh; we do not want to exclude them from the "Democratic Republic of Sindh", but they also have to raise their voice for the rights and interests of Sindh while living in Sindh," he said. The MQM Supremo said that conspiracies are being hatched against Sindh by the military establishment today. Some say that Karachi should be made a part of the federation. Some say that Karachi should be included in Islamabad. "We will not hesitate to make the biggest sacrifices to fail this scheme and to free Sindh." Hussain said that the PPP government is not of the Sindhis but of the enemies of Sindh and the puppets of the army. The people of Sindh should get rid of it. The controversial local government system introduced by the PPP is said to be the cause of dispute in Sindh between Sindhis and Mohajirs. In fact, this is a conspiracy at the behest of the army against the residents of the occupied territory of Sindh. "I swear by Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, Shah Latif Bhitai and Sain G M Syed that no matter how hard the army tries through its agents, I will not allow division between Sindhis and Mohajirs." He said that PPP is the claimant of Sindh but the PPP leaders who are talking about Sindh have given the lands of Sindh to the generals of the Army. "Army has control over Sindh's resources, power, gas, oil, coal and all resources of Sindh. We will also take back each yard of Sindh land from the occupiers and free Sindh from the slavery of Punjab." (ANI)
Speaking at the OIC's extraordinary session on Afghanistan, Amir Khan Motaqi said that weakening the government of Afghanistan will not benefit anyone.

He said that drought, COVID-19, and the stoppage of foreign aids have contributed to the already fragile economic situation of Afghanistan and called on the member states of OIC to provide Afghan people with humanitarian aids.

"Afghan people have hardly been affected by COVID-19 and drought. Over $9.5 billion of Afghanistan's funds have been frozen and the foreign aids of the World Bank, Asian Banks, and IMF have been stalled. All foreign-funded projects have also been stopped that affected the educational and health sector that ultimately impacts the lives of millions of people," Said Motaqi.

The international community does not recognise the hardline Islamist group, which gained control of Afghanistan in August after foreign troops hastily withdrew from a two-decade deployment.

More than half of Afghanistan's 38 million people are facing food shortages, according to the United Nations.

Washington seized nearly USD 9.5 billion in assets belonging to the Afghan central bank after the Taliban gained control of the country and the aid-dependent economy has effectively collapsed. (ANI)
Samuel Aruwan, the commissioner for internal security affairs in Kaduna, said in a statement that four villages in the state's Giwa local government area came under heavy attacks, as the bandits went on the rampage, shooting at the villagers and setting ablaze houses late Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported.

Aruwan said the state government has immediately directed an urgent assessment of the affected areas or communities toward providing relief, and security agencies will sustain surveillance in the general area.

Armed attacks have been a primary security threat in Nigeria's northern and central regions, leading to deaths and kidnappings in recent months.

--IANS int/skp/

( 136 Words)

2021-12-19-20:40:03 (IANS)
"Warplanes of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition bombed a convoy of the Houthi rebel militia when the convoy was traveling in the western parts of Taiz," a military official said on condition of anonymity.

The airstrike destroyed two vehicles belonging to the rebel group and killed seven of its members in Taiz's district of Maqbanah, he said.

The Saudi-led coalition has made no comment yet, while it has recently intensified airstrikes on various Houthi-held sites across the war-ravaged Arab country.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.The Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened in the Yemeni conflict in March 2015 to support Hadi's government. (ANI/Xinhua)
GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Guatemalan authorities said on Saturday that 12 people were killed in the village of Chiquix, 155 kms (96 miles) east of the capital, where a long-running land dispute has sparked conflicts between the residents of two municipalities.

The victims include women and three children, authorities said. One police officer was also killed during the armed confrontation, while two more were wounded.

Guatemala's National Police said in a statement that it was engaging leaders of the two communities in efforts to prevent future violence. The office of the Human Rights Ombudsman also recommended beefing up the police presence in the area.

The land dispute, which dates back more than 100 years, has pitted residents of the Nahuala and Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan municipalities against each other.

(Reporting by David Toro in Guatemala City, writing by Laura Gottesdiener; Editing by Michael Perry)
Earlier this year, a 12-year-old girl was upset in the Ames Middle School principal's office.

Staff asked the school resource officer and another principal "to assist due to her aggression," according to an incident summary from the Ames Police Department. After allegedly kicking and biting the principals, the student was handcuffed by the officer, whom she also allegedly bit. Then, police put the girl in a patrol car and took her to the police department.

The incident is one example of how, when Ames police are involved in student behavior issues  more often than not at the direction of school staff  kids who act out may face charges of disorderly conduct or felony assault.

Since the fall of 2018, there have been 61 incidents in which Ames students have been criminally charged at school, according to data obtained by the Ames Tribune. In at least 36 of them, officers were called by a teacher, principal, guidance counselor or other staff member.

Related: Ames schools end contract with police for the 2022-23 school year

Starting next school year, incidents like these might play out differently. The Ames school board voted unanimously Monday to cease its school resource officer program in the fall, ending over 25 years of some sort of police presence in the district. Currently, there is one school resource officer working in the district.

As Ames prepares to end its school resource officer program, here's what records show about how police work in the district.

Alcohol, tobacco and drug-related charges most common at school

Ames High School in 2020.

Since the fall of 2018, 112 citations have been issued to Ames' middle and high school students.

Fifty-four of the charges were related to alcohol, tobacco or drugs; 29 were for disorderly conduct or assaults; 14 were for theft or property damage; nine were for sexual exploitation, abuse or invasion of privacy; two were for harassment; two were for resisting an officer; one student faced weapon charges for allegedly carrying a stun gun and pocketknives; and one student was referred to juvenile court for a terrorism threat after he allegedly said he was planning a school shooting in 2019.

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Last fall, a school resource officer charged a 15-year-old student with possessing tobacco underage because it was allegedly the second time he had been on school property with cigarettes, according to an incident summary.

In an email to the Ames Tribune, police spokesperson Cmdr. Jason Tuttle said there is "some discretion for these types of offenses" that depend on the facts of the case.

"The SROs also confer with the building principals before issuing citations or charges in most cases. It should be noted possession of tobacco is a civil penalty and not a criminal offense," Tuttle said.

Black students are charged at disproportionately higher rates

While Black students make up 10% of the current Ames school district population, 30 of the 71 students given citations since 2018  or 42%  have been Black. In contrast, white students make up 66% of the district population, and 40 students given citations during that time  or 56%  have been white. The race of one of the students charged was not identified.

Black students were particularly overrepresented in disorderly conduct and assault charges, comprising 15 of the 21 students given those citations.

Some of those citations resulted from seemingly minor offenses, like a middle schooler charged with assault after she "intentionally walked into (another student) and hit her with her shoulder," according to police. In that 2019 incident, a school administrator reported the student to a school resource officer, who referred her to juvenile court.

Tuttle said many factors go into determining whether a school fight  which most disorderly conduct and assault charges stem from  rises to the level of a crime.

"Many of these incidents are dependent on the facts of the case and whether a victim or the school wants to pursue charges," Tuttle said. "There is a difference between crimes against society (disorderly conduct, public intoxication, drugs) and victim-based crime (assault, theft, criminal mischief)."

More: Ames police resource officer removed from high school after alleged racial slur

Increased fighting at Ames High School not reflected in number of citations

Assistant Superintendent of Schools Jeff Hawkins told the Ames Tribune this fall that at times there was more than one fight a week in the district. But there has not been a significant uptick in disorderly conduct or assault citations this school year. This semester, only two students have been charged in connection with a fight with other students.

District spokesperson Eric Smidt told the Ames Tribune earlier this year that school staff report all fights to school resource officers. Smidt did not respond to a question this week on whether that is still the case.

More: Ames school officials acknowledge fights have been a problem this fall, especially at the high school

Administrators press charges against students for theft

In Ames schools, being accused of stealing a school-issued electronic device may result in a referral to juvenile court.

This fall, a 15-year-old student was apprehended by Ames police after school hours and accused of taking a school Chromebook. According to police, he "was not allowed to have a Chromebook due to past behavior." Ames High School administrators requested theft charges against the student, who was given a citation for fifth-degree theft.

In late 2018, a 14-year-old student was accused of stealing another students e-reader and school-issued iPad. The owner of the e-reader declined to press charges, but Ames High administrators chose to pursue charges for the allegedly stolen iPad. The 14-year-old was charged with fourth-degree theft.

When asked earlier this year if students are given school discipline in addition to criminal citations, Smidt said, "When a school discipline incident occurs, a school consequence is assigned."

"Whether or not a citation or charge is issued for a student is determined by the victim," Smidt said. "If the school is considered the victim, there is a discipline guidance document that provides parameters for consistency of administration of policy."

Smidt did not respond to a question this week asking about the benefit of pressing charges against students for stealing school devices, instead of just suspending students or giving them detention.

In a statement to the Ames Tribune on Wednesday, Tuttle said the Ames Police Department has appreciated its partnership with the Ames Community School District over the past two decades.

"We look forward to a continued partnership, but it will look different in the future. We are committed to doing our part to make our schools safe," Tuttle said.

Isabella Rosario is a public safety reporter for the Ames Tribune. She can be reached by email at irosario@gannett.com or on Twitter at @irosarioc.

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: What happens when school resource officers charge Ames students
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Azerbaijan handed over 10 captured Armenian soldiers to Armenia on Sunday for the second time this month following talks last week between both sides and European Council President Charles Michel, the two countries said.

Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to a ceasefire at their border on Nov. 16 after Russia urged them to step back from confrontation following the deadliest clash since a war last year.

Armenia had asked Russia to help defend itself after the worst fighting since a 44-day war last year between ethnic Armenian forces and the Azeri army over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave that killed at least 6,500 people.

In a statement, Azerbaijan's State Security Service said it had handed over 10 Armenian soldiers who were detained on Nov. 16. It also released 10 soldiers earlier in December. On that occasion, Russia played the mediation role.

Armenia's Armenpress media outlet published the names of the second group of 10 prisoners of war handed over, citing Vahan Hunanyan, the Armenian foreign ministry's press secretary.

(Reporting by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
BEDFORD  It wasn't enough to say that the Bedford North Lawrence boys basketball team was playing angry Saturday night when defending Class 3A state champion Silver Creek came to BNL Fieldhouse.

Coming off Friday's madness in Madison in which a victory was taken from them by a pair of bizarre calls, the Stars added something to their repertoire. Each of them was carrying a colossal chip on their shoulder.

More: When a win isn't a win: Bedford North Lawrence boys victims of clock issue

BNL used that motivation and excellent execution to douse the Dragons, 64-51, with their best offensive performance of the season.

The Stars' stunning 57-54 overtime loss Friday still stung, but rather than wallow, BNL built off of it and obliterated Silver Creek, 35-19, on the boards, placed four players in double figures, and hit 22 of 28 free throws. That included 13 for 15 in the fourth period when the Dragons were forced to foul attempting to come back.

BNL junior forward Kaedyn Bennett battles for a rebound with Silver Creek's Zac Stricker Saturday night. Bennett scored 17 points in a 64-51 win.

"It was definitely a character win," said BNL head coach Jeff Hein. "We know what happened to us last night and there's nothing we can do about it now, but we were at a fork in the road tonight where we could stay down about it and not play well, or rise up and battle back.

"We chose the right road. These guys had a big chip on the shoulder tonight and that's how they played all night. They played like a team that had something to prove, and they proved it."

Total team contributions

The Stars wore chips on their shoulders at the start, and could've pinned hero medals on everybody at the end because there were a multitude of contributions. Junior forward Kaedyn Bennett rifled in a career-high 17 points while hitting 4 of 6 3-pointers, and junior forward Jett Jones got BNL out of the gate with a career-high nine in the first half.

Junior Colten Leach finished with 13 points and 8 rebounds, sophomore guard Trace Rynders converted a crucial 3-pointer and all four free throws in the fourth to add 10 points, and junior reserve Kole Bailey scored 10 points and pulled in four rebounds while playing only the second half.

Story continues

BNL junior Colten Leach drives the lane Saturday night at BNL Fieldhouse in a 64-51 win over Silver Creek.

More: Bedford North Lawrence's Leach lands Times-Mail Player of the Week honor

Yet, perhaps the most impressive contributions came from the player who scored the least as junior guard Colton Staggs came up one assist shy of an unconventional double-double. He darted and dribble penetrated to dish nine dimes, and also soared up fearlessly among the trees to haul in 11 rebounds.

"Our effort was so good tonight," Hein praised. "They were so aggressive and confident, and we were the team tonight that deserved to win because we played harder. Bennett hit some big threes, and Rynders hit a key one there in the fourth.

BNL junior guard Colten Staggs drives around Silver Creek's Hayden Garten Saturday night. Staggs grabbed 11 rebounds and dished nine assists in a 64-51 victory.

"Jett played well and got us off to a good start, and then Kole came on in the second half and gave us that spark again with defense and rebounding and scored 10 points. But I really think we fed off our guards.

"Leach is a big difference maker for this team with his defense, ballhandling and ability to see the floor, and Staggs was just great even though he didn't score a lot tonight. He handled the ball, drove it and found his teammates, and fought on the boards."

Energy evident early

Silver Creek is the defending champion in 3A (actually a two-time defending champ because they also won it all in 2018-19, and 2019-20 was cancelled because of Covid after the Dragons won their sectional), but has just two key holdovers in senior guards Branden Northern and Trey Schoen off a 25-4 team that topped Leo, 50-49, in the title tilt.

BNL blitzed the Dragons with an 8-0 flash to start the game before Northern got Silver Creek on the board with a drive 3:13 in. But the Stars led, 16-9, after a quarter as all five starters scored, while Northern had all nine for the Dragons.

BNL kept rolling at the outset of the second stanza as Staggs drove and dished for four assists, two of them layups for Jones and two 3-pointers by Bennett, the latter making it 26-11 at the 3:30 mark.

Silver Creek decided that was enough and showed its pedigree with an impressive counterattack. The Dragons went to a half-court trapping defense that knocked the Stars off their rhythm, and sophomore forward Hayden Garten swished back-to-back treys to spark an uprising.

BNL junior Jett Jones fires a jump shot en route to scoring nine points Saturday night in a 64-51 win over Silver Creek.

BNL still led, 29-19, however, and beat the press when Leach gathered a pass and went up for a shot as Zac Stricker stood his ground. It could've gone either way, and Stricker probably would've been in the restricted area if it was a college game. But that doesn't exist in high school and Leach was whistled for charging foul as he fell hard.

Hein, perhaps still harboring some frustration from Friday, was hit with a technical, and Leach had to leave for a few minutes to gather himself. Northern, who had been held scoreless in the second stanza since Leach switched over to guard him, took advantage by scoring seven points, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer to cap an 18-4 run that narrowed it to 30-29 at the half.

"We struggled against that trap in the second quarter and got out of sync for a few minutes," Hein said. "But they're a good team. They went to Jeffersonville Friday and won by 13, so they were going to make runs.

"We made some adjustments at halftime and handled the trap a lot better, and just refused to back down."

Stars pick up chips

BNL fell too in love with the 3-pointer at the outset of the second, and Stricker and Northern both scored off long rebounds, and Stricker added a trey to give the Dragons a 36-33 lead at the 5:21 mark.

The Stars were back at that fork in the road, and once again they went the right way as they rediscovered those shoulder chips. Bailey came off the bench with four points, and Leach scored on two drives as BNL reclaimed the edge, 41-38, going to the fourth period.

More: Medlock-Adams to sign new IU book on Dec. 22 at Assembly Hall

The lead changed hands twice early in the final quarter before Bennett and Rynders buried 3-pointers to give the Stars a 51-46 lead at the 4:18 mark. Northern knocked down one more trey, but BNL handled the all and the Dragons had to start fouling and the Stars hit 11 of 12 free throws over the last 2:05 to pull away.

"It helps when you hit shots and make free throws," Hein said. "We did a great job at the line, but it was the effort more than anything tonight. It's so great to go into this break feeling good about ourselves with a win.

"I loved how they played with that chip on their shoulder, and we hope to see more of that. Like I said, we took the right road at that fork, and I hope we stay on this path for a long time."

Northern finished with 27 points, but nobody else was in double figures for Silver Creek (3-3).

BNL (2-4) is off until hosting its Danny Bush Classic Holiday Tourney on Tuesday, Dec. 28.

Contact Times-Mail Sports Writer Jeff Bartlett at jeffb@tmnews.com, or on Twitter @jeffbtmnews.

BEDFORD NL 64, SILVER CREEK 51

Silver Creek (51)

Stricker f 4-7 0-0 9, Garten g3-6 0-0 9, Northern g 9-23 4-5 27, Schoen g 2-6 0-0 4, Davidson g 0-2 0-2 0, Wheeler 0-0 0-0 0, Hoffman 0-2 0-0 0, Murley 0-1 0-0 0, Henderson 0-0 2-2 2. Totals 18-47 6-9 51.

Bedford NL (64)

Bennett f 6-10 1-1 17, Jones f 4-10 1-2 9, Rynders g 2-4 4-4 10, Leach g 4-7 5-7 13, Staggs g 0-4 5-8 5, Nikirk 0-0 0-00, Bailey 2-6 6-6 10. Totals 18-41 22-28 64.

Silver Creek (3-3) 9 | 20 | 9 | 13  51

Bedford NL (2-4) 16 | 14 | 11 | 23 64

3-point goals: Silver Creek 8-23 (Northern 4-12, Garten 3-4, Stricker 1-3, Schoen 0-2, Hoffman 0-1, Murley 0-1) Bedford NL 6-16 (Bennett 4-6, Rynders 2-4, Staggs 0-1, Jones 0-4, Bailey 0-1. Rebounds: Silver Creek 19 (Northern 7); Bedford NL 35 (Staggs 11, Leach 8. Turnovers: Silver Creek 9, Bedford NL10. Total fouls: Silver Creek 24, Bedford NL 12.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Mail: Bedford North Lawrence boys leave no doubt in win over Silver Creek
US Senator Bernie Sanders speaks to striking Kellogg's workers in downtown Battle Creek, Michigan, on December 17, 2021. Photo by Seth Herald/AFP via Getty Images

About 1,400 Kellogg's workers have been on strike since October 5 for better pay and working conditions.

Sen. Bernie Sanders spoke at a rally Saturday in support of the workers near Kellogg's headquarters in Michigan.

Sanders said he has spoken with Kellogg's workers who worked as many as 120 consecutive days.

Sen. Bernie Sanders praised striking Kellogg's workers for their "incredible courage to take on corporate greed" during a rally on Friday near the company's headquarters in Battle Creek, Michigan.

"During this pandemic, you were the people who helped feed America," Sanders said. "You're looking at people who work 50 days in a row, 60 days in a row. I talked to somebody who worked 120 days in a row and those, as I understand it, weren't even eight-hour days. 12-hours days, 16-hour days. That is insane!"

Members of the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers, and Grain Millers International Union began their strike on October 5, with 1,400 Kellogg's workers across four cities demanding better working conditions and a revised pay structure, the Detroit News reported.

The union will vote on Sunday on a tentative five-year agreement that would include cost-0f-living adjustments and a $1.10 per hour raise for all employees, according to the Detroit News. The union voted earlier this month to reject Kellogg's offer of a 3% raise, which prompted the company to claim it was left with no choice but to permanently replace striking workers with new hires.

Politicians on both sides of the aisle criticized Kellogg's decision and urged the company to return to negotiating with its workers. At the Michigan rally, Sanders read a letter to the workers from President Joe Biden, who called the workers the "backbone of America."

"Your right to bargain collectively is an essential tool that protects your livelihoods, contributes to your company's success, and ensures our economy works for working people," Biden said in a letter to striking Kellogg's workers. "My message to you is keep the faith and solidarity."

Kellogg's was one of at least 25 companies that had workers initiate strikes this fall, marking a season of labor unrest and worker activism that revitalized the country's labor movement. Companies where other employees have gone on strike include Chipotle, Nabisco, John Deere, and McDonald's.

Read the original article on Business Insider
By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A bid by the White House to dramatically boost electric vehicle tax credits hit a major roadblock on Sunday when a key Senate Democrat said he would not support a $1.75 trillion domestic investment bill.

West Virginia's Joe Manchin appeared to deal a fatal blow to President Joe Biden's signature domestic policy bill, known as Build Back Better, which also aims to expand the social safety net and tackle climate change.

The bill includes increasing the current $7,500 EV tax credit to up to $12,500 for union-made U.S. vehicles as well as creating a credit of up to $4,000 for used vehicles. The bill would also again make General Motors and Tesla Inc eligible for tax credits after they hit the 200,000-vehicle cap on the existing $7,500 credit.

The bill also includes a 30% credit for commercial electric vehicles.

GM and Ford are both launching electric pickup trucks in 2022 and new tax credits could be crucial to meeting initial sales targets, as well as meeting rising vehicle emissions requirements.

Biden wants 50% of new U.S. vehicles to be electric or plug-in electric hybrid by 2030. The administration is expected as soon as this week to finalize tougher new vehicle emissions rules through 2026, automakers say.

Manchin opposes a $4,500 tax credit for union-made vehicles that is part of the $12,500 proposal. He calls the union credit "wrong" and "not American."

The EV tax credits are backed by Biden, many congressional Democrats and the United Auto Workers (UAW) union and would disproportionately benefit Detroit's Big Three automakers - GM, Ford Motor Co and Chrysler parent Stellantis NV - which assemble their U.S.-made vehicles in union-represented plants.

Tesla and foreign automakers operating in the United States do not have unions representing assembly workers and many have fought UAW efforts to organize U.S. plants.

Toyota Motor Corp, which has a plant in West Virginia but whose U.S. employees are not union members, has lobbied against the $4,500 union credit.

Story continues

Toyota announced this month it is building a $1.29 billion battery plant in North Carolina, while EV startup Rivian Automotive said on Thursday that it will build a $5 billion plant in Georgia.

Vehicles would have to be made in the United States starting in 2027 to qualify for any of the $12,500 credit, which includes $500 for U.S. made batteries. It has faced criticism from Canada, Mexico, Japan and the European Union.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
NEW YORK CITY  All New York City mayors have run on the unstated but implicit promise that they have not, and will not, cause the death of a groundhog.

All have kept that promise, except one.

Mayor Bill de Blasio  New Yorks workout-loving, Cuomo-ripping, White House-dreaming hizzoner of the past eight years  leaves City Hall New Years Day and, with it, a legacy of promises made and kept, he says.

"You know, we really got to a lot of the things we wanted to the most," de Blasio told NY1. "If you take the initial platform from 2013, and you follow it through, there's a really good hit rate there.

Among those promises are universal pre-K, a $15 minimum wage and a deep respect for composting.

But a Patch review of the de Blasio administration found many promises left unfulfilled. The NYPD's budget was not cut by $1 billion, Vision Zero did not achieve its zero traffic deaths goal and Juneteenth was not made a city holiday.

And New Yorkers preparing for yet another COVID-19 outbreak, watching carriage horses clop down Fifth Avenue, or worrying about loved ones alone on Rikers Island can tell you of the promises he did not keep.

Hey Mr. Mayor, you can still deliver on your campaign promise from 2013 and retire the horses from Central Park. It's Governor-like to deliver on campaign promises. @NYCMayorsOffice @NYCMayor @BilldeBlasio #goelectric @Edita_NYC

 Grant D Cooper (@GrantDCooper) December 14, 2021

Melania Brown says she lost her baby sister Layleen Polanco to solitary confinement. @NYCMayor made a promise to end solitary confinement invoking Layleens name. Now we need @NYCSpeakerCoJo to step up to finally end this torture. pic.twitter.com/GFytHfNAsa

 #HALTsolitary (@NYCAIC) December 11, 2021

@NYCMayor @MarkLevineNYC @NYCHealthCommr @NYCHealthSystem four different testing sites, all with lines wrapping around the block. My daughter is sick and can not wait on these lines in the cold. How do I get her tested? Where are the extra test sites you promised?

 Jai (@JaimeHebner) December 19, 2021

But if de Blasios broken promises have outraged New Yorkers, what bothered spokesperson Mitch Schwartz was Patchs request for comment on them.

Story continues

"Wait really? This is all going in one story?" Schwartz said in an email. "I mean we will happily go through these one at a time at great length if thats what you want. But to throw all these extremely complex issues together  is maybe a little bit rich for our taste."

'Day One'

For Christine Quinn, former City Council speaker and de Blasios main opponent in the 2013 mayoral race, the carriage horses leave her feeling let down.

He said, Day one, Im going to get rid of them, Quinn said. All he did was take those peoples money and take them for a ride.

De Blasio began the 2013 mayoral race as a long-shot candidate but when Quinn ran afoul of animal rights advocates for refusing to back a ban on horse carriages in Central Park, he seized an opportunity.

We have a pro-animal Mayor, the well-funded group NYClass declared. Bill de Blasio is one of us.

But eight years later, and despite a recent pledge to pass the ban, the animal activists are still waiting to see the carriage horses freed from their reins. The mayor's officials argue the ban has always required City Council support.

Quinn, now CEO of the homeless shelter operator Win, says de Blasios horse carriage ban promise reflects a politician more interested in press releases than people.

Or horses.

All they care about is whats on Twitter and whats in the paper, Quinn said. Weve seen a lot of that over these past eight years, and a lot of that during a terrible pandemic.

Two Cities

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the proudly progressive promise at the core of de Blasios platform.

City Hall has too often catered to the interests of the elite rather than the needs of everyday New Yorkers,de Blasio said at a 2013 campaign kickoff event in Park Slope. This is a place that in too many ways has become a tale of two cities.

The "two cities" was de Blasio's lodestar a worldview he said would inform his administrations economic policy, the fight against homelessness and police reform action.

And when de Blasios office released a report this month touting his success combatting income inequality, it was entitled The Tale of a More Equal City.

Among its findings, from 2013 to 2019, New York Citys poverty rate dropped nearly 13 percent, the median income for Black families increased 27 percent and wage share increased 15 percent for the least wealthy half of city workers.

The de Blasio Administration has led one of the most concerted civic efforts in modern history to redistribute wealth, the report states.

Progress has occurred not in one single area of focus, but by addressing inequality wherever it existed in the lives of everyday New Yorkers.

But Census Bureau data contradict the rosy picture painted in the mayors report, according to an analysis from the Citizens Committee for Children of New York.

The analysis notes median income grew in 2019 but poorer New Yorkers saw modest increases while the wealthier saw incomes increase more than 20 percent.

The consequences of rising inequality hit families of color and single mothers hardest, the report notes. Exacerbating deep vulnerabilities for children from low-income households.

These are the communities Quinns nonprofit works to support and which she argues de Blasio failed to help.

Nobody can bat a thousand, Quinn said. But Mayor de Blasio as it relates to homelessness and promises, hes not breaking .250.

De Blasios administration achieved historic victories  such as establishing the right to legal representation in housing court  and, according to City Hall estimates, decreased the citys homeless population from 53,000 to 46,000.

Mayor's officials argue de Blasio's administration built more affordable housing than any other mayoralty in the city's history, including those that went on for three terms  a jibe at his predecessor Michael Bloomberg.



But Quinn notes de Blasio struggled to create supportive housing units promised and homeless advocates told City Limits the administration held back on resources badly needed during the pandemic.

Kathryn Wylde, president and CEO of the Partnership For NYC, argued de Blasios inability to get resources where they were needed stemmed from a phrase the mayor used to prove his progressive bona fides.

As de Blasio declared New York should tax the rich to fund MTA fixes, improve universal pre-K and, when the pandemic ravaged the economy, to close budget gaps, he pointlessly antagonized the business community, Wylde said.

"Thats a kind of disrespect of folks who represent a huge part of the tax base, Wylde said. [And] as mayor, he has no ability to raise income taxes.

Mayor's officials acknowledge raising taxes on the rich required help from the state  a tall order when former Gov. Andrew Cuomo was at the helm.

Still, fueled by a global pandemic de Blasio did not cause, the MTA stumbled into an economic crisis, universal pre-K faltered in low-income neighborhoods and the 2021 budget potentially created billions in future deficits.

This battle to create a balanced New York City budget and rescue the city from an impending financial crisis brought to the forefront a Two Cities promise New Yorkers marched in the streets to demand de Blasio keep.

Chanted protesters who wanted police reform in the wake of George Floyds death, Defund the police.

De Blasios administration struggled over the years to balance the progressive promises he made as a campaigner with his obligations to work alongside police leadership and unions as mayor.

After years of mounting tension as frustrated cops turned their backs on the mayor and reformers demanded justice for Eric Garner, Deborah Danner, Saheed Vassell and more, violence erupted during the 2020 protests.

De Blasio responded to these demands in part in 2020 when he cut the NYPD budget by $1 billion.

It's time to do the work of reform, to think deeply about where our police have to be in the future, de Blasio said. We have done that with neighborhood policing and we need to go farther now in new directions that will keep the City safe.

But critics argued the moves only shifted NYPD funds to other departments  a "shell game," in Quinn's words. A Politico report a year later showed very few proposed cuts materialized as police received funding for a new Queens precinct, school safety agents and crossing guards.

Continued evidence that last year's @NYCCouncil & @NYCMayor budget dance around "cutting" NYPD budget was a total mirage. And totally disingenuous messaging from all involved, including NYPD who complained all year about cuts that never happened. #DefundNYPD https://t.co/2PYzHXSPbK

 Nick Encalada-Malinowski (@nwmalinowski) April 20, 2021

'Grade Him On A Curve'

New Yorkers aren't kind to their mayors.

They boo, heckle and jeer them at public appearances. They cry "good riddance" when the mayors leave office.



I think thats kind of par for the course, former Council Member Costa Constantinides said. Being New York City mayor is a really hard job.

But Constantinides, who left his Council seat in April, said de Blasio also took action that made life better for New Yorkers, including an emissions reduction bill, upgrades at Astoria Park and an increase in affordable housing.

He also noted any critique of de Blasios tenure must acknowledge he faced one of the greatest challenges a city mayor can  a global pandemic.

"Im of a mind to grade him on a curve, Constantinides said. "Theres a lot of big picture stuff that I feel were real wins.

Patch writer Kathleen Culliton contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on the New York City Patch
Many great cities have risen or fallen in the United States. Some have prospered and grown to become huge metropolises while others never came into focus or just faded away. In many cases, the future success of these cities was the result of the work of one individual leading a community. In the case of John Neely Bryan, he was responsible for the success of two remarkable cities: Van Buren, Arkansas, and Dallas, Texas.

Bridges

Bryan was born in Fayetteville, Tennessee, on Christmas Eve, 1810. His parents sent him to a local military academy for his education, and he became a lawyer by 1833. Not content with the life of a lawyer, he left to explore the growing west.

He arrived at the nascent community of Philips Landing on the Arkansas River in 1833 where Bryan made a respectable living trading with the Cherokees on the border of what is now Oklahoma, then known as the Indian Territory. The position of the community on an important river near the army camp at Fort Smith and the neighboring tribes put the town in a good position. Bryan led the effort to organize the disparate community into a thriving port city. He redesigned the community, carefully laying out street paths, neighborhoods, and ports and renamed it Van Buren after Vice President Martin Van Buren. The plan greatly aided the communitys stability and economy and provided it a sound path forward.

Though Van Buren was growing thanks to Bryans plans, he was not content to stay in Arkansas. After a brief trip to Texas, Bryan had decided to resettle there. In 1841, he left Arkansas and bought a plot of land just on the north end of the Trinity River in North Texas. He convinced other settlers into the area to come together to create a new community, one that was eventually called Dallas, after Vice President George M. Dallas.

Bryan was energetic in promoting the community and providing the services the city needed. He operated a ferry across the Trinity River, ran a dry goods store, and even served as the postmaster for the city. After Texas became a state, he lobbied the state legislature for the creation of Dallas County in 1846.

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When news of gold in California reached Dallas in 1849, Bryan was one of thousands of people electrified by the news and joined the throngs heading west. And like many, his dreams in California did not work out as well as he had hoped. In 1850, he returned to Texas.

After his return, he continued to be active in local politics and the business community. Dallas County voters were deciding which community would become the county seat. Bryan went across the county to campaign for his city. Dallas narrowly won over the neighboring communities of Cedar Springs just to the north and Oak Cliff on the south side of the Trinity River. Both communities were later absorbed by Dallas. Bryan donated a portion of his land for the site of a new county courthouse.

In 1855, Bryan got into an argument with another man over his wife. He shot the man. Fearing he would be arrested, he fled Texas into the Indian Territory and lived with the Creek tribe for a time. The man he shot recovered, but Bryan was in no hurry to return to Texas. He spent the next few years traveling back to California and the Colorado Territory in hopes of striking it rich in the mine fields. In 1860, he returned to Dallas.

When the Civil War erupted, Bryan, now past 50, joined a Confederate cavalry unit. His became ill and was discharged in late 1862. He came back to Dallas and served on the board of directors for a small private school in the city and raised funds for victims of a deadly flood that swept the area in 1866. In 1872, he helped complete the first iron bridge across the Trinity River and successfully lobbied corporate officials to bring a railroad to Dallas. The bridge effectively put his ferry out of business, but the bridge and the railroad made the city an important center of commerce.

While Dallas was beginning to prosper, its founder found the opposite fortune. Though he was in his mid-60s, Bryans health was deteriorating rapidly by the mid-1870s. His mental state was collapsing in the process. Whether it was a form of dementia or trauma or some other malady that had been progressing for an extended period, no one could say; and there were no doctors in Dallas who could treat it. His son had to undertake the difficult process of having him declared insane by the courts. The courts agreed in 1877, and his son had him shipped to the state mental hospital in Austin. John Neely Bryan died at the hospital six months later.

The two cities he helped give birth grew in the decades after his death. Van Buren, though it never gained near the stature of Dallas, continued to serve as an important trade city on the Arkansas River and has grown to 23,000 residents and is at 1 million residents and is one of the largest cities in the nation. Bryans cabin has been reconstructed in downtown Dallas as a historical marker, and an elementary school is named for him.

Ken Bridges is a writer, historian and native Texan. He holds a doctorate from the University of North Texas. Bridges can be reached by email at drkenbridges@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Ken Bridges Bryan positioned two cities, including Dallas, for success
The rapid spread of the Omicron variant is forcing colleges and universities to adjust their pandemic policies, with Harvard announcing Saturday that it will go remote for the first three weeks of January in an attempt to stymie the spread on campus.

Why it matters: Omicron is threatening to overturn the new normal as it drives COVID-19 cases to double every 1.5 to 3 days in areas where there is community spread.

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On Sunday, NIAID director Anthony Fauci warned the variant could see the U.S. hitting record numbers of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the weeks ahead.

The big picture: "We are planning a return to more robust on-campus activities later in January, public health conditions permitting. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates on these plans as soon as we are able," Harvard said of its decision.

Stanford has decided to move classes online for the first two weeks of the next semester, which begins Jan. 3. In-person classes are set to resume Jan. 18, and all students will be required to receive a booster shot by the end of January, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Yale administrators announced Saturday that the school will go remote for the remainder of the semester's final exams and encouraged students to leave campus early if possible, the Yale Daily News reported.

Princeton, Cornell and Middlebury have also moved to remote exams while Tulane has given students the option to take exams online, the Wall Street Journal reported.

New York University has canceled all nonessential gatherings and is encouraging faculty to make exams remote, per CNN.

Cornell University is "essentially shutting down its campus" after more than 883 students tested positive for COVID-19, the Journal reported.

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Welcome back, Concord! Let's get you started this Sunday with everything you need to know going on in Concord today.

First, today's weather:

Partly sunny and cool. High: 50 Low: 39.

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Here are the top 5 stories today in Concord:

Energy company Kinder Morgan Energy Partners will pay $2.5 million in fines, penalties and assessments following the November 2020 underground gasoline spill that sent over 63,000 gallons of gasoline into a Walnut Creek waterway, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced. Maintenance workers first reported a compromised pipeline on Nov. 20, 2020 near South Broadway in Walnut Creek. After an extensive investigation of the incident from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, The Department of Justice deemed Kinder Morgan Energy Partners SFPP system in violation of two state codes. The energy company pleaded no contest to the criminal charges. (Claycord.com) Contra Costa County will commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the 44th Annual Ceremony in 2022. The Board of Supervisors invites the public to the ceremony on Tuesday, January 18, 2022, at 11 am. This years theme is One People, One Nation, One Dream. Countywide recognition will be given at the ceremony to the Adult Humanitarian of the Year, Gigi Crowder, Executive Director of National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and a Concord resident, and the Student Humanitarian of the Year, Kaia Morgan, a senior at Ygnacio Valley High School in Concord. (Contra Costa Herald) Concord Police arrested two drivers on suspicion of DUI while conducting a DUI enforcement patrol on Thursday. Concord Police remind the public that impaired driving is not just from alcohol, some prescription medications or over-the-counter drugs may interfere with driving. (Claycord.com) A large number of cars, apparently operating in concert and in a manner intended to split and confuse police, descended on Walnut Creek early Saturday morning. A sizable number of local law enforcement, made up of officers from various jurisdictions, were on hand to monitor the group, with some officers pulling members of the group over in apparent enforcement stops. As in past gatherings, group members kept police guessing by splintering off from the main body and traveling in different directions. (News 24/680) After two years of collaboration, a plan to expand the Bay Areas housing opportunities was approved during a public hearing, Thursday night. The plan requires communities in Contra Costa County to add 43,970 housing units, almost 10% of the total, during the time period, with Walnut Creek (5,805 units), San Ramon (5,111) and Concord (5,073) being allocated the highest number of housing units, followed by Richmond and Antioch being allocated 3,614 and 3,016 units, respectively. (Contra Costa Herald)

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Today in Concord:

Cousins Maine Lobster will be at the Walnut Creek Farmers Market. (9:00 AM)

Have breakfast with Santa at the Luxe Theater at the Veranda . (10:00 AM)

Paint a Holiday Martini at Wine & Design in Pleasanton . (2:00 PM)

Unity of Walnut Creek is delighted to present the poetic and powerful music of Daniel Nahmod. (2:00 PM)

From my notebook:

Public health officials in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano and Sonoma counties as well as the City of Berkeley encourage anyone eligible who needs a booster dose to get one as soon as possible. To find a booster shot appointment or drop-in booster location in Contra Costa County , please go to coronavirus.cchealth.org/get-vaccinated. Appointments at Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) no-cost vaccination clinics are available online or by calling 1-833-829-2626.

Unfortunately crime does not take a break around the holidays. The Pleasant Hill Police Department would like to help keep this holiday season joyful with some simple safety tips . Read about them here.

Don't miss the strolling holiday music while you're shopping at the Veranda! The Dickens Carolers will be performing on Dec. 19 from 4-8 pm and the Northgate High School Choral groups on Dec. 22 from 5-8 pm. (Twitter)

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 Jeri Karges

About me: Jeri Karges has been living in and loving the Sacramento region for over 30 years. Her passion is finding new and unique ways to enjoy the city and surrounding areas. On weekends, you can find her pestering her friends to sample the restaurant that doesn't have silverware, or try their hand at throwing an axe. Jeri also enjoys writing about retirement planning at https://rockinretirement.subst...

This article originally appeared on the Concord Patch
In this August 2020 StarNews file photo, a lab assistant collects samples from patients during COVID-19 testing at Wilmington Health. With Christmas and New Years approaching, New Hanover County has much lower COVID-19 rates compared to last year just before the holidays.

With Christmas and New Year's Eve quickly approaching, health officials say its important to be cautious of who youre gathering with to continue limiting the spread of COVID-19.

With the new omicron variant beginning to spread around the country, health officials said its safe to gather with others who are fully vaccinated. Ultimately, though, families have to make the decision on whether to get together based on their own risks and comfort.

These are hard decisions for people to make but I would try to line up those factors and they decide what's best for you and your family, said David Priest, chief safety, quality and epidemiology officer for Novant Health.

Last year, COVID-19 cases were much higher in New Hanover County leading up to Christmas. The week before Christmas saw 572 new cases after several months of increasing numbers. Two weeks after Christmas, there was a notable spike in positive COVID-19 tests, with 1,070 reported new cases.

This year, however, COVID-19 numbers are a lot lower than a year ago. Last week, New Hanover County had 219 new cases and recently reached the lowest its been in months with only 103 new cases the week of Nov. 7.

Mask mandate repeal: New Hanover health board repeals COVID-19 mandate in split vote after pressure from public

COVID-19 vaccine for kids: Where can children get the COVID vaccine in the Wilmington area?

Masks optional: New Hanover school board lifts mandate in close vote

The Health and Human Services Board voted Nov. 12 to remove the county-wide mask mandate after the county recorded a positivity rate below 5%, a goal the board had previously set in order to lift the mandate. Since then, the positivity rate has risen back up to 5.7%.

During the discussion on dropping the mandate, health experts on the board expressed concerns over removing it just ahead of the holidays because of potential spikes in cases with families and friends gathering indoors in the coming weeks. But ultimately, the board decided because the positivity rate was so low, the mandate could be lifted.

Story continues

Health officials said travel can increase the risk of spreading COVID-19, but safety precautions can be taken to stay protected during the holidays. Masks are still required inside airports and on airplanes, and travelers can check positivity rates down to the county level through the CDCs COVID data tracker.

New Hanover County Assistant Health Director Carla Turner said people are also encouraged to wear masks while traveling, even in areas where they arent required.

The best defense against the virus, though, is to get vaccinated, health officials said. There is still time to get at least the first dose before Christmas, and those who were vaccinated at least six months ago can also get the booster shot to increase their immunity.

The vaccines are still the best defense against the possibility that the omicron variant or any other variant may impact you severely, said New Hanover County Health Director David Howard.

Holidays amid COVID-19: After a year of social deprivation, Wilmington is thankful for community in 2021

Parents: Schedule your kid's COVID vaccine through New Hanover Regional Medical Center

New COVID-19 variant: What to know about omicron in Wilmington ahead of the holidays

After the holidays with the weather getting colder and people spending more time indoors, its especially important to start prioritizing getting vaccinated, including getting a booster shot, Turner said. The community should also consider getting a flu shot in addition to the COVID-19 vaccine to protect from both the viruses.

The flu and COVID-19, while similar, have some distinctive qualities. Those with COVID-19 are more likely to lose their sense of taste or smell and it takes much longer for symptoms to appear, whereas flu symptoms will show up as soon as a day after exposure. Anyone with symptoms of the viruses should get tested for both.

No vaccine in the history of vaccines has ever said, 100%, you will not get this disease if you get vaccinated, Turner said. But when you're vaccinated, you have some immunity on board that you wouldn't have on board otherwise if you weren't, so it gives you a head start.

Reporter Sydney Hoover can be reached at 910-343-2339 or shoover@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Wilmington's positivity rate significantly less than Christmas 2020
Mark Makela via Reuters

For the second straight year, Christmas is looking like a horrible holiday season with lockdowns, cancellations and packed emergency rooms again spreading over Europe and foreshadowing what is heading to the United States.

Europe Locking Back Down With COVID Winter Surge Coming for Us All

The Netherlands will be locked down until at least the first week of January after a surge in Omicron cases that started with doomed flights from southern Africa less than a month ago has now overwhelmed the health care system. I stand here tonight in a somber mood. And a lot of people watching will feel that way too, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Saturday evening announcing the cancellation of Christmas fun. To sum it up in one sentence, the Netherlands will go back into lockdown from tomorrow.

In Italy, which kicked off the pandemic outside China in early 2020, cases are doubling every three or four days. Delta is still the dominant variant, meaning hospitalizations and deaths are almost certain. New Years Eve concerts have been cancelled, travel has been discouraged and soon even the vaccinated will have to provide a negative COVID test to see a movie or attend a sporting event.

Queens Christmas Plans in Disarray as Omicron Sweeps U.K.

The U.K. has been struggling to keep up with cases, which are nearing 95,000 a day, with many saying almost everyone in London will have COVID before winter is over. There hospitalizations have started to worry health care providers, yet the government promises they wont lock down before Christmas. London mayor Sadiq Khan declared the latest wave a major incident which is a label often reserved for terror attacks and other lethal threats to the city.

France has seen cases surge, prompting the government to cancel the famous fireworks over the Eiffel Tower in Paris to kick off the new year. They have also banned any but essential travel from the U.K., stranding thousands of people hoping to join family on continental Europe. France will soon convert its health pass to a vaccine pass, meaning a COVID test alone wont open any doors.

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Germany, which was the epicenter of the Delta variant outbreak all fall, is starting to see more Omicron cases. They, too have shut out the Brits, complicating the holidays for an untold number.

Denmark is closing theaters, cinemas, stadiums, amusement parks and museums and bringing back a curfew and limitations to the number of people who can sit together in restaurants. Ireland is closing pubs at 8 pm and limiting capacity to all public events.

The list goes on. Last year was a holiday season like no other with the world grinding to a halt to stop the spread of what was then the second wave of the pandemic. The promise of vaccines gave 2021 hope, but the year is ending with another grim holiday season and a sense of dread about what 2022 will bring.

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Roxanne Martinez, District 9 trustee on the Fort Worth Board of Education, was elected to the position in June of this year.

When Roxanne Martinez launched her campaign for a seat on the school board in 2020 she thought that if she won, she could help schools tackle the problem of students' learning gaps following more than a year of disruptions caused by the pandemic. Or she could help look for new ways to support teachers during this difficult period.

What Martinez had not counted on was a disruption of a different sort, mainly from elected state leaders.

Since her election this past summer to the Fort Worth Independent School District board, the 41-year-old's entry into local politics has been a scorching trial by fire, thanks to the Legislature's focus on how racial inequity is taught in public schools and whether or not schools require students to wear masks during class.

There's been all of this distraction going on this year when our educators have been working double duty just to educate our students, she said.

During Martinez's short tenure, she has seen the explosion of criticism over how schools operate. The back and forth between school districts and the governor's office over whether students must wear masks while attending classes was one fight that many could understand since the state and the nation are still trying to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic.

Martinez  like countless other school board members across Texas  has experienced what its like being on a school board during a time of social and public health reckonings. Where the first hours of meetings devoted to public comment used to center on improving student success, they have now become venting sessions. And every move by a school board seems to catch the ire from those in Austin or Washington, D.C.

There's a lot of politics being brought into the board meetings, she said. I sometimes see these tweets from the lieutenant governor and all these folks, all having some say about Fort Worth ISD but theyre not the ones here doing the work.

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Across the nation, as the coronavirus' delta variant surge dissipated, the louder discussions over how racism is taught or even brought up in class have dominated school board meetings. There are complaints about how any discussion of racism is evidence of how critical race theory is being forced upon students.

Critical race theory, which holds that racism is embedded in legal systems and other policies, is a university-level subject and not one that has been introduced in any secondary school in Texas. But CRT has become shorthand for some members of the public who label any discussion of race as critical race theory.

And now a vague new Texas law keeps teachers from being forced to discuss a "controversial issue of public policy or social affairs" emboldening parents and other critics to root out what they see as unwanted discussions of race forced upon students.

But classroom discussions about race were not the only thing state lawmakers in check. On Oct. 26, lawmakers began looking into the type of books Texas schools have on library shelves. Gov. Greg Abbott has called for investigations into whether students have access to what he described as pornographic books in Texas public schools.

Martinez knew the critical race theory debate had been playing out in surrounding North Texas cities like Southlake, the affluent suburb that sits between Fort Worth and Dallas where a school diversity and inclusion plan  as well as how parents opposed to the plan started a political movement there  were the subject of a seven-part NBC podcast released earlier this year.

And in nearby Colleyville a Black principal resigned in November after being put on paid administrative leave in August amid accusations he was teaching and promoting critical race theory.

Now, about six months after Martinez was elected, these fights among the community havent stopped. The Texas Republican Party announced it formed a new Local Government Committee to work with county parties on backing candidates in nonpartisan local elections.

Back in Fort Worth, divisiveness has reached such a fever pitch and led to a doxxing incident in which the addresses of more vocal community members were released on the internet by the former co-chair of the school districts Racial Equity Committee. In response, former co-chair Norma Garcia-Lopez received death threats and was doxxed herself. Ironically, the committee formed in 2016 to bridge the gap in learning inequalities.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick himself has commented on the Fort Worth school districts committee, calling for the resignation of the committees co-chair.

What's happening in Fort Worth ISD is a reflection of a greater narrative that's going around nationally, Martinez said. I just kind of walked into it as a new trustee.

A polarized community

The sharp divide in Fort Worth can be traced back to a particularly heated late June school board meeting over so-called critical race theory that stretched a two-hour meeting to nearly five hours.

In the following months, tensions flared up even more when Fort Worth Superintendent Kent Scribner defied Abbott and enacted a mask mandate in early August without a vote from the board.

Days after, four parents sued the district saying the mandate was illegally put in place and successfully gained a temporary injunction while the lawsuit continues to be resolved.

While the parents  for now  have successfully blocked the mandate, this prompted backlash from Garcia-Lopez, then the co-chair of Fort Worth ISDs Racial Equity Committee. Weeks before she was appointed, Garcia-Lopez expressed her frustration by calling one of the parents on the suit and leaving a profanity-laced voicemail. She also posted information online about the parents, which she says she found on the suit. The posts have since been taken down.

Some people find my choice of words in that message offensive, she said in a statement to The Texas Tribune. Whats really offensive is that four white parents can flex their privilege  risking children of color in the process  and expect to do it with impunity. That should be a red flag to everyone.

Fort Worth ISD serves about 76,000 students with a majority being Hispanic and Black. Data and research has shown that the pandemic has disproportionately affected these two groups.

Following Garcia-Lopezs actions, Fox News wrote an article detailing what she did and then the death threats came her way. Soon after, her inbox was filled with vulgar, racist threats and others with sexually explicit messages.

Some told her to come to another school board meeting so that they could come in droves to fat shame her. Eventually, someone published her home address on the internet, and she said she was forced to move, fearing for her familys safety.

Garcia-Lopez stepped down as co-chair of the committee on Dec. 8, saying that it was a necessary step so the committee can continue its work without distraction.

My departure follows more than three weeks of relentless attacks by white supremacists who lied, threatened death and sexual violence, spewed vile hate speech and harassed members of my family, Garcia-Lopez said in a written statement. It was fueled by international coverage in extremist media outlets and by a state-level elected official.

Garcia-Lopez said in a statement that she was devastated by the silence of the Fort Worth school board. The district said in a statement that Ms. Norma Garcia-Lopez is a community member, not an employee of the District, and has voluntarily relinquished her position as co-chair of the Racial Equity Committee.

Todd Daniel, one of the parents on the suit, said challenging the mask mandate is just the beginning for him and several other parents who are organizing to root out what he terms critical race theory in Fort Worth ISD.

Daniel said the masking and the conversations of race go hand in hand.

They're tying our desire to not have to make our kids wear masks at school for eight hours to Were racists, were white supremacists, he said.

Jennifer Treger, another parent on the lawsuit, said in a statement that its been disheartening to see that people have tied mask mandates to one's race.

The color of ones skin plays no part in my belief that families should have the option to choose whether they mask their children or not, she said. We should all be able to disagree and still remain respectful of one anothers opinions.

While they wait for the lawsuit to be resolved, Daniel said critical race theory is indeed in Fort Worth ISD. The district itself has claimed it does not teach the theory in classrooms.

But the district does offer instructions for teachers about critical race theory.

The school districts online handbook mentions an introductory course for teachers on critical race theory. The 45-page handbook provides an overview of the district's Division of Equity and Excellence, which is meant to ensure equity in all practices and at all organizational levels in FWISD.

The district did not immediately respond to questions about the handbook. In the districts resource page, articles such as Critical Race Theory and the Whiteness of Teacher Education are made available. For Daniel, this promotes divisiveness in the community.

We're not liking all this race division and hate ... in the name of getting rid of systemic racism, he said. We're actually putting systemic racism back in our district.

Republicans make their move

Outside the Fort Worth school district, state Republican lawmakers have been closely following the fights in school boards there and elsewhere. And theyve expanded their opposition to discussion in classrooms to books included in school libraries that focus on sexuality and race.

And in turn, some parents have been emboldened by the politicization of school board issues and the subsequent content battles. Last month, Keller, a city near Fort Worth, was in the spotlight after parents successfully got a book removed because it had sexually explicit content in it.

To push the issue further, the state Republican Party announced on Dec. 6 it had formed the Local Government Committee to work with county parties on backing candidates in nonpartisan local elections, where hot-button issues like mask mandates and the teaching of so-called critical race theory have become political stances.

"That's really been the match that totally" ignited this, said Rolando Garcia, a member of the State Republican Executive Committee who chairs the new group. "School board races have always been important, but it's been hard to get the attention and resources to them, and so they've been sleepy affairs."

More recently, the Texas House Freedom Caucus called on Texas school districts to leave the National Association of School Boards after that national organization called on the Biden administration to consider some recent parental hostility toward school board members as acts of "domestic terrorism."

The national organization apologized for the language it used and took down its request. The organization declined to comment on the situation. The Texas Association of School Boards, for now, isnt planning on leaving the national organization but will be monitoring how it rebuilds trust with communities and school board organizations across the country.

Dozens of other state school board organizations have left the national organization thus far.

State Rep. Mayes Middleton, R-Wallisville, the man who wrote to the state school board association asking them to separate themselves, said the National Association of School Boards attacked parental rights, especially for those fighting critical race theory in schools.

The radical left is pushing and fighting conservative values more than they ever have, Middleton said. He added it may be time for a parental Bill of Rights to make sure they are having their voices heard.

If the school district is going to ignore the law  is going to ignore the voice of local parents that come to the school board to make their voice heard  then they need to be able to have the money follow the child and go somewhere that works for them, he said.

So far, no Texas school district has offered instruction on critical race theory to students.

Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston, said as school board races have become more partisan, less attention could be paid to greater local problems.

This is squeezing local school boards and their ability to operate from a local issues perspective and superimposing national politics where it may not fit, he said.

While school board races have often been seen as an entry point into a political career, this move to bring party politics in what has traditionally been nonpartisan races. For Republicans, this is a chance to deepen their political bench as the party seeks to grow its list of viable candidates, Rottinghaus said. Parental rights and issues on race and diversity are the new focal points for the Republican party.

Rebecca Deen, political science professor at the University of Texas at Arlington, said savvy politicians often swoop in when they see a hot-button issue surface, but she worries the division and politics will scare away capable nonpartisan candidates from even running in school board elections.

As she goes into the tail end of her first year in office, Martinez said she is determined to keep her focus on students. As a Latina who went to school in Fort Worth, she believes her representation on the school board matters. She knows the struggles Latino students face. And shes not worried about politics  shes worried about figuring out the best way to recover from the pandemic that still rages on.

Im not here for politics. Im here for the kids, she said.

Disclosure: Texas Association of School Boards, University of Texas - Arlington and University of Houston have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2021/12/15/texas-school-boards-political-fights/.

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.

More: Texas GOP takes aim at local school board and municipal races

This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Outcomes of mask mandate, race discussion fights at Texas school board
MarketWatch

Is there a job that comes with the prospect of a six-figure income, high job satisfaction and has enough job openings to make it a real possibility? Companies are always keen to use intel to improve efficiency and learn more about their customers and, so, computer scientists are in high demand. Java developers are No. 1 on Glassdoors 50 Best Jobs in America for 2021.
Marion community members listened as Scott Weibling and other concerned parents and teachers spoke up at the Dec. 13 Marion City Schools Board Meeting.

While acknowledging an increase in disciplinary issues, Marion City Schools officials say they have taken multiple steps to address them while focusing on keeping kids in school.

The issue was thrust into the spotlight when school board member-elect, Scott Weibling, called out what he saw as a crisis of discipline within the district at Monday's school board meeting.

Teachers, administration and concerned community spoke at the meeting and have been following with the conversation online, which began on Facebook with a series of posts made by Weibling preceding the Dec. 13 board meeting, calling for the community to speak up about behavioral issues within the schools.

Beyond claims of "verbal and physical abuses," Weibling and others said there has been a lack of consequences for students and a disconnect between the district administrators and what is happening in the school buildings.

Teacher and Marion Education Association President Jamie Rawlins said discipline issues have gotten worse during the pandemic.

"There are very few consequences that we are giving kids. I do believe that some of it is definitely COVID-related, for sure, but we have been having conversations with the district about concerns over behaviors for 10 years, so this is not new. What is new is the frequency, the elevated violence and the lack of consequences," Rawlins said.

In response, Marion City Schools Superintendent Dr. Ron Iarussi says there is more happening behind the scenes than what the public sees.

Revealing a wider issue

Claims of behavioral crises like the ones highlighted in Monday's Marion City Schools Board of Education meeting have been reported across the state, as districts have seen increased violence and mental health concerns among students.

Weibling acknowledged this is not just an issue for the district.

In the community, it has spread even beyond Marion City Schools. I have been approached by people, mostly teachers or spouses of teachers, from the Pleasant school district, from Elgin and from River Valley, saying we have the same issues. And thats the thing people need to realize  this is not just a Marion City issue. This is countywide. It is statewide. It is nationwide, Weibling said.

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Scott Weibling won a seat on Marion City School's Board of Education on Nov. 2, 2021.

Iarussi said the district has seen consistent patterns in behavior from its students, many of whom have experienced trauma or have grown up in poverty. To address these concerns, the district has focused on meeting the increased mental health needs of students, he explained.

That is part of dealing with trauma, and then place the pandemic on top of that. Thats exacerbated all those kinds of behaviors and issues, and thats not unique to Marion City Schools," Iarussi said.

"All throughout the state we are having those conversations about what students are bringing with them to school every day," he continued.

Rawlins explained that teachers understand the trauma the kids are facing, but they want to instill life skills and feel more has to be done to give kids structure.

"We do understand that. We are going to send these kids out into the work world and they have to learn how to function," she said.

Board of Education President, Leslie Schneider, attributes much of the increase in behavioral problems to social media platforms like TikTok, the academic and social barriers students faced as a result of the pandemic and worsening mental health conditions.

"I think when looking at discipline, its understanding multiple layers and looking at the whole child. There are so many factors that go into the why, behind why a child is acting out, and one of the biggest things we hear about our youth today is mental health," she said.

Not diminishing the teachers' daily classroom experiences, Schneider also noted that the issues they are facing are real, challenging, heavy and complicated.

"For the teachers, its real for them. It is real. Its real on so many levels. I do want to share that, too. Its not that the issue is being ignored. When I said, We hear you, you know, we do hear you. In a sense, its heavy. Theres no denying that," she said.

The district's response

Marion City Schools has seen a corresponding uptick in expulsions and suspensions, and there are consequences for the rise in inappropriate student behavior, Iarussi explained.

"We've expelled more students this year than weve expelled in the last 3.5  since Ive been in Marion  well over 50 students that weve put up for expulsion this year. Our suspension rates are higher right now than theyve been as well, he said.

The district works to look at the student's needs holistically, understanding the effects of each expulsion for the child's future.

It is a very sad day when we have to expel students. Research shows that its almost a death sentence for those students. The research tells us its a pipeline to prison, and so when we do have to follow through on expulsions, we do everything we can do make sure those kids are provided some support beyond that.

Iarussi also noted the legislative authority that the school is bound by with regard to discipline. Before a student is expelled, evidence needs to be presented and he or she has the right to appeal.

For the 25 percent of Marion City Schools' population that has special education needs, federal guidelines prohibit each student from being excluded from education without parental permission.

There are laws that we have to follow, Iarussi said.

We have local policy in place, but it is typically a reflection of what the laws and the statutes, the revised code tell us, whether its a the federal level or here within the state of Ohio. We refer to it as due process. Every student has a right, every day, to a free and appropriate education, and if youre going to exclude that student from that right, theres a process in place that you have to follow," he continued.

Restorative practices

Looking at the student and the deeper issues behind behavioral concerns, the district employs restorative practices and programs like Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS), which is intended to provide support for positive behaviors to reduce the need for emergency intervention, including restraint or seclusion.

Elementary school teachers are being trained in the PAX Good Behavior Game, a program to encourage not only good behaviors, but the self-awareness and understanding behind inappropriate behaviors.

Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Lawson, explained the goal of Marion City Schools is to employ restorative techniques, like that of PBIS, rather than punishing students.

I think for us, there is a difference between discipline and punishment. Discipline is really that consequence with that restorative element, so that theres the learning part, where punishment is that finite piece where there isnt the learning, Lawson said.

Since Iarussi has become superintendent the district has doubled its number of support staff for social and emotional needs, Education Support Professionals, from six to 12 and has installed an assistant principal in every elementary school building to help with discipline.

Marion City Schools Superintendent Ronald Iarussi shares details of the district's updated strategic plan during a board of education meeting.

Additionally, following the behavioral concerns, the district has also hired a supervisor at the administrative level, Student Affairs Supervisor Kathy Butler, to help review behavior-related referrals.

This month, Marion City Schools hired hall monitors, with two in the high school and one in the middle school, to help kids stay in class rather than in the bathrooms and hallways, and, according to Iarussi, the district has seen a 57% decrease in behavioral referrals related to vaping.

Our intent always it to keep students in school, Iarussi said. When we do give consequences, we want to make sure we are able to do restorative practices with them to change the behavior and they can continue to be in school.

The district will hold a training Jan. 18, to invest in new staff or provide a refresher for older staff on disciplinary policies and programming.

"I think what is part of the perception of the disconnect is that our district administrators try to spend as much time in the buildings as we can, but we have many other responsibilities, and so as much as we try to get into the buildings, our presence is probably not felt as much, he said.

Behavioral concerns have not been overlooked by administration, Iarussi said. On a district level, staff receives reports of write-ups that guide mental health needs and show where disciplinary action may be needed.

We track that data. We recognize what the most critical needs are and what is the behavior that were seeing, and that gets reported up to the district level, said Iarussi.

The dialogue begins

Seemingly, the conversation between district officials and the community is just getting started.

Iarussi is welcoming anyone from the district to meet with him during what he calls a "coffee chat," an informal meeting to discuss concerns or feedback, whether from students, teachers or community members.

Rawlins noted that though the expulsions and suspensions have risen, other consequences that teachers are told to give students are not the most effective.

We had multiple fights: things you couldnt get around suspending someone on. There are not consequences that are working. The consequences we assign, an in-school suspension and an out-of-school suspension, are not working for some of our kids. They welcome time away from the school building or they don't fear the punishment of in-school suspension," Rawlins said.

Weibling and district staff have not been in touch since the Monday meeting. The board of education has reached out to him to welcome him to its ranks, but has not contacted him regarding the topic of discipline, a problem which he attributes to the same restorative practices the district is using to positively reinforce wanted behaviors.

"A lot of it, I think, is done with good intent, and it is a desire to address these children in an effective manner, but I think we have thrown out the negative reinforcement component of discipline and we have replaced it entirely with positive reinforcement and what would hopefully be meaningful conversations. But if there is no negative consequence, the behavior is going to continue, Weibling said.

Still, representatives of both the board and administration say they are looking forward to the opportunity to connect with the board member-elect, who is continuing to take advantage of the opportunity to speak as a "free agent" before he joins the board in January.

I have not talked to Mr. Weibling, but I would love to have the opportunity to do that, Iarussi said.

Board President Schneider said she is hoping for a smooth transition of board members come January and is encouraging the community to come together to support the children who are students in the district.

Its going to take all of us, everybody coming together. I use the term a lot, it takes a village. It takes a village to raise a family, Schneider said. It takes a village to shape and mold a child, and so I say that through the lens that when a child doesnt have that support, that village needs to be even bigger.

Story by: Sophia Veneziano (740) 564 - 5243 | sveneziano@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Marion City Schools responds to reports of a discipline crisis
By Philip Pullella

ROME (Reuters) - Pope Francis has said that men who commit violence against women engage in something that is "almost satanic".

He made the comment, some of the strongest language he has used to condemn such violence, during a programme broadcast on Sunday night on Italy's TG5 network in which he conversed with three women and a man, all with difficult backgrounds.

"The number of women who are beaten and abused in their homes, even by their husbands, is very, very high," Francis said in answer to a question by a woman named Giovanna, a victim of domestic violence.

"The problem is that, for me, it is almost satanic because it is taking advantage of a person who cannot defend herself, who can only (try to) block the blows," he said. "It is humiliating. Very humiliating."

Giovanna said that she had four children to care for after they escaped from a violent home.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began nearly two years ago, Francis has several times spoken out against domestic violence, which has increased in many countries since lockdowns left many women trapped with their abusers.

Police figures released last month showed that there are about 90 episodes of violence against women in Italy every day and that 62% were cases of domestic violence.

Francis said women who were beaten and abused had not lost their dignity. "I see dignity in you because if you didn't have dignity, you wouldn't be here," he told Giovanna.

Turning to other examples of human misery, he listened to a homeless woman speak of life on the street and a man trying to get back on his feet after 25 years in jail.

Francis has set up services in the area around the Vatican to give Rome's homeless healthcare, bathing, and hair-cutting facilities.

In 2020, when a palazzo just off St. Peter's Square that was once a convent became vacant he ordered it to be turned into a homeless shelter, overruling suggestions that it be converted into a luxury hotel.

(Reporting by Philip Pullella, Editing by William Maclean)
No arrests have been made after Drakeo the Ruler was stabbed in a backstage melee

Rapper Drakeo the Ruler has died after being stabbed at the Once Upon a Time in L.A. concert Saturday night in Los Angeles.

The 28-year-old Los Angeles native, whose given name is Darrell Caldwell, was attacked by a group of people and stabbed during the altercation at Exhibition Park. No one has been arrested as of yet, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Caldwell was transported by paramedics to a local hospital and was admitted in critical condition. He later died from his injuries.

Drakeo was one of several performers, including Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent, scheduled to appear during the Once Upon a Time in L.A. concert. He was backstage when a fight broke out and was reportedly stabbed in the neck during the melee. The event was canceled shortly after the incident, TMZ reports.

There was an altercation in the roadway backstage, Live Nation, the event organizer, said in a statement. Out of respect for those involved and in coordination with local authorities, artists and organizers decided not to move forward with remaining sets so the festival was ended an hour early.

The Los Angeles Police Department commented on the incident on Twitter Saturday night, writing: The festival has concluded early. LAPD will be in the area assisting [California Highway Patrol] with the investigation.

Caldwell released his first mixtape, I Am Mr. Mosely in 2015, and would go on to serve up 9 more mixtapes, with the most recent, So Cold I Do Em 2, released earlier this month. Drakeos debut album, The Truth Hurts, was released this past February. Earlier this year, he collaborated with Drake on the single Talk to Me. The Canadian-born rapper reacted to news of Drakeos death on social media, writing on his Instagram stories: Nah man this shit isnt right for real wtf are we doing. Always picked my spirit up with your energy. RIP Drakeo.

Drakeo recorded his 2020 album, Thank You for Using GTL, while incarcerated at Mens Central Jail in Los Angeles. In November 2020, he was released after serving three years for gun charges and his alleged involvement in the 2016 shooting death of a 24-year-old man in Carson, California, where two others were injured outside a party, according to reports.

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Drakeo insisted on his innocence at the time and was acquitted in July 2019. However, charges of criminal gang conspiracy and shooting from a motor vehicle were refiled by the district attorney, per the report.

Drakeo was released late last year with time served after agreeing to plead guilty to the shooting, according to NPR.

Speaking to Rolling Stone in March, Drakeo opened up about his post-jail plans amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

I really like making music now, he said. It means a lot cause [before] I didnt really care about it like that.

I just want people to know that Im here to stay, he continued. I want them to take my music seriously and feel everything. I mean, a lot of people know about my story  but I want them to know I had to go through a lot to get the things that I got. I might talk a certain way or say certain things, but Ive been through a lot in my life. I want them to feel what I went through. When I did the song for the homie [Long Live the Greatest], people told me, I feel you, and, I know what you was going through. I want them to know that Im a real person, that were the same.

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The post Drakeo the Ruler dies after stabbing at Los Angeles music festival appeared first on TheGrio.
Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) announced separately Sunday that they've tested positive for breakthrough cases of COVID-19.

Why it matters: Both Warren and Booker in Twitter posts reported mild symptoms and spoke of their gratitude of being fully vaccinated against the virus and having booster shots and advocated for others to do the same, as U.S. health officials warn of a surge in cases due to the Omicron variant.

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As cases increase across the country, I urge everyone who has not already done so to get the vaccine and the booster as soon as possible - together, we can save lives. https://t.co/lyVapoCE3A  Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) December 19, 2021

Details: Hours after Warren confirmed she'd contracted the virus, Booker tweeted that he had "tested positive for COVID-19 after first feeling symptoms on Saturday."

"My symptoms are relatively mild," he added. "I'm beyond grateful to have received two doses of vaccine and, more recently, a booster  I'm certain that without them I would be doing much worse."

The big picture: Omicron variant has fueled fears of a winter coronavirus surge due to the variant's high transmissibility and its ability to evade immune protection.

NIAID director Anthony Fauci warned Sunday that the variant could drive new record numbers of cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the U.S.

Italy and the U.K. are considering fresh pandemic restrictions ahead of Christmas due to Omicron, and the Netherlands announced a new lockdown this weekend.

By the numbers: Detected in 89 countries, Omicron has caused daily caseloads to double every 1.5 to 3 days in areas where there is community spread, according to the World Health Organization.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with details of Booker's positive test result.

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Empty Stocking Fund

The Empty Stocking Fund is seeking donations for the Salvation Army this Christmas season. The fund, which has been part of the Sun Journal for more than 50 years, raises a substantial amount of money for the Salvation Army for families in need during the holidays.

Donations can be made at the Salvation Armys main office at 1402 Rhem Ave. in New Bern from 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

More: New Bern cancer survivor turns to Empty Stocking Fund for holiday aid

More: Where to turn for help: 10 area nonprofits offer holiday lifelines

Checks made out to the Empty Stocking Fund can be mailed to the Salvation Army, P.O. Box Drawer E, New Bern, NC, 28563.

Featured Family

A young mom with two young children and awaiting the birth of a new baby in 2022 was diagnosed with COVID. She was excited when the doctor cleared her after three weeks to return to work. Sadly, on her first day back, she was rushed to the emergency room and told she had lost her baby. We can help bring joy to this mom when she receives the gifts for her children because of donors like you.

Donations To Date

Nov. 30-Dec. 1

Anonymous - $5,000

Andrew Davidson MD - $500

Anonymous - $20

Jerry Mella-$200.00

Dec.3-Dec.9

Karl Mielenhausen-$100

Linda Taylor-$100

In Memory of Ed-$500

Dana Clay-$50

P.A Miller-$500

Thomas Blickensderfer-50$

Dec.10-Dec.13

Leann Fordyce-$1,000

Anonymous-$125

Anonymous-$52

Anonymous-$1,000

In Memory of Dave Rohrbach-$100

Marshall Falkenberg-$75

Bern Bear Gifts-$100

Millard Godwin-$50

CarolinaEast-$2,500

Dce.14-Dec.15

Anonymous-$300

Anonymous-$25

Delta Sigma Theta New Bern Chapter-$100

Kathleen Klecker-$100

Robert and Suzanne Kayla-$150

Becky and Dennis West-$100

In Memory of Jack Huddle-$500

Grand Total To Date-$13,277

This article originally appeared on Sun Journal: Sun Journal's Empty Stocking Fund seeks donations for families in need
By Aditya Kalra

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Apple Inc has asked India's antitrust watchdog to throw out a case alleging abuse of market power in the apps market, saying it is too small a player in the South Asian country where Google is dominant, a filing seen by Reuters shows.

The filing was made after the Competition Commission of India (CCI) started reviewing allegations that Apple hurts competition by forcing app developers to use its proprietary system which can charge commissions of up to 30% on in-app purchases.

Apple denied the allegations in its filing to the CCI and stressed that its market share in India is an "insignificant" 0-5%, while Google commands 90-100% as its Android operating system powers most other smartphones.

"Apple is not dominant in the Indian market ... Without dominance, there can be no abuse," Apple said in the submission dated Nov. 16 which was signed by its Chief Compliance Officer, Kyle Andeer.

"It has already been established that Google is the dominant player in India," it added.

Apple and the CCI did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Alphabet Inc's Google declined to comment when asked about Apple's assertions in the filing.

The complainant in the case, a little-known non-profit group called "Together We Fight Society", said that Apple with iOS dominates the market for non-licensable mobile operating systems.

Apple countered that in its filing, saying the entire smartphone market - which includes licensable systems like Android - is the market that should be taken into consideration.

Apple also described the Indian complaint as a "proxy filing" in its CCI submission, saying that the complainant was "likely acting in concert with parties with whom Apple has ongoing commercial and contractual disputes globally and/or that have complained to other regulators."

The U.S. tech company did not give any evidence in its submission to support its claim. The non-profit told Reuters that Apple's remark was "made to prejudice the mind" of the CCI "without any iota of proof."

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In the coming weeks, the CCI will review Apple's response to the allegations and could order a wider investigation or dismiss the case altogether if it finds no merit in it. Details of CCI investigations are not publicly disclosed.

The CCI is separately conducting an investigation into Google's in-app payment system as part of a broader probe into the company after Indian startups last year voiced concern.

Apple's iOS powered about 2% of 520 million smartphones in India as of end-2020 with the rest using Android, according to Counterpoint Research, though it adds that Apple's smartphone base in the country has more than doubled in the last five years.

GLOBAL ISSUE

Apple has been grappling with similar allegations in other parts of the world. In the United States, it is locked in a legal battle with "Fornite" creator Epic Games over the issue and South Korea this year became the first country to ban dominant app store operators from forcing developers to use their payment systems.

In the European Union https://reut.rs/38nEVZZ, regulators last year started an investigation into Apple's in-app fees for distribution of paid digital content and other restrictions.

Companies like Apple and Google say their fees cover the security and marketing benefits their app stores provide.

In its CCI filing, Apple argued that the in-app commissions it charges are "not unfair or excessive" and have decreased over time, adding that it charges lower rates from small developers.

"Only a small number of large developers, many of which are multi-billion-dollar conglomerates, pay the headline rate of 30%," Apple said.

"Competing platforms have charged similar or higher commissions as Apple. Particularly, Google has charged a 30% commission on its app store," it said.

(Reporting by Aditya Kalra in New Delhi; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP)  The COVID-19 omicron variant is just raging around the world, the White House's top medical adviser said Sunday as President Joe Biden prepares to issue a stark warning of what the winter will look like for unvaccinated Americans.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country's leading infectious disease expert, told NBCs Meet the Press that the real problem for the U.S. hospital system is that we have so many people in this country who are eligible to be vaccinated who have not yet been vaccinated.

The prospect of a winter chilled by a wave of coronavirus infections is a severe reversal from the optimism projected by Biden some 10 months ago, when he suggested at a CNN town hall that the country would essentially be back to normal by this Christmas. Biden has been careful not to overpromise, yet confidence in the country has been battered by an unrelenting wave of COVID-19 mutations and variations that have left many Americans emotionally exhausted, dispirited and worried about infections.

Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, tried to defend the president's earlier promise in a separate interview Sunday on CNN's State of the Union.

The idea about hoping and having an aspiration to be independent of the virus after a period of time is understandable and reasonable, Fauci said. But the one thing that we know from, now, almost two years' experience with this virus is that it is really very unpredictable.

With the threat that rising infections could worsen the supply chain challenges facing the United States and fuel inflation, Gov. Jared Polis, D-Colo., said Biden should stop talking about vaccination as two shots and a booster and instead call it three doses" that are needed to maximize protection.

Polis pivoted to inflation that is running at a nearly four-decade high, saying Biden in his remarks on Tuesday about the omicron variant needed to show the country how he is addressing the rising cost of goods.

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We can do very concrete things that actually reduce the costs for Americans, Polis said on NBC, noting that Colorado is cutting vehicle registration fees and making it free to register a new business.

The administration is expecting a series of breakthrough infections with the surge of holiday travelers. Fauci said most people who have been vaccinated and gotten a booster should be fine if they take precautions such as wearing masks in crowded settings including airports.

Biden plans to speak Tuesday on the status of the fight against COVID-19 and discuss government help for communities in need of assistance, White House press secretary Jen Psaki tweeted. She also said he will be issuing a stark warning of what the winter will look like for Americans that choose to remain unvaccinated.

Fauci was asked on CNN whether he expected a record numbers of cases  and what about hospitalizations and deaths. Yes, well, unfortunately, I think that that is going to happen, he said.

Fauci told NBC the president would again urge people to get the booster shot, highlight increased availability of testing, discuss surge teams for besieged hospitals and explain how important it is to provide vaccines for the rest of the world.

The one thing thats very clear, and theres no doubt about this, is its extraordinary capability of spreading, its transmissibility capability. It is just, you know, raging through the world, really, Fauci said. And if you look even here in the United States, you have some regions that start off with a few percent of the isolates that are positive, now going up to 30%, 40%, and some places 50%.

Psaki's announcement Saturday on Twitter came after Vice President Kamala Harris said in a Los Angeles Times interview that the Biden administration didnt see delta coming. I think most scientists did not  upon whose advice and direction we have relied  didnt see delta coming. She added: "We didnt see omicron coming. And thats the nature of what this, this awful virus has been, which as it turns out, has mutations and variants.

The vice president's words raised doubts as to the administration's strategy for addressing the pandemic. Biden had effectively declared independence from the virus at a White House celebration on July Fourth to mark progress with vaccinations inside the United States, yet the global nature of the pandemic meant that the disease could evolve as others around the world waited for immunization.

Fauci told NBC he saw the variants coming and he thought Harris' statement was taken a bit out of context, adding he believed she was referring to the extraordinary number of mutations ... particularly with omicron. No one had expected it that much but we were well-prepared and expected that we were going to see variants."
Anthony Fauci on Sunday predicted increased hospitalizations during the winter but was also hopeful that children will be able to remain in schools.

We are going to see a significant stress in some regions of the country on the hospital system, particularly in those areas where you have a low level of vaccination, he told CNNs Jake Tapper on State of the Union.

As the country neared Christmas and New Years, more and more people have recently become infected with Covid-19, including breakthrough cases among the vaccinated. The U.S. officially hit 800,000 Covid deaths while averaging about 1,300 deaths per day.

On ABCs This Week, Fauci, President Joe Bidens top medical adviser, was asked by Jonathan Karl whether he expected a need for the type of lockdowns the nation experienced last year.

I dont foresee the kind of lockdowns that weve seen before, but I certainly see the potential for stress on our hospital system.

The Biden administration is urging people to get the booster shot in order to ensure as much protection as possible from the virus.

When you look at Omicron and what it's doing, the protection from like a two-dose mRNA vaccine is quite good particularly against severe disease but when you get to Omicron, the protection significantly goes down, Fauci said on CNN. But the good news is when you boost someone, it goes right back up, and that's the reason why there's such an emphasis on the part of all of us.

Safety for children in schools has also been a major issue during the pandemic. Most schools throughout the country have transitioned back to in-person learning, but the new Omicron variant once again raises uncertainty for parents, teachers and students.

Fauci pointed to the CDC guidelines on test-to-stay options, which would allow children to be tested for the virus if exposed and then be able to stay in school if their results are negative.

Right now we can keep the children in school safely, Fauci said. We are trying as best as we possibly can to keep the schools open for the reasons that you just gave correctly of the deleterious effects of having to close the schools down.

When asked by Tapper about whether children aged 2-5 would be fully vaccinated in time for school or preschool next fall, Fauci was optimistic and said he was hoping that this group of kids would be vaccinated by the first quarter of 2022. However, he predicted that it will be pushed to the second quarter of 2022 due to delays from Pfizer, which is testing a third dose of its vaccine for children ages 6 months to under 5 years.

When you're going and pulling back and saying, We have to rethink this, we want to make sure we get it right, we want the children optimally protected, and if that requires a three-dose regimen for the children, it is going to prolong the time until we get the full approval for those children.
A Saturday night fire caused severe damage to Sylvan Lodge near Custer.

CUSTER  Numerous fire departments and other agencies worked through the night Saturday to put out a fire at a popular 85-year-old lodge in the Black Hills.

Specific details about the condition of Sylvan Lake Lodge in Custer State Park were not available Sunday, but there was significant damage.

Two firefighters suffered minor injuries, but no civilians or domestic animals were hurt, according to a news release from the Customer Volunteer Fire Department.

The stone-and-timber lodge was built in 1937, funded in part through Depression-era New Deal programs. A wing of additional rooms was added in 1991. The original Sylvan Lake Hotel was a stopping point for adventurers looking to climb Black Elk Peak, the highest point in U.S. east of the Rockies, according to the lodges website.

Alarms initially went off in the southeastern part of the building, according to the release. Freezing temperatures, narrow roads covered with ice and snow and darkness added to the difficulty of dealing with the blaze.

A Saturday night fire caused severe damage to Sylvan Lodge near Custer.

Authorities asked people to steer clear of the area where Custer firefighters said on social media that a massive cleanup effort is required.

The fire was reported at 6:43 p.m. Saturday, according to the release. The lodge is at 24572 state Highway 87 in Custer County.

"First arriving firefighters found a free-burning fire with a moderate to heavy smoke condition in the interior of a large, multi-story hotel with fire extending to the exterior and roof assembly of the structure," according to the release.

Other responding agencies included Custer County Communications, the Custer County Sheriffs Office, Battle Creek Fire Department, the South Dakota Game Fish and Parks Commission, Custer State Park Management, Pennington County 911, Fairburn Volunteer Fire Department, Pringle Volunteer Fire Department, Argyle Volunteer Fire Department, Custer Ambulance service, Custer County Emergency Management, Custer County Search and Rescue, Hill City Volunteer Fire Department, Doty Volunteer Fire Department, Rapid Valley Volunteer Fire Department, North Haines Volunteer Fire Department, Whispering Pines Volunteer Fire Department, Black Hawk Volunteer Fire Department, Johnson Siding Volunteer Fire Department, Newcastle Volunteer Fire Department, Battle Mountain Hot Springs Veterans Affairs Fire Department, the South Dakota Highway Patrol, the South Dakota Department of Transportation and the South Dakota Fire Marshals' Office.

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Sylvan Lake Lodge was badly damaged in a Saturday night fire.

Scott Waltman contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: A fire badly damaged Sylvan Lake Lodge in Black Hills, South Dakota
A body discovered at the bottom of a 20-foot hole in Indiana is raising a lot of questions for Terre Haute police.

For starters: Who is it? What killed them? How did they wind up in a deep, dark hole? And how long have they laid there waiting to be found?

Around 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 18, a Terre Haute police officer responded to a call about a dangerous opening in the ground, located near 6th Street and Margaret Avenue, on the towns south side, the department said in a Facebook post.

The officer walked up to the hole  thought to be an old well  and aimed a flashlight down, revealing a human corpse, the Terre Haute Police Department said.

With help from the fire department, the body was pulled up from the pit.

Authorities are working to identify the deceased, but dont know much about them at this point, police said.

The victim is believed to be male, and the death does not appear to be a recent event. Additionally, there are no immediate signs the person was murdered, or otherwise the victim of foul play.

Police contacted the Vigo County Coroners Office, the post said, and investigators hope to learn more from the pending autopsy.

The owner of the property resides out of state, according to police. THPD is working on getting in touch with them.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Terre Haute police at 812-238-1661.

14-year-old Jane Doe identified 41 years after she was strangled, Texas police say

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The big, beautiful wall has kept US citizens away from the no mans land it created  and in effect ceded territory to Mexico The border wall in La Joya, Texas: What I didnt realize was how quickly the negative effects of this isolated land would be felt. Photograph: Brandon Bell/Getty Images Several miles south of the small town of San Juan, Texas, beyond acres of onion fields, orange groves and other cash crops sits a historic cemetery and the site of the beginning of a slow decay of Amer
A St. Louis man who formerly worked at a Christian youth camp and a child-care center in Waterloo has been arrested on a felony charge of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

Matthew T. Hubbard, 40, is accused of sexually abusing a female juvenile he met at Camp Wartburg, according to a news release from Sgt. Justin Biggs, of the Monroe County Sheriffs Department.

Camp Wartburg is operated by Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois. It hosts children of all denominations from throughout the region for summer retreats and educational programs.

During the course of the investigation, it was obvious the suspect groomed the juvenile victim by convincing her to isolate herself away from her friends and only hang out with him, the news release stated.

This allowed the possibility of more time to sexually abuse the victim. ... Investigators also learned the suspect took the female victim to other states where the victim was sexually abused.

Hubbard worked at Camp Wartburg from May 2019 to December 2020. He also was employed full time by Caywoods Youth Center, a child-care center, from May 2018 to July 2019, and part-time from September to October 2019.

Investigators have been in contact with management of both places, the news release stated. It should be noted that investigators have no evidence or belief that there are any other victims at this time.

However, we have a duty to inform the citizens of what information we can (within) legal guidelines to make sure and confirm there are no additional victims.

Hubbards attorney, Matt Radefeld, told Fox2Now that the female was a 17-year-old employee, not a camper, noting that she could have legally consented to sex in Illinois. Age of consent is 18 in Tennessee, where some of the abuse allegedly took place.

Radefeld rejected the idea that Hubbard was in a position of authority over the teen because he wasnt her supervisor.

The Republic-Times in Waterloo published a statement from Robert Polansky, executive director of Camp Wartburg, who also verified that the female was an employee.

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First, our sympathies go out to the victim and her family for this deeply concerning situation, the statement read. Our primary concern at Camp Wartburg is always for the safety and well-being of all our campers and staff.

Up until now, our leadership could not comment on what was an active investigation. To clarify, the accused individual and victim were both employed at Camp Wartburg during the summer of 2020. To the best of our knowledge, none of the incidents in question occurred on camp property.

On Dec. 23, 2020, Camp Wartburg leadership were made aware of the situation. The employee in question was immediately terminated and Camp Wartburgs executive director reported the accusations to the local authorities for investigation.

According to the Monroe County news release:

The sheriffs department started investigating the Hubbard case nearly a year ago based on an allegation.

Investigators determined that Hubbard met the female juvenile at Camp Wartburg. (The news release stated that she attended the camp.)

The two formed a sexual relationship that lasted from August to December 2020.

Investigators worked with Martin Police Department in Tennessee, where some of the alleged abuse occurred and where authorities say Hubbard fled after becoming aware of the investigation.

On Oct. 19, St. Louis Metropolitan Police reported that Hubbard was being transported to a St. Louis hospital for a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

On Dec. 14, Monroe County took Hubbard into custody on an active warrant after he was released from the hospital.

Sheriffs department investigators presented their findings to the Illinois States Attorneys Appellate Prosecutors Office, which charged Hubbard with aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

Twentieth Judicial Circuit Court Judge Dominic Kujawa set Hubbards bond at $100,000.

On Sunday, Hubbard was no longer being held at the Monroe County Jail, according to an employee who referred questions about his whereabouts to officials who couldnt be reached for comment.

Prior to becoming a Christian camp, Camp Wartburg was formerly known as Thorburg Acres or Thorburg Estates, according to a history on its website.

In 1967, during the 450th anniversary of the Reformation, the camps original name of Lutheran Recreation Center was changed to Camp Wartburg, the history states. In the 1970s, Camp Wartburg began what we now consider to be our traditional programs.

Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois bought Camp Wartburg in 1996, when the property consisted of 38 acres surrounding the dining hall. The agency later acquired 86 additional acres.
By Pawel Florkiewicz and Alan Charlish

WARSAW (Reuters) -Poles on Sunday staged nationwide protests including a thousands-strong rally outside the presidential palace to demand the head of state veto a law they say would limit media freedoms in the European Union's largest eastern member.

Unexpectedly rushed through parliament on Friday, the legislation would tighten rules around foreign ownership of media, specifically affecting the ability of news channel TVN24, owned by U.S. media company Discovery Inc, to operate.

The bill, yet to be signed into law by President Andrzej Duda, has soured ties between NATO-member state Poland and the United States at a time of heightened tension in eastern Europe amid what some countries see as increased Russian assertiveness.

It has also fuelled wider fears about attacks on media freedoms that have been running high since state-run oil company PKN Orlen said last year it was taking over a German-owned publisher of regional newspapers.

"This is not just about one channel," Warsaw mayor and former opposition candidate for president Rafal Trzaskowski told the crowd. "In a moment (there will be) censorship of the internet, an attempt to extinguish all independent sources of information - but we will not allow that to happen."

TVN24 footage showed protesters in Warsaw waving Polish and European Union flags and chanting "Free Media".

"We have to be here today because free media are a pillar of democracy," said Beata Laciak, a member of the crowd and a sociology professor.

Demonstrations took place across the country. Pictures from the southern city of Krakow showed protesters brandishing banners with slogans like "Hands off TVN" and "Free Poland, Free People, Free Media".

As of 1920 GMT, more than 1.5 million people had signed a petition in TVN24's defence, the channel said.

The ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party has long said that foreign media groups have too much power in the country and distort public debate.

Critics say the moves against foreign media groups are part of an increasingly authoritarian agenda that has put Warsaw at loggerheads with Brussels over LGBT rights and judicial reforms.

(Reporting by Alan Charlish and Pawel Florkiewicz; editing by John Stonestreet, William Maclean)
Hans Mark shows a model of a tilt-rotor aircraft he helped develop in this 1998 photo. Mark, a University of Texas aerospace engineer and former deputy director of NASA, also served as secretary of the Air Force and UT System chancellor.

Aerospace engineer Hans Mark, a former University of Texas System chancellor who escaped the Nazis as a boy and grew up to help put a man on the moon, died Saturday morning.

Mark was 92. He died at Westminster senior home in Austin and had suffered from progressive dementia.

A native of Germany who spent his childhood in Austria, Mark served as a longtime aerospace engineering professor at UT, as well as secretary of the Air Force and deputy administrator of NASA. He worked in Mission Control during the first moon landing and persuaded President Ronald Reagan to establish the space station program.

Mark also helped turn UT and the entire city of Austin into research powerhouses.

"Hans Mark was one of the most distinguished scientists at the University of Texas, but beyond his technical and innovative work he took an especial interest in talking informally to undergraduates as well as fellow faculty members," said Wm. Roger Louis, a UT history professor emeritus.

Mark left no question as to the critical importance of exploratory research.

"Because it's in our DNA," Mark told reporter Monica Kortsha for an article republished in Alcalde magazine in 2014. "To explore is an essential part of life, and a great nation has the obligation to explore."

More: A generation of Black and Hispanic civil rights pioneers left Austin a better place

Research, scholarship and teaching sustained his family for generations.

"Hans was a descendant of a long line of scholarly people through his father, Herman Mark," said his wife of 70 years, Marion Thorpe "Bun" Mark, referring to the chemist father who received the National Medal of Science from President Jimmy Carter. "Hans is remembered for his warm support of his students. He was honored for his serious work ethic, modesty, incorruptible character and respect for others. He earned a lot of honors I didn't even know about."

His UT students realized how lucky they were to study with him.

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"Dr. Mark is the god of aerospace engineering," wrote one anonymous student in a review on the website Rate My Professors. "Be prepared to worship one of the finest aerospace-engineers-turned-bureaucrats in aerospace history. This guy has had his hands in loads of important projects, met some of the most important people in history  knew Carl Sagan personally  and his stories are to die for. Be prepared to love this class."

A new start in America

Born in Mannheim, Germany, on June 17, 1929, Mark escaped from Austria in 1940 with his family before the Nazis had hardened the border. These early experiences led him to a lifelong admiration for Winston Churchill, Louis said.

In his 2019 book, "An Anxious Peace: A Cold War Memoir" (published by Texas A&M University Press), Mark described a gripping journey through Switzerland, Italy, France, the U.K., Canada and the U.S.

His father had shaped the family's savings into platinum clothing hangers, which, in haste, they decided to leave behind. A maid, however, hid them in the trunk of their Hudson, an American-made car.

"They lived off those coat hangers," Bun said. "The maid thought they would need them."

Mark graduated from Stuyvesant High School in New York in 1947 and received his bachelor's degree in physics from the University of California, Berkeley in 1951. He earned his Ph.D. in physics from MIT in 1954.

Equally opposed to fascism and communism, Mark devoted much of his career to nuclear deterrence during the Cold War, including the development of secret technology for spying and enhancing America's nuclear capability. He was a protege of Edward Teller, known as the "father of the hydrogen bomb."

Mark held a number of research and teaching jobs until 1964, when he became chair of Berkeley's department of nuclear engineering while directing the Berkeley Research Reactor. In 1969, he was named director of NASA's Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif.

More:The Hobby team that led Houston, Texas and America

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he held positions in Washington that included secretary of the Air Force, director of the top-secret National Reconnaissance Office, deputy administrator of NASA and director of Defense Research and Engineering at the Pentagon.

In 2008, the Space Foundation gave Mark its highest honor, the General James E. Hill Lifetime Space Achievement Award, and in 2012, the Air Force Space Command awarded him the Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers Award.

Hans Mark holds a replica of Mars in 1996.

At home in Texas

Mark and his family moved to Austin in 1984 when he was named chancellor of the UT System, a job he kept until 1992. Of his time in that office, Mark said he was most proud of establishing a medical school in the Rio Grande Valley and hiring trailblazer Diana Natalicio as president of UT's El Paso branch. The late Natalicio stepped down after 31 years in that position in 2019.

'I love life': 93-year-old John Garza on the passage of people, endurance of places in Austin

While he was called back to Washington periodically for research work, Mark's great love was teaching aerospace engineering in UT's Cockrell School of Engineering. His students, many of whom rose to leadership positions in academia, remembered his accessibility and humor.

"I teach them aerospace and then I tell them jokes," Mark told Kortsha.

Michael Webber, one of his proteges, went on to be named to the Josey Centennial Professorship in Energy Resources at UT.

"He reached down and grabbed me and said, You've got do better, Webber told Kortsha. "Don't give up and you'll like it. And it was true. ... This is part of being a professor: You can make someone feel very special. You can see something in the student that they don't see themselves. You can encourage them to strive higher, to achieve more. And I feel like that's what Dr. Mark was doing with me."

Hans and Bun Mark settled in Tarrytown, not far from the official chancellor's residence. He is survived by two children, James Randall "Rufus" Mark and Jane Mark Jopson, as well as five grandchildren and one great-grandchild

A memorial will be held for Mark at Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd on Jan. 15. Memorial gifts can be made to the Hans Mark Scholarship Endowment at the University of Texas.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Hans Mark obituary: former UT System chancellor dies in Austin
GREENLAND  The town's voters turned out Saturday to resoundingly reject an attempt to eliminate the use of vote-counting machines in the town's elections.

A citizens petition asked voters to vote "yes" and stop the use of voting machines. It was was defeated 1,077 to 120 with 90% of residents voting "no."

Town Clerk Marge Morgan said turnout was so high they had to print more ballots.

"By 10 a.m. we were approaching 500 ballots, said Town Moderator Dean Bouffard. "And that's on the Saturday before Christmas, for one question."

Morgan said they had initially only printed 700 ballots. She said they would need to print more. Five hundred additional ballots were printed, Morgan said, and nearly all of them were used.

Elections: Greenland to hold NH's first vote on effort to ban voting machines. What's behind it?

Greenland Town Clerk Marge Morgan and moderator Dean Bouffard oversee the special town meeting vote Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021. Voters rejected an attempt to eliminate the use of vote-counting machines.

David Scanlan, New Hampshire's deputy secretary of state, said more than half of the cities and towns use AccuVote-OS PC (Optical Scan Precinct Count) machines, which are the only vote counting machines currently allowed in the state. He noted they have been reliable for many years, are not connected to the internet and the state uses paper ballots, which can be counted by hand in any recount.

NH election security: 'Frivolous and expensive': Support our election officials; reject AccuVote ban  Letters

"No" voters push back and win

Opponents of the citizens petition have called the movement to eliminate voting machines an effort to sow doubt in elections and undermine voter confidence without any basis in fact.

Neil Martin held a sign at the polls asking voters to reject the citizens petition. He said for years the voting machines have been proven to be more accurate than hand counts.

"We see this move as a greater effort to undermine the trust we have in our poll workers," Martin said. "A woman who voted for Trump (in two elections) said this is a non-issue."

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Greenland residents Neil Martin and Peter Bowman hold signs opposing a citizen petition to discontinue the use of voting machines Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021.

Morgan, the town clerk, said she heard remarks of regret from some of the 51 people who signed the petition seeking to eliminate the vote-counting machines. In New Hampshire, a special election in towns with lower than 10,000 population can be forced with 50 signatures.

"People who signed the petition are coming to me and apologizing," Morgan said. "They say they didn't really understand what the petition was about and now that they do, they are sorry they signed."

Speaking out: Readers offer their opinions on banning voting machines, COVID 'misinformation' and more

Similar attempts to ban the voting machines are under way in Hampton and Kensington. There is also a statewide bill to do away with voting machines filed by state Rep. Mark Alliegro, R-Campton.

Republican Gov. Chris Sununu, in response to recent petitions, said elections in New Hampshire in 2020 were "safe, secure, and reliable."

"Over 800,000 votes were cast in New Hampshire last November," he said in a prepared statement provided to Seacoastonline. "There were 16 recounts, and all verified the winners. New Hampshires election process continues to be a model for the rest of the country."

A man who refused to give his name at the Greenland special election Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021 holds signs asking residents to vote "yes" and eliminate the use of vote-counting machines. The "no" voters won, meaning the vote-counting machines will continue to be used.

At 10 a.m., three people stood outside the polls with signs supporting the petition. All three asked not to be photographed and refused to give their names.

Illegal mailer sent out before vote

Two days before Saturday's election, New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella announced his office was investigating an illegal mailer sent out to urge voters to vote "yes" and eliminate vote-counting machines. State law requires political mailers to be signed to identify who paid for it.

Morgan said the mailer was not legally endorsed, echoing a statement by Formella.

"When I saw it, I called the attorney general's office," Morgan said.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Greenland Election Results: Voters reject bid to eliminate machines
Congress passed the KKK Act to combat racial terror. But the Supreme Court insists on shielding public officials who harm Black people.

Editor's note: This column includes graphic details.

It has been more than a year since I watched Derek Chauvin murder George Floyd. Of the many haunting moments from that video, it still strikes me that as Floyd and witnesses pleaded with Chauvin to stop, the then-officer and now convicted murderer looked directly into bystanders cameras and smirked. That disquieting, macabre smile reflected a murderer certain that he would escape accountability.

I had seen that smirk before. The same bemused grin appears in 18th and 19th century lynching photographs, featuring white people smiling as Black bodies burned or hung just feet away.

What manner of evil gave these killers  their smiles separated by more than a hundred years  the courage to torture and kill knowing that cameras were watching? The answer lies in a centuries-old system of white supremacy that has rarely punished state assaults on Black bodies. And key to this system has been the Supreme Courts insistence on shielding government actors who harm Black people from liability.

To fully grasp the perniciousness of qualified immunity, you need to understand the genesis of Section 1983  the federal statute Congress enacted as a remedy for victims of state violence  and the Supreme Courts role in destroying it.

Rampant white terrorization of Black people

The road to Section 1983 began with the institution of slavery, which incentivized and tolerated unspeakable violence against Black people. The Supreme Court placed its seal of approval on slavery in its Dred Scott decision in 1857, declaring Black people beings of an inferior order who had no rights which the white man was bound to respect, and putting the nation on the road to war.

The Civil War, in which nearly a million white men laid their lives on the line in defense of white supremacy, ended slavery and birthed a period of Reconstruction.

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White and African American citizens march wearing black armbands and holding a sign readings 'Lynchers Must Be Brought to Justice' while police look on, Washington DC, 1946.

Freed Black people, determined to cast off the vestiges of slavery, established schools and churches and amassed political and economic power.

Reconstruction offered a glimpse of a new America that many white people simply would not abide. Southern whites set out to redeem the Confederacy by washing the land in blood. White terrorists burned Black schools. Destroyed Black churches. Crushed Black businesses. Defiled, mutilated and murdered Black bodies.

The Equal Justice Initiative has documented nearly 2,000 lynchings in the decade following the Civil War.

The lynchings were accompanied by massacres that left hundreds of Black people dead in communities throughout the South. These crimes were often carried out by state actors  police officers, state militia members and politicians  and were ignored by Southern states that refused to penalize the terrorists.

Black people resisted the terror. When Congress commissioned an investigation into Reconstruction violence, Black people risked their lives and livelihood to publicly testify about the horrors they had endured. Led by the Joint Committee to Inquire into the Condition of Affairs in the Late Insurrectionary States, the Ku Klux Klan hearings represent one of the largest congressional investigations in American history. The testimony spans more than 13 volumes in the congressional record.

Hannah Tutson of Florida testified that Klan members raped and whipped her from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet until blood oozed out through my frock all around my waist.

Betsey Westbrook of Alabama testified that white men attacked and killed her husband in front of her and her young son in their home. Minister Elias Hill of South Carolina testified that Klansmen dragged and savagely beat him.

The details differed, but the general stories were the same: White terrorists violently raped, murdered and assaulted Black people, and state governments looked the other way.

Congress passed the KKK Act. The court curtailed it.

Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneels on George Floyd on May 25, 2020. Chauvin, who was convicted of murder in Floyd's death, looked directly into bystanders' cameras.

Against this backdrop, Congress passed the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871. Through Section 1, now known as Section 1983, Congress armed victims of constitutional violations with the ability to seek damages in federal court.

Section 1983 was rarely used for nearly a century after its enactment; for Black people, testifying against white people in court  much less filing suit  was tantamount to suicide. After Black people began to bring suit under Section 1983 during the civil rights movement of the 1960s, the Supreme Court invented the doctrine of qualified immunity.

To be clear, Section 1983 makes no mention of immunity. No constitutional provision requires immunity. The common law at the time of Section 1983s enactment did not recognize qualified immunity.

But through its constant stream of qualified immunity decisions, the court tells police officers  who, as in 1871, are almost certain to avoid criminal prosecution and are highly unlikely to face civil liability in state courts  that even palpably unreasonable conduct will go unpunished.

Derek Chauvin pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal charges of violating George Floyds civil rights. But on May 25, 2020, the Minneapolis police officer had good reason to believe he'd avoid punishment. He may have been wrong, but most others are not. By consistently protecting state actors from accountability for outrageous conduct, the Supreme Court helped put that sadistic grin on Derek Chauvins face.

Tiffany Wright directs the Civil Rights Clinic at Howard University School of Law. She is a former law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and regularly litigates police misconduct cases in federal courts.

This column is part of a series by the USA TODAY Opinion team examining the issue of qualified immunity. The project is made possible in part by a grant from Stand Together. Stand Together does not provide editorial input.

Tiffany R. Wright in Gambrills, Md., on Nov. 16, 2021.

This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: 'I had seen that smirk before': Vestiges of slavery still haunt our legal system
Hong Kong's elections will be held on Sunday 19 December

Hong Kong is holding its first legislative council election since China introduced sweeping changes that have altered the city's political landscape.

The government says the revamped electoral system will ensure only "patriots" will be allowed to stand for election and eventually hold positions of political power.

However, critics say it has weakened the city's democratic voice, eradicating whatever opposition is left.

How is Hong Kong run?

Hong Kong used to be under British control, but was handed back to China in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" principle.

This means that the city has certain democratic freedoms which no other part of mainland China has.

This includes the right to elect its own mini-parliament, the Legislative Council (LegCo).

The LegCo is a powerful body that not only makes and amends Hong Kong's laws, but also approves budgets and taxes, endorses the appointments of top judges, and can impeach Hong Kong's head of government, the Chief Executive.

Its members usually serve four year terms - though the current term has been extended as elections were postponed by a year due to Covid.

They were previously elected by the public in various geographical constituencies, as well as interest groups.

Read more about how Hong Kong is run

What has China done?

In March, Beijing passed a "patriots governing Hong Kong" resolution that fundamentally altered LegCo.

The most important change was that it drastically shrank the proportion of lawmakers who can be directly voted in by the people - from 50% to 22%.

All candidates must now be vetted by a separate screening committee - which has made it easier to bar anyone deemed as being critical of Beijing.

The ruling also expanded and gave more powers to the Election Committee - a separate group that heavily skews pro-Beijing. Usually their main role is to choose the Chief Executive, but now, for the first time in years, they also have seats in LegCo.

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The move is a continuation of China's plan to tighten control over Hong Kong and push for loyalty from all levels of power, following 2019's huge pro-democracy protests.

Beijing has also put in place a controversial national security law which has made it easier to punish pro-democracy demonstrators, while Hong Kong authorities have jailed dozens of activists in recent months.

Clashes between Hong Kong police and protesters often turned violent following the introduction of the national security law

How will this year's LegCo election work?

There are now 90 seats up for election.

Only 20 of those will be directly elected by the public - these are the Geographical Constituency seats.

Another 40 seats - nearly half of those available - will be filled by the Election Committee.

The remaining 30 LegCo seats will be elected by the Functional Constituencies - groups representing special interests such as business, trade, and rural villages. They historically also lean pro-Beijing.

How does this change Hong Kong's political landscape?

Critics say Hong Kong's democratic processes and institutions have been eroded, pointing to how many pro-democracy figures are now shut out from LegCo.

A number of them - including high-profile activist Joshua Wong who is currently in jail- have been disqualified from standing in this year's election because they were deemed as advocating for Hong Kong's independence from China or objected to the national security law.

The chair of the biggest opposition party Lo Kin-hei said it was "impossible" for the party to "pave a way" for candidates, pointing to the difficulties and pressures they faced.

Other opposition figures have either quit or are in self-exile.

The numbers bear this out - this year's LegCo election will see only three candidates who identify as being pro-democracy. This is in stark contrast to the previous election which saw the pro-democracy camp win 29 seats.

Hong Kong authorities have denied the changes stifle democracy and say they are necessary to ensure patriotism to China.

But not many Hongkongers are convinced, and there's been a marked drop in public enthusiasm for the election.

A recent survey found that only half of those surveyed were inclined to vote - the lowest levels since 1991.

It also found that public satisfaction in the political situation in Hong Kong was the lowest in 10 years.

Some activists living overseas have called on Hongkongers to cast blank votes, as a form of protest.

While casting a blank vote is not illegal, it's against the national security law to incite others to do so, or to boycott an election.

Several people have been arrested under this charge, some of whom had shared a Facebook post advocating for blank votes.
The streets of Santiago erupted in celebration Sunday after leftist millennial Gabriel Boric became Chile's youngest-ever president-elect with an unexpectedly large victory over his far-right rival in a polarizing race.

Boric, 35, garnered nearly 56 percent of the vote compared to 44 percent for ultra-conservative Jose Antonio Kast, who conceded even before the final result was known.

Tens of thousands of Chileans took to the streets of the capital and other cities after Kast's concession, honking car horns in approval, brandishing pro-Boric placards, waving the rainbow LGBTQ flag and shouting: "Viva Chile!"

Fireworks lit the skies for hours on end.

"Im thrilled, I am crying with joy. We dealt a blow to fascism!" pharmacy worker Jennie Enriquez, 45, told AFP.

"I am happy because there are going to be many changes that will help the people and the working class," added construction worker Luis Astorga, 58.

Boric had campaigned on the promise of installing a "social welfare" state, increasing taxes and social spending in a country with one of the world's largest gaps between rich and poor.

Branded a "communist" by his detractors, he vowed in his first official address Sunday to "expand social rights" in Chile, but to do so with "fiscal responsibility."

"We will do it protecting our macro-economy, we will do it well... to improve pensions and healthcare," he said.

- 'Great triumph' -

Kast congratulated Boric, who leads an alliance that includes Chile's Communist Party, "on his great triumph."

"From today on, he is the president-elect of Chile and he deserves all our respect and constructive cooperation. Chile always comes first."

Kast is an apologist for brutal dictator Augusto Pinochet and his neo-liberal economic model, credited with Chile's relative wealth but blamed for its deep-rooted social inequality.

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He opposes same-sex marriage, contraception and abortion, and had initially pledged to close the ministry of women's affairs, a promise he later rowed back on.

According to a projection by Chile's Servel election body, turnout was more than 55 percent -- a record since voting became voluntary in 2012.

Boric won by a margin of nearly a million ballots out of 8.3 million cast by 15 million eligible voters.

"Clearly more young people came out, it seems clear... that Boric managed to mobilize the segment that is more difficult to mobilize, which is the segment of young people," Claudia Heiss of the University of Chile told AFP.

"All (Kast's) anti-rights, anti-women, anti-gay speech, I think it helped mobilize that young segment," she added.

The new president will face the difficult task of healing a society reeling from a polarizing campaign replete with antagonistic attacks and fake news onslaughts.

For a country that has voted centrist since the democratic ousting of Pinochet 31 years ago, it was a stark choice between two polar opposite political outsiders.

Boric on Sunday reiterated his plans for "a more humane Chile, a more dignified Chile, a more egalitarian Chile."

Congratulations poured in from elsewhere in Latin America, from Brazil's ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Cuban leader Miguel Diaz-Canel and Argentina's Alberto Fernandez on the left, to right-wing presidents Ivan Duque of Colombia and Guillermo Lasso of Ecuador.

Boric and Kast had softened their policy proposals in a bid to appeal to Chileans left without an obvious candidate when they split the centrist vote in the first round, leaving only the two antipodes.

Both represent parties that have never been in government.

- 'President of all Chileans' -

Chile is going through profound change after voting overwhelmingly last year in favor of drawing up a new constitution to replace the one enacted in the Pinochet years.

The 2020 referendum was in response to an anti-inequality social uprising in 2019 that left dozens dead.

The drafting process, in the hands of a largely left-leaning body elected in May, must yield a constitution for approval next year, on the new president's watch.

President Sebastian Pinera, who leaves office with a low approval rating, said Sunday the country was living in "an environment of excessive polarization, confrontation, disputes."

Pinera urged his successor, before the result was known, to never forget that "he will be the president of all Chileans, and not just those who support him."

Boric will be inaugurated in March next year.

bur-mlr/to
Associated Press

A rabbi who was badly wounded in a deadly antisemitic attack at the Chabad of Poway synagogue in Southern California was sentenced Tuesday to 14 months in federal prison for running a multimillion-dollar donation fraud, authorities said. Yisroel Goldstein, 60, also was ordered to pay about $2.8 million in restitution. I beg for mercy to accept my repentance and allow me to right the wrongs, Goldstein told the judge at his sentencing, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. He asked for the chance to do whatever I can to help others to the best of my ability.
The Illinois State Police Division of Criminal Investigation for Zone 6 is investigating an officer-involved shooting in the 18000 block of U.S. 67 in Jerseyville.

According to a news release, an unknown suspect entered a home about 3:30 p.m. Saturday and held its resident hostage for several hours before the resident escaped and called police.

Jersey County Sheriffs Department deputies were sent to the home.

Reportedly, a subject fired shots at deputies and the deputies returned fire, the release stated. After the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System arrived on scene, officers were able to enter the home and clear the residence.

The subject was found deceased a short time later. At this time, it is unknown if the subject was struck by gunfire from the officers.

The release gave no further information.
Envoys from 57 Islamic nations as well as observer delegations were meeting in Pakistan Sunday for a summit aimed at relieving the humanitarian crisis in neighbouring Afghanistan, while testing diplomatic ties with its new Taliban rulers.

The meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation is the biggest major conference on Afghanistan since the US-backed government fell in August.

After the Taliban's lightning return to power, billions of dollars in aid and assets were frozen by the international community, and the nation of 38 million now faces a bitter winter.

The United Nations has repeatedly warned that Afghanistan is on the brink of the world's worst humanitarian emergency with a combined food, fuel and cash crisis.

On Sunday, Pakistan's capital was on lockdown, ring-fenced with barbed wire barriers and shipping-container roadblocks where police and soldiers stood guard.

Any aid pledges were set to be announced Sunday evening.

Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is among the delegates, alongside others from the United States, China, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations.

Pakistani officials said 70 delegations were taking part.

No nations have yet formally recognised the Taliban government and diplomats face the delicate task of channelling aid to the stricken Afghan economy without also propping up the hardline Islamists.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said the meeting would speak "for the people of Afghanistan" rather than "a particular group".

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were the only three countries to recognise the previous Taliban government of 1996 to 2001.

Qureshi said there was a difference between "recognition and engagement" with the new order in Kabul.

"Let us nudge them through persuasion, through incentives, to move in the right direction," he told reporters ahead of the OIC meeting.

"A policy of coercion and intimidation did not work. If it had worked, we wouldn't have been in this situation."

jts/fox/qan
By Asif Shahzad

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -Islamic countries pledged on Sunday to set up a humanitarian trust fund for Afghanistan as, with millions facing hunger and a harsh winter setting in, Pakistan's prime minister warned of chaos if the worsening emergency was not urgently addressed.

The crisis is causing mounting alarm but the international response has been muted, given Western reluctance to help the Taliban government, which seized power in August.

"Unless action is taken immediately, Afghanistan is heading for chaos," Prime Minister Imran Khan told a meeting of foreign ministers from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Islamabad.

The trust fund, announced by Pakistan's foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, will be set up under the aegis of the Islamic Development Bank.

Allowing Afghanistan access to reserves frozen outside the country would be key to preventing economic collapse, participants in the meeting - which included representatives from the United Nations, United States, European Union and Japan - said in a statement.

But it was unclear how much the fund would contain and the meeting did not provide official recognition to the Taliban government.

Acting Afghan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said the government had restored peace and security and done much to address demands for more inclusiveness with respect for human rights, including the rights of women.

"All must acknowledge that political isolation of Afghanistan is not beneficial for anyone, therefore it is imperative that all support the prevailing stability and back it both politically and economically," he said.

NEAR-COLLAPSE

Taliban officials have previously asked for help to rebuild Afghanistan's shattered economy and feed more than 20 million people threatened with hunger.

Some countries and aid organisations have begun delivering aid, but a near-collapse of the country's banking system has complicated their work.

Story continues

Qureshi said unlocking financial and banking channels was essential "because the economy can't function and people can't be helped without a banking system."

The scale of the challenge has been underlined by crowds gathering outside the newly reopened passport office in Kabul, where hundreds have been lining up for passports that would enable them to leave the country.

Beyond immediate aid, Afghanistan needs help ensuring longer-term economic stability. Much will depend on whether Washington is willing to unfreeze billions of dollars in central bank reserves and lift sanctions that have caused many institutions and governments to shy away from direct dealings with the Taliban.

Muttaqi said the Taliban would not allow Afghanistan to be used as a base for attacks on other countries and he said no reprisals would be carried out against officials of the former government.

But the Taliban have faced heavy criticism for keeping women and girls out of employment and education and excluding broad sections of Afghan society from government. They have also been accused of trampling on human rights and, despite their promise of amnesty, targeting officials of the former administration.

(Writing by James Mackenzie; Editing by Himani Sarkar, Susan Fenton and John Stonestreet)
ROME (Reuters) - Italy's government is considering new measures to avoid a surge in COVID-19 infections during the holiday period, local newspapers reported on Sunday, amid worries over the spread of the highly contagious Omicron coronavirus variant.

After holding a meeting with ministers on Dec. 23, Prime Minister Mario Draghi could impose an obligation on the vaccinated to show a negative test to access crowded places, including discos and stadiums, daily Corriere della Sera reported.

Negative tests could also be required to enter cinemas and theatres, along with wearing masks outdoors.

Under current rules, people who have been vaccinated or have recently recovered from the disease have free access to indoor seating at bars and restaurants, museums, cinemas, clubs and sporting events.

"Some measures, such as making masks compulsory even outdoors ... could be taken soon," Franco Locatelli, one of the government's main scientific advisors, told the newspaper.

Italy - where vaccination is already mandatory for healthcare workers, school staff, police and the military - could extend the jab obligation to all workers from January, Corriere della Sera reported.

The National Health Institute (ISS) said on Saturday the Omicron variant is spreading quickly in Italy, with new cases identified in the country's north and south. A total of 84 infections have so far been identified.

Italy, the first Western country to be hit by the COVID-19 pandemic early last year, has seen an increase new infections and deaths in recent weeks, but daily caseloads remain well below some other European countries such as Britain and Germany.

Earlier this week, Rome extended a COVID-19 state of emergency to March 31 and ruled that all visitors from EU countries must take a test before departure.

(Reporting by Angelo Amante; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
A Kansas City man will soon be sent to federal prison after being convicted in the illegal sales of 15 guns, including some that have been tied to shootings, according to federal prosecutors.

Mickael Oliver, 27, faces at least seven years in prison after he was convicted of selling stolen firearms and selling a firearm to a convicted felon, among other counts, according to prosecutors in the Western District of Missouri.

Detectives began investigating Oliver when he was 22, after 3-year-old Marcus Haislip III was shot and killed in May 2017 near East 54th Street and Park Avenue, according to court records. Witnesses said the suspect possibly came from and fled into Olivers nearby residence.

Police interviewed Oliver, but they said his statement lacked any substance to identify the shooter or procure charges.

Earlier this year, Jackson County prosecutors charged another man, Derrick Wren Jr., 28, with second-degree murder in the toddlers killing.

In 2017, The Star reported that Olivers house had been tied to a staggering amount of violence, including the death of a man who was fatally shot in the driveway. A prosecutor once called Olivers potential risk to public safety off the chart.

Olivers conviction this month stems from the illegal sales of guns to, and the robbery of, a confidential source who had been cooperating with agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Prosecutors said four of the guns sold by Oliver or his associates were stolen. Three other metro-area residents were charged in the case, two of whom have been sentenced from five to six years in prison.

Some of the guns have been connected to local shootings, though no charges have been filed, prosecutors said.
A year after Congress came up with a fix for surprise medical bills, health insurers, hospitals and doctors are still spending millions to tailor the fine print in their favor.

The aggressive campaign by health insurers, hospitals, doctors and big employers to influence how the Biden administration interprets the law is playing out through ad campaigns, lobbying efforts and in the courts, amid accusations that each side is profiting from a broken health system.

The law, which takes effect Jan. 1, protects patients from receiving expensive bills for unexpected out-of-network care but doctors, hospitals and insurers are still at odds over which factors an independent arbitrator should rely on to decide who picks up the tab.

The outcome could swing billions of dollars in payments, significantly influence how doctors and hospitals negotiate prices with insurers and possibly affect premiums for millions of Americans.

This is probably one of the most significant overhauls in the health system since the [Affordable Care Act] ACA, said a spokesperson for the Coalition Against Surprise Medical Billing, which represents insurers, employer and union groups, and works with patient groups. We certainly don't see any end in sight in terms of the battle in making sure that these regs are implemented.

The coalition supports the Biden administrations interim final rule that instructs arbitrators to rely primarily on a single factor  the median in-network rate in a geographic area  when settling disputes between providers and payers. It has sponsored multiple six-figure digital ad-buys, including one that runs through Christmas, urging regulators to stay the course.

A senior health department official, who asked to be anonymous to talk about the issue, told POLITICO that the agency isnt surprised by the level of advocacy on the issue, given the stakes.

These rules are fixing this broken system, the official said, and there's a lot of money on the table.

Story continues

Two years in the making

How we got here: For years, stories of patients facing financially crippling medical bills from out-of-network doctors and hospitals were a staple of news reports, prompting state lawmakers and then Congress to try and tackle the problem. It took Congress two years to pass what became the No Surprises Act, with progress often hampered by fierce lobbying campaigns, including one funded by private equity-owned physician groups that had a price tag of about $30 million.

Former President Donald Trump signed the measure last year, but the Biden administration wrote the rules governing how it will be implemented.

Provider groups contend that rules by the Department of Health and Human Services  which arent yet final  favor insurers, and they point to recent comments from HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra about providers that are "overcharging" as evidence of the administration's steadfastness.

Insurer groups have pushed back saying that using the median in-network rate is the right way to go because "it takes into account actual medical costs and local market dynamics," said Kris Haltmeyer, the vice president of policy analysis at the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

The figure "reflects the payment that similar providers who chose to contract are paid for those same services in that market," he adds.

It is a Groundhog Day moment, one patient group lobbyist told POLITICO, as many of the talking points being deployed now are the same ones that plagued the legislative process.

Battle lines: Hospitals and doctors allege the Biden administrations decision to emphasize the median in-network rate, a figure the insurance companies calculate, gives large insurers a huge advantage when negotiating how much a service should cost.

Insurers would have an incentive to keep the in-network rates lower to avoid paying more to out-of-network doctors. And they say payers would know doctors and hospitals have little recourse if they choose to remain outside an insurers network.

Being out of network is really the physicians only control over how their contracts look, said Randall Clark, the president of the American Society of Anesthesiologists. If the insurance companies can treat us the same whether we're in network or out of network, there is no impetus on the part of the insurance companies to negotiate fair contracts.

Trade groups representing providers say the law lists several other factors that should be equally weighted when calculating how much a service costs, such as the doctors experience and the complexity of the procedure. While these metrics can still be introduced during the dispute resolution process, the Biden administrations rules dont give them as much weight as the median in-network rate metric, which providers say puts them at a disadvantage before the process even begins.

Others weigh in

There has also been strong pushback from air ambulance providers, which mostly operate outside of insurance networks. In their view, a more balanced process would take other factors into account, such as the type of aircraft used and the acuity of the patient.

The industry also takes issue with rules that treat all air ambulance services the same  lumping those which negotiate with insurers as part of a larger hospital system and those providers that negotiate independently together.

Although industry voices have been the loudest throughout, patient groups and unions  including the American Heart Association, AFL-CIO and Families USA  have sided with the Biden administrations interpretation of the law, saying it would keep costs and premiums down.

The administration's thinking: Federal regulators rebuff the idea that a myriad of factors should be considered equally, noting in the rulemaking how much space was given within the No Surprises Act to define the median in-network rate within a geographic area, referred to as the qualifying payment amount (QPA).

The senior HHS official told POLITICO that hospitals and doctors exaggerate the harms these rules have on their professions.

Some of the things that are being asserted in those conversations or just generally on the issue are kind of outrageous, said the official, who has been fielding calls and meetings with representatives for all sides  patient groups, unions, providers and insurers.

Putting weight on a single factor also provides certainty to how an arbitration would look, regulators wrote, and could lead the parties to avoid the independent dispute resolution process and come to their own agreement.

The bill's large print: HHS recently released a report that found roughly one in five Americans received a bill for hundreds of thousands of dollars from an emergency room visit or after an elective surgery or giving birth at an in-network hospital.

Employer groups, which have lobbied on the issue and support tying the arbitration terms to the median in-network rate, point to this kind of evidence as a reason that providers should be viewed with skepticism.

The fact that the current system pays drastically different amounts for the same exact service in the same exact area with no regard to quality  that's not a benefit of the system, right? said James Gelfand, executive vice president of public affairs at the ERISA Industry Committee. And so they're complaining that we're making changes to it? I mean, cry me a river.

Becerra has intimated that providers have taken advantage of a broken system that his agency aims to correct.

"Those who are overcharging either have to tighten their belt and do it better, or they don't last in the business, Becerra told Kaiser Health News last month. "It's not fair to say that we have to let someone gouge us in order for them to be in business.

'Not as straightforward'

Meanwhile, providers say that theyre unfairly targeted.

It's not as straightforward as I think the administration either hopes or is painting it to be, said Laura Wooster, senior vice president of advocacy and practice affairs at the American College of Emergency Physicians.

It kind of feels like providers keep getting painted with this brush of being greedy or [they] have always overcharged patients, she said.

Rate-slashing: Even before the law has taken effect, providers argue that the insurance industry is already taking advantage of the impending rules, which go into effect at the beginning of the year.

Three insurance companies wrote providers in North Carolina, saying that they must accept payment cuts between 20 and 40 percent or their in-network contracts would be terminated, according to a letter the American College of Emergency Physicians sent Congress last week.

For one insurer, it might sound like, 'OK, that's not going to end a business.' But when you have four or five different insurers, and they're all doing this, said Wooster, it just can't be sustained.

The group said that some contracts between the plans and providers had gone unchanged for a decade or more, and the insurance companies initiated the demands citing the impending implementation of the No Surprises Act.

One of the insurers, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, addressed the claims in a blog post. It had identified 54 of the most expensive health care practices across the state, the post said. We have asked these providers to work with us on adjusting their pricing to be more in line with their peers.

Legal challenges: There have been three separate lawsuits filed in federal court challenging the rules. The most recent, from the American Hospital Association and the American Medical Association, was launched Dec. 9.

It comes on the heels of ones from the Association of Air Medical Services and the Texas Medical Association, which filed theirs in November and October, respectively. All of them attack the presumption of the median in-network contracted rate in arbitration.

The courts likely won't reach a decision before the law goes into effect, though the earliest an arbitration can start is March.
It now has been many Christmases ago. Perhaps it was 12 years. Or 13. Or even 14.

While I have lost count of the Christmases that have come and gone between now and back then, I have never forgotten him. His sweet face lingers in my memory like the scent of a fresh-cut pine that fragrances a room, long after the sparkling lights and ornaments have been hung.

Ronda Rich

For a few years, I flew to Carson City, Nev., for a Christmas party that my friends, Bill and Virgie, hosted. Their lovely home sits high on a hill overlooking the capitol city and, at night, presents a gorgeous view of bright lights twinkling below. It is not an overstatement to say that their Christmas parties, which have ceased to be, were the top invitation on Carson Citys social calendar.

But as Miss Virgie says, Yes, those parties were grand but, remember, we are in Carson City not New York or Paris. There isnt much competition to be the grandest.

The men wore tuxes. The women wore fabulous gowns with rhinestones and feathers. A string trio played. Silver and crystal sparkled. Miss Virgie, a Mississippi native, presented Southern hospitality and food at its best. It was the second Sunday night in December and people marked their calendars for it.

I always went for the weekend, taking a flight that connected through Salt Lake City. Then, Id board a puddle jumper into Reno where Bill would meet me.

More: After getting a recliner, Yankee husband now almost a full-fledged Southerner

One year, a blizzard trapped me overnight in Salt Lake City. The airline shuttled stranded passengers to a faux Tudor inn and gave us a meal voucher. I arrived three hours before the party began and flew out at 10 the next morning.

The following year, my flight landed in Salt Lake City in yet another blinding snowstorm. As I lugged my carry-on to several departure gates smashed together  for small jets and prop planes  I looked out the floor-to-ceiling windows and sighed. It was a darkly gray day, lightened only by the millions of snowflakes that swirled furiously around, bumping into each other.

Story continues

Great, I thought. Another night in Utah on a lumpy mattress.

Seconds later, I saw him. He was about 30, Asian, slightly chunky and was propelling his wheelchair by hand. My eyes met his. I smiled.

Hello, I said as we passed. Merry Christmas!

There was an eagerness to his reply and the light on his face brightened the dismal day. To quote the worlds best-selling book, The glory of the Lord shone round about them.

My flight painfully delayed, I was flipping through a magazine when the young man rolled his wheelchair to a stop next to me.

Hello, again! His smile was blinding. My name is Albert.

I introduced myself and we chatted. Suddenly, he grew silent. His eyes drilled deeply into mine. He leaned forward then spoke.

Are you , he paused, his eyes widening. Are you an   he took a breath. Angel?

Alberts voice was filled with wonder yet I gasped, Oh, goodness, NO!

I think you are, he responded with assurance. You looked me in the eyes and spoke to me. You made me feel good about myself. He brushed his cheek against his shoulder and shrugged. Most people look away when they see my wheelchair.

I bought us cups of coffee and we settled in for a two-hour chat. He had never walked, but had learned to live independently. He was on his way from Denver to home in Lake Tahoe.

They called his flight before mine so I walked to the gate with him. He showed his boarding pass to the agent and then, before he rolled onto the plane, turned and cheerfully called out.

Goodbye, Ronda, my angel!

The Bible says, Be mindful to entertain strangers for some have entertained angels, unaware.

Was Albert, I have often wondered, truly the angel among us?

Ronda Rich is the best-selling author of "Let Me Tell You Something." Visit www.rondarich.com to sign up for her newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Memories linger of meeting a Christmas angel while stuck in an airport
Arlington Community Schools Superintendent Jeff Mayo and Lerkenda Little interact with a student during a visit to Donelson Elementary School. Nov. 16, 2021

Arlington Community Schools Superintendent Jeff Mayo was sorry to interrupt the class of elementary school students, he said, but maybe they could help him with a round of applause for their teacher?

A parent had nominated her for a PLUS Experience Award, now given out regularly to employees who exemplify the suburban school district's mission.

"This just kind of makes them a celebrity for the moment, for that extra mile that they went," Mayo told The Commercial Appeal.

The school district, whose 475 employees help educate nearly 5,000 students in northeast Shelby County, ranks first among large employers in the Memphis metro in the 2021 Top Workplaces program.

Arlington Community Schools has made the Top Workplaces list for four consecutive years, and also received a special award in 2021 for Meaningfulness.

Lerkenda Little points to angles created from vacation strings on a map at Donelson Elementary. Nov. 16, 2021

MEMPHIS TOP WORKPLACES 2021: Meet this year's winning companies

LIPSCOMB & PITTS INSURANCE: Memphis Top Workplaces 2021: Lipscomb & Pitts Insurance 'puts its people first'

REGENCY HOMEBUILDERS: Memphis Top Workplaces 2021: Regency Homebuilders creates 'family-like atmosphere'

Employees found the district meaningful, they said via anonymous surveys, in part for its community involvement and in part for the way they feel appreciated.

One employee found meaning in "making connections with students and help(ing) them become better life-long learners, not just in the study of history but for the study of knowledge overall."

Another comment submission was straight to the point: "Simply, the effect we have on kids."

Mayo has delivered a PLUS Experience Award about once a month this school year (even receiving his own from a teacher nomination: "For his own above and beyond actions"), an increase from previous years. That's part of what the district has been doing to increase teacher recognition and appreciation during difficult COVID-19 school years.

An acronym for the school district's values, PLUS awards employees for: people-focused, lasting impressions, unique approaches and spectacular service.

Story continues

"Always when we when we present someone with a PLUS Award, it always generates additional PLUS Award nominations," Mayo said. "So it sort of keeps that concept going and that process going. Our hope is that it's hard for us to keep up with them, that we get so many."

Allison Clark, chief of human resources for Arlington Community Schools, interacts with students at Donelson Elementary School. Nov. 16, 2021

Mayo and Allison Clark, the human resources chief, have been with the district since it opened alongside other suburban districts in 2014. Initially chief of staff, Mayo became superintendent in summer 2020, ahead of the first COVID-19 school year.

Throughout the pandemic, Mayo wanted to be as communicative as possible about changing policies and processes, he said, to eliminate confusion.

"I think over time employees, they were able to see that that was the model that we were following, and it helped them to build confidence in what we were doing," Mayo said, acknowledging some employees didn't always agree with decisions.

Arlington wanted to equip teachers for a changing school environment, so it also provided professional development training.

Arlington Community Schools Superintendent Jeff Mayo interacts with a student during a visit to Donelson Elementary School. Nov. 16, 2021

"We still felt, 'OK, we're going to be teaching school, we're going to have students, there are still learning expectations, so we still have to provide you with the tools and the resources that you need in order to be able to do that,'" Mayo recalled.

Among dozens of employee comments for the Top Workplaces award, many wrote of clear expectations and enjoyable coworkers in a supportive work environment.

"I love the energy that our district embodies. We together are creating opportunities for our students to grow both academically and personally," wrote one employee, who also gave a nod to the district's innovativeness, momentum and resilience.

Laura Testino covers education and children's issues for The Commercial Appeal. Reach her at laura.testino@commercialappeal.com or 901-512-3763. Find her on Twitter: @LDTestino

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Top Workplaces 2021: Arlington Community Schools honored
The Commercial Appeal Top Workplaces 2021

The companies recognized in this year's Memphis Top Workplaces program won praise from their employees  and they managed to win this praise despite severe labor market upheaval related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

One worker from the Arlington Community Schools wrote in an anonymous survey, "Though the expectations are extremely high, I've never worked for a school system that cares so much for its employees and for students."

A survey participant with Lipscomb & Pitts Insurance wrote, "I have the freedom to complete my work in the most efficient way possible. My manager cares about me and trusts me to do my job well. I'm rewarded for hard work and informed/considered as big decisions are made."

One survey-taker for Regency Homebuilders wrote, "Being a part of a company where everyone cares, everyone works hard, everyone's opinion is valued, everyone is included, and my strengths are praised . . . it's amazing."

Allison Clark, chief of human resources for Arlington Community Schools, interacts with students at Donelson Elementary School. Nov. 16, 2021

Those three organizations  Arlington Community Schools, Lipscomb & Pitts Insurance and Regency Homebuilders  ranked first this year in the large, medium and small employer categories, respectively. They are among 46 companies recognized in this year's Memphis Top Workplaces contest.

The organizations accomplished this distinction under hard circumstances.

We really feel like this program is really relevant to whats happening in the marketplace right now," said Bob Helbig.

Helbig is media partnerships director with Energage, a research company based in Exton, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. The company conducts workplace surveys in partnership with The Commercial Appeal and other news organizations nationwide.

He said workers have lived through a series of dramatic shocks. "First it was COVID and all the challenges of COVID, and now its this huge recruitment and retention issue. Nationwide, so many people are quitting jobs that some have dubbed it the Great Resignation.

Story continues

The winning companies have worked to treat people well, and it shows.

If (employees) understand the direction, the mission and the purpose and they feel like they are part of that, companies are really rewarded for it," Helbig said. "And thats whats gratifying to see in the data.

MEMPHIS TOP WORKPLACES 2021: Meet this year's winning companies

MEMPHIS BUSINESSES: Memphis Top Workplaces 2021: 'Infant at Work' program among the unusual benefits, perks

Regency Homebuilders has been named the Top Workplace among small employers in the Memphis area for 2021. This is the fourth consecutive year the Germantown company has made it onto the Top Workplaces list.

Survey methods

Here's how the survey works. Energage approaches companies in 61 markets in the U.S. and asks if they'd like to participate.

This year, a total of 66 companies participated in the Memphis area, greenlighting their employees to take surveys, usually online. A total of 10,226 employees in the Memphis metro area took surveys.

Employees are asked to say how much they agree or disagree with various statements such as "I feel genuinely appreciated at this company" and "This company motivates me to give my very best at work."

When employees express positivity in surveys, their companies are selected as winners.

Out of the 66 companies that participated in Memphis, 46 were selected as winners.

Notably, Memphis workers praised their managers. A full 83% of Memphis-area survey takers agreed with the statement "My manager makes it easier to do my job well."

By contrast, only 52% of Memphis-area workers agreed with the statement, "My pay is fair for the work I do."

Helbig from the survey company said almost everyone wants to be paid more, but pay rates aren't the most critical factors determining happiness at work.

It comes down to simply this: If you are treated lousy, a paycheck is not going to make up for that," he said.

"Employees want to know that they are valued, that they are an important part of the mission of the organization. Of course, people want to be paid well but they also want to know that what they are contributing is important and valued. And if companies get that right, employees tend to respond in kind.

ARLINGTON COMMUNITY SCHOOLS: Memphis Top Workplaces 2021: Arlington Community Schools makes honoring employees a priority

LIPSCOMB & PITTS INSURANCE: Memphis Top Workplaces 2021: Lipscomb & Pitts Insurance 'puts its people first'

REGENCY HOMEBUILDERS: Memphis Top Workplaces 2021: Regency Homebuilders creates 'family-like atmosphere'

Downtown Memphis is shown on May 16, 2021. According to 2021 Top Workplaces surveys, employees in Memphis are not quite as positive about their jobs as they used to be.

Positivity dropped in 2021

While the survey results highlight accomplishments to celebrate, the same data also say employees in Memphis are not quite as positive about their jobs as they used to be.

The positivity level among workers in the Memphis metro area dropped year-over-year on all 24 questions in the survey.

In 2020, for instance, 82% of employees surveyed in Memphis agreed with the statement, "I believe this company is going in the right direction."

In 2021, that figure dropped 11 points to 71%.

That's the lowest number since 2015, when the proportion of workers agreeing with the statement was also 71%.

Memphis employees also appear more restless this year. In 2020, 66% of Memphis-area employees surveyed agreed with the statement, "I have not considered searching for a better job in the past month."

In 2021, that percentage had dropped to 59%, the lowest level since 2015, when only 57% of Memphis-area survey takers expressed the desire to stick with their current company.

Helbig from the survey company said the company is seeing similar restlessness in other parts of the country, too.

"I think after a long period of time, people are wondering whether there are other opportunities for them. I think COVID has taken a toll on a lot of people," he said.

"Now, keep in mind that the numbers that you see there reflect all of the companies surveyed. In other words, they don't just reflect the winners." Workers at the unnamed non-winning organizations expressed less positivity.

Employers from Memphis to Gulfport gather, 45 separate businesses in all, hoping for applicants during a job fair at the Landers Center in Southaven on Aug. 26. Memphis workers expressed less positivity than the national average, according to the 2021 Top Workplaces survey.

Memphis workers less positive than others surveyed around the nation

Positivity at the national level dropped a little bit year-over-year, while in Memphis it dropped a lot.

This year, Memphis workers expressed less positivity than the national average of those surveyed on all 24 questions. For instance, 77% of workers nationally agreed with the statement, "This company encourages different points of view." In Memphis, the number was 65%.

Helbig said he doesn't know why Memphis employees might express less positivity than counterparts nationwide.

Jamin Speer, an economist at the University of Memphis who focuses on labor markets, said quit rates are highest in industries such as healthcare and education. The pandemic hit these workers hard and many employees feel burned out.

He said the healthcare and education industries are overrepresented in Memphis and that could explain why workers here might express less positivity than the national average.

The businesses included in this year's winners list include several education organizations and some health insurers, but no frontline healthcare businesses.

(Non-winners are not listed, but Helbig said a significant number of the non-winning companies came from three sectors: healthcare, the service industry and retail, as well as public employees.)

Speer said the dramatic changes in conditions during the worst part of the pandemic opened people's eyes to alternative ways of working.

For instance, the pandemic forced many people into remote work, he said. Now, employees are demanding that their employers provide flexible remote work options.

Another University of Memphis economist, Joaquin Lopez, said economists often talk about "reservation wages"  the lowest wage that a worker is willing to accept to do a job.

"And it's very likely that the pandemic was a huge shock to people's lives. And I would venture to say that it can also alter our preferences over how we use our time." People may now want higher wages to do a job.

Many companies are struggling to find enough people to do work, but Lopez said discussion of "labor shortages" might miss the point.

"So the story of labor shortages, it's just a story about wages not adjusting enough to attract the number of workers, right?"

He discussed a case that he's familiar with: education.

"I can tell you my wife is a teacher, a middle school teacher. And there's a job board. And there's so many openings in Memphis right now. She says she's never seen anything like this. And it's because teachers are quitting left and right."

Over time, that's likely to change.

"My guess is that we should see an increase in wages for teachers and a reduction in the shortage that we're observing right now."

In the meantime, each of the winners in the Memphis Top Workplaces contest has managed to keep most of their employees engaged, according to the survey results.

"As much as COVID has been a challenge, its also created an opportunity for companies to get things right, Helbig said.

Investigative reporter Daniel Connolly welcomes tips and comments from the public. Reach him at 529-5296, daniel.connolly@commercialappeal.com, or on Twitter at @danielconnolly.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Top Workplaces 2021: Companies earn praise in tough labor market
The Daily Beast

On the eve of the first anniversary of the Jan. 6 riot, an accused rioter pleaded for Donald Trumps aid in a call from a jailhouse phone in Washington, D.C. Edward Jacob Lang, a 25-year-old from upstate New York charged with assaulting a police officer with a bat, made his last-ditch, Trump-focused cry for help during a Wednesday evening interview with far-right personality Stew Peters.I am so disappointed in Trump for canceling his January 6th press conference, Lang said during the call-in i
If you want to know who really controls De La Rue plc (LON:DLAR), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. Institutions will often hold stock in bigger companies, and we expect to see insiders owning a noticeable percentage of the smaller ones. We also tend to see lower insider ownership in companies that were previously publicly owned.

De La Rue is not a large company by global standards. It has a market capitalization of UK289m, which means it wouldn't have the attention of many institutional investors. Our analysis of the ownership of the company, below, shows that institutional investors have bought into the company. Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about De La Rue.

View our latest analysis for De La Rue

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About De La Rue?

Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it's included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing.

De La Rue already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own a respectable stake in the company. This can indicate that the company has a certain degree of credibility in the investment community. However, it is best to be wary of relying on the supposed validation that comes with institutional investors. They too, get it wrong sometimes. It is not uncommon to see a big share price drop if two large institutional investors try to sell out of a stock at the same time. So it is worth checking the past earnings trajectory of De La Rue, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.

Institutional investors own over 50% of the company, so together than can probably strongly influence board decisions. Our data indicates that hedge funds own 9.9% of De La Rue. That's interesting, because hedge funds can be quite active and activist. Many look for medium term catalysts that will drive the share price higher. Aberforth Partners LLP is currently the company's largest shareholder with 13% of shares outstanding. For context, the second largest shareholder holds about 11% of the shares outstanding, followed by an ownership of 9.9% by the third-largest shareholder.

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On further inspection, we found that more than half the company's shares are owned by the top 6 shareholders, suggesting that the interests of the larger shareholders are balanced out to an extent by the smaller ones.

While it makes sense to study institutional ownership data for a company, it also makes sense to study analyst sentiments to know which way the wind is blowing. While there is some analyst coverage, the company is probably not widely covered. So it could gain more attention, down the track.

Insider Ownership Of De La Rue

While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. The company management answer to the board and the latter should represent the interests of shareholders. Notably, sometimes top-level managers are on the board themselves.

I generally consider insider ownership to be a good thing. However, on some occasions it makes it more difficult for other shareholders to hold the board accountable for decisions.

Our data suggests that insiders own under 1% of De La Rue plc in their own names. It seems the board members have no more than UK1.8m worth of shares in the UK289m company. Many tend to prefer to see a board with bigger shareholdings. A good next step might be to take a look at this free summary of insider buying and selling.

General Public Ownership

With a 11% ownership, the general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, have some degree of sway over De La Rue. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies.

Next Steps:

I find it very interesting to look at who exactly owns a company. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. For example, we've discovered 3 warning signs for De La Rue that you should be aware of before investing here.

If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



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.
Despite growing up in Naples, Italy, Pasquale Illiano didn't start making pizza until he moved to America.

He grew up around food, helping his father, who was a chef, in his restaurant kitchen washing dishes, preparing ingredients and whatever else needed to be done.

In 2017, he moved from Italy to Charlotte and began working at Enrico's, an Italian restaurant and pizzeria, where he learned to make pizza. Last year, after he and his wife had a baby, they moved to Fayetteville to be closer to his wife's family.

On Nov. 16, Illiano opened Capri Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria at 2734 Bragg Blvd. in the Eutaw Shopping Center. The space had been home to a few other pizzerias, most recently Slice of Italy, which opened in May 2020, and Tim's Pizza Place before that.

Capri Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria at 2734 Bragg Blvd.

Read More: For Fayetteville pizzaiuolo, Neapolitan pizza status a point of pride

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The menu hits on all the Italian-American favorites: three sizes of pizza (13-inch, 15-inch and 17-inch), stromboli, calzones, hot and cold sandwiches, salads, pastas and entrees like chicken parmigiana, veal marsala and shrimp scampi.

Illiano said his Neapolitan-style pizza, a simple pie of tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil, has been a top seller.

Support local journalism with a subscription to The Fayetteville Observer. Click the subscribe link at the top of this article.

Neapolitan pizza from Capri Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria, 2734 Bragg Blvd., Fayetteville.

Illiano said he's long wanted to own a restaurant and now, at age 25, he's done it.

This was my dream, he said. I just take it a little bit at a time."

Capri Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria is open Monday to Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; and Sunday, from 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

For more information, visit Capri's website or follow the restaurant on Facebook.

Jacob Pucci writes on food, restaurants and business. Contact him by email at jpucci@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @jacobpucci or on Facebook. Like talking food? Join our Fayetteville Foodies Facebook group.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville: Capri Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria opens on Bragg Blvd.
Associated Press

A former hermit in New Hampshire whose cabin in the woods burned down after nearly three decades on the property that he was ordered to leave has been charged with trespassing there once again, turning a shed that survived the fire into a makeshift home outfitted with a wood stove. There had been an outpouring of support for David Lidstone, 81  better known as River Dave" since he was arrested in July and accused of squatting on property owned by a Vermont man. Lidstone was a local celebrity to boaters and kayakers on the Merrimack River before his property dispute caught the attention of the masses, bringing in over $200,000 in donations to help him start a new, law-abiding life.
Natick firefighters talk after an overnight fire heavily damaged several units in a multi-unit apartment at 5 Village Way in Natick, Dec. 18, 2021.

NATICK  An early morning fire Saturday at 5 Village Way sent two people to the hospital and displaced several others.

Natick firefighters made a "heroic" rescue of one victim, Deputy Fire Chief Daniel Dow said. Two people were taken by ambulances to nearby hospitals.

The fire resulted in extensive damage to the first floor with moderate smoke and heat damage throughout the rest of the building, said Dow.

Twelve units within the building are no longer habitable, he added, although two of them were vacant.

A firefighter looks in a window after an overnight fire tore through a multi-unit apartment at 5 Village Way in Natick on Dec. 18, 2021. Two people were taken to area hospitals with injuries.

Just before 4 a.m., firefighters received a call for fire and smoke alarms. When they arrived, there was heavy fire pouring out from the first-floor apartment. When firefighters began to extinguish the fire, they were notified that there were possibly two people in need of rescue.

One was outside on the ground and the other was inside the apartment, and Natick Fire was able to rescue the victim through the first-floor window, said Dow. Flames ripped through the room when firefighters broke through the window, went in, picked the victim up and pulled her out, he said.

The person outside suffered from smoke inhalation after first running into the apartment to rescue the other person, but returned outside when they were unable to breathe, said Dow.

An overnight fire caused heavy damage to several units at a multi-unit apartment at 5 Village Way in Natick, Dec. 18, 2021.

The person rescued from inside the apartment, a woman, was taken by ambulance to Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston, while the other person was taken to MetroWest Medical Center in Framingham, according to Dow.

Both suffered from smoke inhalation, he said, but he did not know the extent of their injuries.

Everyone else occuplying the apartment building was able to get out, he said. Firefighters didn't find anyone else during a search of the building.

Firefighters stand by after an overnight fire ripped through a multi-unit apartment at 5 Village Way in Natick, Dec. 18, 2021.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation by the Massachusetts Fire District 14 Regional Fire Investigation Team and the state Fire Marshals Office.

It was really outstanding work by the Natick Fire Department, said Dow. The victim in the first apartment was alive when they were transported, due to their heroic rescue effort.

Reach Lauren Young at 774-804-1499 or lyoung@wickedlocal.com. Follow her on Twitter @laurenwhy__.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Natick firefighters rescue woman from apartment fire, several displaced
Annette Smith, a 4J alum and community member, waves a pride flag at a rally against hate speech in schools on Dec. 15, 2021 in north Eugene.

The Eugene School District and police are responding to multiple incidents of hate speech and racism in schools occurring over the past month, prompting the district to draft a new policy that would create firm expectations for responses to racial harassment.

There have been multiple incidents of hate speech over social media this month against students and staff of color and Jewish members of the school community at North Eugene and South Eugene high schools.

The district is communicating with students and families and working with the Eugene Police Department to investigate them as bias crimes. District principals, teachers and school board members also came forward denouncing the acts.

I want to say clearly and unequivocally that bigoted and threatening speech has no place in our schools or our community, Interim Superintendent Cydney Vandercar said at Wednesdays board meeting. Eugene School District 4J will not tolerate hateful words or actions, bigotry or any form of racist behavior in our classrooms, schools or on our grounds. There's simply no place for it.

But more than a year after the peak of Black Lives Matter protests in the community calling attention to rampant racism, some say this type of response is overdue.

District, school principals denounce the acts

District administrators have sent out communication to families following these events, explaining how they are responding.

Social media accounts were created that contacted students and staff of color, including the North Eugene Black Student Union, calling them racial slurs, making threats of harm, posting photos of lynching, along with white supremacist and anti-Semitic graffiti found at school.

Three emails went out to North Eugene High families on Dec. 7, Dec. 10 and Dec. 14, one after each incident. The emails denounced the acts and explained what the incidents were, without revealing details or repeating what the the social media posts said.

We recognize the impact these actions have on the students, staff and school community, NEHS Principal Trinity Welch-Radabaugh said. The events of the past week have shown the incredible strength of our North community. We have many students and staff who have supported those who have been attacked, brought forth information, and stood with those who have been impacted.

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"We will continue to remind ourselves, as a school community, that we stand for respect and inclusion.

South Eugene families also received emails from Principal Carey Killen about similar issues that arose.

"Any conduct that appears to target students of color is absolutely unacceptable. It is our priority at South Eugene High School to make our school environment safe and respectful for all," Killen wrote to families Dec. 7. "While social media activity is outside of school, it impacts our students. We take very seriously any potential concerns about the safety and well-being of our students and staff."

The Eugene Police Department has been closely working with the district in response to each incident, Sgt. Wayne Dorman said.

We place a priority on ensuring school safety, Dorman said Friday. In these cases, Patrol and Investigations get involved. For instance, we have extra patrols today at North Eugene High School.

"Specific incidences of bias crime are being actively investigated by EPD detectives in coordination with 4J. The EPD response will evolve to meet any changing circumstances.

Eugene-area teachers, students and community members gather to rally against hate speech in schools on Dec. 15, 2021 in north Eugene.

School communities show support

Teachers, community members and students participated in rallies Wednesday to show support for those affected and emphasize that hate is not welcome in Eugene schools.

The two rallies, held near the high schools, were organized by the teachers union, Eugene Education Association.

During the rally near North Eugene High School, people filled three street corners at the intersection of River Road and Silver Lane. They held large Black Lives Matter flags and signs with sayings like: We stand with Jewish students! and 4J stands against racism urging people to honk if they agreed.

The North region is super dear to my heart, said Imelda Cortez, EEA vice-president. "I grew up here and my siblings all went to school here and teaching in the North region a lot of my previous students are at Kelly MS and NEHS. Just hearing and seeing a lot of the commentary thats out on social media is really disheartening and discouraging, but I felt like it was really important for educators to take action and for students to feel like we see them and we hear them and we're here to support them.

Students also came out to the rally, to show their support and that change can start with youth, they said.

Im out here in support of the students at our school that have been specifically targeted, said NEHS Senior Emma Garber. "Im out here to show my support and be an ally."

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At NEHS, there have been multiple incidents of hate comments being made against students and staff of color online/on social media, anti-Semitic graffiti at school, and more. Students and others came out to make know. These are taken seriously and have no place in the schools. pic.twitter.com/jK6XiPqup6  Jordyn Brown (@thejordynbrown) December 16, 2021

Cortez said she can see students anger and frustration at these ongoing issues and knows they need to see change.

It takes more than just holding up signs and that visibility, it takes moving forward with actions that will help to dismantle these systems that is upholding this kind of behavior that is not OK, Cortez said. Letting students know that we support them and were not going to allow behavior like this to continue. Its racism and microaggressions and it hurts, and as a person of color I know how harmful it can be to be the target of commentary like that, so I think its really important that they feel uplifted and they know we have their backs ... .

District explores racial harassment policy

Vandercar, the interim superintendent, said that last week she joined Welch-Radabaugh, Secondary Director Andy Dey, Safety Director Kari Skinner and the detective from Eugene Police Department to discuss investigating the social media posts sent to the school community.

She also met with Miles Pendleton, president of the NAACP; Linda Hamilton, president of Blacks in Government Equity, Excellence and Opportunity; and many North Eugene staff members to listen to the concerns of members of affinity groups and white allies, Vandercar said. The message is clear: Students and staff want a swift and definitive response to stop this behavior.

While the actions of the past few weeks have been noticeable, some say tangible action from the district to address racism in the schools should have been taken long ago.

I have felt the frustration," said Eugene School Board member Laural ORourke at Wednesday's board meeting. "It's spoken frequently on how district equity work has been a performance with no really real substance behind it. Please know this is not only two weeks of harm.

This is the harm that happens every day," she said. "But the difference is there's proof and because we as Black citizens know that our word is never acted on alone, we have to have proof, so rarely do we come forward."

Since last year, the board has been working on a complete overhaul of district policies and practices to identify issues like racial harassment and find ways to address them through its All Students Belong initiative. The board removed school resource officers in January 2020 after calls from the community, and has been working with a consulting group on student/school climate surveys and next steps.

This weeks communication from the district was appreciated by students, but they said they want to see more actions.

North Eugene High School students at a rally against hate speech in schools on Dec. 15, 2021 in north Eugene.

I think theyre trying to do a lot, and I think a lot more could be done, said NEHS Senior Emily Lara. I think they have to push forward and not say, Oh, theyll learn how to do better  they need to have consequences. What they did was a hate crime and its continued at North, so I think they need to have consequences for those kids.

Garber agreed, saying she saw the efforts being put forth, but theyre kind of tiptoeing around the issue. We need to be more direct and (see) more action instead of words.

The board and district have been talking about adopting a policy specifically addressing racial harassment, to expand on its existing bullying and harassment policies.

The Junction City School District created its own racial harassment policy in August 2020 after hearing from students and alumni who have been targets of racism in school. As of May, when The Register-Guard reported on the policy, it looked to be the first of its kind across the state.

Junction City's program is unique as it explicitly defines racial harassment, sets clear expectations for the complaint process and requires staff response when it happens. The district's philosophy now is if the racist act is done publicly, it is addressed publicly, and immediately. This includes addressing the racist comment right away and filing a report. All reports are then presented to the school board.

At the 4J's board meeting, Vandercar said she had met with district leaders to discuss creating its own racial harassment policy. She plans to meet with them again in January so a draft proposal can be given to the board for review at its Jan. 12 meeting.

The districts equity and inclusion department also is working on creating a webinar for middle and high school students and staff that will reiterate to students what to do if they witness or experience harassment, and a similar webinar about the schools threat response will be created for parents. The Bias Incident Advisory Team is scheduled to meet to discuss consistent response across the district.

The equity and inclusion department is also creating a checklist for principals to to use when incidents, Vandercar said. We're also working to identify educational resources for when incidents are substantiated, because taking a disciplinary approach without education will not lead to transformation.

Unfortunately, its nothing new. Its something that has been around for a long time and hasnt changed and has only been amplified with the fact that kids have access to social media and can create these accounts and start bullying each other, Cortez said. I hope this is the first of many actions and that well be able to do more to support them.

Contact reporter Jordyn Brown at jbrown@registerguard.com or 541-246-4264, and follow her on Twitter @thejordynbrown and Instagram @registerguard.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Eugene 4J teachers, students respond to incidents of hate speech
Richard Rogers

Richard Rogers, Baron Rogers of Riverside, helped design some of the most remarkable buildings of the past 50 years, including the Pompidou Centre in Paris, the Lloyd's building in London and the Millennium Dome at Greenwich.

They were utterly original structures: exhilarating, beautiful, playful and strange, technologically innovative and visually striking.

Lord Rogers, who has died aged 88, was one of the first Britons to become a global architectural superstar - the other was his erstwhile partner, Norman Foster. He won commissions ranging from airport terminals to law courts and office buildings to housing, in countries as far afield as Taiwan, Colombia and the United States.

It was a remarkable achievement for a man who couldn't really draw, and who couldn't read until the age of 11.

Richard Rogers was born in Florence on 23 July 1933. For the rest of his life, his ideal urban space was the piazza, preferably filled with strolling citizens of all ages and classes, of the kind he remembered from his Italian childhood.

Despite his name, he was Italian. His father's family, originally from Sunderland, had emigrated from Britain around 1800. Rogers' parents brought him from Mussolini's Italy to England when he was six.

He had a rough time at boarding school. "Art was for sissies, and I was always bottom of the class," he told one interviewer. He didn't realise, he said, that he was dyslexic until his own sons were growing up.

His first sight of 1960s New York was a revelation

Nevertheless, in 1954 he won a place at the Architectural Association in London, then the most avant-garde architectural school in Britain. Initially he struggled there too. One early report read: "His designs will continue to suffer while his drawing is so bad, his method of work so chaotic and his critical judgment so inarticulate."

But then he came under the spell of Peter Smithson, a pioneering modernist who spotted his potential and encouraged him to such an extent that in 1961 he won a scholarship to Yale.

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Rogers was deeply impressed when he docked in New York. "The boat arrived at dawn and I remember going on deck and being absolutely shocked and awed at the change of scale, from toy-town England to this immense steel structure of high-rise buildings. You had great canyons all the way down. I'd never seen anything like it."

Traditional techniques

At Yale, he met Norman Foster, who had studied architecture at Manchester, and the pair toured the States, sampling as much modern architecture as they could - in particular the modernist houses designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Back in England, they formed a partnership with their respective wives, Su Brumwell and Wendy Cheesman, called Team 4. They spent three years building a striking house for Brumwell's parents, Creek Vean, beside the estuary of the River Fal in Cornwall. It's now a listed building.

Essentially hand-crafted, it looked modern but was built (expensively) using traditional materials and techniques - a far cry from the hi-tech modernism with which both Rogers and Foster were later associated.

They also built a factory in Swindon for Reliance Controls, which was demolished in 1991, and another house in Hertfordshire which featured in an especially brutal scene in Stanley Kubrick's film A Clockwork Orange.

In 1967 the partnership broke up. Rogers began developing a new architectural approach, influenced by the Meccano he had played with as a boy: assembling buildings from pre-fabricated components like a kit of parts.

Astonishment

He produced a concept he called the Zip-Up House, and built a home in Wimbledon for his own parents, a single-storey yellow-painted steel frame with glass end walls and moveable partitions inside to allow the space to be reconfigured.

Rogers' career was in the doldrums when his then-partner Renzo Piano (later to become another international superstar) suggested they enter a competition to design a centre for contemporary arts and culture in the heart of Paris.

Rogers (l) & Renzo Piano designed the futuristic Pompidou Centre

There were 681 applicants to design the Pompidou Centre. To their astonishment, they won. The building contained elements that were later to become hallmarks of the Rogers style: a dramatic metal skeleton, bright pop-art shapes and colours, exposed ducts and services, and large clear floors allowing internal flexibility.

Equally important from Rogers' point of view, the building occupied only half the site: the rest was given over to public open space - a piazza.

Some critics hated it, likening it to an oil refinery or a space ship dropped into the centre of the city. But the public loved it, not least for the escalators carrying visitors up the side of the building in a clear plastic tube.

Extraordinary

Rogers followed the Pompidou Centre with an equally striking intervention in a second historic urban centre. The Lloyd's building in the City of London, completed in 1986, is another inside-out building, a looming tower finished in polished metal. Lifts, staircases and air-conditioning ducts are on the outside.

From the roof project a series of cranes or gantries for maintenance cradles. Inside is a dramatic space: a vast atrium criss-crossed by escalators. If the Pompidou aesthetic is playful, this is deliberately awe-inspiring, almost gothic.

Not everyone was happy with the Lloyd's building, which was costly to maintain

That Rogers was able to persuade the burghers of Paris and the stuffed shirts of Lloyd's to commission such extraordinary structures says much for his powers of persuasion. In fact, neither building, conceived in an era of hi-tech optimism, wore quite as well as hoped, or performed quite as expected.

In 2000, the Pompidou Centre reopened after a three-year refurbishment that did away with many of Rogers' and Piano's ideas for the interior. By 2014, Lloyd's of London was reportedly thinking of moving - the building had become too big, but also too expensive - though it still remained at the site Rogers created at the time of his death.

Clashes

But at the time, the Lloyd's project led to a spate of commissions: a new building for the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg; a new headquarters for Channel 4 in London; the Daimler Chrysler building in Berlin's Potsdamer Platz; Terminal 5 at Heathrow (a project begun in 1989 though completed only in 2008).

Rogers became a public figure, sometimes a controversial one. A plan to redevelop a site on London's South Bank fell foul of a campaign led by the residents of Coin Street, who objected to the emphasis on hotel and office buildings. In 1984, the Coin Street Action Group purchased the land themselves.

The vast unsupported roof was a feature of Heathrow's Terminal 5

The Prince of Wales unfavourably compared a Rogers plan to redevelop Paternoster Square beside St Paul's Cathedral in London to the efforts of the Luftwaffe. It didn't go ahead. The pair clashed again in 2009 when the Prince wrote to the Emir of Qatar, who owned Chelsea Barracks, to protest at Rogers' plans for redeveloping the site.

Some of the biggest names in the world of art and architecture wrote to The Times telling the Prince to back off... but the Rogers scheme was scrapped.

In 1996, Rogers was asked to design a home for a millennium exhibition planned by the government for the Greenwich peninsula in east London. He handed the project to two colleagues, the architect Mike Davies and Ted Happold, founder of the engineering firm Buro Happold.

Prestige projects

They came up with a plan for a gigantic tent suspended from 12 angled pylons, and made of a tough and lightweight material, PTFE-coated glass-fibre fabric. The Dome was one of the lightest structures for its size ever built. Its content was hugely controversial; the building itself met with widespread approval.

For the most part, Rogers' practice focused on prestige projects for public and commercial clients - although the proportion of commercial work increased as the years went by. As well as his much admired Terminal 5 at Heathrow, with its sweeping roof enclosing a vast interior space, there was Terminal 4 at Madrid's Barajas Airport, with its undulating roof of bamboo. It won the Stirling Prize.

Rogers gained a second Stirling Prize for a very different and much smaller building, a Maggie's Centre for cancer care at Charing Cross Hospital, close to his London office.

In Cardiff, he designed a new home for the Welsh Parliament, and was invited to design one of the replacement buildings in New York for the World Trade Center destroyed on 9/11. In central London, he built a 50-storey skyscraper, the Leadenhall building (also known as the Cheesegrater), and in 2016 moved his own offices into it.

In 2015, his early notion of the Zip-Up House was partially realised in a project for the YMCA to provide houses for homeless people: they were constructed largely of factory-built panels and components.

Task force

Rogers broke rules, played with expectations and explored new methods of construction. But he had his critics. Some thought he was very bad at fitting his designs into the streetscape around them. Others found his enthusiasm for new technology and public open spaces naive.

He was also criticised for selling out too readily to commercial interests. Number One Hyde Park, a development of hyper-expensive apartments in Knightsbridge, came in for particular opprobrium.

Meccano provided the inspiration for many of his structures

In 1985 he was awarded the Riba gold medal for architecture, and in 2007 architecture's top award, the Pritzker Prize. He was knighted in 1991. Later he became a life peer and a Companion of Honour.

In 1995, he was the first architect to give the Reith Lectures on BBC Radio. They were later published as a book, Cities for a Small Planet. In 1998, the deputy prime minister, John Prescott, invited him to chair an Urban Task Force to find ways of revitalising cities.

Meanwhile, following the collapse of his first marriage in 1973 he married an American, Ruth Elias. With her friend Rose Gray, she founded the River Cafe, which started as the Richard Rogers Partnership staff canteen before developing into a favoured watering hole of media types and spawning a series of cookbooks.

By his first wife Su he had three sons, and a further two by his second wife. The youngest, Bo, died suddenly of natural causes in 2011 at the age of 27.

In 2007, he said: "A very major part of my architecture is about trying to create a world which is influenced for the better through public space and private space."

By the time he stepped down from the firm he founded more than 40 years earlier, in 2020, six decades after starting out as an architect, Rogers had made his mark on many of the world's greatest cities.
House Speaker Charles McCall prepares to start the special session at the Oklahoma Capitol on Nov. 15.

House Speaker Charles McCall pledged Saturday to continue to cooperate in the "legal process" after an Oklahoma County grand jury indicted fellow lawmaker Terry O'Donnell.

Grand jurors revealed in the indictment that McCall, R-Atoka, testified before them during their investigation.

The grand jury on Friday accused O'Donnell in the indictment of misusing his power to change the law so his wife could become a tag agent.

The grand jury also accused him of deceiving tax commissioners about her experience.

Certainly, every elected official should follow the law," McCall said Saturday. "I respect the law and legal process, and I will continue to cooperate as required with that process."

O'Donnell, R-Catoosa, is the second highest-ranking member of the state House. He denies wrongdoing and is calling the indictment politically motivated.

Previous: Oklahoma Rep. Terry O'Donnell, wife indicted over law change that let her become tag agent

"It is frustrating and disappointing that political operatives in Oklahoma City are using this to discredit our family's character and destroy our reputation as a personal vendetta against me," he said in a statement Friday night.

Terry O'Donnell

"We will vigorously defend our integrity."

O'Donnell faces eight criminal counts  five felonies and three misdemeanors.

His wife, Teresa O'Donnell, is charged with him in three of the felony counts and one of the misdemeanor counts.

The most severe offense  conspiracy against the state  has a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.

The second most severe offense  obtaining a thing of value by false pretenses  has a maximum punishment of eight years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

Rep. O'Donnell introduced a bill in 2019 that removed a ban on spouses of legislators serving as tag agents.

The Oklahoma Tax Commission appointed his wife to take over the Catoosa Tag Agency on Aug. 1, 2019, three months after Gov. Kevin Stitt signed the bill into law.

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The lawmaker told The Oklahoman last year his wife had no intention of becoming a tag agent when he ran "this piece of legislation." He said she sought the appointment after her mother died unexpectedly from pancreatic cancer.

New Oklahoma County jail has been proposed: How will the county pay for it?

Her mother, Georgia McAfee, had been in charge of the Catoosa Tag Agency for more than 40 years.

Grand jurors alleged the two submitted a fraudulent application to the Oklahoma Tax Commission.

Commissioners were told Teresa O'Donnell managed the daily operation of the office and supervised four clerks when she actually was only a part-time worker with no supervisory authority, grand jurors alleged.

Commissioners also were told they could check with her present supervisor about her job experience. At the time, McAfee was in hospice care, semi-conscious only from time to time and unable to answer any questions, according to the indictment.

Teresa O'Donnell resigned from her tag agent job last week. Her last day was Wednesday. Her attorney, John Coyle, declined comment.

Grand jurors noted in the conspiracy count that "a high state government official" texted the executive director of the Oklahoma Tax Commission 25 minutes after talking with Rep. O'Donnell on July 28, 2019.

The state official sent a second text when the executive director responded. The executive director then called Rep. O'Donnell about an hour and a half later.

Rep. O'Donnell emailed the tag agent application to the executive director the next morning.

More: Urban Renewal may use eminent domain to acquire former eastside Oklahoma City Buy For Less property

The House speaker declined to say Saturday whether he was the high state government official mentioned in the indictment. "Because this matter is now proceeding through the legal process, I will withhold further comment at this time, McCall said.

Grand jurors also noted in the indictment that the Catoosa Tag Agency generated $283,323 in gross motor license agent fees in fiscal year 2018.

"Teresa ... O'Donnell ... personally estimated the annual cost of running said ... agency would be approximately ... $177,000," grand jurors noted.

The House majority floor leader spoke out Saturday in support of the speaker.

Charles McCall always puts the law and the Houses integrity first," said Rep. Jon Echols, R-Oklahoma City.

"In this case, even when it concerns a top ally, he is doing what he always does by following the law, putting the Houses integrity first and cooperating.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Okla. House Speaker testified before grand jury that indicted lawmaker
Jackie Bailey, certified prosthetist, assembles a prosthetic leg Wednesday morning at EastPoint Prosthetics & Orthotics at 2149 Stumbo Road.

ONTARIO  EastPoint Prosthetics & Orthotics has been awarded a federal contract for $15 million from the Department of Veterans Affairs for medical and surgical Instruments, equipment, and supplies.

Jackie Bailey, certified prosthetist, said, "This contract agreement allows us to be able to serve a population who often get overlooked. We get the honor of serving the amputee veterans who have difficulty getting out of their homes."

The company, at 2149 Stumbo Road, has mobile units that travel around the state providing services to patients who may have trouble getting to its office.

Bailey said the VA office in Independence, Ohio, awarded the contract earlier this month but the Ontario company will not receive the money up front.

EastPoint Prosthetics & Orthotics was awarded a federal contract for $15 million from the Department of Veterans Affairs in Independence, Ohio, for medical and surgical Instruments, equipment and supplies.

"They're basically saying we're going to use this amount of money to pay you guys as you see our patients," Bailey said. "We're not VA but we're contracted with them so we can see their patients.

"Since our business is primarily built around serving patients in their homes out of our mobile units, it allows us to reach those who would not otherwise be reached, and I am so extremely happy about that," Bailey said.

Bailey, who was born and raised in Mansfield, said the business primarily serves amputees in their homes or nursing homes, covering nearly all of Ohio. The company has been in Ontario for six years.

She became interested in working with amputees doing an internship while studying to be a physical therapist at Northwestern University in Chicago.

"I became very curious how their (prosthetic) legs were made and I decided to check into this and I really loved it and kind of changed my course of action," she said.

Jackie Bailey uses a 3D printer to create a prosthetic leg Wednesday morning at EastPoint Prosthetics & Orthotics in Ontario.

Bailey makes prosthetics on a 3D printer, which gives her a lot of satisfaction.

She and her husband moved to North Carolina where she took a job working for EastPoint. The parent company's home office is in Kinston, N.C.

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When Bailey's husband took a job in Mansfield, the couple decided to move back home to Mansfield to raise their family and get the local branch office up and running.

More: Investigator: Mansfield fire victim died after going upstairs to get clothes

Bailey said Paul Sugg founded EastPoint Prosthetics & Orthotics Inc. in order to provide the attention to detail and service that he thought patients deserved but werent getting from existing providers.

"EastPoint Prosthetics and Orthotics is a full-service orthotic and prosthetic facility, specializing in both prefabricated and custom-made orthoses and prostheses. We use the newest technology, such us our laser scanning and 3D printing, and we also offer mobile services with our fully outfitted Ford Transit Connect vans. We come to you," she said.

EastPoint's mobile prosthetics and orthotics lab travels around the state serving people who would have difficulty coming to the company's office in Ontario.

Their patients rarely come to the office, she said. Technicians like Bailey go to the patients.

"We utilize the leading edge of technology along with time-proven techniques to provide custom prosthetic and orthotic devices," Bailey said.

"I'm very excited because I know a lot of amputees are not able to get out of their homes," she said. "I'm very, very excited about it because these people deserve it."

In Ontario, there are six full-time employees. The business is located in the strip mall across from Texas Roadhouse.

lwhitmir@gannett.com

419-521-7223

Twitter: @LWhitmir

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Ontario company awarded $15M federal contract to help amputees
Free Press illustration by Brian McNamara; Getty Images

What if changing the way the City of Detroit spends a small percentage of its annual budget could change a lot?

In Detroit, 18% of eligible voters cast ballots in the last mayoral election  just one-tenth of the residents charting the course of the next four years. But a process called participatory budgeting could give more Detroiters influence in their own communities, and elevate the voices of residents traditionally underrepresented in civic dialogue.

What is it?

Participatory budgeting asks residents for direct input on how government dollars are spent in their neighborhoods.

"It's done through residents directly proposing ideas, and a voting process to determine which proposals or ideas are priorities," said Esmat Ishag-Osman, a research associate in the Detroit bureau of the nonpartisan Citizens Research Council.

Here's how the regular budget process works: Each spring, the mayor proposes a budget for the next fiscal year based on expected revenues and expenses. The Detroit City Council evaluates the budget, and holds hearings, giving city departments and residents an opportunity to weigh in on the city's spending priorities. The council can tweak the budget, and votes to adopt it.

Participatory budgeting doesn't fundamentally alter that process, and it's not a free-for-all. Participatory budgeting doesn't allow citizens to set priorities or expenses for core city operations, or in determining how, say, the police department or sewerage system is funded. The Detroit City Council's Legislative Policy Division wrote in a 2016 report that most participatory budgeting processes involve between 1% and 3% of the city's annual budget, and are often constrained to specific kinds of projects, like neighborhood infrastructure and improvements.

In participatory budgeting, "there has to be clear communication that at the end of the day, you still elect city council members and a mayor to understand the citys economic forecast and future and to go through a budget process," Ishag-Osman said. "But they can communicate to residents that they still find it important to empower constituents to have some say on how the budget is spent."

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More: Detroit voter turnout is a crisis. Officials need to fix it. | Opinion

Editorial: Detroit election is over, and the work is just beginning

Developed in Brazil in 1989, participatory budgeting has been growing in popularity in U.S. cities. Places like Baltimore, New York City, Chicago and Boston have used participatory budgeting, with varying degrees of success.

An effective participatory budgeting process, Ishag-Osman explained, requires a dedicated source of public funding, an agreed-upon process and schedule, staff to mediate the process, community volunteers to facilitate the process, and outreach to neighborhoods to encourage attendance.

Each component plays a crucial role. Without a funding commitment, projects the neighborhood greenlights may not come to fruition, leaving residents with a sense of wasted time. Clear parameters set expectations. Staff and outreach ensure that a broad swath of residents give input, not just the folks who customarily attend civic meetings. In Chicago, Detroit reporter Anna Clark wrote in a 2014 story, some wards had to end the process because of low community participation.

"Who shows up is the question," said Detroiter Chase Cantrell, executive director of Building Community Value, an organization dedicated to neighborhood-led revitalization. Cantrell is in the early stages of a similar community feedback process around a planned Corktown development. "We have a very strong grassroots community. People want to have more say in the way that government operates. That is a very culturally significant part of the philosophy of Detroit residents."

With diligent effort, Ishag-Osman said, participatory budgeting "excels at getting new or underrecognized voices in the room."

Who's for it?

Participatory budgeting has a champion in Detroit City Council President Pro Tem Mary Sheffield, who has urged Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan's administration to adopt the practice since 2014.

Detroit Budget Director Steven Watson said Friday that the city has "no immediate plans" to incorporate participatory budgeting into its regular budget process.

"We are eager to expand on a lot of the community engagement efforts we have been doing over the years," Watson said. "We kicked that off in October with the annual public budget meeting required by the charter. We will host seven different budget priority forums, and will collect feedback from participants on what would they like to see in mayors proposed budget."

Watson pointed to the series of 65 community meetings the federal government required cities to hold in crafting plans for the American Rescue Plan dollars.

But critics of those meetings call it a top-down approach that's the opposite of participatory budgeting: Residents were asked to rank a set of funding priorities proposed by the mayor, not share priorities of their own.

Sheffield said last week that she plans to renew her push for participatory budgeting in the new year.

"For me, its about empowering the community," she said. "We dont have a lot of people who engage during the budget process, and it's a more reactionary process. Im excited about this, I'm going to take this up at beginning of the year and hopefully get something up and running."

How it worked in Hubbard Farms

In city budget terms, $250,000 is bupkis. But to the residents of Hubbard Farms, it's much more.

So when Detroit's Strategic Neighborhood Fund planned to spend that sum in Hubbard Farms  the Southwest Detroit neighborhood around Clark Park, just south of Detroit's Mexicantown neighborhood  the chairperson of the neighborhood association asked the fund's administrators to use participatory budgeting.

The Strategic Neighborhood Fund is a public-philanthropic-private partnership that provides funding for community projects, and is housed in Invest Detroit, a community development financial institution.

In Hubbard Farms, it started with an analysis of U.S. Census tract data to understand what a representative neighborhood group would look like. Organizers worked to recruit participants, opening the process to anyone who lived, worked or attended school around Clark Park, regardless of age or citizenship.

"Its not the check-your-box community engagement  doing it because you have to, 'I had my one presentation, I talked for 55 minutes of the hour and gave five for questions'," said Hubbard Farms resident Janet Ray of Mission Lift, a capacity building business and nonprofit support service, who served as the external evaluator for the process.

Early on, organizers realized that the group lacked young people and renters. Clark Park is directly across the street from Western High School, so student input was essential.

So the group course-corrected, Ray said, moving meetings to the Western campus and holding them at lunchtime so students could participate, and asking for access to neighborhood apartment buildings to directly connect with renters who lacked internet access.

After six months of planning and two weeks of voting, residents chose three projects: Install park benches, picnic tables, trash cans and speakers around the Clark Park Rec Center; repair the gazebo across from Western High School and design it as an afterschool hangout spot; and build a playground that is ADA compliant and inclusive of children with different needs.

The voting process yielded remarkable results: Just 7% of the local precinct's eligible voters had participated in the 2017 mayoral election; 11% of residents voted on the projects.

Of the residents who participated in the process, 47% had not voted in the 2017 mayoral election; some were not citizens, or were too young to vote.

It's a model for a long-term process, she said.

"How do we promote democratic decision making in the community, sustainability, and stewardship?" she said.

It was a labor-intensive effort, but Ray rejects the idea that it's an unreasonable or unsustainable amount of work.

"More work than what?" Ray said. "Having an involved citizenry that has buy-in, that will take care of their own community because it has buy-in, is that more or less work than the current system?"

The big questions

Allowing residents direct input over city expenses means relinquishing control, something city governments may be reluctant to do.

Let's take that one step further: Relinquishing control means trusting residents to understand and prioritize their neighborhoods' needs.

And it's two-way street: Residents who participate in this kind of process are trusting that their time and effort matters, and that their input is welcomed.

But done correctly, I think participatory budgeting could help more Detroiters see the value in government. Maybe, if that happens, those Detroiters might vote.

And maybe, more say over city spending will resolve a question that troubles long-time residents and newcomers alike: What do Detroit's spending priorities tell us about who Detroit is for?

Nancy Kaffer is a columnist and member of the Free Press editorial board. She has covered local, state and national politics for two decades. Contact: nkaffer@freepress.com. Become a subscriber at Freep.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Opinion: Give Detroiters more say in how Detroit spends money
Muslim nations resolved Sunday to work with the United Nations to try to unlock hundreds of millions of dollars in frozen Afghan assets in a bid to tackle a growing humanitarian crisis.

At a special meeting in Pakistan of the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) delegates said they would work "to unlock the financial and banking channels to resume liquidity and flow of financial and humanitarian assistance".

The meeting was the biggest conference on Afghanistan since the US-backed government fell in August and the Taliban returned to power.

Since then, billions of dollars in aid and assets have been frozen by the international community, and the nation is in the middle of a bitter winter.

An OIC resolution released after the meeting said the Islamic Development Bank would lead the effort to free up assistance by the first quarter of next year.

It also urged Afghanistan's rulers to abide by "obligations under international human rights covenants, especially with regards to the rights of women, children, youth, elderly and people with special needs".

Earlier, Pakistan warned of "grave consequences" for the international community if Afghanistan's economic meltdown continued, and urged world leaders to find ways to engage with the Taliban to help prevent a humanitarian catastrophe.

- Economic meltdown -

Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said the deepening crisis could bring mass hunger, a flood of refugees and a rise in extremism.

"We cannot ignore the danger of complete economic meltdown," he told the gathering, which also included Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi alongside delegates from the United States, China, Russia, the European Union and UN.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said the world needed to separate the Taliban from ordinary Afghans.

"I speak to the United States specifically that they must delink the Afghanistan government from the 40 million Afghan citizens," he said, "even if they have been in conflict with the Taliban for 20 years."

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He also urged caution in linking recognition of the new government to Western ideals of human rights.

"Every country is different... every society's idea of human rights is different," he said.

- No recognition -

The OIC also resolved Sunday to arrange for a team of international Muslim scholars to engage with the Taliban on issues "such as, but not limited to, tolerance and moderation in Islam, equal access to education and womens rights in Islam".

No nation has yet formally recognised the Taliban government and diplomats face the delicate task of channelling aid to the stricken Afghan economy without propping up the hardline Islamists.

Although the Taliban have promised a lighter version of the hardline rule that characterised their first stint in power from 1996 to 2001, women are largely excluded from government employment, and secondary schools for girls have mostly remained shuttered.

Asked if the OIC had pressed the Taliban to be more inclusive on issues such as women's rights, Qureshi said "obviously they feel they are moving in that direction".

"They are saying 'let us decide in our own time'," he added.

The OIC meeting did not give the new Taliban government the formal international recognition it desperately craves and the new regime's foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi was excluded from the official photograph taken during the event.

Muttaqi told reporters, however, that his government "has the right to be officially recognised".

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were the only three countries to recognise the previous Taliban government.

The 31-point OIC resolution was short on specifics and gave no figure for financial assistance.

"There are many who want to donate but do not want to donate directly, they want some mechanism that they are comfortable with," said Qureshi.

"This mechanism has been devised, and pledges will now be made. Obviously, they are aware of the importance of time."

The meeting was held under tight security, with Islamabad on lockdown, ring-fenced with barbed wire barriers and shipping-container roadblocks where police and soldiers are standing guard.

jts/fox/lb
Police said they shot and killed a man who forced his way into his ex-wifes home in the Ballantyne area in south Charlotte, and was stabbing her 13-year-old daughter Saturday night.

The woman managed to leave the house in the 10000 block of Blairbeth Street during the altercation, but her daughter was still inside, police said on Twitter.

The man had a knife to the girl when officers arrived, police Chief Johnny Jennings told reporters near the scene. It was shortly before 7 p.m.

The officers were trying to deescalate the situation when the man, without warning, began stabbing the girl, he said.

They were met with something that horrific, to see a 13-year-old getting stabbed, and they were left with no choice, Jennings said. The motive to stab a 13-year-old is something that is beyond comprehension for us.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Chief Johnny Jennings discusses a fatal officer-involved shooting near the Ballantyne area on Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021.

The teen was taken to Carolinas Medical Center with multiple stab wounds and life-threatening injuries, police said. She is the stepdaughter of the man whom police killed, CMPD said.

Medic pronounced the man dead at the scene. Blairbeth Street is off Lancaster Highway/U.S. 521 near Ardrey Kell Road.

No officers were hurt, police said. The name of the person shot and killed by police hasnt been released. The officer who fatally shot the man also has not yet been identified.

There were no updates yet on the case Sunday.

SBI investigating

The State Bureau of Investigation will be the primary agency on the case, CMPD said. This is standard procedure in such cases.

Whenever an officer shoots a person, CMPD internal affairs bureau conducts a separate but parallel investigation to determine if CMPD policies and procedures were followed. The officer will be on paid administrative leave during the investigation, which is standard policy in police shootings, CMPD said.

CMPD has reported three other cases in which an officer has deadly force this year, including one in which a suspect died.

Previous shootings by CMPD officers

Saturdays shooting is the fourth involving a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer in 2021:

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 May 27  Officer Trey Hinton shot and wounded a robbery suspect who fired at Hinton while running from police near a north Charlotte motel, CMPD said. Shelton Smith, 33, was taken to the Mecklenburg County Jail in June after his release from the hospital. Charges include attempted murder, assault on a law enforcement official or police officer with a firearm and possession of a firearm by a felon.

 Sept. 23  Officer Dustin Smith shot and wounded a woman outside a beauty supply store on Tyvola Road, near South Boulevard, after police said she fired a gun at the store owner. She then made deliberate attempts to hit Smith with her vehicle, forcing the officer to fire, Jennings said at the time.

A pursuit ended at an apartment complex in south Charlotte, where a wounded Raynique Austin was arrested. After her release from a hospital, Austin, 23, faced multiple charges, including attempted murder and five counts of hit and run.

 Nov. 5  Officers James Longworth and Micah Edmunds shot and killed Derrell Lamar Raney, 33, after he threatened a Walmart security guard and pointed a gun at them in the Albemarle Road store in east Charlotte.

CMPD had just one officer-involved shooting in 2020.

In 2019, an internal affairs report showed CMPD officers were involved in six deadly force incidents, four of which resulted in fatal injuries to the suspect. In five of the six cases, the suspect had a firearm when the officers discharged their weapon; in the sixth case, the suspect had a knife.

In 2018, officers were involved in five deadly force incidents, two of which resulted in fatal injuries to the suspect, according to a CMPD internal affairs report. In three of the five cases, the suspect had a firearm when the officers discharged their weapon.

In the fourth case, the suspect had a knife, and in the fifth case, the suspect drove a car toward an officer.

CMPD says it has taken steps aimed at reducing the use of deadly force, including new de-escalation requirements, complying with the 8 Cant Wait policy platform, and opening a new training facility for practicing de-escalation tactics.
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Switzerland's extradition of Kremlin-linked Russian businessman Vladislav Klyushin to the United States is another episode in Washington's ongoing 'hunt' for Russians, the TASS news agency cited the Russian embassy in Switzerland as saying on Sunday.

Klyushin was extradited on Saturday to the United States, where he faces insider trading charges, the Swiss justice ministry said.

TASS cited an embassy spokesperson as saying Russia was deeply disappointed with the Swiss decision.

(Reporting by Alexander Marrow; editing by Jason Neely)
By Khalid Abdelaziz and Nafisa Eltahir

KHARTOUM (Reuters) -Hundreds of thousands of people marched to the presidential palace in Sudan's capital Khartoum on Sunday in protest at the Oct. 25 military coup, drawing volleys of tear gas and stun grenades from security forces, Reuters witnesses said.

Medics said scores of people were injured.

Some protesters managed to reach the gates of the palace and the protest's organisers called on more to join a planned sit-in there after sundown, but live video footage showed those who remained being tear gassed heavily.

The outpouring of protest, the ninth major demonstration since the coup and one of the largest, marked the 2018 burning of a ruling party building which touched off a popular uprising that led to the overthrow of long-ruling Islamist autocrat Omar al-Bashir.

Protests against the coup have continued even after the reinstatement of the prime minister last month, with demonstrators demanding no more military involvement at all in government in a transition towards free elections.

Demonstrators marched down a main road leading to the palace, chanting "the people are stronger and retreat is impossible", with some darting into side streets to dodge volleys of tear gas.

Some 123 people were injured, according to the Sudanese health ministry, in Khartoum, its twin cities of Bahri and Omdurman, and the eastern city of Kassala.

Medics affiliated with the protest movement accused security forces in a statement of using live bullets and heavy tear gas to disperse the sit-in, assaulting protesters and stealing their personal property. They also accused them of encircling hospitals and firing tear gas at the entrances.

There was no immediate statement from police.

Despite security forces blocking bridges over the Nile river into the capital early on Sunday, protesters were able to cross a bridge connecting the city of Omdurman to central Khartoum but were met with heavy tear gas, Reuters witnesses said.

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Reuters witnesses also watched protesters crossing a bridge from Bahri, north of Khartoum, to the capital.

Images shared on social media showed protests taking place in several other cities including Port Sudan, El-Deain, Madani and Kassala.

FLAGS AND MASKS

Early on Sunday joint army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces sealed off major roads leading to the airport and the army headquarters and they were heavily deployed around the presidential palace.

Protesters also blocked roads leading to the main route of the march. Some were carrying Sudanese flags and photos of protesters who were killed in demonstrations in the past few months. Others were handing out masks against COVID-19 and carrying stretchers in anticipation of people being wounded.

The Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors says 45 people have been killed in crackdowns on protesters since the Oct. 25 coup.

It was the ninth in a series of demonstrations against the coup, which have continued even after the military signed a deal on Nov. 21 with Hamdok, who had been under house arrest, and released him and other high-profile political detainees.

On Saturday night, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok warned in a statement https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/sudans-stability-unity-are-risk-pm-says-amid-mass-protests-2021-12-18 that Sudan's revolution faced a major setback and that political intransigence from all sides threatened the country's unity and stability.

The military and civilian political parties known as the Forces of Freedom and Change Coalition (FFC) had shared power since Bashir's removal. But the agreement reinstating Hamdok angered protesters, who previously had seen him as a symbol of resistance to military rule and denounced his deal with the military as a betrayal.

Civilian parties, and neighbourhood resistance committees that have organised several mass protests, demand full civilian rule under the slogan "no negotiation, no partnership, no legitimacy."

In a statement, the FFC supported the resistance committees' calls for sit-ins, strikes, and further protests, which are scheduled for Dec. 25 and Dec. 30.

"We call on the people to continue escalating their resistance to the coup until power is handed over to the people," they said, accusing security forces of excessive force.

On Saturday night and early Sunday morning, people arrived in bus convoys from other states, including North Kordofan and Gezira, to join the protests in Khartoum, witnesses said.

(Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz and Nafisa Eltahir; Writing by Nafisa Eltahir and Sarah El Safty; Editing by Mark Heinrich, Susan Fenton and Daniel Wallis)
Steve VanderVeen

John Coatsworth and C.L. King migrated to Holland to take advantage of its successful fruit growing industry.

Coatsworth was born in 1815 in Quebec and moved to Mason, Michigan, in 1836, where he became a carpenter, then partner in a mill, a hardware store and a bank. In 1842, he married Lovina Abbot. From 1840 to 1844, he served as a county clerk  then postmaster. He moved to Holland in 1865 to start a fruit farm.

Before moving to Holland, Coatsworth had local hardware dealer Jan Kleyn design a modern-style dwelling, which was built in 1863 at 236 W. Ninth St. But his time in Holland was short-lived. In 1867, Coatsworth married Frances Lathrop of Ingham County and made his dwelling there.

More History: Holland founder was a 'social entrepreneur'

More History: From bricks to cars  the story of the Veneklasens

More History: Nathan Kenyon and Holland's banking history

Even though Coatsworth was one of the largest shippers of peaches in Holland in 1874, he'd sold his grand house in Holland to Gerrit and Mary Van Raalte Kollen, daughter of Albertus Van Raalte, by 1880.

Coatsworths erratic behavior apparently led to a rumor that he had married C.L. Kings daughter (see below) and absconded with her money. But that story seems unlikely given that Mr. King wasnt yet married or even living in Holland when Coatsworth was there.

John Coatsworth died in 1893.

Charles King was born in 1856 in Winona, Minnesota. As a young man, he went on a surveying expedition to Yellowstone Park and the surrounding areas. He lived in New York City for about six months; then Chicago for two years.

Then he went to Decatur, Michigan, and ran a wood packaging company for two years  and when the factory moved to Muskegon, he followed it there.

In 1881, with the support of the Hanchett Paper Company of Chicago, King started a food basket factory in Montague. In 1882, he married Mary Johnson. In 1890, he moved his company to Holland, purchasing land at the foot of 10th Street at Black Lake  which had been used by the city for a fairground. We know it today as Kollen Park.

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In 1892, King built a three-story building made of Veneklasen Brick, warehouses, a drying kiln and an electric dynamo for heating and lighting. C.L. King and Co. made butter tubs, peach and grape baskets, wood plates and berry boxes, as well as barrel staves. It employed 200 men and boys, and was managed by W.W. Hanchet, who lived at 178 W. 11th Street behind John Cappons mansion.

An image of CL King and Co. in Holland

The company also had an office on LaSalle Street in Chicago.

According to an account by Clarence Jalving, who worked at C.L. King as a teenager, the initial manufacturing process looked like this: logs were transported to the factory on Black Lake and lifted by a machine into large vats, which used steam to heat the bark.

Then the logs were removed from the vats and placed in a bark peeling machine. There, they were rotated against large knives. The skinned logs were then cut into smaller pieces, which were set outside to dry before re-entering the production process.

In 1908, Hanchett and another partner purchased the Holland Veneer Works on the corner of 16th Street and Van Raalte Avenue, where VanderBilt Academy is today.

Unfortunately, in 1913, Kings business ended abruptly when a large customer in Buffalo went bankrupt and couldnt pay its bill. The city of Holland sought to turn the King property into a city park and a place for youth to swim, but didnt have the funds.

In 1915, Henry Pelgim Sr.  secretary-treasurer and general manager of the Bay View Furniture Company (which was located just two blocks south)  took ownership of the buildings and machinery, and George Kollen, an attorney in the firm Diekema, Kollen and TenCate, purchased the land.

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Kollen died in 1919 at the age of 48. In 1921, his widow, Martha Diekema Kollen, daughter of Gerrit Diekema of Diekema, Kollen and TenCate, donated the land to the city for a park. It was a very popular place to swim in the 1940s and 1950s, according to my father. From another source, Im told the terraces are the covered remnants of the steam vats.

Information for this article came from Robert Swierenga, Randy VandeWater, The Ingham County News of November 23, 1893, a biographical sketch by Gerrit VanSchelven, and migenweb.

 Steve VanderVeen is a resident of Holland. You can reach him and see his stories at start-upacademeinc.com.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Steve VanderVeen: Coatsworth, King and Holland's fruit-growing industry
BBB logo

Better Business Bureau serving Canton Region and Greater West Virginia offers tips and advice for consumers to avoid fraudulent practices.

Its that time of year again, when open enrollment is available for health care plans through Healthcare.gov and many employers. Unfortunately, scammers are taking advantage of this opportunity to confuse and mislead victims.

How the scam works

This year, BBB is seeing a convincing new phishing scam pretending to be an email from your employer. The message claims you need to review and approve your health care benefits during open enrollment. All you have to do is download a form or click a link to read the details. However, if you do so, you may be asked to share personal information, or you could even download malware onto your computer. Business email compromise scams like this have become increasingly common and sophisticated.

That's not the only way con artists are taking advantage of open enrollment season. BBB Scam Tracker has received many reports about scammers claiming to be a government representative who can help you navigate your Affordable Care Act enrollment. Scammers claim to be a health care benefits advocate or a similar title. These scammers allege they can enroll you in a better program than what you currently have. This new plan is cheaper, and you can keep all the same services. To get started, all you need to do is provide some personal information, such as your Group ID number. Of course, the call is a scam, and sharing personal information will open you up to identity theft.

How to avoid open enrollment scams

Be wary of anyone who contacts you unsolicited. Healthcare.gov and Medicare do provide legitimate help with figuring out which plan is right for you. These people  sometimes called Navigators or Assisters  are not allowed to charge for their help. If someone asks you for payment, its a scam. You will also need to contact them. They will not call you out-of-the-blue.

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Guard your government-issued numbers. Never offer your Medicare ID number, Social Security number, health plan info, or banking information to anyone you dont know.

Go directly to official websites. If you want to make changes to your health care plan, go directly to Medicare.gov, Healthcare.gov, or your employer's health insurance provider. Don't click on links in unsolicited messages.

Suspicious email from HR? Contact your employer. If you receive an unexpected email about benefits policies, ask your employer about it before you click on anything to make sure its legitimate.

For more information

Get more tips from BBB on avoiding health care scams at bit.ly/HealthcareScams. If youve spotted a scam (whether or not youve lost money), report it to BBB.org/ScamTracker. Your report can help others avoid falling victim to scams. Find more information about scams and how to avoid them at BBB.org/AvoidScams.

For BBB information

Visit bbb.org/canton or call 330-454-9401 to look up a business, file a complaint, write a customer review, read tips, find our events, follow us on social media, and more!

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Straight Talk: Scammers cash in on health care open enrollment
Question marks

Take this Super Quiz to a Ph.D. Score 1 point for each correct answer on the Freshman Level, 2 points on the Graduate Level and 3 points on the Ph.D. Level.

Subject: EVENTS OF 2020

Identify the event or person in the news during 2020. (e.g., Wildfires blazed across this southern continent. Answer: Australia.)

FRESHMAN LEVEL

1. This man became the Democratic presidential nominee.

2. This horrific pandemic broke out.

3. This Los Angeles Lakers player was killed in a helicopter crash.

4. This long-time host of "Jeopardy" died.

5. The police-involved killing of this man sparked demonstrations across the world.

GRADUATE LEVEL

6. This prince quit the royal family.

7. She was chosen as the Democratic vice presidential candidate.

8. This disgraced Hollywood kingmaker was convicted of rape.

9. A massive explosion killed many people in this capital city of Lebanon.

10. This non-English-language film swept the Oscars.

PH.D. LEVEL

11. Two vaccines for COVID-19 were approved in the U.S. Name either company.

12. These invasive insects that attack bee colonies invaded Washington state.

13. This "Black Panther" actor died of colon cancer at age 43.

14. This Supreme Court Justice died at age 87.

15. This rock legend known for hits such as "Jump" died of cancer at age 65.

SCORING

24 to 30 points  congratulations, doctor; 18 to 23 points  honors graduate; 13 to 17 points  you're plenty smart, but no grind; 5 to 12 points  you really should hit the books harder; 1 point to 4 points  enroll in remedial courses immediately; 0 points  who reads the questions to you?

ANSWERS

1. Joe Biden.

2. Covid-19 pandemic.

3. Kobe Bryant.

4. Alex Trebek.

5. George Floyd.

6. Prince Harry.

7. Kamala Harris.

8. Harvey Weinstein.

9. Beirut.

10. "Parasite."

11. Pfizer and Moderna.

12. Murder hornets.

13. Chadwick Boseman.

14. Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

15. Eddie Van Halen.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Super Quiz: How's your knowledge of 2020 events?
The comments, at a special meeting to mark the U.N.'s international migrants day, underlined the new Islamist Taliban government's push to engage with the world community, four months after they seized power in Kabul.

The movement's deputy Foreign Minister, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, said it was the responsibility of countries like the United States, which have blocked billions of dollars of central bank reserves, to help Afghanistan recover after decades of war.

He said that the impact of the frozen funds is on the common people and not Taliban authorities. The conference was attended by representatives of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and UNHCR, the United Nations refugee organisation.

U.N. bodies estimate that millions of Afghans could face hunger over the winter without urgent help, but aid has been hampered by international unwillingness to engage directly with the Taliban, in part because of concern over rights for women and political inclusion.
MAE SOT, Thailand (Reuters) - Thailand has sent over 600 Myanmar refugees who fled fighting between the military and ethnic rebels back across the border, according to a senior Thai official who said on Sunday clashes were continuing.

Some of the refugees who reached northwest Thailand's Tak province told Reuters before they went back over the frontier on Sunday morning that they had volunteered to return. On Sunday afternoon, Reuters reporters on the Thai side of the frontier were hearing continuous gunfire.

Provincial Governor Somchai Kitcharoenrungroj had told Reuters in the afternoon: "More people are willing to go back as they are worried about their property there."

Human Rights Watch's deputy Asia director, Phil Robertson, urged Thailand not to rush refugees back to Myanmar.

"Everyone knows the Myanmar's military deliberately targets civilians with deadly force when it goes into the field, so it's no exaggeration to say these refugees are literally fleeing for their lives," Robertson said.

A spokesman for Myanmar's military junta did not answer his phone on Sunday. The army denies targeting civilians.

The Aid Alliance Committee, a Thai-based Myanmar migrants group, said about 1,000 displaced people were camping along the Myanmar border at various points waiting to cross into Thailand.

On Sunday morning, Reuters reporters had seen dozens of refugees who had been sheltering at a local Thai school being put into three trucks to be sent back across the frontier.

"I fled from Mae Htaw Talay. There was artillery falling into my neighbourhood," a refugee who asked not to be named said while standing in a truck about to leave for the border. "I walked across the water to this (Thailand) side."

Kitcharoenrungroj, the Tak province governor, said that 623 refugees had been sent back and 2,094 remained on the Thai side, adding that all would be returned if they were willing.

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Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military ousted a civilian government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, triggering protests and sporadic clashes in the countryside between anti-junta militia and the army.

Fresh fighting broke out last week between the Karen National Union (KNU), Myanmar's oldest rebel force, and the military, forcing thousands from Myanmar's Karen state to flee.

Some crossed the narrow river between Myanmar and Thailand in boats while others waded through chest-high waters while holding children.

(Editing by Kay Johnson and Mark Heinrich)
Theater ticket-holders receive information on how to get a refund after the Broadway production of Aint Too Proud, was canceled due to a positive COVID-19 test among cast members.

The problems Asolo Repertory Theatre faced with a rash of positive breakthrough COVID cases before the opening of the musical Hair may have been a first for the Sarasota area, but it has been a common problem in theaters across the country. Just about every day, one Broadway show or another has announced canceled performances because of at least one positive case found in someone associated with the productions. The New York Times reported on how Broadway is trying to keep the shows on. And then one of the citys oldest traditions, the Radio City Music Hall Christmas show with the Rockettes canceled its remaining performances due to positive breakthrough cases.

The Times also has done a significant feature about the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe and its founder and artistic director Nate Jacobs. The story recounts the struggles he faced as a young performer and how he found his way to creating WBTT, which is now in its third decade. Im excited to see this national attention for an arts leader I have been writing about since before the troupe came to mind.

Closer to home, theaters have been busy squeezing in performances before Christmas. Florida Studio Theatre is the only local theater venue open on Christmas day, with 6 p.m. performances of the cabaret shows The Wanderers and Friends in Low Places and an 8 p.m. performance of the lively musical Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story.

Books were in the spotlight over the weekend as we revived a years-long tradition with the 17th New College Holiday Book Guide, prepared by 10 members of the schools faculty and staff offering their recommendations for some reading. And I look back at some of the theater-related books that captivated me this year, including three with ties to Stephen Sondheim.

Im planning to take some time off over the next two weeks (so dont expect a newsletter on Dec. 27) to get ready for the onslaught of new productions and events coming in the new year.

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I hope you all have a happy holiday season. Thank you for subscribing to the newsletter, and be sure to share the link to sign up with your friends. Each Thursday, be sure to check out our picks for the Top 10 Arts Events for the week at heraldtribune.com/ticket.

And please remember to support our efforts to cover the wide range of arts in our community by subscribing to the Herald-Tribune.

Happy holidays,

Jay Handelman

Arts Editor

Follow Jay Handelman on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Contact him at jay.handelman@heraldtribune.com.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: How theaters are trying to keep the show on amid COVID cases
Three men were shot and wounded in a drug deal gone wrong in Queens and police are asking the publics help tracking down the gunman and an accomplice.

The victims were sitting in a vehicle parked outside the Rochdale Village Shopping Center near Baisley Blvd. and Guy R. Brewer Blvd. when two men walked up to them about 3:30 p.m. Saturday, cops said.

One of the men started shooting, hitting a 29-year-old man inside the vehicle in the head. Another 29-year-old man and a 31-year-old man inside the vehicle were struck in the back, police said.

Medics took all three victims to Jamaica Hospital in stable condition.

The shooters jumped into a red 2012 Ford Focus with New York plate KRM9614 and fled toward Guy R. Brewer Blvd., cops said.

Police released photos of the suspects Sunday and are asking anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.
Sarah Long didnt know how she was going to pay for Christmas.

Money was tight, and she was working towards her GED on top of raising a child, recovering from addiction and living in a shelter. She broke down crying one day in her daughters principals office, overwhelmed by the seemingly impossible task of affording both gifts and a down payment for an apartment.

Its a struggle that Warner Elementary School Principal Terrance Newton has seen the families of his students go through many times before. Many live in Wilmingtons lower-income neighborhoods, which often have higher crime rates.

Also in the district: During lengthy meeting, Red Clay school board approves policy supporting transgender youth

Sarah Long and her daughter, Sy'Niah, receive gifts from the Thunderguard Motorcycle Club at Warner Elementary School, were Sy'Niah is a student, Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021. Among the gifts was money to cover the family's first month's rent and security deposit for an apartment for the two.

But Newton has a love and passion for his students  whom he affectionately calls his babies  that makes him willing to go above and beyond to support them. So when fifth grader SyNiah Longs mother shared her story with Newton, he knew just what to do to help: call in the Thunderguards.

Fifteen members of the all-Black motorcycle club rolled up in front of the elementary school on Saturday afternoon to surprise SyNiah Long with Christmas presents. Wrapped up in nine holiday-themed gift bags were an assortment of toys, makeup kits and clothes, purchased by the Thunderguards based on SyNiah Longs wishlist.

They also brought an envelope with one months rent and a deposit to help the family move out of the shelter.

It was truly a blessing, Sarah Long said.

More festivity: Aubrey Plaza, Dan Murphy bring 'Christmas Witch' to fans for the holidays

Sarah Long (center, in grey pullover) poses for snapshots with Warner Elementary School Principal Terrance Newton (center, in black) and members of the Thunderguards Motorcycle Club after the group delivered holiday gifts to Long and her daughter, Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021. Among the gifts was money to cover the family's first month's rent and security deposit for an apartment for the two.

She remembered crying when Newton first told her about the upcoming donation because she was just so overfilled with joy. She decided not to tell her daughter about the presents in advance, wanting to surprise her.

Now, arms laden with gift bags, SyNiah Long cant wait until Christmas to open them.

Literally.

She asked her mom multiple times if she really couldnt unwrap her gifts for another week.

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It warms your heart, said Thunderguards Mother Chapter President David Monk.

Send story tips or ideas to Hannah Edelman at hedelman@delawareonline.com. For more reporting, follow them on Twitter at @h_edelman.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Thunderguards deliver Christmas gifts to Wilmington family in need
As we prepare to kick off a new week, let's take a look back at the week that was.

Due to vague threats of nationwide school violence spreading on TikTok, schools around the SouthCoast saw an increased police presence on Friday. The threat had not been deemed to be credible, but officials were increasing police presence out of caution.

Other top stories this past week included a look back at some Fall River area stores that we miss, three more priests from the Fall River diocese being "credibly accused" of abuse, how a grant is helping the redevelopment of a 100-year-old building, and, in a meta turn of events, last week's top stories of the week made the top stories of this past week.

In case you missed it, here are The Herald News' top stories of the last week, according to our readers:

SouthCoast schools respond to TikTok threat

Schools around the region prepared for an increased police presence on Friday, Dec. 17, due to vague threats of school violence spreading on social media app TikTok. Officials in several local school districts  including Fall River, Somerset Berkley, Dighton, Middleboro, Dartmouth and New Bedford  issued notices on Thursday, telling parents and citizens that they were aware of viral threats circulating online, and to expect more police in and around schools.

TikTok logo

The threat was unspecific, and had not been determined to be credible at press time, but police presence was increased out of caution.

Spreading nationally, the threat may have originated as a challenge to skip school, but then evolved into a viral and vague threat to school safety.

Copycat crime: Dozens of students, some as young as 9, could face charges amid rash of school threats

Fall River area stores we miss

Odds are, most of you reading this are busy doing some holiday shopping. If you're not, get on the ball, will ya? Kidding; we all know spending time with the people we care about is the most important part of this time of year.

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Enough with the schmaltz; how about some nostalgia? As it is a busy shopping time, we took a look back at some Fall River area stores we miss the most, from Anderson-Little, to McWhirr's, to Zayre. Service Merchandise too! Come along with us and shop through a little history.

An image from the candy department at McWhirr's department store in Fall River, taken in the early 20th century, posted by Fall River Historical Society Curator Michael Martins.

If you remember a store we missed, there's a form in the story so you can drop us a line and we can check it out.

Photos: Take a time-traveling shopping trip through Fall River's downtown and beyond

More Fall River diocese priests accused of abuse

The Diocese of Fall River announced on Monday that it considers three additional priests to be "credibly accused" of sexual abuse. The three priests are Father James Buckley, Father Edward Byington and Father Richard Degagne. Degagne, previously the pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Easton, was suspended in 2019. Buckley and Byington were both already retired but were suspended last year.

Richard Eldridge, who accuses Byington of sexually abusing him in the 1970s, held a press conference in Fall River last month urging the diocese to find his accusations to be credible. A second man who has remained anonymous recently raised similar accusations against Byington.

Robert Hoatson and Richard Eldridge talk about abuse by clergy in front of the Diocese of Fall River office in Fall River.

Im tired of waiting for justice, he said during the press conference.

75 clergy accused: After 2-year review, Fall River Diocese releases list of clergy credibly accused of abuse

Grant helps redevelop century-old Fall River building

Dentist Ramesh Izedian, who owns three dental practices including Dentistry in the Highlands in Fall River, received a $400,000 state grant award earlier this month from MassDevelopment and the Underutilized Properties Program, to help with his plan to rehabilitate and redevelop a vacant, nearly 100-year-old, three-story building at 285-299 South Main St.

A local dentist plans to build 28 apartments in this three-story, vacant building downtown.

It's one of 20 such projects statewide that were granted a total of $7.5 million from the states nonprofit, property development finance agency.

The downtown Fall River apartment project is the Canadian natives first foray into the field of commercial development.

'Step into our home': Legacy of Joe's Shish Kabob lives on as new owners take over

Top 5 stories make Herald News Top 5

This feels like a hat-on-a-hat moment, but the most recent Herald News Top 5 stories story made this week's Top 5 stories. Say that one 10 times fast. Our Top 5 stories of the week publish every Sunday, so we'll see you back here next week, same day, same place.

Herald News/Taunton Daily Gazette copy editor and digital producer Kristina Fontes can be reached at kfontes@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News and Taunton Daily Gazette today.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Herald News top stories TikTok threat stores we miss priests accused
MAYFIELD, Ky.  The Rev. Joey Reed always talks about love in his last Sunday sermon before Christmas.

But this year, as he looked out on a congregation of about 100, his annual lesson took on new meaning.

Nine days before, an EF4 tornado had swept through Mayfield, destroying hundreds of homes, businesses and Mayfield First United Methodist Church, which Reed has spent the last four years leading.

How to help Kentucky tornado victims: Donate to relief funds, supplies, blood drives

The community had seen love put into action, with residents rescuing neighbors from rubble, a nearby church opening its doors to the congregation and thousands of dollars pouring into an online fund to help residents re-stabilize and rebuild.

"I think this year's sermon is going to have more impact than previous years," Reed said from the pulpit. "... When we return on Christmas Eve, you're not going to need to hear what Christmas means, because you will have seen it for the last few days."

For the Mayfield First United Methodist congregation, Sunday marked the first of what could be many services inside the Christ United Methodist Church building on West Broadway.

Christ United has offered to house the congregation until it can return to a location of its own  which Reed said could be at least a year down the road.

Kentucky tornadoes: Weather service releases classification for Mayfield twister

Ahead of Sunday's service, Reed said the church doesn't need a building to worship. But he's grateful Christ United has provided space where his members can continue to meet as they navigate the wake of the devastating storms.

"We're just all in shock to see our history, our heritage just wiped away," said Nanette Easley, a member of Mayfield First United Methodist since the 1970s. "I think to come together for this shared time of worship is what we rely on in times like this."

The Mayfield First United Methodist, which was destroyed in the tornado, had their Sunday service this morning. It was held in the Christ United Methodist, where both are operating out of for now.Dec. 19, 2021

Reed said faith is "woven into the fabric of Mayfield," a city of about 10,000 in Western Kentucky.

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And while his faith wasn't shaken in the aftermath of a tornado that killed at least 21 people in Graves County, the destruction did make Reed better understand the gratitude he has for life, his church and his community.

Robert Daniel's end of watch: Mayfield jailer's tornado heroism honored at funeral

"This gives a sense of urgency and reality that we didn't have before," Reed said. "I'm hoping this will give us a sense of renewal, a sense of purpose, a sense of priority that we talked about before but didn't necessarily have."

Other local churches have been dealing with the fallout of the tornado as well.

Mayfield First Assembly of God was unscathed by the storm, but many nearby churches werent as fortunate. Now, pastor Brad Morris said, their facility has offered to open its doors to other hard-hit congregations looking for a place to meet and is welcoming in others who are looking for a place to worship. Sundays service was more crowded than usual, the Mayfield native noted.

The Mayfield First United Methodist, which was destroyed in the tornado, had their Sunday service. It was held in the Christ United Methodist, where both are operating out of for now.Dec. 19, 2021

Some folks are still digging out, Morris said, more than a week after the tornado.  Theres no manual written for this, so were just taking it day by day.

There were plenty of orange shirts at Sundays service  members of the Samaritans Purse, an evangelical Christian aid program that Morris called the Dallas Cowboys of disaster relief. More than 100 members are currently in town helping Mayfield recover, program director Elliott Willis said, with hundreds of others having stopped in the town over the course of the past five days.

Mayfield First Assembly of God is offering a home to the workers, Morris said, as well as offering to help where they can.

More coverage: How victims can apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance

As members of Mayfield First United Methodist left church Sunday, they wrote their names on ornaments and hung them on a tree at the front of the room.

The Mayfield First United Methodist, which was destroyed in the tornado, had their Sunday service this morning. It was held in the Christ United Methodist, where both are operating out of for now.Dec. 19, 2021

Next week, they will take an ornament with another member or family's name and commit to praying for them in the coming year.

"I don't see how people do it without a church family," said Marilyn Marshall, a member of Mayfield First United Methodist for nearly 50 years. "They've helped us raise our children. They're helping us with our grandchildren now.

"I feel my faith is very strong. But to be here and have others helps me reinforce that feeling."

Reporter Lucas Aulbach contributed. Reach reporter Bailey Loosemore at bloosemore@courier-journal.com, 502-582-4646 or on Twitter @bloosemore.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky church resumes worship after tornado destroys building
Fox News host Tucker Carlson has claimed many of the suspects arrested over the Jan 6 riot had merely walked down the hall of the US Capitol building.

In his latest attempt to defend the more than 700 people arrested and charged with offences, the 52-year-old anchor delivered a scathing attack on those he claimed were trying to enforce unpopular rules such as vaccine mandates, and rewrite Americas history.

In an 30-minute address before a crowd of young conservatives gathered in Phoenix, Arizona, Carlson praised the courage and accessibility of Teddy Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States, who served from 1901 to 1909. He claimed the people of that era would have responded very differently to the events of January .

He said that Roosevelt, who had been vice president, had assumed the presidency only after the then president, William McKinley, was assassinated.

He claimed that Roosevelt wanted to get to know ordinary citizens and did so by going and speaking with them outside of the White House, saying that while it was his residence, it was their home as well.

So Teddy Roosevelt knew perfectly well the costs of opening himself up to the public, said Carlson.

He was a very brave person. He had great physical courage personally, but he also didn't have much of a choice, because it wasn't his house ,it belonged to the people to whom the country belongs, and those are American citizens.

He added: So imagine telling someone living in that country, we just arrested people for walking down the hall in the Capitol building. Not those who broke the windows, the people who literally walked down the hall of the Capitol. And we arrested a lot of them.

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The comments, delivered live at an event organised by Turning Point USA, a group of young conservatives founded by Charlie Kirk, that calls itself a student movement for freedom, free markets and limited government, were merely the latest in a succession of remarks that have played down the seriousness of events on January 6, that resulted in the deaths of five people, including a police officer.

The incident, which saw hundreds of supporters of Donald Trump storm into the Congress in an attempt to halt the certification of the election of Joe Biden, resulted in violent clashes, with police trying to prevent the demonstrators entering the building, that were seen around the world.

Just hours before the incident, Mr Trump had addressed a crowd of supporters, in which he urged vice president Mike Pence not to chair the certification process and said they had to fight like hell.

Three months after the incident, which led Democrats to seek to impeach Mr Trump for a second time, only for him to be once again given a life-line by Republicans in the Senate, Carlson said the crowds had just walked into what we used to refer to as The Peoples House.

Speaking in a tone heavy with sarcasm on his own show, the highest rated of any on cable news, he said: Today is the three-month anniversary of January 6th. For those who arent good with dates or dont have calendars, this is the day we pause to remember the White supremacist QAnon insurrection that came so very close to toppling our government and ending this democracy forever. You saw what happened. It was carried live on television, every gruesome moment.

And there it is  pic.twitter.com/cVVNWoT4nb  Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) December 15, 2021

During his speech on Saturday, Carlson also mocked Mr Bidens age and attacked him for trying to force people to get vaccinated.

He urged the crowd not to participate in the systems that are oppressing people, [and] making them sad.

He said: Hey, 50-year-old nurse, get the shot - this nurse who just like spent two years helping Corona patients who knows more about medicine than Joe Biden ever will - or you're going to get fired, because somehow some 79-year-old elected official knows more about science than a frontline nurse.

Carlson has recently been promoting a three-part series called Patriot Purge , which was released on the network's right-wing streaming service Fox Nation.

In the series, Carlson suggests those involved in the storming of the Capitol were not Mr Trump supporters, but rather his enemies, including violent leftist antifa groups and even the FBI.

In the first episode he says: Jan 6 is being used as a pretext to strip millions of Americans, disfavored Americans, of their core constitutional rights.

Carlson is one of several dozen leading conservatives to speak to the event. Donald Trump Jr is also to address the audience, while Kyle Rittenhouse, who was recently cleared of murder charges after shooting three people in Wisconsin, two of them fatally, will be interviewed live on Monday.
The decision by Bangladesh to close schools for Rohingya refugees risks leaving a generation of children "practically uneducated", a United Nations human rights envoy warned Sunday.

Authorities this week ordered the closure of "unauthorised" education centres in border camps hosting around 850,000 members of the stateless Muslim minority, who fled there from violent persecution in neighbouring Myanmar.

The order came during a visit by UN special rapporteur Tom Andrews, who said the privately run schools played a critical role in educating Rohingya children.

"I am deeply concerned to have learned of a new policy, promulgated while I was here, that would close all private schools in the camps," he told reporters in the capital Dhaka.

"We cannot allow an entire generation of Rohingya to go practically uneducated," he added.

Bangladesh's foreign ministry has said the order will not impact around 3,000 learning centres for children in camps supported by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

It claimed the move had been made to halt the operations of schools "promoting radicalism and engaged in illegal activities".

Angered Rohingya activists in the camps have taken to social media to protest the decision in lieu of public protests, which have become difficult since security was boosted after the murder of a top camp leader in September.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch said about 30,000 children will lose their access to education if Bangladesh does not reverse the closures.

Andrews used his Dhaka press conference to urge Bangladesh to protect Rohingya livelihoods after the bulldozing last week of around 1,000 shops in the camps, which authorities said were built illegally.

He also called for freedom of movement for Rohingya resettled to remote and flood-prone Bhashan Char island, where Bangladesh has shifted nearly 20,000 refugees from the overcrowded border camps.

str-sa/gle/axn
A 35-year agreement approved Thursday will allow Sierra Northern Railway to operate the 32-mile Santa Paula Branch Line starting Jan. 1. Shown are tracks near the Santa Paula Train Depot.

Satisfying earlier concerns, the Ventura County Transportation Commission Thursday approved a 35-year agreement with a Northern California rail company to operate and maintain the Santa Paula Branch Line beginning Jan. 1.

"This is a huge, momentous occasion for us," Commission Chair Kelly Long, a Ventura County supervisor, said following the 13-1 vote to greenlight the lease agreement with Sierra Northern Railway. The company is based in Woodland, northwest of Sacramento.

Owned by the commission, the branch line stretches 32 miles from Ventura through Santa Paula and Fillmore to unincorporated Piru.

Sierra Northern will operate freight trains on the line, said its president and CEO, Ken Beard.

A sister company, Mendocino Railway, will operate tourist trains on the line if it determines it's cost effective to do so, Beard said. Or it might choose not to operate on the line, he said.

For local stories that matter, subscribe today.

Fillmore & Western Railway was the previous operator of the line. Its contract, which included maintenance of the line, expired June 30. Sierra Northern has had an interim agreement with the commission to maintain the line through Dec. 31.

The commission was initially scheduled to vote on approving the new agreement with Sierra Northern at its Dec. 3 meeting. But it delayed the vote until Thursday after learning that Mendocino Railway had used eminent domain to acquire 270 acres of land in the Northern California city of Fort Bragg in November.

Eminent domain is the government seizure of private property, which is done without the owner's consent but with payment to the owner. Railroads in California can use eminent domain to seize private property for the construction and maintenance of their operations because they are considered public utilities under the California Public Utilities Code.

The commission learned of Mendocino Railway's use of eminent domain two days before the Dec. 3 meeting when some commissioners received an email with links to newspaper articles reporting it. The email was sent by Todd Clark, co-owner of the Museum of Handcar Technology, which for years had tried unsuccessfully to reach an agreement with the commission to operate its manually propelled handcars on the branch line.

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Related: Head of Ventura County Transportation Commission named Metrolink's new CEO

Robert Pinoli, president of Mendocino Railway, confirmed that the railway had indeed used eminent domain to acquire the land to expand its operations with more track. The railway operates a scenic excursion train known as the "Skunk Train," which departs from Fort Bragg and Willits, 24 miles away.

In response to the commissioners' concerns raised by the articles, the agency's attorney, Steve Mattas, on Dec. 3 added language to the agreement with Sierra Northern. The additional wording prohibits the railway from using eminent domain in Ventura County, said Amanda Fagan, the commission's director of planning and sustainability.

Chris Hart, vice president of business development for the Sierra Railroad Company, the parent company of Sierra Northern and Mendocino railways, told the commission Thursday that the company agrees to the additional language.

"Let's get that out of the way," he said.

Related news: Eminent domain concerns delay vote on rail operator of Santa Paula Branch Line

At the Dec. 3 meeting, commissioners raised other concerns, including whether the agreement could result in hazardous materials being moved by rail and/or stored on the branch line.

Federal law limits the authority of states and local governments to impose requirements on the transportation of hazardous materials by rail, Fagan wrote in a report to the commission for its Thursday meeting.

"Sierra Northern has explained that the source of any hazardous materials that would be transported on the (branch line) are based on the customers served," she wrote. "For Ventura County, this would typically be materials such as fertilizer transported to farms, which are already being moved through the county by truck."

Long said Thursday that delaying the vote from Dec. 3 gave the commission more time to address the concerns.

"This is not anything we take lightly," she said.

Doug Hauge, the sole public speaker Thursday, urged the commission to reject the agreement under which the agency would reimburse Sierra Northern up to $450,000 a year for the first five years for the railway's expenditures in operating and maintaining the line.

"The taxpayers are being gouged," the Fillmore resident said. "It is they, not the prospective railroad operator, who are paying for track and right-of-way maintenance to the tune of $450,000 per year for the first five years of the lease. That most likely will continue for the remaining 30 years of the lease."

Voting to approve the agreement was Long, Vice Chair Tony Trembley, a Camarillo councilman, and commissioners Daniel Chavez, Jr., chair of the Oxnard Planning Commission, Lynn Edmonds, a Fillmore councilwoman, Chris Enegren, a Moorpark councilman, and Mike Judge, a Simi Valley councilman.

Also voting yes were commissioners Matt LaVere, Linda Parks and Carmen Ramirez, all county supervisors, Richard Rollins, Port Hueneme's appointed ceremonial mayor, Andy Sobel, a Santa Paula councilman, William Weirick, an Ojai councilman, and Jim White, a citizen representative.

The lone commissioner to vote against the agreement was Mike Johnson, a Ventura councilman who cited concerns related to a legal dispute between Mendocino Railway and Fort Bragg tied to the railroad's acquisition of the 270 acres.

The city has sued the railway, seeking to remove its public utility status and is opposing the railway's application to the federal Department of Transportation for a loan. Under questioning from Johnson, Pinoli said Mendocino might sue the city back.

"That's an option that remains on the table," he said.

Read more: Citizens group proposes transit sales tax measure for Ventura County's 2022 ballot

Johnson said Friday he finds it "troubling that the railway has threatened to bankrupt the city of Fort Bragg" with a lawsuit. "I don't want Ventura to be surprised the way Fort Bragg has been."

Following the commission's approval of the agreement, Beard said "it's been a long time coming and we're very happy.

"We worked diligently with the commission's staff to address all their concerns," he said. "We're ready to hit the ground running."

Mike Harris covers the East County cities of Moorpark, Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks, as well as transportation countywide. You can contact him at mike.harris@vcstar.com or 805-437-0323.

SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM and get all the latest Moorpark, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, and transportation news from Star reporter Mike Harris. Get a digital subscription.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Ventura County OKs deal for new Santa Paula Branch Line rail operator
Some town leaders at the Nov. 2 Dennis town meeting pulled off a power play against a Community Preservation grant for The Columns in West Dennis. Their rhetoric to vote against the grant was despicable. As a result, the developer has decided to sell the property and invest his $8 million elsewhere. A public benefit to the town was thrown away by narrow-minded (its never been done) thinking.

The Columns has been in disrepair for decades. A distinguished developer presented a plan to restore the building to its historic grandeur and incorporate 16 housing units, including four that would be affordable. The developer estimated the project would cost $8 million. He requested a $300,000 grant to assist with exterior historic building restoration only. The grant contract would give the town a preservation restriction on the property in perpetuity.

The grant was approved by the Community Preservation Committee and enthusiastically supported by Preservation Massachusetts and the Dennis Historical Commission. The CPC funds were already in hand. No new taxes were required for this grant.

Public-private partnerships have been in play by municipalities and states for years. Its the perfect vehicle to entice quality development projects. Some committee members viscerally attacked the developer at town meeting as though they had a hidden agenda against the request. They convinced a majority to vote against the grant.

Besides the benefit of additional affordable housing, tax revenue would be increased. The current assessment on the property is approximately $410,000 and the annual property tax is $2,506. With a new assessment of $8 million, the town would quickly recoup its grant plus thousands more would be added to the towns tax coffers over the years. Do the math. Its known as return on investment.

At the Sept. 21 Select Board and Finance Committee meeting, the developer was asked if this project could continue if the article failed at town meeting. He replied that the project could go on, but it would not be one he would want to participate in because it could not be done to the level of quality historic restoration his firm seeks to attain.

Story continues

The town rolled out the unwelcome mat. So, after already investing many thousands of dollars, the developer is pulling his project. What was a perfect opportunity to restore a historic landmark and add affordable housing in Dennis has been lost. All thanks to poor town leadership. Its time for a change.

Nancy Thompson, West Dennis

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Dennis MA: Vote against The Columns CPA grant a missed opportunity
People wait in line to get tested for COVID-19 at a mobile testing site in Times Square





New York reported its highest number of COVID-19 cases on Saturday, the second consecutive day the Empire State set a record for daily infections.

New York reported 21,908 coronavirus cases, which is the highest number the state has recorded since the beginning of the pandemic, according to data collected by The Washington Post.

Saturday's count exceeded the previous record set on Friday, when 21,027 cases were reported, according to the Post.

The uptick in cases is coming amid a winter surge nationwide that is being driven largely by the highly mutated omicron variant, which was first identified in South Africa last month. Since then, it has spread to a number of countries as well as states in the U.S.

While cases are up in New York state, hospitalizations and deaths remain lower than during previous pandemic surges. New York City residents have reported long lines at testing centers in recent days.

The current surge, however, has forced New Yorkers to take precautions to tamp down on the spread of the virus, especially amid the holiday season when individuals typically gather to celebrate with their loved ones.

The "Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes" canceled all of its upcoming performances because of the surge in cases, and "Saturday Night Live" announced hours before its latest show that there would be no audience and a limited cast and crew.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) on Thursday unveiled a six-pronged approach to combating the rise in cases that includes the distribution of 1 million medical-grade KN95 masks and 500,000 rapid at-home tests in communities throughout the city.
Former Gov. Linwood Holton was remembered Sunday as a landmark Virginia political leader who embraced school desegregation and heralded the start of robust two-party political competition in the state.

Holton, Virginias first Republican governor of the 20th century, held the office from 1970-74. He died in October at 98.

History had its eyes on you, Governor Linwood Holton, former ABC News White House correspondent Ann Compton said in her eulogy during a memorial service at Richmonds Second Presbyterian Church.

Compton, who began her career in Roanoke and then became a Virginia statehouse reporter, said that on Monday, Aug. 31, 1970, Holton created a defining moment. The governor, accompanied by a Capitol Police officer, escorted his smiling daughter, Tayloe, to Richmonds majority-Black John F. Kennedy High School.

Holtons belief in civil rights and school desegregation was crystallized in a news photograph that ran in papers across the country.

Compton noted that in a South in which governors once stood in the schoolhouse door, David Brinkley opened that nights NBC Nightly News with images of Holton and his daughter charting a new path in Virginia. Compton said that the following morning The New York Times ran the story on its front page, along with a photograph that captured a moment of national shift.

As the memorial service began, Pastor Alex Evans paid tribute to Holton.

We share gratitude for the life and the leadership, the faith, the fortitude, the inspiration and the commitment of A. Linwood Holton, Evans said. We share an affection for him, an affection for the way he lived and love and served.

In 1969, Holton became the first Republican elected governor of Virginia since 1881. His election began decades of robust two-party competition as Virginia threw off vestiges of the segregationist Democratic machine of Harry F. Byrd Sr.

From Holtons election to the election of Republican Glenn Youngkin on Nov. 2, Virginians have elected seven Republican governors and seven Democratic governors.

Holton was the father-in-law of Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., a Democrat who served as governor from 2006-10. Anne Holton, another of the late governors four children, lived in the Executive Mansion as a child and then again as first lady.

Holton, born in Big Stone Gap, was renowned for his political perseverance. He lost two campaigns for the House of Delegates in the 1950s and his first bid for governor in 1965, but defeated Democrat John Battle for governor in 1969.

Holton attended Washington and Lee University, where he met John Warner, who would become a lifelong friend  and a friendly rival for the GOP U.S. Senate nomination in 1978. The nomination ultimately went to Warner after Richard Obenshain was killed in a Chesterfield County plane crash.

Holton left W&L to serve as an engineering officer in the submarine service during World War II. He completed his undergraduate work at W&L and went on to receive a law degree from Harvard.

He and his wife, Virginia Harrison Rogers, known as Jinks, married in 1953.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Holton is survived by four children: Tayloe Loftus, a physician in Syracuse, New York; Anne Holton, of Richmond; A. Linwood III, who goes by Woody, a historian and professor at the University of South Carolina and Dwight, a lawyer and former federal prosecutor in Portland, Oregon.

Virginia is the only state that bars governors from serving consecutive terms, so Virginia has an unusually large roster of former governors.

When a new Virginia governor is inaugurated  as Youngkin will be on Jan. 15  predecessors who are able to attend traditionally gather with the new member of the club for a portrait. Holton faithfully took part in the quadrennial rite into his late 90s.

On the day of Gov. Ralph Northams inauguration in January 2018, Holton sat front and center in a photo of 11 Virginia governors. (Former Gov. Gerald Baliles died in October 2019.)

Virginias nine living governors are Chuck Robb, Doug Wilder, George Allen, Jim Gilmore, Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, Bob McDonnell, Terry McAuliffe and Northam.
The nationally syndicated conservative columnist Cal Thomas recently lapsed into the logical fallacy of post hoc, ergo propter hoc (Connecting the dots on abortion, Dec. 4). Because one thing follows another doesnt prove the first caused the second. But logic be damned! Thomas blames the anarchy in our streets, the looting and shootings, on the decision to legalize abortion.

The roots of our current societal ills go far back beyond the legalization of abortion in 1973. To lay it all on that is simplistic and demagogic, to say the least. Understand, however, that Im no fan of abortion. As Ive already stated in these pages [Texas and the wages of sin, Sept. 19], I believe the great majority of women dont view abortion as a fallback method of birth control and that most who opt to terminate a pregnancy are profoundly affected by the experience. I could wish every woman confronted with an unwanted pregnancy would opt for adoption. But now that the Supreme Court seems poised to overturn Rove v. Wade, or at least limit the right to abortion, Im coming down on the side of a womans right to choose.

As a secular humanist, I dont accept the premise on which the Christian right grounds its opposition to abortion. I doubt a fetus is really a full-fledged human being possessed of a soul from the moment of conception. That view is a matter of faith, not science.

There is a theory that the brain does not create consciousness; the brain receives it. What we think of as the soul  an individuals connection to the cosmos or to God, if you will  may not exist until the brain is adequately formed to receive it. And human consciousness does seem to form gradually as the brain continues to develop and reception improves.

This theory accords with my earliest memories and makes sense to me. Hence, I view a fetus as only a potential human being and abortion as a sad but often justifiable waste among more pressing wastes in this world.

Be that as it may, the Supreme Courts rationale for legalizing abortion likewise makes secular sense to me. The court held that a right to privacy is implied under the Constitution and that body autonomy is an essential aspect of that right. Forcing a woman to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term, the court reasoned, is analogous to forcing someone to donate bone marrow to save a life or to agree to organ donation after death. They must be done voluntarily.

Legally speaking, the moral and religious ramifications of abortion are beside the point. If a womans body is to be considered autonomous  no less than a mans  it must ultimately be her choice whether to carry her pregnancy to term or to abort it. It is a matter of equal protection under the law. Which is not to say that birth and abortion are morally equivalent, but rather that there are some issues of personal morality and responsibility federal and state governments have no business legislating.

Which is also to say that, as men, Cal Thomas and I have no standing in this matter.

A former enlisted Marine and a Vietnam veteran, Palm retired from the Marine Corps as a major and went on to an academic career. He lives in Forest and can be contacted at majorpalm@gmail.com.
Police on Sunday identified Morio Tanimoto as the 61-year-old male patient suspected of starting a fire at a mental clinic in Osaka two days earlier that killed 24 people.

Tanimoto, who remains in a serious condition, was among 27 people taken to hospitals after the fire raced through the clinic in a multiple tenant building in the city Friday.

Tanimoto, known as a skilled construction sheet metal worker, was employed at an Osaka factory until 2010. A daily work log he left behind in his last year on the job paints him as a hardworking individual.

If he couldnt finish his work on time, he would come to the factory even on Sundays to work. That was how seriously he took it, said the companys president.

According to the president, Tanimoto entered his company in 2002 after working for his father who ran another sheet metal factory. He left suddenly in 2008 but asked to be employed again the following year.

Around a year later, he quit again for unknown reasons and the company lost contact with him.

In April 2011, Tanimoto was arrested by police on suspicion of attempted murder after stabbing his son in the head with a kitchen knife.
Fundraising and design work for the Council Bluffs Community School Districts 38,000-square-foot Early Learning Center are moving full speed ahead.

The facility will be built on the site of the former Tinley School building on the corner of North Eighth Street and Avenue G.

About $16 million has been raised toward the $20 million cost of construction, including a $7 million state grant, a $1.04 million grant from the Iowa West Foundation and pledges from other private foundations and individuals, according to Superintendent Vickie Murillo. The district plans to set aside $2.24 million to establish an endowment to help cover operating costs. The Early Learning Center, described by the state as a Childcare and Early Learning Exploratory Project, will serve as an early childhood learning model.

With this investment from the state and with the partnership of the Council Bluffs Schools Foundation to secure private donations for this priority, we are on schedule to open the center in the fall of 2023 to meet a significant need in our community, Murillo said.

The facility will allow the district to serve an additional 200 children, school officials estimate. The school system currently offers preschool instruction in 32 classrooms in elementary schools throughout the district, but many children are on a waiting list to get into its preschool program.

The goal, in partnership with the Iowa Department of Education, will be to demonstrate how to deliver public school-provided early learning in large and small school districts throughout the state. A consultant from the University of Kansas will work directly with the school district on the review of the program.

Children served in the center will be part of an active learning environment in which they can explore, interact and engage with their peers and adults in a stimulating physical environment, a press release from the district stated. The Early Learning Center will use the same curriculum and assessment tools as the districts other preschool classrooms, according to Tracy Mathews, chief of schools for preschool.

The Highscope curriculum will be delivered by licensed teachers in age-appropriate class sizes, the press release stated. In the preschool classrooms, there will be a teacher and a preschool assistant to serve 16 children. In the infant and toddler rooms, there will be eight to 12 children, depending on the age of those being served.

The center will have a total of 14 classrooms, including 11 preschool classrooms for 3- and 4-year-olds, two for toddlers and one for infants, Mathews said. Each will have the appropriate staff-to-student ratio for the age level served.

There will be a large motor skills room and a smaller one for younger children, giving children indoor play areas, according to Roger Slosson, project manager for BVH Architecture. Outside, there will be three play areas, again for different age groups.

There will also be a safety vestibule, offices, a kitchen, teacher work rooms, storage rooms, a breastfeeding room and a multipurpose room that can be used for meetings, training or as a storm shelter.

Architects plan to have specifications ready in time for a hearing on Feb. 8, Slosson said. The project will be put out for bid from Feb. 28 to March 24 and a contract awarded by mid-April.

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There was so much genuflecting at Gov. Kim Reynolds public budget hearing this week, if you were watching you would have thought had tuned into a Catholic Mass instead of a government meeting.

What it was not, was an effective use of government time or an honest discussion about the states $8 billion budget.

Mostly lobbyists representing various business and interest groups spoke during the roughly one-hour public budget hearing, which was conducted virtually. Speakers were called by the governors chief of staff, and one-by-one heaped praise upon Reynolds for any of a number of things, including her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, her shepherding of the states finances and her general awesomeness.

OK, that last one didnt really happen, but it may as well have. This was not a budget meeting in any true sense of the term. It was not a constructive conversation about how best to manage the states spending for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.

It was instead a gathering of business, industry and advocacy leaders who did little more than applaud Reynolds, perhaps hoping that she will remember them fondly when she crafts and ultimately proposes her state budget in January. (The final state budget must also be approved by the Iowa Legislature.)

This is not to say that any business, industry or advocacy leaders should not be fans of Reynolds. Thats an individual evaluation everyone is free to make. And if recent polling from the Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll is any indication, a majority of Iowans  a slim majority, but a majority nonetheless  approve of the work Reynolds has done as governor.

And to be fair, the hearing was not totally void of policy talk. There were repeated calls for the state to lower various taxes  a particularly helpful refrain, given persistent pledges from Reynolds and legislative leaders over the past few months that they will do just that. And a few speakers did note the need to invest in government programs designed to address the worker shortage, expand access to affordable child care and housing, and make Iowa a more attractive place to live.

But the kind of adoration on display at this weeks hearing is better served for private meetings  or a campaign rally.

This was a public budget hearing  or at least, it was supposed to be. A public budget hearing should be an opportunity for, you know, elected officials to hear from the public about the state budget. Its right in the title, folks.

There was nary an aggressive request or contrary opinion spoken during the hearing. Its pretty safe to assume there are more than one or two people in this state who have ideas on state spending that dont align with the hearings March of the Yes-men and -women. But, we didnt hear from any of those folks.

Former Gov. Terry Branstad, under whom Reynolds served as lieutenant governor, conducted these public budget hearings very differently. Taking a cue from his predecessor, Gov. Robert Ray, Branstad actually held multiple public budget hearings: one for each state agency, and then one for public comment. It was a far more complete and public airing of the plan for state spending and allowed for at least some comment beyond the cheerleading squad.

Governments business should be conducted as much as possible in public and with the publics input. This weeks public budget hearing fell short of that mark.

Erin Murphy covers Iowa politics and government for Lee Enterprises. His email address is erin.murphy@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter at @ErinDMurphy.
We must think about the future

It's safe to say that times are changing around us rather quickly. As the president of the Council Bluffs Chamber, I keep an eye on trends and factors affecting our city, county and state. Most of us know that our local economy relies on the success of agriculture and ethanol, but these critical industries need us now more than ever.

In recent years, ethanol has been adversely impacted by subpar RFS volume requirements, small refinery exemptions, the pandemic and the emergence of electric vehicles. We must be attentive to this, as the industry consumes over 50% of Iowa-grown corn. Without a strong ethanol industry, farmers will lose a considerable portion of their revenue, and the bedrock of our economy will be compromised. As we move forward, we must find ways to keep ethanol competitive and our economy strong.

We have seen corporations, individuals, and cities small and large commit to reducing their carbon emissions. Along with environmental benefits, these commitments typically produce a competitive advantage. Now, a proposed carbon-capture project is in the works that could reduce carbon emissions and allow ethanol producers to access highly profitable markets in places like Canada and Washington.

Summit Carbon Solutions has partnered with ethanol producers to capture carbon emitted from their plants, sequester it safely underground in North Dakota, and make ethanol a net-zero fuel by 2030. This process will increase the competitiveness of ethanol and secure a long-term market for Iowa corn.

Since this project aims to bolster agriculture, it is important to have a developer who is committed to forming positive partnerships with landowners and communities. Summit Carbon Solutions is an ag-based company that understands the value of farmland and the intricacies of drain tile and soil health. They share the values of farming communities and respect people and their property rights.

Therefore, please join me in supporting Summit Carbon Solutions proposed project to protect the future of agriculture and ethanol in Iowa and throughout the region.

Drew Kamp

President and CEO

Council Bluffs Area Chamber of Commerce

White people wake up

When we were growing up in Council Bluffs my maternal grandmother, who was from north central Minnesota, used to sing us "The Song of Nakomis," from the native people who lived on the shores of Lake Superior. We [white male European colonizers] stole the lands of native peoples, and now we seem to be trying to deny that we did so.

We were only following the example of Britain in India. Belgium in the Congo. Holland in South Africa. So, it's OK right?

When the first ship of African slaves arrived here in 1619, the cotton plantations based on slave labor juiced the new economy that became the greatest power the world has known. No harm, no foul? If you don't see that our land is based on slavery, colonialism and subjugation, you have your head in the sand.

No call to action here, just please be aware of our disgusting past and try to be better people. We can make a difference in our world.

Scott Peters

Council Bluffs

Gutting The Nonpareil

Mitt Romney became extremely wealthy from his hedge funds acquiring businesses that were struggling and trying to regain their footing through rough spots.

That is commonly what hedge funds do. They squeeze nearly every last nickel asset from a business *because* it's a nickel.

Shareholders don't usually give a hoot about the companies that are put through the wringer -- after all, it's a nickel.

Assets can be the long built-up pension fund set up between employees and employer. Income from sales of goods, services, subscriptions.

If the asset provides an acceptable income to the fund and its' shareholders, it might be held for a bit. Or if the asset holds a political value of some sort -- who knows where it could lead.

Then, things could turn dire, indeed.

Political winds are ever-changing.

A community field to play ball in is one thing. A LEVEL community field to play ball in is everything.

If you want to support Council Bluffs and the local news reporting, please support our newspaper by subscribing right now.

Lee Hazer

Council Bluffs

A great time at the Hoff Center

My daughter and her husband brought me to one of my favorite cities tonight to see "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat" at the Hoff Center. What a lovely evening so may amazing performers. I could listen to the two travel agents all night along with several others. I don't need 400 hundred words to say it was an amazing, entertaining show.

Katie Gregory

Fort Calhoun, Nebraska

The importance of a well-rounded worldview

Comments on Tom Bartons story, "Miller-Meeks promotes school curriculum bill decrying communism."

The importance of a well-rounded worldview cannot be emphasized enough -- that was part of my education over 50 years ago and never forgotten.

That "Victims of Communist Memorial Foundation" who found that over 25% of Americans favor the gradual elimination of capitalism in favor of socialism with increasing support from young Americans is disturbing.

We know that Republican Rep. Maria Salazar, who is the daughter of Cuban exiles, introduced legislation co-sponsored by Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Ashley Hinson of Iowa, called the Crucial Communism Teaching Act." It follows a similar bill that Salazar introduced last summer also co-sponsored by both congresswomen.

As mentioned, the legislation is designed to help high schools teach the dangers and brutality of authoritarian regimes.

The problem I have is: How can Miller-Meeks and Hinson absurdly call Democrats, "socialists" and "Marxists," then expect young Americans to realize they are forfeiting their lives and their freedom in favor of a crushing right-wing socialist system if all they hear is repeated lies by members of Congress who falsely name-call over half of the voters in our country?

Hinson and Miller-Meeks callously use the term "socialism" when they refer to our taxpayer-funded benefits. All Americans receive some form of taxpayer-funded benefits, such as garbage collection, including Hinson and Miller-Meeks, whose congressional paychecks are likewise taxpayer-funded.

Ellen Ballas

Iowa City
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Countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council have sent a strong blow to Algerias attempt to make of the next Arab Summit it plans to host an anti-Moroccan event.

In unequivocal terms, the GCC reiterated support to Moroccos sovereignty over the Sahara, to the latest UN Security Council resolution which calls for a mutually acceptable solution and lauds Moroccos autonomy initiative.

Algeria has shown vehemence before the adoption of the resolution and agitation afterwards as it reaps but resounding diplomatic defeat in the face of an unstoppable global momentum in support of Moroccos historic rights in the Sahara.

The GCC, mustering Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, has also shown that Algierss attempts to gear the summit to denounce diplomatic normalization with Israel and defend its Polisario proxies is a mere chimera that no one in the Arab league adheres to.

Algerian President and his foreign minister are already using the conditional when speaking about the Arab summit using terms such as if the summit is going to be held in Algiers.

Algeria has chosen its camp in support of Iran and blood-thirsty regime in Syria further distancing itself from any Arab consensus.

As its voice becomes increasingly inaudible in Africa, Algeria represents all that has impeded Arab integration. Algiers is now viewed within the Arab region as a warmongering military-dominated state on the verge of economic collapse and social implosion.

As it seeks virtual gains, Morocco reinforces its position on the ground with over 25 countries giving a concrete dimension to Moroccos sovereignty in the Sahara by opening consulates in Laayoune and Dakhla.

Bahrain, UAE and Jordan to mention but a few in the Arab World have opened consulates in the Sahara which was recognized as a Moroccan territory by the US in late 2020.
King Mohammed VI has sent messages of thanks and gratitude to the heads of state of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) for their clear support for the Moroccan identity of the Sahara.

This came in separate messages to King Salman Ibn Abdulaziz Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia; the King of Bahrain Hamad Ben Issa Al Khalifa; the Sultan of Oman Haitham Bin Tariq bin Taimur; the Emir Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah; the President of the State of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan; the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani; as well as to Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Vice President of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Defense.

In these messages, the Sovereign expressed thanks and gratitude to the GCC leaders for their respective countries clear support for the Moroccanness of the Sahara, and highlighted the sincere feelings of friendship, distinguished partnership relations, and permanent solidarity binding Morocco to its Gulf brethren.

The Sovereign affirmed having followed with interest and consideration the frank and unequivocal support for the Moroccan Sahara and the territorial integrity of the Kingdom, expressed by the leaders of the Gulf countries, during the 42nd session of the Supreme Council of the GCC, held in Riyadh.

In his messages, the Sovereign stressed that Morocco has always considered the security and stability of the Arab Gulf countries as an integral part of its security and that any attack on these countries constitutes an attack on the Kingdom.

King Mohammed VI stated further that as he had stressed on the occasion of the Morocco-GCC summit in held in Riyadh on April 20, 2016, The partnership between Morocco and the Gulf countries is not the product of conjunctural interests or ephemeral calculations. Rather, it draws its strength from the sincere faith in the community of destiny and the concordance of views regarding our common causes.

The Sovereign who described the position of the GCCs leaders as noble said this position underlines the shared belief in the community of destiny, and strengthens Moroccos permanent and absolute commitment to the defense of the security and stability of the Arab States of the Gulf, as well as to the reinforcement of their strategic and exemplary partnership at the regional and international levels.

The 42nd Summit of the GCC High Council, held in the Saudi city of Al Ula on Dec.14, reaffirmed in its final declaration its positions and its firm decisions in favor of the Moroccan Sahara and the preservation of the security and stability of the Kingdom of Morocco and of its territorial integrity.

The declaration welcomed in this connection Security Council resolution 2602 of October 29, 2021 concerning the Moroccan Sahara.

The High Council also underlined the importance of the special strategic partnership between the GCC and the Kingdom of Morocco as well as its effective implementation.

The GCC High Council is the highest authority and is made up of the leaders of the six member states.
The United States supports the efforts of the new personal envoy of the UN Secretary General for the Sahara Staffan de Mistura, that it described as one of the most experienced diplomats in the world, to find a political solution to the dispute over the Sahara.

The statement was made by a senior official in the US administration on Friday at a background press call on the achievements of the Biden administration in the Middle East before years end.

On Morocco and Algeria and the conflict in Western Sahara: We now have a U.N. Envoy, Staffan de Mistura, one of the worlds most experienced diplomats, the senior US official said.

We worked with closely with the parties and with the Moroccans to ensure Staffan was appointed to that post. And he is now hard at work, which we think is quite important for keeping that conflict in check and trying to find a political resolution, he added.

It is worth noting that the senior official mentioned Morocco and Algeria as the parties to the Sahara, without any allusion to the puppet Polisario.

In this Broad Middle East regional year-end discussion, the senior US official also touched on the Abraham Accords, under which four Arab countries have established relations with Israel, namely the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan.

He said since the beginning, when the UAE announced its Abraham Accord with Israel, while President Biden was a presidential candidate, he issued a statement right away, noting the importance of that event and expressing his support for those new connections across the region.

And weve worked to strengthen the existing Abraham Accords, and we are working quietly but quite assiduously to expand the Abraham Accords. And so, these things take some time, but theyre very much a focus of ours, he added.
The house is decorated, the food is ready  but what about the drinks for this years holiday party?

No need to let panic dampen your cheer. Weve compiled a list of cocktails and mocktails  non-alcoholic drinks  with some help from local bars and businesses.

When it comes to any sort of drink, quality is key, according to Amber Plaster, bar manager at the Cedar Room.

Better ingredients will always give you a better drink, Plaster said.

She also advised that amateur mixologists use fresh citrus and fresh simple syrup in their drinks.

Todd Roe of Lazy RW Distillery offered a recipe for making your own Irish cream, which can be drunk by itself or as part of a mixed drink.

For a quick, easy drink that utilizes local products, Pals Brewing Company contributed their Lazy Pal recipe.

The beauty of making drinks is that you can adjust ingredients to suit your guests tastes.
Gothenburg school Superintendent Todd Rhodes, a former North Platte school administrator, will become North Plattes next superintendent July 1.

School board members announced Saturday evening that Rhodes was their unanimous choice to succeed retiring Superintendent Ron Hanson. The board cast its 6-0 vote at a special meeting Friday but withheld Rhodes name until contract negotiations could be completed.

Rhodes verbally accepted the boards offer in a telephone call during Fridays meeting, according to a district press release.

Board President Skip Altig said the input from committees of teachers, students and other district patrons solidified with excitement the boards decision to choose Rhodes.

Each group expressed similar themes in Dr. Rhodes responses, and we are all excited to see his student-focus, growth mindset in action, Altig said in the press release.

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Rhodes was one of three remaining finalists after a series of four all-day visits and interviews Monday through Thursday. St. Paul (Nebraska) Superintendent John Poppert, the first to visit Monday, withdrew his name Thursday.
WASHINGTON  An engineer who worked for decades as a federal defense contractor was arrested in Lead on charges of trying to pass classified information to someone he thought was a Russian agent but was actually an undercover FBI employee, the Justice Department said Thursday.

The FBI conducted an undercover operation against John Murray Rowe Jr., 63, of South Dakota, after he was fired from his job for security violations and because he had been identified as a potential insider threat, federal officials said.

As part of the investigation, Rowe traded more than 300 emails with an undercover FBI employee who approached him in March 2020 posing as a Russian agent, the government said. Rowe shared operational details about U.S. military fighter jets in one email, and in another, said: If I cant get a job here then Ill go work for the other team, according to court documents.

Court records do not list a lawyer for Rowe. Prosecutors say Rowe had worked for nearly 40 years as a test engineer for defense contractors and held security clearances.
A medical worker pushes a stretcher through a hallway at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan. Photo: Getty Images

New Yorkers appeared caught off guard by the Omicron variant ripping through the city this week, but medical centers say they are better equipped to handle what may come than they were at the beginning of the pandemic.

The state and the city reported record-breaking case counts two days in a row thanks to Omicron, and this is likely to be only the beginning of the onslaught. How much that translates into severe illness that hospitalizes people or worse is an open question. Hospital leaders predict they will treat an increase of patients carrying the highly contagious variant this winter but said there is enough room in their facilities to care for severe cases and avoid the need for drastic measures. If anything, their concern is a shortage of health-care workers.

On Wednesday, the heads of Mount Sinai, New York-Presbyterian, Montefiore Medical Center, and Northwell Health discussed strategies for handling the variant on a conference call convened by Greater New York Hospital Association president Ken Raske. No one indicated they were worried they would run out of beds or protective equipment as happened during the first COVID wave, according to Northwell Health CEO Michael Dowling.

We do anticipate the number will increase after Christmas because people will get together for Christmas celebrations and may not take precautions, but we dont have a capacity problem at all, Dowling, who heads the states largest hospital network, told Intelligencer. His prediction is based on data from South Africas most populous province showing Omicron cases there have been milder compared to other waves in the country. Experts have cautioned against extrapolating one countrys experience to another, and hospitalizations lag new cases. The fact that people are getting positive out there, if they feel discomfort and theyre not in the hospital, they can deal with it, he said.

The citys public hospitals, which treated 4,000 patients largely from disadvantaged communities in the spring of 2020, have less flexibility to add beds and health-care workers than private ones. Private hospital leaders insist there will be better coordination to ensure no one location fills up with COVID patients. The citys current rate of hospitalizations for COVID patients is low, although people with COVID-like illnesses in hospitals nearly doubled from 116 patients on December 3 to 214 patients by December 16, city health data shows. At Northwell Health, there were 386 COVID patients on Friday across its 22 hospitals and ambulatory care centers, compared to 3,500 in April 2020.

The current portrait statewide is less sanguine. We are in the midst of a Delta surge, State Health Commissioner Mary Bassett said Thursday in a press conference. We have Omicron in the wings. Its been identified here in New York State. And we also cant forget that with winter comes seasonal influenza.

Delta has already pushed hospitalizations in the state up 70 percent since Thanksgiving, Governor Kathy Hochul said on Thursday. Medical centers have been filling up for weeks in the regions of Western New York, Finger Lakes, and North Country. There has been a 10 percent decrease in hospital capacity upstate, prompting Hochul to call on hospitals above 90 percent full to cancel elective surgeries.

The state has about 50,000 hospital beds with another 15,000 beds that can be made available when elective surgeries are canceled. Staying below the 15,000 number is crucial and as long as the rate of growth is slowed, it will give time to load balance between hospital systems, Gareth Rhodes, a former member of the states COVID-19 task force, said in an interview. At the current rate of growth in hospital numbers, it would take months to overwhelm the states hospital system and the battle now is getting through the holiday season until January when you will likely see the numbers start to go down.

The more immediate concern for hospitals are staffing shortages. Nurses, lab technicians, and support staff have steadily left the industry during the pandemic. A small number of health-care workers left the workforce due to the states vaccine mandates, but most appear to be quitting due to burnout.

Nurses in particular are in demand. City hospitals are experiencing a 13 to 14 percent turnover rate (the usual rate is 4 to 5 percent) and competition from travel nursing agencies, which pay substantially higher wages, contributed to the labor shortage. New York-Presbyterian is recruiting about 250 nurses a month, Bloomberg News reported in November. And nurses at Mount Sinai demanded the hospital step up hiring and fill 100 open positions at an early December rally.

Even if hospitals have enough beds, the nurses who remain will have more patients to manage. When we talked about bending the curve, one of the primary concerns we had was a fear the hospital system would be overwhelmed, Bill Hammond, a senior fellow of health policy at the Empire Center, an upstate think tank, said. People get sick and die all the time but the difference is if they get sick and die at a rate hospitals cant keep up with it. Thats a scary situation.

The speed of Omicrons spread appeared to catch city and state leaders by surprise. Cases doubled in a week and then again in two days. The de Blasio administration scrambled Thursday to respond, announcing the city would distribute 1 million free KN95 masks and 500,000 rapid at-home COVID tests, extend hours at testing sites to seven days a week, and increase inspections ensuring businesses follow indoor mask requirements. It is clear that the Omicron variant is here in New York City in full force, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

New Yorkers waiting for hours at COVID testing sites did not need a reminder. Long lines have snaked around the block at urgent-care clinics and NYC Health and Hospital locations across the city for several days, due to a doubling of demand, according to a top H+H official. The de Blasio administration also closed 20 city-run testing centers in November as federal funding for test and trace efforts was cut in half, The City found.

The Omicron wave is already shaping up to be the first challenge of mayor-elect Eric Adamss new administration when it begins in less than two weeks, but his plans remain vague. Adamss health transition committee had its first meeting Friday, according to members of the committee, where they discussed a response to Omicron. The day before, he announced Thursday he would build a COVID command center in downtown Brooklyn, but when a reporter asked about hospital staff shortages, Adams said he would convert the Javits Center to a field hospital again, which didnt address the nursing crunch. Adams supported the states indoor mask requirements but has expressed concern about de Blasios pending vaccination mandate for private-sector workers, saying his own team would analyze the data before he makes a decision. Adams will likely keep NYC Health and Hospitals CEO Mitchell Katz, who has run the citys COVID-testing program, a person familiar with Adams transition team told Intelligencer, but replace city health commissioner, Dr. Dave Chokshi. (Other reports have said Adams would keep Chokshi and Politico also reported Katz would likely stay on.)

Adams has resisted more aggressive measures at curbing COVID, saying, Its going to take a lot for me to lock down the city, its going to take a lot.

The incoming mayor may be right that the political support doesnt exist for citywide lockdown measures, even as New York University moved final exams online and several Broadway performances and restaurants announced closings due to COVID cases.

The reality is there are social and economic concerns the mayor and governor are balancing as well, Rachael Piltch-Loeb, an emergency preparedness fellow at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health, said. Thats why tying this to a severity indicator, like something going on with the health care system, versus a case count or case positivity rate, could be a happy medium.
After 19 years of teaching at Lee-Scott Academy, Scott Moody found a way to combine his love for learning with creativity and woodwork. That idea has a name, and that name is Chirpwood.

I wanted to do something with wood. We started out with bird feeders and birdhouses, hence the name Chirpwood, Moody said. At the end of the day, that was very difficult to compete in. But everyone loved the name, so we kept it.

Moody had no idea where the business venture would lead him; all he knew was that it was time to start a new adventure.

It came time to figure out what my next step would be, and one of the things I loved most was taking something from my brain and making it a reality, Moody said. I spent one or two years really figuring out what I wanted to do. I knew I didnt know what I was doing, and that didnt really bother me. I wanted to give it a shot.

While Moody doesnt make birdhouses now, he transformed his woodworking business into homemade frames, art kits and so much more.

We decided to do picture frames. I really enjoyed the creativity of it, and we saw we were totally different from the competition. We actually made our own molding, he said.
I don't watch the show but that'd be cute if he were to show up!



"apparently visiting the set thirty times this year."



Zendaya said this is my show



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Let him guest star and kill Nate 

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i would love nothing more and i'm sure tom would agree

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Is that Jacob's character? I havent watched in so long but I would lol at that

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he was on set so many times this season they should have just thrown him in the background of a big group scene as an easter egg like z said lol

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zach braff (ew) did this on the ted lasso episode he directed, but the scene ended up getting cut so there are just pictures of florence pugh in a richmond jersey floating around online

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One of my biggest Ted Lasso losses.

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Ew. I didn't know ZB had anything to do with Ted Lasso.

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God no. These two (and their overzealous shippers) are too much already. Let her have her own show without tying it to her current boyfriend.



Edited at 2021-12-19 08:13 pm (UTC)

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By her response it looks like she agrees with you. She was like oh yeah HBO make it happen with zero enthusiasm LOL

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this is cute but now i'm just thinking about the potential gossip of tom being on set at the same time as jacob elordi lmao

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Lol at the mental image of 58 Tom standing next to 65 Jacob and Tom trying to fight him

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The height difference could be to Toms advantage. 65 is a long way to fall and Tom being 58 means he has easier access to the legs to take him out lol

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That pretty boy elordi cant fight.

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OLD | Tom on the set of Euphoria with Jacob Elordi, Zendaya, and fans! 

#tomholland pic.twitter.com/FU7OJaCVvz  Tom Holland Updates (@tmhllandupdates) August 2, 2019 enjoy this cursed image from season one

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Tom Holland is still hoping to guest star on Zendayas show Euphoria, apparently visiting the set thirty times this year.



*Jacob Elordi sings*

Now you bring him around

Just to shut me down

Show him off like he's a new trophy

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Keep your admittedly adorable heterosexual love away from my edgy gay show

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This dude said, "I'm gonna make my relationship with my MJ/Gwen *WORK* unlike the other Spidermen. Take that, Amy!"

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nnn zendaya said 'euphoria sistren don't do it, my future ex would spoil the whole season (ps get my baby timothee on tho oop)'

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Well, every teen issues show needs the young-appearing child exploiter to try and victimize the kids. Selling the drugs and trafficking. Get in where you fit in, Tom.

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I knew nothing of Euphoria except for a still I saw. I thought it was a show about Zendaya going undercover at a school to bust a drug ring or something. When I started actually watching I was completely gobsmacked.

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there a pictures of him onset once at like 430 in the morning. the dedication to be on set even tho its not his own project <3

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I'm happy for them, but like...not ONTD turning into an Tomdaya account lol please cease

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wait till something goes wrong and everyone cancel tom lol.



Edited at 2021-12-19 09:08 pm (UTC)

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He should already be cancelled tbh but white men get extensive passes here!

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I feel like I stumbled on a student's feed.

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girl bye this is a timaya stan account

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I know nothing about this show so have him be a cross dresser.

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Edited at 2021-12-20 07:58 am (UTC)

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Saffron Urban Kitchen will open soon at 6706 Frances St. in Aksarben Village.

The restaurant, now having soft opening sessions, serves Indian food. It also has a whiskey room and event space, a chefs table and a wine bar.

Diwesh Bhattarai, who has a culinary degree from Metropolitan Community College, is the executive chef. He is originally from Butwal, Nepal, and moved to Omaha in 2007. His first job here was as a dishwasher in a local Indian kitchen.

The restaurant has been his dream for 10 years. No operating hours are available yet.

Sage Student Bistro reopens at Metro Community College

The Sage Student Bistro at Metropolitan Community College is open for the winter term.

It started serving lunches on Thursday and will begin dinners this Monday. Reservations, which are recommended, are available at opentable.com and mccneb.edu/bistro.
SantaPark, a Lapland theme park built in an old air raid shelter, decided to close its doors in March 2020, and with the pandemic continuing to keep visitors away, only reopened this winter. The park's chief experience officer, Ilkka Lankinen, recalled the mental distress of not knowing when they might return.

We missed last Christmas season totally," he said, standing in the park's Elf School, where children can take a crash course on becoming one of Santa's trusty helpers. "We tried to have the hotel open, but we also gave up on that one. So, basically, SantaPark has been closed for two years.

Sisters Laura and Anne Marie Spencer of Dublin, Ireland, originally booked their Lapland getaway for December 2020. The pandemic forced them to push back the family trip by a year.

It wasnt the only holiday that we had to rebook, but we were determined to get here, Anne Marie Spencer said.

There are currently no hugs with Father Christmas at Santa Claus Village  visitors are separated from Santa by a gingerbread cookie-shaped plexiglass screen. But returning tourists are a welcome sight for many, including a restaurant in central Rovaniemi that opened in August 2020.
Omaha police were called to disperse a large crowd Saturday night after a party turned violent at a business near 73rd and Maple Streets.

Officers from several precincts, gang and K-9 units were called to Top Flight Fitness, 7330 Maple St., a spokesman for the Police Department said Sunday.

Deputies from the Douglas County Sheriffs Office were also dispatched to help disperse the crowd that officers estimated at several hundred people, the spokesman said.

The incident began about 11:15 p.m., when a mother attempting to pick up her son called 911 to say people drinking in a parking lot were out of control. Several other calls to 911 and security officers at the scene reported multiple fights with people refusing to leave.

The owner of Top Flight Fitness was at the scene and made several requests for the crowd to leave before police arrived, the spokesman said. The owner told police that he had rented the business out for the party and needed assistance removing people from the property.
At Christmastime, full-time traffic directors were hired to control foot traffic at mall entrances.

In 1959, the fifth level was expanded for the 24-lane Sky Lanes and the Cimarron Room restaurant. Both were operated by Ben Kava. Omaha Benson graduate and nationally known entertainer Julie Wilson had a two-week engagement in the Cimarron in 1961. Kava in 1963 opened the Clink Lounge that had a jail motif. Dont miss our nightly Sing Sing at the piano bar playing your favorite tunes and Will you  be the Jailbird of the week? And be surprised with prizes were advertised.

On Oct. 17, 1969, fire destroyed the fifth level and damaged the rest of the mall. Insurance losses were reported as more than $5 million. It took more than a year to get The Center back to 80% occupancy. Kava rebuilt Sky Lanes, the Cimarron Room and the lounge that he renamed the Devils Nest. He died in 1975 in a car accident, with son Ben taking over.

The fire came when Omaha was adding larger regional malls. Crossroads opened in 1960. Wiebe built Westroads  five times larger than The Center  that opened in 1968. The city was rapidly expanding westward and the old shopping districts saw stores close or move to the Dodge corridor malls. The Center was not immune.
GREENLAND, N.H. (AP)  A New Hampshire town has resoundingly rejected a proposal to ban the use of voting machines and return to counting ballots by hand.

Voters in the town of Greenland on Saturday defeated a citizen petition that would have stopped the use of voting machines in all local, state and federal elections. Seacoastonline.com reports the vote was 1,077 against to 120 in favor of the proposal.

Town Clerk Marge Morgan told the news outlet that turnout was higher than expected and officials had to print more ballots. Greenland has a little over 4,000 residents, according to the 2020 U.S. Census.

Similar attempts to ban voting machines are under way in Hampton and Kensington, and a bill calling for a statewide ban was filed in the Legislature.
Adding justices to the Supreme Court is court packing, plain and simple. President Franklin Roosevelt explored the idea in the 1930s, after the Supreme Court struck down key parts of his New Deal. The commissions report called his attempt to pack the court a needless, futile and utterly dangerous abandonment of constitutional principle. No president has been reckless enough  or short-sighted enough  to push for it since.

President Biden notably said he was not a fan of court packing during his campaign. Then he backtracked and said he was open to the idea, giving into pressure from the far left wing of his party. He created this commission instead, leaving the problem of taking a position on this issue for another, more politically convenient day.

As the commissions own report details, court packing is often used as a political weapon in authoritarian regimes  not in the United States. In Venezuela, for example, Hugo Chavez cemented support for his socialist policies by expanding the countrys Supreme Tribunal of Justice from 20 members to 32 back in 2004. Look at all the good that did for what was once the wealthiest country in South America.
We speak of others and think of ourselves as African American, Asian American, Latino American, Native American or some other sub-group rather than just American. Born and raised in the rural Midwest, I was encouraged to think of myself as an American, just like the other local kids, even though my parents were immigrants, and I am not White. Consequently, I identified and comported myself as an American, no different than anyone else, and I believe that resulted in others treating me as such. There also seems to be a growing propensity to keep score between different segments of society, focusing on who has historically mistreated whom, fostering an us-versus-them mentality in the name of social equality.
BLOOMINGTON  Over 800 veterans are buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Bloomington.

On Saturday, dozens of people came out to honor their legacy and sacrifices made while serving the U.S. military, joining a nationwide event called Wreaths Across America.

Misty Porter, manager for Evergreen Cemetery, said at the ceremony that they werent there to decorate graves with Christmas wreaths, but to remember the lives of veterans  and not their deaths.

In total, 837 wreaths were provided for the event from community donations and local scouting groups.

Porter encouraged volunteers to say each veterans name out loud and to take a moment to thank them for serving our country after setting down a wreath at their final resting spot.

It is a small act that goes a long way towards keeping the memory of our veterans alive, Porter said.

She added that part of the event was to remember the fallen, honor those who served and teach the next generation about the value of freedom.

Military rites were also held in honor of two veterans.

Jill Henry said the rites gave a special moment to remember her father and all of the World War II veterans. Her dad, Loyde Red Henry, served in occupied Japan, and grew up in LeRoy before moving to Bloomington.

Henry's father died in 2012. She said they were provided a flag at the time, but her dad wasnt given his military rites.

Through him, I learned when people were farming, they were not drafted, Henry said. And when her father quit farming, she said, he was then deployed.

That was one thing I never knew, Henry said.

Gordon Herbert, whos in the process of moving to Bloomington, said his father-in-law was honored at the Saturday ceremony. He told The Pantagraph that James Russell Kenyon died 12 years ago and was not given his rites, either. He served in Italy during WWII.

Herbert said being part of the ceremony was heartwarming on a cold day.

Mike Scott is the Honor Guard commander for Post 635, which is mainly involved to provide ceremonial support. He said they have coordinators who work with funeral homes to provide rites to veterans, and the post expects to have gone to 102 funerals this year.

He said the Wreaths Across America event is a community thing, and its founder is enthusiastic about placing as many wreaths as possible.

Scott said hes seeing the same attendees and volunteers attend each year, plus new faces as well.

Bloomington Plumbers & Pipe Fitters Local 99 was there to help support the cause, said business agent Jay Logan, adding that many of their apprentices are veterans.

Karen Head, a leader for the American Heritage Girls, told The Pantagraph they helped bring Wreaths Across America to Evergreen Cemetery about four years ago.

She said the group had been going to Tazewell County to participate in the Washington ceremony, but they were certain there were also veterans buried in Bloomington. So, they reached out to Evergreen Cemetery and asked about hosting an event there.

Head said they started by placing just 400 wreaths and now theyve surpassed 800.

Porter said although their records tally a total of 832 veterans at her cemetery, they know there are more out there to be discovered.

She said they walked the grounds to place flags for Memorial Day, and found additional veterans who didnt have military markers.

Several death records from the 19th century were kept at the McLean County courthouse building and lost in the 1901 fire, she said.

Porter said the registries were rebuilt at the time by canvassing the grounds for information. However, she said if their grave didnt mention their service, or if the person was buried privately by their family, they may not have a service record.

With the help of Newspapers.com, family research and genealogy testing, Porter said theyve been able to help at least one family unearth their ancestors Civil War service.

Contact Brendan Denison at (309) 820-3238. Follow Brendan Denison on Twitter: @BrendanDenison

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SPRINGFIELD  A former state senator who pushed to legalize marijuana in Illinois is leaving a top government post to lobby for an organization that was instrumental in cannabis legalization in the state.

Toi Hutchinson, who became senior adviser for cannabis control to Gov. J.B. Pritzker in late 2019, stepped down from that job last week to become president and CEO of the Marijuana Policy Project. The group, known as MPP, is working to legalize cannabis in other states and at the federal level.

Hutchinson, a Democrat from the Chicago suburb of Olympia Fields, served in the state Senate from 2009 to 2019. She worked with MPP while in the Senate to approve legislation that legalized the sale and possession of recreational cannabis for adults. The law took effect in 2020.

Pritzker said it is "an immense honor for Illinois to have our own Toi Hutchinson leading the charge on a national scale, shaping the fight for cannabis justice not just in our state but in all 50 states," the Chicago Tribune reported.

"It's long past time for a federal law to move away from arcane cannabis criminalization and imprisonment and toward a justice-based model," Pritzker said.

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Our police policies need reform now. Heres new proof:

The New York Times recently found over 400 American police records of unarmed citizens killed over the past five years. Thats 400 Black, brown, and white weaponless human beings, with Blacks over-represented. Thats 400 killed while unarmed, some running away. What would be the total if all police reported such killings?

To stop this criminal injustice, local reforms are needed.

For one, real penalties for false police reports are essential. In the 32 court cases out of these 400 killings, evidence proved most reports were self-protective lies. Remember the George Floyd police report? Accidental death.

And there must be strict penalties for unjustified violence and killings. Police reputations are so intimidating that a simple stop easily arouses panic that can end in flight or resistance. The terrible tragedy is, most of these killings began small, perhaps a broken tail lightor in Floyds case, a suspected counterfeit bill. And with police revenge a possibility, only 32 of the 400 had the courage to bring charges. Only five were found guilty. And the punishments  for murder  were shameful: probation, 17 months in jail  except for the fifth one, George Floyds killer. At last, a sentence closer to justice.

The reason police gave for these killings was fear for their lives. Fear of death can be part of policing, but killing a citizen is justified only in defense against an assault with intent to kill  never against the unarmed or fleeing. And how easy it is for police officers to report a deadly attack  or arrest-resistance  that never existed.

Recently we saw another hope for justice, when the three white vigilante killers  self-appointed police who killed Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed young Black jogger  were actually found guilty by an almost all-white jury in the deep South of Georgia.

But where are the reforms we need so that false reports and unjustified police violence and killings are no longer approved? Few American cities and towns are making these changes. It can take courage to tell a police officer who is your neighbor, Policing needs reform. Yet all these 400 killings were local issues.

The cost to local governments for claims against police in that 5-year span was over $125 million. And a very subtle, but important, local cost is the vast number of future jobs and careers killed by false arrests and bad laws. Anyone with a felony has over 50 good jobs/careers cut off forever.

Proud as we are of new local policing oversight, a far bolder community push for reform is urgent. Police unions still have power to restrict fair practices, and policies too often emphasize force instead of restorative justice. Too many residents are enduring policing that could result in wrongful deaths.

We can do better. We must do better. Without police fairness and truth there can be no trust. Instead, the resulting resentment and anger will continue to feed the fires of lawlessness and disorder.

Barbara Findley Stuart, of Normal, served on the McLean County Board for 17 years.

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100 years ago

Dec. 19, 1921: Next Wednesday will see the dedication of the new gymnasium at Chenoa. It will begin with a music and literary program in the afternoon. Then from five until seven, there will be a free dinner. Piano, violin and readings make up the program; dinner will be a barbecue.

75 years ago

Dec. 19, 1946: Fire destroyed the Edgewood dance hall and skating rink at Funks Grove. Firemen were able to save the neighboring tavern and gas station, but couldnt save the dance hall. It was last used for a skating party three nights ago. Cause of the fire is unknown.

50 years ago

Dec. 19, 1971: Mr. and Mrs. I. E. Glass will retire from Caterpillar in East Peoria. Together they have 57 years of service, going back to 1943. They live at 1001 North Morris in Bloomington, so that brings up a giant statistic: an estimated half million miles in commuting.

25 years ago

Dec. 19, 1996: There will be no strike in the Bloomington schools this holiday season. District 87 teachers and the school board reached tentative agreement on a new contract during the night. Teachers will likely vote on it after the holidays. Its a one-year agreement.

Compiled by Jack Keefe; jkeefe@coldwellhomes.com.
Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia says plans are far advanced for the construction and equipping of 15 Forward Operating Bases (FOB) across the northern frontiers for the Ghana Armed Forces.



This is to enable the military to respond swiftly to any external aggression as atrocities and violent activities of extremists and terrorism organisations increased in parts of the West African sub-region.



The FOBs include Hamiley, Tumu, Navrongo, Bawku, Bunkrugu, Bimbila, Wa, Damongo, Saboba, and Jirapa.



Additionally, there will be Forward Logistics Bases in Tamale and Bolga respectively.



Vice President Bawumia announced this in Accra on Friday at the graduation parade of the Short Service Commission and Special Duties Intake 59 held at the Ghana Military Academy.



Vice President Bawumia noted that the government intended to equip the Ghana Navy with offshore patrol vessels and fast patrol boats to counter any piracy and maritime threats on the country's exclusive economic zone.



The Ghana Airforce, he said, would also receive assaulted aircrafts for their operational exigencies.



"All these investments are to ensure that the Ghana Armed Forces are well equipped and motivated to deliver on its mandate of safeguarding the peace, integrity, and security of the nation and maintaining Ghana's contribution to international peace and security," the Vice President emphasized.



A total of 88 cadets comprising 60 males and 28 females were commissioned into the Ghana Armed Forces.



The Intake was made up of first and second-degree holders from the various tertiary education institutions with qualifications such as medical officers, logistics, pharmacists, and nurses.



The cadets, as part of the training, were introduced to physical training, drills, tactics, fieldcraft, map reading, and weapon handling.



The six-month course saw the cadets also receiving lessons on military rudiments to assist in transforming them from their civilian state to prepare them ahead of future tasks in their newly acquired profession.



Dr Bawumia added that government had started strategic expansion and modernization of the Armed Forces in line with the threat analysis and marching base with the acquisition of equipment, logistics, and infrastructure development as well as increasing its manpower base.



The expansion, he said, has already seen the creation and establishment of the Army's Special Operating Brigade, the Armour Brigade, and two Mechanised Battalions.



He urged the military and other security agencies to remain undaunted in the fight against illegal mining, otherwise known as "galamsey".



"Our collective vigilance and security consciousness is key in maintaining the peace in the country," admonished the cadets, and thus, entreated them to uphold discipline, patriotism, and responsiveness to all operational exigencies.



On soldiers' welfare and accommodation, the Vice President indicated that an 832-unit accommodation ongoing at all the garrisons was at various stages of completion.



The 330-seating capacity two-storey classroom block was nearing completion while the magnificent administration block for the Ghana Military Academy was 95 percent complete, he said.



The cadets who excelled at the training were awarded certificates and plaques, with Junior Cadet Officer Fosu Vivienne emerging as the Overall Best Cadet

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The government through the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources will from next year, constitute a team to audit large-scale mining companies to ensure adherence to the mining laws and regulations.



Mr George Mireku Duker, a Deputy Minister of the Ministry in charge of Mines, made this known during an interaction with representatives of large and small-scale mining companies in Accra.



Mr Mireku Duker indicated that the purpose of the Audit Scheme was to familiarise and identify gaps in the mining industry and proffer plausible solutions to those challenges.



He gave the assurance that government would create a conducive environment for mining investors to make returns on their investments.



The Deputy Minister noted that the government was committed to empowering the youth with employable skills by ensuring that concessions and job opportunities were made available for them.



The stakeholder engagement brought together industry players from the large scale mining sector, the minerals commission, and the Ghana Chamber of Mines.



Mr Mireku Duker explained that the auditing of the mining sector would be done systematically and periodically.



The Chief Executive of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Mr Sulemanu Koney, commended the Ministry for the 3% withholding tax that has been scrapped by the government.



This implied that large-scale miners will from January 1, 2022, no longer pay the three-percent withholding tax on gold at the point of export through the Precious Minerals Marketing Company

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor, has implored the members of the Ashanti Regional House of Chiefs to embrace the Lands Act, 2020 (Act 1036) for effective and efficient administration of land in the country.



He said the new law, which revised harmonized, and consolidated existing laws relating to land, had several innovative provisions that would promote sustainable land administration and management for effective and efficient land tenure.



Mr Jinapor made the call when speaking at a meeting of the Ashanti Regional House of Chiefs.



The Minister engaged the members of the House on the Lands Act.



The engagement was at the invitation of the Ashanti Regional House of Chiefs to educate them on the provisions of the Act and to discuss matters pertaining to the lands and natural resources of our country.



The Minister explained in detail the law to the members of the House, particularly on the provisions relating to the management and administration of stool lands.



He reminded the Chiefs that they held lands in trust for their subjects, and are therefore fiduciaries, accountable to their people.



Under the Land Act, a breach of this fiduciary duty constitutes a criminal offence.



The Minister highlighted the requirement for all stools, skins, families, and clans that own land to establish a Customary Land Secretariat, and assured the Chiefs, that the Lands Commission and the Administrator of Stool Lands, would work with them to ensure that the Secretariats are established.



He also emphasized on the provisions of the law that require all allodial title holders to survey and demarcate their lands before disposing of them.



This is necessary to prevent land and boundary disputes, and to ensure that the development of such lands are in accordance with the development plans of the community.



The Chiefs raised other issues involving the management of our forest reserves and the mineral resources which the Minister took time to explain Governments policies in these areas to them.



The Minister assured the Chiefs that the Ministry would work closely with them to ensure the efficient management of the countrys lands and natural resources.



The President of the Ashanti Regional House of Chiefs and the King of the Asante Kingdom, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, who presided over the meeting, thanked the Minister for taking time to engage the House on such an important matter of great concern to the traditional authorities.



He lauded the Minister for his exemplary leadership and work at the Ministry.



The Asantehene noted that since assumption of office, Mr Abu Jinapor has discharged his duties with diligence, humility, and integrity, he called on him to continue on that same path.



On his part, the Minister thanked the House for taking the law seriously and for the invitation to engage with the House on it.



He reiterated the commitment of the Government to build an effective, transparent, responsive, and orderly land and stool land revenue administration, which is steeped in integrity, and to work with all stakeholders to ensure the efficient utilization of our natural resources for the benefit of the people of Ghana.











Source: GNA









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Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia said it will be difficult for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) to break the '8' without unity.



"Breaking the 8 wont be easy; it has not been done before but I believe if we're united we will break the eight for united we stand and divided we fall" he pointed out.



The Vice President who was addressing delegates, at the National annual conference being held in Kumasi, Sunday, also urged the party to focus on taking down their common enemy instead of themselves.



"Rather than taking each other down, we must focus on taking down the NDC...for the first time in our history, we will break the eight..." he opined.







Source: Peacefmonline.com









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The President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has called on members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to remain united as the party works to break the eight-year power cycle.



He said internal competition should not divide the party, but rather strengthen and unite them in the lead up to the election of a flagbearer for the 2024 presidential elections.



We cannot avoid competition. Competition there will be but let that competition help the party and not hinder the party so that we can break the eight in 2024, Akufo-Addo said at the annual national delegates conference of the NPP in Kumasi on Sunday (19 December).



He said breaking the eight-year power cycle will inure to the benefit of Ghanaians because it will help to sustain the economic growth seen under his administration.



We want to break the eight not just for ourselves but for Ghana because we know the zigzag, NPP comes to clean for them to be polluted, this is not the way progress will be brought to our country.



We need secure period in office to make that irreversible change in the fortunes of our nation and we are capable of doing it. We will get a candidate that will unify our party and all of us will campaign to make that candidate the next president of the Republic, Akufo-Addo said.



Daring Mahama

He added: We have spent more money in improving the circumstances of our people than any government in the Fourth Republic. So when you leave here be proud that you have produced a government that has been most diligent in improving the lives of the people than any other government in the history of this country.



All the things that we have done in government are things we thought about while in opposition, what is the one policy that the NDC and their leader John Mahama have thought about in five years that they have been in opposition. There is not one policy, the answer is zero.





Source: asaaseradio.com









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It took the baboons about three days to establish a system for choosing the same image.

French researchers have observed non-human primates developing social conventions to work together to obtain a reward, in an experiment set up with a group of baboons.

About twenty baboons raised at a primatology centre were given the task in pairs of making the same choice when each presented with a set of two images on touch screens.

If both animals made the same choice, they were rewarded with a treat.

It took the baboons about three days to establish a system for choosing the same image, even when they could not see their partners' choices, says the report, published Monday in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B.

While previous research had shown that primates were capable of social conventions like grooming, this is the first to show a new behaviour appearing spontaneously in a group, without human intervention.

The experiment was conducted by French national research institute CNRS and Aix-Marseille University.

Over the course of tens of thousands of tests the baboons developed a hierarchy for the images presented, the researchers noted.

At first the baboons could see what was happening on other animals' screens, but in the second phase of the experiment that visual cue was taken away.

"The group's performance didn't budge," the study's main author, cognitive psychology researcher Anthony Formaux told AFP.

"It surprised us when they continued to choose the same image without being able to imitate each other."

Researchers ruled out the possibility of a simple shared affinity for certain colours by repeating the experiment with black and white designs.

According to the study, for a behaviour to be considered a social convention its benefit must apply to the whole group, it must work consistently, and it must be one among several solutions.

Gestures such as shaking hands, embracing or bowing are social conventions that help groups resolve problems, it says.

"Language is one big convention," said Formaux, "From the beginning, individuals had to agree on the meanings of words."

As to how the baboons managed to share their hierarchy with one another, that remains a mystery.

"We suppose that they agreed on itbut we don't know how," Formaux said.

Explore further Experiment reveals social conventions between baboons

More information: Anthony Formaux et al, The experimental emergence of convention in a non-human primate, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (2021). Journal information: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Anthony Formaux et al, The experimental emergence of convention in a non-human primate,(2021). DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0310

 2021 AFP
Do police announce when they arent actively enforcing state vehicle and traffic laws on a given day, weekend or afternoon? They dont, for obvious reasons. They may not have a patrol car idling in the shadow of a building on Route 9 every day, but they do respond, as best they can, to reports of dangerous driving when they get a call. They are upholding state laws with the resources they have, and that response sends a message to other motorists.

That is an analogy. In the states new mask mandate, there is no mention of local police agencies being required to enforce the rule, only local public health departments, which no doubt are overextended with work already. But police are keepers of the peace and often work with other agencies in enforcement, so why run the other way now?

Do county officials believe that announcing they will not enforce the state mask mandate through use of public health departments or through local police involvement is in any way helpful to Gov. Kathy Hochuls main goal to stem the spread of COVID, prevent illness and help save one or many lives? Is enforcement going to be left up to a 16-year-old working a counter or a front desk of a gym? When waitstaff dont wear masks, which was seen in one local establishment last week, who do you call?

Our leaders are making a political point but are passing the buck to nowhere and creating confusion for the public in doing so. Public health continues to be in crisis nationally due to these types of turf wars.

Warren and Washington counties sent out news releases Tuesday, a day following Saratoga Countys similar announcement, to say they wont be following up on mask complaints. A number of other Republican-led counties have taken similar positions.

Why, at least, wasnt a middle step announced involving counties turning over complaint calls to the state police and the state Department of Health? These terse announcements read like political pushback, nothing more. At a minimum, police departments and public health departments can check out reports of noncompliance with a phone call to a store, restaurant or office manager. These calls can be effective reminders about a state law or mandate. There is a big divide between those steps and the more involved effort to level a fine against a business for noncompliance, and our elected leaders know this.

County officials  sheriffs offices and prosecutors on the criminal side, county attorneys on the civil side, and other departments  do not have to impose every available penalty. They can and should use some degree of discretion in most cases. But to immediately step on the soapbox and shout that staffing issues will prevent all local mask enforcement is counterproductive to the public health intent of the mandate. You dont have to like the mandate to recognize the science and timing behind it.

These public announcements of non-enforcement instill confusion in residents and run counter to the many extraordinary efforts of front-line workers to get this pandemic under control. Our local counties should put politics aside, set an example and rethink these all-or-nothing stances.

Local editorials are written by The Post-Star editorial board, which includes Ben Rogers, president and director of local sales and marketing; Brian Corcoran, regional finance director and former publisher; and Bob Condon, local news editor.

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CHESTER  Fred Monroe, who served as Chester town supervisor for 24 years and was the chairman of the Warren County Board of Supervisors from 2008 through 2010, has died.

State Sen. Dan Stec, R-Queensbury, served on the board alongside Monroe.

Stec said in a statement that he saw Monroe as a friend who was helpful during his tenure in the state Legislature.

Fred, for so many reasons, will be dearly missed and his passion for our region wont be forgotten, Stec said.

The Warren County Board of Supervisors said in a news release that Monroe was instrumental during his tenure on the board with helping to disentangle both Warren and Washington County from expensive contracts related to the Hudson Falls trash incinerator.

Former Queensbury at-Large Supervisor Nick Caimano said he made it a point to speak with Monroe when he found out how serious his illness had become.

It was a good conversation, and Im glad I had that conversation before he passed away, he said.

Caimano served on the Warren County Board of Supervisors for 16 years, and worked closely with Monroe. He said that he was able to learn so much from Monroe during that time.

He was always there working hard; he never got excited, but he always wanted to get the job done right for the people, Caimano said.

The big thing that he was able to work on with Monroe was the trash plant in Hudson Falls.

Caimono said Monroe led the committee of 16 individuals from both Warren and Washington County for eight years.

Caimano said the committee was ready to throw their hands up and call it quits because of how difficult it was to get out of the incinerator deal.

Because (Monroe) was so hard-pressed to keep going, he had ideas, we saved millions of dollars for taxpayers, he said.

It was a long eight years, but Caimano said with Monroes leadership the committee was able to get the work done and do what was best for the residents of the two counties.

I can remember meeting after meeting over the eight years where some of us, including myself, who was behind Fred all the time, but I couldnt see how we could do it, Caimano said. But Fred said weve got to do it...he got it done.

Monroe was a lawyer who served as a court attorney in Essex County Court, and operated a private law practice. He was a longtime advocate for the rights of landowners, businesses and residents in the Adirondacks.

After leaving elected office, Monroe focused his time on the Adirondack Local Government Review Board, which he was the chairman of from 2005 through 2018. He served as the communications director for the agency after that, sending out his daily news emails until recently, when his illness became worse.

Monroe also was one of the founders of the Adirondack Association of Towns and Villages. He served on the Intercounty Legislative Committee of the Adirondacks and the New York State Forest Preserve Advisory Committee for the Adirondacks and the Catskills.

He was the salutatorian of the Chestertown High School graduating class of 1962. After graduating from Siena College with a degree in physics in 1966, he served in the U.S. Air Force from 1966 to 1972. He then graduated cum laude from Syracuse Law School in 1976.

Fred was as genuine, thoughtful and kind a person as we have known, said Warren County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Rachel Seeber. He will be deeply missed.

Former state Senator Betty Little worked with Monroe when she was first on the Warren County Board of Supervisors. She said that his work ethic was second to none.

Little described him as a sincere, good and smart man.

He was a person that you asked about the laws and regulations in the Adirondack Park and the legality of them. He was just really knowledgeable about Adirondack issues. I dont think anybody legislatively did much without checking with him first on it, she said.

Chester Town Supervisor Craig Leggett said that Monroes impact on his town, the county and the Adirondack region as a whole is immeasurable.

He served with dignity and grace and his presence will be missed by all, he said.

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Now is just not the time, said Wildwood Crest Mayor Don Cabrera. He cited recent labor shortages, saying it will be difficult to staff up a beach tag team, and added that there will be two new members of the Board of Commissioners in January as a result of the November election.

In previous interviews, and last week, Cabrera said he believes beach tags are on the way to the Wildwoods, sooner or later. Its not fair to keep looking to local taxpayers to fund the beach operations, he said early this year.

Byron is looking at the potential revenue.

Ive said this before: There are already beach fees in the Wildwoods. They are called taxes, he said.

Currently, the full cost of the lifeguards, of beach maintenance and other expenses fall to municipal taxpayers, he said.

That money could be used for other purposes, Byron said, possibly allowing the city to accelerate long-term plans for the reconstruction of the Boardwalk. The first phase of that project began this year, but with a total cost estimated in the tens of millions of dollars, the complete work is expected to drag on for years.
VINELAND  Neighbors say a fatal early morning police shooting at a New Jersey mobile home park over the weekend was preceded by a man driving a backhoe that damaged several vehicles and a home.

A Vineland police officer fired during an encounter at the Penn Lincoln Mobile Home Park in Vineland at about 5:30 a.m. Saturday, the New Jersey attorney generals office said. The man was pronounced dead at the scene less than 20 minutes later.

Neighbors told reporters that before the shooting, the backhoe driver overturned several cars, including a police sport utility vehicle and an ambulance. The driver also did major damage to another police SUV and a civilian sedan, and destroyed the front porch of a home.

Its like a hurricane came through here, neighbor Diane Trout told WCAU-TV. Just total destruction.

She said she is friends with the woman whose front porch was destroyed, and the backhoe also ripped a hole in the front of the home.

I feel so bad for her, she was upset and crying, Trout said. Its Christmas!
Newsom is proposing to infringe on Californians Second Amendment rights to make a point. Eventually, those rights would be vindicated by the courts, just as the right to abortion in Texas would in theory be vindicated unless the Supreme Court overturns Roe. Newsoms stated goal is to show that the Supreme Courts Texas decision has opened the door to state interference with constitutional rights.

As Justice Sonia Sotomayor explained in an opinion joined by the courts other two liberals, something is terribly wrong with this picture. If constitutional rights exist, they must be able to be vindicated in court. To use a centuries-old legal adage, where there is a right, there should be a remedy. If no remedy is quickly available, then there is no right in the truest sense.

For liberals to give up this principle is for them to give up on the rule of law as a mechanism for protecting equality and liberty. In the face of a conservative Supreme Court majority, its tempting to throw up ones hands and give up on the whole enterprise. But the point of liberalism is, or has always been, that principles such as liberty, equality and the rule of law deserve protection for their own sake. We concede defeat where we must in order to preserve the opportunity to promote those causes when we can.

Trump may be back in office someday. If he is, we are going to need the courts to protect against his potential disrespect for the Constitution and American institutions. Now that the Supreme Court is conservative, its the wrong time to sell those out.

Noah Feldman is professor of law at Harvard University and was a clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter.
Adults are continually looking for ways to shield youths from issues that are an inevitable part of growing up in the 21st century. Its not to say that all teens should be given free access to the internet all day, every day. We all know adolescents can be impulsive and irrational, but they are also smarter and more capable than we give them credit for.

Its during this time that teens get to explore who they are, mistakes and all. It is in adolescence that they begin to have abstract thoughts, challenge the status quo, define their sense of self and create a sense of innovation. Adolescence is when we as human beings get to flourish, and social media have the power to magnify that important growth.

Instead of restricting social media usage or access to pornography, we should be cultivating open conversations about them. Because it is not the internet that is causing harm; its the lack of education. Teens need to be taught about healthy boundaries when it comes to social media and that responsibility lies with parents, teachers and anyone with a teen in their life.

Lets talk to teens about how social media platforms make them feel; about how what we see on the internet is not always the truth. Lets educate our teens on boundaries and online safety; on healthy and fulfilling sexual relationships. Teens want to be treated like adults, and we can provide them with that little bit of freedom by talking to them, not hiding things from them.

Emma McCarthy is a health communications writer and the creator of Public Health 4 All.
Johnson's government is also under fire over reports that officials held Christmas parties last year when pandemic rules barred such gatherings.

Adding to his problems with the so-called partygate scandal, Johnson's choice to investigate the claims had to step aside after he also was tied to such parties.

Simon Case, the head of the civil service, stepped aside from from the investigation after the Guido Fawkes website reported Friday that his department held two parties in December 2020.

The scandal erupted when a video surfaced showing a mock news conference at which some of Johnsons staff appeared to make light of a party that violated the pandemic rules. Until that time, the prime minister had steadfastly denied government officials had broken any lockdown rules.

The Times of London newspaper reported Saturday that one of the events held by Cases department, the Cabinet Office, was listed in digital calendars as Christmas party! and was organized by a member of Cases team.

The Cabinet Office said Friday that the event was a virtual quiz in which a small number of people who had been working together in the same office took part from their desks.

The Cabinet Secretary played no part in the event but walked through the teams office on the way to his own office, the office said in a statement. No outside guests or other staff were invited or present. This lasted for an hour and drinks and snacks were bought by those attending. He also spoke briefly to staff in the office before leaving.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Nobody wants a repeat of last years postal delivery delays during the holidays, especially not my fellow postal workers.

After working as a postal clerk for 30 years, Im now the elected president of an American Postal Workers Union local in Springfield, Massachusetts. All of my locals members are working hard to make sure that gifts and greeting cards get where they need to go on time.

The distribution center in Springfield operates 24/7 and mostly processes packages, which are expected to hit record volumes again this season. About 90% of the 900 employees here have agreed to work overtime hours until after the holiday season  some of them putting in 16-hour days, seven days a week.

Postal employees are doing everything within our power to maintain the trust the American people have had in the U.S. Postal Service. The problem is, not everything is within our power. We need strong leadership in Washington, D.C., to ensure that the Postal Service remains a vital institution serving all Americans.

During the pandemic, weve faced extraordinary challenges. When the economy virtually shut down in early 2020, essential postal workers stayed on the job, making huge efforts to meet the surge in demand for home deliveries.
Police have made an arrest in an early morning shooting in downtown Rapid City.

According to social media posts by the police, "29-year-old Isaiah Murcado of Rapid City has been taken into custody for Aggravated Assualt in relation to today's early morning shooting near Main Street and 9th Street."

The circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation. Before 2 a.m. Saturday, police responded to the intersection of Main Street and 9th Street for a report of shots fired in the area. On arrival to the location, police located a man who had been shot.

The post said the man was taken to the hospital for the treatment of serious injuries that did not appear to be life-threatening.

The post said, "This appears to be the result of of an altercation between two parties who had become known to each other over the course of the evening and we do not believe there to be an ongoing threat to public safety."

With this incident occurring near closing times for most bars, dozens of bystanders were present at the time of the shooting. Police are encouraging anyone with any information about or video of the incident to call 605-394-4131. An anonymous tip can also be submitted by texting the letters 'RCPD' and the information to 847411.

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HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  Gov. Tom Wolf's administration and a voting-system manufacturer are trying to prevent Republican lawmakers from expanding what they call a forensic investigation of Pennsylvania's 2020 election to a new front: inspecting voting machines.

It is another step driven by former President Donald Trumps baseless claims about election fraud.

Lawyers for Wolf's top election official, Veronica DeGraffenreid, asked a court late Friday afternoon to stop a digital data exchange scheduled for next Wednesday in southern Pennsylvania's sparsely populated Fulton County.

The election equipment used in last year's presidential election in the heavily Republican county has already been decertified by the state after Fulton County let a software company inspect the equipment. The firm  West Chester-based software company Wake TSI  was not federally accredited to inspect voting machines, and it later played a role in Republicans widely discredited partisan "audit" in Arizona.

Allowing a similarly unaccredited and inexperienced contractor hired by Pennsylvania's Senate Republicans to obtain digital data from the equipment will spoil evidence in Fulton County's lawsuit challenging the state's decertification, lawyers for DeGraffenreid wrote in a court filing.

On Dec. 10, the investigating committee chair, Sen. Cris Dush, R-Jefferson, sent a letter requesting the digital data from the election computers and hardware used in the 2020 election by Fulton County.

Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems warned Fulton County that granting the Senate Republicans' contractor access to its equipment to get the digital data violates their contract.

But Dominion  whose voting equipment has been at the center of some of the most feverish conspiracy theories about last year's presidential election  said Fulton County has a backup copy of the data that it could simply provide without granting access to Dominion's equipment.

However, a lawyer representing Fulton County, Tom King, said in an interview Saturday that digital election data is not only what Dush wants.

Rather, Dush wants the Senate Republicans contractor, Envoy Sage, to conduct a forensic investigation to determine if Dominions equipment used there was the same equipment as was certified by the state of Pennsylvania for use in last years election, King said.

I think people simply want to know whether what was used in Fulton County was in fact the equipment that was certified for Dominion to supply in Pennsylvania or whether it wasnt," King said. Whether it was or wasnt is not clear to us at this point.

King said a county commissioner who spoke with Dush told him that the thrust of the inquiry was about the Dominion equipment. Wake TSI's inspection did not cover that, King said.

Voting systems that pass anti-tampering tests are certified by states. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission accredits labs to test voting machines and provides guidance to states on how to maintain a chain of custody over voting systems.

King said granting the request is allowed under the contract and that he views Envoy Sage as highly qualified to do the work. Separately, King also said that the exercise will not affect the court case or the states rights in court.

Court arguments were scheduled for Tuesday.

Trump and his allies have applied ongoing pressure in those battleground states where he lost to Democrat Joe Biden  including in Pennsylvania  for his allies to investigate ballots, voting machines and voter rolls for evidence to support their baseless claims about election fraud.

Dush  who has advocated for overturning Bidens victory over Trump in Pennsylvania  did not say why he is seeking the access, or whether he is seeking similar access in other counties.

He did not return a message about it.

Dush has insisted the undertaking has nothing to do with Trump or trying to overturn last years presidential election, but rather is about fixing problems in the states elections.

In any case, analyzing voting machine data is not specifically outlined in the Senate Republicans' $270,000 contract with Envoy Sage, raising the question of whether Trump-aligned groups are footing part of the bill, as they did in the Arizona undertaking.

Dush has said he wanted to bring the Arizona-style election audit to Pennsylvania.

Unlike in Arizona, a subpoena approved by Dush's Republican-controlled state Senate committee to Pennsylvania election officials stopped short of demanding ballots and voting machines, and other counties have rebuffed less formal requests.

But in Fulton County, Dush has found a willing partner.

There, Trump won more than 85% of last years vote, according to official returns, and registered Republican voters outnumber Democrats by 7 to 2.

In post-election internal emails released through public records requests, Fulton Countys two Republican commissioners expressed solidarity with Republican senators who later sought to block Pennsylvanias electoral votes from being cast for Biden. One wrote, We cant let this election get stolen.

No prosecutor, judge or election board in Pennsylvania has raised a concern about widespread fraud in 2020s election, and courts at all levels have rejected claims about fraud, irregularities and violations.

Follow Marc Levy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/timelywriter.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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In 1969, Holton became the first Republican elected governor of Virginia since 1881. His election began decades of robust two-party competition as Virginia threw off vestiges of the segregationist Democratic machine of Harry F. Byrd Sr.

From Holtons election to the election of Republican Youngkin on Nov. 2, Virginians have elected seven Republican governors and seven Democratic governors.

Holton was the father-in-law of Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., a Democrat who served as governor from 2006 to 2010. Anne Holton, another of the late governors four children, lived in the Executive Mansion as a child and then again as first lady.

Holton, born in Big Stone Gap, was renowned for his political perseverance. He lost two campaigns for the House of Delegates in the 1950s and his first bid for governor in 1965, but defeated Democrat William Battle for governor in 1969.

He and his wife, Virginia Harrison Rogers, known as Jinks, married in 1953.
Her baby nestled on her chest for two minutes before the nurse asked if she could take him away to be cleaned up. They placed the baby in the incubator, his dad snapped a few photos  and then they realized the newborn was having trouble breathing.

The staff at LewisGale Medical Center whisked the baby from the delivery room and explained to his mom, Randi Scott, they were going to take a closer look at him. Within 10 minutes, staffers returned to tell her that her sons right lung had collapsed and he would need to be transported to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, about six miles away.

At that time, in October 2020, LewisGale did not have a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to treat Scotts son, Sawyer.

Scott spent moments saying goodbye to her new baby before he left with a medical team and was rushed to Roanoke, an anxious journey of about 20 minutes  if traffic cooperates.

All I could do was cry and think, Oh my gosh, Im going to lose my baby and Im not even going to be there to see him, she said.

Numerous mothers who delivered their babies at LewisGale in Salem have faced the same situation. Since 2011, the hospital has sought approval from the state to open its own NICU, and each time its request was denied.

In Virginia, certain health services must negotiate a dense bureaucratic approval process in order to expand or open facilities, including NICUs. Providers must prove to a state regulatory body that their community needs the services. This can be based on population and access to medical care in the area.

For many years, the state ruled that LewisGale did not meet the requirements for a NICU because of Carilions nearby 60-bassinet unit.

A protracted series of bureaucratic and political wrangling occurred in Richmond. Carilion Clinic, LewisGales closest medical competitor, initially opposed approval of another NICU, but dropped that stance in 2020.

Then, in early November, state health department commissioner Norman Oliver issued LewisGale a certificate of public need that will allow the hospital to open its own NICU and serve newborns who need its services.

Oliver, in granting the certificate, said the status quo was no longer acceptable.

Approval of the project would reduce the frequency of unnecessary, disruptive and risky transport of certain pregnant women and infants that may be reasonably cared for at LewisGale Medical Center if the project would be approved, he said.

Dr. John Harding, an obstetrician-gynecologist at LewisGale, said the need has always been present.

Its hard to separate a mom and a baby when a baby has to go to the NICU, Harding said. Its hard to look a patient in the eye and say it. Ive come to tears at these meetings.

LewisGale CEO Lance Jones said the NICU will be a part of ongoing renovations in the labor and delivery unit. Construction will start early next year and the NICU could be up and running as soon as fall 2022.

The hospital plans to have six bassinets in the unit and staff that will be ready to handle lower levels of care. If a baby needs more intensive, life-saving measures, they will still be transported to Roanoke Memorial or another facility. But Harding said the NICU will also allow the staff to better stabilize infants before they leave for a different hospital.

LewisGale has delivered more than 1,100 babies so far this year and is on track to break its record.

Harding said the labor and delivery units renovations have made it a destination for mothers in the region. New birthing tubs and suites, the ability to use laughing gas during delivery and a new midwife practice have attracted more patients.

Scott, who lives about 40 miles away in Natural Bridge, specifically selected LewisGale after hearing about great experiences her friends had there. Her nearest hospital, Carilion Rockbridge Community Hospital in Lexington, stopped delivering babies years ago. All of Scotts other options were also an hour away.

Scott, and her husband Austin, visited their son Sawyer at Roanoke Memorial the day after he was born. But due to COVID-19 precautions, only one of them could enter the NICU at a time.

Sawyer was Austins first baby and he video-called his wife when he held the boy in the NICU, asking whether he was doing it correctly, she said. The two of them drove from Natural Bridge to Roanoke twice a day to spend time with their son.

Sawyer stayed in the hospital for three days before coming home. Hes now a happy and healthy one-year-old.

Scott said her experience with the staff at LewisGale was perfect and shes thrilled the hospital will now have NICU services available.

No mother should ever have to go through delivering their child and then not even get to spend time with them, she said. After having a baby, youre emotional anyway, but it definitely made it 100 times worse. It was devastating.

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Students at Franklin County High School will soon have the opportunity to enroll in a brand new course. The Franklin County School Board voted on Dec. 13 to approve a new real estate course that will be taught by Lee Frye.

Students learn to apply real estate principles such as sales, real estate financing, ownership rights, investments, ethics and laws, the application for the new course read. The course will be part of the schools business department.

Students who are interested in the new course are required to take one of the following pre-requisites before enrolling: marketing, principles of business and marketing, entrepreneurship education or digital and social media marketing.

The application for the course noted that it meets the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational regulations, which requires 60 class hours of real estate salesperson pre-license education. Students who successfully complete the course will be eligible to take the Virginia real estate salesperson licensing exam.

I think in our county its an excellent idea, Jon Crutchfield, principal at Franklin County High School, said. He anticipates demand for the course will be quite high. It gives our students another sequence they can take with either marketing or entrepreneurship.

Crutchfield noted that the course will not cost the division anything to offer it. The online textbook for the course will be paid for by Perkins funds.

Several members of the board voiced their support for the course. The course proposal was later unanimously approved.

Laura Benjamin, the chief executive officer of the Roanoke Valley Association of Realtors, applauded the divisions decision to offer a real estate course. We are delighted to learn of the Franklin County School Boards decision to incorporate real estate in their business department, she said. Teaching young people the importance of real estate at this stage of their life will give them a better understanding of the value of homeownership as well as how important real estate is to a the stability of a community as a whole.

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The Franklin County Planning Commission is moving forward with a new zoning ordinance for solar power generation facilities that is expected to provide additional protections for the county.

A rough draft of the new ordinance was completed Dec. 14.

Work has been ongoing on a new solar ordinance for the past few months. The decision for the new ordinance came shortly after energy company Energix US proposed a new solar farm in Westlake back in April.

In June, Engergix US agreed to postpone their proposal for the solar farm to allow Franklin County time to update its regulations and zoning ordinance on solar farms. The company eventually scrapped their proposal in September after some public backlash.

The new solar ordinance being developed by the county will provide more control over how a facility will not only be constructed and operate, but also how solar panels are decommissioned and removed when they are no longer being used. The new ordinance would greatly expand current zoning ordinance for solar facilities.

Earlier this year, Appalachian Power Co. announced it was taking bids for solar projects with more requests for proposals expected in the coming years. The influx is due to the the Clean Economy Act passed last year that requires utilities to provide totally carbon-fee electricity to its Virginia customers by 2050.

Franklin County has also received additional interest from energy companies looking to construct solar farms in the county. Energix US is currently considering another location for its solar farm in the Wirtz area.

At its Dec. 14 meeting, the commission agreed to hold a public hearing on the newly proposed solar ordinance. The meeting will be held on Jan. 11.

We need to talk to the public and see if we are on the right page, said Sherri Mitchell, chairman and Snow Creek District representative.

If approved by the planning commission on January, the solar ordinance would move to the county Board of Supervisors for final approval and adoption in February.

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Approximately one in six authorized police officer jobs is vacant at the Roanoke Police Department, a high degree of understaffing that has decimated specialized police teams in the thick of a crime wave.

It comes at a time of division over the police chief, with some officers saying he isnt meeting their expectations.

Chief Sam Roman said hes open to officer feedback. He had little else to say about the results of a recent officer survey that gave him mixed marks. He addressed the police officer shortage head-on.

The shortage of officers has a direct impact on his departments ability to deal with violence, the chief said.

Approximately 44 budgeted police officer jobs are open, versus 38 in June. A former police official recalled a previous norm of 12 to 15 openings at one time.

At least 90 officers have left the department since January 2020, officials said.

Officials promised a strong response to increasing gun crime that has primarily impacted African American communities in the city, but a lack of officers derailed a plan to create a gang investigation unit.

Patrol platoons are at full staff, officials said.

Most communities in the state and country have also seen resources shrink while, in many cases, violence increased.

I know of no departments that are up to snuff, said Sean McCowman, who directs the Virginia Police Benevolent Association. I think maybe Warrenton is one where the chief told me he has a full complement. The state troopers are down somewhere around 400.

Fewer people are entering the profession, while experienced officers are leaving their jobs closer in time to their retirement dates.

Roanokes police department faces other issues as well, including reported low morale and disapproval among some officers with the job performance of the chief.

The average police department vacancy rate is 7%, according to a study by the Police Executive Research Forum, a Washington professional organization on policing and criminal justice.

Vacancies at RPD represent 17 percent of the 264 jobs for sworn personnel in this years budget.

But the shortage is even greater than those statistics from the city administration reflect, according to the Roanoke City Police Association, which explained that employees who are on leave or still in training are not available to fight crime.

Overall, theres a great deficit of officers that were working with right now, said Joel Patrick, president of the Roanoke City Police Association and a sergeant in the patrol division. The shortage is the worst he has seen in his 17 years with Roanoke police, he said.

The association, a nonprofit membership and charitable group, recently surveyed officers on morale and related issues, received 101 replies and forwarded results to the city. The Roanoke Times obtained a copy from city officials.

Sixty-four percent of respondents said they had low morale, while another 32% had somewhat low morale. That totals 96%. In addition, 71% said their morale fell since last years survey and 69% said they had looked for another job within the past year.

Seventy-one percent of respondents marked fails to meet expectations when asked about Roman. Nearly 27% indicated that they think the chief meets expectations, while 2% thought he exceeded them.

At a Tuesday interview, Roman said he had not yet seen the survey or the written remarks entered by respondents, which included Need new chief, the Chief has to go!! and Remove Sam Roman.

Friday, after obtaining a copy, Roman said through a spokeswoman that he is committed to listening, learning, and doing what he can to make the Roanoke Police Department the best place to work for a law enforcement officer.

There is no indication that any changes are coming to Romans job status.

Major Sherman Lea voiced his unconditional support for Roman, saying he is doing a good job. The citys rash of gun violence is not a failure of the police, Lea has said.

City Manager Bob Cowell said: Policing is in a difficult place nationally as well as here locally, as those involved continue to adapt to a more challenging environment where greater accountability is also demanded by those they report to and serve. I have complete confidence that the chief and his command staff working together with the officers and the community will meet these demands and thrive in this new environment.

The violent surge in Roanoke began in 2020, the year of the onset of the pandemic in March and the police killing of George Floyd in May. Shootings soared nearly 60 percent in the city in 2020 compared to 2019 and this year was worse than last year.

Between Jan. 1, 2020, and Dec. 6, 2020, there were 53 shootings in which a victim was hit by gunfire in the city, compared to 66 for the same period this year, according to Roanoke police data. Ten people were killed during those 340 days in 2020, compared to 15 this year, the data showed.

This year, nearly two-thirds of the shootings occurred in northwest Roanoke. Two-thirds of those shot were Black men and boys. Either the shooter or victim belonged to a gang in 61% of the incidents, officials have said.

The chief acknowledged an officer shortage exists and confirmed that data shows it has grown slightly worse since summer.

Obviously, it is to the point now where, you know, it is far worse than we ever would like to see it. But, of course, thats a national trend. We are seeing currently that law enforcement in some cases is not the most desirable field right now, said Roman, a veteran law enforcement officer and former Lexington police chief.

In addition to cutting the gang investigation unit to what Patrick said is a lone supervisor, the department dissolved several specialized units to free up officers for patrol, including the violence-suppression task force, traffic safety unit, community engagement unit and strategic response unit.

The department currently assigns two officers as school resource officers compared with nine in past years.

Prevention of crime, and the arrest of those who commit violent acts, are fundamental police duties, the chief said.

So the more people we have to actively do that, I think the more effective and efficient we can be. And so low numbers have a direct impact on our ability to go out and effectively and efficiently deal with violent crime, he said.

Roman expects all officers to work on the objectives of the dissolved specialized units and the gang investigation unit between regular calls and duties.

Were asking more of our officers, he continued, to make up for the officers not here.

Our duties dont go away, we still have to get that job done. So we find innovative ways to try to still make that happen. But if we had more officers, could we do that in a more effective way? Absolutely, Roman said.

The department last year responded to 95,291 calls and requests for service, according to its annual report. Roanokes population reached 100,011 people last year.

Patrick, with the police association, distinguished Roanoke from those police forces where officers left the profession due in large part to public criticism of police, public demands to cut police budgets or actual cuts.

I dont think a majority of the citizens in Roanoke are in favor of defunding the police. I think they are very supportive of the police. From what we see out on the street, there are a lot of people that thank us for what we do and are very appreciative of what we do. I dont think the citizens are affecting the decision of the officers to leave, he said.

Although some former Roanoke officers have left police work altogether, what is going on is we have a lot of officers that are leaving the city and they are going to work at other law enforcement agencies around the area, which advertise that they will match what Roanoke PD pays, he said.

Patrick also named other issues that have prompt officers to leave. They include pay; burnout due to the high level of calls in the city; frustration over the elimination of specialized units; dissatisfaction with results Roanoke prosecutors achieve in the courtroom; and dissatisfaction with management.

Theyre looking for leadership and answers and some do not feel that those answers are coming quickly enough, Patrick said.

Roman said he knew some officers felt regret and concern about the realignment. By slashing specialized assignments, Roman said he avoided the possibility of a situation in which mandatory overtime might have become needed.

However, there are reasons to have hope.

Roman said he sees some promising signs around hiring that could ease the shortage next year. Recently nearly three times as many individuals applied, passed initial testing and entered the next phase of the hiring process  a background check  than in the past, Roman said. Two classes of men and women who want to be police officers police may train simultaneously next year, a first, he said.

Roman relaxed a policy that allows officers to take home their police car when they go off duty to include officers living, not just in the city, but also a certain distance outside the city.

To ease the pressure on officers, the city set up an online crime reporting tool for non-emergency matters 13 months ago.

Investigators are making cases. Officers arrested 14 people and seek to arrest two more in connection with the 64 shootings during the first 340 days of this year. Investigators consider 15 more cases active and 27 inactive, meaning the probe has gone as far as it can based on available information. Inactive cases can go active anytime. Detectives closed another six cases for such reasons as victims refusing to cooperate or the discovery that a shooting was an accident.

The Roanoke City Council will vote Monday on issuing the latest in a series of bonuses for police officers. Four bonus rounds have already occurred. The city also offers a recruitment bonus and a transfer bonus to attract officers from other communities.

This is on top of higher starting pay and the establishment of the first step pay plan, which is programmed to increase the police payroll by $3 million over three years, Cowell said. Phase one is in effect and phase two is scheduled to begin July 1; officials will determine if they could have enough money to also implement phase three July 1.

In addition, Roanoke has set up a Roanoke Gun Violence Prevention Commission to engage residents in community-based strategies to prevent, intervene and respond to gun violence. Nearly 20 initiatives have been launched or will launch in 2022, officials said. These include dialogue groups, youth education programs, support for parents, mentoring, a survey, a marketing campaign, conflict resolution training, trauma training, counseling, grants, visits to homes and neighborhoods where violence has taken place and support for victims and their families.

Playing a part are representatives of neighborhood groups, nonprofit organizations, religious and spiritual communities, schools, colleges, universities, health care providers, mental health care providers, youth services providers and police.

The days of just expecting law enforcement to take care of all of this are behind us, said Councilman Joe Cobb. Police have a particular and very important and critical role to play but, as a community, we need to claim our responsibility in addressing this challenge and I think we are rising to that occasion.

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The Franklin County Planning Commission agreed to hold a vote next month on a long gestating proposal by Blue Ridge Towers to construct a communications tower in Westlake.

The plan includes trying to make the tower look as much like a tree as possible.

The tower would be the latest of several constructed by Blue Ridge Towers in the county to provide fixed wireless broadband internet service to residents. A final vote on the tower has been delayed for months due to its proximity to the Booker T. Washington National Monument.

The proposed location of the tower would be behind Grand Home Furnishings in Westlake.

Blue Ridge Towers requires a special-use permit from the county to construct the tower. That vote has been delayed to allow time for Blue Ridge Towers to work with the State Historic Preservation Office and the Federal Communications Commission to find ways to minimize the impact of the tower on the national park.

Staff at Booker T. Washington National Monument have expressed concern that the tower, located less than a mile away, could damage the parks viewshed. The park maintains a view of the 1860s for its visitors who want to see what the area was like during the time of Booker T. Washington.

At the Dec. 14 planning commission meeting, Blue Ridge Towers President Anthony Smith said the FCC had recently ruled that the importance of broadband internet for the community outweighed any visual impact to the park. He asked to move the project forward to allow enough time to hit an April deadline the county currently has in place.

Smith said he has agreed to lower the tower from 175 feet to 160 feet and to use either a monopine tower that would resemble a pine tree or a flush mount tower with the structures less noticeable at the top of the tower. Smith said the flush mount tower could also be painted to blend in better.

This tower is a vital part of the fixed wireless project, Smith said.

He stated the tower was necessary to provide fixed wireless to other surrounding towers.

While there has been some pushback from Booker T. Washington National Monument, Smith said he has worked to find the best solution.

Im certain weve done everything to mitigate our impact on the park, he said.

Smith requested that the planning commission hold a vote on the tower at the Dec. 14 meeting, but some members thought it was too soon. Gills Creek District representative Jim Colby said the commission should wait until next month when they have more information.

For me, this is too fast, he said.

The commission agreed to hold a vote on the proposal at its next meeting on Jan. 11. The proposal would also be fast tracked and go to the county Board of Supervisors for a public hearing and final vote the following week on Jan. 18 instead of the following month.

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Gov. Ralph Northams press secretary said Saturday that the governor is reversing a decision by his health commissioner to lay off 14 people who monitor drinking water in Virginia.

The announcement saves the jobs of 11 full-time and three part-time employees in the state Department of Healths Office of Drinking Water. It comes three days after the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported on the layoffs and how they would have canceled 180 years of combined experience by six engineers who serve as field directors across the state.

The Governor has directed the Department of Health and the Department of Planning and Budget to fix the Office of Drinking Waters budget shortfall now so that no one will lose their positions  this office and these individuals are too important to do otherwise, Alena Yarmosky, the governors press secretary, said in an email.

The individuals affected are being notified now and we will work with the Office of Drinking Water to ensure their budget practices do not put them in this unfortunate situation again.

The Department of Health cited a budgeting error in 2019 as the reason for the layoffs. Yarmosky said the Department of Planning and Budget considers it a spending error by the Office of Drinking Water. That year, the office director approved pay raises for 55 employees and opened a field office of four people in Richmond.

Norm Oliver, the state health commissioner, said in an interview this week that the office director got bad information from Department of Health administrators. Despite the state being flush with cash, including proposing to add positions in the office to carry out new projects with federal money, Oliver defended the layoffs.

That did not make sense to officials involved in water monitoring, because those to be laid off included the field directorsthe most experienced people in the office of just over 100 employees which already has vacancies the director says are prompting extra work without extra pay.

The office monitors water quality across the state, enforces drinking water standards in state and federal law, handles inspections and permits, and assists with lab testing.

The Virginia Rural Water Association wrote a letter to the state saying the layoffs were reckless and irresponsible and would have lasting effects on the states ability to monitor drinking water systems.

Oliver said he did not notify his boss, the health secretary, about the layoffs, which were to go into effect Jan. 9.

Within days of the Governors office first hearing of this issue, it has been resolved, Yarmosky wrote, adding that the governors office had no knowledge of the layoffs until they were reported by The Times-Dispatch.

People involved in waterworks said they were shocked that state employees who put their heart and soul into safe drinking water were considered expendable.

Jesse Royall, a longtime member of the state Waterworks Advisory Committee, said he was thankful the governor re-evaluated the decision. The Governor again put the protection of public health as a priority, he said.
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" " The U.K. is considering imposing a tax on its most frequent fliers to help curb aviation-related carbon emissions. Nikada/Getty Images

Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, airline travel was growing globally. As countries bring infections rates down over the next few years, restrictions are expected to lift and air travel is expected to rise again. The very idea of jetting off to somewhere  anywhere  new sounds good to a lot of people.

But maybe not as many people as you think, and it has nothing to do with COVID. Before the pandemic, 70 percent of flights originating in the U.K. were made by only 15 percent of the country's population. More than half of the country  57 percent of the population  didn't fly abroad at all, according to the BBC.

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And in the United States, only 12 percent of the population is responsible for two-thirds of the flights originating there. If we look at the entire globe, only 3 percent of the world's population flew in 2017.

So why does that matter? Well it's that small amount of frequent fliers who are generating so much of the aviation-related carbon emissions. The Committee on Climate Change found that "aviation is set to be the biggest source of U.K. emissions by 2050." To curb this trend, the committee recommended a frequent flyer levy. It's a progressive tax on airline tickets, with the fee going up with every flight you take.

The proposed levy aims to limit frequent flying by making the wealthiest fliers  those who are also the most frequent fliers  pay more.

According to the proposal published in April 2019, "The tax increases with each additional flight the individual takes (e.g., the tax on the third flight is double that on the second) thereby aiming to actively restrain the number of flights. The key goal of the policy is to deliver social justice, given that a relatively small number of people benefit from frequent flying, whilst the environmental damage it causes is spread across the global population."

The trick would be in implementing the levy, which most people admit would be complex. There are data and privacy concerns to consider, as always, and it could impose a burden on those who must fly frequently for work. But it would be easy enough to claim any trip was for work, and it would be difficult to impose the levy on passengers who hold multiple passports.

But the frequent flyer levy would potentially limit the number of flights, which also impacts noise levels for those living near airports. A survey in the U.K. found that most people felt this levy would be more fair than other, less progressive taxes on air travel, such as fuel taxes that are spread across all travelers equally.

Now That's Eye-opening If you're curious about your own carbon footprint when you fly, The Guardian has a handy and kind of horrifying calculator for that. Enter your starting and ending airports to learn how much CO2 your flight will generate and some context for those emissions. For instance, a long flight from Seattle-Tacoma International to Heathrow in London produces 3,225 pounds (1,463 kilograms) of CO2. The calculator notes that there are 67 countries where the average person produces less carbon dioxide in an entire year than this one nine-hour flight.
" " Artist's illustration of NASAs Dragonfly rotorcraft-lander, which will take advantage of dense atmosphere and low gravity to explore Saturns moon, Titan. NASA/JHU-APL

NASA has announced that it will launch a space probe called Dragonfly on an ambitious mission to Saturn's moon Titan, in which a robotic rotorcraft-lander will fly around Titan's surface and touch down in various places. As part of its exploratory mission, the Dragonfly space probe will look for traces of chemical processes similar to the ones that led to life on Earth, in addition to gathering other information about the moon's surface and atmosphere.

Dragonfly will launch in 2026 and arrive at Titan, which is 886 million miles (1.4 billion kilometers) from the sun, in 2034. Once it's there, the space probe  which is about the size of the space agency's Spirit and Opportunity Mars rovers  will turn on its eight rotors and fly through Titan's dense, hazy atmosphere, which is about four times the density of Earth's, and explore its still-mysterious surface.

Titan, the biggest of Saturn's 62 moons and a close second in size in our solar system next to Jupiter's moon Ganymede, has a radius of about 1,600 miles (2,475 kilometers), making it about 50 percent wider than Earth's moon. But it's not just Titan's size that has made it a longtime object of fascination to scientists.

Titan also is the only moon in the solar system with much of an atmosphere, and it's the only slot in the solar system besides Earth that's known to have liquid rivers, lakes and seas on its surface. Though the latter are made up of liquid hydrocarbons such as methane and ethane, Titan also is believed to have an underground ocean of water 35 to 50 miles (55 to 80 kilometers) beneath its icy surface that possibly have harbored some form of life, or may still contain it. If life exists there, it would have be extremely hardy to survive in Titan's brutally cold surface temperature of minus 290 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 179 degrees Celsius).

Titan's thick atmosphere is about 95 percent nitrogen, with the rest mostly composed of methane. That creates a thick, orange-colored haze that hangs over the moon's surface, making it difficult to observe from Earth. Much of what we do know comes from the European Space Agency's Huygens spacecraft, which landed on Titan and transmitted data for 72 minutes in 2005, and from NASA's Cassini probe, which did multiple flybys of Titan between 2005 and 2017. (Huygens actually was attached to Cassini for the seven-year trip to Titan's vicinity.)

"It is hard to imagine a more exciting scientific mission than a nuclear-powered helicopter on a voyage of up to eight years of exploration of a new world," says Dale Skran, chair of the executive committee for the National Space Society, a nonprofit organization that advocates the exploration and colonization of space.

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Dragonfly's Flight Advantage

Scientists are particularly excited about Dragonfly's ability to fly rather than crawl along on the ground. Unlike Mars, where NASA also plans to test a small robotic helicopter with large, high-speed blades in 2020, Titan's atmosphere is thick enough to enable Dragonfly to attain lift with relatively small rotors, and able to carry a bigger payload over longer distances than the experimental copter being sent to Mars. It's expected to cover more than 108 miles (175 kilometers) during its nearly three-year mission on Titan. It will fly in short hops of up to five minutes at a time.

"Flight allows us to move the lander much greater distances in a short period of time than a traditional rover, allowing us to more efficiently explore Titan," Jason Soderblom, a research scientist in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and one of Dragonfly's co-investigators, explains in an email.

Curt Niebur, New Frontiers program scientist for NASA, explains via email that Dragonfly's design is fundamentally different from the Mars Helicopter. "Not just because the atmosphere of Titan and Mars are so different, but because they are different vehicles," he says. "The Mars Helicopter is a short-lived technology demonstration with no science payload. Dragonfly is a self-contained spacecraft designed to pursue a science mission with high autonomy. It's like comparing a self-driving car and an electric scooter: both have wheels, but they have very different purposes and therefore very different designs."

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The Geology of Titan

The researchers working on Dragonfly are excited about the opportunity to investigate the giant moon's many mysteries. "I am looking forward to Dragonfly finally giving us detailed answers about the surface of Titan at the small scale. Not just its composition but also its geology," Neibur explains. "Telling us about the complex organic materials present there, and how they interact, and also giving us a good look at surface features like dunes and the Selk Crater. Cassini did a good job at giving us broad answers to this question at the large scale (tens of miles, for example), but nothing beats getting down to the surface and actually digging your hands and feet in, so to speak."

"There is a plethora of unanswered questions about Titan's surface," Soderblom says. "One fundamental question we have yet to answer is what is the composition of Titan's major geologic units, or if the water-ice bedrock is exposed anywhere on Titan or if it has been buried beneath organic gunk. This is because Titan's atmosphere obscures the surface at most wavelengths, limiting our ability to use traditional remote sensing techniques to study the surface composition."

Dragonfly's scrutiny of Titan's surface may also yield insights about the moon's atmosphere. "The organics on Titan's surface are all made in the atmosphere," explains Sarah Horst, an assistant professor in the School of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Johns Hopkins University, who also is an investigator on the project. "So understanding the composition of the complex organics we find on the surface will allow us to dramatically improve our understanding not just of the processes that happen on the surface, but also the chemistry that is occurring in the atmosphere," she says.

"That, in turn, is important for understanding the role that atmospheres may play in the origin or evolution of life and also help us figure out what types of molecules may constitute evidence for life when we are looking at observations of faraway atmospheres like those of exoplanets," Horst says.

Now That's Interesting Though Titan might be the least inhospitable places in the outer solar system to humans, NSS's Skran still doesn't see the moon as a likely spot for a human colony, because of the extreme cold and lack of knowledge about its surface. "Mars, orbital settlements with artificial gravity, and even cloud cities floating in the atmosphere of Venus seem better initial targets for settlements," he says.
Elkan Baggott of Indonesia celebrates after scoring the fourth goal against Malaysia in their AFF Suzuki Cup 2020 Group B match. (PHOTO: Suhaimi Abdullah/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

SINGAPORE  Indonesia and Vietnam booked their AFF Suzuki Cup semi-final spots on Sunday (19 December), following convincing victories over their opponents in their final Group B matches.

Indonesia advanced as group winners after coming back from a goal down to beat Malaysia 4-1, with goals from Irfan Jaya (36th and 43rd minutes), Pratama Arhan (50th) and Elkan Baggott (82nd) cancelling out Kogileswaran Raj's 13th-minute opener.

They will face hosts Singapore in the opening semi-final, with the first leg on Wednesday and the second leg on Christmas Day. Malaysia, on the other hand, were eliminated from the competition.

Defending champions Vietnam need a big win to overtake Indonesia atop Group B, and while they managed a 4-0 win over Cambodia, it was one goal short of what was required to leapfrog to the top place.

Instead, they will have to face five-time champions Thailand in the second semi-final, with the first leg on Thursday and the second leg on Sunday.

Ticket sales for semi-finals

Ticket sales for the Suzuki Cup semi-final matches at the National Stadium have commenced, with tickets priced at $25 for adults and $15 for children below 12. Fans can enjoy a 20-per-cent discount if they purchase a SG Semi-Final Bundle at $40, which will consist of one ticket for each semi-final leg.

Singapore zone sections will be sold at the National Stadiums box office at Kallang Wave Mall from 10am to 8.30pm on Monday. These tickets will be for sale only to Singaporeans and permanent residents, who will be required to show their NRIC or passport for verification purposes at the point of purchase.

Fans who had previously purchased Group A tickets and opted to receive marketing information will be sent an exclusive link via email to purchase their tickets online, with each account able to buy eight tickets per matchday.

General sales, which include away and neutral zones, will open from 9am on Tuesday, and will be available for purchase online as well as the Ticketmaster hotline (3158-8588).

Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore
A larger Social Security check can provide you with more financial security in retirement because these checks are guaranteed to last for life. They'll also be an important income source, although they can't be your sole source of funds.

But how can you increase the amount of money that you get from your retirement benefits?

If you're working now, there's actually steps you can take in 2022 that could lead to a larger payment from Social Security later in life. Here are four of them.

1. Invest in a Roth account

Investing in a Roth 401(k) or Roth IRA instead of a traditional 401(k) or IRA can make a huge difference in your future Social Security benefits. That's because it can help you to avoid taxes on retirement income, which a growing number of seniors are subject to each year.

Social Security benefits aren't taxed by the federal government until your provisional income reaches $25,000 as a single tax filer or $32,000 as a married filer. After you've hit this threshold, up to 50% of benefits are taxed. And if your income exceeds $34,000 as a single filer or $44,000 as a married joint filer, up to 85% of benefits will be taxed. Provisional income is half your Social Security, some nontaxable income, and all taxable income.

Since Roth distributions aren't taxed, investing in a Roth means you likely won't end up losing any part of Social Security to the federal government if you've made these accounts the centerpiece of your retirement savings plan. You'll have a lot more money to spend from Social Security as a result.

2. Negotiate your salary

Social Security benefits are based on average income over your career. So if you increase your average income, your benefits will go up. Unfortunately, many people miss out on the best chance to do that because they don't advocate for themselves when getting a new job or during annual performance reviews.

Studies have suggested a failure to negotiate your salary could cost you as much as $600,000 in lost income over your career. Unfortunately, this won't just affect your current living standard; it will also leave you with a much reduced Social Security check.

The more years you receive smaller earnings because you didn't ask for what you were worth, the bigger the impact on your Social Security benefits. So, make 2022 the year you start advocating for yourself at work.

3. Look for a better-paying job

A great resignation is occurring, with millions of people quitting their jobs in search of better opportunities.

If you want to increase your Social Security benefits, you may want to consider joining them in 2022. If you explore new opportunities, you may be able to boost your earnings and thus raise the income used to determine the average wage that your Social Security benefits are based on.

4. Consider a side gig

Any income you pay Social Security taxes on counts toward the average wage that sets your benefits. So you also have the option to increase your earnings by taking on a second job. Even working a few extra hours a month could give you an annual salary boost that makes a noticeable difference in your future benefits.

The bottom line is, the more you can increase your income in 2022 -- up to the maximum taxable amount -- the more you can increase your future benefits. If you raise your earnings and lower your future taxes by investing in Roth instead of traditional accounts that come with taxable withdrawals, your future Social Security checks will be a lot bigger.

The $16,728 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook

If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets" could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. For example: one easy trick could pay you as much as $16,728 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after. Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies.

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Abbott Elementary hasnt quite graduated to The Office status, but theres enough in the new ABC comedy to merit a second semester.

Set in a Philadelphia elementary school, the series uses the same mockumentary style to track all sorts of teachers  jaded, idealistic and realistic  as they go through a typical school year. Financial setbacks (which mean history books that arent exactly up to date) and building woes are just part of the problem.

At Abbott, Principal Ava Coleman (Janelle James) is more interested in boosting her standing as an influencer than she is in teaching children. She diverts funds for personal projects and isnt above social media pitches for school supplies.

For a by-the-books newbie like Janine Teagues (Quinta Brunson, who also created the show), this is a real deal breaker. She tries to get buy-in from the schools veteran, Barbara Howard (Sheryl Lee Ralph), and its wheeler-dealer, Melissa Schemmenti (Lisa Ann Walter), but theyre not jumping.

Instead, shes left with a substitute, Gregory Eddie (Tyler James Williams), who has his own issues with the principal.

While Brunson has the format for a good series, she doesnt have all the elements. Sometimes, the comedy is forced.

We know because Ralph is such a natural at the put-down, she could get laughs just by staring. Walter, too, could be tapped for more humor. Brunson, meanwhile, needs to save some of the good lines for herself. If shes the Jim or Pam of the series, she should mine all of the reaction shots.

The trouble lies with James Coleman. Someone as oblivious to the world around her wouldnt have this job. She could still be a self-centered principal, but she shouldnt ignore real issues. Brunson and company would be wiser to use her as the conduit for unnecessary book work, record-keeping and school district compliances. She could be in their faces instead of on their Facebook pages.

While Chris Perfetti (who plays the odd man out, Jacob Hill) might be a good foil for the others, hes not used much in the first three episodes.

Offered as a sneak preview in December before its premiere in January, Abbott Elementary could be the perfect place to talk about COVID woes, mask mandates and Zoom classrooms. It could also address under-staffing in a way that brings someone less honorable than Eddie into the building.

This is a start but it's like Brunson's character -- a little naive. To be the show we need, "Abbott Elementary" needs to do more than dance around the obvious.

There's a target here. Hitting it would definitely hammer home a point.

"Abbott Elementary" airs on ABC.

'

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  Lawmakers have approved a plan by the South Carolina Department of Mental Health to build a new state nursing home for veterans in the Midlands region.

State lawmakers with the Joint Bond Review Committee greenlighted Tuesday the agencys plan to locate a new home in Orangeburg County.

The agency now has three veterans nursing homes in the construction process and two new homes that will soon open. The State newspaper reports.

The five facilities scheduled to open over the next decade will almost double the number of beds the state has available for aging and disabled veterans, from 530 to more than 1,000, helping to cut down on a housing backlog. The agency's three current nursing homes all have waiting lists.

Kenisha Grimes, Orangeburg County's veterans affairs officer, said that many of the countys veterans who need that level of care end up paying private facilities because they cant get a bed at the nearest state-operated homes in Walterboro and Columbia.

They would love to be in a veteran-friendly nursing home, Grimes said. But the ones who try to get there are placed on a list and sometimes end up passing before theyre accepted to either one of those homes.

For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, The State.

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SIOUX CITY -- From March 5-12, 2022, Kenny Lam will have the opportunity to discuss healthcare issues with U.S. Senators, Cabinet Secretaries, federal agency leaders and, maybe, President Joe Biden.

This is pretty heady stuff once you realize that Lam is a 16-year-old senior at West High School.

"I am one of the two delegates selected to represent Iowa during the United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP)," he explained. "Due to COVID-19 restrictions, it will be held virtually and not in Washington, D.C. Still, I'm really looking forward to connecting with people and making a difference."

Making a difference is very important to Lam, the eldest son of Vietnamese immigrants.

He was selected to become a USSYP delegate based upon his leadership with Sioux City's School Improvement Advisory Committee as well as with Health Occupation Students of America (HOSA), a club for students wanting to pursue healthcare careers.

Lam is also on West's Student Council, a member of the National Honor Society, and a volunteers for Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP), where he lectures freshmen on a host of social issues.

In addition, he has chaired West's "Adopt-a-Family" committee, which provided more than $1,500 for six local families.

"I don't think kids realize they have a real voice when it comes to impacting the world around them," Lam said. "My background has allowed me to see how diverse Sioux City is and how diverse the country is. I want to be able to represent that diversity."

As part of Washington Week for USSYP, a national, nonpartisan initiative established in 1962 and funded by the Hearst Foundation, he'll have that chance.

Designed to provide talented high school students with an in-depth understanding on how the legislative, judicial and federal government impacts public service, the USSYP already has had impressive alumni like U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Maine U.S. Senator Susan Collins and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

"What I'm really looking forward to experiencing an immersive understanding of how government works, specifically in the way it relates to health policy reform," Lam explained.

Healthcare has been one of Lam's passions through his involvement with HOSA.

"Healthcare isn't always equal, especially when you live in an inner city or in a rural area," he said. "That is a problem for a country as large as the United States."

As a USSYP delegate, Lam will be a part of Q&A's between policymakers and high school students from across the nation.

Which, surprisingly, isn't too intimidating for Lam, who is used to being a role model for his younger brother Andy and a voice for his mom and dad.

"My dad doesn't speak English very well but my mom does pretty well with the language," he said.

Indeed, Lam said his mom is already teaching him how to cook.

"I like making pasta dishes," he said. "My mom is teaching me how to make pasta, using Vietnamese ingredients and techniques."

This will come in handy when Lam goes off to college. In addition to meeting with movers and shakers, he will receive a $10,000 undergraduate scholarship as a USSYP delegate.

"I've been accepted to attend Georgetown University," he said. "I may not be able to go to Washington, D.C. this spring. But I'll be able to go in the fall."

Once he get to college, Lam plans on studying health administration. And, maybe, after that, law school.

So, why isn't he considering medical school?

"When people think about healthcare, they think about doctors and nurses," Lam explained. "The healthcare field is a lot bigger than that. I want to learn how to make healthcare policy."

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FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP)  Farmington-area residents of northern New Mexico donated gifts and money after somebody stole a Salvation Army van loaded with $6,000 worth of toys for children, according authorities.

The Grinch will not have this victory," Salvation Army Lt. Christopher Rockwell told The Associated Press on Saturday.

Business leaders and others began making donations after the marked van with gifts intended for more than 350 children was stolen Tuesday from outside a store, Rockwell said.

The donations included lots of toys, lots of clothing" as well as hygiene items and cash, certainly adding up to more than enough to replace the stolen items intended for children who are signed up for a distribution event Monday, Rockwell said. We have like a waiting list ... so we could see what we have left over."

The generosity showed the "compassion and the hearts that people have for each other here," Rockwell said. It's a massive blessing beyond comprehension."

Farmington police said Saturday that an arrest warrant has been issued for a 37-year-old man who is considered a suspect in the theft.

The van and toys have not been recovered yet and no arrest had been made or a possible motive determined, according to police.

Rockwell said he suspected a pickpocket stole the van's keys from a Salvation Army worker who was in the store.

I think it was just some evil, unscrupulous person who just saw an opportunity," Rockwell said. Desperate, I understand that, but to do this is just beyond imagination."

The Salvation Army is a Christian organization founded in 1865 in London. It is active in more than 100 countries and is best known for its charity shops, homeless shelters and disaster relief.

For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, The Daily Times.

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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP)  Gregory K. Harris, who has spent a quarter-century as an assistant U.S. attorney, has been sworn in as the chief federal prosecutor for the Central District of Illinois.

Harris, who was nominated for the post by President Joe Biden in October and confirmed by the Senate this month, took the oath this past week before Chief U.S. District Judge Sara Darrow.

Harris' history with the office dates back 40 years. He was an assistant U.S. attorney from 1980 to 1988 and took a 13-year diversion to private practice before returning to the assistant U.S. attorney's post in 2001.

Harris described the promotion as an honor and promised to continue working with law enforcement agencies and to pursue equal justice under the law.

This office has a long history of excellence and integrity and has demonstrated its strong commitment to community safety, Harris said in a statement. I am eager to get to work.

During his time in the U.S. Attorney's office, Harris has held a number of leadership positions, including chief of the criminal division. His private practice experience came as a partner in the Springfield-based Giffin, Winning, Cohen & Bodewes law firm. Before that, he served as legal counsel in state government agencies and a stint as an assistant appellate defender in the Illinois Office of the State Appellate Defender.

Harris received a law degree from what is now the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law. He earned a bachelor's from from Howard University in 1971.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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ATLANTA (AP)  Johnny Isakson, an affable Georgia Republican politician who rose from the ranks of the state legislature to become a U.S. senator known as an effective, behind-the-scenes consensus builder, died Sunday. He was 76.

Isakson died in his sleep before dawn at his home in Atlanta, his son John Isakson told The Associated Press. He said that although his father had Parkinson's disease, the cause of death was not immediately apparent.

He was a great man and I will miss him, John Isakson said.

Johnny Isakson, whose real estate business made him a millionaire, spent more than four decades in Georgia political life. In the Senate, he was the architect of a popular tax credit for first-time home buyers that he said would help invigorate the struggling housing market. As chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, he worked to expand programs offering more private health care choices for veterans.

Isaksons famous motto was, "There are two types of people in this world: friends and future friends. That approach made him exceedingly popular among colleagues.

President Joe Biden, who served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee with Isakson, said in a statement Sunday that he and the late senator found common ground built on mutual respect for each other and the institutions that govern our nation.

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, on Sunday referred to Isakson as one of my very best friends in the Senate.

"His infectious warmth and charisma, his generosity, and his integrity made Johnny one of the most admired and beloved people in the Capitol, McConnell said in a statement.

In 2015, while gearing up to seek a third term in the Senate, Isakson disclosed that he had been diagnosed with Parkinsons, a chronic and progressive movement disorder that had left him with a noticeably slower, shuffling gait. Soon after winning reelection in 2016, he underwent a scheduled surgery on his back to address spinal deterioration. He frequently depended on a cane or wheelchair in later years.

In August 2019, not long after fracturing four ribs in a fall at his Washington apartment, Isakson announced he would retire at years end with two years remaining in his term.

In a farewell Senate speech, he pleaded for bipartisanship at a time of bitter divisions between Republicans and Democrats. He cited his long friendship with U.S. Rep. John Lewis, an Atlanta Democrat and civil rights hero, as an example of two men willing to put party aside to work on common problems.

Lets solve the problem and then see what happens, Isakson said. Most people who call people names and point fingers are people who dont have a solution themselves.

In his statement Sunday, Biden said, In Johnnys memory, let us heed the wisdom he offered upon retiring from the Senate."

Lewis, who died last year, saluted Isakson on the House floor in 2019, saying, We always found a way to get along and do the work the people deserve."

An Atlanta native, Isakson failed in his first bid for elected office: a seat on the Cobb County Commission in 1974. Two years later, he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives, becoming the only Republican to beat a Democratic incumbent in Georgia the same year Jimmy Carter was elected president. Isakson served 17 years in the state House and Senate. Always in the minority in Georgia's General Assembly, he helped blaze the path toward the GOP ascendancy of the 2000s, fueled by Atlanta's suburban boom. By the end of Isakson's career, some of those same suburbs were swinging back toward Democrats.

As a businessman and a gifted retail politician, Johnny paved the way for the modern Republican Party in Georgia, but he never let partisan politics get in the way of doing what was right," Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said in a statement.

Isakson suffered humbling setbacks before ascending to the Senate. In 1990, he lost the race for governor to Democrat Zell Miller. In 1996, Guy Millner defeated him in a Republican primary for Senate before Millner lost to Democrat Max Cleland.

Many observers chalked up the loss to Isakson not being tough enough on abortion. In the primary race, Isakson ran a television advertisement in which he said that while he was against the government funding or promoting abortion, he would not vote to amend the Constitution to make criminals of women and their doctors.

"I trust my wife, my daughter and the women of Georgia to make the right choice, he said.

He later changed his mind on the contentious issue.

Isaksons jump to Congress came about in 1998, when U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich decided not to seek reelection. Isakson won a 1999 special election to fill the suburban Atlanta seat.

He finally made it to the U.S. Senate in 2004 when he defeated Democrat Denise Majette with 58% of the vote. He served with Georgia senior Sen. Saxby Chambliss, a close friend and classmate from the University of Georgia.

Isakson was viewed as a prohibitive early favorite to succeed Republican Sonny Perdue in the governors mansion in 2010. But he opted instead to seek a second term in the Senate. While there, he developed a reputation as a moderate, although he rarely split with his party on key votes.

He was a lead negotiator in 2007 on immigration legislation that President George W. Bush backed but ultimately abandoned after it met strong resistance from the right. Isakson supported limited school vouchers and played a major role in crafting Bushs signature education plan, the No Child Left Behind Act. He also pushed an unsuccessful compromise bill on the politically charged issue of stem cell research that would have expanded research funding while also ensuring that human embryos weren't harmed.

That deal-making approach has fallen out of favor for many voters, but Isakson's lineage remains a presence in Georgia politics. State Attorney General Chris Carr was the former senators chief of staff. "When I was a young man just getting started in politics, I wanted to be like Johnny Isakson, Carr said Sunday.

Democratic Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock said all of Georgia grieves Isaksons death. Warnock, who took over Isaksons old seat after defeating Republican Kelly Loeffler in a January runoff, had a special connection to Isakson, who attended an annual service in honor of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. The church's pulpit was King's and later became Warnock's.

Isakson's "model of public service is an example to future generations of leaders on how to stand on principle and make progress while also governing with compassion and a heart for compromise, Warnock said Sunday.

Isakson graduated from the University of Georgia in 1966 and joined his family-owned company, Northside Realty in Cobb County, a year later. It grew to one of the largest independent residential real estate brokerage companies in the country during his more than 20 years at the helm. Isakson also served in the Georgia Air National Guard from 1966 to 1972.

He is survived by his wife, Diane, whom he married in 1968; three children and nine grandchildren.

Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)  A police officer shot and killed a man who was stabbing his ex-wife's 13-year-old daughter in a North Carolina home, authorities said.

The teenager was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries on Saturday, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.

The girl's mother fled after the man forced his way into the Charlotte home, police said in a news release. Officers found the man holding the girl at knifepoint and tried to de-escalate the situation before he stabbed her, the release said.

They were met with something that horrific, to see a 13-year-old getting stabbed, and they were left with no choice" but to shoot the man, The Charlotte Observer quoted Police Chief Johnny Jennings as saying. The motive to stab a 13-year-old is something that is beyond comprehension for us.

None of the officers were injured.

The names of the knife-wielding man, who died at the scene, and the officer who shot him weren't immediately released.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is investigating and the officer will be placed on paid administrative leave, a standard procedure after a shooting.

For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, The Charlotte Observer.

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LOS ANGELES (AP)  A West Coast rapper known as Drakeo the Ruler was fatally stabbed in an altercation at a Los Angeles music festival where he was scheduled to perform, leaving fans of the young musician heartbroken.

A publicist for the rapper, Scott Jawson, confirmed his death on Sunday to the New York Times and Rolling Stone. The artist's real name was Darrell Caldwell.

Caldwell, 28, was assaulted Saturday night at the Once Upon a Time in LA concert, which was expected to feature several artists, including Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent and Ice Cube. Organizers called off the festival after the stabbing.

A fight broke out behind the main stage shortly after 8:30 p.m., leaving one man severely injured by a suspect wielding an edged weapon, the California Highway Patrol said in a bare bones news release that did not name Caldwell. The victim was taken to a hospital, where he later died.

The Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles Fire Department also responded.

LAPD spokesman Officer Luis Garcia told the Los Angeles Times that no arrests had been made as of Sunday.

Music journalists and fans delighted in Caldwell's unique sound and boundless creativity. His death highlighted the violent demise of other talented young Black musicians, including fellow LA rapper Nipsey Hussle in 2019 and the highly influential Tupac Shakur in 1996. Both men were shot.

Snoop Dogg posted on social media condolences to Caldwell's family and prayers to those affected by the tragedy. I'm praying for peace in hip hop, he said.

Caldwell, who started releasing mixtapes in 2015 and this past February debuted his first album The Truth Hurts, has been called the most original stylist on the West Coast for his darkly comedic lyrics and deadpan delivery. His mixtape Thank You for Using GTL contains verses recorded at the Mens Central Jail in Los Angeles.

He grew up listening to acts like Hot Boyz, Boosie, Webbie and Dipset, but said it was a battle rapper named Cocky who influenced him to rap.

He was so smooth and calm while rapping, despite saying some of the craziest stuff, he told Billboard earlier this year. It showed me you didnt have to yell or be loud to get your point across.

Caldwell pioneered a type of rap called nervous music, with songs that were cryptic and dark, the Los Angeles Times wrote in 2018: His cadences run counterclockwise to the drums, somehow both herky-jerky like a stickshift and swift and smooth like a luxury sports car it controls."

Caldwell was released from jail in November 2020 after reaching a plea deal with LA County prosecutors who wanted to try him on conspiracy charges in the 2016 killing of a 24-year-old man. Previously he had been acquitted of felony murder and attempted murder charges in the man's death.

The Once Upon a Time in LA Fest confirmed in an Instagram post that the event had been called off early, and did not give a reason.

The festival was organized by Live Nation, the Beverly Hills-based live events company that was behind last months Astroworld music festival in Houston, Texas.

Ten people were killed and hundreds injured when a large crowd surged during a performance by the rapper Travis Scott.

In an email Sunday, Live Nation declined to elaborate on the altercation or provide details on security for the event.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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A team of scientists are sailing to the place in the world thats the hardest to get to so they can better figure out how much and how fast seas will rise because of global warming eating away at Antarcticas ice.
CUSTER, S.D. (AP)  Authorities say numerous fire departments worked through the night to put out a fire at a popular 85-year-old lodge in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Two firefighters received minor injuries in the blaze at Sylvan Lake Lodge in Custer State Park. No guests of the multi-story hotel were hurt, according to the Custer Volunteer Fire Department.

Firefighters discovered a free burning fire when they arrived at the lodge Saturday night, authorities said. They encountered heavy smoke and flames extending to the roof.

The stone-and-timber lodge was built in 1937, funded in part through Depression-era New Deal programs. A wing of additional rooms was added in 1991. The original Sylvan Lake Hotel was a stopping point for adventurers looking to climb Black Elk Peak, the highest point in America east of the Rockies, according to the lodges website.

Alarms initially went off in the southeastern part of the building, authorities said. Freezing temperatures, narrow roads covered with ice and snow, and darkness added to the difficulty of dealing with the blaze. About two dozen agencies responded to the fire.

Thirty-one cabins are nearby, all within close access to Sylvan Lake.

Authorities asked people to steer clear of the area where Custer firefighters said on social media that a massive cleanup effort is required.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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In the last week, weve received a surprising number of calls and emails about the Sioux City Councils decision to use COVID relief funds to award employee with a one-time incentive of $300.

Readers wondered why city workers were getting year-end bonuses when there were areas in the community that hadnt been addressed. They also wanted to know why they called it an incentive when employees werent told at the start of the pandemic that they would be even be compensated for their extra efforts during a difficult time.

Also, they wanted to know who, exactly, was getting the money  workers who interacted with the public, managers who were working from home? Also, were employees who left during the last year going to get the incentives as well? And what about city-owned buildings -- like the Tyson Events Center and the Convention Center -- that are operated by outside firms? Do their employees get the incentives, too?

The list of questions was long enough to suggest that, maybe, the city should have provided more information and gave the public more notice about the proposal before voting on it at Mondays council meeting.

Further, there were lots of concerns about how it pertains to the American Rescue Plan Act, the $1.9 trillion coronavirus rescue package signed by President Biden in March. Yes, we learned, it's allowable for local governments to use ARPA funds to provide premium pay to those deemed essential workers.

At Mondays meeting, both Mayor Bob Scott and City Manager Bob Padmore did speak to many concerns residents have. Padmore said all full-time and permanent part-time emploeyes will receive the incentives. If the city later learns some employees weren't eligible for the ARPA funds, the city will use other funding to ensure every worker receives the incentive.

No, council members will not receive the extra pay.

But city leaders did open themselves to some questions, particularly since this was one of the first major expenditure of the COVID relief funds.

While we applaud the move (we saw city workers doing everything to keep the wheels moving during the height of the pandemic), we wonder if the city might better detail how it plans to spend other ARPA funds and what kind of improvements well see.

Anyone who has listened to candidates running for City Council knows fixing deteriorating streets are among the biggest concerns residents have. City leaders deserve credit for their plans to devote the bulk of its $40.6 million in ARPA dollars towards infrastructure, including street, water and sewer projects.

Making those plans more widely known would go a long way toward stopping the idle chatter that has accompanied the decision about the employee incentives.

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When did the political systems of 193 nations become the business of the government of the United States? And who elected us Americans to write the moral code for the regimes that rule other lands?

Consider: On taking office, President Joe Biden pledged to center his foreign policy "on the defense of democracy and the protection of human rights." At his Summit for Democracy, he said it was America's intent to undertake the bolstering of democracy and human rights worldwide.

Yet no nation bristles more than we Americans do when we discover foreign regimes meddling in our politics or presidential elections.

Why? Historically, Americans have collaborated not only with democracies but also with autocrats, dictators, monarchs and tyrants.

George Washington danced a jig when he learned an alliance had been forged with the France of King Louis XVI to fight beside us in our war of independence against the England of King George III, in whose army Washington had himself fought in the French and Indian War.

In the War of 1812, the United States fought the same British enemy as Napoleon was fighting, which may explain why the British enthusiastically burned our Capitol and White House in August 1814.

In World War I, we "make-the-world-safe-for-democracy" Americans were wartime allies of the British, French, Russian and Japanese empires.

At the 1919 Paris Peace Conference, President Woodrow Wilson signed the documents that parceled out Germanic lands and peoples against their will and in violation of Wilson's own professed doctrine of self-determination.

Against Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany from 1941 to 1945, our principal allies, whose armies did most of the fighting and dying, were Joseph Stalin and Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek. Neither was a democrat.

During the Cold War, we were at times allied with South Korean dictators, Argentine generals, Greek colonels, the shah of Iran, Gen. Augusto Pinochet of Chile, Latin American despots, African kleptocrats and assorted royals across the Middle East.

The world's largest democracy during the Cold War was India, which sided with Moscow, while autocratic and Muslim Pakistan lined up with us.

President Richard Nixon's great diplomatic achievement, the 1972 opening to China, established a detente between the world's greatest democracy and its most monstrous and murderous tyranny. U.S. elites were elated.

The point of the recitation? In times of crisis for our republic, we have often found allies in autocrats and dictators while democracies such as India and Sweden remained basically neutral.

Nations judge friends not by the ideology that they profess but by how they behave when a crisis comes.

When the Yom Kippur War broke out in 1973, autocratic Portugal allowed the use of the Azores for U.S. planes carrying tanks and guns to Israel. Some of our other allies remained neutral.

Lately, we have been preaching the superiority of our democracy as a political system for all peoples, as it manifests "universal values."

But if tomorrow the kings of Morocco, Jordan, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, and the emirs of Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, fell to popular uprisings in the name of democracy, how beneficial would this be to the U.S.?

A decade ago, when the Arab Spring produced free elections in Egypt and the Palestinian territories, the big winners were the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas.

Again, when did the political systems of foreign nations that do not threaten or attack us become an American concern?

When did they become any of our business?

During the Cold War, Stalin imposed communism on that half of Europe he had conquered in World War II. Nikita Khrushchev brayed, "We will bury you!" and, "Your grandchildren will live under communism."

But Russian President Vladimir Putin does not say, "Your grandchildren will live under communism" or under autocracy. Or under Russian rule.

Nor does the China of Xi Jinping, who preaches the supremacy of his system, attempt to impose communist ideology on his neighbors who have not embraced it.

China is communist to the core, but outside the territories it claims as its own -- such as Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Inner Mongolia -- it does not impose its ideology. It does not impose Communist Party rule.

It was the U.S. under President George W. Bush that preached a global crusade for democracy. It is the United States that today backs color-coded revolutions to overturn regimes in the Balkans, Caucasus and Near East.

It is the United States whose National Endowment for Democracy and its subsidiaries, and government-backed NGOs, interfere incessantly in the internal affairs of other nations to extend our democratist ideology.

Most autocrats are nationalists, not transnational crusaders.

It is not Putin who is dividing the world based on ideology.

It is Biden who sees the world as divided between saints and sinners, democrats and autocrats and, by coercion and conversion, seeks to grow the camp of the saints. Pakistan is invited to the democracy summit, while NATO ally Hungary is blackballed.

In the great power struggle of the present, among America, Russia and China, it is the Americans who are waging relentless ideological wars. And ideological wars often end in shooting wars.

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People must learn from Holocaust stories, says successful businessperson.

Jozef Klement is the chair of the Banska Bystrica-Zvolen Jewish religious community and the founder of the Klemo company. (Source: Dusan Hein/TASR)

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Sitting in his office on Tehelna Street in Zvolen, Jozef Klement, 68, is flanked by a glass case displaying dozens of office stamps, and a very old, large storage cabinet. Paintings hang from the walls behind him as he laughs and explains why nearly no one ever calls him by his proper name.

People have always called me Klemo, it was my childhood nickname. Its like Im still a child and never grew up, he jokes.

Born into a Jewish family from Turcianske Teplice, a spa town in the Turiec region, in the early 1950s, Klement is today a well-known figure in Slovakias Jewish community, as well as among the general population of Zvolen. For decades he has been at the heart of initiatives to commemorate the history of local Jewish communities.

He cuts a calm, modest, and kind figure as he recounts how he first came to Zvolen and eventually created a thriving business, but also how he was driven to help keep alive the memory of local Jews who perished in the Holocaust.

Klement came to Zvolen after finishing school, hoping to establish himself as a dental laboratory technician. I had to leave the job because I had an allergy to acrylic powder, Klement explains. He was forced to take other work to support his family, but he refused to give up on his dreams.

I had always wanted to go into business or do something that would help or give meaning to people, he says.

Supported by his wife, Eva, Klement started to make self-inking office stamps in their three-room flat after the fall of the communist regime in then Czechoslovakia in 1989.

I am glad we live in a democracy although we value it little, he says pointedly, pausing his tale to take a telephone call, before continuing to describe how from there, he went on to create one of the largest suppliers of office stamps in Slovakia  using his childhood nickname, Klemo, for its brand name.

The 1895 building, which no longer boasts cupolas, served as the Zvolen synagogue before WWII. It now houses a gym and a Chinese restaurant. (Source: Peter Dlhopolec)

He had been inspired by seeing a self-inking stamp, which his niece brought him from Switzerland, and saw an opportunity in the Slovak market.

Until then, people had used wooden stamps. They often put them in their coat pockets, which of course would then end up filthy, he notes.

Klemos services soon expanded, and new branches were opened. But as the company grew, so did the businessmans desire to give something back to the local community, and in particular to commemorate the tragic history of local Jewish communities.

A secular Jew, Klement has, since the 1990s, worked with others on initiatives to commemorate Jewish communities in Zvolen and the neighbouring city of Banska Bystrica. Over 500 Jews lived in Zvolen in 1938, but there are very few left in the city today, but Banska Bystrica has a larger community.

Crying fountain

One such initiative is the Park of Forgotten Neighbours on Tehelna Street. Although people had for years walked through the area where the park stands today to reach a local hospital, it had fallen into what Klement describes as a deplorable state with its only real features being a public toilet and a single bench which was most often used as a sleeping spot for the homeless.

Park of Forgotten Neighbours and the Klemo building on Tehelna Street in Zvolen. (Source: Peter Dlhopolec)

Having bought the public toilet in an auction in 1993, he began transforming the space, creating over the years what is todays Klemo building - which houses a cafe, sportswear store, stationery shop, and an art gallery in the basement - and the park with the On The Fence art gallery, which was opened in 2012. It includes a fountain designed by Slovak architect Igor Fasko.

Jewish people who worked with me on the project called it a crying fountain, Klement says over laughter from a group of youngsters skateboarding in the small park.

Unforgotten neighbours

Other projects he has been at the heart of - Klement is reluctant to call them his initiatives, even if I come up with an idea, I cannot implement it all by myself, he says - include efforts to reconstruct a Jewish cemetery next to a Zvolen bus station in the 1990s.

The cemetery, which pre-dates WWII, was the site of five mass graves which held the bodies of 128 Jews, Roma, and other Slovaks who were slaughtered by the Einsatzkomando special Nazi killing squads in 1944-45.

We restored 60 tomb stones and a memorial to the mass graves, Klement says, adding that a memorial is held there every year.

The Unforgotten Neighbours event takes place on September 9, the Day of Victims of the Holocaust and Racial Persecution. Almost 70 municipalities took part in the event in 2021.

We must not only remember the people who were deported, murdered, and never returned to a free Czechoslovakia, Klement says, but also those who helped them. The event honours all of these people by reading their names aloud.

In 2010, the Park of Generous Souls with the Obelisk of Hope and the Way of Humility was opened next to the cemetery, honouring people who saved Jews from deportation to concentration camps.

The obelisk memorial is unique to Europe, Klement claims, explaining that the only similar memorial anywhere else is in Jerusalem.

History lesson

Locals have largely welcomed the initiatives. But not everyone has been happy with what Klement, who lost many members of his family in concentration camps, including both sets of grandparents, and others have done promoting Jewish history. This was especially true in the 1990s.

Somebody wrote Juden Raus! [Jews out!] and 88 [a neo-Nazi symbolic number] and drew swastikas on our building, and windows were broken, Klement says, adding that on the evening the restored Jewish cemetery was opened in 1998, the fascist group Slovenska Pospolitost marched in Zvolen, wearing uniforms and holding torches. They also went to the cemetery.

Nazi symbols are written on the Klemo building 1997. (Source: Peter Dlhopolec)

It was not a pleasant sight for my mother-in-law. She was afraid. She had been in a concentration camp, Klement says. She saw the same uniforms again. Can you imagine that?

The group was declared illegal because of its ideology and disbanded in 2006.

Klement warns that people must not forget what happened in the 1930s and during WWII. If we do not learn from history, we will have to go through it again, he says. People, especially younger generations, should listen to and learn from the stories of those who survived the Holocaust, so the atrocities of WWII do not happen again, he adds.

He regularly invites schools in Zvolen to attend the Unforgotten Neighbours event, at which the story of a Holocaust survivor is read.

This article is part of the Our Minorities project, carried out with the financial support of the Fund for the Support of the Culture of National Minorities.
https://sputniknews.com/20211219/after-golden-temple-incident-another-man-lynched-for-trying-to-remove-religious-sikh-flag-in-india-1091646653.html

After Golden Temple Incident, Another Man Lynched For Trying To Remove Religious Sikh Flag in India

After Golden Temple Incident, Another Man Lynched For Trying To Remove Religious Sikh Flag in India

On Saturday, a man was beaten to death by devotees at a Sikh temple in Punjab's Amritsar city after he jumped over the railing of the sanctum sanctorum and... 19.12.2021, Sputnik International

2021-12-19T15:28+0000

2021-12-19T15:28+0000

2021-12-19T15:28+0000

attack

murder

lynching

sikh

mob

india

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Horrific footage of a man being lynched by a mob for allegedly trying to desecrate a flag in Punjab's Nijampur village in the Kapurthala district has emerged online, sparking an uproar on social media.The incident took place at around 4 am on Sunday when the gurudwara caretaker Amarjit Singh caught the man "disrespecting" Nishan Sahib (the Sikh flag).Singh live-streamed the incident on Facebook; the accused could be seen tied up on the ground.Singh said, "He [the accused] said he was 'sent' from Delhi and a sister of his has been 'killed for sacrilege' at another place."The gurudwara authorities handed over the accused to a group of Sikhs who started beating him. Police officers then turned up and tried to take the accused into custody but the angry mob refused to let him go and insisted the officers questioned him on the spot but things soon got out of hand. The Gurudwara authorities made an announcement on the loudspeaker saying, "Police and any other agency should not interfere. Punjab Police and state government are equally responsible for the sacrilege cases."WARNING! The following videos are graphic and may offend sensibilitiesIn another video of the incident, the accused can be seen tied up on the ground and crying in pain as he is brutally thrashed.Kapurthalas Senior Superintendent of Police Harkamalpreet Singh Khakh told Indian media that no sacrilege had been committed  instead, it was a case of theft.The manager of the gurdwara, Amarjeet Singh saw a man inside the Gurdwara in the wee hours of Sunday and got suspicious as he tried to flee the spot. The man was then caught by two sewadars (co-workers) and was then thrashed. Later, several people gathered there and as emotions ran high, the man was killed. The deceased man was wearing a jacket of gurudwara students, which indicates theft possibility, Khakh said.Calling it cold-blooded murder, angry netizens have taken to social media condemning the lynching of the man and slamming people for taking laws in their hands. On Saturday, a man was beaten to death by devotees at Sikh's holy shrine Golden Temple in Punjab state's Amritsar city for "sacrilege."The video showed the man jumping over the railing of the sanctum sanctorum and trying to touch the ceremonial sword kept in front of a holy book. While it's unclear what happened afterwards, it is believed that the man was taken outside and beaten to death by Sikh devotees and volunteers.A special investigation team (SIT) has been formed to probe the incident.

fandy andrea Here is my story. a grateful experience report on herpes treatment I have been diagnosed with genital herpes for 2 years and am looking for a cure. I read a testimony on this platform from a woman who was cured of diabetes with Doctor Ahmed Usman Herbal Medicine after much discussion and some questions he prepared herbal medicine and asked for my address. 3 days later, I received the herbal medicine and with his presdicine, including the doctor's official email address. I contacted the doctor through hiscription, I drank the herbal medicine for 21 days. After I finished herbal medicine, I went for a test and my IgG result was confirmed negative with no virus found in my blood. Contact Doctor Ahmed and let yourself be cured. email him at; drahmedusman5104@gmail.com , or send him a WhatsApp SMS +14436204203 , He has herbal remedies for herpes virus , erectile dyfunction , heart disease , uterus , diabetes , hepatitis , arthritis , psoriasis , cancer , leukemia , fibrosis 0

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attack, murder, lynching, sikh, mob, india
https://sputniknews.com/20211219/empty-streets-and-closed-shops-bethlehems-tourism-is-struggling-to-survive-the-pandemic-1091640551.html

Empty Streets and Closed Shops: Bethlehem's Tourism is Struggling to Survive The Pandemic

Empty Streets and Closed Shops: Bethlehem's Tourism is Struggling to Survive The Pandemic

Before the outbreak of COVID-19 in the Palestinian territories in March 2020, the city known as the birthplace of Jesus, has attracted millions of tourists annually

2021-12-19T07:44+0000

2021-12-19T07:44+0000

2021-12-19T07:44+0000

bethlehem

middle east

covid-19

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Antuan Issa, a Palestinian merchant of antiques and a director of the Angel hotel, located in Bethlehem, remembers well the buzz of the Christmas season some two years ago.World Turned Upside DownThen, everything turned upside down. In March 2020, the Palestinian territories registered their first cases of COVID-19, and the local authorities implemented a number of restrictive measures to curb its spread.They banned mass gatherings, and ordered private businesses, hotels, schools and other public institutions to close their doors. They have also prevented tourists from coming in, and imposed full lockdowns for a long period of time.In winter 2019, Bethlehem registered 3.5 million tourists, who flocked to the city's renown Church of Nativity, which according to Christian tradition was built on the site of the stable where Mary gave birth to Christ. Today, the streets are empty, the shops are closed, and the Palestinians, who relied on tourism, are struggling to make ends meet.However, he is not alone. In the Gaza Strip the unemployment rate jumped to 49 percent by the end of 2020. In the West Bank, where Issa lives and works, the pandemic has caused wages to decline by 50 percent or more in nearly 40 percent of Palestinian households. The proportion of people living in poverty rose from 14 percent to 30 percent.Lack of CompensationUnlike in neighbouring Israel, where business owners were compensated for the losses they suffered during the pandemic, in the Palestinian territories the entrepreneurs were left on their own.Even before the outbreak of the virus, the Palestinian territories lacked any suitable social assistance plan and the eruption of the crisis hasn't changed the situation.Issa is still frustrated with the fact that he, like tens of thousands of others, has been left without any government support.The problem is that nobody seems to be listening, and the prime reason for this is a lack of resources.The Palestinian Authority has relied on annual injections of foreign aid for many years. It has been flowing from the United States, a number of European countries and several more prosperous Arab nations. Over the past several years, however, the situation has changed, with several donors trimming or cutting aid.In 2018, for example, it was the US that ended its funding for the UN Palestinian refugee body, UNRWA.Similar measures have also been taken by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The former because of its frustration with the Palestinian leadership's wastefulness and alleged corruption. The latter because of its normalisation agreement with Israel, the Abraham Accords, which was signed in September 2020.But for Issa, who is struggling to put food on the table, the lack of international donations cannot be the reason, why the government fails to compensate its citizens.For now, however, there is no other plan.Recently, it was reported that the Palestinian territories have registered their first three cases of the Omicron strain, a new COVID-19 variant believed to be much more contagious than the original virus.Local authorities are already scratching their heads over ways to tackle the new challenge, but chances that the policy of lockdowns and closures will change is highly unlikely. And this means that tourists will still stay at bay.

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https://sputniknews.com/20211219/eu-to-maintain-advantage-over-uk-in-post-brexit-talks-no-matter-who-replaces-frost-expert-says-1091648064.html

EU to Maintain Advantage Over UK in Post-Brexit Talks No Matter Who Replaces Frost, Expert Says

EU to Maintain Advantage Over UK in Post-Brexit Talks No Matter Who Replaces Frost, Expert Says

Brexit minister David Frost has resigned from the UK government over his "disillusionment" with the direction of London's policy. 19.12.2021, Sputnik International

2021-12-19T15:08+0000

2021-12-19T15:08+0000

2021-12-19T15:08+0000

interview

brexit

uk

david frost

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Dr Theofanis Exadaktylos, reader in European Politics at the University of Surrey, reflects on who could be the UK's next chief post-Brexit negotiator with the EU and what could be the outcome of difficult UK-EU negotiations regarding the Northern Ireland Protocol.Sputnik: Now that the UK's chief Brexit negotiator David Frost has resigned, who will replace him?Dr Theofanis Exadaktylos: There are rumours of a number of Tory backbenchers, as we call them, that are there to potentially replace Lord Frost. However, there is not a single name that's been floated around. The problem that we have with Lord Frost is that he was one of the protagonists of the Brexit negotiations process. He was someone who was highly knowledgeable about how Europe operates and what kind of things they have discussed in the negotiations process and so on. So, the gap that he leaves in terms of knowledge is quite big. In terms of the administration side - no, it's not such a big gap. In any case, this type of ministry was quite junior in terms of the hierarchical structures of the government. So Brexit has been demoted as an issue all in all, so we could see someone more junior taking up that post. But definitely, that person will have to, first of all, agree with the government's position on Brexit and follow up the negotiations, and also be a supporter of government policy overall. That's the one thing that Boris Johnson, I think, needs to avoid - having someone who is a direct opponent, of course, on these matters.There is no kind of intelligence on who will be replacing. But the idea is that there are a number of MPs, Members of Parliament, who could replace him. But I think there is a movement by those who rebelled against the coronavirus measures last week to push for one of their own to be there. I don't think Boris Johnson will actually accept this kind of person.Sputnik: Frost has been described as a "combative" figure in regards to the post-Brexit talks with the EU multiple times. How will his resignation influence the future of the negotiations over the Northern Ireland Protocol?Dr Theofanis Exadaktylos: That is a very interesting question, primarily because Lord Frost was quite a hardcore Brexit supporter and therefore negotiator. All the talks were going on the edge of things, there was a fine balance to be walked. If he's replaced with someone who is equally hard on the positions around the future relationship with the EU and they are similar, then obviously we're going to see a continuation of this edgy process, of this fine balance being walked through, also because the UK lately has taken a couple of steps back, especially when it comes to the oversight of the European Court of Justice on Northern Ireland, for example. Maybe the person who comes in will be a little bit milder and actually they will try to iron out the problems that exist as a result of the current agreement. I think we can go with these two scenarios, and if someone replaces Lord Frost with the same ideas in mind, then we will continue on this conflictual pathway. But if someone who is a little bit more moderate comes in as a result of this replacement, and my view would be that it is in the interest of Boris Johnson to have someone with milder points of view and to settle a few things, then the change would be a little bit more positive.Sputnik: Will his resignation strengthen the EUs hand in ongoing talks?Dr Theofanis Exadaktylos: Most likely. In any case, in my personal view, the EU never lost the upper hand. I think the UK has never had an upper hand. I think the EU will be able to maintain a much more advantageous position, not the upper hand, but an advantageous position vis-a-vis the UK, no matter who replaces Lord Frost.Sputnik: What changes in the UK approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol should be expected?Dr Theofanis Exadaktylos: We already see some movement, especially with the acceptance of the ECJ as someone who can oversee the application of the protocol, not necessarily intervene, but at least oversee. I think we're going to see a little bit of a positive, more cooperative change when it comes to Northern Ireland. I think it is in the best interest of both sides to find a solution forward, and I think this is a good opportunity now.I don't think many details will change, to be honest, but I think the attitude will change. So we will probably see a little bit of a more cooperative attitude to solve issues, to iron out certain differences, to figure out ways forward rather than sticking to a very hardcore position, whether further forward or backward. I think that's the most important thing. The details will emerge effectively. It is the attitude, the approach to this issue that will need to change.

https://sputniknews.com/20211218/uks-brexit-minister-david-frost-resigns---reports-1091634802.html

https://sputniknews.com/20211217/uk-says-breakthrough-on-northern-ireland-protocol-needed-early-next-year-1091607119.html

Alba1970 The UK is finished Scotland is leaving within the next 18 months our place is back in the EU and Wales and N Ireland will follow us out of the UK leaving the husk that is little England 1

FreightTrainToMongolia Do not give up, Frost! The mind-wash by communist European Union is that all nations must be close-knit under the veiled communist, freedoms denying, flag, and lies of the European Union; NO! All countries must and will be sovereign and free to choose their form of governance, and economic trade, and products trade, deemed beneficial to both parties who trade WHICH ALSO CREATES JOBS JOBS JOBS FOR EACH STATE; THEREBY, WITH NO ONE GROUP IN EFFECT RULING THE ENTIRE WORLD!, WHO AS COMMUNIST EUROPEAN UNION AND SEIZED BY COMMUNISTS USA DOES, WHO ATTACK WITH BOMBS, AND BULLETS, AND STARVE, AND DISEASE, AND TORTURE (INCLUDING RAPE) , => ( AND FOMENT CIVIL WARRING IN AFRICA AND USA ) IN YEMEN, EAST UKRAINE (AND IN WEST UKRAINE ALSO DENYING THE FREE VOTE FOR WEST UKRAINE (KIEV) CITIZENS!), IRAN, PALESTINE, LIBYA, LEBANON, PALESTINE, SYRIA! LEAVE EVERYBODY ALONE COMMUNIST EUROPEAN UNION ZIONISTS AND SEIZED BY ZIONIST COMMUNISTS USA! THAT INCLUDES LEAVING ALONE ENGLAND, 1-2 1

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interview, brexit, uk, david frost
https://sputniknews.com/20211219/ex-cia-agent-calls-on-washington-to-honestly-assess-how-us-has-contributed-to-russia-tensions-1091651459.html

Ex-CIA Agent Calls on Washington to Honestly Assess How US Has Contributed to Russia Tensions

Ex-CIA Agent Calls on Washington to Honestly Assess How US Has Contributed to Russia Tensions

Tensions between Russia and the West hit post-Cold War highs over Ukraine amid claims by the US and the EU that Moscow may be preparing to invade its... 19.12.2021, Sputnik International

2021-12-19T17:44+0000

2021-12-19T17:44+0000

2021-12-19T17:44+0000

soviet union

russia

vladimir putin

united states

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The current tensions between Russia and the US bear many of the hallmarks of Cold War-era animosities between Moscow and Washington in spite of the disappearance of virtually all of that conflicts ideological and economic components, and Washington would do well to consider its own role in reigniting the conflict, former CIA officer Joe Weisberg has suggested. Part of the solution, he said, may lie in casting off the one-dimensional perspective of Russia.In an op-ed in the Washington Post, the former agent-turned television writer, whose work includes The Americans, an FX television series offering a sympathetic portrayal of KGB agents during the Cold War, Weisberg noted that the latest news about US-Russia tensions feel depressingly, pointlessly familiar.As during the Cold War, the ex-spook believes, part of the problem is the simplistic view with which the US sees itself and the other side as a virtuous force against an evil enemy.We were the good guys, and I was one of the good guys. I was not alone in seeing the world through this one-dimensional lens, Weisberg noted, recalling his youth and time with the agency. I eventually came to reckon with how simplistic my views on the evil empire were. I had help. After I spent a few years at the CIA in my 20s, therapy in my 30s started to loosen the grip of rigid thinking. In academia, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, more complex and nuanced views on Soviet history and politics increasingly flourished. And the flood of new ideas and perspectives coming out of post-Soviet Russia profoundly challenged the old certainties about matters from Stalinism to the role of the Soviet press, he recalled.America, Weisberg suggested, seems to be collectively stuck in the past in the current conflict.Having reappraised the two decades I spent as a stalwart cold warrior, I do not believe that Putin and his pals in the Kremlin are villainous anti-American autocrats who pose a grave danger to our stable, decent and humane democracy. Instead, I see the US-Russia relationship under Putin as a back and forth, a collaboration in making enemies, Weisberg wrote.The former CIA agent pointed out that when Putin came to office in the year 2000, he seemed somewhat open to the West, lacking anti-American rhetoric, trading with the US and its allies, and offering Washington Russias wholehearted support after 9/11 amid Russias own battle with terrorism in Chechnya.Within a few years, though, the United States was trying to fully integrate some former Soviet republics into the West, bringing Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia into NATO, an organization specifically devoted to combatting Moscow. (Some former Warsaw Pact members such as Poland and Hungary had been admitted earlier, and more were admitted later.) We began building a missile defense shield to protect Europe, placing it in countries formerly allied with the Soviet Union (the shield was ostensibly meant to protect against missiles fired from Iran, but given the sites we chose, Russia didnt see it that way). Putin became increasingly hostile. We eventually leveled an endless series of sanctions against a broad array of Russians and Russian interests, seeing it as our role to punish Russian misbehavior, whether it related to internal corruption and political repression or military adventures abroad, Weisberg noted.Weisberg recommended that the US unilaterally try to ratchet down the current dangerous back and forth with Russia through unilateral measures such as lifting sanctions, or allowing Moscow to resolve its internal problems without US meddling. He argued that Washington could even release Aldrich Ames and Robert Hanssen, the two US CIA and FBI agents imprisoned in US jails for spying for the USSR and Russia.We have played, at the very least, our own significant role in fueling the animosity between our two countries. Ultimately, we cannot control what Russia does in this long-running conflict. But we can at least try to pull back from the fight, Weisberg concluded.

https://sputniknews.com/20210901/china-is-not-the-soviet-union-beijings-us-envoy-blasts-washingtons-cold-war-mindset-1083773272.html

https://sputniknews.com/20210614/biden-vs-vlad-the-impaler-1083147091.html

https://sputniknews.com/20211218/moscow-if-us-rejects-security-proposals-russia-will-be-forced-to-create-counterthreats-1091631658.html

Zeke Aln He sees democracy as healthy and well, ....wrong and delusional.... also he does not find fault with the truly evil Amerikan barbaric butchery hegemonist that it actually is with no moral values, and no respect for life itself! 7

vot tak The problem is simple, israeloamerica (IE: israel) wants to totally control this planet totally. They wanted this during the cold war, thought with the USSR implosion, they had it. Now they realize they didn't and the fanaticism is back full bore. It is about oligarchical world dominance, the rest, that this "expert" mainly stressed, is simply pr bs covering for this naked aggression. Thumbs down. 6

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soviet union, russia, vladimir putin, united states
https://sputniknews.com/20211219/french-defense-minister-says-paris-unwilling-to-return-to-cold-war-with-russia-1091645774.html

French Defene Minister Says Paris Unwilling to Return to Cold War With Russia

French Defene Minister Says Paris Unwilling to Return to Cold War With Russia

French Defence Minister Florence Parly said on Saturday that Western countries can politically isolate Russia if the situation around Ukraine escalates, but added that Paris does not want another Cold War scenario

2021-12-19T12:36+0000

2021-12-19T12:36+0000

2021-12-19T12:36+0000

world

russia

france

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When asked by Le Journal du Dimanche magazine about what measures West can take against Russia, Parly said that some sanctions had already been imposed on Moscow, but they can be toughened. Russia can also be "politically isolated," the minister added.Parly also noted that Paris is in favour of maintaining the dialogue with Moscow, which was initiated by the French President Emmanuel Macron in 2019.Both Ukraine and some Western countries have recently spoken about alleged deployment of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border and accused Moscow of "aggressive actions." Russia refuted all the allegations and stated that it has no intention to invade any country. The allegations are viewed by Moscow as a pretext to sent more NATO's military equipment to Russian borders.

NthrnNYker59 LOL... WIth China in Russia's back pocket ----- :politically isolated' will never happen. 5

neutral hooper In fact all western country's act worse than the cold war time France itself is devoted to the training and growth of ISIS all in acord with Jewish global policy's which are genocidal to white Christian homelands 4

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https://sputniknews.com/20211219/gabriel-boric-ahead-in-chiles-presidential-election-runoff-1091654414.html

Kast Concedes Defeat to Boric in Chiles Presidential Runoff

Kast Concedes Defeat to Boric in Chiles Presidential Runoff

Leftist congressman Gabriel Boric is ahead in the second round of Chiles presidential election with over 53 percent of the votes, the countrys Electoral Service says.

2021-12-19T22:18+0000

2021-12-19T22:18+0000

2021-12-20T00:08+0000

chile

election

votes

leftist politics

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Right-wing politician Jose Antonio Kast has acknowledged Gabriel Borics victory in Chiles presidential runoff; with almost 69 percent of the ballots counted, Boric, of the "I Approve Dignity" coalition, has 55,18% of the votes and Kast has 44,82%, the Electoral Service said.Kast has congratulated his rival on the win on his Twitter.In the first round of the presidential election, held in November, Boric got nearly 26 percent, while Kast secured almost 28 percent of the votes.Chiles incumbent President Sebastian Pinera is constitutionally barred from seeking re-election. In mid-October, opposition parties in Chile initiated a constitutional impeachment process for Pinera following the publication of documents from the Pandora Papers. However, the Chilean Senate failed to oust him.Pinera's term in office is due to end in March 2022.

Hess Good news for the people of Chile and South America in general. Dow with pro-US Fascist candidates. 9

vot tak Good news, but terrible article which only promotes the far right, and very zio-friendly quisling kast (who's daddy was a nazi, btw. Surprised?). For an incredibly better analysis not coming from a likudite pov, see this article at RT on this election: "Chile turns leftward with election of its youngest-ever president". While the sputnik writer only was interested in making out israel's guy kast as a "good loser" (note the difference from their trump toy, btw :-D), the RT actually went into some detail about the election and who the 2 contenders are. 4

4

chile

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chile, election, votes, leftist politics
https://sputniknews.com/20211219/german-defence-chief-demands-that-aggressors-not-be-allowed-to-go-shopping-on-champs-elysees-1091652888.html

German Defence Chief Demands That Aggressors Not Be Allowed to Go Shopping on Champs-Elysees

German Defence Chief Demands That Aggressors Not Be Allowed to Go Shopping on Champs-Elysees

Russia laid out a pair of proposals to its US and NATO counterparts this week which Moscow says would dramatically strengthen the military security of the... 19.12.2021, Sputnik International

2021-12-19T18:54+0000

2021-12-19T18:54+0000

2021-12-19T19:06+0000

russia

ukraine

vladimir putin

germany

shopping

champs-elysees

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https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/103927/76/1039277634_0:147:3500:2116_1920x0_80_0_0_ff67c3279164028d4c2764883b591230.jpg

German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht has recommended tougher personal sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin and his inner circle over Moscows alleged aggressive behaviour near Ukraine.Right now we have to target Putin and those around him, Lambrecht said, speaking to Bild on Sunday ahead of her visit to Lithuania.Lambrecht did not specify who among Putins inner circle she was talking about, with the Russian president himself only ever visiting Paris on diplomatic trips to meet with his French counterparts, presumably leaving him little time for any shopping. Some relatives of senior Russian officials and businessmen are known to travel to, study or live in Western European countries, including France, however.The German defence minister said she was watching what is happening on the border between Russia and Ukraine with great concern.That is why my first foreign mission on Sunday is in Lithuania to visit with the NATO rapid reaction force to get an impression of how the soldiers see the situation in the region, she said. Clearly: the aggressor is Russia. We must do everything possible to stop an escalation. This also includes the threat of harsh sanctions.Russia has repeatedly expressed concerns about the NATO buildup on its western frontiers, including the rapid reaction forces mentioned by Lambrecht, as well as US missile shield components, and the activities of alliance aircraft, drones and warships, which attempt to probe Russias airspace and sea borders on an almost daily basis.On Wednesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry handed US diplomats in Moscow two proposals aimed at dramatically easing Russia-NATO tensions. The full texts of the draft agreements were published on the Foreign Ministrys website on Friday. They include a demand that the US and NATO halt the blocs eastern expansion (including into Ukraine), restrictions on the placement of missile systems and troops for all parties, and a commitment by both sides to formally affirm that they do not view one another as adversaries.Russian diplomats have specified that the draft agreements are not just a menu where it is possible to pick and choose, and must be considered in their totality. On Saturday, deputy foreign minister Alexander Grushko warned that Moscow would be forced to create a system of counterthreats if the US and its allies reject the proposals.Grusho also stressed that if implemented, the current military tensions would shift to a political process that would dramatically strengthen the military security of all members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe  the 57-member body covering Russia and the former Soviet Union, Mongolia, all of Europe, the US and Canada.

https://sputniknews.com/20190226/dmitry-peskov-daughter-european-parliament-1072755432.html

https://sputniknews.com/20211219/lithuania-ready-to-send-lethal-weapons-to-ukraine-1091652469.html

https://sputniknews.com/20211219/moscows-security-proposals-may-kickstart-dialogue-with-nato-but-will-require-flexibility---experts-1091651220.html

Hess The same attitude (towards Russia) as that of the Third Reich. The current German ruling class learned nothing. The country has become an obedient US lapdog. 5

mandrake Another full range idiot stealing her way into the political upper echelon and regardless how she dud it, she is still a full scale menace. Waiting and hoping to be seriously raped by the invading russians! 4

8

ukraine

germany

champs-elysees

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Ilya Tsukanov

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Ilya Tsukanov

russia, ukraine, vladimir putin, germany, shopping, champs-elysees
https://sputniknews.com/20211219/idf-detains-4-people-suspected-of-killing-israeli-man-1091643072.html

IDF Detains 4 People Suspected of Killing Israeli Man

IDF Detains 4 People Suspected of Killing Israeli Man

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) detained on Sunday four people suspected of having carried out an attack that claimed the life of one Israeli man earlier this week.

2021-12-19T10:26+0000

2021-12-19T10:26+0000

2021-12-19T10:27+0000

west bank

israel

attack

shooting

idf

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"The 4 suspects, and the weapon used to carry out the horrific attack last week, were caught overnight. In this shooting attack, 2 civilians were injured and one killed. We will continue operating to maintain security in the region," IDF said on Twitter.On Thursday, three Israelis travelling in a car were shot at by Palestinian gunmen near the Israeli settlement of Homesh in the West Bank. One of the victims, 25-year-old Yehudah Dimentman, died from sustained injuries leaving behind a wife and a nine-month-old baby.Bennett visited the ISA special operations forward command centre overnight where he closely followed the operation to capture the suspects.On Saturday, a Palestinian woman was arrested on suspicion of stabbing an Israeli citizen near the entrance to the religious site of the Cave of the Patriarchs, in Hebron. Last week, a Jewish woman was stabbed in Jerusalem while walking with her children.

mandrake Most likely innocent but the surveillance state the jews have built must be seen to be on top of things andfrom that aspect innocent or not is irrelevant. The palestinian should work out a tit for tat and kill the same number of jews that the jews kill palestinians! 1

1

west bank

israel

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west bank, israel, attack, shooting, idf
https://sputniknews.com/20211219/idf-us-cyber-units-hold-mysterious-joint-drills-to-ensure-cyber-network-superiority-1091646222.html

IDF, US Cyber Units Hold Mysterious Joint Drills to Ensure Cyber Network Superiority

IDF, US Cyber Units Hold Mysterious Joint Drills to Ensure Cyber Network Superiority

The governments and private companies of the two countries have pumped tens of billions of dollars into cyber capabilities. This year, private Israeli tech... 19.12.2021, Sputnik International

2021-12-19T13:05+0000

2021-12-19T13:05+0000

2021-12-19T13:35+0000

hacking

cybersecurity

exercise

drills

us cyber command

israel defense forces (idf)

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US Cyber Command and the Israeli militarys Joint Cyber Defence Division (JCDD) have wrapped up a weeks worth of drills, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) revealed.The exercises, dubbed Cyberdome, were the sixth annual drills of their kind, and reportedly involved training for a variety of cyber defence challenges in the US. The IDF said the exercises demonstrated the strategic partnership between the two militaries, which allows both to achieve cyber network superiority.The exercises were held at a US Cyber Command facility.The Israeli military did not elaborate on the details of the drills, and US Cyber Command has not mentioned them in its press materials or public-facing social media accounts.Cyberspace is changing and evolving into an everyday global combat space, that threatens to harm governmental, private and civilian bodies, IDF Cyber Defence Directorate chief Lior Carmeli said in a brief boilerplate statement on the exercises.'Charming Kitten' AttacksThe drills took place against the background of reports this week that an Iran-linked hacking group known as Charming Kitten targeted a host of Israeli websites using a vulnerability in Log4j a a widely used Java-based logging utility. Microsoft reported Wednesday that hackers in China, North Korea and Turkey also exploited the flaw.US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency director Jen Easterly called the vulnerability, known as Log4Shell, one of the most seriousif not the most serious, that shes seen in her career. US-Israel computer security hardware and software provider Check Point suggested that the exploit has the potential to give rise to a true cyber-pandemic. Maryland-based cybersecurity company Tenable called it the single biggest, most critical vulnerability of the last decade.Governments and companies in Israel, the United States, Canada, Germany and other countries have scrambled to patch the affected software, with hundreds of millions of devices feared to be vulnerable.The discovery of the Log4Shell vulnerability came just days after the conclusion of a separate massive 10-day Israeli cybersecurity war game simulating a major cyberattack on the worlds financial system by sophisticated players. The drill, dubbed Collective Strength, reportedly included officials from Israel, the US, the UK, the UAE, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Thailand, as well as representatives from the IMF and the World Bank. Israeli Finance Ministry chief economist Shira Greenberg hailed the drills as further evidence of Israels global leadership in financial cyber defence. Covert CyberwarIsrael and Iran have spent years engaged in a covert cyberwar, targeting everything from websites and government databases to ports, power and water stations, and even nuclear power plants. In October, Israeli officials reported that a suspected Iranian hacking group known as Moses Staff breached over 165 Israeli servers and 254 websites, amassing 11 terabytes of sensitive data, including personal information about Defence Ministry Benny Gantz and Israeli military operational planning maps, information about IDF troops and units, and correspondence. The same month, Iran accused the Zionist regime and its US allies of responsibility for the massive 26 October hack attack which temporarily crippled Irans gas station network.Israeli private surveillance and cyber-espionage companies made global headlines this year after it was revealed that cutting-edge zero-click snooping software created by Tel Aviv-based NSO Group was used to spy on more than 50,000 people, including heads of state, journalists, opposition politicians and activists. The software, sold to state clients with the active support of Israeli authorities, was unexpectedly blacklisted and sanctioned by the US last month, with media reporting that at least 11 American diplomats had been spied on using the spyware.Another Israeli cybersecurity company, Candiru, also based in Tel Aviv, also made headlines last month after Slovakia-based internet security firm ESET revealed that its products had been used to systematically attack websites in the UK, Iran, Italy, South Africa, Syria and Yemen, with the so-called watering hole attacks aimed at collecting IP geolocation data from site visitors. Candiru has also been slapped with US sanctions.

https://sputniknews.com/20211204/israeli-pegasus-spyware-used-to-hack-phones-of-11-us-diplomats---reports-1091236247.html

vot tak Expect a raise in cyber attacks from israeloamerica. 2

mandrake With the morons having a stranglehold on the net and the slimy jews with their invasive techniques to steal information from users its a senenergetic situation. Drop out of facebook, google, whatsap and so on, there all part of the us/jew project to dominate the world.. 2

6

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hacking, cybersecurity, exercise, drills, us cyber command, israel defense forces (idf)
https://sputniknews.com/20211219/lithuania-ready-to-send-lethal-weapons-to-ukraine-1091652469.html

Lithuania Ready to Send Lethal Weapons to Ukraine

Lithuania Ready to Send Lethal Weapons to Ukraine

Lithuania says it is ready to send lethal weapons to Ukraine amid alleged Russian threat.

2021-12-19T18:30+0000

2021-12-19T18:30+0000

2021-12-19T18:31+0000

russia

ukraine

lithuania

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"Diplomacy will be successful only when the victim has every means to defend itself and safeguard its sovereignty. It is necessary to support Ukraine by all means, Lithuania is ready to do so, including handing over lethal weapons to Ukraine," Anusauskas said during a press conference, broadcast by the Lithuanian National Radio and Television.At the same time, the minister refused to elaborate on what specific weapons Vilnius will provide to Kiev."I will not answer in detail at the moment, it is a matter of a multilateral agreement because several countries are involved, not only the giver and receiver but also the manufacturer and supplier," Anusauskas explained.Tensions around Ukraine have been aggravating over the past several weeks following Western media reports about an alleged Russian troop buildup near the Ukrainian border and claims of preparations for an invasion. Moscow has repeatedly denied the accusations, pointing to NATO's military activity near Russian borders, which it deems a threat to its national security. Russia has also said it has the right to move forces within its own territory.

FeEisi Is Lithuania going to give away their one only tank? 8

Airygunt lithuania is going to give Ukraine some pebbles and a catapult 6

7

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russia, ukraine, lithuania
https://sputniknews.com/20211219/police-open-probe-into-lynching-of-man-for-sacrilege-attempt-at-golden-temple-in-india-1091639403.html

Police Open Probe Into Lynching of Man for 'Sacrilege' Attempt at Golden Temple in India

Police Open Probe Into Lynching of Man for 'Sacrilege' Attempt at Golden Temple in India

On Saturday, a man, aged 24-25, was beaten to death by a mob after he jumped over the railing of the sanctum sanctorum inside the Sikhs' holiest shrine, the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab. He allegedly tried to touch the ceremonial sword kept in front of the holy book of the Sikhs, 'Guru Granth Sahib', during the daily evening prayer.

2021-12-19T08:30+0000

2021-12-19T08:30+0000

2021-12-19T08:30+0000

lynch

killed

human sacrifice

india

lynching

sikh

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In a bid to find the 'real conspirators' behind the lynching of a man by angry devotees for a "sacrilege" attempt at the sacred Sikh shrine 'Golden Temple' in Amritsar city, Punjab Police have registered a case and initiated an investigation.Amritsar's Deputy Commissioner of Police Parminder Singh Bhandal narrated the whole incident to Indian media in the Punjabi language and said, "Today, one 24-25-year-old man barged inside [the Golden Temple] where the holy book [Guru Granth Sahib] is kept. He tried desecrating it with a sword; was taken out by Sangat people (Sikh volunteers), and died in the altercation."No identification documents were recovered from the body, the police said.While the police have sent the body of the man for an autopsy that will be conducted on Sunday, Punjab state chief Charanjit Singh Channi has ordered a probe into the incident, which has taken the internet by storm.Several politicians and netizens have shared the video of the incident on social media and condemned the man's "sacrilege" attempt at the sanctum sanctorum of the Golden Temple. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa took to Twitter to share the CCTV footage of the attempt at "sacrilege".In the video, a man can be seen jumping over a railing during prayers and touching the sword kept in front of the holy book 'Guru Granth Sahib'. He was stopped by devotees and the security team. While it's unclear what happened afterwards, it is said that the man was taken outside and allegedly beaten to death by the Sikh devotees and volunteers.Some netizens are circulating speculations about a conspiracy behind the incident to vitiate the atmosphere in the border state ahead of the upcoming elections.Calling the whole incident "deeply shocking and exceedingly painful", former Punjab Chief Parkash Singh Badal told Indian media that the possibility of a deep-rooted conspiracy behind the incident cannot be ruled out. The whole conspiracy needs to be probed, exposed and those behind it given exemplary punishment, Badal added.The national spokesperson of the BJP, R.P Singh condemned the alleged sacrilege attempt and demanded that the Punjab government hand over the case to India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).Reacting to the incident, angry netizens are lashing out at the devotees who allegedly killed the man. People are strongly condemning the lynching of the man in the name of religion. Another Twitter user hit out at the police officer in charge of the investigation, accusing him of justifying the lynching.

Cundee Sikhs are mostly peacefull folks who are hard working respectable fair people, for some warped fool to abuse degrade the holy temple and do what he done, he deserved to be done in. 0

1

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Sangeeta Yadav https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/08/1b/1080292803_0:121:960:1081_100x100_80_0_0_7490b319dab9611e309056b177265184.jpg

Sangeeta Yadav https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/08/1b/1080292803_0:121:960:1081_100x100_80_0_0_7490b319dab9611e309056b177265184.jpg

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lynch, killed, human sacrifice, india, lynching, sikh
https://sputniknews.com/20211219/protesters-demonstrate-in-sudan-on-revolutions-third-anniversary-1091638105.html

Protesters Demonstrate in Sudan on Revolutions Third Anniversary

Protesters Demonstrate in Sudan on Revolutions Third Anniversary

A protest is being held in the Sudanese capital Khartoum to denounce the military coup on the third anniversary of the country's 2018 revolution.

2021-12-19T12:01+0000

2021-12-19T12:01+0000

2021-12-19T12:01+0000

sudan

africa

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A protest is being held in the Sudanese capital Khartoum to denounce the military coup on the third anniversary of the country's 2018 revolution.In April 2019, Sudan saw a military coup d'etat, sparked by protests which began in December 2018, amid a deep economic crisis and declining living standards. President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who had ruled for 30 years, was removed from power and later imprisoned.Following the 2019 coup, a new political power structure was established to run the country, the Sovereignty Council of Sudan. In October 2021, yet another coup shook Sudan - Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was arrested and the military made a deal with him; now the military and Hamdok run the country together. Subsequently, hundreds of people have attended protests, which the authorities are attempting to suppress. Forty people have been reportedly killed in the demonstrations since 25 October.Follow Sputnik's Live Feed to Find Out More!

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Protesters demonstrate against Sudan military coup on 3rd anniversary of revolution Protesters demonstrate against Sudan military coup on 3rd anniversary of revolution 2021-12-19T12:01+0000 true PT1S

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sudan, africa, 
https://sputniknews.com/20211219/scottish-witches-executed-300-years-ago-for-wicked-spells-sex-with-the-devil-to-be--pardoned--1091646839.html

Scottish Witches Executed 300 Years Ago for Wicked Spells, Sex with the Devil to Be Pardoned

Scottish Witches Executed 300 Years Ago for Wicked Spells, Sex with the Devil to Be Pardoned

Thousands of women accused of witchcraft in Scotland under the Witchcraft Act between 1563 and 1736 are to have their names cleared posthumously.

2021-12-19T13:37+0000

2021-12-19T13:37+0000

2021-12-19T13:37+0000

scotland

nicola sturgeon

witch hunt

witch

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https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/106886/19/1068861940_0:0:2049:1153_1920x0_80_0_0_74ef5b1d1d27943c8e529033dcc9834a.jpg

Thousands of women accused of witchcraft in Scotland under the Witchcraft Act between 1563 and 1736 are to have their names cleared posthumously, reported the Sunday Times. A members bill on the issue in the Scottish parliament has secured the support of the administration of First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon. According to Natalie Don, a Scottish National Party MSP, the bill could be passed as early as next summer. A petition lodged earlier this year by Claire Mitchell QC and writer Zoe Venditozzi as part of the Witches of Scotland campaign, launched on International Womens Day 2020, sought a pardon, an official apology and a memorial in recognition of Scotlands witches. In its response to the petition, the Scottish Government acknowledged that the Witchcraft Act of 1563  which remained in law in Scotland until 1736  was discriminatory. An estimated 4,000 people had been accused of witchcraft after laws passed by James IV of Scotland unleashed the nationwide Great Scottish Witch Hunt of 1597. It was the second of five national witch hunts in Scottish history, carried out under the supervision of Royal Commissions. Among the hundreds of alleged witches accused of everything ranging from casting evil spells to conjuring up storms to sink the ships of King James VI to engaging in sex with the Devil and turning into owls, over half were executed. A great majority  over 85 percent of those convicted - were women or girls. Mitchell claims she was, in part, inspired by the case of Lilias Adie, from Torryburn, Fife, who had been forced to confess to casting malicious spells and having sex with the Devil. While sentenced to be burnt at the stake, she died in prison in 1704. Individuals known to have a reputation as a healer or possessing plant knowledge were often singled out as targets for witch hunts, and were often blamed for everything from bouts of bad weather to plagues of mice, crop failures and disease.

Uninformed Its Obvious now that all those DEAD/Murdered people will feel much better now , won't they ! , Now Pardon all those Pedophile Catholic Priests "Before" they are DEAD as some of us know where they are going already , its in a Book . 3

Cundee And that little freak sturgeon? The no kids degenerat loving snp sloth needs done. 1

4

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scotland, nicola sturgeon, witch hunt, witch
https://sputniknews.com/20211219/sky-high-luxury-roman-abramovich-now-owns-most-expensive-private-jet-in-russia-1091644977.html

Sky-High Luxury: Roman Abramovich Now Owns Most Expensive Private Jet in Russia

Sky-High Luxury: Roman Abramovich Now Owns Most Expensive Private Jet in Russia

Russian billionaire businessman Roman Abramovich has bought a luxury Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, Forbes reported, citing sources in the aviation industry.

2021-12-19T14:00+0000

2021-12-19T14:00+0000

2021-12-19T14:04+0000

roman abramovich

jet

private jet

russia

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Russian billionaire businessman Roman Abramovich has bought a luxury Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, Forbes reported, citing sources in the aviation industry. The plane reportedly departed the Swiss city of Basel on 18 December before landing at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow.The cost of the jet is estimated to be $350 million, which makes it the most expensive private jet in Russia. It's reportedly capable of flying 18,418 kilometres without refuelling. There are just 250 such Dreamliners in the world but this is the first to be bought by a Russian. Abramovich's jet was built in 2015 for Switzerland's Privateair airliner but for some reason, it was never handed over. Since 2019, the jet has been undergoing an upgrade to meet the Russian billionaire's preferences. The 53-year-old businessman owns English Premier League club Chelsea FC and is also a joint-owner owner of the Millhouse asset management company that oversees investments in real estate, mining, metallurgy, and energy. According to Forbes, Abramovich's net worth is $14.2 billion in 2021.

https://sputniknews.com/20210728/roman-abramovich-denies-being-putins-cashier-wants-to-set-record-straight-uk-high-court-told-1083478157.html

keyboardcosmetics JEWISH billionaire businessman Roman Abramovich of Russian birth 3

Ladyshadow Nice, he probably takes Putin for a ride on occasion, lol. 1

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https://sputniknews.com/20211219/talent-agency-ditches-chris-noth-following-allegations-of-sexual-assault--1091635817.html

Talent Agency Ditches Chris Noth Following Allegations of Sexual Assault

Talent Agency Ditches Chris Noth Following Allegations of Sexual Assault

Talent Agency Refused to Work With Chris Noth Following Allegations of Sexual Assault

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actor

sexual assault

celebrities

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Chris Noth, 67, was dropped byf A3 Artists Agency, where he has been listed as a client, Fox News reported Saturday.In the wake of sexual assault accusations, other companies earlier terminated collaboration with the actor, including exercise bike brand Peloton, which recently ran an ad featuring Noth. Peloton has removed it from the web, saying in a statement that every single sexual assault accusation must be taken seriously.The actor has denied all accusations, saying they are categorically false.On 16 December, US media reported that the actor was accused of sexual misconduct by two women who used the pseudonyms Zoe and Lily. The alleged victims claimed that Noth assaulted them in two separate incidents, in 2004 and 2015, respectively. Another woman, under the pseudonym of Ava, claimed Friday that she also was a victim of Noth, according to a report by The Daily Beast.So far, no formal charges have been brought against the actor.

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https://sputniknews.com/20211219/tory-mps-appeared-to-ditch-uk-culture-secretary-from-whatsapp-group-for-extolling-hero-bojo-1091641138.html

Tory MPs Appeared to Ditch UK Culture Secretary From WhatsApp Group For Extolling Hero' BoJo

Tory MPs Appeared to Ditch UK Culture Secretary From WhatsApp Group For Extolling Hero' BoJo

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries was kicked off a Tory WhatsApp group after defending Boris Johnson during an exchange about the resignation of the core architect of the PMs Brexit strategy  David Frost.

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boris johnson

whatsapp

nadine dorries

uk conservative party

uk

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Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries was booted from a Tory WhatsApp group after defending Boris Johnson during an exchange about the resignation of the core architect of the PMs Brexit strategy  David Frost. Messages from a 100-strong group called Clean Global Brexit, cited by Sky News, show Theresa Villiers, the former Northern Ireland secretary, referring to Lord Frost's exit as "very worrying". MP Andrew Bridgen goes further, slamming it as a "disaster". The Cotswolds MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown replies, according to screenshots of the messages, that Frosts exit is a "further hammer blow to the PM". As Yeovil MP Marcus Fysh extolled Lord Frost as a "hero" who unwaveringly displayed a tough stance on Brexit, the Culture Secretary is seen as intervening, to write: Seemingly without any warning, MP Steve Baker, former chair of the Brexit-supporting European Research Group, swiftly removed Nadine Dorries from the chat, following this up with Enough is enough" and a thumbs-up emoji in his own image.Another MP then responds by messaging that it was "about time". However, the Culture Secretary was not without some support, as another screenshot shows Bournemouth West MP Conor Burns replying to her: Baker then retorts that Boris Johnson was fortunate to win his big majority after the landslide election victory in December 2019, and adds: "But I suggest we not argue in this group. We have troubles enough in our immediate future." Latest Blow to Scandal-Plagued PM Lord David Frost is understood to have quit due to unease over the direction of the party and factors such as high taxes, the push towards net zero emissions and new COVID restrictions. The resignation of the UK governments most senior Brexit negotiator, first reported by The Mail on Sunday, was said to have been prompted by "disillusionment" with the direction of Boris Johnsons government policy. In the early hours of Sunday the UK government released Frost's resignation letter, in which he stated that he will leave with immediate effect since "Brexit is now secure." Frost was reportedly motivated by a broader discontent with tax rises, the policy to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, as well as new restrictions imposed against COVID-19. In his reply, Boris Johnson said he was very sorry to have received David Frost's resignation.The PM had faced the largest Tory rebellion of his tenure over his coronavirus Plan B, with doubts cast regarding his performance amid previous scandals. Partygate, a series of allegations over illicit staff Christmas gatherings at No 10 amid last years lockdown, comes in the wake of sleaze scandals linked with violations of Commons lobbying rules. Amid a torrid few weeks and brewing backbench rebellion, with sources claiming Tories were openly discussing a leadership challenge to Johnson, the PMs personal ratings have plunged to an all-time low, 11 points down since the middle of November, a YouGov poll found. After the UK Conservative Party sustained a crushing by-election defeat on 17 December, losing a traditional stronghold, North Shropshire, to the Liberal Democrats, Boris Johnson said that he takes personal responsibility for the election results.

https://sputniknews.com/20211218/uks-brexit-minister-david-frost-resigns---reports-1091634802.html

https://sputniknews.com/20211217/boris-johnson-takes-personal-responsibility-for-north-shropshire-by-election-fiasco-1091604785.html

Rot Hchild Why are government officials using a spytool like Whatsapp built by a Ukrainian jew and bought by Facebook? 0

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The rains kept falling but it didn't deter any of the eight amateur drivers who were competing in a $9,000 Great Lakes Amateur Driver's Association (GLADA) Trot at Northfield Park on Saturday night (Dec. 18). Sure, they got muddy but, like professionals, they completed their mission, though it was veteran amateur Steve Oldford who walked away with the victory.

When the gate sprung, Darrell Rideout sent My Indiana to the lead in a speedy :28.1 first panel as the eventual winner, Pepin Coolie, floated away from the mobile gate and was third at the first quarter.

"It was heavy going down along the pylons, so I moved out in two-horse position where the footing was better and looked to move up," Oldford said.

My Indiana was still in command as he passed the halfway point in :59.2, but he had company. And when the leaders trotted by three-quarters, they were heads apart. But that didn't last long as Oldford urged Pepin Coolie and his trotter vaulted to the lead when he passed the three-quarter marker in 1:29.1 as Dynamic Edge moved up and was second at that point.

But for all practical purposes the race was over.

"My horse was strong and kept going forward," Oldford said, and then added "we opened daylight on the field and cruised home an easy open lengths winner in 1:59.3".

The margin of victory at the wire was four lengths as Dynamic Edge was second best. Larry Ferrari took home the show dough with So Wishful.

Pepin Coolie, an eight-year-old Swan For All gelding, gave Oldford his second win in as many starts together. He's owned by Oldford Racing and trained by Ethan Sisco and paid $4.80 for win.

(GLADA)
Rejoining her male counterparts at Woodbine Mohawk Parks top class, the five-year-old Big Jim mare So Much More returned with vigor to claim a 1:51 victory in the $34,000 Preferred Pace on Saturday (Dec. 18).

Driver James MacDonald settled the Don Beatson trainee in fifth as Jimmy Freight fired to the front through a :27.1 first quarter with stablemate Wheels On Fire drafting in second. MacDonald moved So Much More first over into a :56.1 half and gained on the pacesetter despite the tempo quickening to three-quarters in 1:23.4. With the sprint still on for home, So Much More downed Jimmy Freight with just two rivals to endure through the lane. She clung to command to the finish, keeping a head in front of Beyond Better has he barreled from second over for second and Wheels On Fire rallied off the pocket ride to take third.

Co-owned by Don Beatson with Kenneth Beatson and Cole England, So Much More won her 10th race from 25 starts this season and her 41st from 89 overall, pushing her earnings to $791,128. She paid $7.30 to win.

To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
IT IS hard to imagine the fear that went through the minds of those who found themselves in the path of deadly tornadoes in Kentucky and five other states.

About 110 people were working in a Mayfield, Ky., candle factory when the twister blew in, ripped the roof off the building and caused the structure to collapse. Eight employees were reported killed.

Others were sitting in their homes, their cars or their places of business on the night of Dec. 10, when more than two dozen twisters swept through the area as part of a violent weather front moving eastward.

Dozens and dozens of people died. It was a horrible night, as entire towns were destroyed.

A tornado is, without question, a force to be reckoned with. With modern technology, we can track hurricanes and closely predict where they will hit. But tornadoes drop down out of the sky, wreak devastation for miles and then lift up and dissipate.

Forecasters can predict the possibility of a tornado outbreakas happened last weekbut they cannot pinpoint where a tornado will develop, when it will drop to the ground and how long it will track.
Culpeper hospital staff members have quit because theyre burned out by tending to patients made critically ill by the novel coronavirus, or because they can earn three or four times the pay as traveling nurses, temporary workers who fill emergency positions, Staton said.

Her team members work in their community hospital because they love contributing to a place they care about, where family and friends are the patients they help, she said.

But as they care for these people they love and they see serious illnesses and deaths that likely could have been prevented, it has an emotional toll, she said.

Since Jan. 1, UVA Health has hired more than 370 new team members, including 35 new nurses in Culpeper, Staton said.

We are actively recruiting experienced travelers to help meet our immediate needs and assist with staffing through the holiday season, she said.

Anger and the virus
Ok, then. If reduced CO2 emissions are part of your belief system, then Governor-Elect Youngkin and Republicans have an affordable and reliable solution for you: natural gas and nuclear.

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With respect to natural gas, Toby Rice, President and CEO of EQT, one the largest natural gas providers in Pennsylvania and the US, has explained in the Wall Street Journal that by swapping electrical generation from coal to natural gas, the US has achieved the largest absolute reduction of CO2 in the world.

The resulting reduction in CO2 would be the same as if 2.2 billion gas powered cars had been fully electrified. And natural gas can continue its role in moderating CO2, while nuclear is completely CO2 free.

What does all this mean for Virginia? Well, since Virginia Democrats passed Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA) on a party line vote in 2020, Virginia has had the worst of all worlds when it comes to electrical generation.
The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research awarded Noble Research Institute a $9.5 million grant to lead this work. Noble Research Institute is providing $7.5 million to this project with additional financial contributions by Greenacres Foundation, The Jones Family Foundation and ButcherBox.

For decades, farmers and ranchers who have implemented soil health principles have improved the overall health of their land and have experienced more profitable operations, however, these observations have been  to this point  largely anecdotal, according to the Noble Research Institute.

This research will quantify these observations and examine how management decisions on grazing lands are connected to the overall health of the ecosystem, including the social and economic well-being of the farmer, rancher and land manager.

The project will provide farmers and ranchers tools that simply and accurately measure outcomes of soil health in grazing land environments to guide management decisions and quantify the impact of intentional management, according to The Nobile Research Institute. Measuring soil health requires techniques that are often site-specific and costly for ranchers.
At 1 p.m., the electoral count started. It began normally, with the two sides debating the electoral count from certain states ... But as they got into it, we started getting security alerts on our phones, and you could see that there were members on the floor looking at their phones. At one point I told my editor, "I'm going to go outside and try to look out a window and see what's going on." And a gallery staffer and I went and looked out a front window of the Capitol. It was kind of like one of those moments in a movie where it's just like, "Oh my gosh," because we looked outside and there were just so many people. Usually there's a perimeter at events like this, but there was no perimeter and people were just right up against the building.

All of a sudden there was a lockdown at the Capitol. The House was gaveling in and out of session and there was a lot of chaos on the floor as members were trying to figure out what was going on. And then at some point they gaveled out for a final time and a Capitol Police officer went up to the rostrum and started talking in the microphone. That's where you see the president speaking at the State of the Union  that is not a normal thing for a Capitol Police officer to be talking to members from the rostrum. And he said, "there has been a breach and tear gas was dispersed in the Capitol Rotunda." He said to members, "you need to get your gas masks out from underneath your chairs," and I don't think many members even knew there were gas masks under their chairs. So it was total pandemonium on the floor. People are yelling out, "Lock the doors! Lock the doors!" There were some members who were yelling about Trump, and a Democrat yelled at Republicans, "This is your fault!" It was just total chaos. One member was up on his desk trying to help people get their gas masks on, and eventually they gave us gas masks in the press gallery and we're trying to figure them out, and we have no idea how to open this thing or whether we should put it on. And when you open it, there's this really, really loud buzzing. So all of a sudden there's this loud buzzing just echoing through the whole chamber. And at one point we looked down and the House chaplain, who had just started a couple of days before, was saying a prayer. That was definitely a moment where it was like, "OK, this is pretty serious."
When and how was the car acquired?

Just this year, from his son, Korey Balint, but theres a longer story behind that. The story is of a father and son, but not just Ernie and Korey, and it involves a daughter, too.

The University of Miami bumper sticker on the back tells part of the story as the vehicle had previously been owned by a friend of Koreys from an online car forum, though both were from around the Miami area. It had originally been owned by the friends father, who drove it around the campus before his daughter and the son that sold it also did the same before he moved to Georgia. After the birth of twins, he sold it to Korey for $1,500.

Korey, along his other son, Kyle put time, effort, and money into the car to restore a number of mechanical parts, but Ernie helped finish some of the restoration work once Korey gave Ernie the Celica as a retirement gift, or at least something to do with his free time.

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You know, Dads getting old, he needs things to do, Korey said, according to Ernie when he called his mother to float the idea about giving it to his dad.

When Ernie got the Celica with roughly 45,000 miles on it, to which he added 3,000 miles.
Greitens frequently appears on conservative TV networks, radio and podcasts but has largely avoided Missouri media and made few public appearances.

Greitens' campaign declined interview requests and didn't respond directly to emailed questions. But the campaign manager, Dylan Johnson, provided a statement on Saturday.

Governor Greitens is the only America First candidate in this race who will fight for the people of Missouri, just like he has done as a Navy SEAL and as governor," Johnson said. "The political establishment and RINOs are frightened of losing their power to someone who would be a champion for the people.

Greitens, a charismatic former Navy SEAL officer and Rhodes scholar, was widely seen as a rising star in GOP politics after being elected governor in 2016. Then, in January 2018, news broke of an extramarital affair that occurred in 2015, before he was elected.

The woman said Greitens invited her to his home, where he blindfolded her, bound her and removed her clothes. He then allegedly took a photo.
Its very frustrating. Weve been advocating for years and years to get these projects funded, Atkins said. All of the progress just totally stopped. Weve put a lot of effort into getting these projects funded because, in North Carolina, infrastructure follows growth, not the other way around.

The project, which had been delayed from 2023 to 2025 in the latter half of 2020, was rumored to be getting further delayed due to the NCDOT budget shortfall, but Poe assured the community members in attendance that there would be no further delays at this time.

A vast majority of the right of way acquisition has already been completed for the N.C. 150 project, and, according to Poe, NCDOT has committed to starting utility relocation for that project in 2022.

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However, Sawyer, as well as Atkins, werent confident that the date wont be pushed back in the future.

I dont have any assurances that these things will happen on time, Atkins said. But considering that they have 80% of the right of way completed for the 150 project, and that they will start moving utilities next year, I think that one will move forward as scheduled.
Chinese smartphone and telecommunications giant Huawei has long been accused of secretly equipping its phones with software and hardware features that can be used to send user information back to China. Recently Western Internet security researchers discovered how some countries can use Huawei phone software to monitor and censor journalists of the government via a commonly used router accessory called middlebox hardware. Using special middlebox software supplied by Huawei, nations can quietly censor user access to certain subjects or identifying such users and secretly pass on offending messages to someone else. Internet security researchers discovered that a quarter of the 69 countries studied were using Huawei middlebox features for censorship, especially against local journalists distributing stories critical of the local government or specific officials.

Middlebox is a term first used in 1999 to describe a growing number of hardware devices installed in networks for security reasons or system efficiency. Huawei developed middlebox hardware that worked with software features included in all Huawei phones. If a government allowed Huawei phones to be imported and sold, Huawei would, depending on the government, point to middlebox capabilities in Huawei phones that enabled the local government to easily censor Huawei phone users as well as let the government know who the offenders were. Less well known was that all data collected by Huawei middlebox systems was also sent back to China for quality control purposes.

As the many capabilities of Huawei middlebox tech became known, a growing number of countries banned Huawei from selling their phones locally. This kept Huawei out of many major markets. By the end of 2019 America, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Taiwan banned use of Huawei phones on mobile phone networks. Many other nations adopted prohibitions when it was discovered that the new 5G network tech offered by Huawei contained even more exploitable (potential spyware) middlebox capabilities. Many nations investigated the Huawei 5G tech and banned certain elements of it. All this action against Huawei middlebox tech has caused Huawei phones to lose sales. For example, Huawei phones worldwide shipments hit a high of 20 percent of all phones sold in mid-2020 and have since declined to less than eight percent. The latest Huawei middlebox revelations wont help. Huawei will survive because they still dominate the Chinese market and cellphone sales in most nations they are allowed to sell to. China is the largest cellphone market and while Huawei is not government owned, it is run by loyal CCP (Chinese Communist Party) members who became rich by following orders.

Huawei was founded in 1987 by former Chinese military officers who still had connections in high places. All the founders were active members of the CCP and Huawei used that form of protection to plunder Western tech secrets and ignore foreign patents whenever possible. Many foreign competitors were told if they wanted access to the growing Chinese market, they had to keep quiet about what Huawei had borrowed from them. Most foreign companies complied, but none forgot. Now decades of grievances against Huawei are suddenly threatening the very existence of Huawei outside China, and greatly reducing its international power and potential.

In 2019 the Americans put sanctions on Huawei specifically, cutting it off from American tech. That meant Huawei smartphones could no longer use Android, or at least not the most current versions, or receive updates. American suppliers of microchips also halted shipments. China says it can produce the needed components domestically and has developed another operating system for their smartphones. But ramping up the domestic production of needed microchips and getting a new operating system accepted by the market takes time. Getting a new operating system accepted by the export markets was particularly difficult and even getting domestic users to accept it was not easy. In theory it can be done but in practice, it is one of many desperate measures the normally prudent Chinese are being forced to fall back on.

The retaliation against Huawei became very public in late 2018 when Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada at the request of the United States. Meng Wanzhou is the 46 years old daughter of a former Chinese army officer who was one of the founders of Huawei. Meng was arrested while she was at a Canadian airport transferring from an arriving flight to a connecting one. The Americans had been investigating Huawei for illegally exporting smartphones to Iran and engaging in bank fraud to enable Iran to facilitate foreign trade despite American sanctions against it. Meng Wanzhou, the Huawei CFO (Chief Financial Officer) was to be extradited to the U.S. for prosecution if Meng was unable to get a Canadian court to rule against the extradition request. Canadian leaders insist that the law will be strictly observed and justice done. Her lawyers tried to delay the extradition and kept losing appeals in Canadian courts. This led her father to say that he expects his daughter to be convicted and go to jail.

China acted quickly to put pressure on Canada and nine days after Meng Wanzhou was jailed, they arrested Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, two Canadian citizens working in China. Spavor worked in North Korea as the head of an organization that made it easier for foreigners to do business with North Korea or visit as tourists. Spavor spent a lot of time in China. Kovrig was a former Canadian diplomat who worked for the International Crisis Group, a Belgium based NGO (non-government organization) that worked to prevent or resolve disputes between nations. Spavor and Kovrig were accused of violating state secrets laws. China quietly made it be known that the two Canadians would be released if Meng Wanzhou was set free. She was released in a deal in which she pled guilty of some of the charges against her and the U.S. agreed to go along with that to get the two Canadians freed. That happened three days after Meng Wanzhou was released on September 24th.

Huawei used its close ties with the Chinese military and government intel agencies to get the Chinese government to take Canadians as hostages and threaten them with long prison terms if Meng Wanzhou was not released. The delays in her release were a rebuke to China. This incident reminded many Western nations that avoiding Huawei equipment frustrates Chinese espionage efforts and military operations in general. Many victims of Huawei dirty tricks are now going public with the details since it is safe to do so with Huawei and the Chinese government on the defensive. Huawei has ordered production cuts as foreign customers realize that importing Huawei is, at least for the moment, not a wise business decision. Western nations are still vulnerable to the hostage taking extortion because they do not forbid their citizens from visiting China but it does remind them of the risks of hostages being taken because their home country will not deliver what China demands.
A recent analysis of pollution spots by ProPublica put four Cowlitz County facilities on the map, but one was a mistake and the other three pose a very low risk, local officials said.

The Cowlitz County Health Department said the federal Environmental Protection Agency data used in ProPublicas report is useful in providing an early warning of potentially hazardous levels of air pollution but do not account for all factors that may impact exposure.

The analysis mapped out pollution hotspots where the risk of cancer could be higher due to air pollution. Most of the areas with the highest risks were in the Eastern half of the United States, and the report highlighted Texas and Louisiana areas. Explore the full map at https://projects.propublica.org/toxmap/.

Foster Poultry Farms, Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co., Longview Fibre Paper and Packaging and Emerald Kalama Chemical were all on the map, but Foster Farms was placed there by mistake, the health department said, as the facility produces very little emissions annually.

As for the other three, the ProPublica analysis, which is based on 70 years of exposure, shows the cancer risk posed by the industrial facilities to people who live or work near them is very low, the health department said, and in as much as a tenth of a mile, the risk of exposure decreases significantly.

The map took five years of EPA data, from 2014 to 2018, and mapped it with the intent of allowing the public to understand the risks of breathing the air where they live, according to the story.

ProPublicas analysis of five years of modeled EPA data identified more than 1,000 toxic hot spots across the country and found that an estimated 250,000 people living in them may be exposed to levels of excess cancer risk that the EPA deems unacceptable, the story said.

The EPAs threshold for an acceptable level of cancer risk is 1 in 10,000, which means that of every 10,000 people living in an area, the added risk of a lifetime of breathing in the air would create one additional case of cancer than otherwise expected.

But the agency also has said that ideally, Americans added level of cancer risk from air pollution should be far lower, 1 in a million, the story said. Our map highlights areas where the additional cancer risk is greater than 1 in 100,000  10 times lower than the EPAs threshold, but still high enough to be of concern.

All three locations in Cowlitz County fall well below what the EPA considers high risk.

Nippon Dynawave

Nippon Dynawave creates an estimated excess lifetime cancer risk from industrial sources of about 1 in 44,000, which is 77% lower than the EPAs acceptable risk. Over the five years of data ProPublica analyzed, the excess risk ranged from as low as 1 in 47,000 to as high as 1 in 41,000. In 2018, the risk was 1 in 46,000.

Over the past five years, it has had 26 informal EPA enforcement actions, eight formal actions and a total of $33,700 in fines for violations of the Clean Air Act. It has been inspected for air emissions twice in those five years.

The company did not return requests for comment.

Emerald Kalama Chemical

Emerald Kalama Chemical, which is owned by Germany-based LAXNESS, creates an estimated excess lifetime cancer risk from industrial sources of about 1 in 59,000, or 83% lower than the EPAs acceptable risk. Over the five years ProPublica analyzed, the excess risk ranged from as low as less than 1 in 100,000 to as high as 1 in 38,000. In 2018, the risk was 1 in 38,000.

Over the past five years, it has had one informal EPA enforcement action for a 2019 volatile organic compound violation and has been inspected for air emissions three times in those five years.

Mike Mackin, LAXNESS spokesperson, said the Kalama site uses a wide array of pollution control devices and technologies that include scrubbers, carbon filters, condensation and combustion to reduce emissions and meet its Southwest Clean Air Agency permit requirements.

He added that since LAXNESS bought the plant in early 2021, it has been evaluating the facility and overall operations with a focus on integrating the sites sustainability objectives with LANXESS global standards, including improving metrics for safety and emissions reduction.

At LANXESS, nothing is more important than the health and safety of our employees, on-site contractors and members of the surrounding community, he said.

Mackin said the company also has a team that works closely and cooperatively with the Southwest Clean Air Agency, the Washington State Department of Ecology and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to regularly review the facilitys equipment and operational procedures and improve them. Two years ago, the overall company set a goal of becoming climate neutral and eliminate greenhouse emissions by 2040.

We have the constant goal of continuous improvement at our sites, he said. We are committed to enhancing safety, increasing efficiencies and reducing emissions through further investment, improved practices and advanced engineering efforts.

Longview Fibre Paper and Packaging

The ProPublica map combines Longview Fibre Paper and Packaging with the risk from Emerald Kalama, and says the company contributes about 1% of the estimated excess cancer risk.

The Washington State Department of Ecology also has a map that tracks large sources of air pollution. In Cowlitz County, the map identifies seven sites.

For forest product emissions, it lists Nippon Dynawave, NORPAC and Weyerhaeuser. Emerald Kalama and Eagle US 2 are both emitters under chemicals production, while the Mint Farm Generating Station is listed for its energy production. The final site is WestRock, categorized as materials manufacturing.

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While it takes more planning to get food onto students trays, local schools say creativity and foresight have prevented disruption to lunchtime despite supply chain backups.

In Kelso, Nutrition Services Supervisor Kaydee Harris said paper goods are the hardest thing to come by.

Our biggest continued struggle has been paper goods which we serve our food on/in, she said. Weve had to source items from online vendors and get creative how we serve things.

Serving items could be a problem in Woodland moving into the new year, Woodland Business Manager Stacy Brown said, like the entree serving trays called boats.

As for food items, Kelsos Harris said the district was able to get and store many things over the summer and so far has been able to hold our menu close to our planned cycle. School districts have to follow strict federal nutritional guidelines and typically plan menus out far in advance.

Most importantly it hasnt impacted the quality of meals we are serving, Harris said. Weve had to get creative on many occasions, such as making our own pizzas when we cannot source our typical ones, but our staff have been all-stars at being flexible with changes and students are receptive.

In Castle Rock, Superintendent Ryan Greene said while the district usually orders food every two weeks, theyre trying to stock up on items and take advantage of the schools ample freezer space.

You have items that you think should be here, but theyre not, he said. But our food service staff is phenomenal and they make do and prepare the best possible food for our students.

The biggest problem is making sure theres a consistent amount of items that expire rapidly, like milk and dairy, Greene said, because when you order sometimes you get it and sometimes you dont.

Woodland has had to make some menu changes at the last minute, Brown said, but has not had major problems with putting lunches together.

We have had some bumps, but nothing too bad, she said.

Kalama director of dining services Kevin Baker said while hes been experiencing shortages for several months, theyre becoming easier to predict.

What used to be a 50% outage is now in the 20% range per week, he said. The big issues are paper supplies and cheese is hard to find. It could be better, but this current situation is livable.

Longview spokesman Rick Parrish said he had not heard of any significant disruption or delay.

Greene said he tells families and staff this is not a problem specific to Castle Rock, but something the whole state and likely country is facing. Its combined with a shortage of nutrition staff, Greene said. Earlier in the school year a Castle Rock lunch of a hamburger bun with cheese and bacon called a cheesy dream circulated on social media and drew ire from parents. Greene said staff was short at the start of the year which required creativity, but more nutritional staff have been hired since then.

Kelsos Harris said all in all, its a struggle that we deal with monthly, weekly, and daily, but we are working hard with our vendors to plan as far in advance as I can so we are able to get the product we need in.

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska  The newly crowned Miss America has made history, becoming both the first Korean American and the first Alaskan to hold the title in the competitions 100-year history.

I never could have imagined in a million years that I would be Miss America, let alone that I would be Miss Alaska, a beaming Emma Broyles told The Associated Press on Friday in a Zoom call from Connecticut, where she won the competition about 12 hours earlier.

In fact, she was sure they had it wrong. The final two contestants were Broyles and Lauren Bradford, Miss Alabama, and Broyles said she was thinking Bradford was going to make an amazing Miss America.

And then they said Alaska, and I said, No way. Are you sure? Do you want to check that card again? she said before the emotion overtook her and she began crying tears of joy.

I could not believe it, Broyles said. I am so, so grateful to everybody back at home whos been supporting me for so long, and Im so glad that Im able to bring home the title of Miss America to the state of Alaska for the first time in history.

The first Miss America program began in 1921 as a beauty pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
MetroNet is fully funding this project, McIntosh said.

Taxpayer dollars are not being used to fund this project for Bryan and College Station, which makes it even better for the community, she said.

Cray Crouse, the deputy chief information officer for Bryan, said they began the search for services last year.

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In 2020, we began the process of investigating whether the city should undertake broadband services, and during that time we were able to meet some really great people and MetroNet expressed interest, he said. I think (citizens) are going to see this as a very positive impact for the community. It is something we havent seen, so a lot of people may not understand what this really does, but it is high speed and cost effective. And it is fully funded by MetroNet, and that is the best part for us.

MetroNet customers will experience high-speed internet and stronger network connections due to the fiber optics that will be placed underground, McIntosh said.
Richwood, TX (77531)

Today

Areas of fog early, becoming sunny this afternoon. High around 70F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

A clear sky. Low around 40F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph.
The hardest part is getting people to actually come here. They just see the name and their first thought, is Is this just for Cubans? Or that its just going to be only, lets say, Cuban music. So they dont come in. Oh, its just for Cubans, so they dont come. That has been the toughest thing to get people out here. And he mentions is his main goal to bring people from everywhere.

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Habana Nights brought people together in another special way, the site of demonstrations relating to the conditions of people in the Manzanos home country. In July, dozens gathered in Habana Nights parking lot with vibrant flags and signs, songs and action-inspiring words, to draw attention to the condition of life in Cuba. A shortage of essential supplies and restrictions on infrastructure  like internet access  brought harsher-than-usual conditions to the already troubled nation.

A gathering of friends and allies of Cubans in the United States and abroad at Habana Nights was fitting, Renteria said.
Who's challenging it: The rule was challenged in four separate lawsuits filed by Republican-led states, mostly in groups. Florida and Texas mounted their own challenges. The states argued that there were no grounds for an emergency rule, that CMS had no clear legal authority to issue the mandate and that the rule infringes on states' responsibilities.

Where it stands: The rule is on hold nationally, but a ruling Dec. 15 gives it the possibility of moving ahead in about half the states. A Missouri-based federal judge issued a preliminary injunction Nov. 29 barring its enforcement in 10 states that had originally sued. The next day, a Louisiana-based federal judge issued a preliminary injunction barring enforcement in the rest of the states. But on Dec. 15, that was narrowed to the 14 suing in that court. And on Dec. 15, a federal judge in Texas granted an injunction that applies only to that state. After the decisions, there is a possibility the mandate could be enforced in 25 states where no injunction is in place. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid have not said whether they will pursue that path.
Ive learned a lot about time management and problem-solving when it comes to getting information out to the community about the toy drive and raffle baskets. Ive learned how to get things done, said Bolton.

Cross County school counselor Aaron Neujahr said, Her planning of the projects includes the same level of detail you'd expect from an adult service leader and her follow-through is incredible.

Her dedication towards serving children comes from an experience Bolton overcame five years ago.

Bolton said, I had a grand mal seizure in the fourth grade, and I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. When I was in the hospital there was this really nice lady who helped me with my diagnosis, and things didnt seem as scary. Now, I want to do that for kids.

Bolton dreams of becoming a child life specialist when she gets older.

Academically, she is at the top of her class. Shes on the honors list and she was recognized in the Big Red Stars program. Boltons favorite subject is Spanish, and she awaits the opportunity to take dual credit classes like psychology and sociology relating to her interests.
[Republished lest you should miss them. My apologies again; my days got a little out of control for a spell. Here's the original post. Ed.]

Tex Andrews: "Oh, be still my heart! My favorite film camera of allthe GSW690II. It was with this camera that I started to consistently shoot better, and oddly fell into my current and long time project, going on about 15 years now. To get my current camera that owns my heart, my 645Z, I had to trade in a bunch of gear to get the price down to 'only excruciating.' Almost all of the trade-ins hurt, but this one was by far the one that really made me sad, and does to this day. I'll get another one one day, but when I traded it in it actually felt like a betrayal, that camera had been so good to me. I felt faithless."

John Hufnagel: "If I recall correctly, the Graflex Combat Graphic was the first camera colloquially known as the Texas Leica. It even looks like a Leica."

Tom Duffy: "I really like my Fuji GW690III. The loud 'Ping!' when the leaf shutter goes off is about as un-Leica as you can get. 23 years ago, I brought it with me to Disney World on a family vacation and shot many rolls of Kodak 400 speed color negative film in 220 format. I came back with a large number of good pictures. My hit rate was actually way higher than my average. I've heard it described as 'everyone's second favorite camera.' Except yours, evidently. :-) "

Steve C: "I watch Joel Meyrowitz's Masters of Photography course (which is excellent by the way), and he walks around shooting in the street looking like a seven-foot-tall Star Wars villain and nobody seems to notice. Ashley Gilbertson is the same, looking like a rock'n'roll guitar tech or perm'd biker, but gets the most incredible, up close, essence of humanity pictures."

Mike replies: Yeah, I really think it's a matter of personality and social adeptness. It's what you project to other people. And how you feel about yourself.

s.wolters: "Its not only the camera, its the camera in combination with you. With my Pentax 67 I had the same kind of experience as you had with that Texas Leica. With my Rolleiflex people always reacted positively and sometimes tried to make contact or even wanted to pose.

"I envy some female photographers. A few months ago I was at a tourist hotspot where fifty people tried to photograph an overwhelming landscape with their smartphone in vertical mode. Only three or four had a proper camera. One of them, a pretty girl with very short pants and very long legs drew all the attention. Her rucksack full of equipment would have made any paparazzo jealous. As it happens when traveling around I also saw her at some other places. Because of her appearance she always made contact with anyone within minutes, using her bulky Canon 7D combination as a conversation piece. A Texas Leica would probably worked for her as well, but a phone camera or point and shoot not because those arent special enough to start a chat. One of the reasons Im using Micro 4/3 is that think I look rather harmless with it. With a FF DSLR I feel that one day I will get lynched by an angry mob."

Robert: "I have almost the exact opposite experience. Ive taken thousands of pictures of strangers and hardly any of them have bothered to look. Most were taken with Leica rangefinders rather than a Texas Leica, admittedly, but many were taken with a Canon 5D Mark II with a 24105mm on it, some even with a Rolleiflex. I remember one day in London where even when getting very close no one seemed to be bothered, and another in a small town in Germany, and the same thing. Same with all over Asia, except there people often do look then smile widely after the picture is taken. I am not usually furtive. So maybe it's the U.S.I've never shot there."

Ilkka: "Maybe the problem was that you thought of it as Texas Leica instead of New York Linhof. A big handheld camera instead of a more convenient and faster 4x5 replacement."

John Krumm: "I have similar results shooting strangers, at least in the Midwest. Here in Duluth people see you coming from a mile off. They don't usually think you are actually taking a photo of them. What usually happens is they stop walking or even stop their car so that you can take your shot without them in the way. Nowadays I pretty much never see anyone else with a camera around the neck. I'm the only weirdo in a town of 85,000 who does that, it seems (I know there are a few others, just not when I am out and about). That's why so many of my people shots are from a distance...."

Hugh: "Its a person thing, not a camera thing. Not a criticism really. I never had any problem doing street photography with a Pentax 67. Same size, much more noise. Speed, confidence, and a friendly smile when people notice."

Stan B.: "Come to think of it, Tod Papageorge did some exemplary B&W street with it...."

Mike replies: He certainly did.

David L.: "Regardless of the comments, putting a 6x7 or 6x9 negative in an enlarger and printing it on fiber-base paper is a sublime experience. I had Fuji 6x7 and 6x9 cameras and regret letting them go."

Martin D: "I loved l, loved, loved that camera. Had both the 90mm and the 65mm 6x9 versions. For me, the very size and monstrosity of the thing made me invisible, like wearing a hi-viz jacket and helmetpeople just took me for someone from a different world and ignored me. This is the camera to take Walker Evans-style shots of everyday life. I used Agfa Scala B&W transparency filmwow, how those massive transparencies came to life on the lightbox. Took the best portrait of my father with it. One roll of 120 only gives eight shots, I metered carefully and used only one shot for my father, it was perfect. Boy, I miss this camera."

Mike replies: Did you know that film was just plain old Agfa APX 100 with reversal processing? True.

Eric Brody: "The closest I ever came to the 'Texas Leica' was the Mamiya 7II, a fabulous lightweight rangefinder with some of the sharpest lenses I've ever used, and I've used a lot of lenses. Even though each lens had its own, almost silent, leaf shutter, I never used it for people, so I never got to scare anyone. What interests me about this conversation is how people seem to sort to two groups, those with the 'courage' to do street work and those, like me, who are irrationally afraid of it."

Mike

Book o' the Week:

Vivian Maier Developed: The Untold Story of the Photographer Nanny, by Ann Marks, is the most complete picture of the mysterious governess-photographer yetand the picture is more surprising than we thought. NOTE: There is a similar-looking book that appears to be an attempt to confuse buyers. Beware!



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CHICAGO - The U.S. Senate voted early Saturday morning to confirm former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel as ambassador to Japan, officially opening yet another act in a three-decade political career that has run through two White Houses, Capitol Hill, Chicago City Hall and, now, the American embassy in Tokyo.

The Senate voted 48-to-21 to confirm Emanuel, with the longtime political operator receiving support  as well as opposition  from Democrats and Republicans alike.

The vote came in the middle of the night after Democrats struck a deal with Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who agreed to lift a hold he had placed on 32 of President Joe Bidens nominees in exchange for allowing a vote next month on legislation related to a Russian gas pipeline for which Cruz has wanted to place sanctions. Given the late hour that the Senate concluded its business for the year, just 69 senators were present to confirm Emanuel.

Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Edward Markey of Massachusetts and Jeff Merkley of Oregon voted against Emanuel while progressive independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont did not vote. Eight Republicans voted in favor of Emanuel: Sens. Roy Blunt of Missouri, Susan Collins of Maine, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, John Thune of South Dakota and Todd Young of Indiana.

Illinois U.S. Sens. Richard Durbin and Tammy Duckworth both voted to confirm Emanuel, who released a statement saying he and wife Amy Rule were eager to get started in Tokyo.

Im humbled and appreciative of President Bidens confidence he has placed in me and grateful for the Senates bipartisan support, especially from Sen. Durbin and Sen. Duckworth, Emanuel said in a statement. As ambassador, I will work tirelessly to deepen our ties as our countries confront common challenges. While Chicago will always be home, Amy and I look forward to this next chapter in Japan.

The former mayor now will be asked to execute diplomacy at the highest levels of the U.S. government, the latest evolution in a political career often defined by a reputation he cultivated as a brash political insider with an affinity for four-letter words and a talent for raising loads of campaign cash.

Emanuels return to government marks a second spin through the revolving door between the public and private sectors. Emanuels two stints in investment banking, first after his time in the Clinton White House and again after his eight years as mayor, helped him make more than $31 million, records show.

The former mayors deep D.C. experience as senior adviser to former President Bill Clinton, first chief of staff to former President Barack Obama and a Democratic leader in the U.S. House provided much of the foundation for his nomination as ambassador, but it was his eight polarizing years as Chicagos mayor that dominated debate over his confirmation.

Civil rights leaders and prominent progressives argued Emanuels handling of Laquan McDonalds murder by police while he was mayor should disqualify him for representing the United States abroad, pointing to a well-known chain of events following the Black teens death as reason enough to believe his administration tried to cover up the severity of the shooting.

Police dashcam footage of the killing, which showed then-Officer Jason Van Dyke pumping 16 shots into McDonald as he walked away holding a knife, captivated the country and led to Van Dykes conviction for second-degree murder. The videos release was ordered by a judge and coincided with prosecutors filing murder charges more than a year after the shooting  and after Emanuels administration and aldermen had already paid McDonalds family a $5 million settlement without a lawsuit being filed.

In his confirmation hearing, Emanuel both defended and expressed regret over how he handled the McDonald shooting, an event that roiled his tenure as mayor and resulted in weeks of street protests, calls for his resignation and a plummeting approval rating. Emanuel once again rejected the cover-up accusations while saying he underestimated the need for true police reform.

The former mayor produced letters of support from McDonalds great uncle, Black aldermen and community leaders while former Chicago Inspector General Joseph Ferguson wrote a letter to senators concluding there was no evidence Emanuel or his administration engaged in a cover-up.

Emanuels Senate confirmation hearing took place on the seventh anniversary of McDonalds death, which infuriated some Chicago activists and progressives who had called for senators to reject his nomination. But in the end, Emanuel had far too much support for them to overcome, from Biden, from Republicans and from Democrats with whom hed served and strategized for decades.

Two progressives on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sens. Merkley of Oregon and Markey of Massachusetts, voted against Emanuels nomination, but several Republicans backed Emanuel, including Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, the ranking GOP member, and Sen. Hagerty of Tennessee, who was ambassador to Japan under former President Donald Trump.

Prior to Saturdays vote, Durbin, who introduced Emanuel for his committee hearing, dismissed the Democratic votes against the mayor lauded his success in recruiting Republican votes.

There were also a number of Republican senators on that committee who voted for Rahm, who as you might expect, is very talented and was doing his homework, Durbin said when asked about Merkley and Markeys opposition. We understood the two Democrats who voted, No in committee and I spoke to both of them personally and understood where they were coming from. No arm twisting involved.

Merkley pointedly questioned Emanuel about when he learned specific details of the McDonald shooting before committee chairman, Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, cut Merkley off for going over his allotted time. Merkley cited the McDonald case for his reason for voting against Emanuel while Markey did not offer a public explanation.

Black Lives Matter. Here in the halls of Congress, it is important that we not just speak and believe these words, but put them into action in the decisions we make, Merkley said following his committee vote.

Merkleys comments echoed those of several progressive House Democrats, who argued Emanuels handling of the McDonald shooting should disqualify him from the post. That included U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who called Bidens appointment of Emanuel deeply shameful.

The former mayor, however, had the support of high-profile establishment Democrats, including Biden, Clinton, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Majority Whip James Clyburn, the highest-ranking Black member of Congress.

Durbin, the No. 2 ranking Senate Democrat, said he backed Emanuel because hell be a very excellent representative in a critical country. He applauded the former mayors responses to the sharp questioning over the McDonald case.

Let me tell you what: Rahm Emanuel could not have been more forthright on that issue. He was quizzed on it by several senators in the Foreign Relations Committee, and he expected it, Durbin said. I thought his answers were honest and heartfelt on an issue that we all look back on with some regret that it wasnt handled differently. But mayors make a lot of decisions, and thats why Im sure he wishes he had it to do over. But he was very honest about it before the committee.

Prior to the full Senate vote, Duckworth offered a more tepid assessment of Emanuels appointment.

At the end of the day, I support President Biden, and he nominated (Emanuel), and he was voted out of committee, so I intend to support the president, said Duckworth, who has yet to face significant opposition in her bid next year for a second term. Thats the best course of action.

Asked if she thought the criticism of Emanuel over McDonalds killing was fair, Duckworth replied, Yeah. I think that the Laquan McDonald situation was very poorly handled, and I was deeply disturbed by what happened.

Not enough, however, for Duckworth to vote against the prominent politician from her home state.

Following months of speculation, Biden nominated Emanuel for the post in August after the former mayor lost out on being named transportation secretary to former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

In his confirmation hearing, Emanuel emphasized the importance of strengthening ties to Japan amid heightened economic and military ambitions from China in the region.

Emanuel touted his travel to Japan as mayor and his work with international mayors on climate change as experience that prepared him for an ambassadorship. The former mayor told the committee that after his trip to Tokyo, the governor there signed on to the Chicago Climate Charter municipal agreement he created and two Japanese companies, DMG Mori and Beam Suntory, relocated offices to Chicago.

As mayor, my administration made it a priority to bring the world to Chicago, and Chicago to the world, Emanuel said. During my tenure, Chicago led the nation in corporate relocations and foreign direct investment for seven consecutive years.

Emanuels 44-member delegation for that 2018 trade trip to Japan and China was made up mostly of business heavyweights, including donors with ties to nearly $2 million in contributions to Emanuels campaign, the Tribune reported at the time.

Since leaving office in May 2019, Emanuel reported earning $13.5 million, according to his financial disclosure forms filed with the Senate.

Most of that came from Centerview Partners, a boutique Wall Street firm that paid Emanuel more than $12 million for his investment banking work, Emanuels filing shows. Firm co-founder Blair Effron contributed $61,500 to Emanuels mayoral campaign and former U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, who also works at Centerview, gave more than $70,000.

Emanuel also reported getting paid $700,000 as a consultant for Wicklow Capital. The firms president, Dan Tierney, contributed more than $138,000 to the former mayor as he prepared a bid for a third term that he later abandoned.

According to his ethics disclosure, Emanuel made another $310,000 for his role as a Sunday morning political analyst for ABC, $150,000 in director fees from GoHealth, Inc. and $331,000 in public speaking fees, which the former mayor said he donated to charity.

The $13.5 million comes on top of the more than $18 million Emanuel made in a little more than two years after leaving the Clinton White House in 1998. As ambassador to Japan, Emanuel will be expected to work closely with Japanese companies, and is likely to develop relationships that could prove valuable in the future should the former mayor again return to investment banking.

Emanuel will be the latest in a long line of high-profile diplomats to hold the Japan ambassadorship. The Japanese are said to covet an ambassador with close ties to the president, and Emanuel certainly meets that standard after serving with then-Vice President Biden in the Obama White House and informally advising him during the 2020 campaign.

Emanuel enters the role with the most political and government experience since Howard H. Baker Jr., the former Republican Senate majority leader who was former President Ronald Reagans chief of staff before becoming ambassador to Japan under former President George W. Bush. Former Vice President Walter Mondale was ambassador to Japan in the Clinton administration, while Obama chose California fundraiser and businessman John Roos for the post, followed by Caroline Kennedy, daughter of former President John F. Kennedy.

The Tokyo-bound Emanuel will take over a foreign post that has been vacant for more than two years. Hagerty resigned in July 2019 as Trumps ambassador in Tokyo to run for Senate. Trump never appointed a replacement.

In voicing his support for Emanuel, Hagerty said the former mayor shares my unwavering conviction that the U.S.-Japan relationships is the cornerstone for peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.

Its a region thats becoming even more dangerous day by day and that makes the position of U.S. ambassador to Japan all the more important for the United States, the Tennessee Republican said. This is a position that has remained vacant for far too long.

During his confirmation hearing, senators raised everything from North Korean ballistic missile tests in the region and Chinas increasing aggressiveness in the South China Sea to the need to preserve Taiwans independence and crack down on intellectual property theft from Beijing.

In response, Emanuel said the U.S. is at a critical juncture with its foreign policy in the region.

China, Russia, North Korea are trying to find cracks and fissures in the alliances between the United States and Japan and South Korea, Emanuel said. Our job as a facilitator is to create the bonds of unity that we speak with one voice, one interest. This is one of, if not the highest priority  to find that unity so we can confront the attempt by China and North Korea to divide us.

Prior to her vote Saturday, Duckworth noted how long the ambassadorship had been left vacant.

We desperately need an ambassador in Japan. This is a part of the world that is under continued stress from the Peoples Republic of China, both on a national security footing but also economically in terms of supply chain, Duckworth said. So, it would be really good to get an ambassador in that position, and this is who the president has picked. So, I will support the president.

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UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP)  The contestant from Alaska was crowned Miss America at an event Thursday marking the competition's 100th anniversary.

What began as a 1921 Atlantic City beauty pageant has evolved away from the emphasis on looks alone  contestants are no longer judged on physical appearance  with a new focus on leadership, talent and communication skills.

Emma Broyles from Alaska claimed the centennial crown and a $100,000 college scholarship. She emerged as the winner out of 51 contestants representing the 50 states and the District of Columbia at the competition at a Connecticut casino.

The finale that historically has been featured in a primetime television broadcast was available only to stream this year via NBC's Peacock service.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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COLUMBIA  The South Carolina State Museum is offering guests the perfect opportunity to travel the universe with exciting planetarium experiences, engaging exhibitions and more through New Years weekend. Not only is it the last chance to see the full-dome show, "MARS 1001," but guests can also discover exhibitions on space travel and learn about the stars visible in our own night sky this Winter.

The State Museum is always excited to offer a full schedule of holiday shows and events, said State Museum Executive Director, Amy Bartow-Melia. And, for those looking for a unique way to enjoy their time off, we want to offer our guests a chance to go on an adventure through the stars with our digital dome planetarium experiences and special exhibitions.

This month is the last chance to see the visually stunning MARS 1001 before it closes on Jan. 2, 2022. The planetarium show takes viewers away from planet Earth, into space, and across our solar system to our neighboring planet, Mars. The story follows the fictional crew of the Mars IRIS 1 mission, a daring 1001-day voyage to fly to the planet and return safely to Earth. Once on Mars, viewers will see the team work on the planets surface, traversing the landscape and retrieving rocks in a search for the history of water.

In addition to planetary travel, guests can also explore our own night-sky right here at home with a Winter Stars Live Sky Experience. Museum space educators will utilize the state-of-the-art planetarium to project the sky onto the 55 ft digital dome to highlight the constellations and planets visible during this season. See the stars that make up Orion the Hunter, take a closer look at the Andromeda Galaxy and learn to spot planets Jupiter and Saturn.

In the planetarium we can leave Earth and show you what these worlds look like up close, said Planetarium Manager, Liz Klimek. We can even skim across the surface of the Andromeda Galaxy, providing a unique experience that cant be matched.

Guests can also visit the museums popular exhibition, Apollo 50: Journey to the Moon, which charts the history of NASAs Apollo space program and South Carolinas role in the lunar exploration. Featuring objects from the Apollo space program, the display features a made-to-scale Lunar Rover, items from South Carolina astronaut Gen. Charles Duke, a moon rock and more. The exhibition will be closing in March 2022, so this is the perfect time to experience it before it is gone.

The State Museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday through Saturday, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The museum will be closed December 24 and 25 for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on December 27 and open Noon  5 p.m. on New Years Day.

General admission is $8.95 for adults, $7.95 for Seniors and $6.95 for children (ages 3-12) and free for museum members. Planetarium experiences and 4-D shows are an additional charge. Updated health and safety information is available on the museums website. Due to the museums need to manage guest and theater capacity, online advance ticket purchase is recommended at scmuseum.org.

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HARTSVILLE -- The South Carolina Governors School for Science + Mathematics (GSSM) is pleased to announce that four GSSM students were awarded full, four-year, scholarships by QuestBridge National College Match.

Guadalupe Frias of Orangeburg County received the scholarship to attend Rice University in Houston, Texas.

Will Walker of Florence County will attend Yale University located in New Haven, Connecticut.

Ailani Fraser of Richland County will attend Wellesley College located in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

Firdavs Nasriddinov of Horry County will attend Cal Tech located in Pasadena, California.

We are extremely proud of our Questbridge match students who were among 16,500 applicants and 6,312 students selected as finalists, said Dr. Jenifer Blair, GSSM College Director. They stood out for their outstanding academic achievement among many highly qualified applicants. We know they will make positive contributions at the institutions they plan to attend in fall 2022.

QuestBridge Match Scholarships are highly competitive and cover the total cost of attendance, including tuition, room and board, books and supplies, and travel expenses.

This years recipients have displayed the leadership, determination, and dedication to personal achievement that are hallmarks of GSSM students. We look forward to following these students as they pursue their academic and professional goals.

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If youve seen the musical Hamilton, you have heard the lovely ballad titled Dear Theodosia that Aaron Burr sings to his baby daughter. Theodosia was Burrs only child and received an outstanding education that was rarely provided to females in the eighteenth century. Like her mother, Theodosia Prevost, the younger Theodosia was extremely intelligent. In addition to speaking three languages, she read Greek and mastered subjects such as arithmetic, music, and English composition.

After losing her mother at ten years old, Theodosia grew even closer to her father. At just 14, she served as hostess for the elaborate parties that her father held at his country estate, Richmond Hill, near New York City. Both charming and pretty, she had a great many suitors. In 1801, she married Joseph Alston, the son of a wealthy rice planting family from South Carolinas Georgetown District.

The couple resided at The Oaks, and had one son, Aaron Burr Alston. The birth was difficult for Theodosia and left her with multiple medical conditions. She struggled with illness for the remainder of her life. While she loved her husband and doted on her son, Theodosia missed New York and her father, and frequently traveled north to visit him. She was with Aaron Burr when he was tried for the murder of Alexander Hamilton and later accompanied him to Ohio. In 1807, Burr was denounced as a traitor and tried for treason. He was once again acquitted but left the country with a ruined reputation. These ordeals weakened Theodosias already poor health and she returned to South Carolina.

In 1812, Theodosias ten-year-old son died of malaria. With her father still overseas, she sank into a deep depression. Burr returned late in the year and wanted Theodosia to visit him. By this time, the United States was at war with Great Britain and her husband, Joseph, worried about her safety as she travelled. She insisted and Joseph, who was Governor of South Carolina, sent a letter to the British Navy requesting safe passage. Burr sent Timothy Green, a physician and good friend, to accompany her on her journey.

On December 31, 1812, Theodosia, her maid, and Dr. Green boarded a schooner named the Patriot at Georgetown. After two weeks, Burr and Alston began to suspect the worse. They knew that there had been a gale off Cape Hatteras around the first of January that had scattered the British fleet. As for the Patriot, the schooner, its passengers, and crew were never seen again.

Theodosia, her maid and Dr. Green boarded the schooner at Georgetown, South Carolina late on the afternoon of December 31, 1812. Soon thereafter the Patriot lifted anchor and set sail for the open sea.

The ocean voyage from South Carolina to New York normally took five or six days. After two weeks had passed with no sign of Theodosia or the ship, Joseph Alston and Aaron Burr became frantic. Alston wrote, Another mail and still no letter! I hear too rumors of a gale off Cape Hatteras [North Carolina] at the beginning of the month. The state of my mind is dreadful!

In New York, Theodosias father refused to credit any of the rumors of her possible capture, choosing to believe that she had died at sea. When a friend offered hope that Theodosia was still alive, Burr replied, No, no, she is indeed dead. Were she still alive, all the prisons in the world could not keep her from her father.

The Patriot had disappeared without a trace; its fate remains a mystery. It was later learned that the British fleet had stopped her off Cape Hatteras on January 2, 1813. Governor Alstons letter had worked, and the schooner was allowed to pass. Later that night, a gale arose and scattered the British fleet. Beyond that clue, no more was known. Burr sent searchers to Nassau and Bermuda with no success.

Theodosia Burr Alston most likely died at sea on January 2 or 3, 1813.

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Project consultants for the development of the Orangeburg Railroad Corner recommend the city preserve the historic State Theater and facades of buildings at the corner while also adding new buildings in the future.

"It maximizes the development potential of the site while preserving elements of the State Theater," University of North Carolina Development Finance Imitative project manager Sonyia Turner told City Council during a special meeting. "It mixes preservation with new development; it also provides opportunities to increase the density of the development with additional site acquisition."

Turner said if additional site acquisition does not occur, the city would still have a feasible development plan in place for the corner.

Turner said the mixed preservation and new development scenario is the one most approved through public, city engagement and company analytics.

The redevelopment recommendation would cost a total of about $18.2 million with an anticipated public investment of between $4.5 million and $5 million, said Turner.

Railroad Corner is bounded by Russell Street, Boulevard Street and Magnolia Street. The area is often touted by city officials as the gateway into the city and has long been a focus of redevelopment efforts.

Over the past four years, the city has purchased about 12 properties and 1.5 acres on Railroad Corner to help lock down its plans for revitalization. The city is exploring additional acquisitions.

DFI's plan recommendation, which has been publicly identified as Scenario B, is called a reuse and revive plan.

The plan would reallocate building facades or foundations or materials in new ways that aim to activate the site and give it a sense of nostalgia, maintain the sense of place and history, but provide the benefit of some new architecture.

The recommendation would add four-story, mixed-use development with ground-floor commercial and upper-story residential.

The recommendation sees the former State Theater building as a cultural space (potential museum), extends multifamily units along Treadwell Street and redevelops the former gas station into new commercial space, Turner said.

The plan would open up the site, creating walk-through opportunities with urban and plaza spaces combined with retail. The plan calls for additional parking on Treadwell Street.

More specifics of the plan are:

Commercial space: 14,300 square feet

Apartments: 51,200 square feet

Cultural: 6,700 square feet

Parking spaces: 132

The plan would also make Boulevard Street into a one-way street and create a pedestrian retail plaza at the corner.

Turner said for the project to be feasible, it would need to have university partnership for housing, federal and state tax credits, grants, public and university partnerships and public participation.

City Councilman Bernard Haire, who has expressed concerns about making Boulevard one-way, asked how extensive was the in-person public engagement.

Turner said it was light with under 30 people in attendance. She said over 200 students at Claflin were engaged during a public event.

Between 30 and 50 comments were received online, Turner said.

Turner also said DFI still has two more public-engagement meetings planned at South Carolina State University in the month of January about the project.

Haire also asked if attendance sheets were used at the public engagement meetings and was told sign-in sheets were not used. Turner said she did keep notes of some of the individuals who attended and would be happy to share that information.

The city has also received a $350,000 U.S. Department of Transportation grant to conduct a design and engineering study of pedestrian and vehicle traffic flow at the corner.

The study will examine the possibility of a multimodal network to connect South Carolina State University and Claflin University students to the downtown area.

The study will also seek to identify road improvements needed for better vehicle traffic flow along Magnolia Street, Russell Street and Boulevard Street.

The study will also includes a preliminary design and feasibility analysis for a pedestrian bridge.

Other development scenarios offered the public but not recommended called for the preservation of all the existing buildings at the corner. That plan would cost about $16 million with a total public investment of about $4.5 million to $5 million.

Another plan called for building entirely new, meaning all the existing buildings would have been razed but still focus on the history of the area. That plan's total cost would have been about $18 million with a public investment of between $4 million and $4.5 million.

Now that a recommendation has been put forward, City Council will vote on the plan in January 2022.

The plan will then be released for solicitation to the private development sector in February 2022.

The solicitation period would be open for 90 days, closing around April 2022. A development selection process would then be carried out in the late spring or early summer 2022.

The latest project updates are available online at: orangeburg.sc.us/railroadcorner

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(TBTCO) - Sang 4/1/2022, Vien Kinh te tai chinh (Hoc vien Tai chinh) to chuc hoi thao dien bien thi truong, gia ca o Viet Nam nam 2021 va du bao 2022. Theo du bao cua gioi chuyen gia, nha quan ly, lam phat nam 2022 cung se thuc hien trong tam tay, khoang tu 2-3%, thap hon muc 4% Quoc hoi e ra.
In September, Rep. Liz Cheney admitted she was wrong to oppose same-sex marriage.

The acknowledgement, made during a 60 Minutes interview, came eight years after Cheney said, while campaigning for U.S. Senate in 2013, that she opposed same-sex marriage. Her stance then put her at odds with others in her family. Her sister, Mary, is a lesbian who is married to a woman. Her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, has backed same-sex marriage since 2009

I was wrong, Rep. Cheney said in the 60 Minutes interview. I love my sister very much. I love her family very much, and I was wrong. Its a very personal issue and very personal for my family. I believe that my dad was right, and my sister and I have had that conversation.

Cheneys support for marriage drew national headlines. But in many ways, her changed stance on the issue mirrors a broadening acceptance of same-sex marriage in Wyoming, both in politics and among the general public.

As of 2017, 62% of Wyomingites backed same-sex marriage, which was legalized by the courts here in 2014. Although Wyoming is one of the nations most conservative states by many measures, its version of conservatism traditionally tends to leans libertarian, with a focus less on social issues than fiscal ones. In that sense, Cheney is falling in line with the broader sentiment in Wyoming  and the rest of the nation.

Support for legal same-sex marriage stands at 70% nationally, according to a 2021 Gallup poll. Thats the highest rating since the outfit began polling on the issue in 1996. Since 2015, when the Supreme Court ruled that states must recognize same-sex marriages, support has increased 10 points.

Are we being progressive? No, were just being realistic that society has changed, said state Rep. Dan Zwonitzer, R-Cheyenne, who is gay himself. Peoples views on same-sex marriage have evolved astronomically in a generation.

Limited government

Conservatism dominates Wyoming politics. Republicans enjoy a supermajority in the Legislature. They hold all five statewide offices including governor. Even on the local level, Wyoming trends red in most towns and cities.

But that doesnt mean the state has legislatively railed against the LGBTQ community. The Legislature has not passed an anti-LGBTQ bill since 1977, even as many other conservative states have gone in that direction in recent years, said Sara Burlingame, a former lawmaker and executive director of Wyoming Equality, a LGBTQ advocacy organization.

I think because we say were for a limited, small government that doesnt intrude into peoples lives, we actually mean it, she said.

And because of the states smaller population, were hewed more closely together, Burlingame added. I think that it makes this critical difference where we dont legislate against our neighbor.

What Burlingame is expressing is one of the tenets of traditional conservatism: limited government shouldnt intrude in peoples lives.

I think it totally fits along the viewpoint of the Republican Party that we appreciate individual rights, said Zwonitzer, whos served in the Legislature since 2005. Even some of the very conservative members of my family have evolved their views on same-sex marriage because of me and my husband. I think thats what the Republican party wants, its what conservatives want: stable families.

That sentiment tracks with the experience of Polly Hinds, a Fremont County resident who co-owns a bookstore with her partner, Lynda German.

Heres the thing, from the very moment that we arrived in Wyoming, all of our friends in Colorado thought we were gonna die up here because it was not long after Matthew Shepard, said Hinds, in reference to the gay University of Wyoming student whose murder attracted international attention.

But the couples perceptions were quickly knocked down. By offering themselves as helpful neighbors and friends, the couple, who married here, felt like there was always room for them in Wyoming.

Opposition

While acceptance of same-sex marriage is growing in Wyoming politics, there are notable exceptions. A spokesperson for Sen. John Barrasso told the Star-Tribune that he believes marriage should be between one man and one woman. A spokesperson for Sen. Cynthia Lummis offered the same stance while also acknowledging that same-sex marriage has been the law of the land since 2015. A representative for Harriet Hageman, who is challenging Cheney in next years Republican primary, did not respond to multiple requests for comment on this issue.

The Wyoming Republican Party does not recognize same-sex marriage, and had continued to advocate for defining marriage as between one man and one woman.

In January, at a time when the issue was not even being discussed in Wyoming, the party used its Facebook page to criticize same-sex marriage, invoking the biblical language of Sodom and Gomorrah.

At the most recent GOP state central committee meeting in November, the final two candidates for national committeewoman were asked a series of questions. Among them: Would they continue to support the standing platform on family values, which states that marriage is a union between one man and one woman. Both candidates said they support the platform as written, according to sources present at the meeting.

They are wildly behind the Legislature, Burlingame said. They are also wildly behind their own party.

Its not just Democrats who think that way. Zwonitzer agrees.

Theyre irrelevant at this point, Zwontizer said of the state GOP. I think its just common knowledge that we dont take the party platform into account when we make laws for our constituents. I think its only a matter of time before that gets ripped from the party platform.

Although Wyoming does not have a recent history of anti-LGBTQ legislation, lawmakers have repeatedly defeated attempts to pass a bill that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

And Wyoming has been home to a number of hateful incidents of late.

This summer, a transgender woman was attacked and beaten outside her apartment complex. She sustained serious injuries that required surgery.

Rilee Bumgardner-Shipley previously told the Star-Tribune that she was having trouble sleeping, was scared in her own home and wouldnt go out alone.

I came out as a trans person a little over four years ago, Bumgardner-Shipley previously told the Star-Tribune. About that time I was made aware of a saying  This is Wyoming, we dont take offense to gays, we take gays to fences.

The latter is a reference to Shepard, who was found badly beaten and bound to a fence in 1998. His murder is still regarded as one of the nations worst hate crimes.

There was also the revelation over the summer that a bar in Cheyenne was selling violent and homophobic t-shirts. The shirt depicts a bearded man dressed in a biker outfit pointing a revolver at the viewer.

In Wyoming we have a cure for AIDS, it reads. We shoot f***in f******.

At the time, Burlingame said she approached the bars owner twice and asked him to stop selling the shirts. The owner refused, she said.

Equality Act

On Jan. 6, as rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol as Congress tried to count electoral votes, Cheney made sure people understood whom she held responsible for the attack: then President Donald Trump. Since then, she hasnt let up on her criticism.

In the aftermath, many of Cheneys opponents have sought to brand her as a RINO (Republican In Name Only), or even a Democrat. But Cheney remains a staunch conservative, her record shows, even as her views on same-sex marriage change.

During the same 60 Minutes interview, she restated that she is anti-abortion and supports gun rights. Cheney was adamant that waterboarding is not torture. She also said she did not regret voting to repeal Obamacare, and noted that she voted with Trump nearly 93% of the time.

After Cheney changed her stance on same-sex marriage, critics were quick to point out that the Wyoming representative voted against the Equality Act earlier this year.

The bill, which failed in the Senate, would have expanded on the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and banned discrimination against people based on sexual orientation and gender identity, in addition to substantially expanding the areas where those discrimination protections apply.

In the House, three Republicans  Pennsylvania Rep. Brain Fitzpatrick and New York Reps. John Katko and Tom Reed  voted in favor of it, as did all Democrats.

Cheney has not previously made a statement on why she voted against the Equality Act (she declined to be interviewed for this story). A Cheney aide told the Star-Tribune that the representative was worried the measure would restrict parental rights, expand access to abortion and infringe on the rights of religious organizations, among a number of other concerns. The aide also pointed out that the bill was opposed by a swath of conservative organizations.

It is not surprising to me at all that Congresswoman Cheney couldnt vote for it at all in its current incarnation, Burlingame said. It just takes a stab that I personally dont believe is constitutional, like reaching into churches and applying a nondiscrimination metric.

The future

Its difficult to assess what impact Cheneys change on same-sex marriage might have in Wyoming. Shes facing a tough reelection fight due to her opposition to Trump, whom she views as threat to democracy in the U.S.

Earlier this year, she was removed from her position in House leadership for her Trump criticism. At the state level, she was censured following her vote to impeach Trump and was unrecognized as a Republican by the state GOP in November.

Among some Republicans, her influence may be waning. But shes gained an increased national stature  and those rebukes from Republicans might have given her the freedom to speak her mind.

[Cheneys] in a place now where shes not restricted by the Republican Party from showing her true thoughts and feelings, Zwonitzer said.

But what about politicians who arent battling their own party? At least some observers say backing same-sex marriage is less fraught in Wyoming than it once was.

Its an easier thing to be in favor of now than it was 10 or 20 years ago, said Rep. Chad Banks, a gay Democratic lawmaker who represents Rocks Springs.

Easier for politicians, and by some indications, easier for the public.

Hinds and German got married at their home seven years ago come this Christmas Eve. The wedding was a small gathering, and the only music they played was German performing Home on the Range on her harmonica. Their sheep wore giant red bows and the snow fell.

After German and Hinds marriage announcement hit the local paper, they lost some longtime, very close friends. But overwhelmingly, friends and acquaintances stood by and rallied around the couple, Hinds said.

For roughly 15 years, Hinds visited the Big R store and exchanged pleasantries with a woman in her 70s who worked there her whole life. Then shortly after the marriage announcement, something happened that Hinds said shell never forget.

I am so proud of you. Its about time, the Big R clerk said to Hinds one day out of the blue. Hinds expressed confusion, because she didnt know exactly what the clerk was referring to.

Congrats, the clerk said. Its about time you and Lynda got married.

Follow state politics reporter Victoria Eavis on Twitter @Victoria_Eavis

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I mostly cover politics, but I also went out on a boat in Alcova Reservoir this summer with Game and Fish Department workers to watch them test for aquatic invasive species such as zebra and quagga mussels.Now, the moment Ive been waiting for: The day that zebra mussels officially collide with politics. As you may (or may not, thats totally fair too, I guess) have noticed, I did extensive reporting this summer on the threat of zebra mussels to Wyomings water infrastructure. Now, there is officially a bill on the table for the upcoming budget session that further addresses the threat that aquatic invasive species (AIS) pose to Wyoming. People in Wyoming traveling with watercraft are currently required to get them checked at designated stations, because the pesky little critters may be attached to their boats. The threat the invasive species pose is astronomical.

If zebra mussels were to proliferate, they would be harmful to Wyomings infrastructure, in large part by clogging up water delivery systems. And because the animals are filter feeders, they have the ability to eat up plankton that other species need to survive. Attempting to control them would cost tens of millions of dollars.One female can lay up to 1 million eggs per year. (Now, do you understand why I am so fascinated by this topic  1 million per year!) The eggs are often microscopic, making them difficult to detect in their first year of life.The ramifications, if this happens are huge, to our infrastructure, Rep. Pat Sweeney, R-Casper, said at a committee meeting earlier this year. As of right now, a person with a watercraft can already be punished for not getting it inspected at a check station with a fine of up to $10,000 and a maximum of one year in jail. A new bill would add an additional penalty for failing to get it inspected a second time around. If youre busted a second time, you would face a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail, a fine of $1,000 to $15,000, or both if you do not get it inspected within 48 hours. Of course, more legislation may not guarantee success.Increasing penalties doesnt always ensure compliance, Sen. Affie Ellis, R-Cheyenne, who voted in favor of the bill, pointed out. In early March, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department announced it had detected zebra mussels in decorative marimo balls or moss balls at four Wyoming pet stores. The discovery surprised wildlife officials, who for years have worked to keep the invasive species out of Wyoming waters through boat inspections.Officials worry the mussels could end up in Wyoming waters or treatment systems when an aquarium owner disposes of tank water.The moss balls are no longer sold at pet stores in Wyoming, but other aquatic and semi-aquatic plants are. If the plants that are still sold in pet stores are shipping internationally, they will be inspected at ports for any foreign bodies.As of this summer, thankfully, Wyomings waters continue to test negative for the AIS. Trust me, Ill be keeping an eye on this one during the upcoming budget session.
I own a closet full of guns.

But nowhere in that closet is ammunition. That is locked up elsewhere, reflecting a rule I was taught in childhood. Guns are powerful, even deadly, tools. If you own one, its on you to keep it safe. That is what the parents of a Michigan teenager failed to do, and their son murdered four of his fellow high school students.

Not long ago, safety seemed gospel for gun owners and the gun industry alike. But something has changed. Responsibility has been discarded in a twisted form of gun idolatry.

That change is detailed in a new book, Gunfight by Ryan Busse. Hes a gun industry boss who walked away from the industry he championed and the company he helped build. His book documents a shift in Americas culture about guns and politics. Disclosure: Busse is a friend of mine. I bought one of my favorite rifles from him. We both live in the same town in Montana where the gun industry is a significant economic player.

Entering our town of Kalispell, theres a billboard from one of our local gun manufacturers that claims We build the things they want to ban. As an open carry community, you can sometimes see moms and dads packing semi-auto pistols as they push a swing on the playground.

At a recent high school band concert, one parent wore a T-shirt featuring an AR-15 like a crucifix. The shirt read: Guns are my religion. I am the priest. I dont know whats more weird, the T-shirt itself or the fact it barely raised an eyebrow.

Back in 2019, some local high school kids here organized a rally in response to the police murder of George Floyd. About 100 vigilantes came to my towns square, carrying high-capacity semiautomatic rifles. They said they were there to keep the peace. I carried a cardboard sign that borrowed a quote from the federal Supreme Court building: Equal Justice Under the Law. I looked around for a parked car to duck behind in case gunshots rang out. Busse was there, too, and we felt the change. As hunters, we understand the reality of even a single bullet traveling 2,000 feet per second.

Clearly, our local vigilantes were no kind of well-ordered militia or even a sanctioned sheriffs posse.

Busses company sold tried-and-true rifles, shotguns and handguns, made-in-America to a high standard of craftsmanship for legitimate, legal uses. That was the brand he tried to build, a standard he tried to live by. But Busse describes in Gunfight how guns have become political props and ideological symbols.

Under this new narrative, any attempt or even discussion of limiting firepower in the hands of random people is denounced as tyranny. Industry spokespeople who dared question this narrative saw their careers ruined. The end result is the sale of rocket-propelled grenade launchers in the public square.

There are cultures on earth where you can find such an arms market, but they are in failed states, not democracies. Democracies draw a line between responsibility and unfettered liberty. Anarchy denies any line exists.

You dont have to look far for this toxic mix of anarchy and firepower. In Oregon in 2016, an armed band of disgruntled white men took over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, taunting federal authorities until one man, LaVoy Finicum, was shot and killed by Oregon State Police.

In Michigan in 2020, a group of armed men took over the State Legislature.

Also in 2020, in Wisconsin, teenager Kyle Rittenhouse ran into a crowd of protesters with his rifle. As a result, he killed two men and left one badly injured. That same year, in Missouri, a lawyer and his wife pointed their AR-15 rifle and handgun at protesters and photographers, becoming internet sensations.

Not that long ago, these gun owners would have felt a backlash from fellow gun owners. The idea is that irresponsible gun ownership anywhere is a threat to legitimate gun ownership everywhere. Yet some want to make Rittenhouse, who was acquitted of legal liability but still faces potential civil suits, a folk hero. The Missouri attorney is running for the Senate. The mastermind of the Oregon refuge takeover is running for governor of Idaho.

I believe it is on responsible gun owners to keep our guns safe in our homes. Its also on us to speak out for responsibility in our communities if we are to maintain our freedoms and our democracy.

Ben Long is a contributor to Writers on the Range, writersontherange.org, a nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively conversation about the West. He lives in Kalispell, Montana.

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When I was campaigning across the state of Wyoming last year for the honor of serving as your senator, I had a simple platform  All Wyoming, All the Time.

As your senator, I consider every piece of legislation, every email, every letter, every meeting, and every commitment on my calendar through this lens. If it is not good for Wyoming, it does not make the cut.

All Wyoming all the time is why my office has responded to 45,333 emails, 2,256 letters, and over 3,400 phone calls in my first year in office. Its why Ive met with 171 constituent groups, either virtually or in person. Its why Ive introduced 43 pieces of legislation that will directly help people in Wyoming. My team and I have also been proud to help hundreds of Wyoming citizens with challenges they face with federal agencies including the Veterans Administration, Social Security Administration, Postal Service, Citizenship and Immigration Services and many others.

It is a tough time in Washington, no doubt. The Senate is deadlocked, 50-50, and Democrats are in control of the House, the Senate, and the Presidency. This makes passing pro-energy, pro-business, pro-Wyoming legislation especially difficult. However, despite that, Ive had the opportunity to work with senators on both sides of the aisle to help the people of Wyoming.

My very first bill, the Protecting Our Wealth of Energy Resources (POWER) Act, was a response to President Bidens unconstitutional ban on energy and mineral leasing on public lands. The federal government manages over 48 percent of Wyomings land. About half of the oil production and 92 percent of the natural gas production in Wyoming happens on federal lands. A federal judge stopped this Biden ban, but the Presidents administration is still working to stifle oil and gas production on federal lands.

In Wyoming, we cherish the vast outdoors we have access to, but with that access comes the realities of the creatures that live in the forests we love to explore. Wyoming is home to a significant and growing population of grizzly bears, but decisions regarding populations of grizzly bears are being made by bureaucrats in Washington, not the people being affected. The Greater Yellowstone Grizzly has been on the endangered species list since 1975. At the time of their listing, approximately 136 grizzly bears lived in the Greater Yellowstone area. Today, experts estimate their population to be around 1,070. Not only does this make human-bear interactions more common and more dangerous, it also makes bears more susceptible to disease and food shortages due to overpopulation. Thats why I introduced the Grizzly Bear State Management Act. This bill would remove the Greater Yellowstone Grizzly Bear from the endangered species list and return management of the species to state wildlife scientists who live and work among the bears.

As many people across Wyoming return to the office after months of working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I started to hear from more and more people about the difficulties they were facing as they tried to interface with federal agencies. After some digging, I learned that many federal agency offices were still closed to the public and most federal workers were still working from home. This made it difficult for government employees to access many of the files and resources they needed to help those seeking government services. With Wyoming citizens back at work, I felt strongly that it was time for federal workers to get back to the office as well. To accomplish that, I introduced the Having Employees Return to Duty (HERD) Act. This bill would mandate that all federal employees, with the exception of the Department of Defense, return to their duty station and the hours they worked prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. While allowing for CDC social distancing recommendations, my bill would help constituents in Wyoming get the help they need and address the huge backlog of casework.

My first year in the Senate has been an eventful one, and I am looking forward to five more years of working hard for you, the people of Wyoming. My door is always open, and if you have a concern, or if there is an issue I can help you with, please dont hesitate to reach out to one of my offices in Wyoming or my office in Washington, D.C. (contact information available at lummis.senate.gov). The people of Wyoming have always been, and will always be, my top priority. I look forward to meeting with as many of you as possible as I travel around Wyoming in 2022. Thanks for giving me the chance to represent you in Washington. Happy Trails, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Cynthia Lummis represents Wyoming in the U.S. Senate.

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It will soon cost you at least a dollar or two more to enjoy a Carib or Stag beer as bar owners say a price increase by Carib Brewery has left them with no other alternative but to charge customers more.

Carib Brewery, in a statement on Monday, announced a $1 retail price increase per bottle or can would apply to its Carib, Carib Pilsner, Stag, Carib Blue, Royal Extra Stout, Coors, Heineken, Guinness, Smirnoff Ice and Blue Moon products.
Two homes in Maraval which are occupied by businessman Adrian Scoon were searched yesterday 
Omicron patient No. 5 had no recent history of travel or known contact
Above all else, it is your understanding of the science of the mind that determines your des
Downtown Tucsons newest luxury apartment complex is open, commanding rents of up to more than $3,000 a month and interest from out-of-town transfers and locals alike.

Built on the site of the former La Placita Village, 110 S. Church Ave., the six-story The Flin complex by local developers HSL Properties Inc., is about 20% leased and has a waiting list for its coveted top-floor lofts. More than 120 units still await final touches before they are available for lease.

Named after the Flin family, the original operators of El Charro Cafe that operated there from 1935 to 1968, that building remains intact and has been split between a resident clubhouse and local coffee shop, Savaya Coffee Market, which will be open to the public next year.

The 245-unit complex has studios, one- , two- and three-bedroom units and seven lofts.

Rents range from $1,175 to $3,025 a month. Monthly add-ons include $95 per vehicle or $125 for two-space tandem parking and water and trash service from $70 to $100 a month, depending on size.

Pets are allowed for an additional $30 a month, up to two pets.

The units all have washers and dryers and varying sized patios.

La Plaza de la Mesilla, where the historic gazebo sits, remains a public space, and HSL placed metal luminaries next to it with cutout names of all the residents and businesses that were displaced when La Placita Village was built in the early 1970s as part of an urban renewal project that displaced hundreds of barrio residents and historic structures, said Omar Mireles, president of HSL Properties.

From a nod to the old to a touch of new, The Flin has a 23-seat movie theater, a two-story gymnasium with north-facing views and a rooftop gathering spot with grills and outdoor kitchen.

Downtown has come a long way

Tucson native Gary Kraft had been living downtown for a couple of years and eagerly awaiting The Flin to be finished.

He and his son, Carter, moved in at the end of October.

I love to just go out the front door and go walking somewhere, he said. I have a car but dont have to use it that often.

Kraft, who works at the federal courthouse, recalled when downtown was deserted in the 1990s and early 2000s.

I remember Hotel Congress in the 80s being a punk place and now its so sophisticated, he said. Ive been downtown almost two years now and think Im here for a while.

Engineer Patrick Sagman relocated from the Dallas area to work for a Tucson firm and was attracted to The Flin during his online search for apartments.

I liked the location and  that it was new  attracted me, he said. I like the movie theater, rooftop socializing and the gym.

He moved in at the end of October and it was his first visit to Tucson.

Tucson is beautiful, Sagman said. I enjoy hiking and the activities around the downtown area.

And, Im enjoying the food, too.

Rounding out the TCC block

Next door to The Flin, HSL owns the Hotel Arizona, which is undergoing a renovation to reopen as a Hyatt brand in 2023 and will round out the Tucson Convention Center block.

They will also build a senior living complex between the hotel and The Flin, with between 80 and 100 units in one- and two-bedroom models with a movie theater.

Last week the Rio Nuevo board unanimously approved HSLs requests for 150 parking spots dedicated to the future hotel in the garage behind the TCC Music Hall.

The board agreed there would be no charge for two years, after which each spot will cost $15 a day or the market rate at that time.

HSL expects to spend about $40 million on renovations for the hotel.

Details on the senior living complex brand or costs have not yet been announced.

Contact reporter Gabriela Rico at grico@tucson.com

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The DM50 is concerned that the A-10 retirement ban will disrupt the Air Forces plan and potentially jeopardize the chance at a more sustainable future for the base, which has been passed over so far as a base for the nations next-generation fighter jet, the F-35.

Fleming said the DM50 has been in touch with the states congressional delegation and the Air Force, expressing support for the new search-and-rescue center at D-M, which already hosts several active rescue units.

We need to make sure the Air Force doesnt get too many threads tied together, and does the right thing, said Fleming, who splits his time at the UA as director of innovation at the UA Center for Quantum Networks and an executive-in-residence at Arizona FORGE, a tech-focused business accelerator.

Meanwhile, Kelly maintains that the Air Force must keep all of its A-10s until a suitable replacement for it prowess at close air support of ground troops is fielded, while lobbying the Air Force for new missions to keep D-M strong.
Our role is to help other agencies to brainstorm but also to vociferously advocate for criminal justice reform and advocate for our clients release and for them not going to jail in the first place, he said. At the end of the day, all we can do is advocate. We cant implement policy, thats the county attorneys job.

Conover said her office intends to aid in the release of incarcerated individuals by conducting thorough reviews.

I think itll help to sort of have a more collaborative, intense effort to do a review of who is in there, to identify people who are in there on nonviolent, low-level offenses and can and should be released, Conover said.

The county attorney also said shes fully supportive of expanding the sheriffs departments ankle monitoring program to transfer inmates in custody to monitored release, a program Nanos said is deeply underutilized. According to the sheriff, housing people in the jail costs $126 a day, whereas monitoring someone with an ankle bracelet costs $15 a day.

But Liwski says the programs availability depends on the charges one is facing.
But the attorney general, in his formal opinion, said those affected dont have to wait that long.

He pointed out that anyone who is ordered isolated or quarantined can go to court to demand to be released from the restrictions. And Brnovich said the court must hold a hearing within 24 hours and issue a decision within 48 hours.

There also are provisions in law for those ordered quarantined to seek a court order protesting the conditions imposed.

Most significant, though, is that Brnovich said anyone who seeks judicial relief is entitled to have a lawyer appointed, with the state picking up the tab. And that legal representation continues throughout the duration of the isolation or quarantine of the person.

Townsend has been a critic of the ongoing state of emergency, first declared by Gov. Doug Ducey in March 2020, which has given the governor broad powers  and enabled the kind of quarantine orders that schools are imposing. She said earlier this year thats why she proposed options for legislative review of such gubernatorial authority.

Our government isnt set up as a monarchy, Townsend said. We are not subordinate to the executive branch.
Cultural anthropologist and folklorist James S. "Big Jim" Griffith, 1935-2021, died on Dec. 18 at age 86 at his Tucson home. Among the many stories he shared over the years are these:

I'itoi and Baboquivari

By Jim Griffith, special to the Arizona Daily Star, Jan 28, 2014:

Its as close to cold weather as we might get in Tucson this year, so its time for me to share with you some of the traditional stories of the Tohono Oodham. According to their owners, these stories should be told only during the cold weather, when the snakes are asleep, and I prefer to respect that stricture. After all, they arent my stories.

Southwest of Tucson, on the west wall of the Altar Valley, stands Baboquivari Mountain. Its name comes from waw kwiulk, which is Oodham for Constricted Rock. It is the center of the Tohono Oodham universe, and contains the home of Iitoi, the Creator of the Oodham. Iitoi was among the first three beings to be created, along with Buzzard and Coyote.
As it turns out, designing the main camera for NASAs new $10 billion space telescope is a little like that Tom Petty song. The waiting is the hardest part.

University of Arizona astronomer and regents professor Marcia Rieke first began working on the James Webb Space Telescope in 1998, when the project was in its infancy.

Since 2002, she has led the development team for the Near InfraRed Camera  NIRCam for short  which will allow Webb to peer into the deepest reaches of the universe in search of light made by galaxies more than 13.5 billion years ago.

Rieke and company handed over the finished camera to NASA in 2013. Theyve been waiting for it to be sent into space ever since.

We knew we would deliver well before the project launched, but there were a few extra launch delays that none of us had counted on, Rieke said recently from her office at UAs Steward Observatory. You just have to be patient.

Her long wait may finally end on Christmas morning.

An Ariane 5 rocket carrying the Webb telescope had been scheduled to blast off from a South American spaceport on Dec. 24. But NASA announced Tuesday that another last-minute delay, this time due to weather, has bumped the launch back to 5:20 a.m. Tucson time Dec. 25 at the earliest.

Rieke said she feels enormous relief that were finally getting there, but she isnt exactly holding her breath.

About a month ago, a digital display was installed in the lobby of Steward Observatory so people could follow along with the countdown to liftoff. The clock had been reset twice before the new delay announced Tuesday.

Bah humbug! Rieke said with a grin.

Crafted on campus

The successor to the 31-year-old Hubble Space Telescope has a much bigger primary mirror  6.5 meters (21.3 feet) in diameter, versus 2.4 meters (7.9 feet) for Hubble.

It is the largest telescope mirror ever flown into space, so it has to be folded up to fit inside the launch vehicle.

Then there is NIRCam, a $460 million package featuring two identical imaging systems that can scan different areas of space at the same time.

The light sensors at the heart of the camera were designed and largely fabricated, assembled and tested on the UA campus. They are made from titanium, molybdenum, silicone and a thin layer of the chemical compound mercury cadmium telluride.

The Astronomy Department has a machine shop downstairs thats certified by NASA to work with exotic metals and a clean room with a special vacuum chamber where parts can be tested in the simulated cold of space.

When the development process required work by one of the UAs design partners in California, the sensors would be packed into special shipping containers and sent via FedEx white glove service, Rieke said.

Occasionally, she would book a Southwest Airlines flight so she could hand deliver the sensors  each weighing between 5 and 8 pounds  to Lockheed Martins Advanced Technology Center in Palo Alto or Teledyne Imaging in Camarillo.

It was always a little bit of an exercise going through security, because we didnt want them X-rayed, she said. I got to know some of the TSA people.

All told, Rieke estimates about 50 people at the UA had a hand in the development of NIRCam.

Today, she said, the team includes about 20 professional scientists and a fair number of students and postdoctoral researchers  all of them eager to start using the roughly 900 hours of observing time they are guaranteed from Webb through 2025.

Most of the team is still in Tucson, though a few moved on to other universities while they waited for Webb to launch.

When people get faculty offers, they go, Rieke explained. But theyre still members of the team, and weve gotten very good at Zooming.

Designer pair

Webb also carries a camera and spectrograph designed by Riekes husband, fellow UA astronomy professor George Rieke.

The Mid-Infrared Instrument, or MIRI, is designed to complement discoveries made by NIRCam and study the formation of stars and galaxies and the atmospheres of planets beyond our solar system, among other things.

George Rieke and Gillian Wright from the Royal Observatory in Scotland are the science leads for that instrument. The entire space telescope is a joint project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.

The original rationale for the whole project was to discover the light from the first galaxies to form after the Big Bang, Marcia Rieke said.

If you had told me when I was a graduate student that I would be studying galaxies that are so far away that were seeing them only about a hundred million years after the Big Bang, I would say, Im not going to live that long.

But the new space telescope is anything but a one-trick pony.

Its going to get used for lots of things, she said. Webb is designed to be quite general purpose, which it better be if it costs $10 billion.

Rieke has been searching the universe for the most distant galaxies since the early 1980s, back when she had to manually scan the sky to find things without the aid of todays advanced sensors.

That was really hard work, and the galaxies that we studied then are ones that we will view as weeds in the (Webb) pictures, she said with a laugh. They are too close to be interesting now.

Rieke grew up reading science fiction in Michigan and majored in physics at MIT, before coming to Tucson to use a telescope on Mount Lemmon for her graduate thesis. Thats where she met George, who was the keeper of that telescope.

He hired her as a postdoctoral researcher in 1976 and they married in 1982. The UA has been home to infrared astronomys biggest power couple ever since.

Flight delays

Back when NASA was soliciting design proposals for NIRCam in 2001, the Webb mission had a preliminary launch date of 2009, though we all knew that was a joke, because it didnt seem feasible to build everything that quickly, Rieke said.

Since then, the project has been slowed by cost overruns, design changes, manufacturing flaws and a few mishaps during assembly.

The first believable launch date to come and go was in 2014, she said. And then that became something like 2016, and that became 2018, and that became 2020 and that became 2021.

Rieke previously worked on NASAs Hubble and Spitzer telescopes, so she was used to the occasional setbacks that come with space flight. Other members of the team were not.

The last two-year launch delay was really a psychological blow to the younger people on the project, the 70-year-old said.

In around 2014, I started hiring postdocs to work on the data that were going to get (from Webb). Most of those people are still here. For them, a two-year launch delay is like half of their professional careers so far.

Luckily, theyve had plenty of work to do while they waited.

NIRCam has undergone a barrage of preflight tests over the past eight years to make sure it will survive the shaking during blastoff and the unforgiving conditions in space.

In 2017, Rieke and company hooked their instrument up to the rest of the telescope and tested it at Johnson Space Flight Center in Houston as Hurricane Harvey raged outside.

More recently, telescope team members have been rehearsing what they will need to do during the six-month commissioning stage that will follow Webbs launch and deployment.

Weve also been preparing for our own science program. So weve actually ended up being quite busy in spite of the delays, Rieke said.

Whenever the launch finally happens, students and faculty from the Department of Astronomy are slated to gather in the main lecture hall at Steward to watch NASAs live stream of the big event.

For Rieke, it will be a moment of excitement and resignation.

A rocket launch is always scary, because its a controlled explosion, but theres nothing I can do about it. I just have to hope that everyones done everything right, she said. If it blows up, well all go home crying.

Very cool camera

The waiting wont end at liftoff, of course. Once in space, it will take Webb about a month to reach its final destination roughly 1 million miles from Earth, where it will enter a parallel orbit around the sun.

Assuming it unfurls as designed, a heat shield made from five layers of delicate film, each as thin as a human hair, will protect the spacecraft and allow the instruments inside to cool down to about minus 370 degrees Fahrenheit, the optimal temperature for observing in infrared.

Rieke said they wont even be able to activate NIRCam until its nearly as cold as the vacuum of space, a process thats expected to take about 33 days. It will take several days more after that before the instrument can begin collecting test images.

Well get reports on how all the different unfoldings and so on are going, she said, but it wont be until roughly the third week in January before we really spring into action.

Rieke said switching NIRCam on for the first time will be the scariest moment for her. By then, Webb will be parked in space roughly three times farther away than the moon is from the Earth, well beyond the reach of any potential repair mission from home.

If anything goes wrong out there, it is very likely to stay that way. Thats the reason for all the preflight testing, the redundancies, the checks on top of checks and, yes, even the delays.

You cant go fix it, Rieke said, so youve got to be sure everythings right.

She wont know that for sure until NIRCam is up and running sometime next year. For now, all she can do is wait.

I probably will withhold the celebrations until we get some light through (the telescope). Once we start getting some star images, Ill feel much better, Rieke said.

Then well uncork the champagne bottles.

Contact reporter Henry Brean at hbrean@tucson.com or 573-4283. On Twitter: @RefriedBrean Contact reporter Henry Brean at hbrean@tucson.com or 573-4283. On Twitter: @RefriedBrean

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Orphaned fawns slept in her fireplace while a Gambels quail hunkered under a priceless Indian blanket. At one time, five owls took over one of the rooms in her house and baby javelinas were housed in her bedroom so she could haul them into her bed every couple of hours for feeding.

According to Sarah, I have the only javelina in the country that sleeps on a waterbed and pees on the Wall Street Journal.

Yet Sarah did not attach herself to the animals she cared for. They are not pets, she admonished. I know when I get 'em, theyve got to go. Her goal was to return as many as possible to their natural habitats.

Dan died in 1975 and by then, word had reached the Arizona Game and Fish Department that a woman was keeping wild animals in her house and on her property, an illegal activity. An agent appeared on Sarahs doorstep to investigate but once he saw the care Sarah gave the animals, he not only refused to reprimand her but declared, you dont need to be cited, you need to be licensed. In November 1975, she was officially certified by Arizona Game and Fish to care for wildlife.
The Assembly for a Bilingual School in Catalonia, a grassroots group representing Catalans who want more Spanish in classrooms, says that while around 100 families have taken their demand for more Spanish to the courts, there are many more who support them.

The use of languages in Catalonias schools has become a heated national debate after a family denounced that they had been insulted and felt threatened following their request for their childs public school in Canet de Mar just north of Barcelona to increase the hours of Spanish as mandated by the courts.

We arent against Catalan. We love Catalan, and we appreciate the richness it gives us all as individuals and as a society," the family said in an open letter, written in Spanish and Catalan. "But we are bilingual, and we also love Spanish. Our goal is nothing more than for Spanish to form a part of our childs education in a normal way just as it does in Catalan society.

Catalan is a Romance language similar to Spanish. It is spoken in the Catalonia region of northeast Spain, in the tiny nation of Andorra and to a reduced extent in neighboring Spanish regions and in southern France.
CRAWFORD, Miss. (AP)  A Mississippi town has canceled its annual Christmas parade because of an increase in shootings.

Theyre shooting like 30 or 40 rounds at one time. Thats what I call a war, Crawford Mayor Willie Parson told WCBI-TV.

Authorities have said that only one person has been injured so far, but a number of homes and vehicles have been shot into.

The holiday event was scheduled for last week, but Parson said she decided to cancel it because the level of gunfire is something the town has never experienced.

When they go to the parade, 100 or 200 or 300 people are there and you never know whos going to have a gun or whos going to have what, the mayor said.

Lowndes County Sheriffs Department Detective Drew McCain said shootings have spiked over the past few months. He said the department is "currently working anywhere from five to 10 right now.

About three vehicles have been shot into that came very close to hitting people, he said.
Five years ago: A truck rammed into a crowded Christmas market in central Berlin, killing 12 people in an attack claimed by Islamic State. (The suspected attacker was killed in a police shootout four days later.) A Turkish policeman fatally shot Russian ambassador Andrei Karlov at a photo exhibit in Ankara. (The assailant was later killed in a police shootout.)

One year ago: Contradicting his secretary of state and other top officials, President Donald Trump suggested without evidence that China  not Russia  might have been behind a cyberespionage operation against the United States government; Trump also tried to downplay its impact. Millions of people in England learned they would have to cancel their Christmas get-togethers and holiday shopping trips; British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said holiday gatherings could not go ahead and non-essential shops would have to close in London and much of southern England as part of a higher level of coronavirus restrictions.

Todays Birthdays: Actor Elaine Joyce is 78. Actor Tim Reid is 77. Paleontologist Richard E. Leakey is 77. Musician John McEuen is 76. Singer Janie Fricke is 74. Jazz musician Lenny White is 72. Actor Mike Lookinland is 61. Actor Scott Cohen is 60. Actor Jennifer Beals is 58. Actor Robert MacNaughton is 55. Magician Criss Angel is 54. Rock musician Klaus Eichstadt (Ugly Kid Joe) is 54. Actor Ken Marino is 53. Actor Elvis Nolasco is 53. Actor Derek Webster is 53. Actor Kristy Swanson is 52. Model Tyson Beckford is 51. Actor Amy Locane is 50. Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Sapp is 49. Actor Rosa Blasi is 49. Actor Alyssa Milano is 49. Actor Tara Summers is 42. Actor Jake Gyllenhaal (JIH-lihn-hahl) is 41. Actor Marla Sokoloff is 41. Rapper Lady Sovereign is 36. Journalist Ronan Farrow is 34. Actor Nik Dodani is 28.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Youve probably seen the headlines. Your business may be experiencing it or trying to recover from it. Im talking about the labor shortage. According to Visier.com:

At least one in four people quit their job this year.

More than 500,000 workers voluntarily left over 50 U.S. companies.

65% of people were looking for a new job from January to August, according to a PwC survey.

Its being called The Great Resignation. A record number of people left their job in August and September of 2021. It hit many industries and jobs, from entry-level to management.

Some are fallout from the pandemic, but I believe the issue goes beyond that. Employees want a better work experience. They want to be valued.

In my industry, skilled and experienced electricians are hard to find. We work hard to keep them after investing time, money and training.

It is a smart business practice to keep employees rather than constantly replace them. The overall cost of recruiting and training is draining.
Depending solely on the generosity of people, businesses, foundations and organizations, it has given away nearly $5 million in school supplies to students at Tulsas 50 neediest schools.

The Pencil Box is the only free store for teachers in Oklahoma, the sole program providing supplies to eligible schools in all 15 school districts in Tulsa County, the only organization serving grades pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, as well as the only organization providing school supplies throughout the year to under-served students across Tulsa.

The shopping area of the new facility, designed by Selser Schafer Architects and built by Thompson Construction, will double the capacity of the current one. The new center also will feature a large work room where staff and volunteers can process inventory.

Every child deserves a quality education regardless of where they are born, Bolzle said. We are determined to ensure that every student and every teacher has the supplies they need for school success.

In the 2021-2022 school year, The Pencil Box already has given away $2 million worth of supplies.
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Tulsa will soon welcome a new player to its philanthropic field, and while aware its not the biggest nor the first, it hopes to be the difference.

Through the Community Health Equity Catalyst Strategy, the Ascension St. John Foundation is prepared to pump up to $10 million a year over the next 10 years into community agencies and organizations working across Tulsa to give each resident a fair and equitable opportunity to live a healthy lifestyle.

CHECSs first grant cycle launches in 2022 and will mark a shift in the foundations funding focus, which has traditionally been growing the health system and expanding patient care within the hospitals walls.

Theyre now thinking bigger, Ascension St. John Foundation President Lucky Lamons said, acknowledging that access to medical clinics and health insurance is necessary, but there are greater social determinants of health, such as behavior and environment.

Were looking at how do we really take care of patients in the future, and we think one of the best ways to do it is to work upstream, Lamons said.
The city of Tulsa came close to not filing an amicus brief in support of the states effort to overturn or limit the U.S. Supreme Courts McGirt ruling despite receiving calls from CEOs of some of the regions largest employers urging it to do so.

In response to questions from the Tulsa World, Mayor G.T. Bynum outlined the series of events that put the filing in jeopardy and triggered the response from area business leaders.

I received an initial draft pretty close to when our deadline was that I thought was just not in keeping of the spirit of the relationship that I have tried to have with the tribes, Bynum said. My intent with our brief was much more to just convey the reality of what our (police) officers in the field were experiencing and the challenges that they and the courts and crime victims were experiencing, not to attack the tribes or convey any sort of ill intent on their part, because I dont think there is.

Bynum said he told the City Attorneys Office that if the city was not afforded time to revise the brief it would not submit one, and that message was conveyed to the state Attorney Generals Office.
The ACLU also launched the legal challenge that resulted in the Oct. 5 removal of a Ten Commandments monument at the state Capitol. The Johnston County monument went up on the courthouse lawn in Tishomingo the next day.
Dots and dashes: Second District Congressman Markwayne Mullin is reportedly a co-sponsor of a national "stand your ground" bill. ... Lankford is still worried about the Biden administration agreeing to settlements in cases brought by illegal immigrants separated from their families by U.S. officials. ... U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he achieved a top priority by getting a provision that would have required women to register for the draft excised from the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act. Although young men are still required to register for the draft, no one has actually been conscripted since 1972. ... Inhofe and Lankford said federal regulars should give financial institutions more "flexibility" in dealing with farmers and ranchers. ... Lankford again complained about the Department of Human Services decision to withdraw religious exemptions that allowed faith-based child placement providers to refuse adoptions and foster care placements with LGBTQ applicants.
The plan is for other all-Black communities to showcase their own histories and contributions," Matthews said.

Campaigns and events: Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jackson Lahmeyer's Facebook page posted a photo of him with former President Donald Trump. The accompanying post says Trump is "watching Oklahoma very closely and I now need to prove to the President that I can beat RINO (incumbent) James Lankford."

Lahmeyer adheres to the unproven claim, widely discredited by experts in the election process, that the 2020 presidential election was in some way "stolen" from Trump.

Lankford has advocated investigating the claims but has been noncommittal about the extent of their validity.

In other news, the Federal Election Commission dismissed the Oklahoma Republican Party's complaint against Abby Broyles and her 2020 U.S. Senate campaign.

The Oklahoma GOP contended Broyles, who is a 2022 candidate in the 5th congressional district, received discounted advertising rates from her former employer, Oklahoma City television station KFOR. The FEC said it found no evidence of that.
Preventing and ending addiction starts with our youth. Unless we implement effective interventions to prevent young people from utilizing harmful drugs, this problem will continue.

I am currently work as a prevention educator teaching elementary and middle school students about the risks that gateway drugs such as alcohol and nicotine present to users, especially those under 21 as the brain is still developing.

In the classroom, the most common responses from students regarding why people their age turn to these drugs include stress, depression, anxiety and peer pressure. The data supports these responses: The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services reports that 10% of Oklahoma youth have a mental health disorder, while an added 10% struggle with substance abuse.

As youth turn to drugs as a means to cope with mental health issues and stress, we continue to see rising rates of addiction, school absences and problems with the law that persist into adulthood.

School systems must prioritize prevention education that informs students of the risks of these substances, as well as healthier alternatives for coping with stress and mental health issues.
Nearly 5,000 tractor-trailers carrying agricultural products to be exported to China have been stuck at three border gates in nothern Vietnam over the past weeks.

As of Saturday, about 4,800 tractor-trailers were waiting for produce clearance at Tan Thanh, Huu Nghia, and Chi Ma Border Gates in Lang Son Province, according to statistics from the provincial Department of Industry and Trade.

At Tan Thanh Border Gate, there were approximately 2,800 vehicles, most of which carried jackfruits, mangoes, dragon fruits, and watermelons from southern Vietnamese provinces.

Thousands of tractor-trailers wait for produce clearance at Tan Thanh Border Gate in Lang Son Province, Vietnam, December 18, 2021. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

Huynh Tan Dung, a 57-year-old trucker, said he had stayed at the border gate for 20 days.

Dung, who has nearly two decades of experience, stated he had never gone through such a situation before.

We have to spend VND400,000 [US$17] per day on parking fees and VND300,000 [$13] a day on fuel, which is needed to run the refrigerator to keep the fruits fresh, the driver explained.

We also have to pay for food, showering, and toilet fees.

Thousands of tractor-trailers wait for product clearance at Tan Thanh Border Gate in Lang Son Province, Vietnam, December 18, 2021. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

If the situation lingers for a few more days, the products will rot and cannot be sold, which will result in heavy losses for both drivers and businesses, Dung said.

Dinh Trung Kien, deputy director of the management center of Tan Thanh Border Gate, stated that China previously halted import-export activities at the border gate on Wednesday due to some network errors.

The activities were resumed on Saturday but were suspended again later the same day, Kien continued, adding that the Chinese side did not announce any reason this time.

Truck drivers spread dragon fruits on the ground to prevent them from decaying at Tan Thanh Border Gate in Lang Son Province, Vietnam, December 18, 2021. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

Import and export were also suspended at Chi Ma Border Gate on December 8, the official elaborated.

Meanwhile, produce clearance has been going at a snail's pace at Huu Nghi Border Gate, he added.

Authorities in Lang Son have been negotiating with their Chinese counterparts to speed up the product clearance process.

Local businesses have been advised against transporting more products to these border gates during this period.

A group of truck drivers are pictured at Tan Thanh Border Gate in Lang Son Province, Vietnam, December 18, 2021. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

Chairman of the provincial Peoples Committee Ho Tien Thieu confirmed on Saturday he had tasked relevant agencies with drawing up a plan to disinfect products prior to exportation.

The administration will then discuss with the Chinese side the COVID-19 prevention and control procedures for imports and exports between Vietnam and China, Thieu stated.

A group of truck drivers are pictured at Tan Thanh Border Gate in Lang Son Province, Vietnam, December 18, 2021. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

A driver cooks a meal by his tractor-trailer at Tan Thanh Border Gate in Lang Son Province, Vietnam, December 18, 2021. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

Drivers prepare to cook their meals at Tan Thanh Border Gate in Lang Son Province, Vietnam, December 18, 2021. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

A driver checks the temperature of his truck at Tan Thanh Border Gate in Lang Son Province, Vietnam, December 18, 2021. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

A truck carrying watermelons is pictured at Tan Thanh Border Gate in Lang Son Province, Vietnam, December 18, 2021. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

Truck drivers check the quality of their dragon fruits at Tan Thanh Border Gate in Lang Son Province, Vietnam, December 18, 2021. Photo: Chi Tue / Tuoi Tre

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Here are todays leading news stories:

COVID-19 Updates

-- Vietnams Ministry of Health documented 15,895 COVID-19 cases on Saturday evening, raising the national tally to 1,524,368, with 1,097,163 recoveries and 29,351 deaths.

Society

-- Police have arrested and initiated legal proceedings against Phan Quoc Viet, general director of Viet A Technologies JSC, for allegedly raising the price of COVID-19 test kits.

-- Typhoon Rai was located 270 kilometers east of south-central Vietnam as of 4:00 am on Sunday, the National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting reported, adding that the combined effect of the typhoon and a cold front will cause downpours in central provinces starting Sunday.

-- An eleventh grader from the central province of Quang Nam has died three days after receiving COVID-19 vaccination, with health authorities ruling out anaphylaxis as the cause of his death.

-- Thousands of tractor-trailers carrying agricultural products that are to be exported to China have been stuck at several border gates in the northern province of Lang Son over the past 20 days.

-- Doctors in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau have saved a newborn from cardiac and respiratory arrest after they performed a C-section on the mother, who was in bad health due to COVID-19.

-- Former vice-chairman of Ho Chi Minh City Tran Vinh Tuyen was handed six years in prison during a trial on Saturday for his role in a serious violation at state-owned Saigon Agriculture Incorporated (SAGRI).

Sports

-- Vietnam will compete with Cambodia in their last Group B game at the 2020 AFF Suzuki Cup in Singapore at 7:30 pm on Sunday. The game will be aired on VTV6 Channel.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
An eleventh grader from central Vietnam has died three days after receiving COVID-19 vaccination, with health authorities ruling out anaphylaxis as the cause of his death.

An official in Hoi An City, Quang Nam Province confirmed on Saturday evening that local authorities were working to determine the reason behind the death of the high school student.

On Wednesday, health workers in Hoi An began administering COVID-19 vaccine to more than 1,000 students at Nguyen Trai High School.

Among these students, an eleventh grader was having a headache but did not state it in his health declaration form.

Health workers later gave him a dose of vaccine as they believed he was in normal health conditions.

As his headache worsened on Saturday morning, he was admitted to Thai Binh Duong General Hospital in Hoi An.

He was later transferred to C Hospital in neighboring Da Nang City, but passed away on the same day.

According to doctors at the hospital, the boy was diagnosed with meningitis.

Health authorities have yet to make a conclusion about the cause of the students death, but they have ruled out post-vaccinal anaphylaxis.

Earlier on Thursday, an eleventh grader in Tam Ky City, also in Quang Nam Province, was hospitalized after receiving two shots of COVID-19 vaccine in a row.

His principal confirmed on Friday that he was in stable health.

Vietnam has plans to vaccinate around nine million children aged 12 to 17 against COVID-19 using the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine through a campaign that kicked off in November.

As of December 15, nearly six million children in this age group had received at least one dose, while more than 1.5 million had been jabbed twice, according to the Ministry of Health.

Around 0.3 percent of the vaccinated children have experienced such reactions as fever, pain at the injection site, muscle soreness, headache, and fatigue, the ministry stated.

Prior to the case in Quang Nam, the country had recorded at least five deaths following COVID-19 vaccination in children aged 12 to 17.

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A court has sentenced an ex-deputy chairman of Ho Chi Minh City to six years in prison for violations in a case related to state-owned Saigon Agriculture Corporation (SAGRI) that caused over US$15 million in losses.

After more than 10 days of hearing, the Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Court on Saturday gave the sentence to 56-year-old Tran Vinh Tuyen for violating regulations on state asset management and use, causing losses and wastefulness in the case that involved 18 other defendants.

Tran Trong Tuan, ex-deputy chief of office of the citys Party Committee and also former director of the municipal Department of Construction, and Le Tan Hung, former CEO of SAGRI, were jailed for six and 11 years on the same charge.

According to the indictment, Tuyen had committed serious violations in 2017 by signing a decision to approve the transfer of a 37,000-square-meter state property in District 9, now Thu Duc City, managed by SAGRI to Phong Phu Corporation, a private firm, without carrying out necessary steps required by law.

This transfer was conducted in non-compliance with the law on the management of state capital in enterprises and other relevant rules and regulations, while Tuyen, in his capacity and role, should have known such a transfer was unacceptable, the court said.

This photo shows Tran Trong Tuan, ex-deputy chief of office of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee and also former director of the municipal Department of Construction, at his hearing at the Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Court on December 13, 2021. Photo: Nhat Thinh / Tuoi Tre

Many essential procedures were ignored, including making a plan for divestment of state capital at SAGRI, determining the transfer value at market price, and conducting a public auction, among others.

Hung, identified as the mastermind in this case, directed his subordinates to prepare an unlawful transfer dossier and submitted it to the citys competent agencies for approval.

For his personal interests, Hung committed his offense with a disregard for all relevant laws and regulations, the indictment said.

Tuan clearly knew that the transfer file submitted by Hung was against the law but he still issued a document on December 11, 2017, proposing that the Peoples Committee endorse it.

Tuyen granted the endorsement eight days later.

This image shows Le Tan Hung, former CEO of Saigon Agriculture Corporation (SAGRI), at his trial at the Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Court on December 18, 2021. Photo: Quang Dinh

The unlawful transfer, which failed to ensure transparency, has caused a total loss of over VND348 billion ($15.13 million) to the state, the trial panel concluded.

During the trial, Hung, Tuyen, and Tuan all denied the allegation that they knowingly committed wrongdoings, claiming that they did not know the acts they had committed were against the law and that they did not gain any personal interest in this scandal.

The court, however, deemed their arguments to be groundless and said they should have complied with the law related to the transfer.

The case file, evidence, and actual developments during the hearing were enough for convicting all the 19 defendants, the trial panel ruled.

The court additionally gave Hung another jail term of 14 years for property embezzlement, as he had been found appropriating more than VND13 billion ($565,300) in association with a trip abroad for SAGRI employees in 2017, although he later repaid the entire amount.

As such, he will have to serve a total jail term of 25 years.

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The Ministry of Health documented 16,110 more coronavirus cases in Vietnam on Sunday, alongside 10,799 recoveries and 215 virus-related fatalities.

The latest infections, including 17 imported and 16,093 domestic transmissions, were confirmed in 60 provinces and cities, the ministry said, adding that 10,542 patients caught the virus in the community.

Hanoi logged 1,405 of the newest local cases, Ca Mau Province 1,345, Ho Chi Minh City 1,014, Can Tho City 793, Khanh Hoa Province 599, Dong Nai Province 417, Hai Phong City 417, Thua Thien-Hue Province 362, Lam Dong Province 245, Binh Duong Province 245, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province 221, Bac Ninh Province 219, Da Nang 143, Quang Ninh Province 139, Binh Thuan Province 135, Quang Nam Province 69, and Bac Giang Province 41.

Vietnam had detected 15,883 locally-acquired infections on Saturday.

The country has found 1,534,979 community transmissions in all its 63 provinces and cities since the fourth virus wave erupted on April 27. A combined 1,105,145 of them have recovered from COVID-19.

Ho Chi Minh City has been the biggest hotbed with 494,683 patients, followed by Binh Duong Province with 289,175, Dong Nai Province with 94,928, Tay Ninh Province with 64,014, Long An Province with 39,663, Dong Thap Province with 35,618, Can Tho City with 33,355, Tien Giang Province with 30,915, An Giang Province with 29,354, Hanoi with 24,267, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province with 23,671, Khanh Hoa Province with 23,601, Binh Thuan Province with 23,213, and Da Nang with 9,305.

Vietnam recorded merely 1,570 locally-transmitted infections in total in the previous three waves.

The health ministry announced 10,799 recovered patients on Sunday, lifting the total to 1,107,962.

The toll has risen to 29,566 fatalities after the ministry reported 215 deaths on the same day, including 57 in Ho Chi Minh City, 23 in Dong Nai Province, 18 in Binh Duong Province, 16 in An Giang Province, 13 in Tien Giang Province, 12 in Can Tho City, and the remainder in 15 other provinces and cities.

Vietnam has confirmed 1,540,478 patients since the COVID-19 pandemic first hit the country early last year.

Health workers have administered over 138.7 million vaccine doses, including 1,199,726 shots on Saturday, since vaccination was rolled out nationwide on March 8.

More than 75.6 million of the countrys 98 million people have received at least one dose while above 61.8 million have been jabbed twice.

The number of third doses  including additional primary shots for immunocompromised people, boosters, and third jabs of Cubas Abdala vaccine  has reached 1,184,878.

Vietnam targets to fully inoculate 100 percent of its adult population this year. Many provinces and cities are immunizing children aged 12-17 against COVID-19, using Pfizer-BioNTech shots.

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The executive of a technology company and the director of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) of Hai Duong Province in northern Vietnam have been arrested for allegedly colluding to inflate COVID-19 test kit prices to pocket the differences.

Phan Quoc Viet, founder and CEO of Ho Chi Minh City-based Viet A Technology Corporation (Viet A Corp), and Pham Duy Tuyen, director of the Hai Duong CDC, have been detained and prosecuted on charges of violating regulations on bidding, causing serious consequences, the Ministry of Public Security said on Sunday.

Former chief accountant of the CDC Nguyen Manh Cuong, along with Viets deputy Vu Dinh Hiep, the companys cashier Ho Thi Thanh Thao, and some others have also been prosecuted, police said.

In April 2020, the Ministry of Health granted a circulation license for Viet A Corp's one-step RT-PCR test kits, the first-ever made in Vietnam.

The corporation has since provided such kits for many CDCs and medical facilities in 62 provinces and cities, so far earning a revenue of nearly VND4 trillion (US$174 million).

Given the increasing demand for COVID-19 test kits amid a serious outbreak that has hammered Vietnam since late April, Viet concluded with CDC directors of some localities to hike the prices of such kits to illegally make a huge amount of money, according to police documents.

Viet provided the kits for hospitals and CDCs in different localities for use in advance, knowing that pandemic control regulations streamline the process to choose medical equipment providers.

The CEO then conspired with the buyers to carry out supplier appointment procedures in a manner that artificially inflated test kit rates.

He had directed his employees to overstate the prices of production equipment and input materials to hike the selling price of a test kit to VND470,000 ($20.4).

Investigators have yet to unveil the price discrepancy.

Viet paid very large amounts of money to the leaders of the purchasing agencies in return for them to choose Viet A Corp as the test kit provider and agree to the rates fixed by the company.

This supplied photo displays Pham Duy Tuyen, director of the Hai Duong Province Center for Disease Control, in police custody in Vietnam.

As found in the investigation conducted at the Hai Duong CDC, Viet A Corp supplied the disease control center with test kits in advance and the bidding formalities came later to legitimize the procurement, investigators said.

The Hai Duong CDC paid for such test kits using the provinces budget allocated to the center for COVID-19 control missions.

From February to December 2021, the CDC paid close to VND152 billion ($6.61 million) to Viet A Corp through five contracts.

Viet paid Tuyen kickbacks totaling some VND30 billion ($1.3 million) in the period.

Along with the arrest of the suspects, police have also searched 16 locations in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Duong Province, Thua Thien-Hue Province, Binh Duong Province, Long An Province, Can Tho City, and Nghe An Province.

More than 30 people involved in the scandal have been under interrogation.

Police have freezed many bank accounts of Viet and some of his accessories worth upwards of VND320 billion ($13.9 million) and $100,000, while seizing 20 properties in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and other localities.

Eight properties of Tuyen have been distrained, police added.

Police officers are investigating other individuals, organizations, and locations involved, Lieutenant General To An Xo, spokesperson of the Ministry of Public Security, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

Viet A Corp is among the leading businesses in the medical equipment industry in Vietnam, owning a system of clinics in Ho Chi Minh City and central Quang Nam Province.

This company previously won many bids to supply chemicals, biological chemicals, and machine consumables for testing at major hospitals across the country.

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A Compass special, Christmas spirit with Christine Anu, screens on ABC on Tuesday night.

From hot, sunny summer days and motorbike riding Santas to the vibrant mix of cultures that have contributed their own flair to the annual tradition, join Christine Anu as she uncovers what makes Christmas in Australia like nowhere else in the world.

Christine shares memories from her childhood in the Torres Strait and shows how Christmas songs first inspired her to sing. She also joins children from around Australia in a special performance of her iconic song Island Christmas.

Celebrating the resilience of Australians, Christine visits families around Australia. She learns how migrant families use Christmas to connect with their community and recreate traditions from home. In the Adelaide Hills, Christine hears how a community rallied together when the 2019 Summer Bushfires cancelled a decades-long Christmas light tradition. Before reconnecting with her own family as they sing the Christmas carol Silent Night.

Heading back in time, Christine shows us how to make a traditional Christmas Pudding recipe from the 1800s, while food historian Jacqui Newling tells us the history of our edible traditions. And we discover the earliest example of an Aussie Christmas carol, our very own Australian Christmas Song from 1863.

Get in the Christmas spirit with Christine Anu this December as she explores the reason for the season.

Production Credits: Producers: Louise Heywood. Editors: Deb Prince, Philippa Byers. Researchers: Mary Tran, Wendy Boynton. Executive Producer: Jessica Douglas-Henry.

8:30pm Tuesday December 21 on ABC
At least 109 people have been killed in the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines this year, official tallies showed Sunday, as efforts to deliver water and food to devastated islands ramped up.

More than 300,000 people fled their homes and beachfront resorts as Typhoon Rai ravaged the southern and central regions of the archipelago.

The storm knocked out communications and electricity in many areas, ripped off roofs, damaged hospitals, toppled concrete power poles and flooded villages.

Arthur Yap, governor of the popular tourist destination Bohol, said on his official Facebook page that mayors on the devastated island had so far reported 73 deaths in their towns.

Ten people also died on the Dinagat Islands, provincial information officer Jeffrey Crisostomo told AFP.

That took the overall number of reported deaths to 109, according to the latest official figures, making it one of the deadliest storms to hit the country in recent years.

But the toll was likely to rise as disaster agencies assessed the full extent of the storm's aftermath across the vast archipelago.

Rai smashed into the country Thursday as a super typhoon packing winds of 195 kilometres (120 miles) per hour.

Thousands of military, police, coast guard and fire personnel are being deployed to assist in search and rescue efforts in the worst-affected areas.

Coast guard and naval vessels carrying food, water and medical supplies are being dispatched, while heavy machinery -- like backhoes and front-end loaders -- are being sent to help clear roads blocked by fallen power poles and trees.

"It's going to be a long, tough road for people to rebuild and get their lives back on track," said Alberto Bocanegra, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in the Philippines.

The organisation appealed for 20 million Swiss francs ($21.6 million) to fund urgent relief and recovery efforts.

Pope Francis expressed hopes for "concrete aid" to be offered to the Catholic-majority country.

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An aerial survey of damage to parts of Bohol showed "our people have suffered greatly", Yap said.

- 'Reminiscent' of Haiyan -

There has also been widespread destruction on Siargao, Dinagat and Mindanao islands, which bore the brunt of Rai when it slammed into the Philippines.

Verified videos showed severe damage in the Siargao town of General Luna, where many surfers and holidaymakers had flocked ahead of Christmas, with buildings missing roofs, wooden structures crushed to pieces, trees stripped of leaves, and piles of debris on the ground.

Tourists were being evacuated from the island on Sunday by plane and boat.

Dinagat Governor Arlene Bag-ao has said the damage to the island's landscape was "reminiscent if not worse" than that caused by Super Typhoon Haiyan in 2013.

Haiyan, called Yolanda in the Philippines, was the deadliest cyclone on record in the country, leaving more than 7,300 people dead or missing.

"I saw how Typhoon Odette tore the provincial capitol apart, piece by piece," Dinagat PIO Crisostomo told radio station DZBB, using the local name for Rai.

"Big tables as heavy as a man went flying during the onslaught of the storm," he said.

In Surigao City, on the northern tip of Mindanao, shattered glass from smashed windows, roofing, power lines and other debris were scattered in the streets.

Tricycle driver Rey Jamile, 57, braved flooded streets and "flying" sheets of corrugated iron roofing to get his family to safety at a school evacuation centre.

"The wind was very strong," he told AFP, adding now that the storm was over he was struggling to find water and food.

President Rodrigo Duterte visited some of the hardest-hit areas on Saturday and has pledged to release two billion pesos ($40 million) to assist recovery efforts.

Rai hit the Philippines late in the typhoon season -- most cyclones typically develop between July and October.

Scientists have long warned that typhoons are becoming more powerful and strengthening more rapidly as the world becomes warmer because of human-driven climate change.

The Philippines -- ranked among the globe's most vulnerable nations to the impacts of climate change -- is hit by an average of 20 storms and typhoons every year, which typically wipe out harvests, homes and infrastructure in already impoverished areas.

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Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty

MOSCOWIts easy to see why President Vladimir Putin might have thought ratcheting up tensions on Ukraines border and blaming it all on NATO and the U.S. would rally his faltering support back home, but this time something different is happening.

Most Russians arent buying it.

Domestic propaganda levels have reached near-hysteria this year after anti-Putin protests swept the country following the attempted murder and imprisonment of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

The drumbeat of war against Ukraine is becoming louder by the week and Putin has made ever wilder demands of NATO, which was the primary focus of his talking points in the video conference summit with President Biden earlier this month. He must surely know those demands can never be met.

Ukraine: America Dropped the Ball on Russias Invasion Threat

If you follow the localstate-ownedTV stations in Russia, you are constantly warned that a new war is on the horizon; that Russia will bravely stand up to the West; and that America is the real enemy.

That message is increasingly falling on deaf ears.

A study published this week by the Levada Analytical Center showed that for the first time in years more Russians think positively than negatively about the U.S.by 45 percent to 42 percent.

When Levada asked the same question in May, only 31 percent said the U.S. was good vs. 54 percent bad.

In those intervening months, Moscow has accused Washington of fueling tension over Ukraine, gas pipelines, Navalny, and hacking. Tit-for-tat diplomatic spats have led to the U.S. embassy cutting 75 percent of staff in Moscow and no longer processing visas, meaning Russians wanting U.S. travel visas and green cards now have to apply in Warsaw. An agreement is in the works to fix that particular stand-off, but it shows the real world impact of diplomatic wrangling on ordinary people.

Politicians and ordinary people often have different agendas, said Susanna Emirali, a young advertising producer. Most of my friends understand that ordinary Americans are cool.

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Emirali is typical of the Russians who are now rejecting state propaganda. She says she avoids watching political talk shows on television and prefers to read her news on independent outlets online. She believes the United States has nothing to do with Russias biggest problems and hopes the conflict between Moscow and Washington will soon end.

While Moscow and Washington are at loggerheads over red lines and security guarantees, ordinary Russians are growing tired of the aggressive anti-Western propaganda thrown at them from their TV sets every night. This flies in the face of years of assumptions that Putin can turn up the dial on anti-Americanism feeling among Russians at will.

The Russian Public Is Being Primed for Another of Putins Wars

During the pandemic last year Emirali said she saw her mother and fathers eyes begin to open. Both engineers in their late forties, they stopped watching television and began to read news on independent sites, learning first about the poisoning attack on Navalny, then about his arrest and about the mass opposition protests in both Russia and Belarus.

They began to sympathize with arrested peaceful protesters, so their political views have changed, they openly blame Putin for domestic problems, Emirali said.

The author of Levadas report, Lev Gudkov, said there had been a fundamental shift in Russia. We see increasingly deep public disillusionment in Putins leadership: incomes have decreased by 13 percent since 2010 and during the pandemic many more people lost jobs and grew poorer; there are nearly twice as many cases of political persecutions, he said. It is important to understand that Russians now have much less tolerance for anti-American propaganda, it makes people angry during the pandemic to see that the state spends more money on buying arms and preparing for wars than on new hospitals, district clinicsour medical service is in poor condition.

Gudkov says a majority of Russians believe that it is Putin who is responsible for their woes. Russians realize that it is not the United States that is responsible for domestic problems. As for the international issues, people are worried about the waran absolute majority of our respondents, 75 percent, say that the military tensions on the border with Ukraine might blow up into a war between Russia and Ukraine, he told The Daily Beast.

The winner of this years Nobel Peace Prize, Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov, used the ceremony this week to invoke the words of another former Peace Prize winner, ex-president Mikhail Gorbachev. He once told ministers that were agitating for further military adventure to stop your hawk squawk.

Muratov repeated that demand, and called for journalists and politicians to stop the hawk squawk now.

Ordinary Russians dream of an end to the Cold War rhetoric and for the authorities to stop painting Washington as public enemy No. 1.

And yet, when The Daily Beast approached a pro-Kremlin analyst with questions about Russias tensions with the West and Ukraine, we were told it was all the fault of the U.S.

Americans should understand the word undo and restore the situation we had in Ukraine back in 2013 when it was in Russias sphere of influence, Dmitry Drobniysky said.

On television, the propagandists continue to spin. After the Putin-Biden talks, one of the Kremlins key supporters Dmitry Kisilyov told viewers that Americans were beginning to realize that Russia is now the dominant force: Ever since the 1990s America behaved as though it was the winner in the Cold War but their feeling of superiority has been melting as the decades passed and after the two-hour long Putin-Biden conversation there was nothing left of it.

In reality, many people are now questioning the propaganda. Olga Alekseyeva, a retired doctor from Saint Petersburg, said she has been following the viral reports of inhumane practices, including torture, in Russian prisons where political dissidents like Navalny are confined.

She is one of nine million people who viewed an explosive recent Yuriy Dud documentary on YouTube. People analyze the outrageously unfair court system, lawlessness in security services here, so I am not surprised more Russians like the West, Alekseyeva told The Daily Beast. My friends in San Francisco tell me how hard and expensive life is in the U.S. but I am personally thankful that the U.S. tries to help Russia. Maybe they have no genuine sympathy for our political prisoners, its just a political agenda, but at least they talk with Putin and he listens to themthat is wonderful. As sometimes, I think, maybe Putin is totally isolated.

Bidens First International Test: Can He Save Ukraine From Putin?

Many young Russians pay little attention to political news. Karen Shainyan films young Russians for his journalistic Queerography project on YouTube.

So far, he has filmed life stories of LGBTQ people in eight Russian regions, including Yakutia in the far north, Vladivostok in the east, Sochi on the Black Sea and Tatarstan on the Volga river. We interviewed 10 people in Kazan, three of them were IT experts planning to move to the United States. There is a lot of respect for the West in our community, to countries like United States where queer people have rights.

Putin is facing a slow moving generational issue, with young people striving for independence, but the coronavirus has also accelerated his problems.

There have been over 800,000 excess deaths in Russia since the pandemic began. Crowds of voters appealed to Russian politicians, complaining about poor medical service, tiny salaries, miserable pensions, and unemployment during recent parliamentary and local elections. I have spoken with dozens of Russians unhappy about their lives who blame the government but I have not met anybody in Saint Petersburg who would blame the U.S. for their domestic troubles, opposition deputy Boris Vishnevsky told The Daily Beast. It does not surprise me that the propaganda does not work.

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Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte (AFP/Getty Images)

The Netherlands has entered a strict lockdown over the Christmas period in a bid to limit the spread of Omicron.

All non-essential shops and services, including restaurants, hairdressers, museums and gyms will be closed from Sunday until January 14. All schools will be shut until at least January 9.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced on Saturday evening: The Netherlands is again shutting down.

That is unavoidable because of the fifth wave that is coming at us with the Omicron variant.

Other measures include the recommendation that households have no more than two visitors. Outdoor gatherings are also limited to a maximum of two people.

A failure to act now would lead to "an unmanageable situation in hospitals", which have already scaled back regular care to make space for Covid-19 patients, Rutte said.

The average number of new infections reported each day in the Netherlands has fallen by more than 7,500 in the last three weeks.

Currently, 14,700 new infections are reported each day.

There have been 2,966,744 infections and 20,420 coronavirus-related deaths in the country since the pandemic began.

More than 85% of the Dutch adult population is vaccinated but fewer than 9% of adults have had a booster shot, one of the lowest rates in Europe.

The government said on Saturday said it would accelerate the administration of booster vaccine shots after a slow start of the campaign, and now aims to deliver extra shots to everyone over the age of 60 before the end of the month.

Omicron cases have increased rapidly since the beginning of December and the strain is expected to become dominant before the end of the year.

Hospitality workers demanded compensation for lost income in the holiday season, while gym owners stressed the importance of exercise during a health crisis.

"Closing all bars and restaurants in such an important month is incredibly painful and dramatic. We need compensation and an exit strategy", the Dutch association for hospitality services said.
Ankara is staging its third Turkey-Africa Summit on Friday, a sign of growing economic partnership under President Erdogan, Deutsche Welle writes. Ivorian businessman Lilli Firmin Tre works with Turkey for one simple reason  "I chose Turkey because of the quality of its products," he tells DW. Tre runs the SIG Group, a real estate company operating in Ivory Coast, and he has maintained close ties in Turkey for quite some time.

European quality at Asian prices

Tre emphasizes that Turkey's strength lies in the fact that it largely maintains its own production. Other European countries, he says, offer more Asian goods. "There is a lot to learn in the building sector, the Turks have a lot of specialized knowledge. They are good when it comes to workmanship, interior design  their color coordination is also spot on and they use good materials," the businessman swoons. But best of all, he adds  "They offer European quality at Asian prices."

For their part, Turkish business partners buy cocoa from Ivory Coast, as well as shea butter, cashew nuts and occasionally wood. Tre says one of the few problems is communication. Turkish partners very rarely speak English and none speak French, so there's always need for an interpreter.

Still, business is booming in the region. In nearby Senegal, Moussa Mbaye is expecting three or four containers full of Turkish iron this month  twice as much as last year. The 32-year-old coordinates operations for the Turkish firm La Turquoise, which offers services to Senegalese companies. Mbaye claims 90% of all business between Senegal and Turkey crosses his desk: "We're expanding international trade. We sell furniture, iron and replacement parts," he said, adding that all of those things can be had for good prices in Turkey.

Africa  market of the future

Trade volume between Turkey and Africa is enormous, as economist Guven Sak of the Turkish Institute for Economic Policy (TEPAV) says. "The sum total of all projects completed on the continent to date is around $70 billion (62 billion)." In 2020, says Sak, Turkish exports to Africa valued $15 billion.

"Continental Africa has the world's youngest population and also its fastest population growth." According to United Nations (UN) estimates, Africa's population will have at least tripled by 2100, growing to over four billion.Sak sees expanded relations as a natural result of investment opportunities in the areas of urban infrastructure, logistics, energy and construction: "The fact that Africa is extremely rich  both in traditional as well as renewable energy resources  offers opportunities for a fast-growing market," according to the economist.

A growing network of ties

Relations between the two regions have improved dramatically since Ankara declared 2005 "Africa Year." Turkey's central government recognized that lucrative business opportunities were to be found in industrial production and construction. Turkish businesses and non-governmental organizations, especially those working in the education sector, established a presence on the continent.

With improved business ties came improved diplomatic ties: Turkey has been a "strategic partner" to the African Union since 2008, conducting meetings with African heads of state and government. President Erdogan traveled to Angola, Nigeria and Togo just this October.

Meanwhile, Turkey has also established a reputation as a humanitarian partner. For example, Ankara sent experts for road, school and hospital projects to war-torn and drought-ridden Somalia. In return, observers say Turkey gained access to the strategically important Gulf of Aden, allowing it to cover its own energy needs.

Military cooperation

Security ties between Turkey and the continent have also gained outsize influence since Erdogan came to power in 2014. Somalia, Turkey's doorway to sub-Saharan Africa, has been the site of TURKSOM  Turkey's largest overseas military base  since 2017.

Therefore, it makes sense that arms exports will also be a big topic at the Istanbul summit. Turkish arms and aeronautics exports to Ethiopia, for instance, shot from around $235,000 in January to nearly $94.6 million in November according to the Turkish Exporters' Assembly. Sales to Angola, Chad and Morocco have seen similar jumps.

One of Turkey's best-selling items is the Bayraktar TB2 combat and surveillance drone. The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has been used in a number of conflicts and has proven itself highly effective. Reuters news agency reported that Morocco and Tunisia took delivery of Turkish combat drones in September, adding that a large number of other African nations have voiced interest as well.
The website dedicated to aviation, FlightGlobal has published its 2022 World Air Forces directory, highlighting the latest trends in global force postures and inventories.

The report initially focuses on the aftermath of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. The Afghan Air Force and Special Mission Wing no longer exist as a result of the Talibans (movement prohibited in Russia) seizure of power in that country; meanwhile, experts are still trying to provide a full accounting of all the military aircraft lost in the midst of the chaotic exit, National Interest writes.

FlightGlobal recorded a total of 53,271 currently active aircraft, a net reduction of 292 or .6 percent from last years directory.

The United States continues to operate the worlds largest military fleet of 13,246 aircraft, comprising 25 percent of the global share.

Russia took second place with its fleet of 4,173 or 8 percent.

The Peoples Republic of China not far behind at 3,285 or 6 percent.

The directory provides a detailed breakdown of quantities by aircraft type, including combat aircraft, special mission planes, combat helicopters, tankers, transport planes, and training craft.

The United States comprises 19 percent of the global share of combat aircraft.

China has notched second place at 11 percenta reflection of the Peoples Liberation Armys aggressive modernization and procurement programs.

China is followed by Russia at 9 percent.

Despite its concern over the growing capability of so-called great power rivals Beijing and Moscow, Washingtons air power dominance remains apparent, the directory concludes. Its armed forces top all six of our directorys main aircraft usage categories, and their combined fleet strength of 13,246, or 25% of the global total, is greater than those of the next five-ranked nations combined: Russia, China, South Korea, India and Japan.

At 2,248 active models, the F-16 Fighting Falcon is by far the worlds most numerous fighter jet. This metric includes all of the jets many variants, from the F-16A initial production model to the newer and more advanced F-16E/F revision that is fielded in large numbers by the United Arab Emirates.

The Sukhoi Su-27/30 multirole fighter has earned second place at 7 percent, in large part due to the aircrafts strong representation not only within Russia but across the broader former Soviet sphere, China, Africa, and parts of South Asia.

Lockheed Martins F-35 Lightning II broke into the Top 10 category for the first time, a testament to the fifth-generation stealth fighters rapid domestic proliferation and continued success in global export markets.

The 2022 edition of FlightGlobals directory did not register any drastic net shifts in regional ai force inventories, noting only a 2 percent increase in the Middle East and 2 percent decreases in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.
People in medieval Europe celebrated the Christmas season with 12 full days of feasting and revelry culminating with Twelfth Night and the raucous crowning of a King of Misrule, History writes.

Christmas in the Middle Ages was preceded by the month-long fast of Advent, during which Christians avoided rich foods and overindulgence. But all bets were off starting on the morning of December 25, according to Anne Lawrence-Mathers, a historian at the University of Reading in the UK where she specializes in medieval England, a period that runs roughly from the 5th century A.D. to 1500 A.D. Once Christmas Day came around, if you had the stamina, then you were expected to eat, drink, be merry, dress up, play games, go dancing around the neighborhood for 12 days solid before you collapsed in a heap, she says.

Feasting

In the Middle Ages, the holiday began in earnest before dawn on Christmas morning with a special Christmas mass that signaled the official end of Advent and the start of the feasting season, which ran from December 25 through January 5. The degree of Christmas decadence depended on your social status, but Lawrence-Mathers says that most people would at least have a pig slaughtered in November and salted and smoked in preparation for Christmas bacon and hams.

In the countryside, wealthy lords of the manor were expected to give their tenant farmers at least 12 days off from their labors and also to serve them a festive meal. Its hard to know exactly what was on the menu, but in the "The Goodman of Paris," a text written in 1393, the author outlines the required courses for a special feast. The meal began with a course of pasties, sausages and black pudding; then four courses of fish, fowl and roast meats; and a final course of custards, tarts, nuts and sweetmeats.

Medieval royalty took the art of Christmas feasting to a different level. For a Christmas dinner held at the Reading Abbey in 1226, King Henry III ordered 40 salmon, heaps of venison and boar meat, and as many lampreys as possible. Henry V, who ruled in the early 1400s, included even more exotic delicacies on his Christmas menu like crayfish, eels and porpoise.

One thing that comes out very clearly is that drinking was as important as eating, if not more so, says Lawrence-Mathers, noting that ale and spiced cider were the drink of choice for the commoners, while the lords and royalty gulped wine by the ton (literally). In just one year, Henry III ordered 60 tons of wine for Reading Abbey with one ton being equal to 1,272 bottles.

Mumming, Hoggling and the Feast of Fools

Maybe it was a byproduct of all the drinking, but dress-up games and role reversals were a surprisingly big part of medieval Christmas celebrations, some of which were holdovers from earlier pagan customs around the Winter solstice.

For example, mumming was a popular Christmas pastime in medieval English villages. Mummers would dress up in animal masks or disguise themselves as women, and then go door-to-door singing festive folk songs and telling jokes. Some mummers did it for fun, while others expected a few coins or small gifts in exchange.

The animal masks may have been related to another strange Christmas tradition practiced by the royalty, in which revelers would parade through the feasting hall wearing whole animals heads (cooked, thankfully) and singing special songs. The most common costume was a boars head, which Lawrence-Mathers says was replaced with a wooden boars mask in later periods.

In the middle of the 12-day party was the Feast of Fools, held on January 1, in which priests, deacons and other church officials were given a brief license to be silly. Role reversals were popular, in which the lowly subdeacons delivered sermons, and things sometimes got out of control. According to a 15th-century French account condemning the practice: Priests and clerks may be seen wearing masks and monstrous visages at the hours of office They dance in the choir dressed as women, panders or minstrels. They sing wanton songs. They eat black puddings while the celebrant is saying mass. They play at dice They run and leap through the church, without a blush at their own shame.

Bean Cake

Celebrated on the night of January 5, Twelfth Night or Twelfthtide was a holiday all its own in the Middle Ages and represented the culmination of 12 days of merrymaking and mischief. Shakespeare likely penned his famous comedy Twelfth Night as a play to be performed on Twelfth Night, hence the cross-dressing heroine and practical jokes.

The centerpiece of Twelfth Night was the bean cake, a rich fruit-filled cake in which a tiny dried bean was hidden. Whoever got the slice of cake with the bean in it was king for the night and could give people silly forfeits [penalties] which they had to obey, says Lawrence-Mathers. Another term for the king was the Lord of Misrule, who had the power to upend social hierarchies and demand embarrassing tasks from authority figures like parents, schoolmasters and lords.

Twelfth Night was the climax of the nearly two weeks of feasting, drinking, dressing up and rule-breaking that characterized medieval Christmas.

Predicting the Future

Oddly enough, the 12 days of Christmas also held special significance for the medieval pseudo-science of prognostication, says Lawrence-Mathers. Priests pored over texts called prognostics that explained the Bible-centered practice of interpreting signs from natureincluding storms, high winds and rainbowsto predict the weather for the coming year and also foretell important events. The idea being that God sent signs for those who could read them, and that the 12 days of Christmas were a special time, says Lawrence-Mathers.

If it was sunny and clear on Christmas Day, for instance, that was a sign that the spring would be warm and mild, leading to successful crops and good overall health. However, strong winds on Christmas Day signaled a bad year for the rich and powerful.
Today, Azerbaijan, under the mediation of the EU, handed over 10 servicemen to Armenia, reports the State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons of the country.

"On December 19, the Republic of Azerbaijan, guided by the principles of humanism, handed over 10 servicemen to the Armenian side through the mediation of the European Union. These persons were detained on November 16, 2021 in the process of preventing a provocation by the Armenian Armed Forces in the Kelbajar direction of the state border", the State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons notes in its report.

This is the result of the trilateral meeting of the President of the European Union Charles Michel with the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan in Brussels on December 14, 2021, as well as a bilateral meeting on December 19, 2021 in Baku, held with the mediation of the EU, the report says.

The return of 10 Armenian servicemen by Azerbaijan is an important step in resolving humanitarian issues, Toivo Klaar, EU special representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia, wrote on his Twitter account.

"I am happy that 10 Armenian servicemen were transferred to Armenia. The European Union will continue to work with both countries, relying on the successful meetings of the President of the European Council Charles Michel with the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan", said the EU Special Representative.
France's possible shift from sanitary passes to immunization certificates is "a hidden form of mandatory vaccination," French Health Minister Olivier Veran said in a video interview posted on Twitter by Brut on Saturday.

"The certificate of vaccination is a hidden form of mandatory vaccination, but more effective", he said.

Further, the head of the department drew attention to the fact that "banning unvaccinated people from going to bars, restaurants" and other public places is a more effective measure than fines, TASS reports.
The Ministry of Health of Kazakhstan has published encouraging statistics on coronavirus diseases - it records a decrease in the incidence rate.

In total, over the past day, 440 new cases of coronavirus infection were registered in the country, while 494 cases were detected the day before.

The leadership in the number of cases is held by the Karaganda region - 87 infected, Nur-Sultan - 72 cases, North Kazakhstan region - 70 new patients. In other regions of the country, the number of new cases does not exceed 60 people, Sputnik Kazakhstan reports.

In total, since the beginning of the pandemic, 982,915 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the country, four people have died from the disease over the past day, no deaths from pneumonia with signs of coronavirus have been recorded.

19 810 people continue to receive treatment from COVID-19, of whom 3404 are in hospitals, and 16 406 are at the outpatient care.
Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei said that the republic is ready to deploy nuclear weapons in the event of a threat from NATO.

The Minister noted that the Alliance has significantly approached the borders of Belarus, while the military activity of the bloc and the number of its military has grown significantly.

"What the President [of Belarus Alexander] Lukashenko said about our consideration of the possibility of deploying nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus is one of the possible responses to future possible actions by the North Atlantic Alliance on the territory of Poland," he said in interview with RT Arabic.
Every minute, 14 Made-in-Vietnam products are sold on Amazon. Which products sell well? What should Vietnamese businesses do to compete on this platform?

Minh Long ceramics, typical Vietnamese goods selling well on Amazon. (Photo: AGS)

Amazon Global Selling has been present in Vietnam since 2019 assisting local small and medium enterprises to export goods to the world through amazon.com.

Gijae Seong, CEO of Amazon Global Selling Vietnam, said that more than half of the total goods on Amazon's website today come from small and medium-sized businesses around the world. In Vietnam, his division also focuses its attention on small-scale businesses that sell goods on its platform.

He said that the total revenue of Vietnamese businesses on Amazon has doubled compared to 2019. During this period, Vietnam has had the strongest growth compared to other countries in the regions such as Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

Regarding the competitiveness of Vietnamese goods compared to other countries globally, Gijae Seong acknowledged that the production capacity of domestic enterprises cannot compare with some developed countries in terms of products with high technology content, for example, electronic items. However, Vietnamese enterprises have strengths in crafts, furniture, kitchenware, pottery, bamboo and rattan...

In the past year, thanks to the global circulation of Vietnamese goods, the 893 barcode (Vietnamese goods) is gradually becoming more popular, reaching many corners of the world.

According to Amazon data, nearly 7.2 million products of Vietnamese small and medium enterprises were sold to Amazon customers around the world (average 14 products per minute) in 2021. The number of products sold by Vietnamese businesses on Amazon's stores increased by 34% year-on-year.

The number of Vietnamese traders surpassing the sales milestone of $100,000 on Amazon increased by nearly 18% over the same period last year. The number of businesses exceeding $500,000 revenue rose by more than 53% and it was more than 40% for those surpassing turnover of $1 million.

In response to the competition of Vietnamese goods, Gijae Seong affirmed that in addition to ensuring product quality, Vietnamese businesses need to understand the rules of global competition on e-commerce. At the same time, it is necessary to focus on customer feedback about the product to respond promptly in order to show customers the enthusiasm of the seller. Listening to customer feedback also helps businesses improve their products. In addition, businesses need to focus on building a brand to become more popular among global customers.

Amazon Global Selling will give supporting tools to help businesses build brands to international standards, promote exports, and offer training on cross-border e-commerce.

"With the advantages of exported goods, labor resources and production capacity, Vietnam is in the golden period to make important breakthroughs in the cross-border e-commerce industry," said Gijae Seong.

Hai Dang

Vietnamese goods more accessible to global market: report In the past year, nearly 7.2 million products of Vietnamese small and medium sized enterprises were sold to Amazon customers around the world (average 14 products per minute).
In addition to pandemic control and recovery, ASEAN has also updated digital transformation, green economy, clean economy, clean sea...

In the second part of the talk with VietNamNet, Ambassadors Pham Quang Vinh and Hoang Anh Tuan mentioned the attractiveness of ASEAN in the process of pandemic control and economic recovery.

Mitigate pandemic impact

How do you assess the overall recovery framework ASEAN has been implementing to minimize the socio-economic impacts caused by the pandemic?

Ambassador Hoang Anh Tuan.

Ambassador Hoang Anh Tuan: The overall framework has three phases: opening up, economic recovery, resilience and five priorities. Regarding the five priorities, ASEAN first emphasizes health, followed by human security, the factor of sustainable development, coordination and finally the factor of self-reliance. The key is that ASEAN must be self-reliant and work together to overcome the pandemic.

Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh: ASEAN formed an overall recovery framework in 2020 and kept implementing it in 2021, but how we will actually come out of the epidemic, control it and recover poses many difficulties. Each country has a different level of epidemic and different response strategy. The problem is how to better control the epidemic in the whole region, to avoid disruption of the supply chain, and how to open and connect within the region.

Could you talk more about the economic initiatives that ASEAN has launched to ensure an interconnected supply chain?

Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh: This refers to the association within ASEAN and the association of ASEAN with partners. Initiatives on regional economic cooperation create a huge new economic space in which countries can cooperate with each other, including the active role of ASEAN.

In addition to pandemic control and recovery, ASEAN has also updated a lot of new things such as digital transformation, green economy, clean economy, blue sea, clean sea... There are many initiatives on normal trade and economic arrangements, ie reducing tariffs, increasing trade facilitation, and also new initiatives including digital transformation, e-commerce, green economy associated with environment and climate change...

For economic recovery, how should the recognition of vaccine passports and travel mechanisms between ASEAN countries be established to avoid disruption of labor flows, logistics system and the supply chain?

Ambassador Hoang Anh Tuan: ASEAN is facing challenges but also has many opportunities, especially in terms of digital transformation and green development. The pandemic has created pressure both inside and outside, creating favorable conditions for promotion of this transformation.

ASEAN has discussed vaccine passports to facilitate movement, first for experts, but final results have not reached yet. Firstly, we are living in an era of globalization, so disease control must be a global story. As long as there are areas in the world that are not safe, and people who have not been vaccinated, we cannot feel absolutely safe. Thus, ASEAN cannot discuss its own story, i.e., the vaccine passport for the region, and separate it from the general context of the world.

Secondly, epidemics in ASEAN countries also have different stages and levels, leading to different control and response policies of each ASEAN country. That explains why ASEAN has not come to a consensus on this issue.

We can apply the successful experience of some countries and multiply in the region. Although it is difficult to reach consensus among all 10 member countries, it is possible that some ASEAN countries, especially key members of supply chains, need to pioneer and lead this process.

Close the development gap

After the pandemic, how will the gap between ASEAN countries in terms of infrastructure, digital transformation process and quality of labor be narrowed?

Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh.

Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh: The pandemic has exacerbated problems and challenges for each country. But ASEAN has always had unequal development in terms of infrastructure, economy, income, environment, sustainable development...

Digital transformation is being pushed strongly, being the driving force for growth and development of the future. If, because of this pandemic, any country fails to catch up with the digital transformation process, the gap in digital economy and digital technology will increase.

Secondly, the region and the world are facing many crises, including climate change and environmental crises, which means that the requirement for sustainable development becomes very important. If a country keeps using labor and less-developed technology while others have switched to green technology, it will fail to catch green financial resources for development.

What should ASEAN do to close this gap?

Ambassador Hoang Anh Tuan: I think the most important thing is that ASEAN has to grasp the very fast-moving trend in the world. I just emphasize more on digital transformation - this is the fastest way for ASEAN to catch up with the world and narrow the gap. Any country that has a fast, strong and right digital transformation process, focusing on sustainable development, green development... is likely to catch up with the world and narrow the gap with other countries.

It is clear that ASEAN has a certain attraction in the process of digital transformation, in prospects for an economic recovery. How do you evaluate the attractiveness of ASEAN today?

Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh: For a long time, it has been said that ASEAN is attractive, has a large market, with a large population, a large total trade value... But now, in the pandemic, what is the new attraction...

Firstl, the Asia-Pacific remains an important geo-strategic and geo-economic region, and it seems that key partners are all paying attention to this region. This is a chance.

Secondly, each ASEAN country and the whole ASEAN economy is an important link in the global supply chain. We are waiting for new investment flows.

Thirdly, the region continues to promote linkages, not only within the bloc but also with partners. The attraction is when partners see this region as a profitable, safe and sustainable investment place.

After the pandemic, countries will change their development models, with special emphasis on changing governance models, green and sustainable development and digital transformation. If each Southeast Asian country and the whole ASEAN catch up with digital transformation, change the governance model and green development, they will have a very strong development opportunity after the epidemic.

What can you say about the future of the region?

Ambassador Hoang Anh Tuan: We live in a world where a lot of variables can happen and we need to be adaptive and flexible. The region has been and will be undergoing drastic changes due to Covid-19. Also because of the pandemic, ASEAN can see that it has great potential, but there are still many fragile and vulnerable points. That means ASEAN has internal problems.

Despite many difficulties, ASEAN has handled a number of issues during the pandemic quite well. The most obvious story is the adaptation, revival and resilience of ASEAN. For example, although it started vaccination against Covid-19 a bit slow, ASEAN currently has the fastest vaccination pace in the world. Many countries in the region have gradually opened up to the outside to continue the economic recovery process.

ASEAN handles well its internal issues, such as the East Sea conflict or Myanmar, promoting relations with major countries and external partners when many regional and international organizations have to limit their activities. That shows ASEAN will recover quickly and strongly when the pandemic is under control. ASEAN will send a message to the world: we are still an attractive destination.

VietNamNet
Economic experts say that to have human resources who can adapt to the digital economy, Vietnam must focus on training.

A banks new generation automated teller machines recently installed in Hanoi can handle most simple transactions of a traditional bank and thus can replace dozens of banking employees. A robot packing and sorting goods for delivery can replace a line of dozens of workers. An automated beverage factory only needs a few dozen highly qualified workers instead of hundreds like before.

These facts are cited by many experts who warn that to successfully transform into the digital economy, Vietnam needs to focus its resources to improve digital skills for the current workforce; otherwise, it will gain very little from this process, as many Vietnamese will lose their jobs.

Competing with robots

Chairman of the Board of Directors of FPT Telecom Hoang Nam Tien once said that in the near future, millions of young Vietnamese workers will be at risk of losing their jobs because of the digital economy. For example, the textile, garment, footwear and electronic assembly industries in Vietnam currently employs nearly 5 million people. About 70% of these workers may be unemployed in the next 10 years.

The reason is that they may be replaced by robots. After the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, in the near future robots will be used massively in production in Vietnam, and workers will have no way to compete with robots in terms of productivity and product quality, Tien said.

The report entitled "Vietnam's digital skills readiness" recently issued by Pricewaterhouse Coopers shows that job changes are happening rapidly after the Covid-19 pandemic. Up to 83% of Vietnamese respondents said their work will change in the next 3-5 years and 90% of the respondents said that their jobs will change in 6-10 years. The report also noted that 45% of Vietnamese respondents expressed concern about job security due to automation.

According to the International Labor Organization (IOL), Vietnam is identified as a country at risk of being seriously affected, because of the high rate of workers being replaced in the future. About 70% of jobs in Vietnam are at high risk of being displaced by automation in the next 10 years.

The digital economy brings a lot of benefits, but it also creates huge disadvantages and challenges. In this scenario, it is necessary to have reasonable responses to take into full play the advantages and minimize the disadvantages.

Jacques Morisset, chief economist of the World Bank (WB), said that to what extent the Vietnamese economy can benefit from the rapid digitalization process depends a lot on the development of the labor market. The process of digitization will lead to job loss but also new jobs. However, if workers do not learn new skills, they will not be able to seize those opportunities.

According to a report from the Central Institute for Economic Management, in Vietnam, informal workers and unskilled workers still make up the majority. The rate of trained workers is still low, reaching 24.5%. The structure of trained labor is not suited to practical needs. Vietnam's labor skills are still limited, reaching only 46/100 points (ranked 103rd in the world).

In the context of the 4th industrial revolution, if the quality of Vietnams human resources is not improved quickly, the country will face new risks and challenges, which will lead to the country's lagging behind others.

David Lang, a digital transformation expert at Yellow Blocks, who provides consulting services for leading corporations such as AT&T, Toyota, and Sony, noted that the digital economy is of course based on digital technology but the focus of the digital transformation strategy is not technology, but the human factor. In the process of digital transformation, technology is essential but the success of digital transformation needs the connection between humans and technology. When people are at the center of digital transformation, it could help the country increase GDP by 2% per year.

Digital manpower: training and retraining

Vietnam has set a goal that by 2025, the digital economy will account for 20% of GDP, labor productivity will increase 7% per annum and Vietnam will be among the 35 leading countries in innovation. To accomplish this goal, it is necessary to improve the digital skills of the workforce to meet practical requirements.

The head of the General Department of Vocational Education of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs said that surveys show that up to 53% of Vietnamese enterprises do not know what skills are needed in the future. The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs has developed a digital transformation project. The first step is to identify the necessary digital skills in the future. In the coming time, not only will students be trained but more than 50 million workers will need to be retrained to adapt to the digital economy.

Economic experts say that to have human resources who can adapt to the digital economy, Vietnam must focus on training.

The next step is to promote a culture of lifelong learning in each organization and community, and build an ecosystem to support every citizen and worker with retraining and advanced training throughout life. Staff, especially information technology professionals, need not only a salary but also other benefits.

Jacques Morisset said acquiring new skills requires investment from individuals and businesses. However, the Government also plays an important role.

Specifically, the Government needs to focus strongly on equipping current and future workforce with the necessary digital skills to access digital opportunities, through technical training programs for each sector, increasing apprenticeship opportunities related to science, technology, engineering and math.

At the same time, more emphasis should be placed on "soft skills" in the curriculum from kindergarten to 12th grade. The labor market needs to be designed to be more flexible, allowing workers to easily move from one field to another field.

The authorities need to provide workers with adequate information on labor market trends and needs, to help them make decisions. Technical and vocational education programs must be improved.

To solve the challenge of human resources, Dr. Tran Trong Nguyen, from the Academy of Policy and Development (Ministry of Planning and Investment), says there should be many training courses, seminars to spread information, concepts, and knowledge about digital economy to all subjects. There must be programs and plans to foster and spread knowledge of the digital economy so that everyone is aware of the digital economy, from managers to implementers. When there is certain knowledge, there will be a change in thinking and better digital economy development.

Nguyen Dang Minh, Chairman of the Advisory Council at GKM Lean Institute, said that Vietnam is trying to overcome the middle-income trap. To solve this problem, human resources must be able to do more difficult things. It is necessary to change training strategies, as well as lead people in practice; to change training programs at general schools, then at vocational schools and universities. It must be determined that the ultimate human capacity is to create "Make in Vietnam" products, not just through grades or degrees...

Economic experts say that the digital economy not only creates a scale and growth rate for economies, but also makes changes in production methods and economic structure. Besides traditional resources, new resources will appear: digital resources and digital wealth. Financial power gradually turns to information power. The strength of a country is measured by the development of high technology, information and human intelligence.

Tran Thuy

Workers must adapt to environments with more robots It has been warned that in the 4.0 revolution, robots will gradually replace humans in some fields. But under the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, this process has occurred faster.
A total of 16,110 new infections of COVID-19, including 17 imported cases, were reported in Vietnam during 24 hours from 4pm December 18 to 4pm December 19, according to the Ministry of Health.







Hanoi posted the highest number of infections with 1,405, followed by Ca Mau with 1,345 and Ho Chi Minh City with 1,014.

Vietnam has so far documented 1,540,478 coronavirus infections.

From 5:30pm December 18 to 5:30 December 19, the country recorded 215 deaths from the disease. The death toll now hits 29,566.

An additional 10,799 patients were given the all-clear, lifting the total number of recoveries to 1,107,962.



There are 7,587 patients in serious conditions, with 860 needing invasive ventilation and 21 on ECMO treatment.

According to the Ministry of Healths report, more than 138.77 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered nationwide by the end of December 18, with 61.89 million people already fully vaccinated, and 1.18 million receiving booster shots.

Source: VNA
Many people are moved by the vision of Duong Lam's historic village, with its banyan trees, wells and common yards, evoking memories of their youth.

Images of Duong Lam old hamlet by Ms. Pham Ngoc Diep (born in 1986, Son Tay, Hanoi) have attracted notice from the travel enthusiast community.

Despite having grown up in the South, Ms. Diep has a strong connection to Son Tay as a place she has called home for the past decade. In her quest to capture the beauty of Vietnam's landscapes on film, Ms. Diep has visited numerous locales around the nation, but Duong Lam, Son Tay, stands out as a particular favorite.

Duong Lam has been a place of pilgrimage for Ms. Diep for several years, where she has documented the daily lives of the locals and preserved their wonderful memories in light of the ancient village's progressive demise and the mounting emergence of high-rise structures.

She used to have a large collection of images of Duong Lam posted on travel sites. Ms. Diep photographed the village gate, a banyan tree, elderly folks milling rice, cooking soy sauce, and other modest, rustic, and perhaps antiquated activities.

Diep said there are numerous scenes that are rarely seen in normal life, such as old individuals sitting on the porch sifting rice. She and her teacher, photographer Vu Anh Dung, had to discover and contact the elderly residents of the area, particularly those who were known for having their teeth dyed black, a common practice among Vietnamese ladies of the past.

Diep needed time to get to know, talk to, and confide in the elderly residents of Duong Lam in order to create the most realistic and heartfelt visuals possible.

The old people have been so acquainted with me that every time I took photos of life in Duong Lam, they all warmly supported me and the crew, Ms. Diep said.

In Duong Lam ancient village, soy sauce is a well-known delicacy. Soy sauce-making tradition here has been passed down through the generations for centuries. There are a few large jars of soy sauce in every household that may be used for cooking and selling throughout the year.

The flavor of Duong Lam soy sauce is unmistakable: sweet, fragrant and fleshy. Upon visiting a soy sauce producer's home, you may learn about how traditional soy sauce is made, observe the steps involved, and purchase some to give away.

Ms. Diep routinely visits Duong Lam during the Lunar New Year to photograph elderly people sitting on the veranda, wrapping green Chung cake. Onlookers are drawn in by the rustic ambience of the century-old dwellings, adorned with peach branches, kumquat pots and crimson couplets.

Duong Lam historic village, located 45 kilometers from the heart of Hanoi, is a popular tourist destination for those looking to reconnect with their roots and experience rural life at its most authentic.

Banyan trees, wells, community yards, and antique residences with distinctive design made of laterite and ironwood still abound in this quaint northern town.

Duong Lam ancient village is the hometown of Ngo Quyen and Phung Hung, so it is called the land of two kings. When Duong Lam was designated the National Historical and Cultural Relic in 2006, it was considered the first old village in Vietnam.

Ancient pagodas in Duong Lam include the Mia and On pagodas, both of which have impressive architecture and illustrious pasts.

Several friends entrusted Ms. Diep to be a guide to conduct a tour of Duong Lam after seeing her stunning images of the historic village.

As a guide for friends and family, I recently accepted an offer to arrange tours and welcome photography-loving delegations from across the provinces to Duong Lam, which I enjoyed very much. Tourists will be able to photograph traditional village activities, as well as the beautiful atmosphere of the area, said Ms. Diep.

Duong Lam historic village is a short drive from Hanoi. Simply take Highway 32 from Hoai Duc to Dan Phuong, and then keep traveling straight until you arrive at the Duong Lam Ancient Village.

It's safe and inexpensive to take a bus from the city center to Son Tay bus station if you're not familiar with the road system. Taxis and motorbike taxis are readily available at Son Tay bus station for trips to Duong Lam hamlet. For a nominal fee, visitors to the community can stroll, or ride bicycles or electric scooters.

The serene setting is Duong Lam village's Mong Phu gate, the northern region's sole surviving historic village gate.

Many people's memories of their childhoods are jogged by the photographs captured by Ms. Diep.

There are magnificent sun beams and a nice glow to the light at morning, so I normally photograph till 10:30 am. Smoke effects can be added to some images, depending on the subject matter, shared Ms. Diep.

An old lady diligently prepares soy sauce in her front yard.

An ethereal and serene temple, Mia Pagoda has been around for centuries.

There are many photographers that visit the historic town in search of tranquility and timelessness.

Ms. Diep spent a considerable amount of time exploring the historical hamlet and falling in love with its natural splendors.

Linh Trang

Photo: Pham Ngoc Diep

Crunchy roasted pork: A special treat in Duong Lam village It would be great regret if visitors to Duong Lam Village in Son Tay Town, Hanoi skip the local crunchy roasted pork which is a renowned dish of this village.
I think the ransomware folks, the ones conducting them, are stepping back like, Hey, if we do that, thats going to get the United States government coming after us offensively, Kevin Powers, security strategy adviser for cyber risk firm CyberSaint, said of attacks against critical infrastructure.

U.S. officials, meanwhile, have shared a small number of names of suspected ransomware operators with Russian officials, who have said they have started investigating, according to two people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to speak publicly.

Its unclear what Russia will do with those names, though Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov insisted the countries have been having a useful dialogue and said a working mechanism has been established and is actually functioning.

It's also hard to measure the impact of individual arrests on the overall threat. Even as the suspected ransomware hacker awaits extradition to the U.S. following his arrest in Poland, another who was indicted by federal prosecutors was later reported by a British tabloid to be living comfortably in Russia and driving luxury cars.

Some are skeptical about attributing any drop-off in high-profile attacks to U.S. efforts.
This figure is up from 40 percent a year ago and 30 percent in 2012 when NRF first asked this question, the press release says.

Retailers efforts to mitigate supply chain slowdowns apparently are working, since 71% of holiday shoppers reported they have been able to find the items they are looking for most or all the time, according to the press release.

The National Retail Federation in late October projected holiday spending this year would total between $843 billion and $859 billion, a range of 8.5% to 10.5% more than last year. That spending now appears on track to hit 11.5% growth, according to last weeks update.

John Phillips, who manages the James Avery Artisan Jewelry store in Central Texas Marketplace, predicted 1,500 customers, if not more, would visit the shop Saturday to purchase charms, anklets and charm bracelets.

Were selling pretty much everything, but charms definitely are the biggest thing. They are the staple of this store, Phillips said. Were able to get merchandise we need. If its not in the store, we can get it in a couple of days from Kerrville, where our main office is located. Stocking and restocking is a daily thing. As soon as we get stock in, half is put on display.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott visited Starr County on Saturday to inaugurate the first stretch of a border wall being built by the state, calling it an unprecedented investment in border security.

Construction crews on site said about 880 feet of barrier have been installed as of Saturday afternoon.

Abbott has made immigration enforcement one of his top agenda items as he seeks reelection next year. At a news conference in front of the new wall segment Saturday, Abbott condemned the federal governments immigration policies  though some were extended from the Trump administration  and criticized President Joe Bidens reversal of the efforts to build a barrier between the U.S. and Mexico.

This unprecedented action is needed for one single reason, and thats because the Biden administration has failed to do its job, Abbott said.

In fiscal year 2021, immigration enforcement agents reported 1.7 million encounters along the U.S.-Mexico border, breaking a previous high of 1.6 million encounters in fiscal year 2000. Encounters are defined as the number of times a migrant has been stopped by immigration agents.
Republican state Sen. Birdwell is lucky: He faces neither primary election opponent nor Democrat in the fall  not bad for a guy who got up in a local church in 2020 and suggested that political forces allied against President Trump and the Republican Party do not love their country.

Despite encouraging Stop the Steal protesters on the eve of the Jan. 6 insurrection and taking campaign donations from foreign stooges (but at least promptly correcting the misstep, thanks to an alert former chief of staff), Congressman Pete Sessions faces a mostly unknown trio of primary election challengers who have thus far done little to distinguish themselves in the fast-approaching March 1 Republican primary.

Republican activist Paulette Carson of Apple Springs favors stronger border security, is pro-life, views critical race theory as Marxist and opposes high-speed rail. Her views are grounded in my Christian conservative values. Theres Jason Storm Nelson who proclaims himself the original anti-Fauci candidate and questions whether the congressman is defending the Constitution. Robert Rosenbergers strategy thus far seems to be flying under voters radar.
Even though it is a transient lifestyle, being a truck driver suits Stuchlik because its hard for him to stay home.

You keep moving, you get to see different things, he said.

Klein said the Wahoo Chamber and Economic Development Office chose to honor truck drivers over the past two years because they are so important to the economy of Wahoo, Saunders County and the state.

We participated again this year because of the spotlight we could shine on those who really do impact every facet of our lives, the truck drivers, she said.

The NTA Chamber Challenge asks chambers to honor a local driver in a creative and spirited way, which also sends the message that truck drivers are essential. Zelnio said Wahoos creativity in presenting the award helped bring them to the top.

Local chambers are really getting into this challenge, said Zelnio. There were a lot of local chambers participating, but Wahoo stood out. It was so well thought out and it means a lot to the drivers who deliver the goods all our communities need to thrive.

Sam Crisler is a reporter for the Wahoo Newspaper. Reach him via email at sam.crisler@wahoonewspaper.com.
The first crew member, who was symptomatic, tested positive in Jakarta, after arriving in the Indonesian capital from Liverpool, England, where Blinken participated in a Group of Seven foreign ministers' meeting.

It was not immediately clear where the second crew member tested positive, but the journalist tested positive in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, according to the State Department, which has declined to comment on the Air Force cases.

The journalist's diagnosis in Malaysia set off a panic among the traveling party because of quarantine requirements for those testing positive at the next stop in Thailand.

Presented with a series of options to avoid the possibility of others testing positive, especially before the Christmas holiday, Blinken opted to curtail his trip. Instead of spending Wednesday night in Thailand and having meetings there the next day, Blinken made a brief stop at the airport in Bangkok to replace the infected crew members and did not leave his plane.

He then flew to Guam, an American territory in the Pacific, and then to Hawaii before returning to Washington early Friday morning.
WATERLOO  Those looking for somewhere to go for emergency mental health help for themselves or a loved one  and who want to avoid jail or the emergency department of a hospital  have an alternative in the Cedar Valley.

Elevate Certified Community Behavioral Clinic, 604 Lafayette St., Suite 207, is getting the word out about its crisis observation services room, opened this spring. It can serve as a sanctuary in a mental health crisis.

Its important for the community to know that there are services available, and theyre not alone, said Eric Alberts, Elevates director of health services. I think sometimes we forget to utilize our resources when were having a mental health emergency.

Elevate, which opened in November 2020, isnt the only place with crisis resources in the Cedar Valley. Thanks to a federal grant this summer, Pathways Behavioral Services hired a crisis substance abuse counselor to help with emergency needs around the clock.

Alberts said Elevates crisis observation room is designed for those ages 5 and up who are experiencing a psychiatric crisis that doesnt require hospitalization. Its in operation from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, and Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Clients can use it anytime during those hours for as long as they need.

At that point, if theyre not showing stabilization in that time frame, were going to help get them to that next level of care, he said.

Around 140 people have used the room since it opened up in April. Alberts said as Elevate grows, he hopes to eventually staff it 24 hours a day.

Its a safe, calm environment, he said, noting patients can be referred or come on their own.

Though it is commonly thought otherwise, the suicide rate does not increase around the holiday season; in fact, December ranked last among all months for average daily suicides in the U.S. in 2019 and 2020, with 113 such deaths per day in December 2020 compared with 134 in July 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Suicides also have decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, dropping 3% in 2020.

But the past two years have also seen an increase in 18- to 29-year-olds reporting symptoms of anxiety and depression, with just under half of that age group reporting such symptoms during the holidays last year.

For many with mental illness ... these can be tremendously difficult times, said Kevin Connors and Kathryn Hamel, who both work at the Hecht Trauma Institute, in a recent blog post for the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

If a crisis strikes, Alberts hopes people remember there are places people can go for immediate help.

We just want to make sure the community is aware that this is a service that is available, he said.

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WATERLOO  A person who stole a GMC Sierra truck was believed to be impaired by illicit drugs when leading police on a chase Saturday morning from the Waterloo Walmart to the 100 block of Reber Avenue, said Captain Mark Herbst, of the Black Hawk County Sheriffs Office.

The drugs were the likely cause of the unnamed person becoming unconscious at the end of the pursuit, Herbst said in an email. The person was transported to MercyOne Medical Center after the truck lost a tire, couldnt make a turn and ended up crashing into a car, garage and fence.

At 6:57 a.m., the truck was left running unoccupied before it was reported stolen from the Fairfield Inn at 2134 La Porte Road, Herbst said.

With the cold weather over the last month or so, there have been a number of vehicles stolen when the operator has left the vehicle unoccupied to warm the vehicle in the morning or keep it warm while running into a store, Herbst said. Although it can be quite tempting to do this in cold weather, law enforcement recommends against this practice.

The truck was identified seven minutes later in the Walmart parking lot. The vehicle left the lot, and a pursuit ensued throughout the southwest area of Waterloo.

The vehicle struck spike strips deployed by Hudson police at the corner of Sergeant and West Shaulis roads and eventually lost a tire.

It went in and out of a ditch at the intersection of West Shaulis Drive and Kimball Avenue, and continued north on Kimball Avenue until reaching Reber Avenue where it could not complete the turn. It ended up in the driveway in the 100 block of Reber Avenue. The driver was captured soon after trying to flee on foot, and later became unresponsive.

The person has been identified but has not yet been arrested. His name will be released upon arrest, Herbst said. The suspect was conscious but remained hospitalized Saturday night.

The Waterloo Police Department and Black Hawk County Sheriffs Office continue to investigate.

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JOHNSTON  Mariannette Miller-Meeks called it an extremely difficult decision to run in Iowas new 1st Congressional District in 2022.

The new district contains much of the current 2nd District that Miller-Meeks, a Republican, represents now. But it does not contain her home in Ottumwa, which got drawn into the new 3rd District.

So after the states redistricting process forced Miller-Meeks to decide to run in an almost entirely new district against an incumbent  3rd District Democratic U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne  or move from her home into a district that is more familiar, Miller-Meeks said she agonized of the decision.

That was an extremely difficult decision, Miller-Meeks said Friday during recording of this weekends episode of Iowa Press on Iowa PBS. You want to represent your hometown, and my hometown  was put into District 3. But 80% of the district I currently represent, and which I know very well having been both in residency at the University of Iowa, on faculty at the University of Iowa, and then I had a private practice in Burlington  so it is a district that I know very well.

So it was an extraordinarily difficult decision to make, and finally came to the decision that I would run in the district which 80% of I currently represent.

While state law allows for Iowans to represent a district in Congress without living in that district, Miller-Meeks said she plans to look for a place to live in the new 1st District, although she also said she will not sell her house in Ottumwa.

Miller-Meeks was first elected to Congress in 2020, winning by a mere six votes out of nearly 400,000 cast. The victory came on her fourth try: She was the Republican nominee for Congress in eastern Iowas 2nd District three times and was unsuccessful each time in her bid to unseat Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack.

Kyle Kuehl, a Bettendorf business owner, also announced his candidacy as a Republican in the new 1st District. The only Democrat in the race thus far is Christina Bohannan, an attorney, law professor and state lawmaker from Iowa City.

The race should draw national attention, as the district is fairly balanced politically, according to state voter registration figures. And the U.S. House majority is very much up for grabs in the collective House races.

Absolutely. I in no way think that this is going to be an easy re-elect. It is going to be very challenging, as challenging as the election in 2020, Miller-Meeks said. I will work very hard. I am known to be a very strong campaigner, I am known to be out and visiting and with people and I will continue to do that.

Miller-Meeks said during her brief time thus far in Congress, she is proud of her work on legislative proposals on legal immigration and efforts to lower prescription drug prices. She was the only Iowa Republican to vote in favor of the special committee that is investigating the Jan. 6 attacks on the U.S. Capitol, and during Fridays recording she defended her vote against a federal bill that provided funding for infrastructure projects across the country.

Iowa Press airs on Iowa PBS at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and noon on Sundays, and can be viewed online at iowapbs.org.

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CEDAR RAPIDS  A shortage of truck drivers, which began years before the COVID-19 pandemic worsened it and revealed supply chain gaps around the world, is driving starting wages into the six-figures and prompting renewed talk of allowing younger drivers to cross state lines behind the wheels of heavy trucks.

The chief operating officer of CRST, a national trucking company based in Cedar Rapids, said he could find local jobs for 1,000 more drivers if he were able to hire that many.

Theres just that much demand out there, COO Michael Gannon told the Cedar Rapids Gazette.

The American Trucking Association estimates theres an overall need to fill about 80,000 trucking jobs to meet the countrys demand. A study done by the association reports that the need could double by 2028, leading to 160,000 jobs to fill.

Gannon said CRST, which he has been with for 38 years, has over 6,000 drivers spread out across multiple divisions around the nation with some driving interstate, but most traveling out and back less than 200 miles a day.

He said the biggest industry change in the last few years has been getting drivers more time at home, instead of having them on jobs requiring them to be gone for days or even weeks at a time.

Getting drivers home daily or weekly, depending on the job, has been the goal, he said. We are doing our best to work toward that because that is the lifestyle drivers want, so its about getting more accelerated there.

Gannon said getting drivers home more often and raising pay rates are attempts to draw new people into the industry. Though the driver shortage predates the pandemic, the past year and a half period has been the most challenging he has faced in his career, Gannon said.

The crush of supply chain issues has finally put a push on the industry to raise rates and weve seen a huge increase in driver compensation in the past year, the biggest Ive ever seen by far, Gannon said. But the challenge is there is a fight among all carriers for a shrinking pool of drivers. The silver lining however, is drivers are now getting paid what they deserve.

Trucking companies across the country and in Iowa  including CRST, Heartland Express, Ruan, TMC and others  have boosted driver pay since the pandemic to stay competitive.

Truck drivers around the nation are seeing pay increases in the tens of thousands, and students are being offered six-figure salaries as soon as they finish training programs.

Kevonte Brown finished the truck driving training program last month at Kirkwood Community College. The 22-year-old living in Iowa City works for Carew Trucking and Landscaping in North Liberty.

Brown, originally from Chicago, moved to Iowa when he started high school but then moved to the warmer Atlanta area due to having sickle-cell anemia, which makes colder temperatures hard on his body. He said he moved back to Iowa recently just to get his commercial drivers license from Kirkwood.

I was looking at trucking schools down South, but that wouldve come out of my own pocket. So I thought, why not come here and get my education for free? Brown asked. One of my friends opened my eyes to the gap-tuition program through Kirkwood and Iowa Workforce.

Under the program, partial or full tuition is provided for qualifying students pursuing certificates at the states community colleges for in-demand careers. Besides helping with trucking and transportation certificates, the program considers applications for other career training including health care, manufacturing, construction and information technology.

Brown said every job he had looked at in the industry after finishing the program paid well.

I had a company offer me six figures to come drive trucks with them, he said. I didnt accept it right now because Im trying to get back to living in warm weather, so I didnt want to join them and then leave.

Brown said that no matter where he ends up living, he is confident he will be able to find a high-paying job.

I really did have companies calling me left and right like bill collectors, he said. They like that Im young. They really want the new generation to come and take over. Anywhere I move in the U.S. or the world, I know I will never have to worry about a job.

Brown is the target demographic for many trucking companies in Iowa and around the country, as many truck drivers are getting to the age of retirement. The average age of a driver in Iowa is 58, according to the Iowa Motor Truck Association.

But Gannon said its harder to recruit 21-year-olds, which is the age you have to be to drive across state lines. Currently, there is a nationwide push among trucking organizations to have a federal law allowing 18-year-olds to drive heavy trucks across borders.

Many in the industry, including Gannon, say they would like to pursue individuals graduating high school. By the time many turn 21, they already are in other jobs or finishing college, thus clogging a potential pipeline of a new generation of drivers.

Our owner, John Smith, has been pushing for 18-year-olds in the industry for 20 years, Gannon said. I think were finally there. If an 18-year-old can go to war, why cant they drive a truck? If an 18-year-old went through Kirkwood or our program, theres no doubt in my mind they would be a safe truck driver.

Kirkwoods program, for which Brown returned to Iowa, is a four-week program that has been around for almost 40 years. Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo has offered a similar Class A commercial drivers license certificate program since 1977. Hawkeyes program includes classroom, virtual driving training, and driving training held at Hawkeyes Regional Transportation Training Center. The next series of classes begins Jan. 18 and runs through Feb. 28.

At Kirkwood, students receive over 200 hours of classroom instruction and a minimum of 60 hours behind the wheel.

It was great and they actually cared, Brown said. They dont leave people behind and they make sure every person is up to speed with the class.

But like the truck driver shortage, Kirkwood has been dealing with its own instructor shortage since the pandemic began.

Amy Lasack, executive director of continuing education and training services at Kirkwood, said each class had the capacity to have 12 students at once. But around the time the pandemic began, each class was limited to six students.

It started right before COVID hit, Lasack said. Were hoping we can capitalize on truck driver retirements and they can come work as a part-time instructor.

The classes also are opportunities for trucking companies to recruit. Lasack said in any given month, a dozen or more companies will come in to speak to students.

Its pretty informal, but they talk about what the industry is like and they talk about recruiting, Lasack said. Employers are there at some point almost every day.

Lasack said she thinks if regulations change regarding the age required to drive heavy trucks across state lines, that could help with the recruitment.

For students just graduating high school, the career isnt an option for them, she said. A lot of companies find that silly: You can drive from Cedar Rapids to Sioux City, but not Cedar Rapids to Moline under the current law.
Iowa may have to wait to see a share of a $4.3 billion settlement with Purdue Pharmas owners over the opioid crisis  millions the state intended to provide pain killer abuse prevention, treatment and recovery efforts  after a federal judge rejected the deal.

A U.S. District Court judge Thursday rejected OxyContin maker Purdue Pharmas bankruptcy settlement of thousands of lawsuits, including from Iowa, over the opioid epidemic because of a provision in the deal that would protect members of the Sackler family from facing litigation of their own.

Judge Colleen McMahon in New York found that federal bankruptcy law does not give the bankruptcy judge who had accepted the plan the authority to grant that kind of release for people who are not declaring bankruptcy themselves.

Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, who was among state attorneys general to join the legal action against Purdue, estimated the state would have received about $25 million to address opioid abuse.

Although Miller said no settlement could make up for the misconduct of Purdue and the Sackler family, which owns the company, the settlement was in the best interests of Iowans, however, and will go a long way toward abating the opioid crisis the defendants helped create.

However, those efforts now appear to be on hold until the lawsuit is resolved. In a statement issued after the judges ruling Thursday, Purdue said it will appeal the ruling and, at the same time, try to forge another plan with its creditors.

We are hopeful this matter will be resolved quickly in order to make funds available to help abate the opioid crisis in Iowa, the Attorney Generals Office said in a statement Friday.

In May 2019, Iowa sued Purdue Pharma and its former president and board chairman, Richard Sackler, alleging that the drug company engaged in unfair, deceptive and unlawful practices in the marketing of OxyContin. The lawsuit alleged that Purdue officials repeatedly made false and deceptive claims that OxyContin was safe and suitable for a wide range of pain patients.

Specifically, the lawsuit alleges that Purdue claimed that OxyContin posed a low risk of addiction; that symptoms of addiction were only pseudoaddiction indicating the need for more opioids; that long-term opioid use improved patients quality of life and function; and that opioids were suitable for vulnerable groups, such as elderly patients and veterans.

Purdue filed for bankruptcy after Iowa and other states sued.

The company said in its statement that the ruling will not hurt its operations, but will make it harder its and Sackler money to be used to fight the opioid crisis while the legal fight continues.

It will delay, and perhaps end, the ability of creditors, communities, and individuals to receive billions in value to abate the opioid crisis, said Steve Miller, chairman of the Purdue board. These funds are needed now more than ever as overdose rates hit record-highs, and we are confident that we can successfully appeal this decision and deliver desperately needed funds to the communities and individuals suffering in the midst of this crisis.

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, who was among a handful of state officials seeking to have the deal undone, called the ruling a seismic victory for justice and accountability. Tong said the ruling will reopen the deeply flawed Purdue bankruptcy and force the Sackler family to confront the pain and devastation they have caused.

The opioid crisis has been linked to more than 500,000 deaths in the United States over the last two decades. In Iowa, the state Public Health Department earlier this year reported that opioid-related deaths rose in 2020 from 157 to 213.

Most state and local governments, Native American tribes, individual opioid victims and others who voted said the plan worked out in the bankruptcy court should be accepted.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, like several others, sued Sackler family members and opposed the settlement before eventually agreeing to it this year. She said in a statement that if the deal doesnt hold up, shes ready to resume the lawsuit.

Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family remain named defendants in our ongoing litigation and we will hold them accountable for their unlawful behavior, one way or another, she said.

The main issue on the appeal was the lawfulness of the measures that would extend legal protections to Sackler family members.

Such third-party releases are not used in most bankruptcy cases, but they are common in cases such as Purdues, in which the companies involved are burdened with lawsuits and have relatively little value  but their wealthy owners could contribute.

The Purdue deal would not protect family members from criminal charges. But so far none have been filed, and there are no signs any are forthcoming, though some activists are calling for them.

In her ruling Thursday, McMahon focused on whether bankruptcy law even allows for the kind of deal the company and its creditors struck if there are objections to it.

The great unsettled question in this case is whether the Bankruptcy Court  or any court  is statutorily authorized to grant such releases. This issue has split the federal Circuits for decades, she wrote.

She also noted that other courts will weigh in on the case. The next step is likely before the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals.

This opinion will not be the last word on the subject, nor should it be, she wrote. This issue has hovered over bankruptcy law for thirty-five years.

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Some politicians and government officials cant let a crisis go to waste. In the matter of the tornadoes that devastated parts of Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Missouri, restraint was called for, but went unanswered.

Asked about the cause of such devastation, President Biden said, We all know everything is more intense when the climate is warming. He later walked back the comment to a wait and see position. Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell also blamed climate change, saying such disasters will be the new normal from now on.

Neither the president nor Criswell are meteorologists. But Chris Martzis is. On Climatedepot.com, he writes that there has been no overall trend in U.S. tornado activity since 1954. He cites the National Weather Services EF scale, which is used to measure the power of storms. That scale shows tornado intensity is down 50% in nearly seven decades. This tornado was a rare event.

Another meteorologist, Paul Dorian, is quoted on climatedepot.com: Tropical cyclone activity across the Northern Hemisphere has been below-normal in 2021 in much the same way as it was last year. ... In terms of tornadoes, it has been another below-normal season in the US with no EF-5s recorded.

Politics, not unbiased science, appears to be behind much of the faith in climate change.

Climate analyst Paul Homewood notes: Provisional data from the NWS indicates that the tornadoes which hit Mayfield, Kentucky, and Edwardsville, Illinois, were both EF-3s. (The National Weather Service rated the Mayfiled tornado as an EF4). Although most tornadoes occur in spring and early summer, strong tornadoes are not unheard of in winter. Indeed, on average since 1950 there have been five tornadoes every winter of EF3 and greater strength. And the official data shows that these winter storms are not becoming more frequent.

The response to those earlier sky is falling assertions included demands to alter our way of life if the planet was to be saved. More recently we have had ludicrous predictions by nationally known figures (most of them associated with growing government and more state control over our lives) that the planet will cease to exist if we dont follow the advice of politicians and experts about climate change. These apocalyptic predictions about life on earth range from weeks, to months, to a few years. I wouldnt discount higher gas prices being used to force us to give up our cars and take public transportation.

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg offers electric cars as alternatives to vehicles fueled by gasoline. He says once families embrace electric cars they will never have to worry about gas prices again. Has he noticed that electric bills usually go up, not down?

The major media dont report how wrong experts have been in the past when they once predicted the opposite of what new experts now predict. Could there be a political agenda behind this? Do you have to ask? The focus should be on helping people in need in the states hit by the storm. Leave the politics and questionable science for debate on another day.

Email Cal Thomas at tcaeditorstribpub.com.

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The City Councils censure of Margaret Klein is scary. All council members present voted yes? Waterloo is the only city in Iowa with this new censure rule? Scary. Margaret Klein spoke up: violations of dumping raw sewage. Griffin rebranding committee rigged. Concern the mayor appointed sexual predators to police advisory boards. Jerome Amos, I dont condemn her ... but we have to be cognizant about what we say and how we say it. Jonathan Grieder, She violated the rules of this council and that is the fact. But, are Kleins concerns facts? Does anyone care about the validity, or only violating the (mum) rule? Klein spilled the beans. Kleins transgression -- she openly addressed concerns. Isnt that what we pray for -- transparency in our public officials? What else do our city officials want/need to hide? Why? Did the Des Moines investigator or The Courier reporter investigate the sewage, or the appointment to police advisory board? I respect Pat Morrissey, but what is the agenda? Will the council have a tight (mum) coalition now? Scary. After Margaret Klein leaves city government, who will speak out? Will we know what we're missing? Will anyone dare violate the "rule" and risk censure. And that rule?
As Republican leaders ramp up their pitch to eliminate the state income tax, Iowans need to remember two things. First, we all pay our taxes from our income. Iowa's current interconnected system of taxes which funds state and local government services including our community public schools is reasonably balanced across a wide range of incomes. Lower income households pay a larger percentage of their income in sales, property and road use taxes. Higher income households pay a higher percentage of their income in income tax. Eliminating the income tax would destroy that balance. Younger Iowans would likely be among those hit the hardest. Second, my special tax break really just shifts my responsibility to support my state and community to my neighbor. The Iowa income tax is an incredibly complex maze of special exclusions, exemptions, deductions, and credits. The Legislature's efforts should be focused on a cleaner, simpler income tax with lower rates for all. That would be fairer to all Iowans.
Is the Yazzie/Martinez mandate on your call, governor?

The Yazzie/Martinez v. State of New Mexico lawsuit included 23 sovereign nations children in the at-risk students community. The executive and legislative branches legal mandate was to fix an inadequate public school system.

Three years later, not much has changed, except for COVID-19 school closures, government mandates, and a less-proficient educational delivery system forced on parents and guardians.

According to Forbes on Nov. 5, New Mexico was ranked 51st out of 50 states and the District of Columbia. Teachers unions, Public Education Department bureaucrats, lobbyists, legislative committees, policy experts, compliant electorate and monopoly allies established the worst state public school system in America.

Government has been the problem for 19 pueblos, three Apache tribes and the Navajo Nation since the Indian Act of 1876. Government legislated to eradicate the First Nations culture, including education.

Recently, education advocates produced a comprehensive education plan to meet Native students needs: Pathways to Education Sovereignty: Taking a Stand for Native Children  December 2020.

The framework outlined steps to overhaul education governance, funding, programming and services. It addresses the mandates of N.M.s Indian Education Act and the Yazzie/Martinez court ruling. Obvious analysis, the Tribal Alliance through educational change wants self-determination and cultural survival for all sovereign nations.

Kudos to State Rep. Derrick Lente, D-Sandia Pueblo, (who) sponsored legislative solutions supporting Indigenious issues. The proposals cumulative appropriations exceeded $100 million and were ignored. Systemic government arrogance is endless.

The 2021 House Bill 6, State Equalization Guarantee Distributions relating to public school finance, altered the public school funding formula, a small step addressing program funding mentioned by the District Court judge ruling.

The overall public school appropriations were 46.2% of the entire state budget, close to $3.3 billion of the annual operational investment.

Since governors became accountable for public school finance and improvements (via a) 2003 approved constitutional amendment, three different governors approved spending a total exceeding $45 billion in state funding.

Those insufficient recurring and non-recurring dollars within General Appropriations Acts, 2003-21, for K-12 public school student educational services have produced less than proficient education reform and program improvement results. Most importantly, our state schools have not made any significant student achievement increases year to year.

So, how well is the governors Public Education Department addressing educational services for at-risk students? To date: three Secretary of Education appointees in two years, a newly created Deputy Secretary of Identity, Equity and Transformation position, a bloated bureaucratic department with 59 openings requesting 33 more full-time employees to track dollars, a 100-page document outlining strategies with no specifics for fixing systemic inequities, along with 90-day action plans coming soon having been reported, and no real change.

No wonder New Mexico ranks 51st.

Throwing more money at government schools monopoly of misappropriations, malaise and mismanagement is wasteful. But the sin is the 145-year attempt to eradicate the First Americans culture.

Time for legislation on the governors call this January budget-only session, one that offers our 23 sovereign nations absolute educational empowerment, a First Americans Act (and) New Mexico should reverse history by eradicating government control of education.
We have read about the challenges schools are facing in filling teaching positions. Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) has openings for teachers at high school, middle school and elementary school levels. Rio Rancho, Los Lunas and Moriarty-Edgewood school districts, and communities throughout New Mexico, are looking for people to fill their open teaching positions.

If you are considering how you may be part of a solution, here is some information that can help you to make a plan to be in the classroom.

PED Alternative Licensure Program

According to the N.M. Public Education Department (NMPED) website, there is a path for people who do not have teaching credentials to enter the teaching profession. People with a bachelors, masters, law or doctoral degree who have an interest in teaching, but lack the necessary teaching credentials can become teachers. Their experience in other fields could have significant relevance in the classroom. NMPED Alternative Licensure may be right for those who completed a bachelors degree in a non-traditional teaching field and wish to fast-track into teaching.

Alternative Educator Prep Program

A nonrenewable, two-year license granted to allow a person simultaneously to teach and complete face-to-face or online courses at an approved university or community college. The Alternative Educator Prep Program is a focused state-accredited, post-baccalaureate program for obtaining your New Mexico Level 1 teaching license.

Online Portfolio Alternative Licensure Pathway

The Online Portfolio for Alternative Licensure (OPAL) Pathway Program allows an educator to teach at a N.M. public school district for two years (nonrenewable) while being mentored and evaluated, as well as simultaneously completing the required teaching of reading course(s) and licensure exams.

All first-year teachers, including those in the alternative programs, are given a mentor during their first year. The mentor is an experienced educator in the same program area.

Contact the human resources department at the school district you are interested in to discuss the alternative programs. After the basic review, specialists provide further information.

See the accompanying websites for additional information.

Substitute Teaching

Albuquerque Public Schools works with Kelly Education to hire and manage its substitute teacher program. It has had success in filling positions, but needs more. Kelly Education is looking for upward of 500 substitute teachers and staff, and is offering ways to recruit and retain people to this career field.

Referral Bonus: If a current substitute teacher successfully recruits someone to a position, they earn a $150 referral bonus.

Sign-on Bonus: To be a substitute teacher, a person must pass a background check and fingerprinting for NMPED certification. This expense is at the beginning of the process. There is a sign-on bonus of up to $200 if a person agrees to become a substitute teacher at a high-needs school.

Work within an APD Zone: Dont want to drive to the other side of town to substitute? Want to work close to your neighborhood? It is an option for substitutes to work within a zone, becoming familiar with the school and the people there.

See if teaching is the right career for you: Being a substitute teacher can help you get your foot in the door and see if this is the right career for you. While evaluating your career path, you get paid to see if it is the right fit. Will substitute teaching help with life balance? Is having summers off a meaningful benefit for you? You can be a substitute teacher part-time, while attending school or taking care of other needs/wants in your life. And there is early support provided through observation hours and the Sponsor a Sub program.

Substitute License: A substitute license authorizes a trained individual to provide temporary instructional services when an assigned licensed teacher is absent from class. Apply through NMPED. APS requires 60 college credit hours, a workshop by Kelly Education or a teaching license. If a person does not have the 60 credit hours, there is a program to work with individuals interested in being a substitute teacher.

https://webnew.ped.state.nm.us/bureaus/licensure/how-to-apply/substitute-license-pre-k-12/.

Pay Range: The pay rate ranges from $13 an hour entry level to $30 an hour for specialized substitute needs. Having a bachelors degree, qualifications in Special Education and Long-Term classes are on the higher end of the range.

Educational Assistant: APS requires 48 college credit hours; 15 in math, engineering or science. If you do not have the specific credits, you can take and pass a test an EA test.

More info:

APS: https://www.aps.edu/jobs

Licensure information: https://www.aps.edu/human-resources/licensure

APS HR: https://www.aps.edu/human-resources/applicant-processing

Rio Rancho: https://riorancho.tedk12.com/hire/index.aspx

Los Lunas: https://llschools.tedk12.com/hire/index.aspx

Moriarty and Edgewood: https://www.mesd.us/page/current-job-postings

Alternative licensure: https://webnew.ped.state.nm.us/bureaus/licensure/alternative-licensure-programs-opportunities/

Substitute Teaching: https://www.aps.edu/human-resources/substitute-services, email your resume or questions to: Susan Hageman sush497@kellyservices.com, or call (505) 768-6126.
Last weeks front-page stories on the explosion of illicit fentanyl use in the metro area were a melancholy stinger in a year filled with troubling lowlights. (Read A Different Beast and A Game of Russian Roulette at ABQJournal.com.)

Amid record homicide numbers, brazen armed robberies and organized shoplifting rings, the stories felt like more bad news for a city already in the throes of a dystopian nightmare. But the reality is fentanyl increasingly appears to be a backlight to the citys crime problem. Albuquerque Police Department detectives say, more and more, they are seeing auto theft and property crime offenders propelled by a fentanyl addiction. And they estimate a quarter of homicides started as drug robberies or resulted from drug deals gone bad.

In other words, many of the demoralizing crime headlines may share a common provenance. Having been inundated with the symptoms of the problem, being able to point to a root cause should offer some measure of hope. But hope is not enough; action is needed. Public officials should cooperate in a multi-jurisdictional, multi-agency manner to identify ways to counteract the socially destabilizing aspects of the scourge.

Otherwise we will simply continue the failed war on drugs.

Its obvious that the drug (illicit fentanyl) is growing in Albuquerque, and in terms of people wanting to use it, APD Deputy Commander Kyle Hartsock said. Its different than every other drug out there  how potent it is, and how easy it is to conceal and distribute. The sad part is I dont think its going away anytime soon  we just want to try to tamp down how easy it is to get (and) slow down some of the violence associated with it.

According to the Journals reporting:

Local authorities say fentanyl has overtaken local drug markets in places like Albuquerque, contributing to violent and property crimes committed by those who use it, deal it and steal it.

So far in 2021, there have been at least 241 offenses involving fentanyl in the city, mostly drug charges, warrants and traffic offenses, and 11,866 doses seized, according to the Albuquerque Police Departments Crime Analysis Unit. In November, the number of fentanyl-related crimes overtook those involving meth  the first time any narcotic surpassed meth since January 2019.

For the 12 months ending Sept. 30, 2021, agents seized 242 pounds of fentanyl, a whopping 900% increase over the prior fiscal year and well over the amount captured in the previous five fiscal years combined. For the first time, fentanyl seizure amounts actually surpassed heroin, which dropped to some of its lowest levels since 2016.

Albuquerque police Lt. Ryan Nelson, of APDs Narcotics Unit, said the drug is everywhere and, unlike other hard drugs, often peddled at the street-level by users.

Fentanyl is the No. 1 drug that were seeing right now  on the federal side and the state and local side  its in large quantities, and there does seem to be more abundant traffickers  Nelson said. I think that has a lot to do with people trying to support their own fentanyl habits.

A problem this front-and-center deserves an all-hands-on-deck approach  something similar to the citys recently unveiled Metro Crime Initiative, but with a much sharper focus.

The Metro Crime Initiative convened law enforcement, court officials, prosecutors, defense attorneys and representatives from higher education and rehab facilities in a bid to identify ways to fix what Mayor Tim Kellers administration called a broken criminal justice system.

That exercise yielded a to-do list released in September aimed at turning the tide on crime, including some innovative strategies such as funding indigent copays for drug testing and pre-prosecution diversion programs. The endeavors foundation is a pact that no single agency would resort to blame-shifting by pointing fingers at other parts of the criminal justice system.

While its too early to tell if that initiative will be a success, that same spirit must be brought to bear on fentanyl. Currently its a problem squarely in law enforcements lap, meaning the city is dealing with it in the most reactive way possible. Keller campaigned on the promise of fighting crime the right way, focusing on the underlying issues of homelessness, drug abuse and mental health.

But as last weeks reporting revealed, fentanyl seems to play an outsized role in all of the underlying issues, making it an obvious target for a task force-like approach whose mission is to find out what it will take to reduce fentanyl use, trafficking and addiction-fueled crime. More street-level cops? More social workers? More treatment facilities? More cooperation with the Drug Enforcement Administration? Whatever the solutions are, they need to be clearly identified so that the appropriate resources can be funded and deployed.

If that means asking Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and the Legislature for help, now is the time. The governor has a record of deploying State Police to help tamp down Albuquerque crime, and state coffers are flush like no time in recent memory.

The key will be for our leaders to define and direct resources in a way that actually works  for those victimized by drug users as well as the drug-addicted  to stop the crime scourge fentanyl is visiting on our community.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

Federal authorities arrested a retired Las Vegas, New Mexico, police officer after he allegedly knocked out a postal worker this month as tensions rose between the two over political beliefs.

Robert F. Gutierrez is charged with assault on a federal officer resulting in bodily injury in the Dec. 3 incident. He was arrested Dec. 6 and released days later under several conditions. Gutierrez and his attorney could not be reached by phone Saturday.

According to a LinkedIn page, Gutierrez was a sergeant and commander in the Las Vegas Police Department between 2008 and 2015. The profile states Gutierrez had 23 years of law enforcement service between New Mexico State Police and LVPD.

According to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque:

On Dec. 3, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Albuquerque received a report that a postal worker  identified as C.K.  was assaulted while delivering mail in Las Vegas. Postal inspectors assigned to the case traveled to the city and said at least one LVPD officer was hesitant to give information on the incident.

Inspectors learned the alleged assailant, Gutierrez, was a retired officer with the department and had been interviewed by LVPD. Gutierrez initially told police C.K. refused to deliver a package to his home, instead leaving a note to pick it up at the post office.

The retired officer said he saw C.K. across the street and asked about the package when, according to Gutierrez, C.K. threatened Gutierrez and he punched him. The postal worker lost consciousness, but refused medical treatment.

Las Vegas police told inspectors that C.K. said he and Gutierrez had issues in the past due to different political views and he left the note to avoid another confrontation. An LVPD sergeant told inspectors he had video of the assault, but hadnt watched it or pressed charges against Gutierrez.

Inspectors went to the hospital to interview C.K., who sought treatment after the incident, and found he had multiple cuts to his face, a bloody nose and a bruised eye. C.K. told inspectors the package required a signature and he left a pickup notice to avoid another issue with Gutierrez.

C.K. said Gutierrez came across the street to confront him and he tried to give him the package. He told inspectors Gutierrez punched him repeatedly.

Inspectors said video of the assault shows Gutierrez throw an initial punch at C.K., and miss. Then, according to inspectors, the men appear to argue before C.K. turns to walk away and Gutierrez punches him.

Inspectors said C.K. fell to the ground and got back up before Gutierrez punched him again. In the video, Gutierrez rolls the postal workers limp body over and walks back to his house.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that 70% of inmates in Americas prisons cannot read above a fourth grade level, noting: The link between academic failure and delinquency, violence and crime is welded to reading failure.

Thats bad news for inmates because many of them, including those in New Mexico, will get out lacking skills for decent jobs, and plenty are destined to repeat offend, said Morgen Jaco, director of the Reentry Division for the New Mexico Corrections Department.

And its bad news for the public because theyre going to be your neighbors, she said.

But there is promise, Jaco said.

Basic education has been proven to reduce recidivism. And under New Mexico statute, most inmates sentenced to between 18 months and 10 years and who enter prison without a diploma or a high school equivalency certification, must enroll in adult education programs.

Literacy initiatives

There are about 6,300 inmates at New Mexicos 10 prisons, and about 30% of that population is enrolled in some sort of educational programming. That might include basic adult education, high school equivalency preparation, cognitive or behavior modification programs, classes on reentry and family reunification, and various post-secondary and career technical classes, said Jaco.

Literacy is a lot more than just reading and writing, which is the general definition, she said. When were trying to release individuals back into the community in a successful way, we also have to make sure that theyre financially literate, for example, so we provide money management classes and budgeting courses. We have to make sure theyre socially literate, and some of that comes just from working with others and having communication with outside agencies and different stakeholders. They might be able to read, but if they cant function once released, thats a whole different issue.

But the reading component is crucial. There is nothing new about the connections between low literacy, underemployment/unemployment and crime. In 2003, the National Center for Education Statistics conducted the National Assessment of Adult Literacy, which found that nearly three-quarters of all incarcerated adults can not read at a fourth grade level. They lack the reading skills to navigate many everyday tasks or hold down anything but lower paying jobs, the survey concluded.

Correlation  no surprise

And, according to the survey, people who do not generate sufficient income through their work are the most prone to crime.

Kurt Steinhaus, Cabinet secretary-designate of the Public Education Department, agreed. The ability to read and understand complex information makes it possible for individuals to grow, develop and advance in our highly complex world, he said.

The strong correlation between incarceration and illiteracy should really come as no surprise. If you cant read beyond a fourth-grade level, how can you thrive in the workforce? And if you cant thrive in the workforce, how will you support yourself and your family? Too often, crime is the answer, Steinhaus said.

Not only do people with more education generally avoid being involved with the criminal justice system in the first place, but the Bureau of Justice Statistics reports a 43% reduction in recidivism rates among former inmates who regularly utilized a prison library and participated in prison education programs while incarcerated.

In recent years, the states prisons have seen up to 135 inmates annually earn their high school equivalency certifications, said Jaco. In general, if youre involved in programming, and youre busting your butt inside, youre going to have more success on the outside, she said.

And the vast majority of these inmates will eventually be released to the outside.

As Jaco noted, these individuals are going to be someones neighbors. Id rather have them bagging our groceries than stealing our groceries, and the way to do that is through education, she said.

They have to learn a different way. Education  is not just good for when they get out. Its also good for when theyre in, because the more theyre engaged in programming, the fewer security issues there are.

Prison ed funding

According to state Corrections Department officials, the largest portion of the agencys education budget  $5.9 million  comes from the states general fund.

Another $409,000 comes from the states Higher Education Department, most of which is pass-through money from the U.S. Department of Education, said Michelle Ribeiro, HEDs outreach coordinator for the Adult Education Division.

While state Corrections inmates of any age can work toward their high school equivalency credential by passing either state approved GED or HiSET tests, she said, getting to that point is not always easy.

Most people equate adult education with just the opportunity to get a high school equivalency credential, and yes, thats one important service we provide, Ribeiro said. But we also serve, for example, folks who have very low literacy levels and who are nowhere near close to testing for a high school equivalency credential. They may even be emergent readers, like literally starting from the basics of phonics and teaching somebody to read in prison.

The state statute requiring inmates without a high school credential to enroll in eduction programs has good intentions; unfortunately, there is no corresponding requirement to invest the commensurate level of resources that would serve the large percentage of folks who are eligible and mandated into these programs, said Ribeiro, who used to be the education director at the Penitentiary of New Mexico.

Why help inmates?

One of the questions I used to get asked all the time was we dont have enough funding for public schools, so why in heavens name should we be giving free education to inmates?' Ribeiro said.

She has also heard the related criticism that taxpayers certainly shouldnt foot the bill for more academically ambitious inmates who want to take college courses while in prison.

To both questions, Ribeiro said she typically offers the same core responses: First, the fact of the matter is that education reduces recidivism, along with contributing to a number of other positive outcomes like decreased reliance on government assistance. Education also costs far less than incarceration, plus it contributes to public safety.

In addition, Ribeiro noted, A good chunk of those inmates have children, and when a parent is incarcerated, those kids are much more likely to be impoverished and themselves become incarcerated. So you will pay more later if you dont make an investment now in the things that we know will work for that parent to break the cycle.

Pay now or pay more later. Take your pick.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

When Russia blew up one of its aging satellites with an anti-satellite missile Nov. 15, it sent shock waves around the world, clearly exposing the international dangers posed by todays chaotic, global race to dominate space.

Thousands of new pieces of debris are now hurtling through low-Earth orbit as a result, heightening the threat of collision that current satellites already face from space waste, and that future spacecraft must navigate around for years to come.

The incident highlighted the need for the U.S. and its allies to cooperatively set common global standards for space operations, said Col. Eric Felt, head of the Air Force Research Laboratorys Space Vehicles Directorate at Kirtland Air Force Base. It also demonstrated the critical need for the U.S. to strengthen its leadership role to defend national interests as governments and businesses across the globe compete for domination in the emerging 21st century commercial space industry.

Russias anti-satellite test was incredibly irresponsible, creating a huge amount of debris in low-Earth orbit that threatens sustainable operations in space, Felt told the Journal. It showed the need for the U.S. to be a leader in establishing the framework and norms for responsible use of space, and the need to develop effective technology to mitigate space debris.

Felt is co-author of a new report, released Nov. 18, that includes analysis by top U.S. military brass, government leaders and industry representatives on the critical role space plays in everyday life, with extensive recommendations on measures the U.S. must take to protect national interests going forward. The document includes collective input from more than 230 experts.

Its the third annual State of the Space Industrial Base report since industry leaders first came together in 2019 to discuss world efforts to harness the economic potential of space and the threats posed by competing nations, particularly China and Russia.

New Mexico has played a key role in preparing and disseminating the reports. New Space NM, an industry alliance, has hosted two conferences, in spring 2020 and summer 2021, to collect participant input for last years and this years reports. It also hosted open online conferences with report authors in fall 2020, and again on Dec. 13, which included Felt and other top military and industry leaders.

Its now helping to monitor progress on adopting recommendations by public and private entities, said New Space CEO Casey DeRaad.

Weve been tracking the recommendations over the last two years and helping put together next steps on what needs to be done, DeRaad told the Journal. New Space is partnering with other organizations to do that.

Critical role of space

This years report doubles down on last years central recommendation for a whole-of-government approach for space industrial development, with a presidential task force to execute it. It says the countrys space industry is currently tactically strong but strategically weak, warning that, while todays pace of innovation and investment is at an all-time high, the momentum is unsustainable without strategic direction through a national North Star vision to guide it, and vigorous public-private partnerships to nurture it forward.

Space is key to winning the future, according to the report.

More needs to be done to highlight space as a national priority, to make it a part of national strategy, the report said.  A new public discourse is needed to frame space as an economic domain, as a major source of 21st century industry and jobs.

The U.S. and world economies are already fundamentally dependent on space technology and operations to maintain basic societal functions, to keep industry and government running at all levels, and to adequately maintain and manage military defense in the modern world.

Thousands of satellites placed in orbit over the last 50 years now provide foundational infrastructure to manage life on Earth. And tens of thousands more will be launched in coming years as technology development radically lowers costs and increases satellite capacity to serve human needs.

Space assets underpin nearly every sector of our society, the report said. They synchronize our power grid. They synchronize, coordinate and secure our financial institutions. They connect our cities and rural areas, providing long-distance communications for television, radio, telephony and broadband internet. They supply weather, traffic and logistics data to enable city planning, agriculture, public health and transportation.

They also provide advance warning of extreme weather events and other hazards.

And now, with technology developing at hyper speed, government and private industry are laying the foundations to conquer the final frontier, from Earth to the moon and beyond.

More growth ahead

The Space Foundation estimates the global space economy expanded by 55% over the last decade, reaching $447 billion in 2020. Governments and various financial institutions project that will grow to between $1 trillion and $3 trillion over the next 20-30 years.

More than 100 lunar missions and 40,000 satellites are expected to be launched over the next decade, the report said.

Those investments will provide a transformational bridge that allows humanity to develop essential mineral exploration and mining operations on the moon and on asteroids. It will open up space for low gravity and vacuum manufacturing with artificial intelligence, autonomous controls and robotics for in-space 3D printing of things like biotechnology products that require special conditions, such as retinas, hearts and other organs.

It could convert space into an immense energy-producing frontier, providing essential minerals needed for renewable technology development on Earth while also harnessing solar energy in space to not only provide continuous power to spacecraft, but to beam photovoltaic electricity down to Earth. In fact, the AFRLs Space Vehicles Directorate in Albuquerque is already well advanced on efforts to place the first experimental solar-beaming platform into low-Earth orbit in the next few years.

Space assets will also help tackle some of the most-pressing issues facing humanity, such as climate change. Improved route planning using GPS already reduces global transportation emissions by between 15% and 21%, according to the report. It recommends that U.S. and world leaders include space development as a central tool in all future efforts to combat climate change.

Harnessing potential

To harness the immense economic potential of space, the government must make space development a national priority, elevating it as critical infrastructure in all policies going forward. That means developing a nationwide consensus to build and protect the cislunar zone that encompasses all space between the Earth and moon as a space superhighway, applying the same focus and resources used to develop the continental railroad, the interstate highway system, and the countrys aviation and maritime infrastructure.

And that requires vigorous public-private partnerships, Col. Felt said.

To develop space, we have to build the logistics to enable it, Felt told the Journal.

The government must budget a lot more funding for space development, with most of it going to private industry to do the heavy lifting by tapping into private sector innovation, ingenuity and agility, according to the report.

Retaining U.S. leadership in space is essential, not just for the countrys future economic and societal development, but to protect national security at all levels as China and Russia strive to outpace the U.S. to dominate the emerging global space industry. And a national North Star vision and strategy is urgently needed as those countries work to gain a first-mover advantage, staking competing claims to space resources on the moon and elsewhere that can help them control future development in the cislunar sphere, said Brig. Gen. John Olson of the U.S. Space Force.

A whole-of-government approach will generate massive returns on investment for the government, and for quality of life for everybody, Olson said during a Nov. 30 online conference presenting the report.

We need that national vision as we build and expand U.S. leadership in space, Olson said. Now is the moment. We all are compelled to action. This is absolutely the time.

Coming Monday

Read Mondays Journal to learn what the newly created U.S. Space Force will look like in New Mexicos military landscape.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

An Asian American scientist who was a senior manager with Sandia National Laboratories has filed a lawsuit alleging he was discriminated against because of his race.

Robert Hwang of Albuquerque filed the lawsuit last year against National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., which operates and manages Sandia labs for the National Nuclear Security Administration.

The case is being litigated in U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California because Hwang was working at Sandias California campus in Livermore at the time he left the labs. He had worked in both Albuquerque and California during his 28-year career there.

Hwang, 60, said he was the only center director of East Asian descent at Sandia, and he started to be discriminated against shortly after Honeywell took over Sandia operations in 2017.

The  executive team that Honeywell brought in had no racial diversity, Hwang said in an interview. Especially in the field of high technology, and especially in California.  I dont think its a secret that Asian Americans are very prominent. So, the Sandia numbers relative to peer organizations is wanting.

Paul Rhien, a spokesman for Sandia, said the labs couldnt comment on pending litigation.

He did say in a statement: Inclusion and diversity in the workplace are among Sandias defining principles and we take allegations of employee discrimination on any basis very seriously.

Hwang was born in Macau and his family immigrated to America in 1964. He became a U.S. citizen in 1973, according to the lawsuit.

In the suit, Hwang describes encounters he found demeaning. For example, the suit accuses his supervisor, Dori Ellis, who has since retired from Sandia, of ordering Hwang to put his elbows on the table and speak up during meetings with other lab directors, and that she treated him differently than his non-Asian peers.

He said he tried to explain that his behavior was the result of being raised in Asian and Pacific Island cultures, which value humility and thoughtful, intentional communication.

He also said in the lawsuit that he was frequently interrupted and embarrassed by supervisors when making presentations.

Hwang said in late 2019 that he was told he would be placed on a performance improvement plan, and he then announced his intention to retire so he wouldnt be fired. When he learned that being terminated wouldnt affect his pension and retirement benefits, he tried to rescind that intent, but was not allowed to, according to the lawsuit.

Court filings in the case show that numerous high-ranking Sandia officials have been deposed during the case, including Labs Director James Peery.

The suit is seeking compensatory, special, general and punitive damages.

I would like (the Department of Energy) and Honeywell to know how I was treated. And I would hope that, once my story goes out, it will help other minority scientists recognize and be aware of how they should be treated, Hwang said. National labs, such as Sandia, are national treasures. Theyre funded by our tax dollars for important missions, for national security and our economic competitiveness. And companies such as Honeywell are trusted with management, so they have a very deep responsibility beyond just profits. I think that responsibility extends to having values that reflect our nation.

Editors note: This story has been corrected to show that Dori Ellis has since retired from Sandia National Laboratories.
FARMINGTON  Farmington-area residents donated gifts and money after somebody stole a Salvation Army van loaded with $6,000 worth of toys for children, a Salvation Army official said Saturday.

The Grinch will not have this victory, Salvation Army Lt. Christopher Rockwell told The Associated Press.

Business leaders and others began making donations after the marked van with gifts intended for more than 350 children was stolen Tuesday from outside a store, Rockwell said.

The donations included lots of toys, lots of clothing, as well as hygiene items and cash, certainly adding up to more than enough to replace the stolen items intended for children who are signed up for a distribution event Monday, Rockwell said. We have like a waiting list  so we could see what we have left over.

The generosity showed the compassion and the hearts that people have for each other here, Rockwell said. Its a massive blessing beyond comprehension.

Farmington police spokeswoman Nicole Brown said Saturday that an investigation into the theft continued, and that the van and toys had not been recovered and no arrest had been made or a motive determined, she said.

Rockwell said he suspected a pickpocket stole the vans keys from a Salvation Army worker who was in the store.

I think it was some evil, unscrupulous person who just saw an opportunity, Rockwell said. Desperate, I understand that, but to do this is just beyond imagination.
ATLANTA  Johnny Isakson, an affable Georgia Republican politician who rose from the ranks of the state legislature to become a U.S. senator known as an effective, behind-the-scenes consensus builder, died Sunday. He was 76.

Isakson died in his sleep before dawn at his home in Atlanta, his son John Isakson told The Associated Press. He said that although his father had Parkinsons disease, the cause of death was not immediately apparent.

He was a great man and I will miss him, John Isakson said.

Johnny Isakson, whose real estate business made him a millionaire, spent more than four decades in Georgia political life. In the Senate, he was the architect of a popular tax credit for first-time home buyers that he said would help invigorate the struggling housing market. As chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, he worked to expand programs offering more private health care choices for veterans.

Isaksons famous motto was, There are two types of people in this world: friends and future friends. That approach made him exceedingly popular among colleagues.

President Joe Biden, who served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee with Isakson, said in a statement Sunday that he and the late senator found common ground built on mutual respect for each other and the institutions that govern our nation.

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, on Sunday referred to Isakson as one of my very best friends in the Senate.

His infectious warmth and charisma, his generosity, and his integrity made Johnny one of the most admired and beloved people in the Capitol, McConnell said in a statement.

In 2015, while gearing up to seek a third term in the Senate, Isakson disclosed that he had been diagnosed with Parkinsons, a chronic and progressive movement disorder that had left him with a noticeably slower, shuffling gait. Soon after winning reelection in 2016, he underwent a scheduled surgery on his back to address spinal deterioration. He frequently depended on a cane or wheelchair in later years.

In August 2019, not long after fracturing four ribs in a fall at his Washington apartment, Isakson announced he would retire at years end with two years remaining in his term.

In a farewell Senate speech, he pleaded for bipartisanship at a time of bitter divisions between Republicans and Democrats. He cited his long friendship with U.S. Rep. John Lewis, an Atlanta Democrat and civil rights hero, as an example of two men willing to put party aside to work on common problems.

Lets solve the problem and then see what happens, Isakson said. Most people who call people names and point fingers are people who dont have a solution themselves.

In his statement Sunday, Biden said, In Johnnys memory, let us heed the wisdom he offered upon retiring from the Senate.

Lewis, who died last year, saluted Isakson on the House floor in 2019, saying, We always found a way to get along and do the work the people deserve.

An Atlanta native, Isakson failed in his first bid for elected office: a seat on the Cobb County Commission in 1974. Two years later, he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives, becoming the only Republican to beat a Democratic incumbent in Georgia the same year Jimmy Carter was elected president. Isakson served 17 years in the state House and Senate. Always in the minority in Georgias General Assembly, he helped blaze the path toward the GOP ascendancy of the 2000s, fueled by Atlantas suburban boom. By the end of Isaksons career, some of those same suburbs were swinging back toward Democrats.

As a businessman and a gifted retail politician, Johnny paved the way for the modern Republican Party in Georgia, but he never let partisan politics get in the way of doing what was right, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said in a statement.

Isakson suffered humbling setbacks before ascending to the Senate. In 1990, he lost the race for governor to Democrat Zell Miller. In 1996, Guy Millner defeated him in a Republican primary for Senate before Millner lost to Democrat Max Cleland.

Many observers chalked up the loss to Isakson not being tough enough on abortion. In the primary race, Isakson ran a television advertisement in which he said that while he was against the government funding or promoting abortion, he would not vote to amend the Constitution to make criminals of women and their doctors.

I trust my wife, my daughter and the women of Georgia to make the right choice, he said.

He later changed his mind on the contentious issue.

Isaksons jump to Congress came about in 1998, when U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich decided not to seek reelection. Isakson won a 1999 special election to fill the suburban Atlanta seat.

He finally made it to the U.S. Senate in 2004 when he defeated Democrat Denise Majette with 58% of the vote. He served with Georgia senior Sen. Saxby Chambliss, a close friend and classmate from the University of Georgia.

Isakson was viewed as a prohibitive early favorite to succeed Republican Sonny Perdue in the governors mansion in 2010. But he opted instead to seek a second term in the Senate. While there, he developed a reputation as a moderate, although he rarely split with his party on key votes.

He was a lead negotiator in 2007 on immigration legislation that President George W. Bush backed but ultimately abandoned after it met strong resistance from the right. Isakson supported limited school vouchers and played a major role in crafting Bushs signature education plan, the No Child Left Behind Act. He also pushed an unsuccessful compromise bill on the politically charged issue of stem cell research that would have expanded research funding while also ensuring that human embryos werent harmed.

That deal-making approach has fallen out of favor for many voters, but Isaksons lineage remains a presence in Georgia politics. State Attorney General Chris Carr was the former senators chief of staff. When I was a young man just getting started in politics, I wanted to be like Johnny Isakson, Carr said Sunday.

Democratic Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock said all of Georgia grieves Isaksons death. Warnock, who took over Isaksons old seat after defeating Republican Kelly Loeffler in a January runoff, had a special connection to Isakson, who attended an annual service in honor of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. The churchs pulpit was Kings and later became Warnocks.

Isaksons model of public service is an example to future generations of leaders on how to stand on principle and make progress while also governing with compassion and a heart for compromise, Warnock said Sunday.

Isakson graduated from the University of Georgia in 1966 and joined his family-owned company, Northside Realty in Cobb County, a year later. It grew to one of the largest independent residential real estate brokerage companies in the country during his more than 20 years at the helm. Isakson also served in the Georgia Air National Guard from 1966 to 1972.

He is survived by his wife, Diane, whom he married in 1968; three children and nine grandchildren.

___

Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - California's major population centers of Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area have both lost population in the same year for the first time.

California lost 173,000 people in the year ending July 1.

It's the second time ever the state has reported an annual population loss. But it's the first time Los Angeles County and all nine counties surrounding the San Francisco Bay have lost population in the same year.

Populations declined in seven of California's 10 counties that have at least 1 million people.

Critics blame California's high cost of living. State officials blame the pandemic and a declining birth rate.

(Copyright 2021 The Associated Press)
Howard Wood of Kissimmee, Florida, passed from this life to eternity with Jesus Christ on December 5, 2021. He joins his wife, Judy, who he lost to leukemia in 2009, and his parents Charles and Eva Wood. Surviving are his sister Karen Edith (Wood) Schofield and her husband Robert of Findlay, Ohio, and their family.

The Florida National Cemetery at Bushnell was the site of his memorial service and burial on December 15, 2021.

A New Years Baby, Howard was born January 1, 1939, in Alva, Oklahoma, to Charles H Wood and Eva Lucille (Ames) Wood. He was a unique and different child, brilliant in some areas and clueless in others, including relationships. At that time, Aspergers Syndrome was unheard of, so he endured considerable bullying because he was different. Electronics was his area of brilliance.

He graduated from Alva High School and proudly served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps including a tour of duty in Korea during the occupation. Upon his return from the military, he attended Oklahoma State University and received a two-year degree in electrical technology. He then went to Wichita Technical Institute for another year of further training.

After graduation Howard returned to Alva working in several places where his special talents were required. He serviced and repaired the local Airport Beacon and equipment, was engineer for KALV Radio and maintained the local Cablevision tower. He also ran his own repair business on the side.

On December 26, 1981, Howard married Judy Ann Thompson in Jackson, Mississippi. They lived in Alva until her parents needed care, and then they moved to Raleigh, Mississippi. While living there he worked for Peavey Electronics and had his own repair business. He lost Judy to leukemia on April 29, 2009.

Those who really knew Howard saw a man who tried to live out his faith in Jesus Christ. He ignored the flaws and saw the best in every person, giving them the benefit of his trust and acceptance. He simply refused to be offended, even by those who took advantage of him. His belief in God and others changed lives. In spite of his limitations, his life was an example of patience, gentleness and mercy.
As a lifelong Catholic, I have observed the Church undeniably soften its stances, apparently in an effort to adapt the Church to the world. Most recently, the members of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) met in November, and once again, they showed their true magenta, this time via their inaction with respect to pro-abortion politicians. Actions (and a lack of actions) speak louder than words, prompting observers to conclude that "Catholics talk a good game, but they can't play it."

Playing a good game requires basic skills. Below is a reflection on basics (the cardinal virtues), with examples of how the premier Catholic organization in the country, by not following these, consistently swings and misses. Perhaps this might inspire all of us to consistently use these virtues to evaluate ourselves.

Prudence is exercising good judgment  knowing when to act and when to refrain. The USCCB's input on the Black Lives Matter movement is a perfect example of a lack of prudence. In this pandering collection of essays, the USCCB a) attempted to make the BLM viewpoint more palatable by saying that "black lives matter" actually means "all lives matter," b) used one murder to paint an entire society as racist, and c) ignored the fact that most of the tenets of BLM contradict the teachings of the Catholic Church.

The USCCB is astoundingly unaware of the harmful effects of 60 years of government policies that have, by overwhelming statistical evidence, caused the destruction of the nuclear black family. Instead, the USCCB promotes programs wrapped in the "social justice" flag and fans the harmful racism-is-all-around-us fires ("racism" nets over 500 hits on its website).

The USCCB lacks fortitude (strength while facing adversity). Compare Jesus's strength, facing His responsibilities while praying in Gethsemane, to that of the bishops recently gathered in Baltimore. Jesus could foresee the difficulty ahead and could anticipate the pain of His inevitable torture, crucifixion, and death. He did not shirk the responsibility that had fallen to Him. Not so the USCCB, who cast off their duty to defend the most precious piece of the faith, fearfully choosing instead to follow the desires of man: if we don't punish the transgressors, we can show unity!

A USCCB with fortitude would cut its ties to U.S. government funding. The current USCCB is simply one more arm of the federal bureaucracy. Being a pass-through of federal dollars destroys the crucial connection between the donor and the recipient. Were the USCCB to instead depend solely upon donations from parishes, it would force honest discussions with the pew-sitting donors about where they want their money spent and enable a closer connection between donor and recipient. Without that connection, "charity" destroys both.

Justice is acting such that others receive what is due to them, good or bad. Properly implemented, Catholic theology can be used to simplify our world and bring clarity, not confusion. One consistent theological lesson is that life is not do-as-you-please, but rather, there are consequences for choosing the wrong path. Without consequences, there is no balance; the world becomes infinitely more complex. The USCCB consistently misses this point, and its recent decision to tell misguided pro-abortion politicians that there will be no consequences for their actions is a perfect example. If you can't mete out justice, you don't really understand it. The result is that you do more than essentially condone the behavior of the bad; you unmoor the good.

The USCCB selectively cites the Bible to justify its platform of unrestricted immigration, conveniently glossing over Catholic teaching regarding the importance of national sovereignty and respecting laws. In pressing for unrestricted immigration, the USCCB selectively ignores the USA's unparalleled history of welcoming legal immigrants, instead complaining that the USA never does enough. Until the bishops can show us where Catholic doctrine argues for breaking laws, they should stop actively promoting illegal immigration. Justice is blind, not selective.

Regarding "selective," consider that every bishop requires second-graders to do a confession before presenting themselves for First Communion. The bishop of Baltimore required this of young Nancy Pelosi. Now, after she has spent 35 years in government, working to assure the deaths of tens of millions of babies, these bishops would offer her Communion with no such requirement, rationalizing that they're afraid of alienating her from Catholicism. How is this justice?

Temperance is the concept of appropriately restraining our natural tendencies. We usually think of it as limiting our actions  for example, biting our tongue when dealing with a rude person. However, what about when our tendency is to do nothing in a difficult situation  such as not to confront a bully? In that situation, "doing nothing" is the exact opposite of restraint and temperance.

With their hesitancy to take strong stances, such as their immediate and continued embracing of COVID diktats, the bishops demonstrate a lack of temperance, choosing to follow society, not lead it. Thomas Sowell tells the results of two ways of dealing with rioters in the 1960s. The kind and gentle Detroit mayor saw 43 perish, while the iron-fisted Chicago mayor lost only two. Any good parent knows that nice talk, lenient rules, and no consequences result in a poorly formed child who has no respect for you. Just as Jesus wasn't always meek (how He dealt with the money-changers in the temple), the bishops should remind themselves: there are negative consequences for always being the nice guy.

Chrissie Hynde (Pretenders) had it right: "gimme a sense of purpose"; "I wanna die for something." The human spirit, particularly in the young adult, still without a spouse and a family to care for, needs this. Offering "can't we all just get along?" pablum is a disgraceful reduction of the religion that helped shape Western civilization. When your values are challenged directly to your face and you back down  when you don't act enough  you've shown your lack of temperance.

Am I acting virtuous? It's a question each of us can ask as we pursue our own passions. Catholics can pray that the USCCB reflects upon this soon, so the Church can stand as a proud example against, rather than a contributor to, the dissolution of American culture.

Image via Max Pixel.

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I opened YouTube one morning recently, as usual, to hear another excellent homily by a hugely popular young Catholic priest from Canada. The title of this episode revealed that the latest COVID madness of requiring vaccine passports for attendance at Mass had just come to Quebec. And yet, as I heard the priest begin his rebuttal to this astonishing overreach, my heart sank.

This young priest made the grave error, as have nearly all of the clergy and Church hierarchy since the beginning of the pandemic, of first assuming that the spiritual mission and heavenly government of the Church must be accommodated to the shifting politics and priorities of the civil government. He proceeded to beg for relief from the new restrictions  not by questioning the authority of the government to impose such restrictions at all, but by noting how scrupulously the Church had thus far complied with other equally nonsensical mandates, such as occupancy limits, social distancing, masks, and obsessive-compulsive hand-sanitizing. But once you have accepted the authority of the State to tell you when and where to jump, your only recourse is to ask, "How high?" Predictably, the opinions of the clergy about how high is high enough will take a distant back seat to the agenda of Anthony Fauci and Justin Trudeau, et al.

Christ was completely radical by the standards of the current leadership of the Church. He said to Peter  three times for emphasis  "feed my sheep" (John 21:15-17). He did not say, "Feed my sheep, provided you can do so in complete safety and at no legal jeopardy to yourself, or otherwise forget it." Peter and the other apostles took these words to heart. They locked the door of the Upper Room where they were gathered after Christ's death precisely because they were violating the orders of the government. They were not allowed to gather there, or anywhere else for that matter, nor would Christians be allowed to gather for the better part of the next three centuries. When an angel appeared to break Peter out of the prison (Acts 12:1-19), where he had been sent for the crime of preaching the Gospel, Peter did not ask the angel to wait until he received his COVID pass from the government. If the Church fathers had adhered to the supine, permission-seeking philosophy of today's prelates and clergy, there would be no Church.

For generations, the clergy have preached to the faithful that their battle is not against flesh and blood (or viruses, for that matter), but against dark powers and principalities (Eph. 6:12), and that Satan prowls the world like a roaring lion, seeking to devour the souls of men (1 Pet. 5:8). Yet in looking at the Church's hapless response during the pandemic, one is left to wonder whether they ever really bought what they were selling or, if so, where they expected the battle to take place and the lion to show up. Could the Prince of Darkness have hoped for any greater victory than to enlist the pope, the bishops, and the clergy in a worldwide plan to bar the doors of the Church that Christ founded to conquer our fear of death over...wait for it...the fear of death?

Much ink has been wasted lamenting the hypocrisy and cowardice of bishops. It has been ever thus. The source of the idiom that "the road to Hell is paved with good intentions and lighted by the skulls of bishops" may be lost to antiquity, but its currency stubbornly endures. It is time for individual parish priests to stand against the madness that so many bishops refuse to confront and to do so at the risk of their own sinecures and freedom if necessary. Let a thousand parish priests stand in the doorways of the nation's churches, refusing to bar admission to anyone, and let Joe Biden remain silent while they are arrested and thrown in jail. Then two things will happen: Joe Biden's approval rating will sink even lower and faster than anyone thought humanly possible, and the coffers and pews of churches around the nation will swell to overflowing. Or let the nation's priests once again meekly obey their bishops to surrender to the government's campaign of fear and totalitarianism, and expect the Church to continue to wither as it has done.

Vows of obedience to bishops go only so far. No priest would hesitate to disobey an order from his bishop not to give Communion to certain ethnic groups. Yet with rare exceptions, priests complied with orders to close the churches. It appears they will do so again, now, with orders to require vaccine passports for attendance at Mass. Whatever the culpability of bishops for the current dumpster fire that is the Church's COVID policy, every parish priest will one day have to give account for the task assigned to him that was first spoken by Christ to Peter.

Adam tragically sought to blame Eve for his own moral agency. I don't fancy any better chances for the parish priest who plans to say, "My bishop made me do it."

Image via Max Pixel.

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Finally, I have an issue on which I can agree with Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The young solon from New York City is still jaded enough to call out the obvious conflicts of interest when members of Congress trade stocks over whose fates they may have inside information. She is directly confronting her partys leader on the House, someone whose own daughter has warned of her ability to exact revenge (shell cut your head off).

Speaker Pelosi, for her part, has seen her husband accumulate a large fortune while she engaged in what is laughably called public service. And not just in the distant past:

On Wednesday [July 7, 2021] evening, Bloomberg News published a report titled Pelosis Husband Locked In $5.3 Million From Alphabet Options, which carried the subheadlines, Action was week before House panel considered antitrust bills, and Antitrust bills target Alphabets Google, Apple, Amazon. (snip) The trades in question involve 40 call options on Alphabets stock at a strike price of $1,200, which were exercised on June 18, a few days before the House subcommittee convened. The contracts gave Pelosi the right to convert his 40 call options into 4,000 Alphabet shares at a price of $1,200. Because Alphabet was trading at about $2,550 when the options were exercised and converted into stock, they were in the money and are now worth about $5.4 million.

The Pelosis are far from the only Congressional families making big money trading stocks while voting on legislation that could affect their value and while gaining inside information. In 2021:

Politicians and their immediate families bought $267 million and sold $364 million worth of assets this year

Ocasio-Cortez tweets:

There is no reason members of Congress should hold and trade individual stock when we write major policy and have access to sensitive information.



There are many ways members can invest w/o creating actual or appeared conflict of interest,like thrift savings plans or index funds https://t.co/VK4Pgx8AgI  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 18, 2021

This has got to infuriate Pelosi. Yet, what can she do about it? She needs the radicals like Cortez and her Squad mates.

I wish AOC well in this fight and hope she denounces the corruption magnet that big government constitutes for those who wield its power.

Maybe there is hope for her?

Or not.

Caricature by Donkey Hotey CC BY 2.0 license

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I already have a very low opinion of Senator Richard Blumenthal for his lie about having served in Vietnam, aka stolen valor, and his left-wing voting record. But I dont think the senator, a graduate of Harvard College and Yale Law School, is stupid enough to have attended as a celebration of the 102nd anniversary of the Communist Party USA surprise guest without realizing it was a celebration of the 102nd anniversary of the Communist Party USA. Yet, thats what he claims happened.

I wrote about the Senator gushing that he was excited and proud to be there 5 days ago. Yet now he claims:

Sen. Richard Blumenthal said Friday that, had he known that the awards ceremony in which he gave remarks last weekend was linked to the Communist Party, he would not have attended. He made an appearance at the Connecticut People's World Committee Amistad Awards on Saturday to give three people special recognition certificates from the U.S. Senate. The CPWC is an affiliate of the Communist Party USA and the Marxist Peoples World news site. "My understanding was that this ceremony was strictly a labor event," Blumenthal told the Hartford Courant. "If I had known the details, I wouldnt have gone.  Let me just say very emphatically, Im a Democrat and a strong believer in American capitalism. I have been consistently a Democrat and a strong supporter and believer in American capitalism."

But he was right there in the room, as this picture from a now-deleted Facebook video shows:

Facebook video screen grab.

And here is what was said there as he was being introduced:

Some highlights of Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal and his introducer at the Connecticut Peoples World Committee, an affiliate of Communist Party USA. pic.twitter.com/w5CvV7tGzy  Phil Kerpen (@kerpen) December 15, 2021

Notice he referred to this cause after being introduced at a communist event, and after his speech, the MC emphasized the communist party.

As Nick Arama noted at RedState,

hes at a recruitment event. If you are not already part of the Communist Party, we invite you to participate and contribute and join, Bergmann said after Blumenthals speech concluded. Theres more and more people talking about socialism in this country as it becomes more and more clear that capitalism is not going to work for our future. McManus similarly urged attendees to join the Communist Party in this epic time as we make good trouble to uproot systemic racism, retool the war economy, tax the rich, address climate change, secure voting rights, and create a new socialist system that puts people, peace, and planet before profits.

Blumenthal, who inherited wealth of at least a hundred million dollars, is a lying weasel who thinks we are stupid enough to buy a totally implausible excuse. How the voters of Connecticut can twice elect such a wretched specimen of humanity is beyond me.

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Most of us were sitting in front of the TV or listening to the radio as I was on this day in 1998. I went jogging and heard the final vote about a mile from home. It was historic: a U.S. president impeached:

After nearly 14 hours of debate, the House of Representatives approves two articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton, charging him with lying under oath to a federal grand jury and obstructing justice. Clinton, the second president in American history to be impeached, vowed to finish his term.

As you may remember, the whole thing was about Monica Lewinski, the famous intern who did whatever she did in the Oval Office. Of course, there was a more serious side to the whole encounter with the president. The Starr Report outlined a case based on perjury, obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and abuse of power. There were also some explicit details of the sexual relationship between the president and the intern.

It was enough to do the unthinkable: cover my young sons' ears when I was watching the nightly news. Wonder how many other dads did the same thing?

Along with the impeachment, President Clinton ordered the bombing of Iraq. It was crazy: images of the U.S. Air Force dropping bombs on one side of the screen and a busload of Democrats showing up at the White House to show their support for the embattled president. Bizarre was the word.

It was the first impeachment since President Andrew Johnson in 1868, 130 years earlier. I remember talking to my late father and wishing we'd never see another impeachment again. Unfortunately, President Clinton and most of the principals of that impeachment got to see two more Trump impeachments, both outrageously political and partisan.

So I got to see three impeachments in 23 years. I'm hoping we don't see another one for a very long time.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).

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A Vermont school district has been mulling over a novel policy to give its teachers Wednesday afternoon off, to alleviate their COVID stress  extending a "Snowsports Program" for the remainder of the school year. Impacts on parents and children have been swept aside despite clear conflicts of interest.

In a November 17, 2021 meeting of the Arlington, Vermont School Board, advocates for this proposal extolled the struggles of teachers during COVID-19 [30:28]. School superintendent Bill Bazyk went to bat for teachers (30:38):

We are very concerned as a group about our teachers. Nobody planned on this. ... But we are nervous. I'm not sure how much longer they can take it, but they are doing a great job so one of the things that we are wanting to ask the Board ... is to extend our JISP days for the whole year this year. ... We need to give them some wellness days, we need to give them some time to themselves, and you know, catch up. We're not proposing this lightly, we know that it will be difficult for parents but what I would say to parents who ask is, you know, we all have our jobs, we all need breaks. We can't just work these teachers to the bone where they're not going to be able to perform and we're going to get higher absenteeism.

(JISP refers to the existing "Junior Instructional Snowsports Program").

When asked whether the proposal had been discussed with the affected teachers, Bill Bazyk (35:31) counters, "I can't imagine any staff saying no to this." One woman then reports (36:45) that the elementary school teachers enjoyed their kids-free JIST afternoons, reporting "how much fresher and revived they felt teaching, and how much more energy they had. ... Many of them asked, is there any chance we could do this all year?"

A thoughtful voice (37:24) hazards "a little bit of concern just about what it would do to working families" because "child care is so difficult to get right now." Bazyk quickly dismisses such concerns, declaring that "we are asking parents to sacrifice."

There is no thought of reducing teacher pay in concert with reduced school hours: children would lose 10% of their total in-school time, and some parents would have to leave them unattended, leave work, or hire care providers. Teachers and staff would not incur a penny of expense  no sacrifice. Perhaps teachers should just be paid a 10% bonus instead so children won't be deprived of learning and put at risk.

Does this School Board perceive how inequitable its proposal is? Many tax-paying parents work very long hours under COVID stressors, and they lack the ability to give themselves a "break." Teachers bristle when ribbed that they get the middle of the year ("summer vacation") off from work  now they need a middle-of-the-week break as well? This is not about teachers, who have indeed endured great challenges, but about a school board that presumptuously ignores the hardships ("sacrifices") of students and their families.

Is the proposal fair to children, who are to be left alone? An apologist flippantly outlines (at 42:00) the solution:

Sixth grade, maybe, but seventh through twelfth definitely, students are more apt to stay home alone. Definitely eighth through twelfth. And there may be some opportunities for some of our older kids to provide care to younger kids as well during that time.

The parents aren't represented here. Parents have been similarly gaslighted, or simply ignored, in Vermont schools regarding Critical Race Theory, transgender indoctrination, sex education, obscene materials, mask and vaccine mandates for young children, and free school lunches for millionaires. Any objection to the ideological indoctrination process is verboten  why then would parents be consulted about School-Skipping Hump Day?

Shall all Vermont school staff have Wednesday afternoons off for the year at taxpayer expense? Since school taxes are levied and disbursed at the state level, Mr. Bazyk is proposing to extend benefits very in-equitably. What of private schools? There is no question that COVID has challenged teachers  it has challenged everyone. But shall doctors and nurses get Wednesdays off? Their patients just need to sacrifice!

Ironically, someone quips (at 52:15) that no one will even watch the meeting video: "You mean our huge viewing audience? ... It's riveting." [Laughter.]

This is a growing domestic threat in America  a government that acts with impunity, unilaterally controlling other people's lives despite clear conflicts of interest; gaslighting or suppressing dissenters. And this is in schools.

America's children are being groomed for serfdom. Maybe school budgets should be pared back 10% instead of children's educations, instead of defunding police. Better yet, cutting children's public-school time back 100% would be best. This would alleviate stress for teachers and parents alike and end the ideological indoctrination of America's children.

Follow John Klar on Twitter.

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Think the ability to choose your own sex is the most amazing feature of the Depraved New World? Well, actually, it probably is. But now, at least in Mexico, you can also choose your own age!

Thats right, Mexicos Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) has affirmed that a fundamental right to personal identity includes the right to change ones date of birth on government documents. The Court ruled that, under the Mexican Constitutions recognition of individuals right to identity, a birth certificate should reflect how someone has constantly identified himself in his private and public acts. It added that identity is comprised of more than just biological truth.

Indeed it is. My truth and your truth supersede silly old biological truth any day. Our feelings dont care about your facts. So there!

Just because Ive been assigned a sex at birth doesnt mean thats my destiny. That doesnt mean I have to live with it. Just because I happen to have a penis, scrotum, and protruding Adams Apple doesnt mean I am confined to being a male for life. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. I can be whatever gender I wish to be at any given moment in time.

Man! I feel like a woman!

And now, though I may have allegedly been born in 1946, I should also be able to alter my birth certificate to identify as whatever age I wish to be. (Tomorrow Im going to be a coquettish young schoolgirl.)

But this doesnt go far enough. It should also be everyones right to identify as whatever race they choose. For that matter, we all should be able to pick what species we wish to be. The right to pick ones own sex, age, race, and species should be self-evident. I dont know how Jefferson and the other Founders missed it. And what was God thinking? Anyway, next month Im going to present as a seven-year-old female water buffalo! Bisexual, at that! Cant wait!

Those of us who are allegedly nearing the end of our lifespans need only move to Mexico and have our birth dates changed on government documents. If we do this repeatedly over time, we will never die! Immortality!

I dont know about you, but I feel better already.

Image: Screen shot from a shareable video posted by Francisco ValverdeB., via YouTube

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We are all aware of the deadly and avoidable crime wave plaguing cities that Marxists run. I am sure the people that live in these communities have been complaining. After all, how could they not? We have had two years of a rolling criminal snowball that has grown to ginormous proportions.

I noticed the uptick in the crime in New York in January 2020 when the Bail Reform law went into effect. Slowly on the local news, you heard about someone coming up the steps from the subway and getting cold-cocked in the face, elderly people getting thrown down and beaten, and other violent street crimes.

It grew from there and, after George Floyds death in Minneapolis, the kerosene was thrown on the previously slow-burning fuse. The Marxists tried telling us the crime wave was due to the pandemic but I knewand believe others did toothat it started weeks before the first case of COVID was reported in the United States.

Like a cancer, the effects of these policies took a while to spread and then accelerated quickly. The same pattern was repeated across America as other cities implemented Bail Reform and defunded their police departments. All the while, George Soros and other Marxist billionaires hell-bent on destroying this country helped install District Attorneys who refuse to prosecute criminals and judges who put repeat violent offenders back on the streets. Add in governors emptying prisons in the name of Covid andvoila!instant anarchy.

I dont know about anyone else but I dont care how much money Soros and his cabal put behind someone. I would never vote for anyone who advocates for emptying prisons and so-called Bail Reform or anyone backed by organizations such as Color of Change or The Tides Foundation. Still, enough people voted for these lunatics to give them power. Now, though, the same people regret their votes, yet no one is listening to them.

Image: Ballot box. Piqsels.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed recently spoke out against the smash-and-grab robberies that are now becoming commonplace. Whats interesting is that, when it was just the local small businesses, no leftists seemed to care. When it was retailers for people in the lower- to mid-level economic strata (e.g., Walmart, Target, and CVS), leftists shrugged their shoulders. But when its Nordstroms, Louis Vuitton, or the Apple store, now elected officials are paying attention.

Interesting, isnt it? What does that say? The general public can boycott certain businesses but, whether the Marxists or conservatives do that, it doesnt work. Why? Because deep down we want what we want. People eventually give in and buy from these retailers. However, when the rich donors that these vapid, empty politicians pander to complain because they are losing millions of dollars worth of merchandise on a weekly basis, suddenly, change becomes possible.

We need to vote these vapid, money-obsessed people out. They will never listen to you.

We must primary people who are corporate lackeys and panderers. Educate yourself. Check on their websites for the Marxist foundations that back them.

In New York, the people voted for Eric Adams a former NYPD Police Captain who won over the loons because he promised to be tough on crime. He can bring back the anti-crime unit and go back to stop, question, and frisk all he wants, but Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan DA with whom he must partner, ran on emptying all the prisons while not prosecuting any crimes. So, how is that going to work out?

I have elderly relatives who are staunch NYC Democrats, but they openly admit they are terrified to go out, even in the daytime. They also say that their quality of life has greatly diminished and they are terrified...yet they continue to vote Democrat.

What they need to learn is that there are no longer Democrats and Republicans in America. Instead, there are vicious Marxist anarchists and the rest of us. If being a normal live and let live person who minds her own business, follows the law, and wants smaller government means labeling me a conservative Republican, I couldnt care less. Go ahead.

If wanting criminals in jail and wanting the violent repeat offenders to stay in jail means I am labeled a Nazi or a racist, I still dont care and neither should you. Being called a name is something I can recover from. Its more of an issue to recover from being maimed and impossible to recover from being murdered. The only way to change things is to send these nut jobs packing and never let them have power ever again.

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Joe Biden doesn't want to build a border wall. We all know that he says as much and that he's been captured by the vast open borders industrial complex.

One problem for Joe, though: That dereliction of duty has driven his poll numbers straight into the toilet. His public approval is falling, with disapproval of his handling of the border crisis now at an all-time high. Longtime Democrat Hispanic strongholds in south Texas are now turning red, and the illegals are surging on in.

Amazingly, he has the wherewithal to fix that problem, but not the brains.

He's got a partially built border wall in possession now, and a lot of building materials for it, paid for by U.S. taxpayers for millions of dollars, rotting on the ground, like this is some third-world country that ran out of cash before finishing its project.

Instead of fixing that, and quietly selling the materials to someone else who will finish the wall, he's creating problems:

Here's what Fox News's formidable border correspondent, Bill Melugin, is hearing:

Gov. Abbott told me TX has reached out to the Biden admin to inquire about using/purchasing the massive piles of steel already bought & paid for by US taxpayers for the Trump wall that have been sitting unused since Biden cancelled work. He says theres been no response. @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/7NDALghQpf  Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) December 18, 2021

So not only does he not want the wall, the most effective instrument there is for stopping the border surge, he also doesn't want anyone else to build the wall, either. That's like abusive boyfriend behavior, which I wouldn't put past Joe with his sex-harassing and worse history.

As a result, the surge is worse than ever.

Live from La Joya, TX this morning where groups of migrant families have been crossing illegally since sunrise. Law enforcement also tells us human smuggling has been off the charts this week. Take a look at some of the wild & bizarre smuggling images in this segment. @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/pYId0WSMns  Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) December 16, 2021

Off the charts now?

Yes, and for the world's most odious criminals, the cartel human-smuggling rackets, business has never been better:

Alleged border smuggler reveals how much he can make getting illegal immigrants into UShttps://t.co/py9APvPYGR  Greg McMullen (@GregMcMullenCA) December 19, 2021

They're pulling in five-figure smuggling "fees" from well-heeled would-be illegals in a market signal of supply and demand. Seems there aren't enough cartel criminals to "service" the illegals until the Border Patrol can take care of them and send them onto their destinations of choice in the states, so their prices are going up:

Texas, which sees the first of the blasting-spout, not the last trickle, is taking action to halt the migrant surge, building its own wall now, since the feds, on orders from Biden, won't do it:

The Texas border wall is officially up.



While Biden does nothing, we are stepping up to protect our communities.



The Lone Star State is securing the border. pic.twitter.com/oYuY4zYLQl  Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) December 18, 2021

It makes sense since the surges are bringing in COVID from unvaccinated migrants, causing food shortages in border towns, overwhelming social services agencies and non-government organizations, and destroying the quality of life of the local residents who live there. Even legitimate cross-border traffic, which is critical to the economies of these towns, has been disrupted.

Yet Biden is so petty and spiteful he refuses to sell that huge public relations problem he has of paid-for wall-construction materials rotting on the desert floor for all to see. He could easily get rid of that problem by quietly selling the stuff off to Texas, and letting them build the border wall, a project that would benefit him politically as much as it will the people of Texas. But he'd rather let himself sink than see anything done about the border surge.

To Joe Biden, these places are just a doormat for some kind of bigger Democrat plan to Bring Them In. This stunt with the rotting materials pretty well now stands as a reminder of just how spiteful Joe can be.

Image: Twitter screen shot

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UPDATE: The bill's sponsor has pulled it thanks to the negative press the bill received.

Of course, all that the bill's critics did was point to the bill's contents and then pair them with what could be expected under the bill if New York's politicians and bureaucrats continued to behave as they have done to date, only with legislatively augmented superpowers.

******

In roughly three weeks, the New York state legislature will vote on Bill A416, which will give the New York governor (in this case, the power-mad Kathy Hochul), as well as the governors delegates (i.e., New Yorks administrative state) the power to indefinitely detain anyone the governor or her agencies deem a significant threat to public health. Despite the broad power states have, this violates the Constitution. At a practical level, it should scare the pants off every American.

There is absolutely no doubt that, under our Constitution, the states have powers that the federal government lacks. The federal government is explicitly a creature of very limited powers, while the Tenth Amendment makes it clear that those limited powers not reserved to the federal government belong to the state or to the people.

The Tenth Amendment, however, does not mean that states can play the dictator. Indeed, since the Civil War, states have been subject to the same constraints as the federal government when it comes to using its police power over the people within its borders. Thus, the second sentence in the Fourteenth Amendment states explicitly that

No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Among the privileges Americans have is a pivotal one in the Fifth Amendment assuring us that No person shall...be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.... That deprivation is precisely what New York state contemplates.

A416 grants the government huge powers in the event the governor declares a state of health emergency due to an epidemic of any communicable disease. Please note that New York has been in a constant state of panic for almost two years now over a disease that (a) has settled into an average mortality rate hovering around 1% and (b) caused Katy Hochul to declare a state of emergency because of Omicron, a variant that apparently has a mortality rate thats vanishingly close to zero.

Image: The legislature is poised to give Gov. Hochul the same power Franklin Roosevelt illegally used to intern American citizens of Japanese descent during WWII. YouTube screen grab.

Under the proposed bill, once the governor declares an emergency (perhaps something shell do next time for the cold or for a bad allergy season), the government can then decide that, if someone is even suspected of having been in contact with a contagious disease that, in the opinion of the governor, after consultation with the Commissioner [of Health], may pose an imminent and significant threat to the public health resulting in severe morbidity or high mortality, the governor has the power to order the removal and/or detention of such a person or of a group of such persons with just a single order (reasonably specific) to detain people in a medical facility or other appropriate facility or premises....

In plain language, if the New York government doesnt like you, it can declare that you might possibly, maybe, be sick and it can arrest you and shut you up in a medical concentration camp.

The Democrats will, of course, defend the bill by pointing to that language about severe morbidity or high mortality. Let me repeat, though, that Hochul declared a state of emergency for a variant that makes people tired and gives them a sore throat. Moreover, its a variant from which no one has yet died (although one person seems to have died from something else while diagnosed with the Omicron variant).

No matter the language in the bill, given that the New York governor has the uncontested power to declare a health emergency, people are at risk. If youre wondering what that looks like, look to Victoria, in Australia. There, people are locked up in concentration camps for the mere suspicion of having COVID.

And again, it cannot be said often enough that this is a disease with an average mortality rate hovering around 1% (a rate that could be even lower if people were allowed treatment with Ivermectin or Hydroxychloroquine early in their diagnosis). By way of contrast, this is not AIDS, which entered the West with a 100% mortality rate but never resulted in such a draconian response.

Despite the New York capitol being in Albany, the political weight of New York exists in New York City, which historically drags the state left. However, with the legislature making it possible for the governor to have untrammeled power (and arguably unconstitutional power although I wouldnt trust courts to reach that conclusion), voters throughout the state need to give their legislators an earful of very loud cries of No. Otherwise, before they know it, New Yorkers may find themselves living in a police state from which there is no escape.

To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.
The first time I heard Omicron I thought it was a new Transformer villain. Before you laugh, I have a sneaking suspicion that COVID variants are named with an eye to creating alarm. Delta Force is a Special Forces unit involved in counter-terrorism, rescuing hostages, and reconnaissance missions against high-value targets. Delta Force is scary by design. The name Delta seems a good fit for a COVID variant that our government hopes to scare us with so they can exercise control over our lives.

I thought Omicron was a new Deception bent on destroying the human race. Considering that the powers-that-be want to frighten us into submission, maybe my first impression of the name is not that far off. Omicrons most severe symptom seems to be a scratchy throat, but the president is broadcasting doom and gloom and a winter of death. California has responded enthusiastically by bringing back mask mandates, even though there is still no scientific data to support masks. Its as if the government wants to convince us that Omicron really is something that is bent on destroying the human race, although I doubt a scratchy throat is going to kill anyone off.

Image: COVID masks by Vera Davidova. Unsplash license.

I went shopping today for the first time since the new mandate took effect. As I entered the store, an employee waved a handful of masks and asked if I would like one. I said no, I would not.

She responded that most people are happy to put on a mask because they want to avoid infection. I told her that I believe in the vaccine, that it is safe and effective and will prevent illness, and just like that, she backed off like a vampire confronted with garlic.

It was the perfect comeback, scientific, logical, and irrefutable, especially to anyone who does not exercise critical thinking. I recommend it to one and all for a happy holiday season.

Pandra Selivanov is the author of The Pardon, a story about forgiveness based on the thief on the cross in the Bible.

To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.
Recently an Egyptian court sentenced 80-year-old academic scholar, Dr. Ahmed Abdu Maher, to five years in prison for his honest commentary on the Islamic conquest of Egypt and the Christian Middle East. Dr. Maher was found guilty of reciting ancient Christian and Arab sources of the conquest that described the events in the 7th and 8th centuries as pillage, slavery, slaughter, and discrimination by Arab Muslim invaders who established iron-clad control over Christian areas. Under todays Islamic blasphemy laws, even the reciting of authentic Arab sources, which accuratelybut negativelyportray the carnage of such early Islamic conquests can result in imprisonment.

Dr. Maher first brought condemnation upon himself in 2017 when he asked Muslim critics of President Trumps Muslim ban to consider the act in light of Islams own history. President Trump halted immigration from a minority of Muslim countries that were on the governments list of nations embracing terrorism. The Islamic conquests of Egypt and the Middle East and even current Islamic doctrine, however, call for bringing enlightenment to infidels through jihad. Reasoned Dr. Maher:

Friends, in regards to  Donald Trump, we wanted to ask our brothers  a question: if this man  were to coerce, through the power of arms, the greater majority of Muslims living in America  to become Christians, or pay jizya, otherwise he takes over their homes, kills their men and enslaves their women and girls, and sells them on slave markets; if he were to do all this, would he be considered a racist and a terrorist or not?  So I wonder O sheikh, O leader of this or that Islamic center in NY, would you like to see this done to your wife and daughter? Would youthis or that sheikhaccept that this be done to your children? That your daughter goes to this fighter [as a slave], your son to this fighter, a fifth [of booty] goes to the caliph and so forth? I mean, isnt this what you refer to as the Sharia of Allah?  So lets think about things in an effort to discern whats right and whats wrong.

Dr. Mahers continued depiction of past events has now earned him what is tantamount to a death sentence in prison. Our question to Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep.Rashida Tlaib, and other Muslim leaders in America is simply this: will you officially protest this unjust decision of an Egyptian court? Will you ask President Biden and the State Department to do the same? In light of your continued portrayal of this nation as imperialistic, racist, and Islamaphobiccan you be counted on to defend the rights of this 80-year-old historian with the same passion youve defended the rioters, looters, and arsonists who helped pillage and destroy many of our nations cities over the last several years?

The writer has been a social studies educator, founder of Rho KappaThe National Social Studies Honor Societyand a former elementary school principal of the year for Lee County, Florida. He may be reached at: JSBovee@aol.com

Image: Lorie Shaull, via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 2.0

To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.
Boris Johnson has been warned by a prominent Tory MP that he is running out of time and friends to help deliver on his promises, as the Mail on Sunday reported Brexit minister Lord Frost had resigned.

Lord Frost, who has led negotiations with the EU, is reported to have handed in his resignation letter to Boris Johnson last week.

But the Mail on Sunday reported he had been convinced to stay on until January.

The newspaper reported it was the introduction of Plan B coronavirus measures that prompted Lord Frosts decision, including the implementation of Covid passes.

The issue brought Mr Johnson his largest backbench rebellion yet this week, when nearly 100 of his on MPs defied the party whip to vote against the passes.

And Brexiteer MP Andrew Bridgen (North West Leicestershire) warned that Lord Frosts resignation showed the PM was running out of time and out of friends to deliver on the promises and discipline of a true Conservative Government.

He tweeted: Lord Frost has made it clear, 100 Conservative backbenchers have made it clear, but most importantly so did the people of North Shropshire.

The Mail on Sunday also said that Lord Frost had become disillusioned by tax rises and the cost of net zero policies.

The negotiator has recently been locked in a number of tense rounds of talks with European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic as the UK and the EU attempt to close gaps in post-Brexit arrangements.

His quitting piles more pressure on the PM, who has already suffered potentially his worst week politically since becoming Prime Minister with the rebellion, the loss of a former Tory safe seat in the North Shropshire by election, and continued allegations over parties in Whitehall during lockdown restrictions.

DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson (Liam McBurney/PA)

In Northern Ireland, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said Lord Frosts departure was a bad sign for Mr Johnsons commitment to removing the Irish Sea border.

Sir Jeffrey said: This government is distracted by internal strife, and Lord Frost was being frustrated on a number of fronts.

We wish David well. We enjoyed a strong relationship with him and his team, but this raises more serious questions for the Prime Minister and his approach to the NI Protocol.

While Labours deputy leader Angela Rayner said the news showed a Government in total chaos right when the country faces an uncertain few weeks.

She tweeted: @BorisJohnson isnt up to the job. We deserve better than this buffoonery.

Baroness Jenny Chapman, Lord Frosts opposite number for Labour, added: The Government is in chaos.

No thank you @christopherhope  I have I think the same list of complaints as @DavidGHFrost  https://t.co/QL81tVX8zC  Steve Baker MP FRSA (@SteveBakerHW) December 18, 2021

The country needs leadership not a lame duck PM who has lost the faith of his MPs and Cabinet.

Boris Johnson needs to get a grip, tell us his plan for the next few weeks and bring certainty for the people of Northern Ireland by unblocking the stalemate over the Protocol.

One of Lord Frosts most difficult challenges had been attempting to find a way to resolve issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol, which aims to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland.

But the implementation of the protocol has caused issues with customs, agrifood, trade, and medicines  among other things.

Movement was found this week on medicines, but red lines remain for both sides, including for the UK the oversight role of the European Court of Justice.

Lord Frost said this week he expected negotiations with the EU to now run into 2022.

European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic, with whom Lord Frost had been negotiating (Eddie Mulholland/Daily Telegraph)

Stormont deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill said Northern Ireland would not become collateral damage in the Tory chaos.

She tweeted: David Frost negotiated Brexit of which a majority here rejected. He has undermined the Protocol since, which limits the damage of Brexit on our people and economy.

We now need momentum in the Talks to make it work better.

The North will not be collateral damage in the Tory chaos.

And Northern Irelands former first minister Arlene Foster described Lord Frosts resignation as enormous.

The resignation of Lord Frost from the cabinet is a big moment for the Government but enormous for those of us who believed he would deliver for NI. Wishing him all the best @DavidGHFrost.  Arlene Foster #WeWillMeetAgain (@ArleneFosterUK) December 18, 2021

In a tweet, she said: The resignation of Lord Frost from the Cabinet is a big moment for the Government but enormous for those of us who believed he would deliver for NI.

Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson Layla Moran said: This shock resignation is a sign of the chaos and confusion at the heart of this Conservative government.

The rats are fleeing Boris Johnsons sinking ship as he lurches from crisis to crisis.

Even the Prime Ministers once-loyal supporters are now abandoning him, just as lifelong Conservative voters are switching in their droves to the Liberal Democrats.

At a time we need strong leadership to get us through the pandemic, we instead have a weak Prime Minister who has lost the support of his allies and the trust of the British people.
Brexit minister Lord Frost has resigned with immediate effect as he told Boris Johnson that building a new relationship with the EU would be a long-term task.

Lord Frost, who has led negotiations with the EU, is reported to have handed in his resignation letter to Boris Johnson last week with an agreement to leave in January.

But in a letter to the PM released on Saturday evening, he said that he was disappointed that this plan has become public this evening and in the circumstances I think it is right for me to write to step down with immediate effect.

Lord Frost thanked Mr Johnson and said Brexit is now secure, but he said: The challenge for the Government now is to deliver on the opportunities it gives us.

You know my concerns about the current direction of travel.

He also said he was sad the unlocking from Covid restrictions had not proved irreversible as promised, and added: I hope we can get back on track soon and not be tempted by the kind of coercive measures we have seen elsewhere.

And he expressed his wish that the UK would become a lightly regulated, low-tax country.

In his reply, Mr Johnson he was very sorry to have received his resignation.

Lord Frosts departure was described as a watershed moment by prominent Brexiteer Tory Andrew Bridgen.

Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen. (Jacob King/PA)

He told Times Radio it was a devastating blow for the Government and the Prime Minister and suggested that many Conservative colleagues would be considering the PMs future over Christmas.

In a tweet, he added Mr Johnson was running out of time and out of friends to deliver on the promises and discipline of a true Conservative Government.

He said: Lord Frost has made it clear, 100 Conservative backbenchers have made it clear, but most importantly so did the people of North Shropshire.

Lord Frosts quitting piles more pressure on the PM, who has already suffered potentially his worst week politically since becoming Prime Minister with the rebellion, the loss of a former Tory safe seat in the North Shropshire by election, and continued allegations over parties in Whitehall during lockdown restrictions.

In Northern Ireland, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said Lord Frosts departure was a bad sign for Mr Johnsons commitment to removing the Irish Sea border.

Sir Jeffrey said: This government is distracted by internal strife, and Lord Frost was being frustrated on a number of fronts.

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson (Liam McBurney/PA)

We wish David well. We enjoyed a strong relationship with him and his team, but this raises more serious questions for the Prime Minister and his approach to the NI Protocol.

While Labours deputy leader Angela Rayner said the news showed a Government in total chaos right when the country faces an uncertain few weeks.

She tweeted: @BorisJohnson isnt up to the job. We deserve better than this buffoonery.

Baroness Jenny Chapman, Lord Frosts opposite number for Labour, added: The Government is in chaos.

The country needs leadership not a lame duck PM who has lost the faith of his MPs and Cabinet.

Boris Johnson needs to get a grip, tell us his plan for the next few weeks and bring certainty for the people of Northern Ireland by unblocking the stalemate over the Protocol.

One of Lord Frosts most difficult challenges had been attempting to find a way to resolve issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol, which aims to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland.

But the implementation of the protocol has caused issues with customs, agrifood, trade, and medicines  among other things.

Movement was found this week on medicines, but red lines remain for both sides, including for the UK the oversight role of the European Court of Justice.

Lord Frost said this week he expected negotiations with the EU to now run into 2022.

Stormont deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill said Northern Ireland would not become collateral damage in the Tory chaos.

Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill. (Brian Lawless/PA)

She tweeted: David Frost negotiated Brexit of which a majority here rejected. He has undermined the Protocol since, which limits the damage of Brexit on our people and economy.

We now need momentum in the talks to make it work better.

The North will not be collateral damage in the Tory chaos.

And Northern Irelands former first minister Arlene Foster described Lord Frosts resignation as enormous.

In a tweet, she said: The resignation of Lord Frost from the Cabinet is a big moment for the Government but enormous for those of us who believed he would deliver for NI.

No thank you @christopherhope  I have I think the same list of complaints as @DavidGHFrost  https://t.co/QL81tVX8zC  Steve Baker MP FRSA (@SteveBakerHW) December 18, 2021

Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson Layla Moran said: This shock resignation is a sign of the chaos and confusion at the heart of this Conservative government.

The rats are fleeing Boris Johnsons sinking ship as he lurches from crisis to crisis.

Even the Prime Ministers once-loyal supporters are now abandoning him, just as lifelong Conservative voters are switching in their droves to the Liberal Democrats.

At a time we need strong leadership to get us through the pandemic, we instead have a weak Prime Minister who has lost the support of his allies and the trust of the British people.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is to take over responsibility for the UKs future relationship with the EU, Downing Street has said, following the resignation of Brexit minister Lord Frost.

Lord Frost resigned with immediate effect on Saturday night, having previously agreed with the Prime Minister he would leave his job in January.

Citing the current direction of travel of the Government, as well as fears over coercive Covid measures and the wish for the UK to become a lightly regulated, low-tax economy, Lord Frosts departure was described as a watershed moment in what had been an extremely damaging week for the PM.

Lord Frost (Peter Byrne/PA)

Downing Street said Ms Truss would take over ministerial responsibility for the UK-EU relationship, and would lead negotiations to resolve issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Ms Truss underwent a transformation from being pro-Remain to an avid Brexiteer following the referendum in 2016.

She consistently polls as the most poplar Cabinet minister with Tory members, and has been tipped as a future leadership contender.

And the Liberal Democrats suggested this was the reason for the choice.

Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson Layla Moran said: The Tories are tearing themselves apart under Boris Johnson. The Prime Minister is more interested in setting his leadership rivals up to fail than doing whats right for the country.

Liz Truss has shown time and again that she doesnt care about the national interest  shes only interested in appealing to Conservative party members. That is a disgrace.

Under David Frost, our relations with Europe were already teetering on the brink of a trade war. Families and small businesses up and down the country will now be seriously worried about what the future holds for our trade with Europe.

Meanwhile Chris Heaton-Harris will move from the Department for Transport (DfT) to become Europe minister and will deputise for Ms Truss when needed.

Aldridge-Brownhills MP Wendy Morton will move from being Europe and Americas minister to replace Mr Heaton-Harris at the DfT.

I take note of the appointment of @trussliz as co-chair of the  Joint Committee and Partnership Council. My team and I will continue to cooperate with the UK in the same constructive spirit on all important tasks ahead, including the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland.  Maros Sefcovic (@MarosSefcovic) December 19, 2021

European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic said he hoped to continue negotiations with Ms Truss in the same constructive spirit.

He tweeted: I take note of the appointment of @trussliz as co-chair of the Joint Committee and Partnership Council.

My team and I will continue to cooperate with the UK in the same constructive spirit on all important tasks ahead, including the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland.

It comes after Lord Frosts shock resignation piled more pressure on the Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson (Frank Augstein/PA)

Senior Tory MP Tobias Ellwood (Bournemouth East), who chairs the Commons Defence Select Committee, said many Conservative colleagues shared Lord Frosts desire for there to be a consistency of where we want to go.

He told Times Radio: I think this is what perhaps unites more and more of the wider party, and weve seen this since the Owen Paterson debacle, is that it needs to be clarity of our vision, there needs to be a consistency of where we want to go, people need to be included, the decision-making in No 10 needs to be improved.

We need an, almost like, a wartime leader, we need a strong No 10, and the machinery of No 10 around Boris Johnson, thats what needs to be improved.

The boosterism, the energy, is not enough in these current circumstances alone.

Peter Bone, MP for Wellingborough, told Trevor Phillips On Sunday on Sky News: Boris has led this country exceptionally well  but what comes next? And thats what I think Lord Frost is talking about.

I think part of that rebellion of 100 Conservative MPs was partly due to the fact that we want to see the Prime Minister move to a more conservative agenda in future.

Mr Bone also said he agreed with Lord Frosts concerns over the prospect of coercive measures to control coronavirus.

The MP said: Ive cancelled all in-person meetings and the get-together with staff, I cancelled.

I wont be going to crowded places, but leave that up to the individual to make that decision, dont have the state telling me what I have to do every day, and so in that regard, yes, Im with Lord Frost on that.

Pleased to be taking on responsibility for the EU negotiations and wider relationship with the excellent Chris Heaton-Harris @chhcalling. Thanks to @morton_wendy for her great work and wishing her the best @transportgovuk pic.twitter.com/kOatXh09Op  Liz Truss (@trussliz) December 19, 2021

Meanwhile, chairman of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, Simon Hoare, told BBC Radio 4s The World This Weekend that the issues cited by Lord Frost were the same that had been raised by at least one potential leadership candidate.

And he said: I do just wonder whether hes acting as a bit of an outrider for them, Im just not sure.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid defended the PM as he told Trevor Phillips: I think Boris Johnson is the best person to take us through the challenges the country faces.

He said he also understood the reasons Lord Frost had resigned and called him a principled man.

Mr Ellwood suggested it was now an opportunity to press the reset button with the EU.

Former minister Mr Ellwood said: Were still not out of the woods with the Northern Ireland Protocol and we have some rather larger decisions and challenges, which actually unite both the EU, Europe and Britain.

He said: As much as I think this is going to be seen as a hit for the Government, he was a critical character thats been with Boris Johnson from the very start when it comes to Brexit, this is a chance for us actually to sort of move forward on our relationship with the EU.
Millennium Dome architect Richard Rogers has died aged 88.

Lord Rogers, who also designed the Pompidou Centre in Paris and the Lloyds of London building, passed away quietly on Saturday evening, Freud Communications Matthew Freud told the PA news agency.

American architecture critic Paul Goldberger called the news heartbreaking, adding on Twitter it was another huge loss for architecture in 2021. A gracious man and a glorious talent. RIP.

Lord Richard Rogers, shown with his wife Lady Ruth Rogers after he received the Freedom of the City at Guildhall Art Gallery, was celebrated for his contributions to public life in London and Paris (Steve Parsons/PA)

Lord Rogers was born in 1933 to an Anglo-Italian family in Florence, Italy and at a young age moved to England, where he later trained at the Architectural Association School of Architure in London before graduating with a masters from Yale.

His designs, which also include the Senedd building in Cardiff and Strasbourgs European Court of Human Rights, won critical acclaim with the Royal Gold Medal and the Pritzker Prize.

The jury when awarding him the Pritzker in 2017 praised him for having revolutionised museums, transforming what had once been elite monuments into popular places of social and cultural exchange, woven into the heart of the city.

RIP Richard Rogers, whose wonderful buildings are testament to an amazing, inventive, charismatic man. Big loss. pic.twitter.com/7ZiogELPdt  Krishnan Guru-Murthy (@krishgm) December 19, 2021

He received the Freedom of the City of London at Guildhall Art Gallery in 2014 in recognition of his contribution to architecture and urbanism.

Channel 4 News presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy early on Sunday paid tribute to Lord Rogers, whose firm designed the channels 124 Horseferry Road headquarters, as someone whose wonderful buildings are testament to an amazing, inventive, charismatic man.

The New York Times reported Lord Rogers is survived by his wife Lady Ruth  the co-founder of Londons River Cafe restaurant  sons Ab, Ben, Roo and Zad, his brother Peter and 13 grandchildren.
Supporters of presidential candidate Gabriel Boric of the I Approve Dignity coalition attend his closing campaign rally ahead of the presidential runoff election in Santiago, Chile, on Dec. 16. (Matias Delacroix / Associated Press)

In one corner stands a millennial progressive who burst into prominence a decade ago as a shaggy-haired student protest leader.

In the other, a far-right career politician who is an unabashed fan of the countrys former military dictatorship.

Chileans go to the polls Sunday to elect a new president in the most polarized election here since the South American nation returned to democracy more than 30 years ago.

The runoff vote features two antagonistic alternatives  the leftist former student activist allied with the Communist Party and the ultraconservative free marketeer who reminds many of former President Trump and his South American devotee, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

Narrowing polls suggest the race could be a toss-up between Jose Antonio Kast, 55, of the hard-right Republican Party, which he founded, and Gabriel Boric, 35, a congressman running under the banner of the leftist I Approve Dignity coalition.

Kast is a practicing Roman Catholic and married father of nine. He has denied reports that his late father  who immigrated to Chile from Germany after World War II and launched a successful sausage business  was a practicing Nazi, saying that he was a foot soldier drafted into the Wehrmacht.

Boric, who descends from Croatian immigrants, is single and agnostic. If elected, he would be Chiles youngest-ever president.

The election dramatizes ongoing political upheaval in Latin America, where COVID-19 has battered economies, souring many on traditional leadership. Left-wing presidents have come to power since last year in two of Chiles neighbors, Peru and Bolivia, and a center-left government has led adjoining Argentina since 2019.

Crucial presidential elections scheduled for next year in South Americas most populous nations  Brazil and Colombia  are also likely to showcase ideological adversaries of the left and right.

Republican Party presidential candidate Jose Antonio Kast holds his closing campaign rally on Dec. 16 ahead of the presidential runoff election. (Esteban Felix / Associated Press)

In Chile, Kast narrowly finished first and Boric second in fragmented first-round voting last month that saw no one garner a majority, leading to Sundays runoff vote.

Both candidates represent a stunning rebuke of the centrist left and right parties that have alternated governing Chile since 1990, following the 17-year military rule of the late Gen. Augusto Pinochet.

Since emerging from Pinochet's dictatorship, Chile  the worlds leading copper producer and a dependable U.S. ally  has been widely viewed as a wealthy bastion of stability and economic progress in a volatile region. However, mass street protests in 2019 exposed deep divisions in the nation of 19 million where, amid considerable wealth, half of workers earn about $500 a month. Opposition to a transit fare hike quickly expanded into a nationwide mobilization against inequality.

Kast, a former congressman who admires Pinochet's former rule, has run on a socially conservative, anti-immigrant and tax-cutting agenda reminiscent of Trump. His law-and-order pronouncements have appealed to many still irate about the 2019 unrest, which left at least 31 people dead, paralyzed the country for months and resulted in torched shopping malls, supermarkets and subway stations.

"Some say I am extreme, Kast said this month in a campaign video. Extreme in what? In loving Chile, loving the homeland, defending the family, fighting narco-terrorism and crime, and protecting our borders from illegal immigration?"

An influx of impoverished migrants, many from Venezuela and Haiti, has become an incendiary topic, in some ways reflecting the contentious debate in the United States. Kast has backed digging a ditch along the porous frontier between Chile and Bolivia.

By contrast, Boric has eschewed immigrant-bashing and pledged to raise taxes on the rich and on corporations, to deprivatize pensions and healthcare and bolster public education.

Boric has repeatedly denounced neoliberalism, the conservative free-market strategy pioneered by the so-called Chicago Boys  influential Chilean economists trained at the University of Chicago.

If Chile was the cradle of neoliberalism, it will also be its grave! declared Boric.

Since last month's vote, the campaign has seen both candidates temper their rhetoric in a clear bid to appeal to middle-ground voters.

If elected, Boric has vowed a gradual implementation of his controversial plans to nationalize the pension and health systems, raise the minimum wage to $600 a month (from $400) and reduce the workweek from 45 to 40 hours. He has also backed off from a proposal to dissolve the national police force, known as the carabineros, instead calling for reforms.

A country is not built overnight, Boric said this month.

Kast, who drew fire for proposals to bolster aid only for families headed by married couples, has since said eligibility would be extended to all families. He also shelved a bid to eliminate Chiles Ministry of Women  a Cabinet-level agency that oversees policies on gender violence and other issues  and reversed an earlier commitment to back the construction of coal-fired energy plants.

The two candidates have tried to conquer the center, but it is not in their DNA, said Andres Salvatierra, a 42-year-old computer engineer who calls himself a moderate but reluctantly plans to vote for Kast because of his stance on law and order.

Like many other Chileans, Salvatierra worries that the postelection scenario could degenerate into a reprise of the street mayhem of 2019, especially if Kast is elected.

"If people come out to demonstrate after Sunday's election, hopefully, it will be peacefully," Salvatierra said. And if Boric wins, I hope it goes well for him. I will still have to get up to work.

Times staff writer McDonnell reported from Mexico City and special correspondent Poblete from Santiago.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
"The Boss" is cashing in  and that could have big implications for the music business.

This week, Bruce Springsteen sold both his master recordings and publishing rights to Sony Music in a deal worth north of $500 million, according to multiple outlets. Sony Music and Springsteen did not immediately respond to Yahoo Finance's request for comment.

Sony has been Springsteen's home for the past five decades. Thanks to this deal, the studio will now have full ownership of the rocker's entire collection, including hits like "Born to Run," "Thunder Road," and "Born in the U.S.A."

The historic deal underscores a new age within the music industry as streaming, led by Spotify (SPOT) and Apple (AAPL), continues to balloon the value of songs and records.

Guillermo Page, a former record label executive who worked for Sony and Universal, told Yahoo Finance that "streaming has provided stability."

"The key is that the business has become predictable," according to Page, who now teaches in the music program at the University of Miami.

Investors "can trust in the future of the business because it's growing. When you eliminate the uncertainty, it opens up a new door for investors to come in and snap those assets," he added.

Page said that Springsteen's deal is particularly interesting, since it shows how record labels now want a piece of the action  as opposed to music investment funds like London-based Hipgnosis.

"The record labels have decided to not let these type of deals fall through the cracks and lose valuable assets in their catalogs," he said.

'The perfect storm'

Springsteen is not the only big-name artist to strike publishing deals, as the dominance of streaming sparks a rush for artists  especially older ones  and labels to capitalize on a surge in revenue.

In May 2021, The Red Hot Chili Peppers sold the rights to its song catalog for a reported $150 million. Last year, Bob Dylan sold over 600 copyrights to Universal Music Group in a deal reportedly valued at over $300 million. Prior to that, Stevie Nicks sold a majority stake in her songwriting for a reported $100 million.

"You're seeing all major acts from the 70s, 80s, and 90s that are riding the wave of streaming," Page said, explaining that artists can now "capture a ton of money" in ways they were not able to do in the past.

"It's the perfect storm for artists who can now maximize their return on the sale of those assets," he continued.

In the case of Springsteen, the rocker sold both his masters (the recordings of the actual songs), along with his songwriting (also known as the publishing side of the business).

Bruce Springsteen performs onstage during the 15th Annual Stand Up For Heroes benefit at Alice Tully Hall presented by Bob Woodruff Foundation and NY Comedy Festival on November 08, 2021 in New York City.

"It's like two deals in one because [Sony] is acquiring both sides of a song," Page explained.

For context, music publishing encompasses the copyrights for songwriting and composition, such as lyrics and melodies. Although publishing rights are often not worth as much as actual recordings, they can still lead to a significant amount of revenue over time with radio play, advertising, movie licensing and more.

"It gets to the point where there's money coming from so many different places that you can't go wrong on any type of deals like this," Page noted.

Overall, the former record label exec. said he expects more catalog deals in the future as "the investors are out there."

In addition, he surmised that more up-and-coming artists are going to want to own their masters, a direct result of their predecessors' success.

"There's going to be a whole new generation of musicians who are going to pay more attention to the deals they're signing with a record label," he said.

Just like Springsteen, "they may want to own their destiny," Page added.

Alexandra is a Producer & Entertainment Correspondent at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @alliecanal8193

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The comedian took to Twitter on Saturday evening and shared a link to book tickets for his two-hour comedy act 'Dhandho'

Mumbai: Stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui, who was last month denied a nod to hold a show in Bengaluru amid protests by some right-wing outfits, is set to perform in Kolkata in January.

The comedian took to Twitter on Saturday evening and shared a link to book tickets for his two-hour comedy act "Dhandho", to be held on January 16.

According to online ticket booking platform BookMyShow, the tickets -- priced at Rs 799 -- were "filling fast".

In November, Faruqui was under fire after the Bengaluru Police denied permission to his stand-up comedy show in the city amid protest by Hindu right-wing outfits, who alleged that he had hurt the Hindu sentiments in one of his shows.

The 29-year-old comic had said his show -- which had sold more than 600 tickets -- was cancelled in the wake of the "threats to venue vandalism". The proceeds from the show were supposed to be donated to late Kannada star Puneeth Rajkumar's charitable organisation.

Faruqui also claimed that 12 of his shows were called off in the last two months because of the threats to the venue and audiences.

"My name is Munawar Faruqui. And that's been my time, you guys were (a) wonderful audience. Good bye, I'm done," he had tweeted.

A few days later, stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra, a vocal critic of the government, also said his shows, scheduled to be held in Bengaluru, were cancelled after the organisers received threats.

Earlier this year, Faruqui had spent a month in jail at Indore after a BJP MLA's son lodged an FIR in January accusing the comedian of hurting religious sentiments through his show.
For those of us who grew up in a simpler world, possibly too black and white  it is an opportunity to re-learn

Covid is making life difficult for everyone in London as the Omicron virus has been infecting more than 80,000 daily in the UK. Will Christmas be cancelled once more? Of course, the government came up with Plan B  requesting people to get boosted with their third jab, work from home, and socialise with caution. They have also proposed a Covid pass to prove that we are vaxxed, and hopefully even triple jabbed: the pass would be used to gain entry into pubs and other public places.

I, like millions of others, queued up to get my Pfizer shot which is supposed to offer the best protection against Omicron. This was simple enough (and free) thanks to the super efficient NHS. But other things like a Covid passport still need to be explored.

And even though Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that these steps are essential  and no lockdown has yet been announced, angry anti-vaxxers have gathered over the weekend outside Parliament saying that they would not take the vaccine. They also resent this so-called Plan B which was unveiled in Parliament, and many feel it was only meant to distract us from the trouble that the Prime Minister has been in, recently.

*

Till now Boris Johnson could walk on water  but a series of scandals, the most recent being alleged Christmas parties, which were held in Downing Street last year in December, when the rest of the country was forbidden to party or meet friends and family. Many were even arrested for doing so. The government has tried to put a spin on the story saying that these were gatherings and not parties, but when close aides of the Prime Minister have either resigned or have offered to resign  people are convinced that there is some truth in the matter.

And now, an inquiry is being held to find out the nature of these get-togethers!

Resentment has run deep  because these so-called parties at Downing Street were at the height of Covid when many ordinary folk could not even sit by the side of their loved ones whilst they were dying.

The latest resignation of Lord Frost (who was in charge of the Brexit talks) over Plan B is another blow to the Prime Minister. This follows close on the heels of a rebellion in Parliament when around one hundred Tory MPs voted against the new Covid rules.

As the government weakens further having lost a by-election in a Tory stronghold, and Omicron rampages through the country, the only piece of good news for Prime Minister was the birth of his daughter  Romy Iris Charlotte Johnson (named Charlotte after Boriss mother who recently passed away). But it was surprising that even her arrival and sweet photos (usually a great PR coup) could not change the media narrative.

*

But there are always other things that unite us with good cheer. For instance, the long running show Strictly Come Dancing on BBC 1. I rarely watch it  but the agenda these days is to focus on diversity and being inclusive, so it has become a little more interesting. Thus, this time the show included sections of the community which are often left out: gay, Black and physically challenged. So even I switched on the TV ! The show has definitely got a deeper resonance with reality now. It was truly uplifting to watch the young Rose Ayling-Ellis, who is deaf and yet dances with great grace  win the competition along with her partner Giovanni Pernice. There was not a dry eye as the show recapped her journey and her struggle to dance without being able to hear the music. Even the judges were crying. This was the inspirational story that everyone followed on the weekend  especially as she had stiff competition from the gay couple John Whait and Johannes RadebesThanks to her, lots of people have begun to learn sign language.

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It does seem like a different (albeit woke) universe here now as non-binary categories are being recognised everywhere, including for awards. For instance, the Brit awards for music are removing British male and British Female from their categories and instead opting for the non-definitive artist of the year. This also means that neither he nor she will be used  as those who identify as non-binary will be called them.

Yet, there is a lot of confusion on how to tackle this new approach to gender  even in the ordinary day-to-day world! Recently, a journalist wrote about how she was inside the changing room of a high street clothing store trying out an outfit, where to her consternation, a tall young man with a beard who identified as a woman, was also trying out some clothes.

For those of us who grew up in a simpler world, possibly too black and white  it is an opportunity to re-learn. Otherwise, like Harry Potters inventor, J.K. Rowling, we may find ourselves being trolled by those who feel we are not being able to sympathise with those who are non-binary or identify themselves as trans. She has been wondering what we should call people who menstruate  as this category of person can no longer be called woman. Her query will no longer be considered magical thinking, but rather old fashioned, it seems. We obviously need a fresh vocabulary to deal with this woke universe.
EV

One disappointed Tesla owner from Finland has upped the stakes in terms of expressing dissatisfaction, by having his 2013 Model S blown up. Literally. He rigged it with 66 pounds (30 kg) of dynamite and placed a blow-up Elon Musk doll in the driver seat, and then had it explode. It was a spectacular stunt, shot and edited just as spectacularly, and it is available for viewing in full at the bottom of the page.In their desire to deliver something new that would attract more viewers, content creators  influencers, we might as well call them  have resorted before to the practice of blowing up their cars or setting them on fire. Whatever loss is incurred by totaling the vehicle always goes down easier when the clicks are monetized, and revenue is increased if you can sell the right story. Like, for instance, framing your stunt into some form of protest.This wouldnt be the first time it happens, either. Both in the U.S. and abroad (even in Russia), weve had cases of apparently disgruntled or outraged owners who decided to trash their cars in protest . The protest was almost always to some form of misunderstanding or miscommunication with the manufacturer regarding costly repairs or replacement of parts. Like, if you cant drive the car you paid for unless you paid even more money, you might as well get rich(er) by trashing it.The idea seems strange to regular folks, all of us who rely on a vehicle for daily transportation, for work, and family life. But influencers are not regular folks, and most of the things they do are for show. Bread and circuses, like Roman poet Juvenal once said. Escapism is what we call it today.This extended introduction was necessary to place the latest video of this kind in the proper context. Even though it seems slightly different, in that the owner appears more sincere in his actions, the high quality of the production, including the stunt and the resulting video, indicates that it was probably done for show as well.The owner in question is one Tuomas Katainen, and the car to die the spectacular death is a 2013 Tesla Model S (hat tip to InsideEVs ). Katainen says he bought it second-hand and that he only got to drive it for 1,500 km (932 miles) before errors began popping up and the car stopped functioning. He took it to a Tesla service and was told that the entire battery pack needed replacing, which meant he was in for a 20,000 ($22,480 at the current exchange rate) bill, because the warranty had expired Upset, Katainen took the Tesla to a disused quarry in Jaala and, with help from a team of experts and an even larger team of volunteers, rigged it up with dynamite and blew it up. Of course, there were cameras on hand to capture every second of it, including the moment a helicopter dropped a blow-up doll with Elon Musks face , and they laughed as they invited the Tesla CEO for a drive.After the blast, Katainen says he believes hes the first person ever to explode a Tesla on purpose, and that doing it was way more fun than driving thehad been. The video also mentions that Katainen didnt pay a single dime for the stunt, because several volunteers were willing to assist him in exorcising his rage against Tesla.So, was this right? Is destruction of property, including ones own,the right approach? Eh, it probably depends on how you look at it.This was Katainens Tesla and, as such, he had every right to do whatever he wanted to do with it. But make no mistake, this was a show  and a well-orchestrated one, at it  meant to get him monetized clicks. Otherwise, he would have sold the Model S for scrap, promised himself never to give Tesla money again, and gone on with his life.Instead, he chose to put on a performance. Its a good-looking one, to be sure: the way the explosion was rigged and how it was filmed, the special lighting, the edit on the video (including the dramatic intro from the narrator), the spectacular drone shots, the helicopter surprise drop , it all served to sell the story. In fact, Katainen relied so heavily on visual cues that he didnt even feel the need to tell thestory of his trouble with Tesla.Thats not to say that his actions werent justified or understandable. Just that sincerity would have been better appreciated, as idealistic as this might sound.
Most recently, the Mountain View-based search giant has started experimenting with a new feature specifically aimed at the desktop, but which could very well make its way to mobile as well if successful.As spotted earlier this week, Google Maps has been quietly updated with an experimental new button called Dock to bottom and showing up next to each location you open on the desktop.The purpose of this new button is as straightforward as possible, and you could easily guess it by just reading its name.When clicked, this button automatically sends the location youre currently browsing to the bottom of the Google Maps interface in a dedicated dock. The whole idea is quite simple.Users can add several locations to this new dock and then browse them with just a click, therefore being able to work with multiple entries more conveniently. For example, they can compare routes if theyre interested in the navigation settings, operating hours, reviews, and so much more, all with just a click on the buttons in this dock.At this point, however, the new button is only available for a very limited number of users, and its pretty clear Google is just trying to determine if such a feature makes any sense or not.Theres no guarantee it would ever get the go-ahead, though, on the other hand, this feature would really make sense on mobile where working with multiple locations isnt so convenient because of the limited screen estate.The company has obviously remained tight-lipped on the new feature, so expect to find out more about it in the coming months as the testing makes more progress.
ESP

A Frenchman raised in Alsace, he found out about the companys revival in 2004, when a friend told him that prototypes were being driven on a private racetrack in Colmar. He drove there , and immediately got hooked up on them. One month later, he took a look at the Bugatti facilities, and was so impressed that he sent out a job application, and in July, he actually got the job.His role was (and still is) to make sure that each Bugatti works flawlessly, and adheres to the same strict criteria. As the company says, it wouldnt be a Bugatti until Steve had approved it. As a result, he spent the next months developing new quality inspection processes, and installing a measurement and analysis room, where the hypercars would be thoroughly tested before being shipped to their rightful owners.The automakers experts had to come up with a precise timeline for the inspection test drive, which would include numerous situations , such as driving on highways, in the city, at the drag strip, and on the racetrack, deciding that five hours would be enough.Before jumping behind the wheel of a Bugatti , the test driver verifies the region that the car will be shipped to, making sure that it is homologated. He then checks the desired configuration and options, and a quality controller makes sure that all electric functions work properly. Next, he fires up the quad-turbo W16 engine, and drives out of the factory for a 300-kilometer (186-mile) or so journey across the Alsace region, spending the next few hours searching for imperfections. At 80 kph (50 mph), he takes on a cobblestone road, measuring the comfort level, and noise coming from the suspension.You have to feel the car with every fiber of your body, and interpret its responses correctly. Technical expertise is helpful in this effort, but experience is paramount, he explains. The winding roads of the Vosges mountains are ideal for this drive.A closed runway of the Colmar airport then becomes the home of the car for high-speed testing, during which it exceeds 300 kph (186 mph). The launch control and deployment of the airbrake are tested out, and the car is subjected to fast lane changes, heavy braking from 200 kph (124 mph), full braking, andcheck.Jenny then drives back to the factory, reads his notes, and if the machine checks every criteria , it is then prepared for the next step. Subsequently, technicians change the transmission oil and wheels, and attach the original underbody. After that, the final driving dynamics approval test can commence, taking one hour and spanning at least 50 km (31 miles). In total, every Bugatti is driven between 350 and 750 km (217-466 miles) before it is ready to meet its owner.As you can imagine, this is anything but a boring job, with Jenny, who is estimated to have put about 90 percent of all modern Bugattis through their paces, including the Veyron, Chiron , and Divo, for over 350,000 km (~217,500 miles), stating that every day is unique, and driving these amazing cars is a source of continuous joy for me.Thus, next time you see a Bugatti in the open, it is very likely that it was tested out by Steve Jenny at one point, getting his seal of approval.
Introduced by Fairchild Republic in the 1970s as a close air support machine, the A-10 , which in the meantime earned itself the nickname Warthog on account of its physique, is one of the pillars of the modern-day American military, despite the fact that not many of them have been made before production ceased  a little over 700 have been put together, none of which have been deployed by other nations.Packing two General Electric turbofan engines positioned to either side of the rear fuselage, the A-10 can move through the air at speeds of 420 mph (676 kph), swooping down on its target with the roar of a mythical beast. While doing so, it can fire a seven-barrel Gatling gun called Avenger from as high as 4,000 feet (1,200 meters), hitting an area on the ground just 40 feet (12 meters) in diameter.All that makes the A-10 a fearsome machine while in the air, but the look of the thing on the ground is by no means tamer, as seen in the main photo of this piece.Two of these beasts are seen here on the tarmac of the Avon Park Air Force Range in Florida, during an exercise called Mosaic Tiger 22-1 that was conducted there in November.The planes belong to the 23rd Wing stationed at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia, regarded as a front line unit and created back in 1948 to defend Guam. The people that make it up currently use Thunderbolts and HC-130 airplanes and HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters for their missions.
The platform has more than 2 billion logged-in monthly users, and no less than 74 percent of the adults in the United States load it on their PCs or mobile devices regularly. YouTube is the most popular online service in America, and globally, its the second most visited site after Google.com.Users across the world watch over 1 billion hours of content uploaded on YouTube every single day.All of these indicate that YouTube is a service that many people cant live without, and this is why some believe its a shame the mobile application isnt allowed on Android Auto and CarPlay.After all, why shouldnt YouTube take advantage of the large displays inside our cars and let us watch videos more conveniently than on a mobile device?Thats a question that has a very simple answer. It all comes down to the distraction which not only YouTube but pretty much any other video app can cause while driving.A study conducted last year in the United Kingdom revealed that infotainment systems, Android Auto and CarPlay included, are considered some of the biggest sources of distraction behind the wheel. People tend to take their eyes off the road to look at the screen for things like navigation and music playback, and the longer they interact with these apps, the biggest the likelihood of a crash.This is why having YouTube on the screen of your car is so dangerous in the first place. A video playing right next to the driver can easily make them take their eyes off the road, and without even noticing, they could cause a serious crash in a matter of seconds.But on the other hand, this doesnt necessarily mean everybody agrees with this approach.First, there are those who swear they cant get distracted by YouTube. Some people say they just want YouTube to run on Android Auto and CarPlay simply because they want to listen to the soundtrack of a video, as its the case of a music video or anything like that. Well, thats what music services like YouTube Music are for, so this reasoning doesnt hold true.Second, there are users who claim they want YouTube only to watch videos when the car is parked, such as when waiting to pick up the kids from school.At some level, this request makes sense. Theres no valid reason not to allow YouTube to run when the vehicle is in motion, as the whole thing could work similarly to keyboard apps. If youre trying to type something in a navigation app, such as Waze , you can only do it when the vehicle is parked. Once you start driving, the keyboard is automatically locked.So why shouldnt Google adopt the same system for YouTube too?At the end of the day, the bigger problem is that users out there always misuse these apps and are continuously looking into a way to avoid the restrictions. There are many ways to still watch YouTube on Android Auto and CarPlay , and unsurprisingly, many people do it while theyre driving.It goes without saying this is a huge no-no, but at first glance, no matter how hard Google struggles to restrict the use of these services when the vehicle is in motion, people out there are still working hard to find a way around it.So maybe, just maybe, if Google ends up allowing YouTube when the car is parked, and then locking the video when the vehicle starts moving, fewer people might turn to these shady ways to watch videos behind the wheel in the first place. After all, Google has already launched games on Android Auto, so the company already has the necessary means to block distracting activities when the car is in motion.Should YouTube be treated just like keyboard apps on Android Auto and CarPlay and be allowed when the car is not in motion? Let us know what you think in the box after the jump.
Like with heads of states, Royal life is governed by a set of very strict rules. Among them is the unwritten rule about how senior members of the Royal Family should not fly together on the same aircraft, on the same principle as why you shouldnt put all your eggs in the same basket. Should the worst come to happen, succession must not be threatened greatly.According to The Sun , this rule has been relaxed in recent years, with the Duke of Cambridge, Prince William, often flying with his family even over short distances. Moreover, as an experienced pilot, hes regularly at the controls, which, according to an unnamed tipster, is keeping the 95-year-old Queen up at night.Prince William is the second in line to the throne, after his father Prince Charles ; Williams firstborn son, Prince George, is third. The Queen believes that helicopters arent the safest means of transport, and she would very much like William to stop putting the monarchy in peril like that.She knows William is a capable pilot but does not think it is worth the risk for all five of them to carry on flying together and cant imagine what would happen, a Royal insider tells the tab. It would spark a constitutional crisis.If true, the Queens concerns are legitimate, because a fatal crash would completely alter the succession line. She could also raise the issue of the Cambridges carbon footprint , since theyve been known to fly by helicopter from Kensington Palace to their home at Anmer Hall, Norfolk, which is only 115 miles (185 km) away.Prince William served as an RAF search and rescue pilot, and a pilot with the air ambulance for several years before giving up his day job to be a full-time senior Royal. Its only recently that the Queen allowed senior Royals to fly with their children, and it sounds like shes regretting the decision.
However, the Canadian Chevelles werent exclusively addressed to the domestic market, as some of them were then exported by General Motors back to the States to satisfy the increasing demand for the model.According to some rough estimates, the Oshawa plant built close to 72,000 Chevelles for the model year 1970, and out of them, more than 42,500 units are believed to have been sent to the United States.What we have here is one of the Chevrolet Chevelle SS models that were born in Canada, and eBay seller 1965bop says they have the full documentation in this regard.In fact, this Chevelle comes with all original paperwork since new, including even the Protect-O-Plate. The 24,000 miles (a little over 38,000 km) on the clock are fully documented too.We know what youre thinking: a low-mileage Chevelle SS built in Canada isnt such a rare thing, so why bother? Well, this isnt all, as this car is absolutely original, complete, and unrestored.In other words, the paint you see on the car is still the one the vehicle was born with, and the engine under the hood continues to be the 396 (6.4-liter) developing 350 horsepower and installed by Chevrolet 51 years ago.If you doubt all these exciting claims, thats quite fine. We do too, but the seller says this Chevelle looks so good pretty much because it has spent no less than 40 years in a garage. Born in Canada and shipped to New Jersey at some point, this Chevelle has absolutely no rust, as the garage it was stored in maintained just the right conditions to prevent such damage.At the end of the day, this garage find is more than just a regular Chevelle SS. Its a piece of automotive history, as its an impressive survivor thats almost a perfect 10.You know what this means when it comes to pricing. This Chevelle is pretty expensive, as the seller is only willing to let it go for $75,000.
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American Red Cross calls for blood donations ahead of holidays during lowest supply in over a decade
Despite California groundwater law, aquifers keep dropping in a race to the bottom
Rugged to Historic to Goofy Around Lincoln City, Depoe Bay: Oregon Coast Adventures

Published 12/13/21 at 6:22 PM PST

By Andre' GW Hagestedt





(Lincoln City, Oregon) - Those long lost days before COVID, and I'm dinging around the central Oregon coast on a kind of book promotions tour: I had just released my fourth book, a deep guide to Depoe Bay. It's also cause for plenty of exploration and video-making, and an excellent opportunity to find myself in the midst of some wacky adventure or another.

There's a lot of silly and surprising stuff that goes on behind the scenes at Oregon Coast Beach Connection. It's a mix of wonder and humor, sometimes inadvertently so.

All of it begins with a seriously stressful attempt at getting down to Lincoln City on the eve before my history talk. I-5 is an unusual trainwreck of traffic, with some massive accident causing me to use up over an hour just to get from 217 to just north of Wilsonville. It's a serious nightmare, but I manage to turn around, head back into Ptown and let everyone know I'm running late.

Lesson learned: I-5 is kind'a undependable. Always have a backup route. On my second try I head down via Yamhill Wine Country.

Finally, about 8 or 9 p.m. I get down to the central Oregon coast and my fave little motel: Whistling Winds. Staff is exceptionally cool and let me in a bit late.

Waiting a few doors down are my friends from Portland: Keely, Becky and her husband Abe. Yes, I've actually got Oregon Coast Beach Connection groupies  they're here to watch me talk the following day. Theirs is larger room at the historic little motor lodge, one that comes with much more stained glass than the smaller ones. It's a serious charmer.

By this time, my trio of pals has already been at the casino for a bit and they're, well, a little toasty. Becky and Keely are bartenders down the road from my Portland pad and regularly get to watch me get goofy. Now, I'm watching with endless amusement as they drunkenly giggle and toss convenience store food bits at each other, stumble about, and say the most outlandish things.

As they head off to bed, I do a little writing and publication work in these woody surroundings of the Whistling Wind's rather atmospheric walls. It's a 1930s motor lodge, originally, which means it was among the first of its kind as that new form of lodging took the place of tents and little cabins you'd park your car in front of. Remodeled and refined, it keeps a deeply historic vibe, and it's hard to imagine it has changed much in those decades, except maybe they'd polished the wood and replaced the floors.

Yet Whistling Winds has changed its interiors quite a bit: I stayed here once in the 90s long before the current owners got hold of it and it wasn't so hot. Now, it's gleaming and rustic all at once  quite an interior design feat. 866-384-9346 3264 NW Jetty Ave, Lincoln City, Oregon. www.whistlingwindsmotel.com

The next morning, I discover a new coffee shop (new for me, anyway) with resplendent brew. Their iced coffees are eyes-rolling-to-the-back-of-your-head good. Nyla's Cup of Jo is the name of this gem, a tiny place that's one of those indie shops that's an exceptionally pleasant surprise. I see they survived the pandemic and am pleased.

About noon, I wander the beach close to Whistling Winds at the Grace Hammond access. There, even though it's February, it's one of those rather warm, springlike days February can surprise you with (there's a whole science behind this semi-regular occurrence in February). Skies are deeply blue, the ocean is calm and the winds are rather light. In fact, it's almost warm. It's one of those Oregon coast days that make your heart soar.

My talk at the library is about Oregon coast history, and it's a hit. Some 30 or 40 people are there, and I'm having a blast making kooky jokes that get plenty of laughs. At one point I have to keep from laughing myself that one gentleman has fallen asleep during my history lesson. My pals Becky, Abe and Keely are there, sometimes distracting me and forcing me to make fun of them in public, and they return the barbs, getting more laughs. We're like an insult comedy team at times. It's a kick.

I make bank on selling copies of my four books (the Ultimate Oregon Coast Travel series), which each covering a different town: Lincoln City, Depoe Bay, Cannon Beach and Seaside. Becky manages to sell a copy or two to a local bar while they're out day drinking before my gig.





Capping off this awesome sauce day is a photo trip to the SW 33rd St. access of Lincoln City, where sunset provides some exceptional colors and textures, and a bright moon puts on a show to the east of the beach.

It's here where some young couple approaches me and tells me they were at my talk, apologizing for bothering me on the beach. Hell, no you're not bothering me. I ain't no rock star. We had a great chat about local beaches. My audience is pretty cool.

Later at night, with my pals gone back to Portland, I head to the Chinook Winds Casino where an old, old friend is playing. Beth Willis and Todd Chatalas are doing their duo thing, churning out heaps of catchy cover tunes and coaxing plenty to the dance floor. They are just now seeing a return to the live music world as pandemic restrictions simmer down.

Beth I originally met here in Lincoln City nearly two decades ago, where I was wowed by her energetic and powerful vocals. I hadn't seen her in perhaps almost ten years. I witnessed Beth's eyes widen as she recognized me, still in the middle of a song. Fun times and a lovely reunion.





After the gig, the three of us did my favorite thing: hit the beach late at night. There was some liquor involved by this time, which made it that much more fun and interesting. With tripod and full camera gear in tow, I snapped a few ethereal, ghost-like shots of them bouncing around the beach.

The following day the Oregon coast lived up to its cloudy reputation again, which always makes photographing and video a lot more challenging. This time, I head to Depoe Bay with the sun poking in and out and sometimes, creating an eye-catching silver surf. Mostly hanging out at the North Point secret spot, it's rough and dramatic there. But the bay itself is still and sometimes almost crystalline.

As I'm walking around downtown, I head to a gallery there that was once part of the Depoe Bay Aquarium building, which I wrote about in my book. I went to see the oddly-shaped window that's still there at the back of the business, gawking at the fact that loads of finery, glittery stuff and a nice carpet now inhabit the spot where the seals once lived. It's a trippy little trip back in time. Funny, how the smallest things can transport you somewhere else, even some-when else.

Hotels in Lincoln City - Where to eat - Lincoln City Maps and Virtual Tours

Hotels in Depoe Bay - Where to eat - Depoe Bay Maps and Virtual Tours

Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees nearly 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.





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Gator Country Adventure Park is doing the unimaginable. The big home for even bigger gators is growing even more.

At the sprawling animal park outside of the Fannett community, you might see a lot of fresh timbers and park crew members hard at work creating a new covered porch around the main building.

There are also new walkways underway and concrete is being poured for a 3,200-square-foot splash pad for children to enjoy during the summer.

These upgrades and expansions are just a part of a series of changes Gator Country and the family crew that keeps it running have been pursuing since 2020 and will spell a big, bright future for the gators there.

Related: Gator Country rescues evacuating alligator on I-10

2020 was probably our biggest year ever, said Gary Saurage, park owner and alligator rescue expert. When we reopened after COVID-19, the response was unbelievable.

The park was closed for about six weeks as a result of Texas stay-at-home COVID-19 orders.

But as people tried to adjust to life in a pandemic, they were looking for something to do that felt safe and gave them space outside, said Gator Country co-owner Shannon Saurage.

The parks been offering a free day since Tropical Storm Harvey, mostly as a way for the community to enjoy something regardless of their means. But it wasnt until 2020 that the cat came totally out of the bag.

Related: Gator Country reopens

When people in Houston and other places found out about it, it got really crazy around here, she said.

It was on the back of that explosive summer and the several more months of pandemic chaos that the team started expanding the park and restoring food service.

Gator Country co-owner Gary Saurage said the park started having crawfish nights during 2020, which proved a massive success and inspired his children to ask if they could expand even further.

Related: Gator Country questions comeback after storm

Theyre out of college now and looking for that next step of what they want to do, so I told them they could give it a try, he said. Theyve been passionate about it.

Along with the enclosed seating and tables coming to the patio around the main building, the park now has a 600-square-foot kitchen to serve guests.

But these past few years have brought their hardships, too  including being briefly closed during the pandemic, to flooding in 2019 from Tropical Depression Imelda and the February 2021 freeze that burst pipes and killed some of the animals at the park.

And then there were the hyper active hurricane seasons of the past two years that kept the Saurage family on the run.

Related: Big Tex back at Gator Country after Imelda holiday

With three animal parks along the Gulf Coast  on South Padre Island and in Natchitoches, Louisiana,  Saurage said hurricane season has meant theyve had to saddle up supplies and be ready to roll at the drop of a weather forecast.

When Hurricane Laura in 2020 threatened parts of Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana, he said he wasnt as worried about the newly-renovated park in Natchitoches, but then the historically-powerful hurricane blew ashore and traveled up to the northern part of Louisiana as a Category 3, bringing damage and flood waters to the area.

During this hurricane season, Saurage and the team partnered up with local restaurant owners to send supplies to some of the areas in Louisiana that were hardest hit by Hurricane Ida.

When hurricanes have hit here, we always took care of our own business and helped out our neighbors, Saurage said. Its the same with our neighbors over there. We have to take care of each other.

Related: Photos: Gator Country celebrates Big Als birthday

The new park, now dubbed Gator Country Louisiana, was also a product of the younger Saurage generations vision.

Gary Saurage said the parks owners reached out to him when they decided to retire to see if hed be interested in buying some of their equipment. After a few visits and some further conversation, the deal was as good as done.

When I actually saw it, it changed my mind, said Callie Bailey, Garys daughter. It seemed like it had potential, and it would be a shame for it to close.

Parks like these play a vital role in responding to nuisance gators across the region.

While visitors may come to the Beaumont parks to see its claims to fame  Big Tex, the largest alligator ever captured in North America and 91-year-old Big Al, the oldest alligator living in captivity  theyre actually supporting a valuable service.

Related: Were you Seen at Gator Countrys egg hunt?

Under Texas nuisance alligator program, the state gives permits to people to either hunt or rescue alligators in order to control the population and avoid potentially dangerous interactions with humans.

In the old days, alligator hunters using the program were some of the only suppliers of legally-harvested hides for the leather market, so it wasnt hard to find someone to pick up a stray alligator.

But then the decision to expand permitting of alligator farms flipped the market, removing incentives for people to harvest nuisance animals.

Thats where people like Saurage stepped in, trying to create a new option that allows people to learn more about and experience the animals, while financially supporting rescue operations and the animals potentially long life in captivity.

In fact, 95% of the animals currently at the park, according to Saurage, were either surrendered to or rescued by Gator Country.

Top hits: Get Beaumont Enterprise stories sent directly to your inbox

Most of the alligators at Gator Country and the other parks found their way there because they were drawn to humans as a food source and were deemed unable to continue living in the wild without potentially being dangerous.

Others, housed in the isolation tanks at the facility, have been severely injured, making a short lifespan in the wild almost an inevitability.

Saurage said not every alligator park is created equally and laws can vary from state to state, allowing parks to differ in standards, but the hundreds of gators in his care have always been the priority.

We try to make everything were about here focused on the animals, Saurage said. Getting into food service again is really just a way to keep the animals fed and support housing for the interns.

jacob.dick@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/jd_journalism
Working outdoors in Southeast Texas is always too hot, too cold, too sunny or too rainy, and few things in life are more outside than highway work.

On a balmy Wednesday, contractors worked toward finishing one portion of a major widening project on Eastex Freeway between Tram Road and Interstate 10 in Beaumont that will add a third traffic lane by 2023, the Texas Department of Transportation estimates, which will be a relief to the thousands of drivers that use the vital artery every day.

The heaviest traffic count along Eastex is about 78,000 vehicles a day in either direction closer to the I-10 interchange.

At the moment, cars and trucks squeeze through concrete barriers and orange barrels. The new center lanes are built. The new lanes will be laid on the outsides of the freeway and are set for completion sometime in 2023.

It might not yet be visible from your steering wheel because most of the work to date has been 60 feet underground as new support shafts are drilled and filled with steel-reinforced concrete to secure the footing necessary for that third lane in either direction.

The work is being done at the Delaware Street, Lucas Drive and Texas 105 overpasses with Gulf Coast, a division of Texas Materials Group, serving as general contractor.

Foundation Drilling Services is the subcontractor working on the support columns.

In the previous few weeks, the turnaround lane under the Lucas overpass was closed to traffic, but those columns are done, and the contractor is finishing up on the western side of the overpass columns.

As the temperature reached 80 degrees on Wednesday, highway workers will be looking at a rainy mid-50s by Monday.

The widening is divided in two projects. The one from the I-10 interchange to the Lower Neches Valley Authority canal is $31 million.

That is the portion of the project headed by Gulf Coast contractors.

The project the LNVA canal to Tram Road is $22 million and is headed by Angel Brothers contractors.

For motorists heading westbound on I-10 from Beaumont to Winnie, that big-ticket item to rebuild and widen the the highway to three traffic lanes in either direction is $273 million in three separate projects.

One leg, from Texas 73 to Hamshire Road, is $43 million. A second, from Hamshire Road to Farm Road 365, is $102 million. The third, from FM 365 to Walden Road, is $128 million.

Completion also is estimated in 2023. Williams Brothers lead the Texas 73 to Hamshire piece. Johnson Brothers leads the FM 365 to Walden Road piece.

More than 100,000 motorists per day travel in that stretch.

Also estimated for completion in 2023 are the projects in Orange County.

Interstate 10 reconstruction and widening to three lanes from Adams Bayou to the Sabine River will cost $120 million. Williams Brothers is the general contractor.

The turbine project, which will reimagine traffic patterns at the U.S, 69 and Texas 73 interchange in Port Arthur from the current cloverleaf, will cost $70 million and is predicted to be completed in 2026.

The turbine, or spiral configuration, is expected to improve safety and mobility, said TxDOT Beaumont district Spokeswoman Sarah Dupre.

It will add direct connectors, add mainlane improvements, improve frontage roads and ramps, add retaining walls and culverts and widen and replace bridges.

Dupre said TxDOT plans regular communications with area motorists, particularly plant workers who will be most affected.

Currently, there is only preparation work, but people will begin to see actual construction beginning in Spring 2022.

Dan Wallach is a

freelance writer.
A 64-year-old Dallas resident has been sentenced to prison for attempting to smuggle firearms, magazines and ammo, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.

A jury in a Laredo federal court deliberated for about five hours before convicting Jose Rafael Vasquez on July 1 following a two-day trial.

On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Diana Saldana sentenced Vasquez to 63 months in federal prison immediately followed by a three-year term of supervised release.

At the hearing, the court heard additional information, including the fact that the firearms bore decorative handles and were quite expensive, which criminal organizations highly prized in Mexico, the U.S. Attorneys Office said.

Saldana noted Vasquez had also previously purchased a semi-automatic rifle in Garland in 2017, which was later found in Durango, Mexico, after a shootout between Mexican authorities and armed criminal groups. The rifle was traced to Vasquez as the last known legal purchaser.

The case dates back to Oct. 15, 2020. At about 9:32 p.m., Vasquez attempted to exit the United States via the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge while driving a Chevrolet Suburban. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers conducting outbound inspection obtained a negative declaration from Vasquez for weapons, ammo or more than $10,000 in cash.

Vasquez claimed ownership of the vehicle and stated he was traveling from Dallas, Texas to Matehuala, San Luis Potosi, Mexico, state the arrest affidavit.

CBP officers then discovered suspicious bundles zip-tied to the undercarriage of the vehicle. They appeared to contain ammunition. Further inspection revealed three AK-47 rifles, eight semi-automatic handguns of various calibers, 16 handgun magazines and approximately 4,714 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition hidden inside his vehicle.

The defense attempted to convince the jury Vasquez did not know about the items inside the vehicle. They did not believe his claims and found him guilty as charged, the U.S. Attorneys Office said.

Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and CBP conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Francisco J. Rodriguez and David Fawcett prosecuted the case.
The Beaumont Police Department is searching for a man following a fatal crash that killed two teenagers last month.

Antonio De Jesus Delgado, 22, has two warrants for intoxication manslaughter in connection with the major crash that was reported shortly after 2 a.m. Nov. 7 in the 2400 block of South MLK Street.
MOSCOW (AP)  Russia may take unspecified new measures to ensure its security if the U.S. and its allies continue to take provocative action and ignore Moscow's demand for guarantees precluding NATO's expansion to Ukraine, a senior diplomat said Saturday.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov accused Western allies of continuously pushing the envelope in relations with Russia, and warned that Moscow could also up the ante if the West doesn't treat its demands seriously.

Ryabkov's statement in an interview with the Interfax news agency came a day after Moscow submitted draft security documents demanding that NATO deny membership to Ukraine and other former Soviet countries and roll back the alliances military deployments in Central and Eastern Europe  bold ultimatums that are almost certain to be rejected by the U.S. and its allies.

The publication of the demands  contained in a proposed Russia-U.S. security treaty and a security agreement between Moscow and NATO  comes amid soaring tensions over a Russian troop buildup near Ukraine that has raised fears of an invasion. Russia has denied it has plans to attack its neighbor but wants legal guarantees that would rule out NATO expansion and deploying weapons there.

Russian President Vladimir Putin raised the demand for security guarantees in last weeks video call with U.S. President Joe Biden. During the conversation, Biden voiced concern about a buildup of Russian troops near Ukraine and warned him that Russia would face severe consequences if Moscow attacked its neighbor.

They have been extending the limits of what's possible regarding Russia, Ryabkov told Interfax in response to a question about the Western threat of tough new sanctions against Moscow.

But they fail to consider that we will take care of our security and act in a way similar to NATO's logic and also will start extending the limits of what is possible sooner or late, Ryabkov said. We will find all the necessary ways, means and solutions needed to ensure our security.

He didn't elaborate on what action Russia may take if its demands are rejected by the West.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg emphasized Friday that any security talks with Moscow would need to take into account the trans-Atlantic alliance's concerns and involve Ukraine and other partners. The White House similarly said its discussing the proposals with U.S. allies and partners, but noted that all countries have the right to determine their future without outside interference.

Ryabkov said that NATOs moves have become increasingly provocative, describing them as balancing on the edge of war. He added that Russia now wants to hear a Western response before upping the ante.

We don't want a conflict. We want to reach an agreement on a reasonable basis, he said. Before making any conclusions what to do next and what steps could be taken, we need to make sure that the answer is negative. I hope that the answer will be relatively constructive and we engage in talks.

He said that the deployment of NATO's troops near Russia in the Baltic and Black Sea regions have challenged Russia's core security interests, adding that no one should underestimate Moscow's resolve in protecting its national security interests.

Russia annexed Ukraines Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and shortly after cast its support behind a separatist rebellion in the countrys east. More than seven years of fighting has killed over 14,000 people and devastated Ukraines industrial heartland, known as the Donbas.
Charles Sykes/Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

Kangol Kid, a member of the legendary hip-hop group UTFO, has died after a battle with colon cancer. He was 55.

The family of Kangol Kid  whose real name is Shaun Shiller Fequiere  said in a statement that he died peacefully around 3 a.m. Saturday at a hospital in Manhasset, New York. He was diagnosed with cancer in February.
As Texas school districts challenge books for teaching so-called critical race theory, Sen. Ted Cruz has released a how-to guide for conservatives planning to run for school boards. The work outlines how to "fight" against the academic framework from being taught in K-12 education.

The Republican senator recently released his free eBook "Critical Race Theory: A Lecture by Senator Ted Cruz" in collaboration with the Leadership Institute, a nonprofit that trains conservatives for political action. In the 10-page book, Cruz tries to explain what CRT is, where it came from and how to spot the concept in school curricula in order to "argue against [educators] effectively in your own community."

Critical race theory is a graduate-level framework asserting the existence of embedded racism in American institutions, history and the nation's judicial system. Developed in the 1970s and 1980s by scholars, including Harvard Law School professor Derrick Bell, critical race theory is not taught in K-12 schools and is usually reserved for post-graduate programs or law schools.

However, Cruz's book claims teachers unions are pushing the concept in schools and relates CRT to "Marxism," a social, political, and economic philosophy named after Karl Marx, saying CRT is to Marxism "what branches are to a tree trunk." The manual also condemns the novel "How to be an Anti-Racist" by Ibram Kendi as well as the Pulitzer Prize-winning "1619 Project," a series written for a special edition of the New York Times Magazine that aims to reframe U.S. history through the lens of slavery.

According to Cruz, some words for conservatives to specifically look out for are "white privilege," "intersectionality," "systemic racism" and most importantly "equity." While he writes that students should learn about the history of slavery in the U.S., Cruz ends his book with "Together, I think we can defeat Critical Race Theory in our schools and make sure that students learn the true history of America  the story of American greatness."

GOP lawmakers, including Cruz, have frequently targeted CRT. On Sept. 17, Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 3, replacing a previous "critical race theory" law passed in May. The more restrictive and broader law, which went into effect on Dec.2, targets how topics such as race and racism can be discussed in Texas schools.

Cruz has previously espoused his opposition to the discussion of critical race theory. Over the summer in an appearance at the Faith and Freedom Coalition to Majority Conference, the junior senator condemned CRT, calling it "a lie" and "every bit as racist as a Klansmen in white sheets."

"Critical race theory is fundamentally racist and irredeemably racist," Cruz said at the event. "Critical race theory seeks to turn us against each other."
Updated at 12:15 p.m. ET on 2021-12-19

Malaysia on Sunday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Bangladesh to recruit workers to overcome a labor shortage in the country after similar efforts were suspended in 2018.



The memorandum was signed here by M. Saravanan, Malaysias Human Resources minister, and Imran Ahmed, Bangladeshs Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment minister, but was not made public, which worried a migrant rights activist.

The new MoU will be effective for five years until December 2026, Saravanan said in a statement. This MoU, among others, outlines the responsibilities of the Malaysian and Bangladeshi governments, as well as employees and employers and employment agents from both countries.

Saravanan said the MoU would be overseen by a joint working group from both countries.

On Dec. 10, the Malaysian cabinet decided to reopen the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers in several sectors including plantation, production, agriculture, mining, construction and domestic service, among others.



The signing of the MoU is expected to meet the urgent need for foreign employment, including in the plantation sector, which has been approved by the cabinet for 32,000 workers as a special exception, Saravanan said. This is because there are restrictions on the admission of Indonesian workers for the plantation sector until an agreement regarding Indonesian domestic workers is signed.

Shahidul Alam, director general of the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training, attended the signing as a member of the Bangladesh delegation in Malaysia. He said the MoU was a welcome change.

The door that remained shut for so long has opened through the signing of this MoU for a period of five years. This is such wonderful news for both the countries, he told a BenarNews reporter in Dhaka during a phone call from Kuala Lumpur.

Saravanan noted that as of Nov. 30, a total of 326,669 documented Bangladeshi workers were in the country, with the majority employed in the construction sector (136,897), followed by the manufacturing sector (111,694).

No media were present for the signing of the MoU and the Malaysian Human Resources communications officer did not respond to a BenarNews request for comment.

Malaysia suspended the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers in 2018 over allegations of malpractice in the recruitment process including high costs faced by immigrant workers to get jobs.

M. Kulasegaran, who served as Human Resources minister, had said in June 2018 that groups were taking advantage of Bangladeshi workers, according to Malaysias English daily The Star.

This suspension will last until a full investigation has been completed into allegations that a syndicate was operating it as a human trafficking scheme to exploit these workers, he said at the time.

Andy Hall, an independent migrant worker rights activist, lamented the lack of MoU details provided to the media.



Absent so far from todays activities and related public press statements are details about what was actually agreed upon in the MoU negotiations between the two ministers and the actual contents of the finalized MoU and its related protocols, Hall told BenarNews.



This total lack of transparency so far gives the real and present fears of a return to illicit and syndicated recruitment activities that could easily lead to systemic debt bondage and forced labor of Bangladeshi workers newly brought into Malaysia under the new deal.

In July, Malaysia fell to Tier 3, the lowest level, on the U.S. State Departments annual Trafficking in Persons Report based on forced labor concerns.

Housing concerns



Saravanan reminded employers they are required to provide housing for workers, as stipulated in the Workers Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities Act 1990 (Act 446).



This is intended to address elements of forced labor associated with accommodation facilities or employee housing, he said.



Meanwhile, a set of standard operating procedures in four phases, namely pre-departure, upon arrival, quarantine period and post-quarantine, must be met, according to Saravanan.

The pre-departure phase includes complete vaccination against COVID-19 in the source country and testing to be carried out two days prior to departure. The arrival phase requires Bangladesh workers to enter Malaysia through the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

After arrival, foreign workers will be placed in quarantine centers in the Klang Valley for seven days, during which screening tests will be conducted on the second and fifth days of the quarantine period, he said.

In the post-quarantine phase, foreign workers will be brought to their respective workplaces and will undergo a health inspection, Saravanan said.

In 2020, Kulasegaran said Malaysia proposed a zero-cost recruitment agreement for migrant workers from Bangladesh. Employers were to bear recruitment service charges as well as two-way airfare, visa fees, health check-ups and security screenings for foreign workers.

Bangladeshs Alam noted that the MoU signed Sunday covered issues important to Bangladeshis, including transportation being covered by employers.

As a result, the cost of migration will significantly decline, he said.

Shariful Hasan, head of the migration program at BRAC, an international non-governmental organization, said Bangladeshis were interested in the Malaysian labor market because of the similarities in the areas of nature, culture and food.

The two countries have agreed to open the market after almost three years. Its a positive sign and promising aspect, Hasan told BenarNews.

So much is at stake



Hall urged both nations to make public the agreements details.



[This is because] so much is at stake, and so many doubts and so much distrust about the integrity of the process remain, he said.



Alex Ong, coordinator for human rights group Migrant Care, questioned the MoU and said it could have a negative effect on a similar plan being developed with Indonesia.



This MoU is an indication of Malaysias very low transformative political will in achieving higher labor standards, Ong told BenarNews, adding that his group fears increased labor abuses and irregular migration trends.

Jesmin Papri in Dhaka contributed to this report.
An armed policeman stands guard while his colleagues clear a road of debris in Surigao City, Surigao del norte province, on Dec. 19, 2021, days after Super Typhoon Rai devastated the city.

Updated at 11 a.m. ET on 2021-12-19

The death toll in the Philippines from Super Typhoon Rai passed 140 on Sunday as an official reported 74 in his central province alone, and authorities warned the figure could climb higher.

In addition to at least 142 deaths confirmed, 10 people were reported missing and 13 were injured as a result of torrential rain and heavy winds from Rai, known locally as Odette.

Arthur Yap, governor of Bohol province, said 42 of of 48 local government units have already reported as of Dec. 19, 2021, and their breakdown indicates that there were 74 deaths so far.

Reports are partial as communication lines are still down. This is the first time in Bohols history to experience a severe typhoon at signal four, so massive destruction really happened, Yap said, noting that the deaths were verified by the provincial health department and local government units.

The state meteorological agency (PAGASA) uses a five-signal warning system with signal one the least dangerous and signal five the worst.

We cannot survive the next two to three weeks by just waiting for transmission lines to be repaired. This being the case, I am asking for your help to urgently source 15 horsepower single-phase generators so we can distribute them to Bohols 48 local officials for the use of their local water refilling stations, Yap said in a public appeal.

Odette, the 15th storm this year, dumped heavy rain and brought strong winds over large areas around the eastern seaboard of Mindanao in the southern portion of the country. It sliced through the Philippines, reaching super typhoon status by Thursday while ripping roofs from homes, felling trees and toppling power lines.

While Bohol was the focus of operations on Sunday, rescuers were struggling to reach other devastated areas.

Cagayan de Oro city in the south as well as the surfing paradise of Siargao island, where the storm made landfall Thursday, were heavily hit as well. Tourists trapped on the island were asking the governments help for sea travel so they could go home.

In Manila, acting presidential spokesman Karlo Nograles said President Rodrigo Duterte had ordered all government assets be used to expedite relief and rehabilitation efforts.

The presidents directive is to use all government resources to ensure that all goods are delivered as soon as possible, he said. My message to those affected by Typhoon Odette: The government is doing everything it can.

As the whole government acts with dispatch to assist typhoon-affected areas and residents, we call on everyone to pray for those who perished, those who are still missing and those who got injured for their swift recovery. Let us all extend kindness, generosity and compassion to the people who are in need, he said.

Children push a cart loaded with a bottle of water past damaged buildings in Surigao del Norte province, Dec. 18, 2021. [Philippine Coast Guard via AP]

15.9 million

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent said assessment efforts were hampered by the lack of access to many of the affected areas.

Initial estimated number of people living in the affected areas is 15.9 million, of which 9.1 million people are in the worst-affected areas, it said.

Richard Gordon, a senator who serves as the Philippine Red Cross chairman, said about 36,000 families in 720 evacuation centers were being assisted by their agency.

In November 2013, more than 6,500 people died or were missing after Super Typhoon Haiyan walloped the central Philippines, causing massive storm surges that inundated coastal communities.

Haiyan was the strongest storm to make landfall in the Philippines, and five years later many areas are feeling the long-term effects of the devastation.

Mark Navales in Cotabato, Philippines, and Dennis Jay Santos in Davao, Philippines, contributed to this report.
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PITTSFIELD  Demand for coronavirus vaccines and booster appointments has flooded local pharmacies and hospitals in recent weeks as the new omicron variant makes its way through the country.

Holiday testing-site hours Berkshire Health Systems' COVID-19 testing centers in Pittsfield, North Adams and Great Barrington will be open for regular hours most of the holiday season. The Pittsfield and North Adams testing centers will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily during the holidays, including Christmas Eve, New Years Eve and New Years Day, and will be closed Christmas Day. The Great Barrington center will be open its regular hours, 7:30 a.m. to noon Dec. 24 and Dec. 31, but is closed on Christmas Day and New Years Day. Testing centers are located at 505 East St., St. Lukes Square, Pittsfield; 98 Church St., North Adams, next to the city library; and 475 Main St., Great Barrington, next to the Police Department. BHS provides COVID-19 vaccinations, including first and second doses and boosters for all who are eligible, through its testing centers in Pittsfield and North Adams and at Fairview Hospital in Great Barrington. The Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative is planning a second community clinic, with more details to be provided. Appointments are required for testing and vaccination and can be made by using the Berkshire Patient Portal or calling 855-BMC-LINK (855-262-5465).

When calls for appointments became too much, Berkshire Health Systems called on one of the county's stalwarts in its vaccination efforts.

"The hospital actually asked us to run this because they're so swamped at their clinics," said Leslie Drager, lead public health nurse with the Berkshire Public Health Alliance. "They said, 'If you can take some of the boosters off of our plate, we can handle the rest.'"

On Saturday, the Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative hosted its first community vaccine clinic in months, giving shots to about 1,000 people under the light of the Paterson Field House at Berkshire Community College.

Large-scale public vaccine clinics to close for first doses by end of May The Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative will stop offering first dose COVID-19 vaccines at its public clinics in late May, as demand slows for sho

"I think omicron might be the driving force for people to get their boosters," Drager said. "People that were vaccine-hesitant are starting to get vaccinated, and I think it has to do with the same thing  the changes, the variants and increases in transmissibility."

Vaccination rates have ticked up slightly in recent weeks as towns have launched efforts to vaccinate newly eligible children. Data from the state released Tuesday shows that 86 percent of the eligible population in Berkshire County has received one dose of a coronavirus vaccine. About 71 percent of the county's total population is vaccinated fully.

Case rates continue to rise, despite renewed vaccination efforts. On Wednesday, the state's coronavirus report noted that the 14-day daily average case rate for Berkshire County was 63.4 cases per 100,000 people, up from the previous report.

Drager said the clinic reached its capacity right away, filling up almost all of its available appointments before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expanded the eligibility for booster shots to 16- and 17-year-olds Dec. 9.

"As soon as we book a clinic, they always change the rules," Drager said, laughing. "So, now we have a lot of 16, -17-year-olds that need boosters that weren't able to register  we got some, but not a lot."

Are you eligible for a COVID-19 booster shot? Here's how to get one. Need a booster? Pharmacies are your best bet right now. The Eagle has details on who qualifies and where to get a shot.

Maggie Burke, 17, was one of the teenagers who nabbed a slot at the clinic Saturday. She said that as soon as the national guidance changed, she and her family started looking for an appointment. Burke's mother, Kate, said that with Maggie's Pfizer booster shot and her 18-year-old brother's booster appointment later that day, the whole family will have gotten their boosters.

"It feels like, before, you felt safe, but now, especially with the holidays coming up, you just feel totally protected," Maggie Burke said. "And it just really shows you how many people care about being boosted, seeing how many people are here today."

Holiday gatherings were front of mind for many at the clinic, where the atmosphere was closer to that of a festive holiday market than a doctor's office. Nurses, scribes and Medical Reserve Corps members greeted patients in their best holiday sweaters and reindeer antlers.

For Rachel D'avella, a nursing student who on Saturday joined her 9-year-old son, Anthony, at his second vaccine appointment, said that, this holiday season, she is hoping the vaccines can bring a bit more normalcy into her family's life.

"I have a high-risk daughter, so, we've been trying to get everybody vaccinated," Rachel D'avella said. "Hopefully, it'll bring a little more normalcy to our household. Having a high-risk kid has really made the last two years very daunting."

"Now, we have just a little bit more comfort knowing that we've everything we can to protect her and ourselves and everybody else."
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While 2021 was a tough year for many, it still gave us a lot to smile about. It was a year filled with hope, small victories, new and old love and a 100-year-old birthday celebration for our favorite Pittsfield hot dogs.

Here's a look back at the 10 stories that made us smile this year:

(App users, if this story does not load correctly, visit berkshireeagle.com to view.)

'She was easy to buy for'

One of the most poignant profiles we published this year was the story of Albin Rothermel, a retired flooring salesman and recent widower who is looking for a good home for his late wife's lion collection  a collection that boasts over 5,000 pieces he promised not to throw away.

It's the story of Albin and the lion collection, but more, it's the story of Albin and his wife BeBe who met online on a horoscope website in the '90s, and married and settled in Dalton.

The curio(us) case of a big-cat collection in the Berkshires The gentleman from Dalton has a problem on his hands. He refers to it as the lion issue. It might be better for him to explain it.

'We are over the moon'

Can any story sum up 2021 more than this story of area grandparents becoming eligible for vaccinations and finally reuniting with grandchildren after over a year of separation?

'It was really unexpected'

The Clarksburg State Forest fire, the largest in the state in over two decades, had us constantly checking back for updates for a week in May. This sweet story about a fawn rescued by a Savoy firefighter was a brief spot of good news amid the rest.

The fire and the fawn: Savoy firefighter rescues dehydrated baby deer NORTH ADAMS  Francis Levesque was near the top of Pine Cobble, taking a break from fighting the states largest fire in more than two decades

'The numbers tell the story'

Who doesn't love a hometown success story? Wohrle's, of the famous hot dogs, celebrated its 100th anniversary this year. In recognition of the occasion, The Eagle took readers back to the beginning.

If you love Wohrle's hot dogs, be thankful John W. Wohrle jumped off a ship more than 100 years ago ... A look back at the 100 years that shaped Wohrles Foods Inc., which began when John W. Wohrle  a meat cutter from Germanys Black Forest region  first sold frankfurters, sausage and luncheon meats from a horse-drawn cart in Pittsfield in 1921. Today, the business spans four generations and boasts 100 years of feeding Pittsfield, and beyond, high-quality baby frankfurters and meats.

'The heart and soul of Monterey'

"This is what Monterey is all about, said longtime resident Cheryl Zellman. These two have brought us all together. ... Its a beautiful, beautiful thing.' Dave Gilmore and Beth Parks found love at the Monterey Transfer Station. They put out an open invite in the monthly Monterey News, and about 150 people gathered together in September in the pavilion behind the fire station in Monterey to see them tie the knot.

Joined at the waste: In Monterey, a love that can't be discarded Somewhere along the way as they steered Monterey's townspeople toward where to throw the recyclables and where to throw the garbage, Beth Parks and Dave Gilmore fell in love.

'Theres no one who compares to these two'

Michael and Mary June Cancilla met near Christmas, 1946 and hit it off. The couple maintained a romance through letter writing, and were married in 1950. In 2021 Michael Cancilla turned 100 years old  Mary June turned 94 the same day  and are still together 75 years later.

'Just as brutal as I expected'

Sports editor Mike Walsh's funny and poignant first-person account of this year's back-in-person Josh Billings RunAground made us all feel like we were a part of it  from the comfort of our couches.

Mike Walsh | Runner's High: Tin teaming The Josh Billings RunAground a wholly unique experience That was where I had my first real Josh Billings RunAground moment. An Ironman competitor and I were the only ones at Mah-Kee-Nac approaching 6 a.m., and we stood in silence for a stretch, watching the fog rise with the sun off a calm-as-glass Stockbridge Bowl. It was just a fleeting moment, amidst a day of controlled chaos that didn't end until after Mac Jones and the Patriots had milked out the clock on a win over the Jets and my seven-month-old son and I drove around south Berkshire County collecting equipment in the twilight.

'All I had to do is be me'

"An odd thing has happened along the way in Bob Tarasuks simple plan of living happily ever after. He became the muse for a French filmmaker."

Readers loved this profile of a down-to-earth Sandisfield farmer and his journey to the big screen.

How a Sandisfield farmer went from butchering chickens to starring in a film at the Cannes Film Festival An odd thing has happened along the way in Bob Tarasuks simple plan of living happily ever after. He became the muse for a French filmmaker.

'Its been a great life'

Barber Augustine "Gus" Jammalo retired this year, at the age of 87, after six decades of cutting hair  and he's seen it all. He's heard some things too, but he won't be passing those on  your secrets are safe with him.

Final Cut: After more than 60 years of cutting hair, Gus Jammalo is closing up his North Adams shop for the last time After more than six decades of cutting hair in North Adams, Augustine "Gus" Jammalo, 87, is putting down his clippers and is retiring. I love cutting hair," he said. "I love the people. They tell you stories, good stories, bad stories. They died on me. Its been a great life.

'It was a deathtrap'

Remember this feel-good story about how Ari Zorn effected real and positive change for the turtles of Smiley's Pond? "He is known as 'turtle man,' and while he thinks its a little weird, he'll live with it."
Elected district attorneys have unique power in the criminal legal system and our democracy. With that power comes great responsibility. The people that I serve elected me to do more than win at all costs in an adversarial legal system. The role of elected district attorney as a minister of justice calls on my office to exercise our discretion wisely and in the public interest.

Prosecutors have the discretion to use our positions to hold people accountable, to stand up for victims and to extend mercy. As with any exercise of power, integrity is defined as much by the moments you choose not to use it as the moments you do.

The role of district attorney as a minister of justice requires my office to assess each case by considering what risk an individual poses to public safety, what is just in light of community values, the needs of victims and the character of the accused as we seek outcomes that best serve these varied needs. My office is particularly mindful of the devastating impact a history of systemic bias has had on marginalized communities here in Berkshire County when we assess and determine outcomes in our cases.

When I began defending criminal cases here in Massachusetts, I was shocked by how a disproportionately large share of the Berkshire County population was completely left behind. My clients suffered deeply from the impacts of trauma, fear and shame that comes from the inability to pay for lifes necessities, untreated and undiagnosed mental illness and the corresponding ballooning epidemic of substance use disorder. Not only was the court process completely ill-equipped to create a social safety net for my clients, it actually perpetuated a harmful cycle. The shame and stigma that my clients felt while being hauled in front of the court was hard to bear. My clients were defendants one day and victims the next in a system that was equally unkind to both.

I ran for district attorney with the determination to change this narrative. Under my leadership, the Berkshire District Attorneys Office strives to minimize the harm that the criminal legal system can cause to victims, the community and defendants.

One of my top priorities as district attorney has been to protect public safety by focusing prosecution and law enforcement resources on predatory people who commit violent crime. One of the accomplishments that I am most proud of is the collaboration of my office with local and state law enforcement to combat gender-based violence. I use the considerable power of the District Attorneys Office to make a strong statement that violence against women and girls is a crime and as a powerful tool to shift culture. Conversely, my office has extended mercy to thousands of people in Berkshire County who have been charged with low-level, nonviolent offenses in support of my pledge to decriminalize poverty, mental illness and substance use disorder.

In certain classes of cases, the way that my office uses its discretion presents little controversy. The community feels vindicated by prosecuting the murderers, rapists and serial domestic abusers who have preyed upon the innocent. Most of the cases that come before my office, however, require prosecutors to make more nuanced decisions.

State drops charge against man accused of threatening food delivery driver with a knife The state this month dropped a charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon against John F. Lindley, 76, who was accused of brandishing a knife at and threatened to kill the family of a DoorDash delivery driver.

The Berkshire Eagle highlighted this important responsibility of prosecutors when it reported that my office dismissed charges against a 76-year-old man who had no prior criminal record. What was not reported was the totality of the circumstances that give context for our decision to decline prosecution. The charged individual served honorably in Vietnam and was awarded medals including the Combat Veterans and National Defense Award. This veteran is now homebound, blind and suffers from PTSD resulting from his service as well as the devastating health effects of exposure to Agent Orange.

One night, he became involved in a verbal confrontation with a person who was delivering food to his apartment building. The delivery person believed that he had a knife and was terrified. Police responded, and even though they did not find a knife and the victim was unable to describe the knife, the man was charged with assault with a deadly weapon.

The responding officers did the right thing by diffusing an emotional situation and filing charges based on probable cause. Prosecutors have a much different responsibility from the police. The antiquated notion that a prosecutors job is solely to seek convictions regardless of the cost runs completely counter to why our state has elected district attorneys. As ministers of justice for the people, our analysis in pursuing prosecutions goes beyond merely matching up alleged conduct to the elements laid out in the thousands of criminal statutes on the books and pursuing all charges where there is probable cause to do so.

My office reserves the severe punishment of incarceration for those who truly deserve it and pose risks to public safety. We utilize diversion programs and approve resolutions that include community-based rehabilitation programs when doing so is consistent with promoting the health and well-being of the community. We remove the criminal justice process from the picture completely when the system will cause more harm than good.

This strategy is not a hunch or a pilot program subject to evaluation. The Natural Bureau of Economic Research tested this approach and found that defendants who are not prosecuted for misdemeanors are 58 percent less likely to face an additional complaint in the next two years than those who do. The study found that local crime rates declined when prosecutors dismissed low-level crimes outright.

Our prosecution strategy is not just smart. It can literally be lifesaving when misdemeanor cases arise due to poverty, mental health and substance use disorder because court involvement adds further economic obstacles in front of already vulnerable people and, in turn, deepens the kind of misery that undermines safety and justice to begin with. Families and communities are indirectly punished through loss of household income, diminished parenting structures and stress caused by picking up the responsibilities left behind as an individual is incarcerated.

District attorneys who focus on the single splash of prosecution but pay no mind to the ripples it creates for people, families and communities are a threat to more than justice but to safety.

True ministers of justice are in the business of reducing harm, not multiplying it. To do so requires discretion, compassion and strength. Every day, I am grateful for the opportunity to do my part in this work.
The Outlook is today's look ahead at the week's weather, its impact on the Berkshires and beyond. Clarence Fanto can be reached at cfanto@yahoo.com.
BOISE - A recent 92 page report by the Idaho Legislature's Office of Performance Evaluations looked into volunteer providers of Emergency Medical Services. The findings show that EMS in Idaho is widely underfunded, because Idaho does not designate EMS as an essential government service and therefore does not guarantee access for all Idahoans.

The Department of Health and Welfares Bureau of EMS and Preparedness says it has limited authority and capacity to expand its support of local EMS agencies.

Agencies face funding challenges, leading many to rely on volunteers to provide EMS. Inadequate staffing affects patient care because of less advanced training and delayed response times, especially in rural areas.

The state knows little about the extent to which patient care is affected because the Idaho EMS Bureau does not have accurate and complete performance data. In it's recent report, the Idaho Office of Performance Evaluations is recommending that the bureau address data limitations that restrict the ability to increase and target support for staffing issues in an evidence-based manner. The Legislature could then consider support for agency recruitment and retention efforts by providing financial compensation, benefits, and training.

The report found most agencies across Idaho reported inadequate funding, with rural agencies facing the most challenges. EMS expenses include the direct cost of each emergency response and ongoing overhead to keep the operation ready to respond 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. More than half of agency directors responding to a survey reported that they did not have sufficient funding to meet the emergency medical care needs of their community. Agencies reported that in many cases they cannot cover their costs through billing because reimbursement rates are low, some on-site treatment does not qualify for reimbursement, and some treated patients do not have health insurance or the financial resources to pay. EMS agencies must pay for un-reimbursed care to stay financially solvent and not affect services for their community.

Kamiah Fire Chief Bill Arsenault says he is not only concerned over the current needs of his department, but the problems the area's growth will bring if it is not addressed. One of my biggest concerns is the sustainability of a emergency services unit in both the short term and long term path. Take the Kamiah area for example," said Arsenault. "Many people are moving into the Upper Clearwater Valley area. Currently they are an older population living in RVs and fifth wheels hoping to find a home. The areas infrastructure wasnt prepared for it. People seeking all the items that support their needs. Shopping, building, health care and emergency services. We have to find ways to support this growth.

As much as some people want it to stop, it is not going to. We either find ways to at least understand the problems before they get worse and make some changes, or watch it crumple. And when it crumples, peoples lives are changed and not usually in a positive way," said Arsenault.

Although some agencies in Idaho reported sufficient revenue for capital improvement, vehicles, and equipment, many agencies reported increasingly limited options to raise revenue for staffing, especially in rural areas.

According to the report, Idaho has nearly 2,000 EMS volunteers, making up over 40 percent of EMS providers statewide. In rural Idaho, 69 percent of EMS providers are volunteers. The number of EMS providers has not kept up with population growth. Stakeholders reported that recruiting and retaining sufficient staff is one of the biggest challenges for EMS in Idaho. Just 18 percent of agency directors who responded to the survey reported being able to maintain sufficient staff to meet the needs of their community.

The full the Idaho Office of Performance Evaluations report is attached to this story.
Mainly Jem's Birding & Ringing Exploits in the Eastern Province & Ringing Trips to Bahrain
Manitoba Conservation is being accused of using Rambo-like tactics to kill deer in the battle to find chronic wasting disease, by swooping in on the animals in a chopper and shooting them with semi-automatic weapons.

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Manitoba Conservation is being accused of using Rambo-like tactics to kill deer in the battle to find chronic wasting disease, by swooping in on the animals in a chopper and shooting them with semi-automatic weapons.

"Good God, its cruelty," said Randy Chambers, a land owner near MacGregor and member of the local school board, who has been monitoring Manitobas emergency response to the discovery of the disease in October.

Carlie Geres / Facebook Hunters and outfitters across the province are watching the nauseating scenes unfold in YouTube videos posted by a land owner in western Manitoba.

Hunters and outfitters across the province are watching the "nauseating" scenes unfold in YouTube videos posted by a land owner in western Manitoba. Its causing distress and anger and has sparked accusations that Manitoba is mishandling detection and management of the disease.

Chambers says U.S. states such as Montana and Wyoming deal more effectively with it by having hunters shoot deer and keep the meat until testing confirms whether the animal was sick.

The disease affects white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, moose and caribou. It can devastate animal populations but cannot be transmitted to humans.

Chambers says hunters are mortified by the actions of conservation officers, calling their method "a gross demise" for the animals.

He said it would be more humane and efficient to set up bait piles and have officers lie in wait to make clean and humane kills.

In a statement, a Conservation spokesperson said the deer are being shot after the discovery of two cases in that area of the province.

"Based on science and consultation with other jurisdictions, it has been determined that the best chance to reduce the further spread of CWD is to reduce the deer population in the area it was first discovered," the statement said.

"CWD is highly contagious. Without immediate action, CWD could run rampant through the province and have devastating effects to wildlife."

The spokesperson said there is constant communication between ground crews and the helicopters in the air.

"CWD is always fatal, so if it is allowed to continue unchecked, more deer would die a very slow death," the statement said.

"Every effort is being made to retrieve each animal. The team will not leave any deer behind. The whole point of the exercise is to get samples from the area and we need to collect the animal to get a sample."

But Richard Geres, who owns land and hunts in both Saskatchewan and Manitoba, said he believes the effort is a waste of time and resources.

"Its just disheartening to see," said Geres, who lives near the border in Saskatchewan. "Its not what Conservation stands for. It is terrible.

"They fly around and shoot them. We saw them shooting from the ground, but they have two choppers chasing the deer until they can shoot them. If they drop a deer, a guy gets out, gets a sling around the neck, and they take them to another location.

"But they dont get all of them. I saw a dead deer at the edge of the bush. There are no ethical shots being taken."

The Manitoba Wildlife Federation, which represents hunters in the province, could not be reached for comment.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
Wesfarmers chief executive Rob Scott has moved to quell concerns within the powerful pharmacy lobby about its planned $765 million takeover of the Priceline chain, warning a competing bid from its historic rival Woolworths could be anti-competitive and threaten the industrys community-based model.

In a letter sent to the president of the Pharmacy Guild, seen by The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, Mr Scott expresses confidence that his retail conglomerate will be successful in its pursuit of Priceline owner API, and also committed to support the community pharmacy model. The model involves strict ownership and location rules dictating who can own a pharmacy and exactly how far a new pharmacy can be established from an existing one.

Mr Scott also made reference to Woolworths competing offer for Priceline, which has raised alarms among some pharmacists due to the supermarkets lobbying in the early 2000s to allow it to operate pharmacies in its stores. Supermarket ownership of API is not in community pharmacists best interests, Mr Scott said in the letter. [We] have heard direct concerns recently about the competition issues associated with supermarket ownership of API.

Wesfarmers boss Rob Scott has appealed directly to the head of the countrys powerful pharmacy lobby. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

Wesfarmers, which owns the Bunnings and Officeworks retail chains, first made an offer to acquire API in July for $1.55-a-share. It appeared to be in pole position until Woolworths made a higher, $1.75-a-share offer earlier this month. Wesfarmers already owns 19 per cent of API and has said it will vote against Woolworths offer.
A philosophical Bob Hawke speaks to the media after being defeated in a challenge by Paul Keating Credit:Staff photographer He said in a letter to the caucus chairwoman, Mrs Carolyn Jakobsen, that it was now evident he faced a challenge before the Parliament rose. I believe, in these circumstances, that it is in the interests of the party and the Government that this issue be resolved at the earliest reasonable opportunity and in the least disruptive manner. Mr Hawke was conceding privately that he faced defeat but lobbying continued. With defeat hanging over him, Mr Hawke faced a rugged question time and a censure motion in the House of Representatives. Mr Keating indicated that he would take his time in reshuffling the Ministry. He left open the question whether the recently appointed Treasurer, Mr Willis, would be moved. He ruled out a spill of the whole Ministry. Mr Hawke said he needed time to consider his future. He did not say whether he would quit Parliament. He said he would be happy to give Mr Keating the benefit of his views if he wanted them.

Mr Keating said one of his important tasks would be to restore unity and harmony to the Government. It would be futile to deny the recent past has been a somewhat traumatic experience for all of us. He promised no recriminations. Over the holidays he will consult colleagues on proposals to put to Cabinet to start 1992 with a cohesive and comprehensive plan to push Australia ahead. The Opposition Leader, Dr Hewson, said Mr Keating would be a more unpopular leader than Mr Hawke and would take the ALP to inevitable defeat. In international reaction, the British Prime Minister, Mr Major, sent congratulations to Mr Keating and commiserations to Mr Hawke. A Japanese Government spokesman wished Mr Hawke well and expressed hope that relations between the Pacific partners to develop further with Mr Keating. Mr Hawke maintained to the end that he would have been a better bet for the 1993 election than Mr Keating. He said he had declined to accept the advice of some of my dear friends to stand down because he thought he had the better chance of leading Labor to victory and because the leadership was a decision the party had to take.

He said he believed he was leaving the country a profoundly better place than the one he inherited in 1983. He emphasised that no one is more deeply hurt than I am at the current level of unemployment. Loading Mr Keatings victory is a culmination of a long struggle for the prime ministership, which destroyed the successful Hawke-Keating partnership that was the backbone of the Government for most of its time. In June, Mr Hawke held off a challenge from Mr Keating by a comfortable margin. But he was vulnerable to destabilisation and harmed by mistakes  his own and those of close colleagues. Yesterdays ballot followed a war of nerves in which Mr Hawke was the one who finally made the move. Mr Keating had been unwilling to challenge without being sure of the numbers, but would probably have been pushed into it if Mr Hawke had not called for a vote.

Mr Keating has been in Parliament since 1969. He was Treasurer throughout the Hawke Government until he quit after his unsuccessful June challenge. The Prime Minister-elect told a news conference last night: Bob and I conducted a Government that contained two leaders. But time tells. It told on both of us in our work, in our relationship. He said Mr Hawke had been a great leader of the Labor Party and had an electoral record I will never match. Mr Keating declined to go into details of what changes he would make in economic policy. All options, including monetary policy, would be on the table. He pointed to a speech he gave in Melbourne some weeks ago which called for more stimulation of the economy to lift Australia out of recession, as indicating his ideas. Asked about the promise he made to caucus members to abolish the $2.50 Medicare co-payment, Mr Keating would not go into detail but said he wanted to speak first to his ministers. The Government leader in the Senate, Senator Button, a Keating backer who this week urged Mr Hawke to stand down, said last night that the Government had to make some significant changes to deal with the serious economic situation the country was in.
More patients will be treated in their own homes as the health system braces itself for an increase in COVID-19 cases and the challenge of having to quarantine infected staff.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Monday announced an additional $200 million to bolster the system for the expected Omicron wave. The funding will include support for out-of-hospital care and virtual-care hubs, IT platforms and Health Direct.

Chief Health Officer John Gerrard says Omicron is now the dominant COVID-19 strain in Queensland. Credit:Dan Peled/Getty Images

Ms Palaszczuk also announced former Metro North health boss Shaun Drummond had been lured back from the consultancy sector to take on a newly created role of chief operating officer.

I believe its going to give that extra firepower to (Queensland) Health, Ms Palaszczuk said.
Regional health services will provide boosters to Melburnians on holidays, and they are increasing coronavirus testing capacity as they brace for the Omicron variant to spread throughout coastal communities.

The holiday peak looms as a major test for Victorias regional health system, with many Melburnians expected to seek out boosters during their summer break after the federal government cut waiting times from six to five months after the second shot.

Barwon Health South West Public Health Unit director Eugene Athan says the service is preparing to offer boosters to people from Melbourne during the summer break. Credit:Jason South

Coastal health services are already feeling the pressure of holiday crowds, with an outbreak connected to a schoolies gathering at a pub in Torquay reaching 39 cases this week.

Some parents are also expected to seek vaccinations for their children, while away on holidays, when coronavirus immunisations open next month for children aged five to 11.
At the last federal election in 2019, one in four Australians cast a first-preference vote for a minor party or independent. Over the past decade, this number has gradually climbed as voters slowly erode the two-party system that has governed Australia in the post-war era.

Australians will again head to the polls next year and it is likely the major party vote will continue to fall. There is real likelihood that Australia will once again find itself with a hung parliament and minority government. Unlike in 2010, where the election outcome and hung parliament came as a surprise, many political commentators have this time recognised the potential influence that independent MPs might hold after the election.

Independent Allegra Spender, left, kicks off her campaign for Wentworth with her sister, fashion designer Bianca Spender. Credit:Jessica Hromas

So feverish is the speculation, that it prompted the crossbench MPs and high-profile candidates to declare they are yet to pick a winner  that is to say, theyre not telling the Australian people who they would back to be our prime minister in the event of a hung parliament.

This should be of concern to every Australian. The independent class of 2022 are running on three issues  climate change; integrity in politics; and gender equity. These are worthwhile matters, and are important to many voters, but they are merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the issues confronting any federal government. Issues of national security, economic recovery, support for small business and manufacturing, investment in health and education and ensuring a strong retirement for seniors are of equal or greater importance to many.
Premier Dominic Perrottet has put his stamp on the NSW government ahead of the 2023 election, increasing the number of Liberal women in his new cabinet by one and elevating nine first-time ministers in a major reshuffle.

As the state battles the highest number of COVID-19 cases of the pandemic, Mr Perrottet said his new cabinet was the best team to lead NSW out of the situation and take it to the next level.

Premier Dominic Perrottet joined by new members of his ministerial team to announce the new candidate for Strathfield on Monday. Credit:Anna Kucera

Long-serving Health Minister Brad Hazzard will stay in his portfolio but in one of Mr Perrottets most significant changes, the police portfolio will return to the NSW Nationals.

Police Minister David Elliott will take on the politically fraught portfolio of transport, which has been plagued with problems in the new ferries as well as the cracked inner west light rail.
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CHENNAI (Reuters) - Indian police detained scores of people for blocking highways in a protest against food poisoning incident at a India unit, which makes iPhones for Apple Inc, a police official said on Sunday.

More than 150 employees at Foxconn's production unit in southern India were hospitalised after a bout of food poisoning at Foxconn's dormitories, where a majority of its staff lives.

Food poisoning sparked protests by workers and their relatives, who blocked a key Chennai-Bengaluru highway for several hours, said a police official said.

"Nearly 70 women and 22 men have been detained since Saturday for blocking highway," the official said.

did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Sudarshan Varadhan; Writing by Rajendra Jadhav; Editing by Michael Perry)

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Around 159 workers were admitted to hospital due to food poisoning at iPhone assembly firm Foxconns hostel in Sriperumbudur.

The district administration told Business Standard that a committee, including representatives from employees, was set up to look into the situation. Based on the report by the committee and the lab report, further action will be taken, even as around 92 workers were detained for protesting. As on Sunday, except for one patient, all the 158 others were discharged.

The hostel kitchen was closed and further action against the contractor, who manages the accommodation and food, or the company will be taken after receiving the lab report. On Saturday, the Chennai-Bengaluru highway was blocked by women workers of the unit for almost 16 hours, after a buzz that some of the affected 256 employees lost their lives. According to media reports, 92 were detained for blocking the highway on Saturday.

We had closed the kitchen on the first day itself and food and water were supplied from outside. In the medical camp, 260 people showed symptoms. Now, only one person is in the hospital. A contracting agency was managing the food and accommodation. We have set up a committee to look into it and the future course of action will be taken depending on the findings, said Alby John, Tiruvallur collector.

has reportedly 5,000-7,000 workers in the unit. Once lab results on food are out, we will take appropriate action, John added. officials were not available for comment. Protests started from December 15, but spread after the authorities failed to convey the health status of those affected.
As many as 55 fishermen were arrested and 8 boats seized by Sri Lankan Naval personnel on Sunday, an official here said. Chief Minister M K Stalin spoke to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar over phone and requested him to take immediate steps to get the over 50 fishermen and their 8 boats released from Sri Lanka. "The Union Minister assured immediate action," an official release in Chennai said.

Soon after the apprehension of 43 fishermen and seizure of 6 boats from Rameswaram, 12 other fishers of Mandapam area were also subsequently taken into custody. The 2 boats of Mandapam fishermen were also seized, the official said.

Demanding their immediate release, the fishermen association here said it would stage a protest on Monday and announced launch of an 'indefinite strike' as well. Fishermen departed on December 18 from here in over 500 boats and were fishing off Katchatheevu island when 43 of them were arrested and six boats seized early on Sunday, the Fisheries department official said. Following their arrest, they were taken to Kangesanthurai camp in the island nation, a fishermen association leader and authorities said. Ramanathapuram MP, K Navas Kani spoke to union ministers and urged them to take immediate steps for the release of the fishermen and their boats.

(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.)
Despite the fact that India gained Independence from British colonial rule 14 years before Goa, India never forgot and never forgot India, Prime Minister said on Sunday.

The Prime Minister also harked back to history to underline the spirit of oneness in India, which achieved Independence in 1947 and which was eventually liberated after 451 years of Portuguese rule by the Indian armed forces on December 19, 1961.

Modi was addressing a gathering in Goa on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the state's Liberation, after paying tribute to slain freedom fighters, who were martyred during independence struggle.

"I was observing the martyrs memorial at the Azad maidan (in Panaji). It has been modelled in the shape of four hands coming together. This is proof of the fact about how people from all corners of India came together and joined hands (to free Goa)," Modi said.

"Goa had been conquered by the Portuguese at a time when the Moghul empire ruled another part of the country. Since then the country has witnessed so many political storms. How many times did power change hands. But despite the passage of time and changes in power, Goa did not forget Indian nor did India forget its Goa. It is a relationship which has become stronger with time," Modi said.

The Prime Minister also recounted efforts made by the Maratha rulers, namely Chhatrapati Shivaji and his son Sambhaji to take on the Portuguese domination of Goa, while also mentioning the rebellion of the Cuncolim villagers in 1583, when they took on the might of the Portuguese colonists.

Modi also said that freedom fighters from the rest of India could have hung up their boots and rested on their laurels after India obtained Independence, but lauded their drive and initiative to free Goa from Portuguese rule.

"The country became independent before Goa. Most people of India had got their rights. Now was the time for them to live their own dreams. They had options to pursue governance and power. They could have accepted honours and positions. But so many freedom fighters gave up on all this and continued to struggle and sacrifice themselves for Goa's freedom," Modi said.

"The people of Goa also did not stop agitating for freedom and independence. They kept the flame of freedom burning bright for the longest period in India's history. This is because India is not just about political power, India is that thought, a family which protects human rights," the Prime Minister said.

Modi further said that 'Bharat' was a belief where the nation comes before self, above everything else. "...there is only one chant. 'Nation First'. Where there is only one resolve, 'One Bharat, Shrestha Bharat'," Modi said.

The Prime Minister also recounted the names of leading freedom fighters for their invaluable contribution to the liberation of Goa, which includes Luis de Menezes Braganza, Tristao Braganza da Cunha, Julio Menezes, Purushottam Kakodkar, Laxmikant Bhembre, Bala Raia Mapari, "So many of our freedom fighter continued agitating after independence. They suffered, they sacrificed, but did not let the movement stop," Modi said.

The Prime Minister also made a mention of freedom fighter late Mohan Ranade, who he said had continued to languish in prison even after the state's Liberation from colonial yoke.

"Remember Mohan Ranade, who was sentenced to prison for fighting in Goa's freedom movement. He was made to suffer in prison for years. Years after Goa's Liberation, he still had to languish in prison," Modi said.

"For a revolutionary like Ranade, Atal ji raised his voice in the Parliament. So many leaders from the Azad Gomantak Dal gave everything they had for the Goa freedom struggle," the Prime Minister also said.

--IANS

maya/skp/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India's Omicron COVID count rose to 151 on Sunday after Maharashtra reported six more cases while a 45-year-old NRI and a teenage boy, who recently arrived in Gujarat from the United Kingdom, also tested positive for the variant.

According to central and state officials, omicron cases have been detected in 11 states and union territories -- Maharashtra (54), Delhi (22), Rajasthan (17) and Karnataka (14), Telangana (20), Gujarat (9), Kerala (11), Andhra Pradesh (1), Chandigarh (1), Tamil Nadu (1) and West Bengal (1).

Six persons tested positive for the Omicron variant of in Maharashtra on Sunday, raising the state's tally of such cases to 54, the health department said.

While two of these patients had a history of travel to Tanzania, two others had returned from England and one from the Middle East. All five of them are fully vaccinated.

Another patient is a five-year-old boy from Junnar in Pune who is a close contact of Dubai travellers from Junnar, it said in a statement.





"Total six cases were diagnosed today - four of them found during the airport screening in Mumbai. One of these four patients is from Mumbai, two from Karnataka and one from Aurangabad," it said.

Out of 54 cases in the state, 22 have been found in Mumbai.

In Gujarat, a non-resident Indian tested positive for the infection in the RT-PCR test carried out at the Ahmedabad international airport soon after he arrived from the UK on December 15, a health department official said on Sunday.

"The man's sample was later found infected with the Omicron variant," Anand district health officer Dr M T Chhari said.

He was scheduled to reach the state's Anand city from Ahmedabad.

"But, after he tested positive for the coronavirus, he was taken to the Ahmedabad civil hospital from the airport. The patient is currently recovering at the Ahmedabad civil hospital," Dr Chhari said.

His co-passengers and other contacts have tested negative for the viral infection, the official said.

A 15-year-old boy from Gandhinagar was also detected with the Omicron variant after returning from the UK, Gandhinagar Municipal Commissioner Dhaval Patel said.

On Saturday, Maharashtra had reported eight more cases, Telangana's tally jumped from eight to 20, while Karnataka and Kerala reported six and four cases respectively.

Of the six cases reported in Karnataka on Saturday, one was a passenger from the UK, while five others were from COVID-19 clusters in two educational institutions in Dakshina Kannada district, officials had said.

While Omicron was first reported in South Africa on November 24, India's first two cases of the this heavily mutated version of the were detected in Karnataka on December 2.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India's Omicron COVID count rose to 145 on Sunday after a 45-year-old NRI and a teenage boy, who recently arrived in Gujarat from the United Kingdom, tested positive for the variant.

According to central and state officials, omicron cases have been detected in 11 states and union territories -- Maharashtra (48), Delhi (22), Rajasthan (17) and Karnataka (14), Telangana (20), Gujarat (9), Kerala (11), Andhra Pradesh (1), Chandigarh (1), Tamil Nadu (1) and West Bengal (1).

On Saturday, Maharashtra had reported eight more cases, Telangana's tally jumped from eight to 20, while Karnataka and Kerala reported six and four cases respectively.

In Gujarat, the non-resident Indian tested positive for the infection in the RT-PCR test carried out at the Ahmedabad international airport soon after he arrived from the UK on December 15, a health department official said on Sunday.

"The man's sample was later found infected with the Omicron variant," Anand district health officer Dr M T Chhari said.

He was scheduled to reach the state's Anand city from Ahmedabad.

"But, after he tested positive for the coronavirus, he was taken to the Ahmedabad civil hospital from the airport. The patient is currently recovering at the Ahmedabad civil hospital," Dr Chhari said.

His co-passengers and other contacts have tested negative for the viral infection, the official said.

A 15-year-old boy from Gandhinagar was also detected with the Omicron variant after returning from the UK, Gandhinagar Municipal Commissioner Dhaval Patel said.

Maharashtra on Saturday reported eight new infections of the Omicron variant of which took the total of such cases in the state to 48, the health department said.

Twenty-eight of these patients have already recovered or have been discharged after testing negative for COVID-19 in subsequent tests, it said.

Of the six cases reported in Karnataka on Saturday, one was a passenger from the UK, while five others were from COVID-19 clusters in two educational institutions in Dakshina Kannada district, officials had said.

In Kerala, the two cases of the new variant of the were detected from Thiruvananthapuram in patients aged 17 and 44. One case was detected in Malappuram in a person aged 37 and another was a 49-year-old patient from Thrissur district.

While Omicron was first reported in South Africa on November 24, India's first two cases of the this heavily mutated version of the coronavirus were detected in Karnataka on December 2.

(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.)
As the port city of Durban eases into South Africas annual summer holiday season, scientists at a virology laboratory at the Africa Health Research Institute are working around the clock.



The discovery of the Covid-19 variant by South African and Botswanan scientists last month has lent urgency to efforts to isolate the virus and test its ability to evade vaccines the world is pinning its hopes on to end a two-year pandemic.





Alex Sigal, virologist, in a laboratory at the African Health Research Institute (AHRI) in Durban, | Bloomberg

The goal is to figure out what happened? How does it happen? What can we do to decrease it, said Alex Sigal, 51, who runs the lab that was the first to isolate the beta variant, the Covid-19 strain thats been most successful in getting past inoculations. We then figure out a way to quickly adjust our responses, he said.

South African labs have been critical to combating the Theyve identified two of the five so-called variants of concern and trained scientists from across the continent on how to gene sequence to spot and track variants.

Sigals lab was the first to test against blood plasma from people whod received two doses of the shot produced by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE. It also updated a paper that hypothesizes that variants may develop in immuno-suppressed people whore unable to easily shake off the virus, allowing it to mutate.

To many outside medical science circles, the role South Africa-based scientists have played in fighting the pandemic has come as a surprise. But with an HIV epidemic, the worlds biggest, nearing its fourth decade and hundreds of thousands of people infected with tuberculosis, has been a magnet for the scientists from around the world who track the pathogens that kill us.

The country has set up a network of seven genomic surveillance labs with one at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases and six at academic institutions.





Technicians wearing full body protection suits work inside a biosafety level 3 Covid-19 research laboratory at the African Health Research Institute (AHRI) in Durban, | Bloomberg

Sigal is Israeli-Canadian and a few floors below his lab in an eight-floor glass and face brick building is Krisp, a gene-sequencing laboratory whose Brazilian head, Tulio de Oliveira, announced omicrons discovery to the world.

Theres a lot of technical capacity in South Africa to do genomic sequencing of pathogens because weve built up that expertise over many years for HIV and TB,  said Richard Lessells, a Scottish infectious diseases specialist at Krisp. Very early on in the pandemic, we recognized that genomic sequencing and genomic surveillance was going to be very important.

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With the onset of that has meant sleepless nights for many of the scientists.

Ive been working to get the Pfizer vaccine efficacy study ready, said Sigal, who becomes animated when he watches a time-lapse video of the omicron variant attacking cells. I worked through the night.

Sigals lab has made another important contribution to the countrys ability to monitor changes in the pandemic. When Covid hit, getting supplies across borders became tricky.

The scientists quickly realized they couldnt get cells in which to culture the virus, so they made their own line from human lung cells that had first been engineered by Sigal while completing his doctorate. This cell line, known as H1299-ACE2, is now being used widely in South Africa in various Covid-19 tests, including omicron.

Omicron hit South Africa first and so far theres much to be concerned about. The variant appears to be much more transmissible than earlier variants with daily cases hitting a record this week. Still, hospitalizations and deaths, so far, are substantially lower than in previous waves.

While foreign scientists have flooded into South Africa to tackle the diseases that weigh on a country that straddles the first and third worlds, local talent is robust and developing rapidly.

Sandile Cele, a 33-year-old from a small village near Durban, is part of Sigals team of seven scientists who culture cells, spin out plasma and wash test plates. In all, the Africa Health Research Institute, founded in 2016, has 550 students, staff and scientists.

TB, HIV



It was quite challenging to suddenly switch from TB and HIV to coronaviruses, said Cele, who like most of the team is a graduate of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, about two miles from where he works.





Sandile Cele, laboratory supervisor, at the African Health Research Institute (AHRI) in Durban, South Africa | Bloomberg

But now with the emergence of new variants there is pressure, Cele said. For omicron especially were expected to give answers. Everyone has been looking in our direction.

While Sigal and his team are now focused on omicron, their aim is to help end the pandemic by getting ahead of a virus that rapidly mutates -- a task that wont be easy.

We need to start by understanding how these variants evolve and in doing more surveillance, he said.
New Delhi [India] December 19 (ANI) Intellectual Property (IP) protection and enforcement, standards, tariffs on several products, and data protection are among the key issues that would dominate the (FTA) talks between India and the United Kingdom (UK), which are set to being early next year.

Talking to ANI, Managing Director of UK India Business Council Kevin McCole said there is a strong political will and desire from the two countries to conclude a comprehensive as soon as possible.

McCole said UK India Business Council has identified key areas of concern of the business community that needs to be addressed during the talks. "During the last summer, we conducted a round table. We engaged with around 200 business leaders. A number of priority areas came up," McCole said in a virtual interview from London.

He said business leaders of both the UK and India want a defined standard of rules for trade and investment. "Having defined standards is very important. If we have a defined standard it will become easier for the Indian companies to export to the UK, and the UK companies to export to India."

McCole said custom procedures and tariff rates on some products, notably, automotive and automotive components and Scotch Whiskey are among the major concerns of UK businesses doing trade with India.

"On automotive components, India increased tariffs from 7.5 per cent to 15 per cent in 2020. Those tariffs are cost to UK exporters and Indian importers," he said. Tariff on UK-made Scotch Whiskey stands at around 150 per cent. Another area of concern is the ban on the sale of UK-made Scotch Whiskey in CSD canteens, which are operated by the Indian Armed Forces.

When asked about the ideal rate of tariffs on these products, McCole said: "I don't want to give a number, but there should be a parity."

McCole said Intellectual Property (IP) protection and enforcement regime, and data protection are other major areas of concern of UK businesses. "One major area of concern that comes up time and again is data protection rules. The future trade is going to be data-driven. It's going to be technology-driven. I think it's going to be the main driver of trade in the decades to come," he said.

India and UK announced their intention to have a comprehensive during a virtual summit held in May 2021 between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Boris Johnson. During the May summit, the two countries agreed on a preliminary "Enhanced Trade Partnership" deal and start the FTA negotiation "in the autumn".

However, the formal FTA negotiation between the two countries has not started yet.

Following the Prime Minister level summit in May the two countries started the "pre-negotiation". It was led from the Indian side by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and from the UK side the then British Secretary of State for International Trade Liz Truss.

However, the negotiations got delayed after Truss was replaced by Anne-Marie Trevelyan. In September, there was a change in the UK cabinet. Truss was appointed Foreign Secretary, while Trevelyan took charge as Secretary of State for International Trade.

Speaking at the 94th annual convention of industry body FICCI on December 17, India's Commerce and Industry Minister Goyal said the negotiations on the free trade agreement between India and UK would start in January 2022. Earlier this month, a UK government spokesperson also announced that the two countries would start the FTA negotiations early next year.

Asked about the expected timeframe to conclude the FTA deal, McCole said: "There seems to have political will and commitment from both the governments. Negotiating teams are in regular contact. Momentum is there, and I hope the momentum further picking up in the new year."

McCole expressed hope that the issues of the business community of the two countries would be addressed through strong political will and commitment for the deal expressed by the Prime Minister of the two countries.

India and UK share strong economic engagements. Merchandise trade between the two countries stood at USD 15.45 billion in 2019-20 with the trade balance in favour of India.

UK is the 6th largest inward investor in India, after Mauritius, Singapore, Netherlands, Japan, and the US with a cumulative equity investment of USD 28.39 billion (April 2000-June 2020), accounting for around 6 per cent of all foreign direct investment into India.

India invested in 120 projects and created 5,429 new jobs in the UK to become the second-largest source of foreign direct investment after the US in 2019, according to the UK Department for International Trade (DIT) inward investment statistics for 2019-2020.

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Sporadic incidents of including hurling of bombs at two booths and skirmishes between political workers marred an otherwise humdrum polling to the Municipal Corporation (KMC) as 63.37 per cent of the nearly 40.5 lakh voters exercised their franchise till 5 pm on Sunday, when voting ended.

While the State Election Commission and the police described the as "peaceful", the opposition BJP demanded cancellation of the "violence-marred polls".

Two incidents of hurling of crude bombs were reported in Kolkata's Sealdah and Khanna areas. Police contingents were rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control.

"A total of 63.63 per cent of total votes were polled till 5 PM. Polling has by and large been peaceful barring a few incidents," State Election Commissioner Sourav Das said.

The final voter turnout will be available on Monday as there were still people in queue to vote at 5 PM when the polls ended, SEC officials said.

Although the SEC claimed that only one person was injured, police said three people were injured in the bomb attacks, one of them losing a leg.

Police said that 72 people had been arrested for disturbing the peace during the polling period.

Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said if any ruling party leader was found involved in during the polls, strict action would be taken "within 24 hours".

"We don't support any form of violence, and strict action will be taken within 24 hours if any TMC leader is found to be stopping the process of free and fair polls. I would request the media to come out with related footage and evidence (if available)," he told reporters after casting his vote.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her happiness over people taking part in the "festival of democracy."



"People are voting as if a festival is going on. In a democracy, an election is a mass festival. So people are voting, we are happy about it," she said.

Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar said that his security personnel stayed outside the booth when he went to cast his vote during the polls in adherence to an order of the state election commissioner.

He said peaceful polling with no fear in voters' minds and the absence of interference of the state apparatus is at the heart of any election process.

"My security personnel adhered to the order issued on Saturday night State Election Commissioner Sourav Das allowed the facility to only two persons -- Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee," he said.

"I had called Sourav Das twice and tried to impress upon him that polling should be held peacefully and without fear, and the administration should not interfere in any manner in this," Dhankhar said.

The opposition BJP and the CPI(M) alleged that the TMC has forcibly stopped opposition booth agents from entering polling centres in several wards, a charge that the ruling party termed as "baseless".

CPI(M) activists staged a road blockade in Bagha Jatin area, alleging that their polling agents were not allowed inside the booths.

The BJP state leadership announced that it would conduct peaceful demonstrations against " and malpractices" in the polls.

Leader of the opposition Suvendu Adhikari who led a delegation of BJP MLAs to meet Governor Dhankar, demanded "cancellation of the entire poll process" as the election has been turned into a farce by the ruling dispensation.

Former mayor and senior TMC leader Firhad Hakim dismissed the allegations as "baseless and politically motivated".

"The BJP knows they will face defeat in the So, they are now making such excuses. The have been very peaceful, barring few small incidents," he said.

Before this, high drama was witnessed outside a Salt Lake area residence where Adhikari was holding a meeting with party MLAs, after the Bidhannagar city police cordoned off the entire area and stopped him from leaving for Raj Bhawan, where he was scheduled to meet the Governor.

"The police of this TMC government didn't allow me to leave. We were illegally kept under house arrest. I condemn it. Later they allowed," he said.

Reacting to allegations, Hakim said, "none of these leaders are residents of So they will not be allowed in the city as per the rules on a polling day."



He said the BJP is falsely claiming the opposition leader, and 20 others are under house arrest. Some BJP MLAs also claimed that the gates of the MLA hostel in Kolkata were locked.

"We will stage peaceful sit-in demonstrations across the state against the ongoing violence (in the KMC polls). The way looting of votes took place with the active help of state administration is shameful for our democracy. This is the reason we had asked for central forces to ensure free and fair polls," BJP state spokesperson Shamik Bhattacharya said.

Echoing the BJP's allegations on violence, Left Front Chairman Biman Bose said the Left would organize a two-day long demonstration across the state from Monday.

In ward no. 22, BJP's sitting councillor and former deputy mayor of Kolkata, Mina Devi Purohit, alleged that she was attacked by TMC activists, which the ruling party denied.

In ward no. 45, Congress alleged the TMC has brought in fake voters and a scuffle ensued between workers of both the parties.

The grand old party alleged that Amitabha Chakraborti, the election agent of Congress councillor Santosh Pathak, was beaten up by TMC activists inside the booth.

In the Jain School booth of the ward, clashes were reported between TMC and Congress activists inside the booth. The police later brought the situation under control.

The TMC, during the run-up to the KMC polls, had warned party candidates against using force during the civic polls and said that those found to be involved in violence would be thrown out of the party.

Meanwhile, In an attack on a section of state BJP leadership, party's Rajya Sabha MP Rupa Ganguly on Sunday said there could be some truth behind rival charges that "money changed hands" while fielding some candidates from her own party for the Kolkata Municipal Corporation polls.

Voting began at 7 AM in 4,949 polling centres, strictly adhering to COVID-19 protocols amid tight security. A total of 40,48,357 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise to seal the fate of 950 candidates in the fray.

The SEC has declared 1,139 of the 4,949 polling centres as "sensitive".

A total of 23,500 Kolkata Police personnel have been deployed across the city, and route marches and area domination exercises were conducted in various parts of the metropolis, an officer of the force said.

He said that more than 200 police pickets have also been set up at crucial points across the city.

The ruling Trinamool Congress is fighting to retain the civic board for the third consecutive term, while the BJP will contest CPI(M) to secure the second position. The TMC had swept all the 16 assembly segments in the metropolis in this year's assembly elections.

The counting of votes will take place on December 21.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Pakistani (LeT) terrorist was killed in an encounter with security forces in Harwan area of the city in the early hours of Sunday, police said.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Harwan following specific input about the presence of terrorists in the area, he said.

The search operation turned into an encounter after terrorists fired upon the forces, who retaliated.

In the ensuing gunfight, a terrorist was killed, the official said.

The slain terrorist was identified as Saifulla, resident of Pakistan.

"Killed #terrorist identified as Saifulla @ Abu Khalid @ Shawaz, resident of Karachi (#Pakistan), affiliated with proscribed #terror outfit LeT. He infiltrated in 2016 & was active in general area of Harwan & involved in several terror crimes," Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said on Twitter.

He said three Pakistani terrorists have been killed in city in the last 33 days.

"They were involved in several terror crimes including attacks on Police/SFs & civilian killings. It shows that Pakistan is hell-bent on disturbing peace in Valley especially in City," the IGP Kashmir said.

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Industry body PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) on Saturday emphasised on the need for the Centre's continuous handholding of the economy to mitigate the uncertainty caused by the looming impact of new Covid variant

"Although the resilience of Indian economy is very strong and we expect a double digit GDP growth in 2021-22 on the back of effective policy measures undertaken by the government, we still have to mitigate the uncertainty caused by the looming impact of Omicron," PHDCCI said in a statement.

Out of the nine lead economic and business indicators of QET (Quick Economic Trends), tracked PHDCCI, six have shown uptick for November 2021, as compared with seven out of 10 indicators showing the uptrend in October 2021.

"Unemployment, exchange rate, manufacturing PMI, GST collections, exports and E-way Bill registered a positive growth in November 2021. Exports registered a positive growth of 27 per cent in November 2021, increasing from $23.6 billion in November 2020 to $30 billion last month," the industry body said.

Besides, GST collections registered a y-o-y growth of 25 per cent from Rs 104,963 crore in November 2020 to Rs 131,526 crore in November 2021.

"E-way Bills have shown y-o-y growth 5.9 per cent in November 2021, increasing from 57.7 million in November 2020 to 61.1 million in November 2021," it said.

As per the statement, unemployment declined sequentially by 9.7 per cent in November 2021, from 7.8 per cent in October 2021 to 7 per cent last month.

"Exchange rate appreciated by 0.6 per cent from average of Rs 74.9 per US dollar in October 2021 to Rs 74.45 per US dollar in November 2021. The sequential growth of manufacturing PMI increased by 3 per cent in November 2021, from 55.9 points in October 2021 to 57.6 points last month," it said.

However, forex reserves registered the decline of (-)1 per cent, decreasing from $642 billion in October 2021 to $638 billion in November 2021.

Similarly, the S&P BSE Sensex (monthly average) declined by (-)2 per cent in November 2021 from 60,422 in October 2021 to 59,416 last month.

"Passenger vehicle sales registered decline of (-)19 per cent in November 2021 from 2,64,898 units in November 2020 to 2,15,626 last month," the statement said.

According to Pradeep Multani, President, PHDCCI, supply side issues such as high input prices, shortage of raw materials, among others, are impacting the production possibilities and reducing the price cost margins of the producers.

"At this juncture, there is a need to address the high commodity prices and shortages of raw material to support the consumption and private investments in the country," the statement said.

--IANS

rv/arm

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To quickly detect Covid-19 positive cases and slow the virus' spread in case of a possible surge due to the variant, India must increase its use of Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT, which take 30 minutes or less), in addition to the "gold standard" RT-PCR tests, research shows.

RATs can help improve access to testing, without ramping up RT-PCR capacity, help identify more positive cases, at a lower cost, and help better handle a possible third wave, shows a project by teams from the Max Institute of Healthcare Management at the Indian School of Business and health nonprofit PATH, funded by the Rockefeller Foundation. The results are from a model-based analysis which uses data from news reports and government portals. The study also includes learnings from pilot projects in Maharashtra and Punjab between April and September 2021.

The research compared several different combinations of RT-PCR and RAT tests and found that it was cheaper, faster and effective if all Covid-19 suspects were first given the RAT test and only those who were symptomatic and still tested negative on the RAT were given the RT-PCR. Using this strategy when testing capacity is overwhelmed across the country or in localised hotspots, and in rural areas where RT-PCR testing capacity is lower, can help India control a surge quickly.

In the second Covid-19 wave, India faced challenges in testing. As of June 2021, towards the end of the second wave, India had conducted 294 tests per 1,000 population, compared to 1,416 tests per 1,000 population in the US and 2,800 tests per 1,000 population in the UK. In India, some people with symptoms of Covid-19 were unable to get tested in the second wave because of a shortage of tests and staff to carry out the tests, we had reported in April 2021. In rural areas, infrastructure to test did not exist, we had reported in August 2021.

In a potential third wave, ramping up test capacity would present similar challenges, addressing which would need development of new labs or installation of additional machines, which is difficult due to resource constraints. Even if that were possible, the turnaround times for tests would continue to stay high. RATs could be used in such a case to quickly detect positive cases, research shows.

How accurate are rapid tests?

Like the RT-PCR test, antigen testing looks for the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the body. In an antigen test, a swab is taken from a person's nasal cavity and it is tested to detect fragments of proteins which are found on or within the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The RT-PCR tests look for genetic material of the virus, we had reported in August 2020.

To know how good tests are, researchers look at two characteristics: One is the sensitivity of the test or the likelihood that the test will pick up a positive sample. The second is the specificity of the test or the likelihood that a negative sample will be classified as such.

RT-PCR tests have high sensitivity (around 95%) and specificity (almost 100%) with a processing time ranging from three to six hours, and they need additional time and resources for sample transportation and reporting test results.

RATs typically detect the presence of viral particles in the sample within 30 minutes with high specificity (nearly 100%) but low sensitivity (50%90%), depending on the antigen test kit used. So RATs would miss out on more positive cases than RT-PCR tests.

RAT and RT-PCR combination detects more cases

High-frequency mass testing using low-sensitivity tests (such as RATs) and reducing turnaround time even by a day or two can improve the epidemiological impact of testing, show studies from India, France, the US and Italy.

Going forward, India could rely on a combination of both tests, based on the scenario of disease spread in the country, the research team from ISB and PATH concluded. For instance, if there are very few cases and the spread is slow, and the aim is to identify every positive case, using RT-PCR tests would suffice. But in case of a surge, such as during the second wave, a combination of both testing techniques would help identify more cases. Similarly, a combination would work better for localised hotspots or sudden surges. RATs would also help in testing in rural and remote locations where RT-PCR capacity is low.

"We are not using Rapid Antigen Tests enough," said Gautam Menon, a professor of physics and biology at Ashoka University. "They detect Covid-19 at the point when you are most likely to infect others," he said, adding that RT-PCRs might sometimes be too effective and give positives even when a person is past being infectious.

The researchers from ISB and PATH also conducted diagnostic demonstration studies or pilots in Ahmednagar in Maharashtra, and in Mohali in Punjab. For this, the testing ecosystem was created by the public health department, which provided the space and laboratory technicians for testing. PATH trained these technicians and gave technical assistance, test kits and confirmatory diagnostic technologies. The demonstration studies used existing RT-PCR capacity--roughly 600 tests per day per lab.

They compared four different combinations of RATs and RT-PCRs.

Twelve times the number of people can be tested by the RAT+RT-PCR, as compared to using RT-PCR in 70% of tests, and six times the baseline, the researchers found. It can also prevent excessive burdening of the labs by selectively utilising the limited RT-PCR capacity only for those individuals who are symptomatic and test negative on the RAT and not for all suspects.

The RAT+RT-PCR combination has a sensitivity of 77.8%; that is, it detects 77.8% of positive cases, compared to 81.9% in the baseline. Despite this reduction in sensitivity, this algorithm can find more positive people--close to eleven times--compared to using RT-PCRs 70% of the time, and more than five times compared to the baseline. Test sensitivity improves to 81.9% by using newer generation RAT kits, the research found.

"You can compensate for the lower sensitivity of RATs by testing more," Menon said.

A higher proportion of people in the RAT-RT-PCR combination receive a confirmed diagnosis within one hour--94.4%--instead of 30% in the 70% RT-PCR algorithm and 66% at baseline.

"In a hotspot, RATs help you eliminate those who don't have the virus and quickly detect those who do," said Menon. This is important to control a surge, he explained, in contrast to what had happened in Delhi, for instance, during the second wave, when RT-PCR results would take three to four days.

RT-PCR tests and RATs cost Rs 500 and Rs 150 each, respectively (according to previous studies and field experts who conducted the pilots). The cost per person tested reduces to Rs 178 in the RAT+RT-PCR algorithm, compared to Rs 395 in the 70% RT-PCR algorithm and Rs 268 at baseline.

Some variations of the RAT+RT-PCR algorithm, such as conducting the follow-up RT-PCR test for all RAT-negatives instead of just symptomatic RAT-negatives, and directly testing everyone using RT-PCR, result in worse performance--they found a lower number of positives and reduced access and affordability.

India's testing strategy

As of August 2020, 85% of the tests in India were reportedly by RT-PCR. The Indian government does not provide updated disaggregated data for testing by different methods. A press release from November 2020 had said that 46% of tests were conducted using RT-PCR while 49% used RATs. We have reached out to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for disaggregated data on testing, and will update the story when they respond.

In March 2021, the central government urged states to conduct at least 70% of overall testing by RT-PCR. Then, in May 2021, the ICMR suggested that RATs be used to support limited testing capacity overburdened by the second wave and be ramped up across health facilities and through testing booths at community centres and offices. The short turn-around time of 15-30 minutes "offers a huge advantage of quick detection of cases and opportunity to isolate and treat them early for curbing transmission", the ICMR said.

The ICMR guidelines from September 2020 asked that RATs be preferred for routine surveillance in hotspots and those who are symptomatic but negative on the RAT, be re-tested with the RT-PCR.

We have reached out to the ICMR and the MoHFW to ask for their view on ramping up RAT testing in times of a surge and will update the story when we receive their response.

There is no standardised testing strategy across states and states can decide their own strategy, and different districts, even in the same state, may have different rules for how these tests are used. For example, in one of the demonstration exercises in the research project, the testing facility was dependent on RAT because they did not have enough RT-PCR tests.

In general, availability of resources and prevailing norms within the state were determining what was followed in practice, the research found. Another factor was the preference of beneficiaries--those being tested might prefer the RT-PCR over a RAT.

Challenges in RAT testing

Though a combination of both kinds of tests would be more effective than one kind alone, implementing such a combination would be challenging. For instance, health facilities would have to ensure that all suspects receive a RAT, and follow up on those who are symptomatic but get a negative result for a RAT test.

More personnel (laboratory technicians and data entry operators) who are well-trained in infection prevention practices would be required at RAT centres to ensure coordination with the RT-PCR labs. For this, a dual swab collection strategy where two samples are collected--first sample for RAT and second for RT-PCR--from the same suspect may help, the researchers observed based on the pilot studies.

Additionally, all health facilities should have a high quantity of RATs to ensure that all suspects are able to get screened through RAT. Moreover, labs would require the newer RAT test kits that have higher sensitivity, which may take longer to procure.

Also, this algorithm might not work for all situations. For example, if the focus of a state is on avoiding missing any positive cases, rather than simply finding more positive cases, implementing an alternative algorithm having an almost perfect sensitivity would be a better choice for that state. The World Health Organization does not recommend RATs when Covid-19 transmission is low.
A man hailing from Uttar Pradesh was beaten to death after he allegedly attempted to commit inside the sanctum sanctorum of the in Amritsar on Saturday evening.

The incident took place when the man jumped golden grills inside the sanctum sanctorum, picked a sword and reached near the place where a Sikh priest was reciting the holy Guru Granth Sahib.

The man was caught by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee task force members.

When he was being taken to the SGPC office, the angry crowd thrashed him badly that later led to his death.

Deputy Commissioner of Police P S Bhandal said the man, hailing from UP, was around 30-year-old and his antecedents were being verified.

All CCTV cameras were being checked to know when he entered the and how many people were with him.

After the incident, a large number of Sikh devotees and various Sikh outfits slammed the SGPC for its laxity.

A heavy police force has been deployed around the SGPC complex at Teja Singh Samundri Hall in order to maintain law and order.

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has arrested a senior scientist, working at the Defence Research Development Organisation(DRDO) for carrying out a blast at Court in the national capital, affirming there was no 'terror plot' linked to the incident, an official said on Saturday.

Terming the act as a murder bid, Commissioner Rakesh Asthana, in a media briefing, said that the scientist namely Bharat Bhushan Kataria, a resident of Ashok Vihar, Delhi was arrested and during interrogation, he admitted before the police that he planted the improvised explosive device (IED) to eliminate a lawyer.

Bharat Bhushan planted the IED at a place where the lawyer was likely to sit, as he was "highly frustrated due to the protracted legal battles which were causing problems in his career as well as prolonged mental harassment and monetary loss to him and his family".

Incriminating material and the attire of an advocate, used in the incident, have been recovered from the residence of the accused, Asthana said.

On December 9, a low-intensity blast ripped off inside courtroom number 102 of court complex at around 10.30 a.m. injuring one person present within the blast radius.

This was second such incident at court complex in the past three months.

Sensing the gravity of the situation, the case was handed over to the anti-terror unit of

Preliminary findings of NSG and FSL indicated the use of easily available materials to fabricate IED. Components of the IED were identified from debris and 'exhaustive' efforts were made to track the source of all such components.

Police began its probe by verifying the CCTV footage of the court complex.

"The special cell had to analyse over 100 CCTV cameras that were installed in and around the court premises. They also examined over 1000 cars that had entered the court in the past few days before the blast," the senior official said.

Voluminous telephonic data relevant to crime was analysed. Based on CCTV footage and eyewitness accounts, several persons present in the court complex were identified and verified.

During the investigation, the name of one Bharat Bhushan Kataria, resident of Ashok Vihar came up as a person of interest. His case was listed for hearing on the day of the blast. His opposite party, Advocate Amit Vashistha was seated in the row next to which the IED exploded. Advocate Amit Vashistha also witnessed Bharat Bhushan being present in court just before the blast.

During CCTV analysis, Bharat Bhushan Kataria was found entering the court on the day of the incident at 09:33 a.m. He was dressed in a black coat and trousers to appear like an advocate. He was carrying a bag in his hand and a laptop bag on his back.

He was seen entering and leaving through multiple gates, trying to weave an evasive pattern. He was seen entering the court from gate no. 7 and concealing the bags at a location inside the court premises and leaving from same gate. He then entered via gate no. 8 and retrieved the two bags he had concealed. He was seen in various cameras inside the main court building. He finally left in a hurry at 10:35 a.m. from gate no. 8 with a laptop bag on his back, while the second bag was not with him.

A search of his house has revealed several incriminating pieces of evidence.

Several file covers, identical to those which were present in the bag which was used in the blast, similar screws that were used as shrapnel in IED and remnants of the black adhesive tape used in fabricating the IED have been recovered from his house.

Attire used by the accused to enter the court complex (Black Coat and trousers) has also been recovered from his house. Some incriminating documents and other electronic devices including laptops and mobile phones have also been seized for further investigation.

From the investigation conducted so far, it has emerged that Bharat Bhushan and Advocate Amit Vashistha were living in the same building till about 3 years ago. They have a long-standing dispute of over 10 years and have filed over a dozen civil and criminal cases against each other.

One such case against Bharat Bhushan was listed on 09.12.2021 in Court No. 102 of the Rohini Court. Bharat Bhushan reached the Rohini Court,and went inside the courtroom no. 102 at about 10:15 a.m. and searched for advocate Amit Vashistha. He noticed the advocate is sitting on a chair in the back row. He placed the bag containing the IED behind the lawyer and triggered the IED from a safe distance with the remote.

At 10:35 a.m., he walked out from the court complex from Ring Roadside and went back home in his Ertiga car.

Linking small clues to bigger evidence, the police finally reached the conclusion and arrested the senior scientist in Delhi on Friday.

"The probe is still going on but after preliminary investigation, we can confirm that there was no terror angle to this crime," the official said.

The Rohini Court has been in limelight for the past two months after two back-to-back attacks that have raised several questions on the security arrangements at the court premises.

Even local courts have several times come down heavily on the security scenario at the Court.

Earlier on September 24, in an incident that seemed ripped from a Bollywood potboiler, top Delhi gangster Jitender Singh Mann, alias Gogi, was shot dead in Rohini Court by two assailants dressed in lawyers' garb.

--IANS

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: The Centre is yet to respond to some of the issues such as setting up Judicial Infrastructure Corporation and financial help to lawyers who lost livelihood due to COVID-19, NV Ramana said on Sunday here.

Inaugurating the court complex, Justice Ramana said though the proposals for setting up a Judicial Infrastructure Corporation and mobile internet facilities in rural areas were sent in July and June, the



proposals have not been translated into action.

He however, said he was hopeful that the Centre would bring in a legislation in the ongoing winter session of Parliament for creating the Judicial Infrastructure Corporation.

"I asked the Centre to financially help families of lawyers who lost their livelihood due to Covid. There is no proper response from the government so far. With regards to creation of Infrastructure there is no response either. I raise these issues whenever I get a chance at various forums when the Prime Minister and President are present," Justice Ramana vented his dissatisfaction.

In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju recently said a proposal has been received from the (CJI) for setting up a Judicial Infrastructure Authority of India for arrangement of adequate infrastructure for courts.

"The three main issues in the country are lack of basic infrastructure, to increase the number of judges and financial help to deserving lawyers. Only when we overcome these problems can we reach out to people. There would be a meaning to "access to justice," he said.

For piling up pending cases, not only the shortage of judges is the reason, but also necessary infrastructure. Without providing necessary infrastructure expecting judges and lawyers sitting in



dilapidated court buildings to deliver justice is not fair. Governments, especially the centre should note this, he further said.

Justice Ramana said he wrote a letter to the centre and the Law minister seeking setting up mobile network on vans to facilitate lawyers in the rural areas to attend court duties virtually.

According to him, though lawyers who can afford and in cities and towns will be able to attend court through video conferencing, advocates in rural areas and who cannot afford the network would eventually lose their profession.

"If necessary, the government can rope in big corporate to set up network stations under corporate social responsibility funds so that they can attend court duties virtually. The suggestion so far has not translated into action. I am waiting for the government to do something about it," the CJI said.

He said many states in the country are shying away from allocating funds to build court complexes. He however appreciated the Telangana government for sanctioning funds to build a complex here without waiting for the central government amounts to come.

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The Tamil Nadu health department has written a letter to the Union health ministry requesting mandatory Covid-19 tests for all the international travellers arriving at the four airports in the state -- Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, and Tiruchi.

After the outbreak of the Omicron variant of Covid in various countries, the Union health department had said that tests for passengers arriving from 'at-risk' countries were mandatory. For those coming from the 'not- at- risk countries, only two per cent random tests were to be conducted.

However, after the passengers from not-at-risk countries were also tested Omicron positive, the state health department in a high-level meeting of doctors and officials decided that tests be conducted on all international passengers arriving in the state.

The Directorate of Public Health (DPH) and Preventive medicine has requested the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to issue guidelines regarding the mandatory tests for all international passengers and a seven-day compulsory quarantine for all passengers who test Covid-19 negative and a re-test on the eighth-day of arrival.

The health department has requested the Union health ministry for mandatory Covid-19 tests after a person, who had arrived at Chennai international airport from Nigeria -- a not-at-risk country, had tested positive for Omicron variant. There were also travellers reported from not-at-risk countries like Turkey, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, and Dubai, found to be carrying the S- gene droplets when their samples were tested and this is considered as a characteristic feature of the Omicron variant.

The state health department also found that of the 28 international passengers who had S- gene droplets in their test reports, only four were from countries at-risk while the rest 24 were from countries not-at-risk.

Tamil Nadu Health Minister, Ma Subramanian while speaking to IANS said, "We don't want to take any risks and hence this letter to the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry to conduct mandatory tests for all the passengers coming into the country from international destinations. Hence, we want no passenger to go out in the society without undergoing any tests."

--IANS

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The four labour codes on wages, social security, industrial relations and occupation safety, health and working conditions are likely to be implemented by the next fiscal year as at least 13 states have pre-published draft rules on these laws, a senior official said.

The Centre has already finalised the rules under these codes and now states are required to frame regulations on their part as labour is a concurrent subject.

A senior official said that the four labour codes are likely to be implemented by the next fiscal year.

"The four labour codes are likely to be implemented in the next financial year of 2022-23 as a large number of states have finalised draft rules on these. The Centre has completed the process of finalising the draft rules on these codes in February 2021. But since labour is a concurrent subject, the Centre wants the states to implement these as well in one go," the official said.

Union Labour Minister Bhupender Yadav in a reply to the Rajya Sabha earlier this week had said that the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code is the only code on which the least number of 13 states have pre-published the draft rules.

The highest number of draft notifications are pre-published on The Code on Wages by 24 states/UTs followed by The Industrial Relations Code (by 20 states) and The Code on Social Security (18) states.

In his reply to the Upper House, the minister explained that labour is in the Concurrent List of the Constitution and under the Labour Codes, rules are required to be framed by the central government as well as by the state governments.

The central government and some of the States/UTs have pre-published rules under the four labour codes. The central government is pursuing with the remaining state governments to frame the rules under all four Codes, he had said.

The central government has notified four labour codes, namely, the Code on Wages, 2019, on August 8, 2019, and the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, the Code on Social Security, 2020, and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 on September 29, 2020.

However, the Centre as well as states are required to notify rules under the four codes to enforce these laws in respective jurisdictions. Under the Codes, the power to make rules has been entrusted to the Central Government, State Government and appropriate Government and there is a requirement of publication of Rules in their official Gazette for a period of 30 or 45 days for public consultation.

As per the minister's reply, draft rules are pre-published by 24 states on The Code on Wages.

These states are Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Odisha, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Tripura, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Goa, Mizoram, Telangana, Assam, Manipur, UTs of Jammu and Kashmir, Puducherry and GNCT of Delhi.

Similarly, the 20 states which have pre-published draft rules on The Industrial Relations Code are Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Odisha, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Tripura, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, Manipur, Assam, Goa, UTs of Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry.

As many as 18 states have pre-published draft rules on The Code on Social Security. These states are Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Assam, Gujarat, Goa and UT of Jammu and Kashmir.

As many as 13 states have pre-published draft rules on The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code. These are Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Punjab, Manipur, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh and UT of Jammu and Kashmir.

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India seeks to work with Central Asian nations to help provide aid to and ensure a more representative government is in place there, India Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Sunday.

Our concerns and objectives in that country are similar, Jaishankar told his counterparts from Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyz Republic and Uzbekistan at the India-Central Asia Dialogue in New Delhi. We must find ways of helping the people of 

The Indian minister listed the needs for an inclusive government in Afghanistan, fighting terrorism and drug trafficking, providing unhindered humanitarian assistance and preserving the rights of women, children and minorities as priorities for the Asian neighbours. New Delhi has so far held only one formal meeting with the Taliban group since its takeover of earlier this year.

The Indian government is concerned about how Taliban rule could impact security in the region, especially in Indias restive northern state of Jammu and Kashmir. New Delhi, which invested $3 billion in Afghanistan, has been expanding its ties with energy-rich Central Asian nations.

New Delhi has also backed regional infrastructure projects including the North-South corridor that includes highways and railways connecting Chabahar port in Iran with Russia to reduce the time of shipments between Europe and central Asian markets.

National security advisers of all the five Central Asian countries along with Iran and Russia last month attended regional talks on Afghanistan hosted by India. Of the central Asian nations, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan share borders with Afghanistan.
If not at rocket speed, the government should speed up considerably the measures to activate the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) -- the regulator for private players in the space sector -- and man it with people from outside ISRO, said space sector officials in the private and government sectors.

They said the government should come out with various sectoral policies so that there is clarity for the private players.

As a part of opening up the space sector, the Indian government has constituted IN-SPACe as an autonomous agency in the Department of Space (DOS).

The government has also announced Pawan Kumar Goenka, former Managing Director, Mahindra & Mahindra, as the Chairman of IN-SPACe.

The IN-SPACe will be the regulator for private players in the space sector. It will also enable usage of Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) facilities by them.

"The IN-SPACe should definitely be working faster and the same is expected of the agency. It is said that there are numerous proposals waiting in the pipeline, without communication. This is leading to a delay in various timelines and expectations from the private start-ups," a top official of a space start-up told IANS preferring anonymity.

"It is only with time that the private entities would get clarity on what to exactly expect from IN-SPACe, as and when there are entities establishing collaborations," the official added.

Another top official of a private start-up told IANS: "What we expect is our programme shouldn't be delayed due to regulatory roadblocks. We are sure IN-SPACe is being established at the optimum speed possible."

Officials in the private sector space industry also said there should be a start-up representative on the IN-SPACe board.

Industry officials also told IANS that the government should create an appellate forum for grievance redressal similar to the telecom sector.

"Test facilities for the private sector to be made available on equal priority as approved government missions. Single window clearance without needing approvals from other ministries and time bound action by IN-SPACe," they added as their expectations.

"The constitution of the IN-SPACe Board has been approved and the establishment of various directorates to support the activities of IN-SPACe is under process," Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh told Parliament recently.

"On the manning of IN-SPACe, many officials of are being posted there. The IN-SPACe should bring in people from outside to give a broader perspective," a senior official in the government space sector told IANS preferring anonymity.

According to the sector officials, the roles and responsibilities of and IN-SPACe should be clearly spelt out.

On the policy front, the government has come out with drafts of the Spacecom Policy 2020, Remote Sensing Policy of India 2020 and National Geospatial Policy 2021.

The government has to come out with its revised foreign direct investment policy for the sector and also pass the Space Activities Bill in Parliament.

"All draft policies have been liberal and forward looking," Pawan Kumar Chandana, CEO and Chief Technology Officer, Skyroot Aerospace, told IANS.

Skyroot Aerospace is developing rockets for putting the earth observation satellites into orbit.

"The draft regulations seem fairly promising in terms of easing access to the market and actually opening up the space for private players," said Denil Chawda, Co-Founder & CTO, GalaxEye Space Solutions Pvt Ltd, that is developing satellites.

Conventionally, data obtained from satellites passes through several regulatory agencies for various reasons. As of now, there is limited clarity on the process to be followed with the newer policy in place, said Pranit Mehta, Founding Member and Vice President, Business Development GlaxaEye Space.

"Further, this would be the first time that private entities would own and operate satellites, and sell data to the world. There are still several factors to be thought of, that might only come with time, as and when the Indian Ecosystem grows and expands," Mehta said.

Agreeing with the need for separate policies for different aspects of the space sector, Mehta added: "Start-ups in this sector don't follow a conventional journey. Various differentiating factors include time to market, capital requirement, facilities for end-to-end development, space grade electronics and others. Policies specific to space start-ups will allow for ease of access to all kinds of resources, be it financial, mechanical or human resources."

(Venkatachari Jagannathan can be contacted at v.jagannathan@ians.in)

--IANS

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The jute sector has suffered a notional loss of Rs 1,500 crore due to dilution of 4.81 lakh bales of hessian bag orders in favour of plastic materials for foodgrain packaging during the ongoing season, industry sources said on Sunday.

The dilution was witnessed despite the support of the Centre and the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal, a major jute producing state, they said.

"In November and December, there was a dilution of 4.8 lakh bales of jute bags as millers were not able to supply that quantity of packaging material. This resulted in an estimated loss of Rs 1,500 crore," an industry source told PTI.

The Narendra Modi government had, in November, approved reservation norms for mandatory use of hessian sacks in packaging for the jute year 2021-22.

The norms provide for 100 per cent reservation of foodgrains and 20 per cent of sugar to be compulsorily packed in jute bags.

The Centre decided to protect the interest of domestic raw jute producers, after the West Bengal government had requested it not to dilute the mandatory packaging order, another industry source said.

However, the Standing Advisory Committee on packaging of foodgrains in jute bags had recommended dilution of the order.

"The PM and the CM have extended full support but the problem is with the ceiling price of raw jute which is the major bottleneck to increase production of the packaging material," a miller said on condition of anonymity.

Elaborating on the problem that mills are facing, he said, the prevailing market price of raw jute is around Rs 7,200 per quintal, while the Jute Commissioner's Office had imposed a ceiling price of Rs 6,500 per quintal for sourcing the raw material for mills.

"We are unable to procure the raw material at the fixed price, and thus production and supply of the hessian bags got hampered," he said.

Jute mills were supposed to supply 2.50 lakh bales of bags in November and 2.31 lakh bales in December but they failed to do so as there was chaos in the market over fixing of raw jute price, the sources said.

The total annual purchase of jute bags by the Centre and the state agencies is around Rs 12,000 crore.

Currently, the running price of one bale of gunny bags (1 bale is equal to 500 jute bags) is around Rs 31,000.

Indian Jute Mills Association revised its supply commitment from 16.25 lakh bales to 13.5 lakh bales for Rabi marketing season 2022-23, as the raw material issues may further affect production of mills, the sources said.

The Jute Commissioner's Office, however, has allayed fear of any crisis and pointed out that there is no shortfall in the production.

The government has already started buying jute bags for Rabi crops but there was a backlog of 3 lakh bales, which was supposed to be supplied for the Kharif season before November 1, an IJMA official said.

During the 2022-23 season, millers can supply up to 28.5 lakh bales, while the total annual jute bag requirement of the government will be around 45.88 lakh bales, of which 26.8 lakh bales are meant for rice and 19.08 lakh bales for wheat, they said.

According to an expert committee, the raw jute production is pegged at 85-90 lakh bales during the year. Jute mills are expected to consume 70 lakh bales, while industrial consumption would be around 10 lakh bales and exports are likely to be two lakh bales.

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Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor will be on a two-day visit to Goa ahead of assembly polls in the state.

He will land at Dabolim Airport on December 21 and will address a public meeting at Bandodkar Ground in Panaji at 5 pm.

Kejriwal will also hold a press conference at Cidade, Goa at 5 pm on December 22.

Goa assembly polls are scheduled to take place in early 2022.

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Central Information Commission dismissed an appeal seeking disclosure of reports submitted by State Bank of India to the Centre and Reserve Bank of India, regarding sale and encashment of electoral bonds in 2018 which are withheld by on grounds of personal information held in fiduciary capacity.

Nearly, three years after an appeal was filed with the Central Information Commission (CIC), the highest adjudicator of RTI matters, Information Commissioner Suresh Chandra noted that there appears to be "no public interest" in further prolonging the matter as there is no substance in the appeal calling for



intervention by the Commission.

"The Commission after adverting to the facts and circumstances of the case, hearing both the parties and perusal of records, feels that due information has been given to the appellant," he said.

The case pertains to an RTI application filed by activist Venkatesh Nayak seeking denomination wise details of electoral bonds sold by State Bank of India (SBI) in March and April 2018, total number of buyers, application forms submitted for buying the bonds, reports submitted by to (RBI) and the government on sale and encashment of bonds, in his eight pointer application.

The provided the data on electoral bonds sale through various branches, but did not give details on application forms submitted for purchase of the bonds and the reports submitted by the bank to RBI and the government, citing two exemption clauses -- information being held in fiduciary capacity and information being personal in nature -- to deny the information.

Nayak approached the CIC in 2018 with his appeal against the SBI's denial of information.

He argued that the Electoral Bonds Scheme, 2018 was not a legislation duly enacted by parliament or any state legislature.

It was merely an instrument brought into existence by the Government of India in exercise of the powers conferred on it by subsection(3) of Section 31 of the Act, 1934 (2 of 1934), he said.

He cited the reply of SBI on his query on the methodology applied by the bank to ascertain whether or not a political party redeeming electoral bonds with any of authorised branches had secured at least one per cent of the votes polled during the last round of general elections, as required under the scheme.

The SBI had said it referred to Election Commission of India (ECI) website to prepare the list based on votes polled for the party in last election.

Nayak, in between, had also filed another RTI application before ECI which said they do not compile such information.

He alleged that the reply given by the SBI was misleading.

"The appellant (Nayak) reiterated that there were sufficient public interest grounds to require the disclosure of the information, to ensure transparency of action in order to make the government and its instrumentalities accountable to the governed," Chandra noted in his order.

After three hearings, Information Commissioner Chandra agreed with SBI, saying the bank emphasised that the Supreme Court had already seized of



the matter relating to the scheme and had refused to stay the said scheme vide their order dated March 26, 2021, and since there were no specific directions to make the information public, the said scheme continued to be valid and continued to cast an obligation and duty on the respondent to maintain confidentiality and not to disclose information with respect to contested points of the application.

"The authorities have claimed exemption by virtue of the provisions under section 8(1)(e) (fiduciary) and (j) (personal) of the RTI Act. The claim of the respondent has been buttressed by the law laid down by the Supreme Court in K S Puttaswamy case," Chandra said while dismissing the appeal.

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Sporadic incidents of violence including hurling of bombs at two booths marred an otherwise humdrum polling to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) as 63.37 per cent of the nearly 40.5 lakh voters exercised their franchise till 5 pm on Sunday, when voting ended.

Two incidents of hurling of crude bombs were reported in Kolkata's Sealdah and Khanna areas. Police contingents were rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control, a State Election Commission official said.

"A total of 63.37 per cent of total votes were polled till 5 PM. Polling has by and large been peaceful barring a few incidents. Two incidents of hurling of crude bombs outside polling centres were reported," he said.

Although the SEC claimed that only one person was injured, police said that three people were injured, with one of them losing a leg.

Police said that 72 people have been arrested so far for disturbing the peace during the polling period.

Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said that if any ruling party leader was found to be involved in violence during the polls, strict action will be taken "within 24 hours".

"We don't support any form of violence, and strict action will be taken within 24 hours if any TMC leader is found to be stopping the process of free and fair polls. I would request the media to come out with related footage and evidence (if available)," he told reporters after casting his vote.

Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar said that his security personnel stayed outside the booth when he went to cast his vote during the polls, in adherence to an order of the state election commissioner.

He said peaceful polling with no fear in the minds of voters and absence of interference of the state apparatus are at the heart of any election process.

"My security personnel adhered to the order issued on Saturday night State Election Commissioner Sourav Das allowed the facility to only two persons -- Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee," he said.

"I had called Sourav Das twice and tried to impress upon him that polling should be held peacefully and without fear, and the administration should not interfere in any manner in this," Dhankhar said.

The opposition BJP and the CPI(M) alleged that the TMC has forcibly stopped opposition booth agents from entering polling centres in several wards, a charge that the ruling party termed as "baseless".

CPI(M) activists staged a road blockade in Bagha Jatin area alleging that their polling agents were not allowed inside the booths.

The BJP state leadership announced that it will conduct peaceful demonstrations across the state in protest against "violence and malpractices" in the polls.

"We will stage peaceful sit-in demonstrations across the state against the ongoing violence (in the KMC polls). The way looting of votes took place with the active help of state administration is shameful for our democracy. This is the reason we had asked for central forces to ensure free and fair polls," BJP state spokesperson Shamik Bhattacharya said.

Former Kolkata mayor and senior TMC leader Firhad Hakim dismissed the allegations as "baseless and politically motivated".

"The BJP knows they will face defeat in the So, they are now making such excuses. The have been very peaceful, barring few small incidents," he said.

In ward no. 22, BJP's sitting councillor and former deputy mayor of Kolkata, Mina Devi Purohit alleged that she was attacked by TMC activists, an allegation that the ruling party denied.

In ward no. 45, Congress alleged the TMC has brought in fake voters and a scuffle ensued between workers of both the parties.

The grand old party alleged that Amitabha Chakraborti, the election agent of Congress councillor Santosh Pathak, was beaten up by TMC activists inside the booth.

In Jain School booth of the ward, clashes were reported between TMC and Congress activists inside the booth. The police later brought the situation under control.

The TMC, during the run-up to the KMC polls, had warned party candidates against using force during the civic polls, and said that those found to be involved in violence would be thrown out of the party.

"The incidents of hurling of crude bombs and violence in some areas prove that TMC's instruction to its candidates was just on pen and paper and nothing was implemented on the ground," CPI(M) leader Sayandeep Mitra said.

TMC leader Partha Bhowmick dubbed the allegations as baseless and said "polling has been peaceful in all the KMC wards", and those who have hurled bombs would be "identified and arrested" by the police.

Voting began at 7 AM in 4,949 polling centres with strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols amid tight security. A total of 40,48,357 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise to seal the fate of 950 candidates in the fray.

The SEC has declared 1,139 of the 4,949 polling centres as "sensitive".

A total of 23,500 Kolkata Police personnel have been deployed across the city, and route marches and area domination exercises were conducted in various parts of the metropolis, an officer of the force said.

He said that more than 200 police pickets have also been set up at crucial points across the city.

The ruling Trinamool Congress is fighting to retain the civic board for the third consecutive term, while the BJP will contest CPI(M) to secure the second position. The TMC had swept all the 16 assembly segments in the metropolis in this year's assembly

The counting of votes will take place on December 21.

(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.)
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is walking a political tightrope as he faces increasing attacks from both friends and enemies amid a surge in COVID-19 infections.

For the second winter in a row, Johnson is betting vaccines will be his saviour, urging everyone to get booster shots to slow the spread of the new omicron variant, hoping to avoid further politically unpalatable restrictions on business and social activity.

The threat to Johnson and his Conservative Party was on stark display last week as the prime minister reeled from one political crisis to another.

On Tuesday, Johnson faced the biggest parliamentary rebellion of his tenure as 97 Conservatives voted against new COVID-19 restrictions.

Two days later he suffered a stinging by-election defeat in a normally safe Conservative area amid anger over reports that government employees held Christmas parties last year while the country was in lockdown. Then Saturday, one of his staunchest allies resigned from his Cabinet, citing discomfort with the new rules.

While Johnson's policy on trying to restrict COVID-19 infections is sound, he will face increasing pressure from all wings of his party to change course, said Giles Wilkes, a senior fellow at the non-partisan Institute for Government. The challenge is to ignore the political noise and base his policies on science, said Wilkes, a former adviser to the prime minister's predecessor, Theresa May.

The past month's political spasms may mark a historical turning point in the story of this administration, Wilkes said, highlighting pivotal decisions of former Prime Ministers John Major and Gordon Brown that ultimately undermined their standing with voters. Those are not happy comparisons for the prime minister to contemplate.

On Sunday, British newspapers were filled with reports on potential contenders for the prime minister's office, including Treasury Secretary Rishi Sunak, Foreign Minister Liz Truss and former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

The pressure on Johnson is being stoked by the highly transmissible omicron variant, which has pushed Britain's COVID-19 infections to record highs in recent days. That has once again fueled concerns that UK hospitals will be overwhelmed this winter.

In response, Johnson ordered the National Health Service to ramp up its vaccine program a week ago, promising that everyone 18 and over would be offered a booster shot this month. But he also introduced legislation requiring people to where face masks in shops and to show they have been double-vaccinated or had negative COVID-19 test to enter crowded venues like nightclubs.

The results of Britain's vaccination program have been impressive, with the number of booster shots administered jumping to more than 900,000 on Saturday from 550,000 a week earlier. Some vaccination centers are staying open 24 hours a day to offer shift workers easier access.

But the new restrictions triggered howls from the libertarian wing of Johnson's party, who say they were unnecessary and the precursor to further limits on personal freedoms.

In the face of that opposition, Johnson had to rely on votes from the opposition Labour Party to approve the use of COVID-19 health passports.

Now the government's scientific advisers are recommending that Johnson go further.

Limits on social interactions and a return to social distancing are needed to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed, according to leaked minutes from a meeting of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies.

Tobias Ellwood, one of the Conservative rebels, criticised the government's off the bus, on the bus approach to tackling the pandemic, saying the country needs consistency.

We need almost like a wartime leader, we need a strong No. 10, and the machinery of No. 10 around Boris Johnson. That's what needs to be improved,'' he told Times Radio. The boosterism, the energy, is not enough in these current circumstances.

Meanwhile, Labour leaders say the partygate scandal has undermined public confidence in the Conservative government. It will be difficult for Johnson to impose any new restrictions because government offices violated their own rules last year.

Government ministers met Sunday with the leaders of governments in Scotland and Wales to discuss shared challenges, including the economic disruption caused by COVID. The meeting was chaired by Cabinet Office Minister Steve Barclay, not the prime minister.

He is hiding from his own backbenchers instead of leading, Wes Streeting, Labour's spokesman on health issues, told Sky News. And that kind of weakness instead of leadership should really concern the public, because I think people out there know that measures are necessary.

(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.)
Emphasising the need for unity among the Opposition parties to take on the "common enemy", the BJP, DMK leader TR Baalu has said TMC supremo should not divide the Opposition directly or indirectly.

Baalu, the leader of the DMK in the Lok Sabha, was among the selected leaders invited by Congress president Sonia Gandhi to her residence here last week to discuss Opposition strategy in Parliament. He said he is hopeful that the Opposition unity will strengthen further and the parties may project a single candidate for the presidential polls next year.

Terming the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) the "common enemy" for the Opposition, Baalu, in an interview to PTI, said, "Opposition leaders should meet more often to discuss issues related to with mainly one single agenda -- to fight and defeat the BJP."



Responding to a question on a leader who can unify the Opposition, he said it can be decided at an appropriate time and for the DMK, the call will be taken by its president, MK Stalin.

"Congress president Sonia Gandhi, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and our very own MK Stalin can bring various Opposition parties to the table to discuss issues related to politics," Baalu said.

He also suggested that there should be a common stand of the Opposition parties in Parliament to take on the BJP-led NDA government.

Asked about Banerjee's remarks that there is no UPA, Baalu said a division in the Opposition would only serve the purpose of the BJP.

"Mamataji is a mature and wise politician. She enjoys the respect of fellow Opposition leaders. I would request her not to become a party to divide the Opposition directly or indirectly. Her attempts of going solo are not going to yield the desired results for her. Rather it may be of some help for the BJP, the common enemy of the Opposition," he said.

Baalu's remarks came days after the West Bengal chief minister, in the presence of NCP leader Sharad Pawar, said there is no United Progressive Alliance (UPA), which is led by the Congress.

Talking about the future course of action for bringing the Opposition parties together, the DMK leader said it is a process that requires efforts and time from everybody, but he is hopeful that the Opposition will emerge as more unified by the next presidential polls.

"I am hopeful that by the presidential election next year, the unity in the Opposition camp will further strengthen and we may be able to project a single candidate supported by all the Opposition parties," he said.

Baalu said it is the beginning of the "Stalin era" in Tamil Nadu and under the chief minister's leadership, the southern state will touch "new heights".

On the DMK's arch rival, the AIADMK, he said with the emergence of Stalin, the principal opposition party in the state "will melt like thin ice".

Baalu alleged that the BJP is not functioning in Parliament in accordance with the rules and procedures of the House.

The DMK was part of the UPA-1 and UPA-2 governments at the Centre from 2004 to 2014.

(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 2012, a law student, Shreya Singhal, filed a public interest petition seeking an amendment to the (Section 66A) after two girls  Shaheen Dhada and Rinu Shrinivasan  were arrested in Palghar of Maharashtras Thane district. While one posted a comment against the shutdown in Mumbai following Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackerays death, the other liked it.

In the wake of numerous complaints of harassment and arrests, the apex court on May 16, 2013, issued an advisory that a person accused of posting objectionable comments on social networking sites cannot be arrested without permission from senior officers like IG or DCP.

Since then, the has been the subject of heated discussion on a variety of issues, including the liability of big technology firms.

The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on personal data protection has recently submitted its report. The suggestions made by the JPC will be incorporated in new legislation on data protection keeping in its sights the Supreme Court ruling that privacy is a fundamental right.

Meanwhile, activists for internet freedom have been clamouring for changes to the  it is even possible that the will impinge on some aspects of the new Personal Data Protection Bill.

The Crime Records Bureaus data on arrests under various provisions of the IT Act does not specify the clauses of the legislation under which the arrests were made. Moreover, this is only from the arrests made in metropolitan cities.

However, the age and gender data of arrests for IT Act violation does reveal interesting trends: Women are a minuscule minority of those arrested under the IT Act, the largest chunk is between the ages of 18 and 30. But there are minors in this category as well.




Shiromani Akali Dal chief on Saturday said that the incident of alleged sacrilege attempt at in Amritsar should not be politicised and demanded strict action in the matter.

Addressing the media here, Badal said, "Those who commit sacrilege should be held. This is disrespect of the Guru. It should not be politicised. From the last five years, no action has been taken and therefore these people are now fearless. I ask the Congress government to take strict action at the soonest."

He also termed the incident a "well-thought-out conspiracy" and urged the Centre and state government to find the "powers" behind these acts that surface every election.

"The sacrilege at is the highest form of disrespect; it is unimaginable," he said while adding that such incidents must be stopped at once.

An FIR under sections 295A and 307 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been filed against an unknown accused of the deliberate and malicious intention of outraging the religious feelings and attempt to murder.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Sanjeev Kumar informed that the security arrangements at the has been made and said that the situation has remained peaceful by far.

"After yesterday's incident, we have made security arrangements here (at Golden Temple). Many Sangats come on weekends... although the situation is peaceful," he said.

Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has condemned the incident and directed state police to "thoroughly probe the matter and find the real conspirators".

A man was beaten to death by angry devotees after he allegedly attempted to commit sacrilege at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, police said on Saturday.

The incident took place during evening prayers yesterday when the man jumped over the metal railing around the Guru Granth Sahib and allegedly attempted to desecrate the Holy Book of the Sikhs with a sword.

(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.)
Samajwadi Party chief on Sunday accused Chief Minister of getting his telephones tapped and listening to the conversations every evening.

Interacting with reporters a day after some SP leaders' offices and residences were raided by the Income Tax Department, Yadav claimed the BJP was wary of its impending defeat in the upcoming assembly polls.

The BJP government would be increasingly misusing various enforcement agencies to persecute his party's leaders in the coming days, he alleged.

"All our telephonic conversations have been heard. This 'anupyogi' chief minister himself listens to the recordings of some people every evening," the Samajwadi Party chief alleged.

He also asked reporters to "remain alert, if you are speaking to me". The government is running a WhatsApp University in the state, Yadav said derisively.

The entire country knows that whenever the BJP is about to lose an election in any state, the "frequency of the misuse" of various enforcement agencies by the BJP rises, the former chief minister claimed.

"The BJP is following the Congress' way. Like the Congress, it is rearing to use the central agencies to instil fear (in rival political parties)," Yadav said.

Meanwhile, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, when asked about the IT department raids against Samajwadi Party leaders, said, "I cannot comment on this, but the government misuses the agencies. But, this was in my own case."



"This is the government's way to harass the opposition leaders. They use agencies to do so. It's nothing new, we are seeing this for the past seven years."



About the phone tapping allegation, she said, "What is the job of a government? To listen to the problems of the public, understand them and stop atrocities. Instead, this government is tapping phones of the opposition."According to SP sources, the IT department searches were conducted on Saturday at the residences of party spokesperson Rajiv Rai in Mau, Jainendra Yadav, who was the OSD when was the chief minister, in Vinay Khand at Gomti Nagar in Lucknow, businessman Rahul Bhasin in Lucknow and of contractor Manoj Yadav in Mainpuri.

IT officials did not comment on the searches.

SP spokesperson Rajiv Rai has alleged that the searches were "politically motivated".

Yadav said, "Seeing the atmosphere in the state, I can say the Yogi government will not last. People have made up their minds for a 'yogya' (able) government. No government could be more 'unupyogi' (useless) than this. It has ruined "



He also claimed the recent visits of chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of the 12 BJP-ruled states to various places in Uttar Pradesh, including Varanasi and Ayodhya, was due to the saffron party's "fear of an impending defeat in the upcoming assembly elections".

"The BJP has become apprehensive of its impending defeat in the assembly polls. This is the reason behind the increasing number of visits of their leaders from Delhi and chief ministers to this state," he said.

"When these leaders come, the Income Tax, Enforcement Directorate, CBI and other departments too will attack us. But it is being seen for the first time that these organisations have begun working to ensure that the SP is not able to form its government in the state," Yadav alleged.

He also promised to get a caste-based census conducted if his party is voted to power in Uttar Pradesh.

On Akhilesh Yadav's "unupyogi" remark, BJP state president Swatantra Dev Singh asked how can lodging Azam Khan and Mukhtar Ansari in jail and running bulldozer on Atiq Ahmad's illegal property be "unupyogi".

He asked people to vote in the name of (Narendra) Modi and Yogi (Adityanath) and advised them not to take caste, religion, region or money power into consideration while exercising their franchise.

About Yadav's assertion that the BJP is "wary of its impending defeat" in the upcoming polls, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan expressed confidence that the saffron party will win more than 300 assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh.

"The BJP is going to win over 300 seats in assembly polls. The figure could reach even 400 (of the total 403 seats)," Chauhan said.

Seeking to corner the BJP over the alleged involvement of the son of Union Home Minister of State for Home Ajay Misra 'Teni' in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, Yadav said, "Don't the Centre and state government know the allegations levelled against 'Teni'?"



"Whenever fingers are raised at 'Teni', the government tries to shield him. Four farmers and a journalist lost their lives in the violence in Lakhimpur Kheri," he said.

Violence had erupted in Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3 when farmers were protesting the visit of Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya to Misra's native place. Four farmers were run over by a vehicle while four others, including a journalist and two BJP workers, were killed in the violence that ensued.

The Union minister's son has been arrested in the case.

The SP supremo also accused Adityanath of posting district magistrates and superintendents of police of his own caste in districts where parliamentary or assembly polls are due to ensure victory of BJP candidates.

"When the (2019 Lok Sabha) elections were taking place, what was the caste of the superintendent of police of Kannauj, of a senior police official in Kanpur and the DGP of UP," Yadav asked, insinuating that Yogi posts Rajput officials in poll-bound districts.

(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.)
Police on Saturday registered a case against 25 persons, including the chairman and other people associated with a cooperative bank in Beed in Maharashtra, for alleged irregularities estimated at Rs 229 crore, a police official said.

Prominent among those against whom the FIR was registered included the chairman of the Dwarkadas Mantri Nagri Sahkari Bank, Subhashchandra Sarda, the vice president of the bank, and chief executive officer Radheshyam Sohni.

A complaint was filed by auditor B B Chalak, following which a case of fraud was registered against the 25 people associated with Dwarkadas Mantri Nagari Sahakari Bank, a Shivaji Nagar police station official said.

A few months ago, the board of directors of this bank had been dismissed and an administrator appointed.

(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.)
Arthur D. Little (ADL) has published Who Says It Cant Be Done?  the latest edition of its innovation magazine PRISM. As well as celebrating the companys 135-year history, this special edition looks ahead to both the future of business and the consulting industry itself.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211217005298/en/

Arthur D. Little Prism Magazine (Photo: Business Wire)

The magazine features five key articles:

Rebalancing For Tomorrow  The ability to help clients anticipate the future, embrace new opportunities, and transform their operations has always been a central part of ADLs consulting philosophy. This article looks at the challenges that business faces today, identifies important priorities for the future, and reflects on how companies can get ready to meet them.

Why Consultancy Matters: A Historical Perspective  What is the exact nature of management consultancys value? Does consulting merely provide a similar service to that of the accountancy or legal professions, or does it provide a different type of value? This article explores how management consultancy has helped to shape the world we live in today as illustrated by the history of ADL.

The Future Of Consultancy  In todays volatile environment, companies are looking for more than just me-too solutions to remain competitive. The consulting industry needs to reconfigure its approach and reject obsolete legacy models if it is to stay relevant to modern business. This article looks at some of the ways in which consulting must change in order to create real value for its clients.

Inventors, Innovators, Pathfinders  Since the days of Arthur Dehon Little himself, ADL has been driven by hugely talented individuals, all pathfinders in their own right. This article celebrates some of the extraordinary people who have both led ADL and pioneered its unique approach to consultancy, inventing new solutions and breaking down barriers along the way.

Who Says It Cant Be Done?  It was only after a management buyout (MBO) on 30 December 2011 that ADL was truly reborn as a successful partnership with a rapidly expanding business. In this interview with Ignacio Garcia-Alves, who led the MBO and has been ADLs Chief Executive Officer ever since, he shares his insights on how the company was transformed and the lessons learned over the past ten years.

Ignacio Garcia Alves, Global Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Arthur D. Little, comments: PRISM always offers the best in thought-leading insight and commentary on the key topics of the day, and this edition is no exception  but with ADL hitting the milestone of 135 years of constant innovation, we couldnt resist also looking back on whats made it such a unique and pioneering company.

This latest edition of PRISM can be viewed here: https://tinyurl.com/9hyefpch

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211217005298/en/
Photo: Contributed

The time to create a watershed security fund is now.

The extreme climate impacts experienced in B.C. in 2021 are ushering in new mainstream vocabulary as more and more people grapple with the enormity of the consequences taking place. Heat domes. Atmospheric rivers. Ecosystem resilience. Watershed security. Climate anxiety. All recent additions to our everyday lexicon.

Climate change has swiftly become the climate crisis, as the catastrophic flooding and landslides in recent weeks have shown, preceded by the record heat waves, drought and fires of the summer. Entire communities have been burned to the ground or submerged in floodwater; major transportation corridors obliterated. Private properties have literally been washed away by a raging river leaving nothing behind but a gaping empty space.

The intensity of climate impacts is projected to grow, along with an alarming price tag as governments work to fight wildfires, rebuild highways, reinforce dikes, repair water and waste systems, clean up flood damage and provide financial assistance to those reeling from disaster-related losses.

Clearly a reactive strategy isnt a sustainable solution. We already have the data to start planning for our future. With consistent and continued monitoring combined with a commitment to follow the science, we can meet the challenges of a changing climate, and build new economies while we're at it.

The Healthy Watershed Initiative (HWI) has already afforded B.C. an opportunity to do this over the past year. A one-time investment of $27 million as part of the Provinces $10-billion COVID-19 economic recovery program, the HWI created over 700 jobs across more than 60 projects focused on watershed security.

Using the HWI as a foundation is the next step is to implement a permanent B.C. Watershed Security Fund for sustainable and independent funding to help communities increase their adaptation options in anticipation of the continued, multi-scale, immediate and longer-term climate change impacts.

In the Canadian Columbia Basin, for example, climate impacts that have been predicted for decades are now taking place as extreme temperature and precipitation, flooding, fire events, diminishing glaciers and loss of biodiversity. High and low elevation lake ecosystems, soil moisture, wetlands, and groundwater aquifers in the region are being impacted. A recipient of HWI funding, Living Lakes Canada is coordinating a project to build a unified water monitoring network across the Canadian Columbia Basin to collect data on these impacts to inform source water protection in watershed management.

This project  the Columbia Basin Water Monitoring Collaborative  is working with Indigenous and non-Indigenous governments and groups who are building water stewardship capacity and jobs. This is taking place with communities interested in securing the health of source water and local watersheds. Part of the Monitoring Collaboratives efforts include the Columbia Basin Water Hub, an open access database for water-related data collected in the region to facilitate informed decision making around the Columbia Basins freshwater supply and, ultimately, subsequent water allocations.

One only has to look to California to see this reality playing out. Nearly half of all California residents are under a regional drought emergency as record dry conditions continue to exacerbate a prolonged water crisis, with local water restrictions in place and state-wide mandatory water restrictions on the horizon. If the planet continues to warm, a new study led by researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has found low-to-no-snow winters will become a regular occurrence in the western U.S. in 35 to 60 years, with potentially catastrophic consequences given the long-held reliance on snowpack in water management.

Closer to home, the author of a recent study out of the University of Northern BC has estimated all of Vancouver Islands ice packs will be gone by mid-century. On the eastern side of the province, models released by the University of BC in 2020 have shown the Rocky Mountains could lose 90 percent of glacier ice volume by 2100 due to climate change; meanwhile, glacier melt in the Rockies accelerated three times higher than average during this summers heat dome, according to a glaciologist with the University of Alberta.

With mountain snowpacks on the decline, now is the time to invest in our water and our watersheds. Empowering B.C. communities to look after their local watersheds can only increase watershed security despite ongoing changes to the hydrological cycle.

Water is the lifeblood of all living things. Said Kukpi7 Wayne Christian, chief of the Shuswap Nation Tribal Council in a webinar recently hosted by Living Lakes Canada as part of the Indigenous-led Water Relationships webinar series.

In our relationship with water and land it needs to be understood that we have responsibilities. Yes, we have rights, but more so we have responsibilities for the water, for the land. Water is a humble but powerful spirit and the sacred gift of life.

Living Lakes Canada is a national water stewardship non-profit with the hub of its operations in southeastern B.C. in the Columbia Basin region. As a member of the BC Watershed Security Fund Coalition, Living Lakes Canada is part of the collective voice advocating for a BC Watershed Security Fund and the associated BC Watershed Security Strategy.

Nicole Trigg is communications director and Kat Hartwig is the executive director for Living Lakes Canada.
Photo: The Canadian Press Abdullahi Ahmed Abdullahi

An Edmonton man who was extradited to the United States to face charges he helped fund Islamic State terrorism has pleaded guilty in exchange for a 20-year prison sentence.

A statement from the United States Department of Justice says that according to his plea agreement in federal court Friday, Abdullahi Ahmed Abdullahi admitted he provided money to his four cousins, as well as former San Diego resident Douglas McAuthur McCain, to fund their terrorist activities in Syria.

The statement says he also admitted to robbing an Edmonton jewelry store in 2014 to finance the conspirators' travel from North America to support and join terrorist fighters in Syria.

Abdullahi was indicted in California in March 2017 and arrested by Canadian authorities in September 2017.

In June 2019, the Alberta Court of Appeal upheld his extradition and the justice department statement says he was turned over to U.S. authorities later that year.

The statement notes that all four of his cousins and McCain, who was the first known American to die fighting the Islamic State, have since reportedly been killed.

"Terrorist networks can't survive without people like Abdullahi," U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman said in the statement.

"Our top priority is protecting Americans from terrorists, and with today's guilty plea, we have delivered justice to someone who directly funded violence."

The statement said the terrorist activities included murder, kidnapping and maiming of persons in Syria.

Additionally, it said Abdullahi admitted that he and others wired and caused money to be wired to third-party intermediaries in Gaziantep, Turkey, not far from the Syrian border, to support fighting and terrorist activity in Syria.

Grossman thanked the RCMP and the Edmonton Police Service, as well as prosecution services in Canada for their help.

The statement said Douglas' brother, Marchello McCain, was previously convicted in San Diego federal court and sentenced to 10 years in custody for illegal possession of a cache of firearms and providing false statements to FBI agents regarding his knowledge of the conspiracy, including the involvement of Abdullahi.
Jujutsu Kaisen is one of the biggest shonen anime to debut in the past couple of years, so it makes sense that fans are excited about its upcoming prequel movie. Jujutsu Kaisen 0 promises to feature all the action and suspense that made the main series so popular  and its final trailer before its release date proves moviegoers have every reason to get pumped about it.

Jujutsu Kaisen 0 hits theaters in Japan on Dec. 24, and the anime celebrated with a new trailer at Jump Festa 2022. The footage teases plenty of action in the upcoming film, which follows the older students at Jujutsu High as they welcome a newcomer into their ranks.

Set before Yuji Itadori ever steps foot into the world of sorcery, the movie will see Satoru Gojo taking a similarly powerful student under his wing. And it looks like Yuta Okkotsus early days at Jujutsu High will challenge him in some pretty major ways. Fortunately, Maki Zenin, Toge Inumaki, and Panda will be around to guide him.

Thats right, Jujutsu Kaisens supporting characters will get more time to shine in the upcoming movie. The new Jujutsu Kaisen 0 trailer shows all three of them in action. But what are they up to in this new addition to the franchise?

The new movie tells Yuta Okkotsus story

Satoru Gojo in Jujutsu Kaisen | Gege Akutami/Shueisha

Jujutsu Kaisen 0 adapts Gege Akutamis prequel manga of the same name, which takes place ahead of Itadoris introduction. Its chapters follow Yuta Okkotsu, one of the second-year students at Jujutsu High.

Yuta is abroad when the main series begins, but hes one of the strongest sorcerers enrolled at the school. In fact, hes listed as a special-grade cursed human almost immediately upon signing up.

Thats mostly thanks to the presence of Rika Orimoto, his childhood friend who died in a tragic accident. Rikas spirit attaches herself to Yuta following her death, a development that the trailers for Jujutsu Kaisen 0 tease. The coming film will see Yuta struggling to control Rikas curse, all while dealing with the main antagonist, Suguru Geto.

The latest trailer offers a quick glimpse of Geto as well, though it doesnt tell viewers what he wants. Whatever his motivations, he seems like a powerful match for the sorcerers at Jujutsu High. Hopefully, Yutas powers will be enough to defeat him.

JUJUTSU KAISEN 0 Movie will be released exactly in 8 days in Japan!



More: https://t.co/CTpsFtmpww pic.twitter.com/gl4V4662lT  AnimeTV  (@animetv_jp) December 16, 2021

Those hoping to see the world of Jujutsu Kaisen from a new perspective will want to head to theaters when the animes prequel movie arrives. Thats Dec. 24 in Japan. But when will Jujutsu Kaisen 0 come out worldwide?

Theres no word on an international release date just yet, but hopefully, the film wont take too long to debut overseas. My Hero Academia: World Heroes Mission only took a few months to make the jump. With any luck, Yutas story will follow a similar trajectory.

However long it takes, it seems certain fans will get to see Jujutsu Kaisen 0 sometime in 2022. Could a second season be on the horizon next year as well? Well keep our fingers crossed.

RELATED: Fall 2021 Anime  Which Shows Should You Watch?
Fans learned so much about The Beatles in Peter Jacksons new three-part documentary, The Beatles: Get Back. There were definitely some big surprises. Who knew wed get to hear secret conversations? Or that wed get to see some beautiful moments between the band even amid all that tension? We lived for all the drama, the collaborations, the jam sessions, the goofing around, and the snarky comments. But no one was prepared for The Beatles recording engineer, Glyn Johns impeccable 1960s wardrobe.

After watching the documentary, fans cant stop talking about Johns outrageous outfits. However, Johns himself doesnt really understand why.

Glyn Johns at the UK premiere of The Beatles: Get Back | Kate Green/Getty Images

The Beatles recording engineer, Glyn Johns, hates his wardrobe in The Beatles: Get Back

Jacksons documentary didnt just show us an accurate portrayal of The Beatles. It gave us a pretty stark picture of what life was like in 1969, including what the hip new fashions looked like. Johns was the poster boy, and fans are obsessed.

Only present-day Johns isnt as in love with the fashions his 26-year-old self was into back then. Hes made his sentiments known on some of his outrageous numbers, like his white shaggy goatskin coat and his Austin-Powers-esque get-ups. Honestly, though, how would you feel about the things you wore in your younger years? Especially when your younger years happened during the 1960s?

Most of us would cringe, and thats what Johns did as he watched himself, a somewhat major character, in Jacksons documentary. He recently told the New York Times, Its just cringe-making. I look like a bloody clown.

It wasnt just his outfits that wowed fans. Johns knew how to accessorize with sunglasses and scarves. It is not easy to stand out in a documentary featuring four of the 20th centurys most famous people, the Times wrote. But with his flair for accessories and slinky-pants-cool, Mr. Johns has found a new round of appreciators a half century after the fact.

While Johns might have initially laughed seeing himself in those outfits, hes no longer laughing. People from the past have gotten in touch with him to take the Mickey out of him, and hes over it now.

Im fed up with it now, Ill tell you, he said. I have 9,000 emails and texts from people from my past, all taking the Mickey unmercifully. Some people are saying, Oh, the jacket you wore on X day was fantastic, or Where did you get the goatskin coat? But in general, theyre laughing at how ridiculous I looked, which of course is true.

RELATED: 10 Things We Learned in Peter Jacksons The Beatles: Get Back Part 3

The Rolling Stones influenced Johns fashion choices

Before Paul McCartney called him up to work for The Beatles, Johns was The Rolling Stones faithful producer and engineer. After spending so much time with them, their fashion choices started to rub off on Johns. So we really have them to thank for Johns impeccable fashion sense.

I remember Brian Jones taking me to a store in Carnaby Street once, and we bought stuff, Johns told the Times. I remember Mick gave me a fabulous shirt.

However much Johns dislikes his wardrobe from the 1960s, there are a few numbers hes fond of, including that crocodile Levi jacket. The coolest thing I think I wore in the film was the crocodile Levi jacket, which in fact had been given to me by Keith Richards, he added.

We were in Paris, and Keith had this jacket made for him in France, and it had been delivered to the hotel. He took it out of the packaging, put it on and said, Here you have it, I dont want it. I have no idea what happened to it. Maybe I gave it away.

Johns cant seem to remember where he got the goatskin coat that fans are obsessed with, either. Although, he does remember how it smelled after being in the rain.

I distinctly remember queuing for an airplane wearing that coat, and the people in front and behind me moved away from me because it actually stank, Johns explained. And of course in those days, if you had long hair you were suspect anyway.

Johns doesnt have much of a memory of what he was wearing back then simply because he was too busy working on one of The Beatles best albums.

RELATED: 10 Things We Learned in Peter Jacksons The Beatles: Get Back Part 2

Glyn Johns only remembers The Beatles acting like family during those recording sessions

Johns wasnt the only fashion extraordinaire during those recording sessions. The Beatles wore their fair share of outrageous 1960s patterns, fur coats, and wild accessories. Can we talk about Pauls sweaters vests, Georges black Mongolian lamb fur coat and love for neckties, Johns all-white look, and Ringos frilly patterned shirts?

However, Johns was more concerned about working and watching as one of the greatest bands in the world created an album before his very eyes. So, excuse him for not remembering which jacket he was wearing or where he got it.

Listen, mate, it was 50 years ago, how can I remember? Johns said with a laugh. Everyone has a style of their own, I suppose. But I was busy working.

My memory was that we actually had a really good time and everybody got on great, he elaborated on what he witnessed. The fact that George left the band for 24 hours is no different from any other band I ever worked with, or anyone who works in an office. People who work together for years on end, they fall out, and they patch it up at the end. Its normal.

Johns wasnt working with a band who was about to split. The four of them had gone through this mammoth experience, from when they were unknown, to being four of the most famous people in the world, he said. There was this massive bond between them. They were like family, really.

Still, beyond that, fans cant seem to forget or dont want to forget Johns style. There werent just musical geniuses in that studio; there was a fashionista.
The Bold and the Beautiful star Krista Allen has just assumed the role of Dr. Taylor Hayes. She is replacing Hunter Tylo, who originated the role. And while critics and fans alike are loving the actors performance, she recently fought a private battle with cancer. Now, for the first time, shes opening up about her struggle  and how it almost ended her acting career.

The Bold and the Beautiful star Krista Allen | Toby Canham/Getty Images

The Bold and the Beautiful star said she battled cancer

Soap opera fans have been following Krista Allen and her career for decades. Shes currently getting rave reviews from fans and critics alike for her role as Dr. Taylor Hayes on The Bold and the Beautiful. But prior to that, she was known as Billie Reed on Days of Our Lives. As with her role on B&B, Allen took over the Days role from another, popular actor (in that case, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Rinna).

But what few fans know is that Allen battled skin cancer early on in her career. And, as she explained to Soaps.com, she got it from her time on another popular television show.

Krista Allen said she got skin cancer from her time on Baywatch

From 2000 to 2001, Krista Allen starred as Jenna Avid on Baywatch. At that time, it was known as Baywatch Hawaii due to its rebranding. But even though she only starred on the hit show for 26 episodes, The Bold and the Beautiful star said she developed skin cancer from her time on the show.

I will say, she said to the outlet, they werent really into sunscreen there on Baywatch: Hawaii, which is crazy. At least to reapply on your face. And years later, I ended up getting skin cancer on my face.

The actor went on to say that she spotted a weird growth on her nose. When she went to the doctor, thats when she discovered it was skin cancer. Unfortunately for Allen, though, she had to get whats known as Mohs surgery. This surgery took 16 layers of skin out of her face. Ultimately, after the surgery, she was declared cancer-free.

But she thought her acting career was over.

She also developed her comedy skills

So, Krista Allen decided to try her hand at something else: comedy.

I really enjoyed comedy writing, she said to the outlet. That took me to a completely different place for me. This was something that you could look at [and say], Oh, this was horrible. Not, it wasnt. It was fantastic because I found a skill I didnt even know I had.

The Bold and the Beautiful star also said that, thankfully, shes been cancer-free ever since. Whats more, she said that her reconstructive surgeon did a great job with covering up the mark from the Mohs surgery. She said you can only see the scar if you look really closely.

RELATED: The Bold and the Beautiful Star Denise Richards Pays Tribute to Her Late Mother, Joni
The Challenge veteran Cohutta Grindstaff has had short-lived relationships with popular competitors Nany Gonzalez and KellyAnne Judd. As he has recently returned to The Challenge franchise by competing in spinoff All Stars 2 following a five-year break, many fans wonder if he would consider appearing in a highly requested exes season for the flagship series. During a Dec. 2021 interview, Cohutta answered if he would compete in an exes season with them and if he preferred to work with Nany or KellyAnne had he the chance.

In this photo illustration a MTV (originally an initialism of Music Television) logo seen displayed on a smartphone | Igor Golovniov/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

In 2007, Cohutta Grindstaff and KellyAnne Judd debuted on The Real World: Sydney, where the roommates fell for each other. They continued dating after the show, and she traveled to Georgia to meet his father.

However, the two split before appearing on their first season of The Challenge together, season 16s The Island. A few years later, he and Nany Gonzalez got acquainted with each other during Free Agents (2014) and developed a connection.

Nany vs. KellyAnne in a rematch of this Bloodlines battle: who so you think wins? The Vets weigh in #TBT #TheChallenge33 pic.twitter.com/BHXg12Sm9V  The Challenge (@ChallengeMTV) March 14, 2019

RELATED: The Challenge: Nany Gonzalez Says Shes Ready to Have a Baby: I Truly Believe the Time Is Right

Still, they quickly broke up after filming wrapped as Cohutta decided to end things. While the reason isnt apparent, he previously admitted in a 2015 People interview that he probably broke her heart as she didnt take that very well.

Nany has also opened up about the breakup, noting she felt the Georgia native convinced her their relationship would work outside the house, allowing herself to fall in love with him.

He admitted he would probably not compete in an Exes season

After briefly competing on Battle of the Bloodlines (2016) together, he and Nany seemingly havent stayed in contact as he stopped appearing in seasons afterward.

As reports have circulated that an upcoming season of The Challenge could feature ex-flings, the first since 2015, Cohuttas name has come up alongside favorites Nany and KellyAnne. During a Dec. 2021 interview with Mike Lewis, the Georgia native admitted he probably wouldnt compete in an exes season with his former flames.

While the four-time competitor claimed he doesnt have any hard feelings, he admitted he isnt sure of who they are currently instead of who they were several years ago when they dated.

Additionally, Cohutta is in a relationship as well as Nany, who is dating Spies, Lies, and Allies winner Kaycee Clark. When asked to choose, Cohutta said he couldnt pick but later noted he and KellyAnne might work together well as theyre similar in stature.

Cohutta returned for The Challenge: All Stars 2

Following a five-year break, the veteran returned for All Stars 2 after getting cast as an alternate for the previous season.

Looking forward to working with longtime friend and two-time winner Abram Boise, who ended up not being able to compete, Cohutta didnt have many allies and ended up in the first male elimination.

RELATED: The Challenge: Kendal Darnell Reveals Unaired Fight With Casey Cooper

After defeating former finalist Ryan Kehoe, he returned to the house and has remained safe. Starting in episode 6, his teammate for the remainder of the competition is four-time player Casey Cooper.

The Challenge: All Stars airs Thursdays on Paramount+.
Ana Navarro is mourning the death of her mother after weeks of illness that she opened up about on The View. The ABC talk shows panelists sent their condolences during the live show after learning the sad news regarding Navarros mom.

Ana Navarro | ABC/Lou Rocco

The View send Ana Navarro sweet thoughts

Joy Behar took the top of the hour-long show to inform viewers that Navarros mother had died. The comedian also told fans that Navarro would be appearing on Fridays (Dec. 17) episode because it was pre-taped earlier in the week.

Were very sorry to hear about Anas mother. Shes been ill in Nicaragua for a while, Behar said.

After reading Navarros message on social media, Sunny Hostin also sent her condolences to her colleague.

Ana will not be going to Nicaragua at her parents request because of the political unrest there and how the government feels about the media, Hostin added. Her father has asked her not to go to Nicaragua and thats why she wasnt able to be with her mother when her mother passed.

Hostin continued, Its been very, very difficult for Ana. Her mother has been ill for some time. Shes been on our show and shes been cheerful and doing what she does best, which is giving political commentary, and being such an asset to the show.

The former prosecutor also said that when her husbands parents died, Navarro was there for both of them.

Manny and I both extend our condolences to her, she continued. I reached out to her earlier today because shes really been struggling with this and Im sure that our viewers love her just as much as we do.

RELATED: The View Co-Host Ana Navarro Compares Sara Haines Dress to a Toilet Paper Cover

Ana Navarro had been preparing for mothers death

Navarro had opened up to fans about her mother being sick. Following a segment on The View about having regrets in life, Navarro said she regretted not spending more time with her mom when she was healthy. During the Thanksgiving holiday, the political commentator shared some beautiful words dedicated to her mother, thanking her.

As she reaches the end of her life, I am thankful I have had a great mother, well into my adulthood. Not everyone does. If you are one of the lucky ones who still has parents in good health, be thankful and dont take it for granted. Make every moment count, Navarro posted on Instagram on Nov. 25.

Navarro added a beautiful photo of her mom in front of a turkey that captured a moment that she will now cherish forever.

Ana Navarro | Lorenzo Bevilaqua/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images

RELATED: The View: Ana Navarro Shares Adorable Video of Chacha out of Control and Fans Have the Funniest Reactions

Ana Navarro shares her wishes

In an emotional post announcing her mother had died, Navarro also shared some of the things she wished her mother would have done if she couldve been healthier a little longer.

Im very sad. But I know it is a privilege to be able to bury your parents, not the other way around. I wish my mom had been in good health a little longer, Navarro said in an Instagram post on Dec. 15. Wish she had gotten to hold her youngest great-granddaughter, born last month, and who is named Violet, after my mom. I also know I am among the lucky ones, I had a great mom for almost 50 years. I grieve because I loved. [Im] going to miss my mom but will carry her love and the lessons she taught me for the rest of my life.

Navarro had previously explained why she couldnt travel to Nicaragua to see her mother and it was due to political persecution.
Church leaders in Jerusalem demand more protection for Holy Land Christians

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A group of church leaders in Jerusalem have issued a joint statement calling for greater protection for Christians living in the Middle East, as well as a special cultural heritage zone for Christians in Jerusalem.

In a statement issued earlier this week, the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem spoke with concern about the rising trend of violence against Christians in the Holy Land.

Since 2012 there have been countless incidents of physical and verbal assaults against priests and other clergy, attacks on Christian churches, with holy sites regularly vandalized and desecrated, and ongoing intimidation of local Christians who simply seek to worship freely and go about their daily lives, they stated.

These tactics are being used by such radical groups in a systematic attempt to drive the Christian community out of Jerusalem and other parts of the Holy Land.

The church leaders went on to note that while they appreciated the Israeli governments commitment to uphold a safe and secure home for Christians in the Holy Land, they believed that this commitment was being undermined by local politicians, officials and law enforcement agencies to curb the activities of radical groups.

The principle that the spiritual and cultural character of Jerusalems distinct and historic quarters should be protected is already recognized in Israeli law with respect to the Jewish Quarter, continued the church leaders.

Yet radical groups continue to acquire strategic property in the Christian Quarter, with the aim of diminishing the Christian presence, often using underhanded dealings and intimidation tactics to evict residents from their homes, dramatically decreasing the Christian presence, and further disrupting the historic pilgrim routes between Bethlehem and Jerusalem.

The church leadership called on political authorities in Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian territories to dialogue with them, to deal with the radical groups, and to work on the creation of a special Christian cultural and heritage zone to safeguard the integrity of the Christian Quarter in Old City Jerusalem.

The World Council of Churches' acting General Secretary, the Rev. Ioan Sauca, issued a statement on Thursday in support of the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem.

Recognizing the gravity of the threat accelerating the already tragically steep decline in the Christian presence, the WCC strongly supports the church leaders call for an urgent dialogue with the political authorities of Israel, Palestine and Jordan with a view to addressing the challenges posed by radical groups and to protecting and supporting the Christian community, Sauca said.

The Christians of the Holy Land must be respected and valued as part of both the heritage and future of the region, and assured the same rights as others and protections appropriate to a threatened minority, for which the political authorities of the region are both legally and morally responsible.

The statement comes as Israel faces allegations of discrimination for not easing a travel ban for Christian pilgrims seeking to visit the country during the Christmas season.

Recently, Israel eased a restriction on travel due to the omicron variant of COVID-19 for Jewish individuals seeking the Birthright program, however, they maintained the ban for non-Jewish Christian pilgrims.

Racist discrimination should never be accepted in any way, said Wadie Abunassar, a spokesman and adviser to churches in the Holy Land, as reported by The Associated Press. I urge the Israeli authorities to treat all those who want to visit the country equally without any discrimination between religion."
Mozambique: Islamic extremists behead pastor, force wife to carry his severed remains

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Suspected ISIS-linked extremists beheaded a pastor, handed his severed head to his wife and forced her to carry the head to the police station in the southern African country of Mozambique, according to reports.

The jihadist militants decapitated the pastor, a resident of Nova Zambezia area in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, last Wednesday, the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern said.

The killing was also reported by the Daily Mail, but the pastors name has not been disclosed.

Zimbabwe Daily also reported on the murder, saying the pastors wife told police that suspected Islamic State-linked insurgents intercepted the pastor in a field, decapitated him and then handed over his head to her and ordered her to inform the authorities.

Earlier this month, the U.K.-based watchdog organization Human Rights Watch reported that an armed group in Cabo Delgado province called Al Sunnah wa Jamaah, also known as Al-Shabab, had forced kidnapped women and girls to marry their fighters.

Other women and girls held captive had been sold to foreign fighters for between $600 and $1,800, according to the report. Some abducted foreign women and girls had been released after their families paid a ransom.

Last November, ISIS-linked militants beheaded over 50 people, including women and children, and abducted others in raids in the Miudumbe and Macomia districts of the Cabo Delgado province.

The day after the pastor's murder, Mozambiques President Filipe Nyusi claimed that the number of jihadist attacks had decreased this year after Rwanda and neighboring countries helped tackle the radical Islamic jihadist insurgency.

The oil-rich Cabo Delgado province, a coastal region on the Indian Ocean, has suffered an emergence of a jihadi movement that has displaced thousands and killed hundreds since 2017. In 2018, the terror group pledged its allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. In 2019, the Islamic State confirmed the group as an affiliate and has claimed responsibility for some attacks.

The Al-Shabab group in the majority-Christian country of Mozambique is not believed to have any connection with the deadly Somalia-based terror group with the same name.

According to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), the Cabo Delgado province had suffered from at least 776 organized violence events since 2017, and as of January 2021, 2,578 fatalities from organized violence and 1,305 fatalities from civilian targeting.

The United Nations estimates more than 745,000 people are internally displaced in Mozambique due to Islamic extremism since 2017.

Mozambique also ranks as the 45th worst country for Christian persecution on Open Doors USAs 2021 World Watch List. This 2021 report is the first time the country has been listed on Open Doors annual list.

Extremist attacks have killed many Christians, and terrorists have burned churches and schools in the country.
Postcard from Beaumont

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If Beaumont is known at all, its known for its contribution to the Texas oil boom during the first half of the last century.

This medium-sized city (population 115,282) sits near the Gulf of Mexico coast in southeast Texas, a short drive from the border with Louisiana. It was here where oil was discovered in 1901.

The eruption of the Lucas geyser transformed what had been a very small town literally overnight. With oil as the industry, Beaumonts fortunes have ebbed and flowed.

One legacy of the past is a spectacular church  the kind of landmark you would never expect to find in Beaumont.

At first glance, St. Anthonys Cathedral Basilica (Roman Catholic) looks somewhat typical.

Built between 1903 and 1907 using bricks salvaged from Civil War-era buildings, the church with its dedication to Anthony of Padua was elevated to the dignity of a cathedral upon the creation of the Diocese of Beaumont in 1966. It later received its minor basilica title from Pope Benedict XVI in 2006 after an extensive renovation was carried out by Rolf Rohn of Rohn & Associates.

With the Basilica of St. Clement, an ancient church in Rome, serving as inspiration, the $6 million renovation transformed the cathedral of a diocese in flyover country into what it is today. So much so that casual connoisseurs of all things ecclesiastical architecture and religious art are surprised, as they generally think churches like this can only be found in Europe.

While parts of the design are compromised by the liturgical changes of the Second Vatican Council  the altar faces westward toward congregants in the pews and the communion railings are long gone  the interior is up there with the best churches anywhere in the United States.

Among the most notable details are the baldachin, as the canopy above the altar is called, and the apse at the east end with its painted murals. There is also a small collection of holy relics, as typically found at a Roman Catholic cathedral or basilica. Outside, the west fronts bronze doors, which were crafted in Poland, feature numerous reliefs.

Besides St. Anthonys, also worth visiting are St. Marks Church (Episcopal) and First United Methodist Church. In particular, the Methodist church combines the familiarity of Gothic pointed arches with modernist architecture  a welcome deviation from the brutalist style that dominated buildings around the time of its construction in 1968.

Outside of the churches, the interwar-era Temple Emanuel (Reform Judaism) has beautiful stained-glass windows depicting the prophets Jeremiah, Elijah, Elisha, Ezekiel, Moses and Isaiah.

If you go

Besides Sunday masses and other regular services, St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Docents are available for free guided tours if arrangements are made ahead of time.

The closest major airport is about 90 miles away in Houston. From New Orleans and Dallas, the drive is four and five hours respectively.

Stay at the Holiday Inn & Suites Beaumont-Plaza.

Dennis Lennox writes a travel column for The Christian Post. Follow @dennislennox on Twitter.
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On December 10, President Joe Biden followed in the footsteps of his predecessors by recognizing Human Rights Day, an oft-ignored date commemorating a critically important event in world history: the United Nations General Assemblys adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948.



Unfortunately, mission creep has plagued U.S. human rights advocacy in recent years, undermining the international human rights standards we have been blessed to inherit. Human Rights Day deserves to be acknowledged because the history of human rights is worth remembering, and its integrity is worth preserving.

The brutality and horrors displayed in World War II and the atrocities committed by Nazi Germany  most notably the Holocaust  demonstrated the need for a widely agreed upon understanding of the ways in which the human dignity of all people must be protected. And so, UN delegate Eleanor Roosevelt led a team of scholars and experts to draft a list of human rights, with regular input from the 58 member states.

This list needed to be such that all reasonable people  from the diverse cultures and norms represented in the UN  would agree to it. In the end, 30 rights and freedoms were agreed upon as being fundamental to humanity, and the UDHR became the guiding force for human rights advocacy.

Christian theologian Albert Mohler points out that the understanding of human rights inherited from Western civilization was established upon the fact that we know from scripture that every single human being is made in Gods image and thus we are to recognize a dignity in every single human being. And we are to understand that that dignity implies certain God-given rights.

The inherent worth of humans is what makes human rights important, and according to a Christian worldview, humans are important because they are created in Gods image (Genesis 1:27). Christians understand that the capacity to reason is evidence of this. Article 1 of the UDHR complements this view and lays the groundwork for the rest of the document this way:

"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood."

Among the rights listed in the UDHR are the right to life, liberty, and security of person (Article 3); the prohibition of slavery and servitude (Article 4); the freedom from arbitrary arrest, detention, or exile (Article 9); the right to own property (Article 17); and the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion (Article 18).

Human rights are not granted by governments  they belong to everyone by virtue of their unalienable human dignity. Similarly, international human rights treaties and documents do not bestow rights. They merely reflect a commitment from party countries to respect those rights.

Thus, whenever a government violates human rights, it is acceptable for other governments to use persuasion and pressure to stop that countrys human rights violations. Doing so is not only right but also contributes to freedom, justice and peace in the world, as stated in the preamble of the UDHR.

When the U.S. government speaks up on behalf of Christians imprisoned in Pakistan on blasphemy charges or Uyghur Muslims detained in China on the basis of their religious and ethnic identity, this advocacy is not interference in domestic politics of these countries. Rather, it upholds basic human rights  the same rights that all people are owed and all governments are obligated to respect.

Sadly, the international human rights project is in crisis. Ever-growing demands for the inclusion of additional rights muddle the priorities of human rights advocacy. These new rights often compete or conflict with others. And illegitimate claims to human rights have been used to push harmful policies. As former Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback recently said, when everythings a human right, then nothings really a human right.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo similarly noted, The bottom line is that more so-called rights does not mean more justice. The constitutions of some of the most repressive regimes in history, such as the Soviet Union, promised a multitude of rights to their citizens while the regimes produced ever-climbing death tolls and daily deprivations. The invention of new rights makes human rights advocacy incoherent and distracts from the fundamental rights laid out in the UDHR  the kind that the American Founders might have called self-evident.

The UDHR, in addition to founding documents like the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights, should anchor the U.S. State Departments human rights advocacy. Invented rights motivated by partisan social agendas cause confusion and untethers U.S. human rights efforts from international human rights law. Instead of looking for new faux rights, the State Department should focus on addressing the multitude of fundamental human rights violations occurring around the world right now.

The struggle for human rights that Eleanor Roosevelt referred to is far from over. Just last week, an independent peoples tribunal in the United Kingdom issued a formal judgment finding the Chinese government guilty of crimes against humanity, torture, and genocide. Although the Uyghur Tribunal might have echoes of the Nuremberg Trials of 1945-46, the judgment of the Uyghur Tribunal concerns crimes that are ongoing, not yet relegated to the past. This is a significant moment that will test the free worlds commitment to human rights and the 1948 Genocide Convention that calls parties to the dual responsibility of preventing and punishing genocide.

With the monumental challenges occurring around the world, the stakes are too high to get this wrong. The Biden administration must focus on the rights laid out in the UDHR and avoid distractions. The United States leadership on human rights has made a difference in the past, and it still can.

Originally published at the Family Research Council.
Pastor hails victory as court throws out $21K fine for holding worship service for homeless

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A magistrates court in central England has thrown out a case against a pastor whom police had fined $21,000 for holding a church gathering for the homeless in a car park during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Nottingham Magistrates Court has ruled that Pastor Chez Dyer, 47, who organized an outdoor service for the Church on the Streets in Nottingham during the February lockdown, that she will not have to pay the fine and ordered the government to pay her legal fees, said the Christian Legal Centre, which supported the clergy.

I am so relieved that this case has been thrown out and justice has finally been served, Chez was quoted as saying. We stood in the gap for the most vulnerable when others would not or could not. We had people who urgently needed our support and some who said we had prevented them from committing suicide.  We were the spiritual doctors who were not on furlough. People were suffering and needed us.

Around 30 people took part in the outdoor service Chez held in February, for which she was handed the fine.

Officers from Nottinghamshire Police said at the time that tents and a sound system had been set up, and food was being served.

While churches in England were permitted to hold limited in-person services during the lockdown, Nottinghamshire Police said at the time that the pub car park was evidently not a place of worship. They said the event had taken place despite previous warnings and that the fine was issued as a last resort.

The pastor said at the time that a place or worship includes premises when being used for religious gatherings, even when their primary purpose is not for religious gatherings, such as a community center.

However, she was convicted in her absence and was unaware of the proceedings against her, CLC said, adding that the court had fined her $21,000 in her absence.

This Christian ministry was supporting the most vulnerable in their community materially, emotionally and spiritually during the lockdown. How was it that they were the ones chased down by police in riot vans? CLC Chief Executive Andrea Williams asked. It is state overreach to shut down Churches and their ministries when they are very often the final hope.

Williams added that she hopes the outcome of this case sends a clear message to the government and police of the vital role Christian ministry plays in our communities and how it must be protected, supported and encouraged at all times.

Chez added: We reach people with the Good News of Jesus Christ during the toughest of times. This is what the church is and what the church should do. For this, however, I was treated like a criminal. We are a church with limited financial resources, so to face fines of this magnitude for helping the homeless was devastating.

I hope my story can show people the vital role Christian street ministry plays in our country.
This week in Christian history: Christmas Conference,' Pius IV elected

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Throughout the extensive history of the Church, there have been numerous events of lasting significance.

Each week brings anniversaries of impressive milestones, unforgettable tragedies, amazing triumphs, memorable births, notable deaths and everything in between.

Some of the events drawn from over 2,000 years of history might be familiar, while other happenings might be previously unknown by most people.

This week  Dec. 19 through Dec. 25  marks the anniversary of the Methodist Churchs Christmas Conference, the election of Pope Pius IV, and the conversion of a pioneering Irish preacher to Methodism.

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More Americans view Salvation Army unfavorably after racial discussion guide controversy, poll finds

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The Salvation Armys publishing of a Lets Talk About Racism discussion guide has taken a toll on its perception among Americans and potential donors, the results of a new poll suggest.

A survey of 1,200 registered voters conducted by Rasmussen Reports and RMG Research on behalf of the advocacy group Color Us United asked voters about their perception of the Salvation Army after learning that the Christian charity published a document called Lets Talk About Racism.

The Salvation Army is one of the most well-known Christian charities globally and pulled the document after blowback. Lets Talk About Racism was once billed by the charity as a resource guide developed to guide The Salvation Army family in gracious discussions about overcoming the damage racism has inflicted upon our world.

The document described itself as a voluntary discussion guide provided through the International Social Justice Commission. The guide was not intended to stand as a position or policy statement.

Critics of the document, including Color Us United, a national campaign to advocate for a raceblind America, alleged that the guide promoted the controversial topic of critical race theory. The resource listed works by proponents of the controversial framework as recommended readings.

The Rasmussen survey, which questioned respondents between Dec. 6 and Dec. 8, also asked respondents for their views on the Salvation Army before informing them of the Lets Talk About Racism document.

Eighty-one percent of respondents had either a very favorable or somewhat favorable view of the Salvation Army before learning about the Lets Talk About Racism initiative.

In contrast, just 11% had a somewhat unfavorable or very unfavorable opinion of the charity.

Respondents were then told that [t]his year, the Salvation Armys training materials ask their white members to consider repenting for the sin of racism and that [t]he charitys new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program presents the view that America is a structurally racist society. The survey asked respondents if they were more or less likely to donate to the Salvation Army after learning that information.

Upon learning about Lets Talk About Racism, 32% of those surveyed said that they were either much less likely or somewhat less likely to donate to the Salvation Army. An additional 32% stated that they were much more likely or somewhat more likely to donate to the charity.

Twenty-eight percent maintained that the Lets Talk About Racism initiative would have no impact on whether they would contribute to the Salvation Army.

The poll asked respondents to re-evaluate their opinion of the charity knowing that the Salvation Army is training members in the belief that America is a structurally racist society.

The share of voters who viewed the Salvation Army as very favorable or somewhat favorable dropped from 81% to 41%. The percentage of respondents who had a somewhat unfavorable or very unfavorable view of the Salvation Army increased to 41% from 11%.

Color Us United created a petition opposing the insertion of politically charged racial ideologies into The Salvation Armys good work.

As of Wednesday morning, the petition gathered 16,800 signatures out of a goal of 25,000. The petition called for a revocation of the Lets Talk About Racism guide.

The Salvation Army issued a statement last week declaring that [e]lements of the recently issued Lets Talk About Racism guide led some to believe we think they should apologize for the color of their skin, or that The Salvation Army may have abandoned its Biblical beliefs for another philosophy or ideology.

The charity indicated that was never our intention and removed the guide for appropriate review.

Color Us United contends that the Salvation Army needs to go further and explicitly denounce critical race theory by formally proclaiming that America is not a racist country.

While Salvation Army Commissioner Kenneth Hodder assured donors in a short video that the organization endorses no social theory or philosophy and never will, Color Us United President Kenny Xu pushed back on that assertion in a statement to media outlets Tuesday.

Salvation Army says were not going to stand on a political side; were neither left nor right, etc., etc., Xu said. This is not a political statement. In fact, this is the least political statement you could possibly make. The previous statement you made was political.

Xu described aspects of the Lets Talk About Racism curriculum as a political statement.

For you to actually say that youre not going to be political means that you need to actually say a statement reversing what you originally said, Xu believes.

Color Us United started a digital campaign asking the Salvation Army to #JustSayIt and denounce the central idea of critical race theory. The campaign is targeting anybody who likes the page Salvation Army.

In an interview with CBN News, Hodder explained that because that document was causing confusion amongst our people and externally, well put something up in the future that is closely aligned with that mission statement that I referred to earlier.

Specifically, Hodder characterized the mission of the Salvation Army as preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ and meet human needs in His name without discrimination.

Noting that the Christmas season is a season of forgiveness and generosity, Xu told the Salvation Army, if youre going to win back your donors, you must do it now.

You must do it before Christmas, during this holiday season because that will be an example to  so many other organizations in the country that dare tread the waters of wokeness, he added.

Xu alleged that in addition to donors, local chapters of the Salvation Army oppose the Lets Talk About Racism campaign. The activist recalled a conversation he had with a Delaware-based Salvation Army officer on the radio who remarked that local chapters dont really  believe in this stuff.
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Its no secret that Chicago, like many major U.S. cities, has suffered from an unprecedented spike in homicides and non-fatal shootings over the last two years. Despite seeing record low homicide rates between 2004 and 2015, Chicago residents are now experiencing violent crime at levels unseen in decades  including truly horrific surges in gun violence during 2020 and 2021.

One important factor driving this violence is the failed leadership of Chicagos mayor and city council, particularly their general lack of support for the Chicago Police Department. Chicagos progressive prosecutors have exacerbated this problem by routinely allowing violent offenders to run amok without any meaningful consequences.

And yet, when I attempted to diagnose this problem at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on gun violence in Chicago held earlier this week, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., twice interrupted my testimony.

OUTRAGEOUS: @SenatorDurbin cut off @AmySwearer during her opening remarks to prevent her from from citing data on rogue prosecutors.



Revealing the hearing titled combating gun trafficking and reducing violence in Chicago isn't actually interested in doing either. pic.twitter.com/T8SKUEABe9  Heritage Foundation (@Heritage) December 13, 2021

The testimony Durbin didnt want the committee or the nation to hear? A well-publicized story from early October in which gang members lit up a residential Chicago neighborhood with gunfire on a Friday, only to be inexplicably released without charges by Monday.

It seems that Durbin was more interested in using Chicago residents as political pawns than in understanding why Chicagos criminals feel free to shoot whomever they want without fearing consequences.

If a hearing on Chicago-specific gun violence isn't the proper place to highlight a well-covered story of Chicago prosecutors declining to charge suspects who lit up a residential Chicago neighborhood with gunfire in broad daylight, then what are we even doing here?  Amy Swearer (@AmySwearer) December 13, 2021

Below is an abridged version of my written and oral testimony, in which I point out how Chicagos progressive prosecutors are allowing lawlessness to tear the city apart. You can read my full written submission here.

No quick fixes: Debunking the illusion of easy answers and simple solutions to recent, unprecedented spikes in gun violence

For almost 30 years, this nation experienced a general downward trend in violence, including gun violence, even as the number of privately owned guns steadily rose.

Then, very suddenly, in early 2020, not just in Chicago but the nation experienced an unprecedented surge of homicide and gun violence. The national homicide rate spiked 30 percent, the highest single year increase in history. Virtually every major city has experienced significant increases in homicide since 2019, and a dozen cities have already set new records this year for annual homicide numbers. We could just as easily be in Philadelphia, or Portland, or back in the Senate building in Washington, D.C.

Were all here today because we recognize that this unparalleled, acute spike in needless violence and death is a very serious problem, and we are invested in the same goal of saving lives. No one fails to understand the devastating nature of this trend. The question is how we understand its causes and potential solutions.

Its very clear that something  or, most likely, some combination of things  happened in 2020 to abruptly reverse a decades-long national trend. And yet, there has been an unfortunate tendency to resort back to standard, politically expedient talking points  to blame, for example, surges in legal gun sales or supposedly lax gun laws in neighboring states.

These factors, however, are not the driving forces behind recent nationwide spikes in gun violence. There are, in fact, far better answers to the question of what changed in 2020? In short, a combination of several different factors  some of which arose rather recently and very suddenly  that combined to create a perfect climate for violence.

Significant changes to law enforcement resources, tactics, and trust

There is substantial evidence that police departments around the nation suddenly and significantly altered the ways in which they deployed resources and interacted with communities as a result of COVID-related necessities, widespread civil unrest, and high-profile anti-police sentiment. These changes very likely played and continue to play a role in the ability of impacted police departments to deter criminal acts, investigate violent crimes, and bring the perpetrators of those crimes to justice before they can reoffend.

Consider the slew of problems faced by officers during the height of the pandemic, when many departments found their ranks decimated by the virus itself. Almost overnight, police forces around the country began taking steps to minimize interactions with civilians.

This not only hampered proactive policing efforts but also brought community policing tactics and outreach initiatives to build trust to a screeching halt. At the same time, in many cities, officers were diverted to the enforcement of COVID-19-related social distancing and closure orders.

There is also ample evidence that widespread social unrest and the high-profile proliferation of anti-police sentiment measurably shifted the deployment of police resources and led to unconscious (or perhaps entirely conscious) changes in policing styles.

Because proactive, officer-initiated law enforcement is precisely the type of policing designed to disrupt patterns of violence, its sudden scaling back was bound to have devastating consequences for gun violence.

Worse, it coincided in many cities with defunding measures, the cutting of vacant job openings, higher rates of retirement or quitting, and lower recruitment rates to fill the emptying ranks.

Widespread implementation of overly lenient approaches to violent crime

There is certainly room for good faith discussions about criminal justice reform, including bail reform. But these reforms must be tempered by reality, especially where violence is involved, and the overall safety of the public is at stake.

Far too many rogue prosecutors and other local officials, including Kim Foxx, the states attorney for Cook County, have implemented poorly designed bail reforms and lenient prosecutorial tactics. The devastating results of these practices pre-date the 2020 homicide spike, but the problem has certainly been exacerbated during the last two years.

This is not speculation. This is hard data. Defenders of Cook Countys 2017 bail reform measures only succeed if they are permitted to fudge the numbers and mischaracterize reality. A comprehensive February 2020 study took a harder look at the actual numbers and found that, after the new bail policies were implemented, 33% more released defendants were charged with committing new violent crimes.

As of Dec. 10, at least 56 defendants released on felony bail in Chicago have been accused of killing or trying to kill someone, with 83 additional victims involved in their violent crimes. Moreover, violent crime clearance rates in Chicago and other cities are abysmally low. We have very little idea who, specifically, is committing most violent crimes, and its statistically almost certain that we dramatically undercount the rates at which many violent offenders released on felony bail continue to re-offend.

This problem is not unique to Chicago. Rogue prosecutors from Philadelphia to Los Angeles are forcing communities to reap the consequences of their progressive and overly lenient policies.

Nothing could capture the breadth of this problem better than one recent and illustrative example of how rogue prosecutors embolden criminals and facilitate violence.

In broad daylight on a Friday morning in early October, during an intra-gang dispute, four people drove up to a house in a residential Chicago neighborhood and indiscriminately opened fire on it. Individuals inside the house shot back. In total, at least 70 rounds were fired, one man was killed, and two more were injured. The entire shootout was apparently caught on video.

Law enforcement officers very quickly arrested five suspects, for whom they sought murder and aggravated battery charges. Several felony gun charges were also likely warranted.

And yet, by Monday, all five suspects had been released without charges, and without any subsequent attempt to charge them. According to police reports, the state attorneys office cited mutual combat as the reason for declining prosecution. Let me assure you, thats not how the defense of mutual combat works.

It is truly astounding that rogue Chicago prosecutors have reached a point where they will release suspects who fired dozens of rounds into a residential neighborhood during an unprecedented spike in homicide and, with a straight face, tell the community, Its fine, they only shot at each other. Which at the same time tells those who perpetrate violent gun crimes, Its fine, as long as you shoot at each other.

And then we wonder aloud to ourselves in congressional hearings why Chicago suffers from a gun violence problem.

Viable avenues for meaningfully addressing gun violence spikes

The good news is that, while there are no simple or politically easy solutions, there are nonetheless viable avenues for addressing and combating the major factors driving this recent spike in gun violence.

To read more about these possible solutions, please see my full testimony to the committee here.

None of the strategies outlined therein provide particularly simple or quick solutions. They are not easily implemented overnight. They may be difficult to boil down into memorable slogans or pithy talking points. They may be far less appealing to constituents than the standard laments about having too many guns and too few gun laws.

But the right answers are not always the simple answers. These strategies are the right ones. They pull us back in the right direction, which in this case, means saving lives.

Originally published at The Daily Signal.
Archaeologists discover second synagogue in Mary Magdalene's Galilean hometown

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Archaeologists say a second synagogue dating back to the Second Temple period has been discovered in what is believed to have been the birthplace of Mary Magdalene of the Bible and is changing our understanding of Jewish life in this period.

While excavating the Galilean town of Magdala, known today as Migdal, archaeologists say they found the remnants of a second synagogue dating back to the Second Temple period  which in history was a time that is believed to have lasted between 515 or 516 B.C. up until 70 A.D.

This is the second synagogue from the Roman period that has been uncovered in the village  and the first case of the existence of two synagogues in any locality from the Second Temple period, a period when the Temple in Jerusalem was still standing, the Israel Antiquities Authority shared on Facebook.

Prof. Adi Erlich, who heads the Zinman Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa, and Dina Avshalom-Gorni, who directs the excavation of the site on behalf of the University of Haifa, believe the discovery sheds light on the social and religious life of the Jews in the Galilee during this period. They contend that the finding indicates the need for a special building for studying and reading the Torah and social gatherings.

The first synagogue in Migdal was uncovered in 2009 through an excavation that found ritual baths, streets, a marketplace and industrial facilities in the ancient village.

The second synagogue was first discovered by probes conducted by Barak Tzin of the Israel Antiquities Authority and lies less than 200 meters away from the first synagogue. The IAA statement states that the discovery of the second synagogue is changing our understanding of Jewish life in this period, IAA stated.

We can imagine Mary Magdalene and her family coming to the synagogue here, along with other residents of Migdal, to participate in religious and communal events, excavation co-director Avshalom-Gorni told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

The discovery was made amid a plan to build new infrastructure in the town of Migdal. But while the areas were being excavated  a typical practice in advance of construction  the second synagogue was discovered by the IAA, Y.G. Contractual and the University of Haifa.

Avshalom-Gorni told the newspaper that the first synagogue had a decorative mosaic floor and the second one had a compacted, plastered and earthen floor.

The second synagogue is said to be smaller and not as ornate as the first.

The first synagogue was in an industrial area, while the second was located in a residential street, which suggests they were built within the social fabric of the settlement, Avshalom-Gorni told The Times of Israel.

The Times of Israel reports that the second synagogue consisted of the main hall and two side rooms. A stone bench was also recovered. Archeologists found bases for two of the buildings six pillars that held up the roof. The walls of the synagogue were colorfully decorated and covered in plaster. Archeologists believe that a room at the south end of the main hall with a shelf may have stored scrolls.
Catholic diocese apologizes after bishop tells kids Santa doesn't exist

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A Roman Catholic diocese in Europe has issued an apology after its bishop told a group of children a couple of weeks before Christmas that Santa Claus does not exist.

The Diocese of Noto, based in Sicily, issued a statement on social media apologizing for the words of Bishop Antonio Stagliano.

At a recent religious festival called the Feast of Saint Nicholas, Stagliano told a group of children that Santa did not exist and that his red outfit was created to help market Coca-Cola drinks.

First of all, on behalf of the bishop, I express my sorrow for this declaration which has created disappointment in the little ones, and want to specify that Monsignor Staglianos intentions were quite different, diocesan spokesman The Rev. Alessandro Paolino said in a post shared on the diocese's Facebook page.

He stated that the diocese certainly must not demolish the imagination of children, but draw good examples from it that are positive for life.

Santa Claus is an effective image to convey the importance of giving, generosity, sharing. But when this image loses its meaning, you see Santa Claus aka consumerism, the desire to own, buy, buy and buy again, then you have to revalue it by giving it a new meaning, Paolino said.

The bishop intended to stress to children that they should be focusing on the true meaning of Christmas  the birth of Jesus Christ  and highlight the story of St. Nicholas, a bishop who lived during the late 200s and early 300s and gave gifts to the poor.

In a statement released by the diocese, Stagliano declared that he didnt tell the kids that Santa doesnt exist, but we talked about the need to distinguish whats real from whats not.

So I gave the example of Saint Nicholas of Myra, a saint who brought gifts to the poor, not gifts, he stated. In the Anglo-Saxon tradition he then became Santa Claus, but certainly not the Santa Claus created by Coca-Cola.

I wanted to explain that a consumer culture such as that of gifts is different from a culture of gift which is at the basis of the true message of Christmas, he added. Baby Jesus was born to give himself to the whole of humanity.

There has been much discussion about how Christian parents should approach the secular celebration of Santa Claus during the Christmas season.

Many parents decide to jump in with both feet on the Santa fun, while others give the Santa topic a complete stiff-arm, Shane Pruitt, the director of next gen evangelism for the Southern Baptist Conventions North American Mission Board, wrote in a 2015 column published by The Christian Post.

Pruitt suggested the Santa is Like Cinderella option, which involves explaining to kids that Santa is like Cinderella. He is not a real person, but he is fun to talk about, be entertained by, and see in art (movies, decorations, etc).

This option allows them to know the truth and still participate in the fun. They dont have to sit out of any activities at school, can still have their pictures with Santa, can watch great movies  and see Santa decorations without being confused by them, continued Pruitt.

However, they still need to be sensitive of the others at school and church that have been told that Santa is real by their parents. Once again, its not my childs job to educate their peers about Santa. It is their own parents job.
As Christmas post-lockdown approaches, no doubt many of you are looking forward to spending the holiday season with family and close friends once again. Perhaps for you it is a cherished time of sharing great food, giving gifts, telling stories, and making memories with those you love. But for a growing number of people, it is a depressing and lonely season.

In the UK, a YouGov poll from December 2019 found that a quarter of Brits felt Christmas had a negative effect on their mental health, especially the unemployed, divorced and widowed. In Australia, more recent data acquired by the Red Cross showed that around a third of people struggle with loneliness at Christmas time, showing an increase over previous years likely due to lockdown restrictions. And of course it overwhelmingly affects the elderly.

The Tradition and its effect on the socially isolated

These figures show that societal loneliness around the holiday season is higher than you might realise, and within the church is no exception. Ive had both positive and negative experiences over the years, and due to moving around a lot I have been the outsider more than once. Social circles in church can be quite cliquey and take time to break into. Unfortunately, it is much more noticeable if you happen to be the new person leading up to the festive season. Though Christmas was not a big tradition in our family, I have found myself at times just trying to avoid being alone as everyone disappeared for the rest of the year.

Sometimes life puts you in these situations and it just isnt avoidable. But I believe a large part of the problem is the mentality behind the traditional Western Christmas season. Many of us treat it as a time to focus exclusively on family and close friends. While there is nothing inherently wrong with time set apart just for those dearest to us, setting the whole season aside for it leaves those without good social connections figuratively out in the cold.

Many people come from broken families or have lost loved ones over the years, and havent been able to maintain strong social connections for a variety of reasons. We are awakening to what is now being called an epidemic of loneliness in society, which has no doubt been exacerbated during the lockdowns. For people suffering from this epidemic, important holidays such as Christmas are just a magnifying glass for their condition if no one makes the effort to reach out and include them.

Jesus as an example of inclusiveness

This is an area of growing need that we as a church can address, and we must ask ourselves if a personal sacrifice is required in order to show Gods love to the growing number of people desperately in need of it. We dont have to look far for a model of what we could do if we chose to step outside our comfort zone and try.

Jesus is our best example of what it looks like to selflessly love others at ones own expense. He was often making time for those on the fringes of society, even people who were considered morally reprehensible by the Jewish elite. And he not only made time for them but invited himself into their lives and befriended them, meeting them where they were. The gospel of Mark says he ate with sinners and tax collectors and was criticised by the religious leaders for it (Mark 2:15 - 17). He broke bread with people who might make you feel uncomfortable or awkward, and in so doing broke with age-old traditions to show love that transcended familial bonds.

What are you willing to sacrifice?

There is a confronting challenge in Jesus example for us as his followers, and as members in the Kingdom of God as to how we approach special occasions like Christmas. We are not here to just live enjoyable lives in comfort with those we are comfortable with. We are supposed to share with others the love God has already shown us, and that can only be achieved by being available to those in need. This requires a sacrifice, and it may mean we have to make room in our existing traditions, or even transform our traditions to make them more open to others.

I remember when a friend and pastor told me how he and his wife decided to stop leaving town to spend Christmas with their relatives. They felt God had put it on their hearts to free themselves up for others in the Church and in their own neighbourhood  people who had no family or friends to be with. It was a tough decision and they faced strong criticism from their families, but they answered the call to give up cherished time with family to love those without it. I also remember what a difference it made to me when I was away from family, and a couple I had met only days prior offered to have me over for Christmas day. It was a relatively small sacrifice on their part, but it made a world of difference to me.

So as another Christmas approaches, take a moment to honestly consider what it means to show selfless love and use this season as an opportunity for the Kingdom of God. Is there someone on the fringes you could include in your celebrations? Or could you even start a new tradition that will create the campfire for others to gather around and benefit from the warmth that family and friendship brings?

After all, as the numbers show, opportunities abound and that is not likely to change any time soon.
Courtesy of Embrey

Luxury apartments at Stone Oak are now under the ownership of a Chicago real estate investment firm.

San Antonio-based Embrey Partners sold the 323-unit Standard at Legacy apartments at 1938 E Sonterra Boulevard to Sherman Residential, according to a news release. The price of the sale was not disclosed but Bexar County last assessed the property at $52 million, according to property records.
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A grand jury indicted the Republican speaker pro tempore of Oklahomas state House for allegedly misusing his power to alter state law so that his wife could become a tag agent.

State Rep. Terry ODonnell faces five felony and three misdemeanor charges while his wife, Teresa, faces three felonies and one misdemeanor charge, The Oklahoman reported late Friday. According to the AP, the most serious charge is conspiracy against the state, which comes with a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.

ODonnell introduced a bill in 2019 to allow wives of legislators to become tag agents. In Oklahoma, tag agents are independent operators of agencies that provide government services such as drivers licenses, vehicle registrations, title transfers, and notary services. Tag agents receive government subsidies to run their businesses, which are often found in rural areas that may not have easy access to high-speed internet, or a Department of Motor Vehicles.

Just three months after the bill was signed into law, Teresa was appointed to take over the Catoosa Tag Agency, which her mother, Georgia McAfee, had run for more than four decades. Although Teresa had worked at her mothers tag agency, according to the grand jury indictment, she lied on an application submitted to the Oklahoma Tax Commission stating she managed daily office operations and oversaw four clerks. In reality, the grand jury said it found, she only worked there part-time. The application additionally said commissioners could speak with Teresa ODonnells supervisor, McAfee, about her job experience. But by then, the grand jury indictment said, McAfee was in hospice and was only semi-conscious from time to time, rendering her incapable of answering questions.

Not only did the bill allow ODonnells wife to become tag agent, it also increased the prices that tag agencies could charge for a number of services. The grand jury alleged ODonnell included that provision in the legislation knowing full well that he had a personal or private interest in both the present operation of the [tag agency] by his mother-in-law  and by his wife  and therefore he had an additional personal or private interest in promoting and obtaining such a change of law.

ODonnell denied any wrongdoing by him or his wife, telling The Oklahoman in a statement that political operatives in Oklahoma City are using this to discredit our familys character and destroy our reputation as a personal vendetta against me.

We will vigorously defend our integrity, he said. Last year, ODonnell told the paper that his wife did not plan to become a tag agent at the time he worked on the bill and only submitted an application after her mothers sudden death from pancreatic cancer.
While feeling frustrated swiping and messaging people on dating apps for months, Conroe native Erica Sinner had the idea of creating a different type of meet-up platform.

After a particularly upsetting conversation in 2019 with someone she matched with, Sinner thought of developing an app that would more immediately get people to meet up in person.

Originally, I was trying to fix an issue in the dating world where I dont want people chatting, but I am focused on solo meetups and group meetups, she said.

Two years later, she launched DanceKard at the end of August and now has about 638 users on the platform. For now, the app is only available for Apple users in the Houston area, but the CEO has plans to expand to Android users and people across the U.S. in the new year.

On yourcouriernews.com: University of St. Thomas to launch entrepreneur boot camp for vets in Conroe

Sinner, who used to be a full-time home developer for the greater Houston area, also created the app with her hometown of Conroe in mind. DanceKard promotes events local businesses host, ranging from trivia nights to happy hours, as an option for users to meet up.

Im from Conroe and Im here to advocate for making Conroe better, she said.

She explained how this feature ultimately benefits local establishments and helps them determine what promotional events bring them more business. More than 80 percent of users pick a promotional event to meet up at, according to data from the app.

I get calls because (businesses) want to partner, she said. They want to find ways of drawing business to their location, especially since COVID, so this really helps them.

In addition, the existence of a platform to allow others to meet up also appeals to people who arent just looking for a relationship. The app features a group hang-out option for those looking simply to connect with others and make friends.

This is really geared to getting people out in public in front of each other, socializing, she said.

So far, Sinner has seen success on the app, with three to six people accepting requests to meet up somewhere per week. The app has a 24-hour window for people to chat before the meet-up in order to coordinate, which she believes pushes people out of their comfort zone.

A lot of people seem to like that, she said. They like the fact they dont have to have this constant communication.

Sinner said she made the app primarily to help people connect and find meaningful relationships. She hopes the platform addresses the issues she had when she would swipe on other dating apps.

I want people to start communicating in person and see people respecting each other, she said. I just want to see some changes. I feel like I can do this indirectly with the way the app is laid out.

noor.adatia@chron.com
MILWAUKEE (AP)  A Milwaukee third grader whose fears about COVID-19 were alleviated by President Joe Biden when he came to Wisconsin for a televised town hall came away from the encounter with both comfort and joy.

The joy came when Layla Salas and her family, at the president's invitation, attended the holiday open house at the White House on Saturday. The 9-year-old girl told the Journal Sentinel that her favorite part of the tour was seeing the Green Room filled with Christmas trees decorated with purple.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is reversing a decision by his administration's health commissioner to lay off 14 state employees who monitor drinking water, the governor's press secretary said Saturday.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that the announcement came three days after the newspaper reported on the planned layoffs of 11 full-time and three part-time employees in the state Department of Healths Office of Drinking Water.
ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. (AP)  Authorities have recovered the body of a man who was working at a distribution center in North Carolina for the QVC home-shopping television network when a massive fire erupted, destroying most of the facility, a local official said Sunday.

Edgecombe County Manager Eric Evans said authorities found the man's body Sunday morning at the facility near Rocky Mount.

Fire had not actually touched that section of the building, where the body was discovered, Evans said. An autopsy has not been done, but they are assuming it may have been through smoke inhalation.

The Edgecombe County Sheriffs Office said in a Facebook post that 21-year-old Kevon Ricks has been identified as the worker who died.

QVC confirmed the death in a statement released Sunday night. The company also said it was offering resources to the rest of its Rocky Mount employees, including shutdown pay through December 31 and a hotline for workers to get updates and leave questions.

More than 300 employees were working at the 1.2 million-square-foot facility when the fire broke out early Saturday.

On Saturday, Evans initially said all of the centers employees appeared to be accounted for. Later, however, he said the sheriffs office was looking for a worker who was missing after the fire.

Ricks' relatives told WTVD-TV they hadn't heard from him since the fire. A relative told the TV station they were informed of the body's discovery.

Gov. Roy Cooper tweeted he was saddened by the loss of life during the fire.

Ive been in contact with local and state officials about that tragedy and taking steps to help families hurt by the loss of more than 2000 jobs, he posted.

Evans estimates the fire destroyed at least 70% of the facility. He said firefighters were using machines to clear debris in order to extinguish hot spots that were still flaring up Sunday.

Crews from nearly 45 fire departments were fighting the blaze more than 12 hours after it began.

The statement from QVC on Sunday said the company was still working to understand the impact on customer orders.

Our Customer Care representatives are prepared to help as this situation continues to evolve. We appreciate our customers patience and their outpouring of support to our Rocky Mount team, the statement said.

QVC. Inc. is based in West Chester, Pennsylvania, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Qurate Retail Inc. Evans said QVC is one of Edgecombe County's largest employers.

It's devastating, but everybody is concerned and everybody is pulling together for these employees and their families, he added.
MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP)  An 18-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the stabbing of a woman Friday night in New Hampshire.

John Geovanny Rosario, 18, of Manchester, is facing a charges including attempted murder, drug possession and resisting arrest.
CONCORD, N.H. (AP)  New Hampshire has a new program to recognize environmental leaders in the craft beverage industry.

The Sustainable Craft Beverage Recognition Program was created as a way to note producers who are preventing pollution and conserving resources.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP)  Rice & Roux is the place to go if you want a taste of authentic Louisiana food served up quickly.

Thats not saying the food is made in a hurry. The restaurants staff starts preparing early in the morning, using the same techniques any good south Louisiana cook would use.

That means stirring up a roux for the gumbo and getting the rice for the jambalaya just right.

Those are the menu favorites at Rice & Roux, which has locations at 2158 ONeal Lane and 320 Lee Drive.

The Lee Drive store opened in May 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic. Owners John and Kara Baquet and Dustin and Shasta Felton knew their venture would be risky.

But their first restaurant, opened on ONeal in 2006, has a loyal following, and the Lee Drive location has something the one at ONeal doesnt  a drive-thru window.

And that proved a blessing.

When the state ordered restaurant dining rooms to close, customers lined up at the drive-thru for some quick, warm Cajun food.

Our concept is fast, casual, Kara Baquet said. You can come here and get some Cajun food, and you can get it quickly.

Thats the whole idea behind our name, Rice & Roux, John Baquet added. This is something that is ready for them.

Chicken & Sausage Gumbo is the customer favorite, but the Shrimp & Crab Gumbo comes in a close second. Both are cooked fresh daily in 30-gallon kettles. The Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya also is a winner with diners.

Rice & Roux also offers such daily specials as hamburger steak and lasagna.

We have people who come every single day just because they want the special on that day, John Baquet said. Theyll just kind of mix it up, but one of my big mistakes was taking the lasagna off the menu.

Baquets reasoning was that lasagna is an Italian dish and didnt belong on a menu of Cajun food.

So, we came up with a different special, and customers were in an uproar, he said. So, lasagna has become a huge staple. Ours isnt fancy. Its just something your momma made.

None of our food is fancy, and it doesnt look fancy, he added. Its just going to grandmas house.

The menu also offers a variety of desserts, including south Louisiana favorites like banana pudding and bread pudding.

The restaurants also cater.

The idea for Rice & Roux developed from a collaboration between the couples. Kara Baquet and Shasta Felton are sisters. The Feltons were working as managers for different Dominos stores, while the Baquets were working in real estate.

We were buying real estate rentals, and one of the books we were reading talked about ways to make more money, John Baquet said. One of the ways was to get a business.

Kara Baquet suggested they invest in a restaurant.

Its funny, because I said, Itll be easy, she recalled. And that is what I was thinking, Oh, we can do this. And now this has become the focus, and we dont do rental property anymore.

The Feltons were able to bring their food service industry skills to the enterprise.

Dominos trains their managers to treat their stores as if youre the owners, Shasta Felton said. You learn so much about the business through them. We were trying to have children at the time, and we knew we couldnt do that with our Dominos schedules.

Shasta Felton quit her Dominos job to help start Rice & Roux, and, when it took off, Dustin Felton joined full time.

John Baquet, who grew up in Ville Platte, had the Cajun food know how.

All four owners made the final decisions on specific recipes.

Most of the ingredients are locally sourced, and now Jordan Dufour and Christina Landry, managers of the ONeal and Lee Drive stores respectfully, do all of the cooking using the recipes.

At the newer store, the space is light and airy, highlighting the Cajun influence with a wall filled with cast iron skillets and cornbread pans near the counter. With COVID-19 restrictions easing, the business at Lee Drive has picked up at a fast pace.

While Hurricane Ida affected Rice & Rouxs suppliers, the two locations were able to source ingredients from elsewhere to feed utility line crews and its customers.

We were even busier during that time, because no one had power, and they couldnt cook, Dustin Felton said. They knew they could come in here and get a hot meal and get it fast.

The couples are now thinking about opening a third location.

Its still in the planning stages, Dustin Felton said. We havent chosen a spot for it yet. Weve been struggling to get both locations fully staffed, and I think once thats not as much of an issue, we can focus on another location.

Both couples agree that working together as a family has made their business model stronger.

Everyone says never partner with family, John Baquet said. You hear that repeatedly on the radio talk shows, but we find a way to make it work. When one of us feels a little bit more passionate about something, the rest of us typically will kind of go along with that person. We say, If you feel that passionate about it, well go there. There has been enough give and take that it has never been a strain.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP)  Louisiana's teacher workforce has seen a 30% drop in the ranks of aspiring teachers, a glut of educators working outside their field of expertise and a glaring need for more racial diversity, according to a new state report.

The findings were presented to a joint meeting of the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the state Board of Regents, The Advocate reports.

A 17-member task force worked on the study authorized by the state Legislature earlier this year to address a growing teacher shortage that school leaders say is making it difficult to ensure that classroom slots are filled.

We have classrooms not staffed because teachers have left the profession, said Belinda Davis, a member of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education from Baton Rouge.

Those enrolled in teacher preparation programs have dropped 30% over the last decade, according to the report, from 17,898 teacher candidates in 2011-12 to 12,597 during the last school year. And the number of those finishing the programs has fallen 15% during the same time, from 3,231 to 2,743.

St. Bernard Parish Superintendent Doris Voitier, a member of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, said she was unable to start the school year with enough teachers.

Alternative certification programs are coming up all over the place because that natural pipeline we used to have is not productive enough, Voitier told the newspaper.

Of the 43,931 Louisiana teachers in 2020, nearly one in four is either uncertified or working outside their field, according to the task force. Math and science classes suffer the most, with 21% of public school math classes and 24% of science classes taught by someone uncertified or outside that field.

The task force suggested both education boards should be seeking more diversity in the classroom in a state where 73% of teachers are white and 23% are Black. White women make up 60% of teacher ranks and Black males only 5%, the report says.

We have been talking about the need for teachers of color in the elementary, middle and high school setting, said Susannah Craig, deputy commissioner of the Board of Regents and a member of the task force.

The task force said it plans to hold listening sessions with teachers in 2022 to discuss opportunities and barriers to educator retention. It also plans to team up with the Board of Regents to study the impact of teacher entrance exams and the chances for setting up a statewide compensation plan, the newspaper reported.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  The number of weapons confiscated from students at Las Vegas-area schools has risen nearly 30% since the 2019-2020 academic year, corroborating what experts and educators have called a spike in troublesome behavior among schoolchildren since the return of in-person learning nearly two years into the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Clark County School District recovered at least 119 weapons from students at campuses from Aug. 9 through Dec. 1, according to a district firearms confiscation report.

Thats up 29.3% compared with the 92 weapons taken Aug. 12-Dec. 5, 2019  the last academic year before the pandemic forced an overwhelming majority students across the country to online learning.

That trend backs up claims by school district police, educators and parents that fights and other behavioral incidents have climbed significantly this year.

Its like if you dont do your math homework long enough, you forget the math, said Adam Gent, a physical education and health teacher at Spring Valley High School who launched Hope Squad, a peer-to-peer intervention program that aims to prevent suicides.

These kids, theyve forgotten how to be students," Gent told the Las Vegas Sun. "Theyve forgotten, almost, how to act.

In 2020, when the school district transitioned to remote learning for most of the year, it reported 28 weapons confiscations from Aug. 24-Dec. 14, and 52 confiscations for the entire school year.

The report, which began in 2018, has since grown to include tallies of BB guns, handguns, long-barreled guns, knives and other weapons, said Lt. Bryan Zink of the districts police department.

High schoolers have historically been the largest offenders bringing weapons to school, according to 2019, 2020 and 2021 editions of the report. In 2021, they accounted for nearly 64%, or 76, of the 119 weapons recovered.

Middle schoolers, by comparison, accounted for about 30%, or 36 confiscations. Elementary school students were responsible for seven confiscations.

Katherine Lee, a nationally certified school psychologist and an assistant professor in school psychology at UNLV, said that even though the increase seems notable, it is likely too early to tell if its statistically significant.

Last Wednesday, one 15-year-old male student stabbed another during a fight at Cimarron Memorial High School, which was briefly placed on lockdown as a result, Zink said.

On Dec. 2, Cram Middle School in North Las Vegas went into lockdown after reports that a student brought a weapon to campus, although the claims were ultimately unfounded, Zink said.

The incident came days after a 15-year-old in Michigan was accused of opening fire at Oxford High School, north of Detroit. Four students were killed and seven people were injured.

As for why students might feel compelled to bring a weapon to school, Its really hard to pinpoint one reason, Lee said, adding that the pandemic has undoubtedly had an effect on child and adolescent behavior.

Children need structure, and school provided that, Lee said. (Are they acting out) to get attention? Is it because theres an underlying mental health issue? Is it because they feel like theyre struggling so much in school? Are they mad at the school or feel like they dont belong?

Zink said there was a notable increase in disturbances early on in the current academic year.

But even in a normal year, Zink said, its not unusual for the number of fights or weapon confiscations to tail off in the middle of the year before picking back up in the weeks to months leading to summer vacation.

To be this far into the school year and to have confiscated as many weapons as we had, it was troubling and alarming, Zink said. But then again, weve started to see the downward curve.

The Sun made several requests for comment from Clark County school administrators, but received no answer back. The Sun also filed a public records request seeking the number of fights reported on district campuses, but that request was pending.

The Clark County School District is the nations fifth-largest, with about 315,000 students and 18,000 teachers in 336 schools covering an area the size of New Jersey.

Zink said one theory he had for why kids may have been acting out was that for many students, its their first time being in a new school with more students, more freedom and less supervision.

Basically, at every single school, there are two levels of kids that had never attended that school before, Zink said. Kids had to learn how to act more mature, even though the last reference they had they were younger and they could get away with stuff at the middle school or elementary school level.

Additionally, the pandemic may have altered the way students, parents and educators approach learning, Lee said. Though it may be easy to focus on an isolated incident or one particular issue, resuming to the way school was before the pandemic may take systemic overhaul.

I dont know if there will ever be the same normal, Lee said. People definitely adapt and some things in their new life are great. And some things from traditional living are important to preserve as well. So I think were still all figuring it out.

Lee and Gent also agreed on another point: Its important for schools in Clark County, and nationwide, to be dedicating resources to students, such as counseling and open discussion over mental health.

Gent credits the school district with providing solution-oriented training for teachers as they came back to in-person learning, so they were equipped with tools to help students who may be lagging.

But honestly, I think in the last month or two it feels almost like theyre starting to get better, Gent said.

It almost is common sense, now that I think about it," he said. "They forgot how to be students, they forgot how to behave. And now, were reteaching that, and a lot of the kids are responding really well. A lot of them want to get back to normal.
Carolyn Kaster/AP

BOSTON (AP)  U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Sunday she has tested positive for COVID-19 as the country deals with another surge in cases and the emergence of the omicron variant.

The Massachusetts Democrat tweeted she's vaccinated, has received her booster shot and is experiencing mild symptoms in a breakthrough case of the virus.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP)  Nothing compares to the joy on the face of a child who gets exactly what they want for Christmas.

They tear off the gift wrapping, and their ear-to-ear smile and gleaming eyes make all the work that parent did to get that gift under the tree worthwhile. On Dec. 25, 2019, Shanette Smiley saw the gleaming eyes and megawatt smile on the face of her daughter, Chrisyah Stephens.

On that day, Chrisyah, who had just turned 7 on Dec. 13, saw a big box that contained the Barbie Dream House she longed for. Smiley preserved the memory on a phone video.

It would be Chrisyahs last Christmas. Eight months later, the first-grader at Muessel Elementary School died as a result of gun violence while attending a birthday party on Aug. 27, 2020.

Stephens said her daughter loved school and she loved her Barbie Dream House.

She was very, very excited to get the Barbie Dream House, she said.

Smiley wants to see that look of joy on the faces of other little girls, and that is why she started Forever 7, an initiative to bring Christmas joy to 10 little girls.

The charity made a donation of Barbie Dream Houses and Barbie dolls during an event Monday marking what would have been Chrisyahs 9th birthday. Those in attendance appeared emotionally moved by watching Chrisyah opening her gift on that phone video, projected onto a screen.

I just want to keep her memory alive, Smiley said. I just want to see the kids as excited as she was and make them dream big.

The Forever 7 party was held at the Nexus Center, 3607 S. Michigan St.

Desmont Upchurch is founder of the Upchurch Family Foundation, a nonprofit that supports other charities doing worthwhile work in the community. Upchurch said Smiley approached him at an event held earlier this year and told him about the Forever 7 initiative to buy the Dream Houses.

Upchurch worked with Aja Ellington, founder of Free Your Wings Youth Mentoring, a group that provides mentoring, tutoring and mental health services to young people between 13 and 22 years old, to organize the event. Ellington served as emcee.

Upchurch said Meijer made a donation that allowed him to buy the gifts and that 10 community members donated money that will be used to establish a scholarship in Chrisyah Stephens name that will be given to female students of color.

Monday night was for 10 little girls who came to the Nexus center with their families. Each of those girls got a chance to tear the gift wrapping off a big box and a little box. The smiles were wide as each of the girls stood in front of parents, grandparents and other adults.

Komonique Thomas used her phone to take pictures as her 7-year-old granddaughter, Komari, opened her gifts. Thomas said her granddaughter needed this.

Shes a middle child, so she has trouble adjusting and adapting at home and just to be able to have something like this of her very own is special for her, Thomas said.

Thomas also had high praise for Smiley.

I just admire her strength, Thomas said. I admire the courage she had to be able to go through with this process and having her daughters name associated with this forever and live on and is just amazing.

Erica Parker, a cousin of Smiley and Chrisyah, said she was happy to see the joy in the eyes of her 4-year-old granddaughter, Lyric Anderson, as she opened her gifts. Her thoughts also turned to Smiley. She said the public is seeing a display of generosity from Smiley that the family sees regularly.

She already has a big heart, Parker said. Its just everything for her to be able to stand and do this and give to others some joy in her daughters name.

Faneice Douglas, another cousin who came to support Smiley, said the last year has been difficult for Smiley and the entire family. Smiley is still looking for someone to be brought to justice for the murder of her daughter. Police arrested and charged a 19-year-old man for firing the shot that killed Chrisyah, but he was acquitted in August.

It would be a huge burden lifted to get some kind of justice, Douglas said.

The party was held at the Nexus Center, a building owned by David Buggs and his wife, psychiatrist Dr. LaRissa Chism Buggs. Both say it was important for them to support an event that sought to bring some joy to what was a tragic situation.

Its important for us to come together and remember those things that are positive even in the midst of this tragedy, Chism Buggs said. Its important to remember what we can do when we come together.

We reinforce the fact that we are not alone.



Source: South Bend Tribune
As it seeks answers about the cosmos and what they mean for Earth's origins, NASA on Friday announced a slew of discoveries about Jupiter. And scientists brought home an interstellar tune from the road.

The Juno spacecraft is gathering data about the origin of the solar system's biggest planet - in which more than 1,300 Earths could fit. Among its recent findings are photos from inside the planet's ring, a map of its magnetic field, details of its atmosphere and a trippy soundtrack from a spacecraft's travels around one of its moons.

But it's not exactly a song, or even perceptible to the human ear.

The radio emissions Juno recorded are not what a person would hear if they went to Jupiter - space is a vacuum and does not carry soundwaves like air does on Earth. But the probe zooming through space captured the electric and magnetic emissions that scientists later converted into perceptible sound. Turns out, orbiting Ganymede, which is one of Jupiter's moons and the largest satellite in the solar system, kind of sounds like R2-D2.

Juno, which NASA launched in 2011 and began orbiting Jupiter in July 2016, is the eighth spacecraft to visit Jupiter, and the first to probe below the giant planet's thick gas cover. It fought Jupiter's extreme temperatures and hazardous radiation to survey its north and south poles, chugging along despite a lack of sunshine on its solar panels.

Uncovering the secrets behind Jupiter's workings could shed light on the evolution of other planets and the formation of the solar system itself, said Scott Bolton, the Juno mission's principal investigator.

"We're trying to understand where we came from, how we got here," Bolton told The Washington Post. "And Jupiter is a big part of that story."

To accomplish that objective, the spacecraft has flown across the giant planet, mapping its magnetic field. The mission, which recently completed its 38th orbit, was extended this year to add flybys of Jupiter's moons - such as the one in June that led to the Ganymede audio track. The sound, Bolton said, represents an immersive experience into the mission's travels past the moon for the first time in more than two decades.

Juno also discovered that the planet is being pelted by tiny but powerful particles from Mars. Jupiter's gravity acts like a gate pushing the micrometeorites out of its orbit - similar to how it may have bullied other ancient planets out of the solar system.

Scientists are now setting up to detail Jupiter's ring. Much like Saturn and Uranus, the gas giant has a faint ring of dust created by two of its moons. The spacecraft already took a look at it from inside the ring - an observation that allowed the researchers to see the Perseus constellation from a different perspective.

"What always impresses me is we wind up discovering all kinds of stuff that we never anticipated," said Jack Connerney, Juno's deputy principal investigator.

Jupiter is unlike the eight other planets in our solar system. With the exception of a rocky core, the planet is made of gaseous and liquid elements. Surrounded by electrons, protons and ions that rapidly bounce around, Jupiter's cloud cover has a layer of liquid metallic hydrogen. Its core remains a mystery, but scientists believe a motley of diffused elements that are heavier than helium are at the very center. This configuration paves the way for a dynamo - or the source of a magnetic field - Connerney, an astrophysicist at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., said.

The result, he said, are "spectacular aurorae, or tremendous depositions of energy." Much like our own Northern Lights, but thousands of times brighter.

With the data generated by Juno, Connerney and his team were able to map Jupiter's magnetic field. Their study also revealed that the dynamo action stems from metallic hydrogen beneath a layer of helium raindrops.

The interior of the planet is dynamic as well. It spins every 10 hours and holds raging wind jets that give Jupiter its Van Gogh-like swirls. Within its southern latitudes, the Great Red Spot is essentially a hurricane that has been observed since the age of Galileo. But scientists have found another formidable patch: the Great Blue Spot.

The Great Blue Spot "is really a magnetic anomaly," said Connerney. Its name stems not from its color but from how magnetic field lines are drawn - sporting blue when they go into the planet. It also offers clues about the planet's workings.

"We actually detected a big change from the beginning of our Juno mission in 2016 to now," he said. "We detected a change in the magnetic field that is equivalent to the eastward drift of the great blue spot in time, very slow about four centimeters per second but fast enough to circle the planet in about 350 years."

The Great Blue Spot is being pulled away by Jupiter's jet streams - a pattern that shows that the planet's winds extend down much deeper than they originally believed. The discovery of the anomaly getting turned around, Bolton, Juno's principal investigator, could shed light into one of the biggest questions scientists are hoping to answer: How does Jupiter's atmosphere work?

"This is really the first time that we've seen a magnetic field getting affected by the atmosphere," he said. "It really demonstrates that its deep atmosphere is very dynamic, much more than people had thought."

Uncovering Jupiter's secrets, said Bolton, is a humbling experience - one that can make us feel like tiny specks but also reminds us of how much there is left to explore.

"Throughout history we often thought of ourselves as the center of everything because, in a sense, you're looking out right from your own eyes and your own brain," Bolton said. "But there are many things out there."

- - -

Video link: NASA shares extraordinary sounds from Jupiter's orbit

https://wapo.st/3GWjzlS
With 100 glittering chandeliers, a dine-in movie theater, and a ballroom, this completely custom 22,743-square-foot mansion in Franklin, TN, is the most expensive home on the market in Tennessee. The estate in the Nashville suburbs is available for $16.5 million.

Set on a 4.4-acre lot, it's in a community where the smallest lot is 3.5 acres, according to the listing agent, Bill E. Henson, Jr. of SilverPointe Properties. That means that none of the residents in this exclusive enclave are too close to one another.

This particular home is in an incredible neighborhood. There are only 23 homes, and there are celebrities who live in the neighborhood, says Henson, adding, Williamson County is the seventh-wealthiest county in America."

The property has been owned by a couple who purchased the lot for $30,000 back in 2004. After the acreage was purchased, it took them a decade to build, and design, the six-bedroom, 13-bathroom home.

The owners' first attempt to sell the property was in 2018, for $17.9 million, before it was taken off the market altogether in 2020. Now that it's at a slightly lower price point, perhaps an offer will be forthcoming.

Many materials used in the mansion's construction were importedincluding, for example, three oversized, wrought-iron front doorsand the design was so detailed, a team of contractors from Atlanta was brought in.

Grand flourishes in the home include 30-foot ceilings, three bars, nine fireplaces, three kitchens (outfitted with Sub-Zero and Viking appliances), a pool, a wine cellar, and dual, hand-crafted iron staircases. Up to 1,400 bottles of wine can be stored in the spacious cellar.

An owner interested in hosting charity galas can make use of the ballroom, which comes complete with a stage for performances.

You could have 200 people dancing in there, says Henson.

Exterior of mansion in Franklin, TN Realtor.com

Foyer staircase Realtor.com

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One of the bathrooms Realtor.com

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Ballroom Realtor.com

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Another high-end design detail are the domed ceilings.

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Watch: California's Priciest Property Is Incredibly Perched Above the Pacific Ocean

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The mansion is also equipped with smart features including a security system, and integrated technology that controls the lighting and Wi-Fi. A dozen HVAC units are used to heat and cool the massive home.

Parking for six cars is split among three attached garages, one of which has an unfinished 2,000-square-foot upper floor that could be turned into a gym or recording studio.

Franklin, a town of 78,000 18 miles south of Nashville, is a haven for celebrity musicians and CEOs of large corporations. Low property taxes and the proximity to Music City are part of the appeal. This property is close to downtown Franklins shops and restaurants, and the airport is a half-hour drive away.

You can be at the beach within six hours and the mountains are close, too, says Henson. Theres a lot going on in Middle Tennessee. Several companies (are) relocating here. You also have the music sceneand its not just country music.

A horse lover may be enticed to gallop in for a look, as the neighborhood offers riding trails, and some properties have horse stalls.

Whether or not the next buyers are equestrians, they might include an entrepreneur, probably a CEO of a major corporation, or an entertainer, or an athlete, the agent predicts.

You dont have that many people looking for homes in this price range, he says, but the norm is changing.

The post Massive $16.5M Mansion Near Nashville Is Tennessee's Most Expensive Home appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com.
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Through its entrepreneurship project, the province is expecting to generate $20 million into the Ontario economy.

Ontario aims to recruit 100 immigrant entrepreneurs Through its entrepreneurship project, the province is expecting to generate $20 million into the Ontario economy.

Ontario aims to recruit 100 immigrant entrepreneurs Through its entrepreneurship project, the province is expecting to generate $20 million into the Ontario economy.

Ontario aims to recruit 100 immigrant entrepreneurs Through its entrepreneurship project, the province is expecting to generate $20 million into the Ontario economy. Shelby Thevenot Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

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Ontario is seeking 100 immigrant entrepreneurs over the next two years to start or grow a business in regions outside of the Greater Toronto Area.

Interested business owners and developers can apply through the existing Entrepreneur Stream of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP). Each entrepreneur who is selected will be required to invest a minimum of $200,000 into their business.

Applicants may get a provincial nomination once their business has been operating for 18 to 20 months in Ontario. They can use the nomination to apply to the federal government for Canadian immigration.

Discover if Youre Eligible for Canadian Business Immigration

The recruitment project is intended to create more local jobs, and support regions that have been hard-hit by pandemic job losses, according to a government media release. It will cost the provincial government and estimated $6 million, which Ontarios labour minister Monte McNaughton told reporters it will be repaid by immigrants who come to the province to start or buy a business. These newcomer entrepreneurs will generate an estimated $20 million in business investment to the province, and will create jobs.

As we continue to build back better, we want people across Ontariono matter where they liveto find rewarding, well-paying careers in their communities, McNaughton said in the release. Our government is working for workers and spreading the jobs and opportunities that entrepreneurs bring to every corner of our province, not just our big cities.

The province has only issued two nominations through the Entrepreneur Stream since it was launched in 2015. To address this, the province says this new project will help connect entrepreneurs with business opportunities that best fit them.

This project builds on the governments efforts to attract more immigrants to Ontario. So far this year, the province has taken up such initiatives as introducing a more streamlined provincial nomination application system, and made it easier for internationally trained workers to practice in certain regulated professions.

The Ontario government has been pushing for more immigration. Minister McNaughton has called on the federal government to double Ontarios allocation in 2022 up from the 8,600 immigrants that the province was allowed to nominate in 2021.

So far this year, Canada has welcomed 313,838 immigrants between January and October 2021, according to the latest available data.

Discover if Youre Eligible for Canadian Business Immigration

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Wilkes-Barre, PA (18701)

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A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High 33F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph..

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Cloudy with snow. Low 26F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 80%. 1 to 3 inches of snow expected.
<span class=dropcap>R</span>eeling from shock, Sameer Sabir and his wife Nada Siddiqui stared blankly at the district attorney for Cambridge, Massachusetts. She had just told them she was dropping charges against their Irish nanny, Aisling Brady McCarthy, accused of shaking their infant daughter Rehma to death on her 1st birthday. After nearly three years of waiting for the trial Sameer and Nada believed would tell the world how Rehma was harmed, McCarthy was being set free. Rehma did not have her day in court, Sameer told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. She did not have her chance at justice. In 2013, Boston medical examiner Dr. Katherine Lindstrom had ruled Rehmas death a homicide by blunt force trauma, in what child abuse specialists called a classic case of shaken baby syndrome, also known as abusive head trauma, or AHT. Now, just weeks before attorneys would try Rehmas case, Lindstrom had changed her mind. Instead of blunt force Rehma may have died from a brain bleed of unknown cause. In the United States on an expired visa, McCarthy was quickly deported to her native Ireland. CNN reached out to McCarthy through family members in the United States, her former lawyer, even a family priest in Ireland. The requests for an interview went unanswered. In a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/01/16/irish-nanny-says-she-moving-after-charges-that-she-killed-baby-are-dropped/tww0J2G72tCBTGYvB4tKVO/story.html">2016 interview</a> with a Boston Globe columnist McCarthy maintained her innocence and said she grieves for Rehma. I looked after Rehma 10 hours a day, five days a week, she told the Globe at the time. I stayed over to help her sleep train. Ive been looking after kids since I was 13. In a <a target="_blank" href="https://www3.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/11/03/alice-newton-pediatrician-both-admired-and-reviled/f9n28Ni0EvoouJgesk5Z5I/story.html?_sp=c82d641a-2a29-4074-a9a0-a9794d7882b6.1577465662927&arc404=true">separate story</a>, McCarthys lawyers told the Globe the case was a rush to judgment, calling it a Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) prosecution  based on a scientific hypothesis that has crumbled over the last decade. <span class=dropcap>I</span>n her official announcement, Lindstrom said she based her turnabout on a range of materials not available at the time of the original autopsy. The reversal came after she was provided opinions by the nine medical experts hired by McCarthys defense team. Some of those experts have testified in hundreds of cases across the country or played key roles in obtaining acquittals or appeals for people accused of shaking a baby. Several question methods used by specialists to diagnose abusive head trauma, while others are severe critics of the science behind shaking, calling it flawed and disproven. All have presented alternative theories they say can mimic the symptoms of shaking  including theories which mainstream practitioners say are speculative or unproven in particular cases. While I do not agree with all of the conclusions that are drawn by the various experts they do present a significant amount of additional information, wrote Lindstrom in her announcement. CNN asked the medical examiners office on four occasions for an interview with Lindstrom to discuss the reasons for her change of opinion. The office declined each time, and provided a statement saying Lindstrom could not comment because medical information relating to a specifically named individual, including information drawn from autopsy reports, is by statute private and confidential. CNN also reached out directly to Lindstrom twice. She did not respond. <span class=dropcap>F</span>ueled by grief and anger, Sameer became a driven man. He filed a Freedom of Information Act request and obtained all of Rehmas medical records and legal filings, including statements created for the defense by the nine doctors. He shared those files with CNN; we verified the documents and obtained additional records from the district attorneys office. In those nine opinions, there were dozens of competing explanations for Rehmas brain injuries: cardiac arrest, choking, vomiting, a blood clot from infection in her middle ear, stroke, a short fall from a bed, metabolic disorders, bleeding disorders, various rare inflammatory diseases, and more. None of the medical defense witnesses felt Rehmas injuries were caused by inflicted trauma. Sameer and Nada were bewildered. These defense witnesses were provided with the same medical facts as the doctors who cared for Rehma, yet they had failed to provide any unifying theory to explain her injuries. It was, Sameer said, as if they threw spaghetti at the wall, hoping one theory sticks. <span class=dropcap>I</span>n his opinion, Wake Forest pathologist Dr. Patrick Lantz said it was probable that Rehma died of an extraordinarily rare inflammatory disease called <a target="_blank" href="https://www.orpha.net/consor/cgi-bin/OC_Exp.php?lng=EN&Expert=263524">acute necrotizing encephalopathy</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.orpha.net/consor/cgi-bin/OC_Exp.php?lng=EN&Expert=263524">,</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.orpha.net/consor/cgi-bin/OC_Exp.php?lng=EN&Expert=263524"></a>or ANE. Two other defense witnesses, British pathologist Dr. Waney Squier and Dayton Childrens Hospital of Ohio geneticist Dr. Marvin Miller, reached the same conclusion. Yet the <a target="_blank" href="https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/acute-necrotizing-encephalopathy-type-1#definition">symptoms of ANE</a> did not match the facts in Rehmas case, experts told CNN. Children with ANE develop fever, vomiting and diarrhea for several days, followed by neurological problems such as seizures, hallucinations and abnormal muscle tone. Family and friends saw none of those symptoms in the days before Rehmas death. We spent time with her and she was perfectly healthy and happy, said Silvia Gomes, Nadas sister-in-law. A sick baby doesnt go around with never-ending energy, doesnt play and laugh and enjoy company the way she did. Another key point: Neurologists say anyone stricken with ANE will have <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ajnr.org/ajnr-case-collections-diagnosis/acute-necrotizing-encephalopathy-childhood-anec">distinctive lesions in their brain</a>, in an area called the thalamus. Those markings would be visible on an MRI. Rehmas brain scans, provided to the defense and reviewed by Lantz and Squier, showed no such telltale lesions, said Dr. Alice Newton, the child abuse pediatrician who investigated Rehmas case. This image doesnt support the defense witness allegation, Newton said, pointing to the unscathed thalamus on Rehmas MRI she would have submitted as evidence if the case had gone to trial. Miller declined an interview and said he stood by his report. Squier and Lantz explained their reasoning in separate phone interviews with CNN. Rehmas brain had widespread inflammatory cuffing around the blood vessels, and blood clotting in the small vessels, which was not a typical pattern one would see in brain swelling after trauma, Squier said. However, Newton referenced studies which show otherwise, explaining that trauma produces inflammation as a generalized reaction when cells are dying. Lantz also pointed to elevated signs of inflammation, specifically tumor necrosis factor alpha and Interleukin 6 and 13, which you would not typically see in a case of trauma to the brain. Yet an internet search of peer-reviewed studies quickly found all are <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1359610199000088">key responses</a> to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3609411/">brain trauma</a>, typically as the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/neu.1997.14.451">bodys way</a> of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4931495/">reducing inflammation.</a> Lantz, who told CNN he frequently works for the prosecution in abuse cases, believes shaking is often misdiagnosed by pediatricians on the basis of retinal bleeding when in fact it may be some other disease process. <span class=dropcap>D</span>efense witness Dr. Michael Laposata, who chairs the pathology department at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, suggested Rehma died from a bleeding disorder called von Willebrand disease. Its a genetic disorder caused by low levels of a clotting protein called <a target="_blank" href="https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/gene/VWF">von Willebrand factor</a>. Laposata declined an interview, saying he was confident of my conclusions and do not want to be involved in a public debate. He told the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Experts-say-the-state-should-add-safeguards-to-14902941.php">Houston Chronicle in 2019</a> he leads a team of doctors which conducts pro bono evaluations of medical records for parents accused of child abuse. Sometimes the team agrees with the abuse diagnosis but at other times they find mistakes or missed medical problems. In Laposatas report for McCarthys defense, he said daily handling of Rehma could produce bruising (and) bleeding, and suggested her brain injury began when Rehma repeatedly plopped down on her bottom during her birthday party on January 12. Rehmas medical records show von Willebrand disease had been ruled out by a hematologist when Rehma was 10 months old, then ruled out again by a blood specialist at Boston Childrens Hospital just before her death. Despite that, Lindstrom appeared to be heavily swayed by Laposatas theory: I believe that enough evidence has been presented to raise the possibility that the bleeding could have been related to an accidental injury in a child with a bleeding risk, she wrote. Could that be true? No one in the family had a bleeding disorder, Sameer said, which is one of the diagnostic requirements for von Willebrand disease. With Sameer and Nadas permission, CNN asked pediatric hematologist-oncologist Dr. Shannon Carpenter to review Rehmas medical records. Carpenter heads the Hemophilia Treatment Center at Childrens Mercy Kansas City and <a target="_blank" href="http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/131/4/e1314">co-wrote the American Academy of Pediatrics policy</a> for evaluating bleeding disorders in suspected child abuse cases. Carpenter said Rehma did not appear to have von Willebrand disease, only a mild deficiency in von Willebrand factor. The operative word in this is mild,  Carpenter said, adding that the more pertinent question is whether a mild bleeding like von Willebrands or a platelet function defect, even in combination would be fatal. It would not, she said. Rehmas death, Carpenter added, is not the result of a bleeding disorder any more than multiple fractures are. I think whether or not she had von Willebrand or another mild bleeding disorder is a red herring. <span class=dropcap>A</span>s Nada and Sameer read the legal files, their sense of injustice grew. It was as if Rehma had been victimized twice: first by the person they believed shook her to death, then by defense experts they felt ignored key facts in the case. No rare disease on earth would enable a gash in a wall or bloody wipes to end up in a pail by themselves, Sameer said, voice rising. If two people are left in an apartment in the morning, and at the end of the day, one of them is dead, he continued, theres no way that there would not be a trial in that situation. In news reports, McCarthy has consistently denied harming Rehma. Sameer dug deeper, reading studies and calling experts. He wanted to understand how such diverse explanations of Rehmas death by defense witnesses could cause Lindstrom to change her mind. I expected to find that the science had crumbled and changed, and this [shaken baby syndrome] was debunked theory, Sameer told Gupta. To my huge surprise, there was actually very little debate. <span class=dropcap>N</span>o less than 24 domestic and international medical organizations acknowledge abusive head trauma as an accepted diagnosis. A <a target="_blank" href="https://www.jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(16)30402-4/fulltext">survey of the specialists</a> who do the detective work to diagnose AHT  from pediatric neurosurgery, pathology, radiology, critical care and pediatrics  found the vast majority believe in the science. There really is not a controversy in medicine about the existence of abusive head trauma," American Academy of Pediatrics President Dr. Lee Savio Beers told CNN. The science behind it is really quite clear. Its a happy day when the child abuse team finds a medical condition that has confounded other clinicians and has led them to think the child is being abused, said Penn State child abuse pediatrician Dr. Lori Frasier. In a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4739866/">2015 analysis</a> of 936 suspected child victims of physical abuse at four childrens hospitals, pediatricians trained to diagnose child abuse decided 49% of those cases were actually the result of an accident or medical condition. Only 33%, or 306 cases, were classified as abuse, with another 18% declared questionable or unknown. Of these 306 cases of abuse, 93 (or 30%) were AHT, study author Dr. John Leventhal told CNN in an email. Leventhal is the former medical director of the Yale-New Haven Childrens Hospital Child Abuse program and a Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics at Yale School of Medicine. He pointed to <a target="_blank" href="https://injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/21/e1/e133">another 2015 study</a> that focused specifically on diagnosing abusive head trauma. It was conducted at one childrens hospital, UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh, by child abuse pediatrician Dr. Rachel Berger. In Bergers study over almost 6 years there were 223 suspected cases of AHT, and a consultation by a child abuse expert was conducted for each. Of the 223 cases, 117 cases or 52.5% were classified as abuse, and the others were classified as non-abuse, Leventhal wrote. Yet in court, pediatricians say defense teams reject that mainstream scientific knowledge and instead offer judges, juries, medical examiners and the national media speculative theories that may hold little to no scientific validity. Diagnosing abusive head trauma places child abuse pediatricians in the crosshairs of defense attorneys who have increasingly pushed pseudoscientific theories that have no basis in medical research, said the chair of the AAP Council on Child Abuse and Neglect, Dr. Suzanne Haney, in a <a target="_blank" href="https://theindependent.com/opinion/columnists/junk-science-puts-even-more-babies-at-risk-of-abusive-head-trauma/article_b9f34ea0-b214-11eb-b46e-e389a64841e4.html">powerful op-ed published in May.</a> In addition, defense witnesses often tell juries that child abuse specialists only use a triad of symptoms  brain swelling, bleeding in a part of the brain called the subdural and bleeding in the retina of the eye  to diagnose shaking. Thats a clever defense tactic, said former New York prosecutor Leigh Bishop, <a target="_blank" href="https://bat-u.org/">who trains investigators on shaken baby cases</a>: The term triad is not a medical term. Its a courtroom term, Bishop said. It implies a rush to judgment and a checklist to judgment, and these cases are the absolute opposite of that. In fact, child abuse specialists say they rule out a long list of possible mimics for abuse, such as metabolic diseases, genetic syndromes, tumors, clotting disorders, infections and vitamin deficiencies, to name a few, before they decide a child could be a victim of abuse. In an ideal world, they say, defense witnesses would do the same. Instead, child abuse specialists say defense experts often cherry pick a symptom and claim its a sign of a rare disease or a speculative, unproven syndrome  or they suggest causes of death that do not match all the facts about a babys injuries  just as occured in the Rehma Sabir case. How did this battle of the experts begin? The answer can be traced to another Boston child abuse case that riveted the nation over 24 years ago. <span class=dropcap>O</span>n a frigid February afternoon in 1997, an ambulance screeched to a halt outside the Newton, Massachusetts, home of 8 1/2-month-old Matthew Eappen. Paramedics were responding to a call from 19-year-old British au pair, Louise Woodward, who said she found Matthew unresponsive in his crib while his parents were at work. Rushed to the hospital, Matthew was immediately put on life support. Doctors discovered signs of abuse: a large skull fracture, severe swelling and bleeding in his brain and hemorrhages in the retinas of his eyes. Matthews mom, Debbie Eappen, was an ophthalmologist who had consulted on abuse cases. Fearful Matthew was the victim of shaken baby syndrome, she decided to look for herself. When I looked into Matty's fixed dilated pupils, I saw so much blood in the retina that it was difficult for me to identify the normal landmarks, Eappen recently told CNN. I looked into his left eye and found similar findings  I knew what this meant, she continued. Matty had been violated and he might die. Despite medical intervention, Matthew continued to decline. When life support was removed five days later, Woodward was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, accused of violently shaking the baby and slamming his head against a hard surface, causing his death. Broadcast on Court TV, the so-called Nanny Trial became an international sensation. Viewers in the United States and England were fascinated by the defense strategy orchestrated by attorney Barry Scheck, a member of the Dream Team that successfully defended O.J. Simpson in his 1995 murder trial. <span class=dropcap>S</span>check told the jury both the skull fracture and bleeding in Matthews brain were the result of an older injury, perhaps from a short fall. Defense medical witnesses he called to the stand suggested a pre-existing blood clot in Matthews brain had begun to rebleed, leading to the babys collapse. Rebleeding is a controversial hypothesis used by defense witnesses to explain a subdural hemorrhage  the bleeding between the brain and its tough outer lining  thats frequently seen in cases of shaken baby syndrome. The rebleed theory maintains some babies have pre-existing blood clots in the subdural area. Some could be from a former injury, but most are from a small bleed caused by the trauma of birth. The clot could sit in the brain for months, the theory says, with new bleeding triggered by a burp or sneeze or even when a baby suddenly plops on its bottom. The fresh bleeding, defense witnesses maintained, could be severe enough to cause the injuries seen in shaking, including coma and death. Even in 1997, child abuse specialists believed the rebleeding defense to be unfounded. <a target="_blank" href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00247-018-4149-1">Research since the Woodward trial</a> has continued to validate the <a target="_blank" href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42448-019-00021-w">mainstream medical view</a>. If you did have a rebleed of a subdural hematoma, it would be just a minor kind of leak, said Boston pediatrician Dr. Robert Reece, who was to be the prosecutions rebuttal witness in the Woodward trial. Schecks defense strategy didnt convince the jury. On October 30, 1997, jurors convicted Woodward of murder in the second degree. But at a hearing nearly two weeks later, Judge Hiller Zobel shocked observers by reducing the charge to manslaughter and sentencing the nanny to time served. Zobel said he based his decision on his belief that Woodward had injured Matthew in a state of "confusion, inexperience, frustration, immaturity and some anger, but not malice (in the legal sense)." For Matthews parents, the judges decision was appalling. I could imagine him trying to reduce the number of years in jail, Debbie Eappen said. I could imagine that. I absolutely could not imagine that he would set her free. <span class=dropcap>S</span>check had previously co-founded <a target="_blank" href="https://www.innocenceproject.org/">the Innocence Project</a>, a nonprofit legal organization dedicated to using DNA evidence to exonerate the falsely imprisoned. The Woodward trial was not an Innocence Project case, yet it wasnt long before justice projects in a number of states  today part of the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.innocencenetwork.org/">Innocence Network</a>  began taking on appeals for shaken baby convictions. Many innocence organizations after the Woodward case observed  I think correctly  that a lot of that science was not evidence-based and that something really had to be done to defend people in these kinds of instances where there could be false accusations based on unvalidated science, Scheck told Gupta in an interview. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.innocencenetwork.org/subcategory/our-work">According to the Innocence Networks website,</a> the shaken baby diagnosis is dangerously flawed and has been used in courts to send untold numbers of innocent people to prison in what may be the largest cause of wrongful convictions to date. The Network's position on SBS/AHT derives from its long-standing concern about the unreliability of the scientific evidence presented in such cases, said Meredith Kennedy, director of the Innocence Networks support unit, in an email. Wisconsin Innocence Project co-founder Keith Findley, a vocal critic of the science behind shaken baby syndrome, points to a 2016 report by the Swedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Assessment of Social Services, or SBU. The controversial analysis found <a target="_blank" href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/apa.13760">insufficient evidence of very low quality</a> to support shaken baby syndrome. Major medical associations <a target="_blank" href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00247-018-4158-0">have criticized</a> the SBU report as flawed <a target="_blank" href="https://adc.bmj.com/content/103/6/606">to the extent that childrens lives may be put at risk</a>, and maintain the science behind AHT has never been stronger. Dont kill the messenger, the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5790846/">SBU authors responded</a>, and defended their reasoning for only including two studies out of thousands in their analysis. But major medical groups, domestic and international, say the Swedish report flies in the face of widespread consensus over the validity of the AHT diagnosis. The diagnosis of abusive head trauma can be made with the same medical certainty as any diagnosis in medicine, said Dr. Christopher Greeley, who directs the child abuse pediatrics program at Texas Childrens Hospital and specializes in the critical evaluation of medical literature. What doctors cant decide, Greeley added, is who harmed a child. <span class=dropcap>I</span>t wasnt long before the appeals mounted by the Innocence Network caught the attention of national media. News outlets published riveting tales of parents or caretakers claiming to be unjustly imprisoned by overzealous authorities. Reporters quoted doctors frequently hired by defense teams to denounce the diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome. To mount the appeals, Innocence Network lawyers relied on a small group of doctors who denied the validity of widely held medical beliefs about abusive head trauma. Mainstream practitioners soon began calling them denialists. One of the defense witnesses in Rehmas case, Stanford neurologist Patrick Barnes, was an early convert. Interestingly, Barnes had testified for the prosecution during the 1997 Louise Woodward trial. At that time, he said baby Matthews injuries were the result of shaking. Barnes told CNN arguments presented by Scheck during the trial caused him to question the validity of shaken baby syndrome. After further research he began to testify for the defense in shaken baby cases across the country. He says he does not rule out abuse, but believes there are alternate medical reasons for the injuries. <span class=dropcap>B</span>arnes was a key witness in a 2008 victory for the Wisconsin Innocence Project  a new trial for Audrey Edmunds, convicted in 1996 of shaking 7-month-old Natalie Beard to death while babysitting. Barnes relied heavily on the controversial rebleed theory, telling the court something as common as coughing or vomiting could have caused an old blood clot in baby Natalies brain to begin to bleed again. When the Wisconsin Court of Appeals <a target="_blank" href="https://caselaw.findlaw.com/wi-court-of-appeals/1365708.html">ruled in Edmunds favor</a> the judges made it clear they considered the science behind shaken baby syndrome to be in dispute: There has been a shift in mainstream medical opinion, the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wicourts.gov/ca/opinion/DisplayDocument.html?content=html&seqNo=31696">Wisconsin Court of Appeals</a> said in 2008 as it sent Edmunds case back for a new trial. It was a decision that would influence judges in shaken baby cases for years to come, including a justice on the nations highest court. Doubt has increased in the medical community over whether infants can be fatally injured through shaking alone, the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg <a target="_blank" href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/11pdf/10-1115.pdf">wrote</a> in a 2011 minority dissent on a shaken baby case. In the majority decision, the high court refused to overturn the jurys conviction. As for Edmunds, local prosecutors declined to retry her case and she was set free after serving 12 years of her 18-year sentence. Maintaining her innocence, Edmunds would go on to write a book about her experience. <span class=dropcap>W</span>hy would a small group of defense witnesses regularly testify against mainstream medical opinion in shaken baby cases? Critics suggest money is a motive: testifying as an expert witness for the defense or prosecution has become a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theexpertinstitute.com/expert-witness-fees/">lucrative cottage industry</a>. For the few doctors who speak out against it, I think its important to consider where their motivations lie, and what other conflicts of interest they may have when assessing their statements, the AAPs Beers said. However, Barnes, one of the witnesses in Rehmas case, told CNN he stopped charging long ago, and considers his testimony to be part of his child protection advocacy. Another defense witness in Rehmas case, retired British neuropathologist Dr. Waney Squier, told CNN she too no longer charges a fee. All of the defense witnesses CNN spoke to said they were concerned about parents being accused and convicted of shaking their babies based on science they discount. Im absolutely appalled there is no scientific evidence whatsoever to support the shaken baby hypothesis, Squier told CNN. And yet its put before the courts again and again and is used to take children away from loving parents and put people in prison. In April of 2016, the Innocence Network gave Squier their <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/innocence/status/718452760669097987?lang=en">Champion of Justice award</a> for her relentless and courageous work in more than 160 shaken baby cases worldwide. However, just weeks before receiving the award, the UK <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mpts-uk.org/about/1520.asp">Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service</a> had struck off Squiers medical license for providing deliberately misleading and dishonest evidence while testifying in shaken baby cases. Struck off is the British term for revoking a medical license. From day one Ive disagreed with all of the things they said about me, Squier told CNN. On appeal, Squiers license to practice pathology was restored that fall. But the judge banned her from testifying as a medical expert in shaken baby cases in the UK for three years, calling her conduct in court deliberately misleading and irresponsible." Squier recently told CNN she has not changed her opinion: I am if anything even more certain that the proponents of the shaking hypothesis are mistaken, she wrote in an email. <span class=dropcap>C</span>hild abuse specialists said they found the attack on mainstream science in the courts and the national media deeply disturbing. Concern over the growing success of denialism triggered 17 domestic and international medical organizations to issue a strongly worded admonishment in 2018: Defense attorneys and the medical witnesses who testify for them have been disseminating inaccurate and dangerous messages that are often repeated by the news media, the organizations <a target="_blank" href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00247-018-4149-1">warned in a consensus statement:</a> The accompanying defense message  that shaking an infant cannot cause serious injury  will create the additional risk of encouraging dangerous or even life-threatening caregiver behavior. Its exactly the kind of message that Rehmas parents  and child abuse specialists everywhere  are trying to counteract. Were trying to educate parents that shaking a baby is dangerous  these people are sending the wrong message, said Dias, one of the consensus papers authors. Theyre gaining traction. Thats the disturbing thing, Dias added. Its time for people in medicine  to stand up and say, No, what youre saying is wrong. <span class="section-end"></span>
<span class=dropcap>I</span>t was late April 2019. Stormy gray clouds hovered over a Boston courthouse, mirroring the grim mood inside. Click. In a courtroom, prosecutors were showing the jury sobering images of the damage inside the brain and eyes of 6-month-old Ridhima Dhekane. Click. Here was the severe swelling in Ridhimas brain. Click. Here was her blood-red eye. Her severely damaged retina. All injuries that occurred, prosecutors argued, when she was violently shaken to death in 2014 by her babysitter. Sitting in the courtroom in support of the Dhekane family, Sameer Sabir stiffened with each sharp click of the prosecutors slides. Despite himself, Sameer began to imagine the images were of his daughter Rehmas brain, her once-twinkling eyes. Rehma had been violently abused on her first birthday in 2013, her nanny accused of shaking her so badly the back of her eyes bled and her brain swelled into her spinal cord, hindering her ability to breathe. Like the babysitter in this trial, Rehmas nanny maintained her innocence. Unlike this trial, Rehmas case was never heard by a jury. It was dismissed when the medical examiner changed her mind about Rehmas cause of death; a reversal that occurred after she read opinions from defense medical experts who questioned or rejected the shaken baby diagnosis. Rehma, Sameer often said, never had her day in court. She was denied justice. <span class=dropcap>S</span>itting next to Sameer on the hard bench, Debbie Eappen glanced over in concern. She could feel Sameers deepening misery, a feeling she shared. Her 8-month-old son Matthew, nicknamed Matty, had been shaken to death in 1997. Their British nanny Louise Woodward was charged with the crime and convicted of second-degree murder. Yet shortly after Woodward was convicted, the judge rejected the jurys decision. He reduced the charge to involuntary manslaughter and sentenced Woodward to time served. Matty too had been denied justice, Debbie Eappen often said. She and Sameer had become close to the Dhekane family as a newer member of a club no parent wants to join. The Dhekanes were not allowed to watch the trial because they were scheduled to testify, so she and Sameer were sitting in the courtroom in their place. It meant a lot to me to be able to be there, Eappen said, I knew that it was going to be very traumatic ... very difficult for Sameer. The idea that an infant who was beautiful and perfect is now dismembered and youre seeing slides of pictures of eyeballs and brain and you know this is really, really... Eappen stopped to collect herself. You have to almost dissociate in order to look at it, she finally continued. Its a lot like getting kicked in the gut all day and pretending it didnt hurt. <span class=dropcap>T</span>oday, eight years after Rehmas death, life is much different in the Sabir household. Nada and Sameer have moved to a new home in Boston and welcomed three sons and a daughter into their family. As scary as it was to bring new life into a world that had taken Rehmas, those four blessings have helped them heal. We are forced out of bed every morning, said Nada, and we look forward to it because we have these little happy faces that greet us. You dont have the luxury of lying in bed and letting awful thoughts take you over. Family life may consume their daily focus, but keeping Rehmas memory alive is still paramount. Her picture sits next to those of her siblings in the foyer. A montage of her short life covers a portion of the wall in the family room. Brothers Zaki and Zayn and sister Hanna call her by name and blow goodnight kisses to her picture. Baby brother Rayaan, less than two months old, blows bubbles. We feel Rehma with us all the time, said Nada. Not in any supernatural sense  its like a little reel just constantly playing. Sameer agreed. I think about Rehma constantly. Im sitting in a meeting or having a conversation with somebody she is just there. But I also think about the fact that we left her with someone who hurt her. The couple won a $4 million wrongful death lawsuit against Aisling McCarthy, the Irish nanny accused of shaking Rehma. The verdict came after McCarthy defaulted on the lawsuit by failing to respond. The purpose of the civil suit was not to get money or keep McCarthy from making a living, Sameer said. It was simply to keep McCarthy from writing a book or otherwise making a profit from Rehmas story. On a visit to Rehmas grave in a cemetery near Boston, he told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta why. For us, this has become about protecting Rehmas legacy, said Sameer, and trying to make sure to advocate in some way such that the debunking of good science is rectified. To accomplish that goal, Nada and Sameer created <a target="_blank" href="http://www.rehmafund.org/">The Rehma Fund for Children</a>. In addition to supporting childrens health care agencies in the UK, Canada, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.rehmafund.org/supported-causes/vietnam-vascular-anomalies-center/">Vietnam</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.rehmafund.org/supported-causes/indus-hospital/">Pakistan,</a> the fund paid for a <a target="_blank" href="http://www.rehmafund.org/supported-causes/boston-childrens-hospital/">physician training module on abusive head trauma</a>. The training module lives on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.openpediatrics.org/">OpenPediatrics,</a> an online educational community run by Boston Childrens Hospital, and focuses on scientifically validated research on abusive head trauma and the dangers of shaking a child. The couple funded the training to counter the proliferation of unfounded theories by defense witnesses who maintain a childs neck would have to be broken to create the injuries seen in shaken baby syndrome. Even though abusive head trauma is recognized by 24 national and international medical associations, the defense approach has resonated in courtrooms and the national media in ways very similar to the vaccine debate or the climate change debate, Sameer said. Now, these <a target="_blank" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29796797/">unsubstantiated theories</a> have trickled down to family courts and medical examiners, affecting decisions about whether an allegedly abused babys case  like Rehmas  even makes it to trial. It would be unbearable, Sameer said, if Rehmas case was used in court by a small group of defense experts as fodder for their unfounded theories to explain abusive head trauma. He wiped tears from his eyes and brushed his hand across his daughters headstone. <span class=dropcap>S</span>ameer and Nada were not the first Boston parents to see criminal justice proceedings change dramatically after the death of their young child. Two other Boston medical examiners also reversed their decisions in separate shaken baby cases over an 18-month period from 2014 to 2016. Just like in Rehmas case, a murder charge was dismissed in the death of 6-month-old Nathan Wilson, who was found by his mother in his crib, lips blue, on March 7, 2010. Boston medical examiner Peter Cummings originally ruled Nathans death a homicide, a result of blunt/shaken injuries to the head. But in July of 2014, Cummings changed his ruling. Now Nathans injuries were from an unknown cause; therefore, the cause of death was undetermined. In 2015, Cummings quit his job at the Boston medical examiners office and in subsequent years did consulting work for court cases, including for the defense in shaken baby cases. One notable case was that of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/doctors-said-they-shook-their-baby-to-death-they-didnt">a three-month-old</a> boy who allegedly died of abusive head trauma. Cummings could not be reached for an interview prior to publishing this piece. He later declined a reporters interview request. He told the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/08/20/life-and-death-decision-without-supervision/gRzxpXjWQ0gHY2y49Nb8LK/story.html">Boston Globe in 2016</a> he changed his findings based on new information. In his consulting practice, he told the Globe he hoped to be a reasonable voice in the shaken baby debate, adding that he will tell defense lawyers if he sees evidence of abuse or if the case is not clear-cut. <span class=dropcap>T</span>he third case was the death of 6-month-old Ridhima Dhekane, the murder trial Debbie Eappen and Sameer Sabir were attending in April of 2019. Ridhima almost didnt have her day in court. Following in the footsteps of her colleagues, Boston medical examiner Dr. Anna McDonald changed her mind about the babys cause of death. In her original autopsy report, McDonald said Ridhima died of Blunt Force and Shaking Injuries of the head and declared her death a homicide. Then, almost a year after leaving the job, she wrote the medical examiners office requesting an amendment to the autopsy. Despite the fact that Ridhimas heart had been transplanted into another infant who was thriving, McDonald said she now believed Ridhima had died due to sudden unexplained cardiopulmonary arrest. The about-face occurred after McDonald went to work with Wake Forest pathologist Dr. Patrick Lantz, a vocal critic of what he says are unreliable means of diagnosing shaken baby syndrome. I didnt even know she had done the case or had reversed her opinion about the cause or manner of death until it came out in the newspaper, Lantz told CNN. Lantz was one of the nine medical defense witnesses who wrote an opinion about Rehma Sabirs death. Instead of blunt force trauma to the head, Lantz said Rehma likely died of an inflammatory disease so rare that barely more than a hundred people in the world have ever been diagnosed with it. <span class=dropcap>B</span>y the time a third Boston medical examiner reversed another alleged shaken babys cause of death, some had had enough. News reports questioned the integrity of the medical examiners office. The <a target="_blank" href="http://mcaap.org/suspected-abuse/">Massachusetts chapter</a> of the American Academy of Pediatrics was outraged and sent a letter to the governor demanding an investigation. Such a dramatic change [in a decision] is a very unusual event, and then to have three of them in rapid succession was concerning, said Dr. Stephen Boos, chair of the child abuse committee of the AAPs Massachusetts chapter. CNN asked the states Office of the Chief Medical Officer for a response to these criticisms. Jake Wark, then a public affairs officer for the agency, said he was unable to speak about specific cases, but added that if medical examiners receive additional relevant information, then they factor it into their analysis, which in some cases could result in a change in their original opinion. However, McDonalds request to have the autopsy of Ridhima Dhekane changed was denied and trial preparations proceeded when Bostons chief medical examiner, Dr. Henry Nields, agreed to testify. Nields, who is now retired, had been supervising McDonald at the time of the autopsy and was adamant that Ridhima Dhekanes death was consistent with abusive head trauma. McDonald declined CNNs request for an interview. <span class=dropcap>C</span>reating doubt in advance of a trial is a defense tactic being successfully used in shaken baby cases across the country, said former prosecutor Brian Holmgren, who edited a manual on the Investigation and Prosecution of Child Abuse Cases for the American Prosecutors Research Institute. Typically, both defense and prosecution experts are allowed to discuss a case with a medical examiner in order to prepare their medical opinions. But not all medical examiners, especially those in rural areas and small cities, have a complete understanding of the complicated science of abusive head trauma, he said. Thats kind of the new defense vogue, Holmgren said. They hire a defense expert, bring their report in and see if the medical examiners office will change up. It has been effective in a lot of these cases, especially with less experienced medical examiners. Allowing fringe beliefs to color the outcome of a court case as if those beliefs represent mainstream, reputable science is a mistake, pediatricians say. The legal profession, including the courts, should realize that any single doctors alternate testimony doesn't mean the (entire) medical profession has formed a different opinion, the current president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr. Lee Savio Beers, told CNN. Medical decision-making and medical diagnosis really shouldn't be influenced by legal pressures (from the defense), Beers said. The consequences of this could be deadly, wrote Dr. Suzanne Haney, who chairs he AAP Council on Child Abuse and Neglect, <a target="_blank" href="https://theindependent.com/opinion/columnists/junk-science-puts-even-more-babies-at-risk-of-abusive-head-trauma/article_b9f34ea0-b214-11eb-b46e-e389a64841e4.html">in an editorial published in May.</a> In documented cases of abusive head trauma, <a target="_blank" href="https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/132/6/e1546">nearly one-fourth of babies</a> under 1 died, she continued, while survivors have permanent brain injury, including cerebral palsy, seizures, intellectual disabilities, behavioral problems and learning disabilities.  On July 3, 1984, in Broward County, Florida, five-month-old Benjamin Dowling survived severe abusive head trauma. Doctors told Benjamins family he was shaken so badly that nerves were severed, leaving him with severe brain damage. The babysitter caring for Benjamin, Terry McKirchy, denied hurting him but pleaded no contest to a charge of attempted murder and assault. She was sentenced to weekends in jail for 60 days and three years of probation. In 2019, 35 years later, Benjamin died. After an autopsy concluded his death was directly caused by his old injuries, McKirchy was indicted this year by a Florida grand jury on a new charge of first-degree murder. The facts speak for themselves and this case was presented to the grand jury, which determined that this was a homicide, the Broward State Attorneys Office said in a statement. McKirchy, 59, was arrested in July near her home in Sugar Land, Texas, and was voluntarily transferred to Florida. She maintains her innocence and pleaded not guilty to the new charge. If convicted, she could face life in prison. There should be justice for Benjamin, said his parents, Rae and Joe Dowling, in a statement released to the press. He had to endure several very invasive surgeries, Rae Dowling wrote, such as the placement of metal rods in his spine. At the age of 18 months, a feeding tube was placed in his abdomen where it remained his entire life. He had rods placed along his spine because he couldn't hold himself upright. Benjamin never crawled, fully rolled over, walked, never talked, never fed himself, he never enjoyed a hamburger or an ice cream cone, he could never tell us when he had an itch or anything hurt, she wrote. When he cried in pain, we as a family and caregivers had to guess as to what was wrong and hope that we could satisfy his need. The Dowlings cry for justice haunts Sameer. Ever since news of McKirchys arrest broke, he has been reliving Rehmas death, wondering what life would have been like for her if she had survived. He also worries that defense medical experts will use Rehmas case to come up with more unfounded theories for Dowlings death. The focus always ends up being on the victimization of the accused, but we should always remember that the victims are the children who have been abused, he told CNN. <span class=dropcap>I</span>n an effort to bridge the divide between medicine and the law, the American Academy of Pediatrics submitted a proposal in 2019 to the Health and Medicine division of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine asking the academies to examine the science behind abusive head trauma. The National Academies recently told CNN they are still actively considering the proposal. Once a decision is made and funding is found, the academy would convene a diverse group of experts, including critics of the science behind shaken baby syndrome, to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/About-HMD/Study-Process.aspx">objectively analyze current research</a> on the topic. The analysis from those experts would also undergo an independent external review. The final report would be <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/About-HMD/Making-a-Difference.aspx">considered the gold standard in current research</a> and could then be used by judges to vet expert testimony, say child abuse specialists, thereby removing any battle of the experts from the courtroom. Ultimately we need to get to a point of impartiality, said retired pediatrician Dr. Robert Reece. The expert witness should be testifying to the facts for the court, not for one side or the other. The adversarial system doesnt allow for that very easily. I think that needs to be changed. <span class=dropcap>T</span>he four-week trial of babysitter Pallavi Macharla for the murder of Ridhima Dhekane ended May 13 when the jury reached a verdict after only eight hours of deliberations. As the jurors filed into the courtroom, Sameer Sabir and Debbie Eappen sat up straighter in their seats. The verdict: Macharla was guilty of second-degree murder. A bailiff placed her in handcuffs. <em></em>Debbie and I were clinging to each others hand, Sameer said. It was all really intense. Sentencing was held the same day. Middlesex Superior Court Judge Kenneth Fishman chose the minimum sentence in Massachusetts for second-degree murder: 15 years. As Macharla was led away, Sameer was filled with a mixture of sadness and relief. There are no winners in any of this, he told CNN after leaving the courtroom. I cant say Im happy about the outcome, because her children will lose their mother  but Im grateful the jury came to the right decision. Im hopeful this may contribute to a better understanding of this issue and to help to protect children in the future, he added. <span class=dropcap>T</span>hat sense of justice didnt last long. A few weeks later, Fishman announced he was changing the jurys verdict and reducing Macharlas conviction to involuntary manslaughter  just as the judge did in the Louise Woodward trial nearly 25 years ago. Instead of a minimum of 15 years, Macharla would now serve less than four. Citing legal precedent which said doubt has increased in the medical community over whether infants can be fatally injured through shaking alone, Fishman said the debate rages on over the validity of a shaken baby diagnosis. This court cannot permit a verdict of second-degree murder to stand in the presence of such highly contested and inconsistent evidence, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.socialaw.com/services/slip-opinions/slip-opinion-details/commonwealth-vs.-pallavi-macharla">Fishman wrote in his ruling.</a> It was like a punch in the gut, a literal punch, Sameer said. What trial was he watching? Eappen wrote an anguished <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2019/09/26/babies-massachusetts-courts/0e8lLNX47IEuynY3C3oZoK/story.html">opinion piece published by the Boston Globe</a>, arguing that the jury in Macharlas trial had rejected defense experts unproven theories. What is it about killing babies that these judges have trouble punishing? she wrote. Should we come to the conclusion that a childs life does not matter in our state? Some judges seem to have more compassion for the perpetrator of a crime against a child than they value the life of the child. Sameer vented his feelings in a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2019/05/20/shaken-baby-syndrome-controversy-all/25swaGmIUMqD382kf5DUrN/story.html">simiar op-ed:</a> The controversy surrounding shaken baby syndrome is yet another example of a vocal minority shunning facts in favor of a self-serving narrative and personal gain. The ones who suffer are always the defenseless, voiceless child victims. In April, 2020, Judge Fishman took another step: He stayed Macharlas sentence while her appeal is pending, allowing her to return home under confinement. She can only leave the house for doctors appointments and is barred from seeing any children but her own. Sameer and Nada still struggle to understand the judges amended verdict and reduced sentence. Sameer fears the decision will make their fight to protect Rehmas legacy more difficult than ever. I can see this decision  as well as what happened to Rehma  being used by defense teams across the country to bolster their claims that the science behind shaken baby syndrome is something other than the medically accepted fact it is, Sameer said. And that is a travesty of justice, not only for Rehma but for every baby who is shaken or abused. <span class="section-end"></span>
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 19)  Presidential aspirants in the 2022 elections took respite from political activities to help in relief efforts for the victims of Typhoon Odette over the weekend.

Vice President Leni Robredo converted her campaign headquarters into a relief operations center for those willing to donate food, water, and other goods for the typhoon victims.

Robredo said her office has coordinated with the Philippine Coast Guard and the relief goods are on their way to typhoon-hit provinces.

The vice president immediately flew to Bohol and Cebu City on Saturday to personally assess the needs of the affected residents. She also went to Siargao, Southern Leyte, Dinagat Islands, and Surigao City on Sunday.

Nagbibigay tayo ng mga pagkain but after nito, ang poproblemahin nila yung mga pampagawa ng kanilang mga bahay. Pagtutulung-tulungan natin ito, Robredo said.

[Translation: We are providing them with food but after this, theyre next problem would be on how to rebuild their homes. Together, we will help them.]

Meanwhile, Senator Manny Pacquiao sent a planeload of relief goods to Cebu on Saturday.

Pacquiao promised more humanitarian aid for other typhoon-stricken regions, adding that he will send generators that can be used in charging mobile phones to some municipalities.

I am appealing to all my friends including those in other countries to please, please help us. Our people need help. Please send us anything that can help ease the burden on our people. They need food, water, blankets, clothes, and materials to rebuild their homes, Pacquiao said.

Pacquiao was the first to call on fellow 2022 presidential aspirants to pitch in to the relief efforts for areas affected by Odette.

This is the time to set aside politics. Kailangang magtulungan ang lahat para maiparating natin ang tulong sa mga nangangailangan [Everyone should help each other so we can send help to those who are in need], Pacquiao said.

Manila Mayor Isko Moreno also launched a donation drive for relief goods that will be sent out to Odette-hit areas.

The Manila city government approved a resolution to allocate 2.5 million for assistance and recovery efforts in the provinces, such as Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, and Surigao del Norte.

Moreno also went to Cebu City and personally donated 1 million and medicines and boxes of vitamins to aid the provinces relief operations.

The tandem of presidential aspirant Bongbong Marcos and vice presidential bet Sara Duterte pledged 6 million worth of financial assistance and 8.5 million worth of relief goods to major provinces hit by the typhoon.

Enough of calamity politics

Senator Ping Lacson, meanwhile, appealed to fellow presidential aspirants to stop the practice of what he called calamity politics, which he considers as the lowest form of campaigning.

Election or no election, we assist and help, period, said Lacson, who also stated he has been helping in the relief efforts during typhoons without any fanfare.

Lacson made the remark after Pacquiao aired the call for them to pool their resources for relief efforts.

Marami po kaming tao na nandoon na. Hindi naman kami kailangang magpunta ng personal para dumamay. Ang pagdamay ay pwedeng ipakita sa gawa, Lacson said during his weekly online event on Sunday.

[Translation: We already have many volunteers in typhoon-hit areas. We dont need to personally go there to comfort them. We can show empathy through actions.]

Labor leader Leody de Guzman proposed urgent disaster response programs from the government, learning from the countrys past experiences in dealing with the aftermath of typhoons.

De Guzman said price controls, rapid assessment of local government units, ramping up of supplies and flow of basic needs, and easier filing of zero-interest loans from government banks, are measures that should be conducted immediately in typhoon-hit areas.

The labor leader also hit President Rodrigo Duterte for not being swift in his response to Odette victims.

Tama na ang dramang hindi naman kapani-paniwala. Marami ang nasalanta. Tungkulin ng gobyerno ang agarang pagtugon sa mga batayang pangangailangan ng ating mga kababayang tinamaan ng bagyong Odette, said De Guzman.

[Translation: They should stop the unconvincing drama. Many are affected. Its the role of the government to swiftly respond to the needs of our countrymen hit by Typhoon Odette.]

De Guzman and the Partido Lakas ng Masa also organized a donation drive for typhoon victims and will send solar lamps to affected areas.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported 31 deaths due to Odette, but only four have so far been validated.

Odette left the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Saturday afternoon after making nine destructive landfalls in the country.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 19)  The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration on Sunday lifted all tropical cyclone warning signals in the country as Typhoon Odette moves away from Philippine territory and heads towards Vietnam and China.

Based on PAGASA's 11 a.m. bulletin, the weather system was last spotted 430 kilometers northwest of Pag-asa Island in Kalayaan, Palawan.

"Odette is unlikely to directly affect the weather condition and bring heavy rainfall in the country throughout the forecast period. However, the Shear Line will bring light to moderate with at times heavy rains over Metro Manila, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Aurora, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, and Quezon," PAGASA said.

"On the forecast track, Typhoon Odette will move north northwestward to northward today through tomorrow morning, then generally northeastward for the remainder of the forecast period over the sea areas east of central Vietnam and Hainan Island," it added.

Typhoon Odette maintained its strength with maximum winds of 195 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 240 kph while moving northwestward. It left the Philippine territory on Saturday afternoon
(CNN)  Vaccine maker Pfizer said Friday that trials of its vaccine in children ages 2 to 5 show that it did not provide the expected immunity in kids this age, and it is adding a third dose to the regimen.

The company decided to add the third dose for all children and babies ages 6 months to 5 years after its independent outside advisers took a look at the data so far.

It showed that two child-sized doses of the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine were not producing the expected immunity in the 2- to 5-year-olds, although they were doing so for the babies up to age 2.

So the company said it would "amend" the trial to add a third dose.

"The study will now include evaluating a third dose of 3 micrograms at least two months after the second dose of the two-dose series to provide high levels of protection in this young age group," it said.

Pfizer had taken the dosage size down for children. For the 12 and up age group, the dose is 30 micrograms of vaccine. Pfizer and BioNTech stepped this down to 10 micrograms for kids 5 to 11 and took it even lower, to 3 micrograms a dose, for the youngest children.

Early tests had indicated that this small dose would produce a strong immune response in the children and minimize the risk of side effects.

But the interim data  which the independent Data and Safety Monitoring Board can see without giving details to the company or investigators  indicates this small dose regimen did not produce the expected immune response in the 2- to 5-year-olds.

"No safety concerns were identified and the 3 microgram dose demonstrated a favorable safety profile in children 6 months to under 5 years of age," Pfizer said in a statement.

"The decision to evaluate a third dose of 3 micrograms for children 6 months to under 5 years of age reflects the companies' commitment to carefully select the right dose to maximize the risk-benefit profile," it added.

"If the three-dose study is successful, Pfizer and BioNTech expect to submit data to regulators to support an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for children 6 months to under 5 years of age in the first half of 2022."

The company will also test third doses in older children, who do not yet have authorization for booster doses of vaccine. Kids ages 5 to 11 and 12 to 15 will get full-dose third shots in the trials.

The changes probably mean a delay in authorization for vaccines for younger children, Dr. Anthony Fauci said.

"I think out of necessity, Erica, it's going to make the time frame for when we get an emergency use authorization for children that young, it won't be likely until the second quarter of 2022, and we were hoping it would be in the first quarter," Fauci, who is director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN's Erica Hill.

"But at least from what Pfizer is saying, by the time they get all of the necessary data and go through all of the procedure of getting an emergency use authorization, unfortunately, it's not going to be until the second quarter," he added.

"But you want to really get the right dose and the right regimen for the children. So although you don't like there to be a delay, you want to get it right, and that's what they're talking about. "

This story was first published on CNN.com "Pfizer's child-sized vaccine fails to produce expected immunity in younger kids; company adds third dose to trials"
This month's Patch Tuesday update is important for several reasons. With 67 unique vulnerabilities addressed, six publicly-reported issues and one already exploited, this month's updates still pale in comparison to dealing with the Log4j issue. (Fortunately, there are no browser or Microsoft Exchange updates and minimal changes to Microsoft Office.)

We have added the Windows updates and Visual Studio updates to our "Patch Now" release cycle recommendations, while Office updates are relegated to a normal release cadence. You can find more information on the risk of deploying these Patch Tuesday updates in this infographic.

Key testing scenarios

There are no reported high-risk changes to the Windows platform this month. However, there is one reported functional change, and an additional feature. Here are our high-level testing recommendations:

Test local printing. Test remote printing and test printing over RDP.

Test reading or processing ETL files and large WMF files.

Test new and existing VPN connections. Include a test of site-to-site VPN.

Test NTFS short name scenarios and large file transfers.

Known issues

Each month, Microsoft includes a list of known issues that relate to the operating system and platforms included in this update cycle. I've referenced a few key issues that relate to the latest builds, including:

After installing updates released April 22, 2021 or later, an issue occurs that affects versions of Windows Server used as a Key Management Services (KMS) host. Client devices running Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2019 and Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2016 might fail to activate. These issues will not affect Windows activation. Microsoft is currently investigating the problem.

After installing this update, when connecting to devices in an untrusted domain using Remote Desktop, connections might fail to authenticate when using smart card authentication. This issue is resolved using Known Issue Rollback (KIR), which can be implemented with the following Group Policy installation files:

Windows Server 2022



Windows 10, version 2004, Windows 10, version 20H2 and Windows 10, version 21H1

One of the best ways to see if there are known issues that could affect your target platform is to check out the many configuration options for downloading patch data at the Microsoft Security Update guidance or the summary page for this month's security update.

Major revisions

Microsoft released four updates for informational reasons (documentation and FAQ updates) including: CVE-2021-43236, CVE-2021-43883, CVE-2021-43893, CVE-2021-43905. In addition, Microsoft released several major updates to previous patches, including:

CVE-2019-0887 , CVE-2020-0655 and CVE-2021-1669 : These remote desktop service RCE updates received a major revision notice due to an updated affected system table. Windows 11 is affected by these security issues and this patch applies accordingly.

CVE-2021-24084 : The scope of affected systems has been updated to all supported Windows systems.

Due to the larger scope of these patches, you may not have downloaded and applied them in November. This month, all four updates will be included in the patch cycle (though their dates may reflect a November release date).

Mitigations and workarounds

This month, there is a single reported vulnerability that includes both mitigation and documented workarounds:

CVE-2021-43890 : Microsoft has published an extensive set of workarounds for this AppX spoofing vulnerability. Using the GPO policies BlockNonAdminUserInstall and AllowAllTrustedAppToInstall, it is possible to reduce the surface area for side-loading attacks on the AppX installer. Microsoft has published a detailed how-to document on setting GPO policies for AppX (and now MSIX) .

Each month, we break down the update cycle into product families (as defined by Microsoft) with the following basic groupings:

Browsers (Microsoft IE and Edge);

Microsoft Windows (both desktop and server);

Microsoft Office;

Microsoft Exchange;

Microsoft Development platforms ( ASP.NET Core, .NET Core and Chakra Core);

And Adobe. (Retired? Maybe next year.)

Browsers

This month, the Chromium project released 16 updates for the Microsoft Edge browser. We are really seeing a trend here, with no updates to Microsoft's legacy browsers. These updates are very likely part of an auto-update process for your desktop environment, as these updates will not be deployed via Microsoft Update.

You can find out more in the Chrome Release blog and security details on the Chrome Security Page. Given the nature of Edge (not completely integrated into the OS), there are very few expected compatibility or integration errors expected with this release. Add these Chrome updates to your regular update release schedule.

Windows

December brings a moderate update to Windows with 36 updates; three are rated critical by Microsoft and the remaining 33 as important. Normally, we would focus on the critical patches. But this month it's more appropriate to focus on publicly disclosed and exploited vulnerabilities, including:

CVE-2021-43240 : NTFS File System Elevation of Privilege

CVE-2021-41333 : Windows Print Spooler RCE

CVE-2021-43880 : Windows Mobile Device Management Elevation of Privilege

CVE-2021-43883 : Windows Installer Elevation of Privilege

CVE-2021-43893 : Windows EFS Elevation of Privilege

This month we have "only" one vulnerability reported as exploited in the wild, with a side-loading spoof attack on the Microsoft AppX installer component (CVE-2021-43890). Fortunately, this is a complex attack that requires user intervention and Microsoft has confirmed an official fix for this issue. Given the focus on updates to core system components (NTFS, Installer, and printing) we have included some testing recommendations:

Perform tests on server and desktop send/receive heavy traffic. Focus on singular, very large files.

Test your .WMF files (due to the codec update) and any graphically intensive D3D applications.

Test various network traffic conditions, particularly with large data transfers  especially SMB, encrypted file systems, and remote shares.

Install, update, and uninstall your core applications in a test environment. Ensure that all uninstalls are clean.

Test your printing, especially remote printing, and printing over RDP.

All applications that utilise TLS/SSL should undergo a basic "smoke test."

And about that Log4j issue? Patching the OS is not enough to protect your environment. We highly recommend an immediate scan of your application portfolio for JAVA dependencies and references to Log4j components. This week's news of Log4j issues is just the beginning. Expect large scale, industrialized attacks over the Christmas period and into the New Year. It's going to be bad. Its going to be messy.

Add these Windows updates to your "Patch Now" schedule and get to work on reducing your application attack surface.

Microsoft Office

Microsoft released nine patches for Office, all rated important. All versions of SharePoint and Access are affected, as are versions 2016 and 2019 of Word. There are no preview pane attack vectors this month, and all of the reported vulnerabilities require user interaction. Add these Microsoft Office updates to your regular patch release schedule.

Microsoft Exchange Server

The Log4j issue may be the coal in your stocking, but Microsoft has gifted us a reprieve from any Microsoft Exchange updates this month. So you can pay more attention to other things, like Christmas. Or Log4j. You choose.

Microsoft Development Platforms

Microsoft published seven updates to its development platforms this month (one critical and the remaining rated as important) that affect Visual Studio, PowerShell, and the ASP.NET/.NET framework. The single critical rated patch (CVE-2021-43907) relates to the popular WSL extension; if unpatched, it could lead to a remote-code execution scenario. Its a pretty serious issue that will affect all WSL users. Unfortunately, the testing profile will be quite large with testing requirements for the .NET COM server and REGEX expressions.

We suggest that you add this Visual Studio update to your "Patch Now" schedule and also reference the additional (and separate) .NET related updates published on the Microsoft Dev blog.

Adobe (really just Reader)

This month, Microsoft did no release any update to Adobe Reader. I keep thinking that I can retire this section, but we keep getting periodic updates from Adobe or critical printing updates for PDF files. Let's see what happens in 2022.

And, if you got this far...

Because of minimal operations during the holidays and the upcoming new year break, Microsoft will not release a preview release (known as a C release) for December. Normal monthly servicing for both Microsoft B and C releases will resume in January. Windows 10, version 2004 has reached end of servicing as of this release. Next month we are likely to see an update to the TLS protocol for Windows Server 2008 with support for TLS 1.2.
An increasingly confrontational cybersecurity climate and escalating geopolitical tensions are shaping investments by Australian government and industry to shore up regional data and security infrastructure and protect data-driven innovation.

The impact of these tensions became apparent with the federal governments unusual decision to co-fund, along with Telstra, the acquisition of troubled Papua New Guinea telecommunications carrier Digicel Pacific  whose presence across five South Pacific island nations had been floated as a potential reason for a Chinese government takeover.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has attributed the investment to the governments strategic step-up in the Pacific region  yet the $1.9 billion it contributed towards the $2.1b Digicel deal represents such a large investment that it nearly matches the $2b Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP).

With Australia in the process of establishing diplomatic missions in five additional Pacific island nations, the Digicel investment likely reflects the desire to control the telecommunications narrative and avoid a repeat of the ongoing security concerns over Chinese telecommunications provider Huawei.

Chinas reported intervention in global telecommunications infrastructure was a wake-up call for governments and has set the bar higher as multinational agreements like the recently announced AUKUS partnership unite Australia, the UK and the US around cybersecurity, quantum computing, AI, and other technologies.
A former Connecticut doctor was arrested Thursday in connection with the 2019 fatal shooting of a truck driver in Vermont, police said.

Jozsef Piri, 49, who recently has been living in Naples, Fla., was arrested Thursday in Florida by the Collier County Sheriffs Department on a second-degree murder charge, Vermont State Police said. Piris arraignment in Vermont is pending his extradition from Florida.

Police said officers responding to a call for a welfare check found a delivery truck for Katsiroubas Produce parked on the side of Route 103 around 6 p.m. on Nov. 1, 2019 in Rockingham, Vt.

The driver, 44-year-old Roberto Fonseca-Rivera, of Boston, was found dead in the drivers seat, according to the arrest affidavit.

Ted Katsiroubas, CEO of Katsiroubas Produce, described Fonseca-Rivera as a good man just doing his job when he fell victim to a horrific killing.

We are gratified that Vermont state police stayed on this difficult investigation, he said. We hope that justice may be done for Roberto and that it may bring his family some peace.

Fonseca-Riveras autopsy revealed he had been shot in the head and neck, the affidavit stated. Police said they determined he was killed around 1 p.m. the day he was found.

At the time of the incident, Piri was driving back to his Connecticut home in West Simsbury from his property in Londonderry, Vt.

Vermont State Police said they determined through security camera footage in the area, GPS data and other evidence that Piris Toyota Tundra pickup was driving in front of Fonseca-Rivera just before the shooting occurred, the affidavit stated.

Piri told investigators he did not have firearms in his truck, but investigators later found his truck contained a magnetic holster, the affidavit stated.

Police said Piris pickup was equipped with a rear window that a driver can lower while the vehicle is in motion, the affidavit said. Police said evidence also showed the bullet came from outside the cab of the (produce) truck, and it was fired from in front of the truck, the affidavit stated.

This is consistent with it being fired from another vehicle in front of the Katsiroubas truck, the affidavit stated.

According to the affidavit, Fonseca-Rivera was on the phone with a friend right before the shooting. The friend told police Fonseca-Rivera said a truck in front of him kept speeding up and slowing down, the affidavit stated.

The friend told Fonseca-Rivera to honk at the pickup and then he heard what appeared to be a deep inhale and then did not hear anything further from Foncesa-Rivera, the affidavit stated.

The friend said he heard a loud noise like the phone hit the floor and did not hear back from Foncesa-Rivera, the affidavit stated. The man said he tried to call Foncesa-Rivera, but could not reach him and assumed he lost service, the affidavit stated.

When he later realized Foncesa-Rivera did not return home, he contacted the produce company and police were notified.

Vermont State Police said Piri and Fonseca-Rivera did not know each other. Police did not indicate a motive for the shooting, but explained how Piri was frustrated when he left his Vermont home because of expensive repairs that were needed for his well water system and that he was in a rush to get to Connecticut because he had tickets for an event at Foxwoods that night, according to the affidavit.

Police described Piri as an above average firearm enthusiast who had a number of guns and a target range at his Vermont home, the affidavit stated.

Police said a search of the home revealed one of the weapons  a Walther PPS 9mm handgun  was missing the barrel and slide, which are needed to conduct forensic ballistic comparisons, the affidavit stated.

A Vermont medical examiner had determined Fonseca-Rivera was killed with a 9mm bullet, the affidavit stated.

Investigators also noted that Piris internet search pattern on his phone changed after the shooting, the affidavit stated.

In the hours after the shooting and even before police discovered Fonseca-Riveras body, Piris search history contained inquiries for news in the Rockingham area, the affidavit stated. He also attempted to clear his search history and location data in the immediate aftermath of the homicide, the affidavit stated.

Piri also stopped at a car wash on Route 103 around the time of the shooting, the affidavit stated. Piri told detectives he and his wife had timed the route from the homicide scene to the car wash, the affidavit stated. Detectives thought this was suspicious since Piri did not disclose how he knew exactly where the scene was, the affidavit stated.

State records show Piri is licensed as a physician/surgeon in Connecticut, and a licensed medical doctor in Florida.

Hartford HealthCare said Piri has not been affiliated with the health network since March. In his arrest affidavit, police said Piri moved to Florida that month.

Piri trained as a resident at the University of Connecticut from 2003 to 2006. Following his training, he was a primary care physician at UConn Health until 2014, according to school officials.

At the time of the incident in 2019, Piri had a concealed weapons permit in Connecticut and had one weapon registered in the state to him, an AR-15 style rifle, according to the affidavit.

liz.hardaway@hearst.com
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP)  A recent Wyoming school board meeting was again packed with opponents of mask mandates when things took an abrupt turn and a parent started reading aloud sexually explicit passages from a book available in school libraries.

Parents like myself had no idea this stuff was here, the parent, Shannon Ashby, told trustees of Laramie County School District No. 1 in the capital city.

The push to remove objectionable books from school libraries is part of a renewed conservative interest in public education as a political issue since the start of the pandemic. Parents who first packed school board meetings to express their opposition to mask mandates and other COVID-19 measures have since broadened their focus to other issues they say clash with conservative values, including teachings about social justice, gender, race and history.

Such issues played a key role in last months Virginia governors election and are now poised to be in the Republican spotlight in the 2022 midterms.

If you put pictures to the material that was read, our superintendent would be in jail for trafficking in kiddie porn, said Darin Smith, a local attorney and former Republican congressional candidate whose wife is on the school board. I would never have known these extreme leftists that are controlling our school district had I not gone to voice my opposition to the masking."

The award-winning book Ashby wants pulled from Cheyenne high school and middle schools, Monday's Not Coming, by Tiffany D. Jackson, is a novel about the mysterious disappearance of a Black teenager. Supporters say it contains important messages about topics such as poverty, child abuse and friendship, though it does includes scenes such as a boy and a girl having sex on a teachers desk.

Ashby also read allusions to sex acts in Traffick, by Ellen Hopkins, a novel about teenagers victimized by sex trafficking.

Similar disputes over public school curricula and books arose recently in Virginia, where with help from former Vice President Mike Pence they became a major issue in Republican Glenn Youngkins successful campaign for governor.

Theyve also been a political issue in the Carolinas and Texas while school officials in Kansas pulled almost 30 books from shelves after a complaint but soon returned them.

In Utah, the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union opened an investigation in November after a suburban Salt Lake City district removed several books including The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison, pending investigation into a parent complaint. Other books that have been the subject of complaints in the city's schools include titles with LGBTQ characters and plot lines.

There is a wave of well-funded, well-organized attacks in our schools and looking to remove library books from the shelves," Utah Education Association President Heidi Matthews said.

Library organizations are pushing back, pointing out that many of the books in question depict struggles of minorities. Efforts to remove them send a message to minority youth that their views don't matter, said Deborah Caldwell Stone, director of the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom.

Its a terrible message to send to young people," Stone said. For me, its just astonishing that so many groups that use liberty in their names, that claim that theyre all for freedom and the individual right to exercise freedom, resort so quickly to use censorship.

Ashby belongs to Moms for Liberty, a conservative group that says it challenges short-sighted and destructive policies in public schools.

Wyoming's top education official, however, questioned whether the book disputes are a fundamentally conservative cause.

Labeling this as a conservative issue is a disservice to parents and their children. We should embrace parents wanting to engage with their childrens education, not label them, Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow, a Republican, said in a statement Thursday.

In September, Balow joined Wyoming's Republican legislative leaders in supporting proposed state legislation to counter the teaching of  critical race theory," which has become a catch-all term for efforts to teach that systemic racism remains a persistent problem in the U.S. Opponents of those efforts say they are divisive and counterproductive.

Balow noted that disputes over books aren't new. Since the 1970s, for example, several books by children's and young adult author Judy Blume have been banned from schools and libraries for everything from sexuality to endings people didn't like. Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is another frequent target due to racist language.

Ashby said she first heard about the books in the Cheyenne district after tuning in to conservative podcasts. She then checked an online school library book database to see which books mentioned in the podcasts were in Cheyenne.

I figured living in Cheyenne, Wyoming, we would be safe, said Ashby, who removed her three children from the district at the start of the school year because of the mask mandate.

Cheyenne school officials haven't begun reviewing the books Ashby opposes because nobody has filed a formal complaint, Superintendent Margaret Crespo said.

Crespo said book opponents at school board meetings represent a small fraction of the community and not those who've written or spoken to school officials in support, though the district has begun adjusting its policies for books, including how they are purchased and checked out.

Opponents of the books gained one school board member's sympathy after district officials deleted Ashby's reading of the sexual material from an online video out of concern YouTube could suspend the district's account.

"If we have books in our system that are not appropriate to be read at our school board meeting, then maybe they're not appropriate to be read in our school district, Trustee Christy Klaassen said to applause and cheers at a school board meeting Dec. 6.

The district has an opt out policy for parents who don't want their children to check out books with mature content but should consider an opt in policy instead, said Klaassen, whose husband was the Donald Trump-appointed U.S. attorney for Wyoming until January.

On the night Ashby read to the school board, just one person spoke in favor of the mask mandate or keeping the books.

Parents should read what their kids are reading, and if they dont approve it, dont let them read it. That doesnt mean that they have the right to make that decision for every other family, Dr. Renee Hinkle, a local obstetrician, said over heckling.

Mendee Cotton, a grandparent of seven local students, told the Cheyenne school board that what was in the books was "pornography, pedophilia" and parents wouldn't stop until they were gone.

The sleeping giant is awake. You affected our kids and now we are angry," she said. Make no mistake, this is a war.

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Associated Press writer Lindsay Whitehurst in Salt Lake City contributed to this report.

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Follow Mead Gruver at https://twitter.com/meadgruver
BRUSSELS (AP)  Thousands of peaceful protesters demonstrated in Brussels on Sunday for a third time against reinforced COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the Belgian government to counter a spike in infections as the omicron variant sweeps across Europe.

The marchers  some with placards reading free zone, I've had my fair dose and enough is enough  came to protest the governments strong advice to get vaccinated. They also included Belgian health care workers who will have a three-month window in which to get vaccinated against the virus beginning Jan. 1 or risk losing their jobs.
William Lamprecht stood before the judge in a Torrington courtroom in September fearing the four months he was about to spend in prison would become a death sentence.

The 62-year-old man, who had been battling an alcohol and drug addiction for years, was awaiting his fate after pleading guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol in New Milford last year.

But cocaine and vodka werent the only things destroying his body  Lamprecht also was fighting follicular lymphoma, for which he took Truxima  a drug his doctor warned the court could cause immunosuppression.

The only concern is this  Im a little scared about the COVID thing, Lamprecht told Superior Court Judge Christopher Pelosi at his sentencing on Sept. 15, according to court transcripts from the case.

The judge replied, I agree, to which Lamprecht added, Im immunocompromised, you know. Im 62 years old. Its just a little scary.

While Pelosi understood Lamprechts concerns about being sent to a congregate setting during a deadly pandemic, the judge explained that his hands were tied. State law mandates that second-time DUI offenders like Lamprecht must be sentenced to at least four months in prison.

But before sending Lamprecht to the Department of Corrections custody, the judge made sure the court orders showed that Lamprecht suffered from cancer and had a susceptibility to COVID.

Lamprecht was sent to the New Haven Correctional Center that day  the jail with the second-most COVID cases among DOC facilities since the onset of the pandemic.

Lamprechts fears were realized barely two months later. He died alone, isolated in a hospital bed, of COVID-19 that he contracted in one of the three prisons and jails he served time in  one of which is an open dorm setting, where practicing social distancing is virtually impossible  before being transferred to the COVID unit at MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution. Less than a month after his transfer to MacDougall, the fourth correctional facility hed been in since being admitted to DOC custody a month and a half earlier, Lamprecht was dead.

To advocates, Lamprechts death is indicative of a myriad of systemic failures of the criminal legal system. But for Kenyatta Muzzanni, the director of organizing for the Katal Center for Equity, Health and Justice, which has been advocating throughout the pandemic for the state to release more people from prison and jail to reduce the spread of the virus, the failure starts at the systems front end, before Lamprecht was even incarcerated.

What happened should not have happened to that man, Muzzanni said. It shows that we take more consideration into putting people in cages and calling that rehabilitation rather than actually helping people. A person lost their life for a DUI. Thats unacceptable.

Numerous transfers

On Oct. 1, Lamprecht was transferred from the New Haven jail to Robinson Correctional Institution in Enfield. Six days later, he was sent to the Osborn Correctional Institution in Somers.

According to DOC data, there have been 810 cases of COVID-19 at New Haven Correctional Center, the second-highest of any prison or jail in the system. Osborn has the fourth-highest number of COVID cases and, as of last January, had the highest number of deaths due to the virus.

The last place Lamprecht was transferred to, on Oct. 18, was the COVID-19 medical isolation unit at MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution in Suffield. When he became too ill to be cared for there, Lamprecht was transferred to St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, where he died on Nov. 23.

DOC spokeswoman Karen Martucci said she couldnt comment directly about anyones protected health information or answer questions about what agency knew about Lamprechts underlying health condition.

Its unclear how or where Lamprecht contracted the virus. Everyone admitted to a correctional facility is tested for the virus when theyre admitted, put in quarantine for 14 days, then tested again before theyre released to the general population. Martucci said any prisoners who test positive after the two-week quarantine at intake are either sent to MacDougall-Walker or isolated at the prison or jail where they were quarantined. The DOC did neither with Lamprecht and instead transferred him to Robinson and then Osborn.

An individuals medical need is reviewed as part of the transfer process to ensure appropriate placement, Martucci said. Osborn is an example of a facility with an in-patient infirmary and the ability to provide a high level of medical care.

DOC records indicate Lamprecht was admitted to New Haven Correctional Center on Sept. 15. Just over two weeks later, he was transferred to Robinson Correctional Institution.

Robinson has dormitory-style housing units. Chad Petitpas, a man who is incarcerated there, describes the living spaces as large square warehouses with about 60 bunk beds in 10 rows. Petitpas said he has a bed about 3.5 feet away on each side of him, so there is no way he can socially distance, between the two people in the beds to his left and right and the man who sleeps above him. Plus, he said, prison officials dont enforce mask-wearing in the dormitory-style living space.

My personal space, even my bunk, Im sharing with five other people, he said in a phone call from the prison. You dont have your own personal area.

Martucci said prisoners are tested before theyre transferred to other correctional facilities, a safeguard to mitigate the spread between prisons and jails. Muzzanni said Katal is in touch with people who are currently or were recently incarcerated, and despite the DOCs safeguards, shes dubious that those transfers protect the incarcerated from catching or spreading the virus.

There is no physical distancing in a prison or a jail, Muzzanni said. And so we cant expect that to happen in this van transfer, and it doesnt happen when they get to the facility.

Lamprecht was the 22nd prisoner to die from COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic. DOC officials announced a 23rd incarcerated person died on Dec. 13, a 51-year old serving a 10-year sentence.

Theres no sense to it

Lamprecht, a native of Wingdale, N.Y., in Westchester County, ended up in Connecticuts prison system after a night of drinking in Danbury on Feb. 21, 2020, when another motorist saw him driving his car erratically on Route 7 in New Milford and called police.

When the officer approached his vehicle after pulling him over, Lamprecht rolled down his window and thanked the officer for stopping him, according to the police report.

Ive been drinking, Lamprecht admitted, informing the officer hed consumed a bottle of vodka and used cocaine that night. He agreed to take a field sobriety test.

Lamprecht started to perform the walk and turn test, but quickly lost his balance, stopped, and told the officer, Theres no sense to it. Im all fd up.

At the police station, Lamprecht took a breathalyzer test that read 0.1005%, well over the states legal limit of 0.08%. He was charged with DUI and released after turning in his license and paying a $1,000 bond.

At Lamprechts initial court appearance, state prosecutor Jonathan Knight filed a document indicating Lamprecht was a two-time DUI offender. He had been convicted of DUI in November 2014 in Newburg, N.Y., according to court records.

The previous conviction in Newburg meant that Lamprecht was facing a mandatory jail sentence under a state statute that calls for anyone convicted twice for a DUI within 10 years to be imprisoned not more than two years, 120 consecutive days of which may not be suspended or reduced in any manner.

Lamprecht would face that mandatory-minimum sentence unless the states attorney reduced or dismissed the charge.

Litchfield States Attorney Dawn Gallo said this week she has reviewed this case, and can say that the prosecutor who handled the file exercised a considerable amount of discretion by requesting only the minimum mandatory amount of incarceration mandated by statute, in light of the defendants prior record and history of substance use.

Persons who drive under the influence of alcohol and cocaine pose a substantial risk of serious injury and death to every citizen on the roads of our state, Gallo said. That said, the Litchfield States Attorneys Office extends its deepest condolences to the Lamprecht family.

Muzzanni said Lamprecht shouldnt have been sent to prison for a DUI, considering his medical needs, the prison systems strained health care services, the rising infection rate in the states prisons and jails and the low vaccination rate among DOC staff. Instead, Muzzanni said, Lamprecht should have been offered treatment in the community.

That is where theres a major system failure, where we just lock people away instead of actually getting them the help that they need, she said.

Judge Pelosi referred to state law when he handed down the sentence.

So you know, Mr. Lamprecht, its 120 days mandatory that the Court cant suspend, Pelosi said.

The judge then added that on the mittimus  a document the court gives to DOC outlining the sentence  court officials would highlight Lamprechts need for medical attention because he was being treated for cancer and was susceptible to COVID.

In a phone interview, Robert Lamprecht acknowledged that his brother had been in and out of trouble his whole life, but he never caused anyone any physical harm.

If he had hurt anybody, any violence or anything, he would have had to suffer the consequences, Robert Lamprecht said. But I think with this, its just a shame  it wasnt a real serious offense.

Lamprecht said he doesnt blame the sentencing judge for his brothers death.

They gotta follow the law, and I respect that, he said. So, its a matter of policy. Maybe they just havent come up with a policy to cover the special circumstances with the COVID.

Difficulty maintaining recovery

Lamprech tried to beat his demons after his 2020 arrest.

Court records show that he enrolled in a program at the Lexington Center for Recovery in Dover Plains, N.Y., for at least six months after his arrest. He had passed weekly drug and alcohol tests since at least January 2021, except for one time in February where he tested positive for both cocaine and alcohol.

His social worker, Judith Mueller, wrote in her last report that Lamprecht had thoughts of indulging in his addiction often.

But Mueller said he is learning to move high risk thoughts to neutral thoughts of a different subject. She also wrote that Lamprecht was regularly attending 12-step meetings and had an Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor.

She concluded her analysis saying, Client is having difficulty maintaining recovery and would benefit by attending an in-patient, specialized treatment program.

Meanwhile, during that time frame, Lamprecht had eight court appearances in Torrington while also battling health issues.

He missed a court date last summer, causing the judge to issue a re-arrest warrant that would have revoked his bond. However, public defender Mark Johnson, who was representing Lamprecht, informed the judge the next day that his client had been ill and couldnt make it to court.

The judge rescinded the warrant, and Lamprecht pleaded guilty on June 29, knowing that he was now facing the mandatory prison term.

Hope that his time goes swiftly

At his sentencing, public defender William Schofield told the judge he had discussed the pre-sentence report with Lamprecht. Schofield said he also submitted medical records of Lamprechts cancer treatments.

Schofield said that Lamprecht was trying hard to beat the addictions that he had been fighting his whole life.

I do believe he is sincere in his attempts and is working on the program. Ive spoken to his AA sponsor, who is also present in the courtroom, Judge. He does have resources and he is making use of them, Schofield said. And I hope that his time goes swiftly and safely considering his medical condition.

Given an opportunity to address the court before his sentencing, Lamprecht told the judge he understood the actions hed taken to put himself in this position and what he had to do.

I want to get this past me, he said. I want to take care of it.

In May 2021, Lamprecht had completed a three-week, in-patient drug rehab program through the Phelps Hospital in Tarrytown, N.Y.
SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (AP)  A South Carolina man is in custody after he allegedly attacked his 72-year-old mother.

The Dorchester County Sheriffs Office said Jerry Wood, 45, of Ladson, was arrested for assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, WCSC-TV reported.

Deputies said they responded to a home in Ladson on Thursday after someone called for help. The victim, who deputies met away from the home, reported that her son had been beating her and choking her until she was unconscious.

After attempting to talk with Wood, deputies obtained a warrant and returned to the home. They asked Wood to exit the home, but he did not comply. Deputies then forced their way in and arrested him..

Wood is being held on a $150,000 bond.

The sheriffs office said more changes are possible as the investigation is continuing.
ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. (AP)  A fire ripped through a distribution center in North Carolina for the QVC home-shopping television network early Saturday, causing extensive damage to the facility, officials said.

More than 300 employees were working at the facility near Rocky Mount when the fire was reported shortly after 2 a.m., The News & Observer reported. No injuries were immediately reported.

QVC representatives reported that all employees safely evacuated the warehouse and were accounted for except for one who hadn't contacted family yet, according to Edgecombe County Manager Eric Evans. Earlier Saturday, Evans had said all of the center's employees appeared to be accounted for.

QVC said in a subsequent statement that it was working with local authorities to confirm the safety of all employees and contractors at the site. It said it had close to 2,000 team members" working at the complex, spread over three shifts.

Evans said a main section of the 1.2 million-square-foot (365,000-square-meter) facility appears to be destroyed. Crews from nearly 45 fire departments were still fighting the blaze more than 12 hours after it began.

They're working very hard to try to protect the remainder of that building, Evans said. Significant loss, but we're very hopeful that it's not a total loss and that they'll be able to rebuild here.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, according to Evans.

QVC tweeted a statement about the fire on Saturday, saying, We are currently focused on our team. As we work to understand the full impact of this incident, including any impact to shipping and delivery, well share further details."

QVC. Inc. is based in West Chester, Pennsylvania, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Qurate Retail Inc.

The Rocky Mount Area Chamber of Commerce posted a Facebook message that said up to 2,500 families would be affected by the fire.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  It was a showdown between Ryusuke Hamaguchis Drive My Car and Jane Campions  The Power of the Dog  for members of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, but the group managed to give top honors to both on Saturday.

The Japanese film Drive My Car was named best picture and The Power of the Dog, a Western drama set in 1925, got runner up. Campion, meanwhile, received best director with Hamaguchi as her runner up.
WASHINGTON (AP)  As strained U.S. hospitals brace for a new surge of COVID-19 cases caused by the fast-spreading omicron variant, doctors are warning of yet another challenge: the two standard drugs theyve used to fight infections are unlikely to work against the new strain.

For more than a year antibody drugs from Regeneron and Eli Lilly have been the go-to treatments for early COVID-19, thanks to their ability to head off severe disease and keep patients out of the hospital.

But both drugmakers recently warned that laboratory testing suggests their therapies will be much less potent against omicron, which contains dozens of mutations that make it harder for antibodies to attack the virus. And while the companies say they can quickly develop new omicron-targeting antibodies, those arent expected to launch for at least several months.

A third antibody from British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline appears to be the best positioned to fight omicron. But Glaxos drug is not widely available in the U.S., accounting for a small portion of the millions of doses purchased and distributed by the federal government. U.S. health officials are now rationing scarce drug supplies to states.

I think theres going to be a shortage, said Dr. Jonathan Li, director of the Harvard/Brigham Virology Specialty Laboratory. Were down to one FDA-authorized monoclonal antibody with omicron because of the reduced effectiveness of Regeneron and Lilly's drugs.

The delta variant still accounts for more than 95% of estimated U.S. cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But agency leaders say omicron is spreading faster than any past variant and will become the dominant strain nationwide within weeks.

Delivered by injection or infusion, antibodies are laboratory-made versions of human proteins that help the immune system fight off viruses and other infections.

Glaxo's drug, developed with Vir Biotechnology, was specifically formulated to bind to a part of the virus that is less likely to mutate, according to the companies. Early studies of laboratory-simulated omicron by the drugmakers and outside researchers show promising results.

Supply of the drug is extremely limited, and additional doses of the product will not be available until the week of January 3rd, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said in an statement posted online.

After pausing distribution last month to conserve supply, HHS is now shipping 55,000 doses of the drug, called sotrovimab, to state health departments, with the doses arriving as early as Tuesday. An additional 300,000 are expected in January.

The agency said it is distributing the drug to states based on their levels of infections and hospitalizations.

HHS recommends states conserve the drug for the highest risk patients who are most likely to have omicron infections, either based on laboratory testing that can identify the variant or elevated levels of omicron spread in local communities, identified as 20% and higher.

High-risk patients include seniors and those with serious health problems, such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes and immune-system disorders.

Prior to the pause in shipments, Glaxos drug accounted for about 10% of the 1.8 million antibody doses distributed to state health officials between mid-September and late November, according to federal figures.

London-based Glaxo says it is on track to produce 2 million doses by May, under contracts with the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Japan and several other countries. The company is working to add more manufacturing capacity next year.

The loss of two leading antibody therapies puts even more focus on a pair of highly anticipated antiviral pills that U.S. regulators are expected to soon authorize.

The drugs from Pfizer and Merck would be the first treatments Americans can take at home to head off severe disease. Pfizers drug in particular has shown a powerful effect, curbing hospitalizations and deaths by nearly 90% in high-risk patients.

If its rolled out effectively this has a real big potential, to make up for antibody treatments, said Andrew Pekosz, a virologist at Johns Hopkins University. Thats an immediate place where these antivirals could minimize the impact of omicron.

Still, initial supplies of both drugs are expected to be limited.

The shrinking toolbox of treatments is a painful reminder that the virus still has the upper hand in the U.S., even with more than 200 million Americans fully vaccinated.

Scientists around the world are racing to understand omicron, including whether it causes more or less severe disease and how easily it evades protection from prior infection, vaccination, and antibody drugs.

We're certainly going to see hospitalizations rise, said Dr. James Cutrell of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. If we have a lack of antibodies thats certainly going to contribute to that many more patients needing to be in the hospital.

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AP Medical Writer Laura Ungar contributed to this story.

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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.
The Salt Lake Tribune December 12, 2021Editors note  This story is available to Salt Lake Tribune subscribers only. Thank you for supporting local journalism.No stranger to controversy in his lifetime, early Latter-day Saint leader Brigham Young is generating a little more mystery and contention these days from his graveyard.Church historians revealed over the summer that the 144-year-old Brigham Young Family Cemetery, 140 E. First Avenue, has been bedeviled during the past two years by a spate of trespassing, vandalism and littering, prompting stepped-up guard patrols and new lighting.History then let slip several twists, including a disappearing fence and the discovery of dozens of unmarked graves.Nighttime intruders have painted the word racist on Youngs grave plaque, church officials report, while others have dug holes, lit fires, stolen headstones and even toppled the sites prominent bronze statue of Young, the powerful pioneer-prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, buried there since 1877.Even with the added surveillance, trespassers and marauding dogs from the neighborhood were still leaping over lower sections of a historic perimeter fence where it dipped along the sides of the property, part of a worrisome uptick in intrusions at other historic places.Sad to say, this is a cemetery and these things are going on, Gregory Green, a project manager overseeing the church-owned site, told the citys Historic Landmark Commission in July. Our ultimate goal is to protect this historical and sacred site.Like Temple Square and the granite-spired temple a block to the west, the third of an acre frontier cemetery is now being renovated. As part of that larger overhaul of its stone paths, walls and aging trees, historic preservationists with the church applied in April for city approval to increase the height of a decorative 32-inch wrought-iron fence around the cemetery, which is also known as the Mormon Pioneer Memorial Monument.The Brigham Young Family Cemetery, though surrounded these days by houses and apartments, is designated a historic landmark and falls within the citys Avenues Historic District. That gives the commission authority over proposed changes, including any alterations to the iron fence, which is itself historic, and to other key features.The review at City Hall brought a second revelation.Emily Utt, a curator and historic preservation expert for the church, told commission members that ground-penetrating radar imaging conducted at the cemetery in advance of renovation work had detected as many as 40-plus graves, while only 11 previously were marked.We dont want to hit anything, Utt told city officials over the summer, and were doing our best to avoid that.No public mention has been made of exploring the graves further and, as of last week, a small construction crew was at full pace remaking the cemetery. Much of the previous stonework was crumbled and piled to the sides before removal, and marked gravesites were cordoned off with orange fencing behind a 6-foot chain-link perimeter.Utt and the churchs public affairs office did not respond to inquiries from The Salt Lake Tribune on what is known about the additional graves and whether the sites plaques might be revised in light of the radar findings.The American MosesHistory notes the land once belonged to Young, who led the LDS Church for more than 30 years after founder Joseph Smiths death and served as Utahs territorial governor from 1850 to 1858.Though now overshadowed by the Brigham Apartments on South Temple, the grassy spot once offered a commanding view of the Salt Lake Valley. The church leader, nicknamed the American Moses and the nations most famous polygamist, was said to be interred in a corner of the parcel a few feet from his strawberry patch.The family cemetery is also the known burial site for at least four of Youngs 55 plural wives  including Mary Ann Angell, Lucy Ann Decker, Eliza R. Snow and Mary Van Cott  and two others as well as at least two of his 56 children, Joseph Angell Young and Alice Young Clawson, according to earlier church descriptions.Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, a retired Harvard University historian specializing in early Mormonism and the faiths plural marriages, said it would be highly unlikely that the additional graves at the cemetery belong to Youngs other wives.Many of those plural spouses lived long past Youngs death, married others and moved elsewhere, Ulrich noted, even though the Latter-day Saint leaders large household survived him for many years.Theres reason to be a little suspect, she said, of the notion that they all would have ended up together in one place.The graves might instead be those of pioneer children or others who perished of frontier hardships and whose burial markers vanished over time, Ulrich said, noting that grave memorials for early settlers were often unstable.There are lots of ways to think about that site, she said.Researchers affiliated with church-owned Brigham Young University have conducted ground-penetrating radar scans at other sites important to Mormon history as well, including Kirtland in Ohio and Nauvoo in Illinois, primarily to locate old structures.Utah State University announced in August it plans to apply the imaging technology to an 150-acre site around an Indigenous boarding school outside Panguitch, where Utah tribal leaders and history experts believe the bodies of Paiute children are likely buried.Fretting over the fenceDocuments indicate Latter-day Saints built the squat sandstone retaining wall that still surrounds the Brigham Young cemetery sometime in September 1877 in the weeks after his funeral.In the 1880s, they added the decorative wrought-iron fencing atop the stone wall and a similar enclosure around Youngs grave, both designed and made by William J. Silver, a successful iron works operator in Salt Lake City.The cemeterys original landscaping of grass and small trees got revamped when the site was rededicated in 1974 as a monument to the Mormon pioneers who died making the trek westward to Salt Lake City. It was overhauled again in 1999 to restore grave markers and add several sandstone paths.Earlier this year, the church drew city approval for most of its latest round of cemetery improvements, including fortifying the sandstone wall, repairing portions of the fence and replacing paving, light fixtures, a sprinkler system and some old trees.Raising the iron fence, though, has all but tied the city and church officials in knots amid fears over the spikes in vandalism and shifting attitudes toward other memorials to controversial historic figures and events.In late November, several monuments in San Diegos Presidio Park depicting members of the Mormon Battalion were defaced with graffiti denouncing colonizers and White supremacy.Historic Landmark Commission members in Salt Lake City also pointed to chronic attacks on Native American petroglyphs and pictographs in southern Utah, some of which are now protected by plexiglass.I dont think aggression to this site is going to go away, member Babs De Lay, also a Salt Lake City real estate agent, said of Youngs cemetery. I want to help them protect this at all costs, but I dont have any suggestions other than what theyre proposing right now.Its all of our history, De Lay said.The panel of historic preservationists has so far rejected two proposals for delicately raising the old iron pieces surrounding the graveyard between 5 and 9.5 feet, depending on the location, citing the wrought-iron original as a crucial feature of the sites historic look and feel.In July and again in September, members fretted over the competing interests of desperately wanting to protect the graveyard from further damage while also retaining its historic character.Which are we going to advocate for more fiercely? then-commissioner Victoria Petro-Eschler, who has since been elected and named to the City Council, asked her colleagues at one point. It feels like were being asked to cut the baby in half.Utt and other church officials aired two separate designs that would temporarily weld new wrought-iron bar stock of a similar look to the bottom the existing fence and then attach that taller structure to the stone wall.That approach, Utt said, would improve security while also retaining the fences essential historic traits.Raising the fence is really the best option to keep those people out after hours that want to do damage to this property, Utt told city officials. If you have a better idea, I would love to hear it.The proposed changes met city code, Utt argued, and could also be easily undone and the original fence restored should a better way come along to stem the trespassing. She also referred to 6-foot fences the city has already permitted around the historic Salt Lake City Cemetery, also in the Avenues, and Mount Olivet, 1342 E. 500 South.Unauthorized removalBut after throwing up their hands in July and tabling the request, commission members denied a second set of fence designs and other security upgrades in September, saying that adding height to the iron perimeter would have a negative impact on its historic integrity.The alterations, according to a final report from city planners, do not have any historical basis and could be interpreted as creating a false sense of history or architecture.Church officials filed a formal appeal to a city administrative judge, who denied it in late November.Then, sometime around Thanksgiving, a construction crew working for the church removed the fence and the smaller enclosure around Youngs white grave marker from the cemetery site and took them to an undisclosed location, in violation of the citys order.City planner Amy Thompson said the move surprised city officials, who have since filed an enforcement action against the church that could carry fines if it isnt remedied. Thompson said church officials reported they misunderstood the citys approval for other work at the cemetery, even though its written order specifically barred the fences removal.A church spokesperson issued a statement this past week acknowledging that its crews had gone ahead with repairing the cemeterys historic stone wall, upgrading lighting and doing other maintenance work.The historic wrought-iron fence around the cemetery was carefully removed and is being temporarily stored off-site for safekeeping, the statement said. It will be restored and reinstalled as a part of the project.The church reportedly plans to file a new application for changes at the site soon, Thompson said, to begin another chapter for Brigham Youngs historic final resting place.tsemerad@sltrib.com
The 'butterfly effect' of a single Government decision to form a protective ring around Owen Paterson has led to painful defeats in the polls and in the Commons for Boris Johnson, with leadership contenders now sharpening their knives.

The convulsions have caused some fellow Tories to rethink their outside interests. Ruth Edwards has just quietly given up her advisory job.

The MP for Rushcliffe was being paid 5,000 a month, via the company she co-owns with her husband, by HR firm MHR International.

Similarly, Sir Greg Knight has given up his 16,000 annual pay cheque from Cambridge and Counties Bank.

Newbie Dean Russell (above) is a former PR man elected in 2019 to serve the people of Watford. On his register of interests, Russell lists regular pay cheques from 'EPIFNY Consulting Ltd', described as a 'business education provider'. After becoming an MP, Russell transferred his shares to his wife, who owns the firm outright. But he doesn't declare he remains a director of the company, in what appears to be a breach of the MPs' Code of Conduct

Meanwhile, former Health Minister Steve Brine is no longer a 'strategic adviser' to a pharmaceuticals firm.

But not everyone got the memo. Take newbie Dean Russell, the former PR man elected in 2019 to serve the people of Watford.

On his register of interests, Russell lists regular pay cheques from 'EPIFNY Consulting Ltd', described as a 'business education provider'.

After becoming an MP, Russell transferred his shares to his wife, who owns the firm outright.

Ruth Edwards has just quietly given up her advisory job. The MP for Rushcliffe was being paid 5,000 a month, via the company she co-owns with her husband, by HR firm MHR International

Meanwhile, former Health Minister Steve Brine is no longer a 'strategic adviser' to a pharmaceuticals firm

But he doesn't declare he remains a director of the company, in what appears to be a breach of the MPs' Code of Conduct.

Russell founded EPIFNY in 2016. It promises to teach 'inspired leadership' and asks would-be clients: 'Do you want to have people admire you and feel confident you are making the right decisions?' The company has carried out work for the NHS.

Russell, who sits on the health select committee, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on digital health and has spoken in the Commons on NHS efficiency, last night refused to say who EPIFNY's current clients are.

The MP said the directorship was 'unremunerated' and all payments were properly declared.

Perhaps it's time the people of Watford had their own epiphany.

Nimco's 'lonely' Christmas

Who but the stone-hearted could not feel for the single woman writing in the Evening Standard last week about a 'real fear' of another lockdown of 'weeks or even months entirely alone again'.

Only, there was a tiny omission in Nimco Ali OBE's tear-jerking column: she wasn't entirely alone.

As with so much of the yuletide festivities at No10 last year, we belatedly discovered that over Christmas Nimco was with her bestie, Carrie, aka, the PM's wife, at Downing Street in a baby bubble with Boris and Wilfred.

We feel your struggle, Nimco, and only hope the cheese and wine are to your taste if the invitation comes.

Nimco Ali with Carrie Johnson, above. As with so much of the yuletide festivities at No10 last year, we belatedly discovered that over Christmas Nimco was with her bestie, Carrie, aka, the PM's wife, at Downing Street in a baby bubble with Boris and Wilfred

More 'one rule for them' revelations, this time involving Transport Minister Trudy Harrison.

She recently told the British public that owning cars is so last century.

The UK, said Harrison, is at a 'tipping point' where scooters, car clubs and bike shares will be realistic alternatives. But not for her, it seems.

The petrolhead has claimed 5,714 mileage expenses and 1,373 for her own car since 2017 but refuses to tell me if she's now given it up.

Perhaps she can spare us the lecture until she is spotted scooting around her Copeland constituency in Cumbria.

Transport Minister Trudy Harrison recently told the British public that owning cars is so last century - but she has claimed 5,714 mileage expenses and 1,373 for her own car since 2017 but refuses to tell me if she's now given it up

The Tory panto season rolls on with more Christmas slapstick.

After 'Baron Hardup' Johnson and Allegra 'Widow Twankey' Stratton, word reaches me that there is a 'Silly Billy' on the loose in the mother of all Parliaments.

Royston Smith, the Tory MP for Southampton Itchen, informed whips he was rebelling against vaccine passports.

And before last Tuesday's crucial vote, he chewed up George Osborne for tweeting that asking for vaccination proof at a nightclub was 'hardly the slippery slope to the Gestapo'. Smith shot back: 'Asked is fine, mandated not.'

There should have been 100 Tory rebels, not 99, but Smith strolled through the 'Aye' Lobby  by mistake.

'I made it clear to the whips I wouldn't support Covid passports and contacted my constituents to tell them the same,' he said.

Tip: Left foot, right foot. Look up. Repeat.
Lord Frost may not be a household name. But the resignation of the Brexit Minister from the Cabinet is a bigger blow to the PM than any of the mishaps of recent weeks.

The stories of Covid-busting parties at No. 10, and the self-inflicted nonsense over the Tory MP Owen Paterson, have called into question Boris Johnson's character and judgment. Needless to say, these are extremely important issues.

Arguably more important, though, is Lord Frost's insinuation in his letter of resignation that Mr Johnson is neither a true Tory nor the leader of a government that can justly be described as Conservative.

Boris Johnson speaks with members of the Metropolitan Police in their break room, pictured earlier this week on December 17

His reported reservations go far wider than the polite language of such a letter. He is concerned about the high-tax, high-spending proclivities of this administration.

He's unhappy about uncosted 'net zero' environmental policies that could impoverish the country. Vaccine passports were the last straw for him.

Less than a month ago, Lord Frost argued in a speech that if we follow the 'European social model' of endless employment regulations, high taxes and astronomical welfare spending we will, like the rest of the EU, enjoy only modest economic growth  and squander the opportunities of Brexit.

Swingeing stuff. Several of his former Cabinet colleagues share his doubts. But only the extremely able Brexit Minister has had the courage to say openly what millions of dumbfounded Tory voters are feeling, and then honourably to resign without rancour.

Will Boris Johnson listen to the departing critique from his trusted lieutenant? Or will he charge on in his bull-in-a-china-shop fashion, and continue to embrace measures that wouldn't be out of place in a Labour government?

Here is the great irony of modern politics. The centre-Left likes to represent Boris as a crazed, Right-wing populist.

You only have to open the pages of the Guardian, where irate columnists fulminate against him daily, or listen to denunciations on the BBC.

Lord Frost pictured arriving at 10 Downing Street last month. In his resignation letter, Lord Frost expressed unhappiness about uncosted 'net zero' environmental policies that could impoverish the country

Well, he may be a populist, but he certainly isn't Right-wing in economic terms, or in any other way I can think of.

Perhaps his detractors are so consumed with hatred against Mr Johnson as the deliverer of Brexit that they can't see him as he really is.

How can a Prime Minister responsible for hiking taxes be fairly described as Right-wing?

When increases in National Insurance take effect next April, the tax burden will be the heaviest since the dying days of Clement Attlee's Labour administration in 1950.

Attlee nationalised swathes of industry and unapologetically applied penal taxation rates. His policies inhibited economic recovery after the depredations of World War II. In 1951, voters sent him packing.

So for a Tory Prime Minister to vie with him in matters of tax is some achievement.

Granted, this Government has a Covid bill (so far) of more than 400 billion to settle, but Attlee inherited an even bigger debt as a consequence of the war.

Cutting tax to stimulate economic growth was foreign to his way of thinking. He preferred high levels of taxation, not least because the newly formed NHS turned out to be more voracious than anyone had imagined.

So it is with Boris. Rishi Sunak's recent Budget statement might have been written by the PM.

The Chancellor made the extraordinary boast that departmental spending will soar by 150 billion, or 3.8 per cent every year, over this Parliament, the fastest increase in public expenditure in the 21st century.

The Chancellor Rishi Sunak, pictured, made the extraordinary boast that departmental spending will soar by 150 billion, or 3.8 per cent every year over this Parliament

That is even faster than in Gordon Brown's time as Chancellor. I'm not thinking of Mr Brown's early days in No. 11, when he followed Tory spending plans, but the period during which he got into his stride, and sprayed money around on a lavish scale.

There is another way  to cut taxes and control spending. Over the past few months, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss (who will now take over Lord Frost's duties), and the so-called Minister for the 18th century, Jacob Rees-Mogg, have peeked over the parapet to squeak their misgivings. It took Lord Frost to speak out about what others are thinking.

And he alone in the Cabinet has questioned how on earth the country can pay for Boris Johnson's breakneck 'net zero' environmental plans, the cost of which no one has bothered to work out.

I mean banning new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, and gas boilers in new homes in three years' time.

While China continues to build hundreds of coal power stations, Britain  responsible for a mere 1 per cent of global emissions  is in danger of hobbling its economy as we don hair shirts years before people in other countries. How Tory is that?

As far as 'coercive' Covid measures already enacted or being contemplated by the Government are concerned, Lord Frost is echoing the unease of the 99 Tory MPs who voted against Plan B last week.

Thank God, Boris has hitherto resisted pressure from the lockdown lobby comprising unelected scientists, and backed in Cabinet by Michael Gove and Health Secretary Sajid Javid, who yesterday refused to rule out a lockdown before Christmas.

I don't want to be diverted from the subject of Lord Frost's resignation but we really shouldn't forgive the grossly exaggerated claims of the Government and its agencies about the spread of Omicron.

Last Monday, the UK Health and Security Agency estimated that there were 200,000 new infections of Omicron a day.

Mr Johnson and Mr Javid suggested that cases are doubling every two days.

If these figures were correct, there would be over 2 million new cases of Omicron today. What idiocy.

The Government's own figure yesterday for new Covid infections, which admittedly underestimates the true number by a large margin, was 82,886, fewer than on the previous two days.

To return to Lord Frost: in his views on tax and spending, as well as his scepticism about uncosted 'net zero' policies and his aversion to authoritarian Covid measures, he epitomises the good sense and balance of a proper Tory.

One might add that during his negotiations with the EU over the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol, he has shown a Tory concern for the rights of British citizens in Northern Ireland still under the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice, with a border running down the Irish Sea.

Lord Frost pictured earlier this year in October. Less than a month ago he argued in a speech that if we follow the 'European social model' we' will enjoy only modest economic growth

True, Boris Johnson and Lord Frost accepted this agreement as the price that had to be paid for Brexit. Lord Frost has tried to mitigate it.

There are disquieting rumours the Prime Minister may be ready to compromise where the Brexit Minister was not.

The wonder is that Lord Frost was a career diplomat in the Foreign Office, where Tories were thin on the ground, and Eurosceptics virtually non-existent. From such unlikely surroundings, an authentic Conservative emerged.

And Boris? Despite being nurtured by Tories all his life, he is much less the real thing than the man who advised him.

Perhaps he calculates that, come the election, Conservatives will have to support him. But they can decline to vote, or lend their vote elsewhere.

It's still not too late for Mr Johnson to find a 'direction of travel', to use Lord Frost's phrase, that is Tory.

But emboldened critics in the Cabinet and the party are stirring. The question they ask is whether they will have to get rid of Boris to get their party back.
Two best mates who quit their jobs to pursue a men's swimwear brand have turned over more than $1million in sales thanks to the rush of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals.

Vacay Swimwear launched in early 2017 by founders Jordy Kallios, 26, and Corey Decandia, 27, from Adelaide, South Australia.

The pair decided to start their own business after noticing a 'huge gap in the Australian market' for stylish and affordable men's swim shorts.

In the last financial year alone, the brand has turned over $2.4million and the business has expanded from a small office to a huge warehouse space with employees.

The colourful, stylish swimwear is now stocked in major retailers including The Iconic and David Jones, as well as online stores across Europe and Asia with plan to expand to the US.

While the campaign was a huge success, it took over six months to plan and left the founders and team feeling exhausted.

Vacay Swimwear launched in early 2017 by founders Corey Decandia (left) and Jordy Kallios (right) from Adelaide , South Australia

The colourful, stylish swimwear is now stocked in major retailers including The Iconic and David Jones, as well as online stores across Europe and Asia with plan to expand to the US

The business idea sparked during their European summer holiday in 2016

'We anticipated a significant increase compared to last year's sale, given the trajectory of our overall business revenue; Focusing on growing our customer base in the US and Australia certainly paid off,' Jordy told FEMAIL.

The business idea sparked during their European summer holiday in 2016 as they saw other men wearing bright, multi-coloured shorts - a style that the duo struggled to find back home.

The pair previously told FEMAIL their achievements weren't an overnight success, but they have triumphed through continuous hard work and dedication to the brand.

After returning home from their overseas trip, Corey and Jordy started designing and making shorts for themselves and a few friends.

While both founders studied marketing at university prior to starting the brand, neither of them have a background in business or textiles.

Today they are proud of what they have achieve over the short period of five years.

In the last financial year alone, the brand has turned over $2.4million and the business has expanded from a small office to a huge warehouse space with employees

'We had no idea about manufacturing, dress making, sewing or what it takes to run a business, so there was a lot of trial and error at the start,' Jordy said.

'But we kept persisting and changing the sample pieces until we made the perfect fit that we wanted.'

Jordy said the product development process took up to eight months to complete to ensure their swimwear met the highest possible market standards.

Since the beginning of business to the present day, the pair design and lead the creative direction of the brand.

Both Corey and Jordy have committed themselves full time to the business to grow the brand further and allow it to reach a maximum potential.

The $79.99 shorts are quick drying, on-trend and can be worn at the beach, poolside or the bar

The $79.99 shorts are quick drying, on-trend and can be worn at the beach, poolside or at the bar.

Each print is named and inspired by the world's most iconic holiday destinations  such as Bora Bora, Mykonos, Miami and Ibiza.

The shorts themselves are available in a variety of bright and colourful patterns which can be viewed on the Vacay Swimwear website.

In addition to the popular shorts, the brand now sell t-shirts, 100 per cent linen shirts and caps that compliment the shorts.

Corey said the brand usually launches two drops per year to cater to both the Australian and European or American summer, and each release features new prints they haven't sold previously.

Each print is named and inspired by the world's most iconic holiday destinations  such as Bora Bora, Mykonos, Miami and Ibiza

Eight months post-launch, Vacay Swimwear found themselves stocked on Australia's largest online retailer, The Iconic, followed by Asia's equivalent Zalora.

'We were so excited be stocked on a platform like The Iconic, because it was one of the goals we had from the start,' Corey said.

In August 2020 the South Australian brand was stocked across 25 David Jones stores - another milestone achievement to date.

The bright swim shorts can also be found in over 60 store locations around Australia, Indonesia and the Middle East.

In August 2020 the South Australian brand was stocked across 25 David Jones stores - another milestone achievement to date

'There's no secret formula to success - it's all hard work, persistence and dedication,' Jordy said. Corey added: 'Knowing that we built the business from absolutely nothing and now the brand is globally recognised is an amazing feeling.'

When asked what's next for Vacay Swimwear, Corey said they aim to continue to grow the brand internationally in the American and Middle Eastern markets.

'There's no secret formula to success - it's all hard work, persistence and dedication,' Jordy said.

Corey added: 'Knowing that we built the business from absolutely nothing and now the brand is globally recognised is an amazing feeling.'
Australian men and women are turning to a mental health app to ease their anxiety and depression, paying just $14.99 a month for guided meditations, calming music and mindful movement.

Social media manager Sophie Ferguson, 27, first came across the app on Instagram while browsing through travel bloggers Marie Fe and Jake Snow's account and decided to sign up to a trial.

'I suffer from anxiety in the sense that I get overwhelmed very easily by environmental triggers,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'I have a fast paced, stressful job and I'm hugely empathetic so I take on other people's emotions really easily and adopt to different environments really quickly.

Social media manager Sophie Ferguson, 27, first came across the app on Instagram while browsing through Marie Fe and Jake Snow's account and decided to sign up to a trial

Bloom, which is owned by lifestyle content creators Marie and Jake (pictured) as well as Alya Skin creators Manny Barbas and James Hachem, amassed 60,000 new users in Australia three months after launching in 2019

'If something is stressful, it will hit me really quickly. I suppose I was looking for some tools to help quieten my busy mind. A space where I could take five minutes for myself to calm down.'

Bloom, which is owned by lifestyle content creators Marie and Jake as well as Alya Skin creators Manny Barbas and James Hachem, amassed 60,000 new users in Australia three months after launching in 2019.

Its much-loved features include guided meditation videos, breathwork exercises to aid relaxation, calming exercises to help mindfulness, space for daily journaling and a dedicated sleep section including relaxing music and sleep tracking.

'I'm a huge fan of the meditation time options. There's a meditation for one minute which I can literally do sitting at my desk at work with headphones in when I feel overwhelmed or a 15-20 minute one when I have more time,' Sophie said.

'I also love the sleep features, you can pop them on to wind down and help yourself get to sleep peacefully.'

'I'm a huge fan of the meditation time options. There's a meditation for one minute which I can literally do sitting at my desk at work with headphones in when I feel overwhelmed or a 15-20 minute one when I have more time,' Sophie said

It has become a tool that Sophie can turn to at any point of the day because she carries it around on her phone.

'Along with many other little things I do to keep my mental health in check, this is by far the one that has helped me the most,' she said.

With one in five Australians reporting high levels of psychological distress since the Covid outbreak began in 2020, there are plenty of other Aussies getting just as much out of it as Sophie.

'I've had anxiety since I was a teenager and have tried several different methods to help me manage and reduce my anxiety levels,' one woman remarked.

'Along with many other little things I do to keep my mental health in check, this is by far the one that has helped me the most,' she said

'Exercise works best for me but I've been looking to deepen the work I'm doing on myself and have tried meditating in the past.

'I've never stuck to it because I've tried so many in the past and haven't loved them and wanted to find one source I can use daily to increase my chances of committing and sticking to consistent meditating.

'I'm seven days in to Bloom and have completed every daily task and I'm absolutely loving it.'

Another said: 'I find it really hard to meditate because I'm either feeling lazy or impatient. Much the same as trying to keep physically fit... This app helps me keep mentally fit by offering meditation, mindfulness and helpful activities'.

Bloom can be downloaded on the App store with subscriptions starting at $14.99 a month - or 50 cents a day.
The 1,350 Miu Miu cardigan worn by the Duchess of Cambridge for her Together At Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey on December 8 has sold out online.

Kate Middleton, 39, wore the festive designer number during the recording of the promo for her charity event which was released two days ago, and airs in full on Christmas Eve on ITV.

With its bauble detail, Peter Pan collar and pearl buttons, the cardigan proved a hit among the Duchess' fashion followers - despite its eye-watering price tag.

And just days after the release of the recording, the item sold out in all sizes on sites including Net-A-Porter, Far Fetch and Miu Miu.

Scroll down for video

The 1,350 festive Miu Miu sweater Kate Middleton wore in the first trailer for Royal Carols - Together At Christmas, pictured, has already sold out on Net-A-Porter

The cashmere number from Miu Miu boasts a lovely diamond stich, while its discreet baubles are perfect for those wishing to add some Christmas spirit to their wardrobe without going all out.

The Peter Pan collar is detachable and the white and back jacquard-woven roses add some more festive flair to the outfit.

The Net-A-Porter website advises to match the mother-of-pearl buttons with a pair of pearl earrings for a chic festive look.

Kate picked the cardigan to host her special carol service at Westminster Abbey earlier this month.

The sweater, which is made of cashmere, comes with a detachable collar and a discreet bauble detail, pictured

The 1.350 cardigan has sold out in all sizes after the Duchess of Cambridge wore it to promote her concert in a trailer released by ITV

The Duchess of Cambridge looked stunning in the festive cardigan, pictured, in a trailer promoting the concert

On Friday the mother-of-three beamed in new photos released ahead of the Westminster Abbey concert, which will be broadcast on Christmas Eve on ITV.

'I'm so excited to be hosting Together At Christmas here at Westminster Abbey,' Kate told cameras through a smile.

The video also showed celebrity performers including Leona Lewis, Ellie Goulding and Tom Walker. It also featured a clip of presenter Kate Garraway speaking at the Westminster Abbey concert.

The Duchess of Cambridge, 39, was festive in a scarlet Catherine Walker coat as she arrived to host a Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey on December 8

Kate Middleton was joined by Prince William as they walked side-by-side into the carol service in London (pictured)

The service has been developed with BBC Studios Events Productions but will be broadcast on ITV at 7.30pm on Christmas Eve as part of a special programme called Royal Carols: Together At Christmas.

Prince William and Kate reportedly dropped the BBC as the broadcaster for their Christmas special in the wake of the two-part series The Princes and the Press, which was criticised by the Queen, Prince Charles and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for giving credibility to 'overblown and unfounded claims' about the Royal Family.

Attendees to Kate's carols were 'encouraged' to wear face masks According to the Westminster Abbey website, face coverings are encouraged when inside the Abbey and St Margaret's Church and social distancing is encouraged in areas which are small and confined. Advertisement

Previous photos show the mother-of-three debuted a new red Catherine Walker coat dress for the outing, which featured a large bow detailing across the bodice before slipping it off to show off her festive cardigan.

Photos from Kate entering the abbey show how she added a touch of glamour to her outfit with the Queen Mother's sapphire and diamond fringe earrings, and recycled her 640 red suede bag by Miu Miu for the occasion, first worn in September 2016.

The coat dress, thought to be worth around 3,000, is a new ensemble for the Duchess, who previously wore a black version of the coat to attend Prince Philip's funeral in April.

The concert was supported by The Royal Foundation and pays tribute to the incredible work of individuals and organisations across the UK who have supported their communities through the pandemic

It was a family affair for the Duchess with her parents Carole, 66, and Michael, 72, Middleton, as well as her siblings James, 34, and Pippa, 38, in attendance.

The group were also joined by the Countess of Wessex, 55, Princess Beatrice, 33, and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi,38, Princess Eugenie, 31, and Zara Tindall, 40, and Mike Tindall, 43.

Sneak peek: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge earlier this month shared a glimpse of the invitations sent out to guests, pictured, including charity workers, teachers and volunteers

The Queen, 95, was not in attendance, neither were Prince Charles or Camilla. The monarch was forced to cancel her annual pre-Christmas lunch this week for the second year in a row due to the pandemic.

She was planning to welcome 50 or so relatives, including Prince Charles and Camilla, to an event at Windsor Castle next week.

One day after the festive party, the Queen was due to travel by helicopter to Sandringham in Norfolk, where she is set to spend Christmas itself.

However it has now emerged the Queen 'with regret' has cancelled her family lunch as a 'precautionary' measure, feeling that too many people's Christmas arrangements were at risk if it went ahead.
As the former head of some of Britain's biggest companies, the multi-millionaire Alun Cathcart is a man accustomed to getting his own way when it comes to his business affairs.

When he was chairman of Selfridges, he oversaw its 2003 sale for 600 million to Canadian billionaire Galen Weston.

He also spent 30 years as European chief executive of car hire giant Avis before becoming chairman of the EMAP media group.

Personal matters, particularly in relation to his second ex-wife Pamela, have proved rather less straightforward for the 78-year-old tycoon, who retired in 2017.

Last week, it emerged that Cathcart had failed in his High Court bid to strip 66-year-old Pamela Owen of her 1.8 million divorce settlement after a row over embryos created at a fertility clinic while they were still married.

Cathcart claimed he would never have provided such a 'generous' settlement had he known of his ex-wife's secret attempts to use the frozen embryos to create a second child, behind his back, after they had parted.

The judge presiding over the case, however, told him her actions had no bearing on the amount she received in the divorce.

This is a bewildering saga involving three IVF pregnancies  two of which were consented to, one of which Cathcart alleges was not  and ultimately the birth of two children.

He has accused Pamela, who lives in Horsham, West Sussex, of forging his signature on documents so she could use the embryos to assist with a second pregnancy without his knowledge.

And while his 'wholly misconceived' case has been thrown out of the High Court's Family Division, with Mr Justice Mostyn describing it as 'morally repugnant', the Mail can reveal a furious Cathcart is now planning to pursue Pamela in the U.S. courts for 250,000.

Multi-millionaire Alun Cathcart failed in his High Court bid to strip ex-wife Pamela Owen (pictured) of her 1.8m divorce settlement after a row over embryos created at a fertility clinic

It was there the pair first attended a Californian fertility clinic in 2000, using donor eggs and Cathcart's sperm to create several embryos, one of which resulted in the birth of a child in March 2001.

So why on earth is the respected father-of-five, who now lives in Portugal, going to such tortured lengths given the events over which he is suing took place nearly 20 years ago and the disputed pregnancy resulted in a miscarriage in 2004?

One also wonders at the wisdom of digging up the past in court, thereby spilling the innermost secrets of his private life along with those of his ex-wife.

A spokesman for the businessman told me this week: 'Alun thinks it is wicked, egregious and completely wrong that a man who provides sperm to his wife for a child, then leaves that woman and divorces her, then discovers she used the sperm without his knowledge or consent to try and bring another child into the world.'

But what makes Cathcart's claim somewhat baffling is the most astonishing twist of all: that more than three years after his split from Pamela, he happily agreed to donate sperm to her  behind his new wife's back!  so she could conceive a sibling for the first child.

Three IVF Pregnancies, two children and a secret sperm donation PREGNANCY ONE: Pamela and Alun married in August 1997. In 2000, they visited a fertility clinic, using donor eggs and Cathcart's sperm to create several embryos, one of which resulted in the birth of a child in March 2001. The couple split three months later, reaching a financial settlement in April 2002. PREGNANCY TWO: In 2004, unbeknown to Alun, Pamela conceived a second child using another of the embryos but miscarried in July that year. PREGNANCY THREE: Two months after her miscarriage, in September 2004 Alun agreed to donate sperm to her so that  using donor eggs  she could conceive a sibling for the first child. He claims he did so as a 'donor' and not a 'husband' and therefore should not have been financially liable for the child, born in November 2005. Advertisement

The difference, according to papers he filed at the High Court, is that he did this unaware that Pamela had already been secretly trying to conceive using their previously frozen embryos.

Confused? Well, according to his spokesman, legal adviser Rodney Hylton-Potts, there is a big difference between voluntarily donating sperm for an IVF embryo and using an embryo without the consent of the man who helped create it, even if the two incidents took place just months apart.

'We aren't just talking about the money side of this, although claiming child maintenance is part of it,' says Hylton-Potts. 'We're talking about creating a human being with a father's sperm when they've separated.

'That's a key point. She actually got pregnant with Alun's sperm at a time when he knew nothing about it, even if she miscarried later. He was deeply, deeply hurt by that and still is.'

And, despite admitting that he willingly donated sperm on a second occasion, Cathcart says he did so as a 'donor' not as a 'husband'  and claims Pamela forged his initials on a 14-page document, making it appear he was the latter so that she could make later financial claims on him.

He alleges to have discovered the truth only after seeing documents released to him by the fertility clinic in June last year. So how on earth did this lamentable situation come to pass?

Cathcart, a trained accountant from Northern Ireland, was already chief executive of Avis Europe when he met Pamela Owen, a British Airways flight attendant.

Pamela, from Maldon, Essex, was a glamorous blonde divorcee with a 35,000 antique teddy bear collection. She and Cathcart moved in together, married in August 1997 in Bermuda and, after failing to conceive a child naturally, visited the Pacific Fertility Center in Los Angeles, where embryos were created using a donor egg and Cathcart's sperm.

But three months after the birth of that child in March 2001, Cathcart walked out on his wife. According to his spokesman: 'He realised that at that age, he didn't want to be a father again.

'He didn't want to settle down like that. He admits he made a terrible mistake. He was consumed by guilt but he realised it just wasn't the life he wanted.'

The couple divorced and reached a financial settlement in April 2002, which saw Pamela walk away with 1.8 million plus child maintenance payments for their child as well as annual payments of 15,000 towards the upbringing of their first child.

According to the spokesman: 'Alun took the view that he'd been very generous with Pamela because he had literally left her holding the baby and felt guilty.

'What Alun didn't know and didn't discover until last year is that no sooner than he was out of the door than Pamela double-backed so to speak and began to make plans and active steps to get pregnant using a batch of embryos fertilised from his sperm.'

Pictured: Alun Cathcart with his current Debbie Simmons who was kept in the dark about the legal battle Cathcart was waging against his ex-wife Pamela Owen over her divorce settlement

According to documents filed at the High Court, Pamela conceived a second child in 2004, but miscarried in July that year.

Just two months later and unaware of the second pregnancy and miscarriage, Cathcart agreed to help his ex-wife conceive again.

According to his spokesman: 'Ms Owen approached him and said: 'Look, I would like a sibling for our child. And I would like you to provide sperm.' It was a very unusual situation.

'She pleaded with him so he agreed for her sake, but only as a donor, not as a husband or partner.'

The sting in the tail was Cathcart's insistence he wanted nothing to do with the second child and that Pamela should not claim extra child maintenance.

He insisted she provide a 100,000 'bond' to stand as security against any further claims against him.

But why, if he didn't trust his ex-wife, did Cathcart agree to what was described in court as a 'morally repugnant' contract?

According to Hylton-Potts: 'Alun felt guilty about having left her holding the baby.'

Pamela agreed to his terms and, after Alun donated more sperm in London, she underwent IVF at the same Californian clinic. She gave birth to a second child in November 2005.

But what of Alun's poor, long-suffering third wife, glamorous blonde businesswoman Debbie Simmons? How on earth did she react when she discovered what her husband had been up to.

'He didn't tell Debbie at first,' explains Hylton-Potts. 'She eventually found out from all the legal documents that were coming in the post and she was not best pleased. She felt he had kept hidden something intimate and important.

'She thought no worse of him, but she wasn't happy. She's long since forgiven him. She loves him to this day and they're still together.'

So far, so good, but according to legal documents, both children suffered from 'profound learning difficulties', something else that Cathcart questions.

Unable to cope financially, Pamela went back to court in 2008 and 2011 seeking further payments from him. As a result, the businessman was forced to up his payments to 20,000 for each child, plus the cost of their private school fees.

'It was something that enraged him,' says Hylton-Potts. 'He hated it. He thought it was completely wrong, but the law is the law, you can never exclude the rights of children.'

Amid this toxic atmosphere, Cathcart and his third wife despite having no relationship with either child  decided that both had a right to know the truth about their parentage and that they had been conceived from donor eggs and Pamela was not their biological mother.

An act of vengeance, surely? Not so, says Hylton-Potts, who claims the desire to tell the children had nothing to do with Cathcart's anger over the payments.

'Rightly or wrongly, these children are Alun's,' he says. 'He therefore took a view that they should be told about their parentage and how they were created. Ms Owen disagreed.'

Indeed, Pamela took out an injunction preventing the couple from revealing the truth to the children or having any contact with them until they were 18.

Cathcart retaliated with further action. In the end, Pamela pre-empted him by telling both children about the circumstances of their birth in April 2020.

Cathcart's next move, just a month later, was to seek proof he was definitely the biological father of the second child. It was the release of documents from the clinic in California in May last year that revealed to him Pamela's second conception.

He also alleges fraud in relation to the third pregnancy, claiming she again forged his initials to make it appear that he had agreed to donate sperm as a husband, making him financially liable for the child.

Believing he had grounds to claim back some of the divorce settlement, he took Pamela to the High Court claiming he was a victim of fraud and asking for previous financial orders to be set aside.

Mr Justice Mostyn, however, said he was 'wholly satisfied' that 'there was no fraud on any occasion'. He added that 'even if I am wrong', Pamela's divorce settlement would have been unaffected.

Referring to Cathcart's so-called 'incredibly generous' settlement in his final judgment last month, he said: 'I would not describe it in that way. It looks very conventional to me.'

Describing the fraud allegations as 'implausible', he added: 'This course of conduct by the husband makes his subsequent complaints that the wife kept quiet about an attempt to achieve the very end to which he later agreed extremely difficult to understand.'

He said the allegation of forgery in relation to the birth of the second child was 'an abuse of the court's process' given Cathcart 'accepts he fully freely entered into' the conception. Cathcart's case, he concluded, was 'totally without merit'. According to Hylton-Potts, Cathcart is 'bewildered' by the outcome.

'The judge took a view that Alun should have stopped this years ago and painted a picture of a bitter tycoon who should really stop it. But Alun makes no apology whatsoever for bringing this case to the High Court.

'He still believes the divorce settlement was obtained by fraud, he still believes that Ms Owen forged his name on documents in California to trick the clinic into reusing his sperm. He knows she forged his signature because he didn't sign himself.'

So what is it that Cathcart now wants given that much of these ongoings are all water under the bridge?

Tragically, the eldest child died last year in their late teens, but this devastating event appears to have had no impact at all on Cathcart's determination to pursue Pamela through the courts.

'He wants money back from Pamela,' says Hylton-Potts. 'He believes it is wholly wrong for Ms Owen to keep the money she has had over the years.

'He's a wealthy man so he'll probably give it to charity. It's a symbolic gesture. He feels a wrong has been done and must be righted.'

Cathcart has now hired a team of fertility lawyers in California with a view to launching a civil claim at the Los Angeles Superior Court for the 'unauthorised and fraudulent use of embryos' created using his sperm.

A legal letter seen by this newspaper accuses Pamela of forging Cathcart's signature on medical consent forms.

A spokesperson for Pamela's solicitor said she did not wish to comment.

Two decades on, and with no end in sight to this repugnant legal battle, it seems hell hath no fury like a multi-millionaire businessman who believes himself scorned by an ex-wife.
In a heart-wrenching feature for YOU two years ago, Flora Watkins revealed how her joy turned to fear and anguish when she found out her newborn baby Romy had cerebral palsy and would never lead a normal life. But incredibly, Romy has defied all expectation

flora holding baby Romy in the neonatal intensive care unit

Are you ready? I whispered to my daughter, holding out my hands. She nodded her curly haired head while laughing  she is always laughing  and wrapped a pudgy fist around each of my index fingers. Then in we go, I said, pushing open the door to the doctors office. Romy had a new pair of shoes for the occasion, shiny rose-gold sandals, and marched in proudly taking high, deliberate steps like a show pony.

Romy giggled as the doctor jumped up in surprise and came round the front of his desk. She took her hands away from mine, stood swaying for a moment, before plopping down heavily on her gingham-clad bottom, then scooting off on all fours to explore the room. That is wonderful to see, Romys doctor said, visibly overcome. That is really, really wonderful.

It should all have been so different, you see. Because Romy was never supposed to walk. Due to the pandemic, my husband Nick and I hadnt seen Dr Harris, her paediatrician, face-to-face for more than 18 months. The last time wed seen him, she was a tiny bundle and was being discharged from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at a big London hospital, where Romy had spent the first 28 days of her life.

Ill never forget his last words to us: Youll take her home and itll seem like you have a normal baby for a while. Romys life began in the most traumatic and shocking way (which I recounted for YOU magazine in November 2019). Born by planned caesarean section after a textbook pregnancy, she was floppy and unresponsive in the delivery room. Initially it was thought that the anaesthetic Id been given had affected her. But Romy failed to respond to treatment. Then the doctors realised she was having seizures. It was a bleakly terrifying time. I have never cried so much or felt so frightened and helpless. We couldnt even hold our much longed-for daughter as she was enclosed in an incubator with tubes down her throat, cannulas piercing her hand and foot and electrodes under her scalp. Her brothers, then aged four and five, whod been fizzing with excitement about the new baby, had to be kept away, fobbed off with lies we desperately wanted to believe ourselves but couldnt. Your sisters not feeling very well. Shell be home soon.

Flora today with Romy and sons Gussie (left) and Jago at their home in Norfolk

An MRI scan of Romys brain gave us some answers but left many, many more unknowns. Either during or shortly before her birth, Romy had suffered a stroke when pieces of the placenta broke off and caused a blockage in her brain. Grave-faced consultants explained gently what this meant. There was extensive damage to the right-hand part of her brain that controls movement  resulting in a lifelong condition called hemiplegia. She would have stiffness and weakness down her left side. She might have learning difficulties and develop epilepsy. You realise its cerebral palsy, dont you? said Nick after theyd gone. I suppose they thought we couldnt cope with that label just then. Nick and I held each other, racked with sobs. How had this happened to our baby? Why her? I just want her to be perfect, Nick wept, to have a normal life. It might still be possible, we told ourselves, clinging desperately to the idea of our baby wed had before her birth.

But there was worse to come. Another expert came to look at Romys scans. This one didnt have soft words and a bedside manner. The brain damage on the scans was so extensive, she explained briskly, that our daughter would be quadriplegic. Shed likely need a wheelchair and have severe learning difficulties. Her words had the force of a bomb going off within our little family. Plans and dreams reduced to scorched earth, our daughters future all darkness and uncertainty.

Yet when I went back and stroked my baby through the portholes of her incubator, felt her warmth and humanity, I did see a perfect little girl. Her fingers on the hand weakened by the extensive brain damage gripped mine. Our love for her was no less fierce and proud  perhaps even more so.

Nick and I coped with Romys diagnosis in different ways. His was: how can we fix this? Guided by Romys amazing neurologist and paediatrician in the NICU, Nick read everything he could about brain plasticity in infants. We learned how the brain can make new connections, if it is stimulated in the right way. We sang and read to Romy in her incubator, just as we would have done if shed been at home and normal. Her brothers brought Goodnight Moon and Little Grey Rabbit to read to her after school.

Romy with physiotherapist Kiki  Flora credits her with helping Romy to thrive.

I wrote about my daughters plight for this magazine and was overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and warmth from readers  and buoyed up by the positive stories from mothers of children who defied their initial diagnoses. Babies whod suffered strokes and bleeds on the brain had gone to Cambridge University, competed at para dressage for their country, had successful careers, gone on to have families of their own.

Of course, there were children whose disabilities had been more severe, who needed mobility aids, had compromised vision or learning difficulties, but thanks to the positivity of their parents, they too were living the fullest, happiest lives and bringing great joy to their families. What is normal anyway? asked one friend, whose son has type-1 diabetes. All of us have something.

One correspondent turned me on to a Mary Oliver poem that became a sort of mantra for me in the early days: I want to believe that the imperfections are nothing  that the light is everything. As soon as Romy opened her eyes, once anti-seizure drugs were reduced, she seemed to turn towards the light, taking everything in with her deep, intelligent blue eyes. Her extraordinary doctors and nurses in the NICU held our hands  literally and metaphorically  during those early days.

Flora first wrote about Romy in YOU in November 20

Dr Harris couldnt have been kinder, inviting Romys brothers in for a tour and answering their questions. Whenever I was feeling hopeless, Romys wonderfully positive neurologist Dr Ramesh would say, Look at the child not the scans. His words became another mantra for us to repeat.

We were warned that Romy would seem a nor mal baby at first but that the cerebral palsy would mean shed be late hitting her milestones (smiling, rolling over, sitting, crawling, etc) or might not reach them at all. Yet bang on six weeks, Romys sweet face stretched into a broad smile, quickly followed by deep belly laughs at her big brothers antics, as they competed to entertain her.

The support we received from friends and family was amazing. But one unexpected consequence of Romys traumatic start to life was the new friendships. Women Id met just once or twice, whod been inside a NICU with their own babies, got in touch with empathy, kindness, practical advice and presents for Romy. These are friendships I now treasure.

Several people whod reached out through my YOU magazine article recommended that I take Romy to Kikis Childrens Clinic which, happily, was close to where we were living at the time in South London. Its owner, physiotherapist Kiki von Eisenhart-Goodwin, came into our lives when Romy was 12 weeks old and galvanised us with her energy and expertise. I filmed that first session; you can hear my sobs as Kiki points out the areas where Romy isnt developing as she should. But we bombard her hemi side with physio, she stressed, showing how to raise Romys arms on a pillow so she could reach her baby-gym, encouraging her to grasp a rattle with both hands.

It is Kiki whom I largely credit with Romy defying those early prognoses. By stimulating and encouraging the use of Romys hemiplegic limb (and showing us how to do so at home) our daughter rolled over, sat up, crawled and eventually walked within the normal parameters. Kiki has become a family friend  just one of the many life-enhancing people Romy has brought into our lives. Theres the team at Small Steps, a charity in Richmond-upon-Thames, that offers free weekly sessions to pre-schoolers with mobility, sensory and other challenges. Then there was the renowned speech therapist Heather Bouchier Hayes. She was terminally ill when I took Romy to see her but dealing with her diagnosis with wit and humour. Heather impressed on me the importance of signing using the Makaton system to support speech as it is often delayed with cerebral palsy. Romys a joy. Try not to worry. Make sure you enjoy her, shed say.

Romys joy is infectious. Whether thats because of her disability, or in spite of it, or because shes been in receipt of so much love, I dont know. Nick even asked a consultant once if it was normal for a child to be this happy. She smiles and laughs and waves at strangers and dogs and cuddles her teddies and dolls. She has great empathy for others and will often try to comfort another child who is crying.

Her boisterous brothers have astounded me in the way they interact with her. Theyll gently hold her right hand out of the way, to encourage her to pick up toys or pieces of fruit with her weaker hemiplegic hand. They will look up new Makaton signs for her on YouTube. Ive found it very emotional seeing the contestants on Strictly signing with the deaf celebrity Rose Ayling-Ellis. Romys condition has made me acutely aware of the need for diversity and inclusivity, for normalising  that word again!  disability and breaking down barriers.

The other day, Romys eldest brother Jago said, Its like shes forgotten shes got cerebral palsy, as he watched her scrambling up the stairs at bath time. As far as shes concerned, she doesnt have any limitations.

I feel so privileged that Romy has taught us this and so blessed to have her as my daughter. Romy has made me a better person: gentler, more thoughtful and sensitive. Ive had to slow down because of all her appointments and because of her taking a little longer to reach her milestones. It means I see things through her eyes, take some of the joy that she does in the little things: a robin on the bird feeder, puddles in the lane, the cherry on the cake.

I said Id never cried as much as when our daughter was born with a disability, but two years on, I can honestly say that Ive never laughed as much, either. She is perfection. As Leonard Cohen put it in his song Anthem, There is a crack in everything. Thats how the light gets in




All I want for Christmas is something chic and Parisian. After a recent work trip to the French capital, all wrapped up for Christmas in twinkling lights, I came home with a wish list as long as my arm. But I also picked up some tips about what the tres sophisticated French women are wearing as everyday looks this winter. And the good news is these can easily be incorporated into our own wardrobes





I fall madly in love with navy all over again every time I visit Paris. No other city celebrates one colour so enthusiastically and, as a result, Parisians now practically have copyright on the shade, which was originally associated with their nations firefighter uniforms.





Just ask famously stylish Parisians like model and music producer Caroline de Maigret and aristocrat and fashion icon Ines de la Fressange and theyll wax lyrical about the joys of navy. In a typical act of style rebellion, Parisians wear it religiously with black. And you cant possibly be considered a native unless you have at least one navy knit or navy peacoat in your wardrobe.

Of course, there are good reasons why navy is so popular in Paris. Its a flattering colour for most skin tones and effortless to wear. Nothing looks more chic than a navy roll-neck tucked inside a pair of high-waisted black trousers coupled with some simple gold jewellery. It looks equally fabulous with a pair of white denims and a flick of red lipstick come dreary January.





Pinstripes and checks are alive and kicking this winter, too. French women do both supremely well, usually in the form of a trouser suit teamed with a white shirt, slim knit or a black polo. You can work your pinstripe or check blazer and trousers as separates, and charcoal or navy pinstripe trousers look great with denim and cosy colours like a grey, cream or camel chunky knit.





Theres a pavement-pounding move towards the comfy shoe. This is especially true in Paris where its almost considered vulgar to wear an uncomfortable shoe. The loafer or the return of the humble Converse boot is where Parisian loyalty lies.





The cross-body handbag is something Ive always loved. And the desire to have one casually flung over my shoulder has been reignited thanks to Parisian brand Celines new bag collections. Jennifer Aniston has one firmly attached to her body all through Apple TVs The Morning Show as well as in real life. Imagine how good one would look under the tree!





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As foreshadowed in our personal finance pages two weeks ago, the country's high street banks have now agreed to do a little bit more than they have previously done to preserve nationwide access to cash.

Although the announcement was hardly earth-shattering when it came  and it certainly won't stop the culling of hundreds more bank branches in the coming months  it represents a step in the right direction.

A small step for mankind? Of course not. A small step towards greater financial inclusion? Hopefully, yes.

Teaming up: Five new banking hubs will be set up next year

The marvellous Lord Holmes says the deal struck between the banks and key consumer groups is a victory for The Mail on Sunday's longstanding Keep Our Cash Campaign.

It's kind of him to say so, but given I am a glass half-empty person, I tend not to agree. I believe the banks, as usual, have got off lightly.

The key part of the announcement relates to shared bank branches  banking hubs as they are now commonly referred to. It is a concept we have championed for more than 20 years, assisted by the tireless Derek French of the Campaign for Community Banking Services.

Although the CCBS has long died a death, French has continued to wave the flag enthusiastically for banking hubs.

Under the agreement orchestrated by Natalie Ceeney in her role as chair of the Access to Cash Action Group (set up by banking association UK Finance to look at ways of keeping cash on the high street), five new hubs will be set up next year.

This is on top of two already up and running. They will be one-stop branches which customers of all the big banks will be able to use to carry out routine banking transactions. They will also be small business friendly.

While great news for the communities concerned  Acton (West London), Brixham (Devon), Carnoustie (Angus), Knaresborough (North Yorkshire) and Syston (Leicestershire)  their number is hugely disappointing.

It's nowhere near the 50 French believes should be set up as a matter of urgency  in towns big enough to support a hub and where either all the banks have already jumped ship or only one hangs on for dear life.

Five also represents a mere scratching of the surface when compared to the 200 hubs (minimum) or 400 (maximum) French argues will be needed in five years' time after all the major banks have trimmed their branch networks to the bone.

'Far too little, far too late,' is French's verdict  and I agree.

While Ceeney has done an amazing job in getting the banks to agree to anything that might compromise their ability to make profits in the future, I'm not falling for the spin.

Last week's announcement does not mark a 'pivotal moment' in the battle to preserve access to cash on the high street as the accompanying press release boldly stated. Nor does it give the green light for the rolling out of banking hubs nationwide.

Although the Cash Action Group promises 'further' services to protect cash on the high street, I would be surprised if, by this time next year, we have more than a dozen banking hubs up and running nationwide.

Maybe, if the Government comes up with supporting legislation that requires banks to set up hubs in communities deemed worthy of one by cash machine network Link, that could change things. But without such legislative clout, my fear is that the banks will do no more than pay lip service to the banking hub idea.

LV= members last week rejected a sale of the business to Bain Capital

LV= bosses should step down

I find it incredible that Liverpool Victoria's chairman and chief executive are still in situ after failing to convince members (customers) that a sale of the business to Bain Capital was in their best interests.

As Jim Royle of The Royle Family would have said: 'Best interests? My a**e.'

Alan Cook (chairman) and Mark Hartigan (chief executive) should have walked as soon as they knew they had lost the argument. To them I say: 'Do the honourable thing, walk and enjoy Christmas.'

To my readers, I will simply say: 'Happy Christmas.' As The Real Thing once sang: 'You to me are everything.'
Tony Hetherington is Financial Mail on Sunday's ace investigator, fighting readers corners, revealing the truth that lies behind closed doors and winning victories for those who have been left out-of-pocket. Find out how to contact him below.

Ms A.M. writes: I ordered a Boots advent calendar for 45, but on the day that delivery was due, I received a very large and heavy box of men's extra strong night-time incontinence pads.

I telephoned Boots, which was less than polite, saying nothing could be discussed unless I took the box to Boots.

I cannot ask anyone to do this, and I have tried to talk to Boots but staff cut me off. Surely it needs to send my calendar and collect its heavy box?

Surprise gift: The 45 package the reader actually ordered

Your letter may seem like the start of a Christmas joke. In fact, it is all too real and there is no funny punchline. Your advent calendar was no ordinary calendar.

It was the No.7 Limited Edition Beauty calendar, which included a whole range of beauty products at well below their normal prices.

So, not exactly the same contents as the box that arrived, even though that box carried your name and address and even the correct order number.

And when you contacted Boots, you were told: 'We will be more than happy to refund or replace (stock allowing) the incorrect item once it is returned to us.'

I asked officials at the head office of Boots what had gone wrong.

They could not explain, but someone did say: 'Shopping on boots.com is usually quick, easy and reliable, but we accept that an error was made on this occasion which meant that the customer received incorrect items.'

Boots has refunded your 45, and it has also sent you the advent calendar and beauty products that you ordered.

It says it will collect the heavy box if you wish, so for now at least, it stays with you.

Does any reader want a secondhand box of men's extra strong night-time incontinence pads? One careful owner only, guaranteed unused.

Readers line up with solicitor complaints The Solicitors Regulation Authority is investigating Harraway Law Ltd and its owner, solicitor Caroline Harraway. As I reported last Sunday, she and her firm charged a reader more than 1,200 to prepare a will for him and Lasting Powers of Attorney for both his parents. The will was drafted, but more than a year later, the LPAs have never been completed and one of the reader's parents has died while waiting. Caroline Harraway Harraway then cast doubt on whether the reader was her client at all, suggesting that he had never paid the bill. She also suggested he had made a private deal with one of her staff and paid him directly for the work, cutting out her firm. However, the reader's bank statement proved the payment was banked by Harraway. Other readers of The Mail on Sunday have now come forward with complaints about the firm. One says: 'We instructed her in January 2021 to start probate proceedings for my late husband and paid her 1,300 up-front costs for the work and probate fees, and she did nothing.' Again, Harraway blamed her staff. Another reader paid more than 1,300 for Harraway to implement his late father's will, and says: 'It's been 12 months now and we've ended doing it all ourselves'. He has claimed a refund from his credit card issuer. Harraway Law's offices in Cottingham, East Yorkshire, closed in July this year, though some clients appear to have been unaware that the firm had shut down. Harraway herself still holds a licence as a solicitor. The watchdog SRA is investigating her conduct in running the firm, while the Legal Ombudsman is accepting complaints from individual clients.

Another ban as investors' 800,000 is down the drain

A second director of the collapsed Global Water Group investment firm has been banned from managing any limited company after the scam  exposed by The Mail on Sunday this January  cost investors an estimated 800,000.

Ross Perry, 41, from Basildon, Essex, has been barred from boardrooms for the next 11 years, following enquiries by the Insolvency Service. Dave Elliott, its chief investigator, said: 'This so-called investment scheme was a scam, pure and simple. Sadly it has robbed a number of elderly people of a large chunk of life savings.'

The company offered interest-bearing bonds, claiming investors' money would be used to develop water technology.

Instead, investigators found that more than 200,000 was taken out in cash and 100,000 was transferred straight into Perry's personal bank account.

Perry had previously been a director of London Green Financial, a scam carbon credit investment firm that collapsed in 2013. He was also linked to Elite Asset Exchange, which sold storage units as investments until it went bust in 2015.

Perry's colleague at Cambridge-based Global Water Group was Michael Livesey, also from Basildon. He signed company accounts showing it invested 500,000 in a land deal, but there was no such deal and the accounts were fake.

Livesey was banned from holding directorships a few months ago. Essex Police confirmed it is now investigating allegations of fraud and money laundering involving Global Water Group.
Under-fire housebuilder Taylor Wimpey has brushed off calls from a powerful activist investor to appoint a new chief executive from outside the firm, informing staff it is still considering an internal hire.

In a memo, chairwoman Irene Dorner said the process to hire a replacement for outgoing chief Pete Redfern was at 'an advanced stage' and 'a full search internally and externally' for candidates was being conducted with advice from top headhunters.

The 6billion builder was rocked two weekends ago when The Mail on Sunday revealed that Elliott, the influential US hedge fund, had taken a stake. Days later, Taylor Wimpey announced a plan for Redfern, who has run the business for 14 years, to leave the business after a handover period.

New boss: A full search 'internally and externally' for candidates is being conducted

Elliott responded by writing to Taylor Wimpey's board demanding the search 'focus on external candidates who have not been a party to the underperformance to date'.

In the memo, Dorner said: 'It is the board's responsibility to do the right thing for Taylor Wimpey and appoint the best candidate who can work with all of our stakeholders to continue to drive our successful business forward and create value for us all.

'The ability to understand and embody our culture is key and is being taken into account in our thinking and consideration.'

Her comments, the first to emerge since Elliott published its letter, were seen internally as a sign that Taylor Wimpey will stick with a plan to promote an existing executive.

Group operations director Jennie Daly is seen as the frontrunner, with group finance director Chris Carney also tipped.

One headhunter, who has worked with Taylor Wimpey, said: 'They have been succession planning for years and it would have been a failure if they hadn't.

The plan was to appoint Jennie. Now that Elliott have arrived, the process may take longer but I still expect Jennie to succeed Pete when he goes.'

If appointed, Daly would become the only female chief executive of a top housebuilder, and Dormer is currently the only female chair in a male-dominated industry.

Elliott is engaged in a series of activist campaigns, including calling for a break-up of energy firm SSE and demanding GlaxoSmith-Kline chief executive Emma Walmsley re-applies for her own job.

The headhunter added: 'It could become a delicate situation, as Elliott won't want to be seen to attack a female appointment after gunning for Emma at Glaxo. Carney is also a good candidate as he has both operational and financial experience.'

Elliott's arrival and demands for an external chief sparked industry speculation it may push for ex-Persimmon boss Jeff Fairburn to take charge at Taylor Wimpey. The chief executive of Berkeley deVeer joined forces with Elliott to buy Avant Homes earlier this year.

Elliott's arrival and demands for an external chief sparked industry speculation it may push for ex-Persimmon boss Jeff Fairburn to take charge at Taylor Wimpey

Fairburn caused controversy in 2018 when he received a 75million bonus linked to a scheme aided by the Government's Help to Buy initiative. He has ruled himself out of leading Taylor Wimpey.

Dave Jenkinson, who succeeded him at Persimmon and snared 40million under the same bonus scheme, has expressed an interest. But a housebuilding source said: 'Dave is as tarnished as Jeff. Investors wouldn't stomach either leading Taylor Wimpey.'

Crest Nicholson boss Peter Truscott and Barratt deputy chief executive Steven Boyes have also been linked with the job.
Atom Bank has kicked off its final fundraising before floating on the stock market, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

The bank, which is backed by fund giants Schroders and Toscafund, is holding talks with investors in an attempt to raise at least 40million.

The branchless bank, which is also backed by Spanish financial giant BBVA, is planning to float on the London Stock Exchange as soon as next year.

Arom is planning to float on the London Stock Exchange as soon as next year

Atom, which has its head office in Durham, was among the first app-based banks to launch in the UK, along with Starling Bank and Monzo.

Its last fundraising earlier this year at 60p-a-share halved its 555million valuation. It raised 50million the previous year to help cover operating losses.

Atom Bank last month introduced a four-day working week without cutting employee pay in a bid to boost staff morale and retain talent.

The lender, which launched in 2016, reported a loss for the year to March of 36million. It is thought to be targeting its first annual operating profit in 2023.

Atom offers savings accounts and loans, but not current accounts. Its mortgage lending reached 3billion earlier this year. It also reported its first monthly operating profit.

Atom declined to comment.
Telecoms tycoon Patrick Drahi may have been born in Casablanca, but his arrival at BT looks far from the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

The billionaire took a 12 per cent stake in June and last week upped his holding to 18 per cent.

He has been outwardly supportive of its bosses' current strategy. But industry watchers don't trust his intentions and reckon a bid could be forthcoming in 2022.

Industry watchers don't trust Drahi's intentions and reckon a bid for BT could be forthcoming

Drahi is flirting with a flotation of auction house Sotheby's and has been trying to offload his Portuguese business. Some reckon both could help fund a tilt at BT.

But any bid could be hampered by headaches Stateside, where the tycoon has seen shares in Altice USA, his cable TV company, dwindle of late.

Concerns over loss of market share in broadband and excessive cost cuts have weighed on the stock, which has more than halved in just six months.

That's wiped 600million off Drahi's holding, now worth 500million, and has lightened his coffers for any BT bid.

Rolls-Royce

The momentum behind Rolls-Royce's programme to make small nuclear reactors in factories is gathering pace.

The engineer will this week reveal it has signed a 3.7million contract with steelmaker Sheffield Forgemasters to work out how to manufacture vital components.

It's a fillip for the Yorkshire steel producer, which traces its roots to the 1750s and was nationalised in the summer after struggling in the face of overseas competition.

The deal is modest for Rolls-Royce, but is a step to achieving regulatory approval for an ambitious project still at least a decade away from producing power.

It is also the first contract struck since the injection of 200million of UK grant funding into the programme.

GlaxoSmithKline

Pharmaceutical bosses won't be clocking off this Christmas, with Covid vaccines and treatments keeping them busy.

Expect boardroom action at GlaxoSmithKline too.

It will next year demerge its consumer arm, maker of Panadol and ChapStick. Last week it revealed this new group's senior leadership team with one omission: the name of its chairman, expected before the end of the year.

Glaxo's senior independent director Vindi Banga, who has significant consumer experience with Unilever, has been tipped.

But doubts remain over whether activist investors Elliott and Bluebell would be angered by an insider hire like Banga.

Perhaps Glaxo has a festive surprise in store for its dissident shareholders.
The EU is heading for a clash with some of the most powerful banks operating in London, which it says have not moved enough senior staff to the Continent after Brexit.

Legal sources have warned that the European Central Bank is threatening to remove their EU banking licences  which they need to operate  if they don't move more staff and resources to the bloc.

A source close to the ECB insisted such a measure was a 'last resort' and would only kick in if banks refused to co-operate.

Warning: The European Central Bank is threatening to remove UK banks' EU licences

Britain and the EU agreed to establish a 'memorandum of understanding' by the end of March on financial services as part of the post-Brexit deal for the City. However, the memorandum has yet to be signed.

Global banks based in London, such as JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America and Morgan Stanley, set up subsidiaries in the EU after Brexit to continue serving their European clients.

The ECB required companies to shift assets and employees to the bloc to make sure these EU subsidiaries are profitable.

But sources said many top bankers are refusing to leave London, widely seen a top global financial centre alongside New York.

They said Covid had also scuppered plans for those who were preparing to move some of their working week to Paris or Frankfurt.

A senior lawyer told The Mail on Sunday: 'The ECB's current position is 'we absolutely require you to perform your commitments to grow [EU operations]. If you don't we'll withdraw your licence'.

'What the ECB has absolutely not seen and what it is getting increasingly cross about is the movement of senior staff.'

Barney Reynolds, partner at law firm Shearman & Sterling, said: 'The ECB is definitely pushing for more senior bankers to move to the EU.

'The banks are being pushed. The EU is constantly trying to pull more bits over. There's no legitimate basis for doing it.'

In a recent speech, Edouard Fernandez-Bollo, a member of the ECB, said: 'Empty shell institutions are not acceptable in the euro area.'

He added banks must allocate sufficient capital and enough 'high-quality resources for risk management'.

A new report to be released tomorrow by consulting firm EY is expected to show that fewer than 8,000 people have been moved from financial services in London to the EU.

It is also likely to say financial services firms have barely shifted any more employees and assets to the EU this year because of Covid.

Consulting firm Oliver Wyman forecast in 2017 that a 'hard' Brexit would drive up to 35,000 jobs out of the UK across financial services.
Renewable energy giant Octopus, which is racing to overtake British Gas owner Centrica as Britains biggest energy supplier, has inked a landmark deal in India.

Octopus Energy, led by CEO Greg Jackson, has signed an agreement with Indian infrastructure giant Sterlite Power, enabling Octopus to supply green energy to millions of Indian households.

Octopus will supply green energy to millions of Indian households

The plans are the first UK-India energy alliance since the two countries signed an agreement to cut carbon emissions at the climate summit last month.

Octopus and Sterlite also plan to build new renewable energy and storage in India, which is the worlds third-largest carbon-emitting country.

Jackson said: Through this partnership we will be able to offer greener, cheaper options to consumers in both the UK and India, and help India with its goals for decarbonisation.

Octopus Energy, which was founded in 2016, is worth 3.8billion, versus Centricas 3.9billion market value.
Tech companies in Britain have raised a record 26billion in funding this year  nearly double that in Germany and more than triple the amount in France.

In a further sign of post-Brexit health, UK tech investment comprises 35 per cent of the 76billion ploughed into European projects this year.

The benefits are being felt nationwide  with a third of the money going to companies outside the South East, according to figures for the UK's Digital Economy Council compiled by Dealroom and Adzuna.

A shining light: UK tech investment comprises 35 per cent of the 76billion ploughed into European projects this year

A record 29 companies which achieved 'unicorn' status were created in 2021.

The 26billion total investment is more than double last year's 11.5billion.

More than a third of this cash came from the US.

Eileen Burbidge, founder of investment group Passion Capital, said: 'More and more ambitious entrepreneurs are launching start-ups in the UK.'

Nigel Toon, of Bristol-based Graphcore, said: 'There is no longer any debate on if you can build a multibillion dollar tech business in the UK.'
The biological father of William Tyrrell, who is 'crushed' by seven years of no news about his missing son, has been reassured he shouldn't feel responsible for failures in tracking down the toddler.

Police have now packed up the search for the missing three-year-old's remains after weeks of tireless forensic work, with a bone fragment found on Wednesday just two days before the dig wound up.

William's 39-year-old father, who is homeless and whose life is on the skids after 48 arrests and numerous stints behind bars, has said he's 'too scared to love' his other kids.

His family has begged his grandmother to find their homeless father, saying: 'You go tell him he didn't lose William'.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been living rough since his latest time spent behind bars.

He had an 'incredible bond' with William even after the boy was taken from him and placed in foster care, William's grandmother told Daily Mail Australia.

William Tyrrell's biological father had an 'incredible bond' with the missing toddler and his life has run off the rails since the three-year-old vanished from foster care

William Tyrrell photographed on the verandah at Kendall where he was last seen before he disappeared on the morning of September 12, 2014

His anguish about his son was clear during the inquest into William's disappearance when the distressed father testified to that the Family and Community Services Department had failed to protect William.

'They f**ked up. The minister has a duty of care to keep him safe until 18,' the father told the NSW Coroner.

William's father was arrested earlier this year for drug driving with methamphetamines in his system while accelerating in a red Subaru down Broadway in Sydney.

Police took a sample of his saliva which later tested positive for the drug.

In August, he was convicted in his absence of drive vehicle while illicit drug present in blood, fined $1,200 and disqualified from holding a driver's licence for six months.

Police have now called off the dig (above) at Kendall for William Tyrrell's body after 30 days of 'high intensity' searching for the boy's remains

William's biological mother (above) has said she was a 'mess' but she was glad detectives had turned their attention to a new person of interest

Police served the court papers on William's father while he was behind bars for another crime at a western Sydney Correctional Centre.

His multiple charges include some for drug offences, and while on drugs he has displayed 'bizarre' behaviour, according to a close relative.

Daily Mail Australia has learned the man was at one stage sleeping on metal bedsprings rather than a mattress, and then carrying the springs around.

He also cut into the walls of a dwelling near the electricity point of a light switch and got ice cream from a freezer before placing it between the spokes of a motorbike, as well as kicking down the house's letterbox.

William's father and other family members say they have been 'through hell for seven years' since the toddler vanished in September 2014.

At the time, William was staying with his foster parents at a house in Kendall on the NSW Mid North Coast and wearing a Spider-Man suit to play in just moments before he disappeared.

William's birth father has been told by another of his children that it is not his fault the toddler vanished, saying 'you didn't lose William'

Police prepare to search a water tank at the Benaroon Drive property from which William went missing while staying at his foster grandmother's place in September 2014. The search has now been called off

Despite numerous searches, no trace of missing William has ever been found.

In mid-November Strike Force Rosann launched a massive 'high intensity' search for William's remains at the Kendall house and two bushland sites nearby.

Before he stepped down as NSW Police Commissioner, Mick Fuller named William's foster mother as a person of interest.

It is not suggested that the foster mother was actually involved in William's disappearance, only that she has been identified as a person of interest.

After the latest search began, William's biological mother has said she was a 'mess' but she was glad detectives had turned their attention to a new person of interest.

Police announced last week that the search at Kendall for William's body, which had been going for 30 days, would be 'completed' by the end of the week.

William's father and other family members say they have been 'through hell for seven years' since the toddler (pictured) vanished in September 2014

Police have now packed up the search for the missing three-year-old's remains after weeks of tireless forensic work (pictured), with a bone fragment found on Wednesday just two days before the dig wound up

The dig yielded more than 30 items including pieces of fabric, as well as a 'significant amount of soil' which is being forensically tested for the NSW State Coroner Harriet Grahame.

The items are being examined at the Forensic and Analytical Science Service at Lidcombe, where the sample of William's father's saliva for his drug driving test was sent for analysis.

William's foster parents will face court again this week over a charge of alleged common assault against a child.

The foster mother, 56, and foster father, 54, each face one count of common assault, alleged to have occurred at a home on Sydneys upper north shore this year.

The identities of the foster parents and the child subject of the charge cannot be revealed for legal reasons.
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A $60million apartment was Australia's most expensive home in 2021 with Sydney taking eight of the top ten spots on an elite property sales list.

City centre apartments ironically commanded the highest individual property prices in Australia in a year which saw house prices surge at double the pace of units as more people moved to regional areas to escape lockdowns.

Sydney central business district apartments also took out the top four positions on CoreLogic's Best of the Best 2021 list.

A $60million apartment on Castlereagh Street, with views over Sydney Harbour and Sydney Tower Eye, was the dearest home sold in Australia this year.

A $60million apartment was Australia's most expensive home in 2021 with Sydney taking eight of the top ten spots on an elite property sales list. The unit on Castlereagh Street, with views over Sydney Harbour and Sydney Tower Eye, was the dearest home sold in Australia this year

LJ Hooker at Double Bay in May sold the four-bedroom luxury residence on the 43rd floor with five marble bathrooms, all with water views

Australia's most expensive homes, 2021 1. $60,000,000: Castlereagh Street, Sydney, NSW (apartment sold in May) 2. $42,000,000: Barangaroo Avenue, Barangaroo, NSW (apartment sold in September) 3. $41,000,000: Barangaroo Avenue, Barangaroo, NSW (apartment sold in March) 4. $40,750,000: Barangaroo Avenue, Barangaroo, NSW (apartment sold in May) 5. $40,500,000: Coppin Grove, Hawthorn, Victoria (house sold in May) 6. $40,000,000: Wolseley Road, Point Piper NSW (house sold in April) 7. $38,500,000: Wunulla Road, Point Piper NSW (house sold in March) 8. $38,000,000: Wingadal Place, Point Piper NSW (house sold in April) 9. $35,000,000: Castra Place, Double Bay NSW (house sold in June) 10. $31,250,000: Grange Road, Toorak, Victoria (house sold in March) Source: CoreLogic Best of the Best 2021 report Advertisement

LJ Hooker at Double Bay in May sold the four-bedroom luxury residence on the 43rd floor with five marble bathrooms, all with water views.

The owner had put the apartment on the market back in March 2018.

Barangaroo apartments in the Crown Resorts tower, on the northern end of Sydney's Darling Harbour, took the next three spots, with sale prices of $42million, $41million and $40.75million.

The ultra-luxurious apartments are all on Barangaroo Avenue in the complex masterminded by billionaire gaming tycoon James Packer.

Sydney claimed eight of the top ten spots, as Melbourne took two other places.

Barangaroo had three entries as did harbourside Point Piper, in the eastern suburbs, which is home to former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and Aussie Home Loans founder John Symond.

A boatshed on Wunulla Road, the street where the Turnbulls live, sold for $38.5million.

Melbourne's inner-east entered the list at No. 5 with a five-bedroom Coppin Grove house at Hawthorn selling for $40.5million.

Another mansion at nearby Toorak rounded out the top ten list with a Grange Road home selling for $31.25million in March.

When it came to having Australia's most expensive properties, Sydney's eastern suburbs dominated the list for both houses and apartments.

Bellevue Hill had the highest median house price of $8.737million, putting it ahead of nearby Vaucluse ($7,977million), Double Bay ($6.433million), Tamarama ($6.043million), Rose Bay ($5.944million) and Dover Heights ($5.812million) and Bronte ($5.581million).

Australia's wealthiest suburbs have typical house prices that are at least four times Sydney's median house price of $1.361million, following a 30.4 per cent surge in the year to November which was double the pace for apartments in the same city.

Point Piper had the dearest mid-point price for apartments of $3.217million, ahead of Barangaroo ($2.751million), Darling Point ($2.405million), Milsons Point on the lower north shore ($2.149million), nearby Millers Point ($2.014million) and Manly on the northern beaches ($2.006million).

The Commonwealth Bank and Westpac are expecting Australia's property market to slow in 2022 and fall by double digits in 2023 as the banks increase their fixed mortgage rates from historically-low levels of two per cent.

With Australian property prices in 2021 increasing by 22.2 per cent - the fastest pace since 1989 - CoreLogic said a slowdown was likely next year.

The owner had put the apartment on the market back in March 2018

City centre apartments ironically commanded the highest individual property prices in Australia in a year which saw house prices surge at double the pace of units as more people moved to regional areas to escape lockdowns. Sydney central business district apartments also took out the top four positions on CoreLogic's Best of the Best 2021 list

'The constraints of slightly tighter credit conditions, the erosion of housing affordability and a higher level of listings being added to the market are expected to see softer growth in property values through 2022,' it said.

'With higher barriers to entry, especially for new home buyers who do not have the benefit of accrued equity behind them, it is likely housing demand will be progressively impacted in the coming year as fewer households can afford to buy.'

The Reserve Bank of Australia in November 2020 cut the cash rate to a record low of 0.1 per cent but instead of helping first-home buyers, their numbers peaked in January.

While the 11,402 tally of first-home buyer loans in October was higher than the decade-average of 8,612, the Australian Bureau of Statistics housing finance data showed a decline for nine consecutive months.

The mid-point house and unit price in Australia of $698,170 is now so dear an average, full-time worker earning $90,329 a year would have a debt-to-income ratio of 6.2 even with a 20 per cent mortgage deposit that would see them paying off a $558,536 loan.

But CoreLogic is expecting foreign buyers to return to the market from next year, which could see more potential interest from China as Chinese international students come back to Australia.

Barangaroo apartments in the Crown Resorts tower, on the northern end of Sydney's Darling Harbour, took the next three spots, with sale prices of $42million, $41million and $40.75million. The ultra-luxurious apartments are all on Barangaroo Avenue in the complex masterminded by billionaire gaming tycoon James Packer

'As with domestic housing purchases, more liberated international travel in 2022 and 2023 may see a "catch-up" period of foreign acquisition of Australian real estate, as overseas investors and migrants can visit to inspect property,' it said.

'The return of foreign buyers and overseas visitors is likely to see a revitalisation of areas that have been traditionally popular with overseas arrivals, such as inner-city markets of Sydney and Melbourne.'

Under Foreign Investment Review Board rules, foreigners are allowed to buy a brand new house or apartment but not an existing property.

Melbourne's inner-east entered the list at No. 5 with a five-bedroom Coppin Grove house at Hawthorn selling for $40.5million
A fire ripped through a distribution center in North Carolina for the QVC home-shopping television network early Saturday, causing extensive damage to the facility, officials said.

More than 300 employees were working at the facility near Rocky Mount when the fire was reported shortly after 2am, The News & Observer reported. No injuries were immediately reported.

QVC representatives reported that all employees safely evacuated the warehouse and were accounted for except for one who hadn't contacted family yet, according to Edgecombe County Manager Eric Evans.

Earlier Saturday, Evans had said all of the center's employees appeared to be accounted for.

QVC said in a subsequent statement that it was working with local authorities to confirm the safety of all employees and contractors at the site.

Firefighters work on cleanup after a fire ripped through a distribution center for the QVC home-shopping television network in Rocky Mount, North Carolina on Saturday

It said it had close to 2,000 'team members' working at the complex, spread over three shifts.

Evans said a 'main section' of the 1.2 million-square-foot facility appears to be destroyed.

Crews from nearly 45 fire departments were still fighting the blaze more than 12 hours after it began.

'They're working very hard to try to protect the remainder of that building,' Evans said.

'Significant loss, but we're very hopeful that it's not a total loss and that they'll be able to rebuild here.'

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, according to Evans.

More than 300 employees were working at the facility when the fire was reported shortly after 2am. No injuries were immediately reported

QVC tweeted a statement about the fire on Saturday, saying, 'We are currently focused on our team. As we work to understand the full impact of this incident, including any impact to shipping and delivery, we'll share further details.'

QVC. Inc. is based in West Chester, Pennsylvania, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Qurate Retail Inc.

The Rocky Mount Area Chamber of Commerce posted a Facebook message that said up to 2,500 families would be affected by the fire.
A mother whose 12-year-old son was killed in Tasmania's jumping castle tragedy was blocked from him for almost a year by Covid border closures until she was finally allowed a quick visit.

Just five days after she arrived from South Australia, Miranda McLaughlin's son, Peter Dodt, was one of six children killed in the horrific accident in Devonport.

A 'mini-tornado' swept the jumping castle into the air and Peter and his classmates fell 10m to their deaths on their last day at Hillcrest Primary School.

Ms McLaughlin hadn't seen Peter or her daughters Cassie and Chloe since last Christmas because they live with their father Andrew in Tasmania and state borders kept closing.

When restrictions finally eased in December, the mother-of-nine told Daily Mail Australia that she and her toddler Dylan jumped on a plane to Devonport last week.

Unbeknown to her, it would be the last time she would see Peter alive.

Peter Dodt is pictured with his mother, Miranda McLaughlin. She pair were reunited just days before the tragedy

Pictured: Peter Dodt celebrating a birthday at his mother's house in South Australia. Peter died age 12

He was killed in the incident, along with his classmates Jye Sheehan, Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones and Zane Mellor, all age 12, and Addison Stewart and Chace Harrison who were both 11.

Two others are fighting for life in hospital, and one has been released to recover at home.

Ms McLaughlin was grateful she spent those last few days with 'our little ginger ninja' before the devastating accident, and remembered him as a happy boy with a big heart.

'Peter was full of life, always making people smile with his antics. His heart was bigger than the world,' she said.

'Words cannot explain what a beautiful soul he was or the loss we feel without him, forever in our hearts.'

Peter's father Andrew Dodt had full custody of his three children.

Peter is pictured centre with his mum Miranda, and siblings Cassie (right), Chloe (left) and Dylan

Paramedics and police are pictured at a scene at Hillcrest Primary School where six children died in a jumping castle incident

The boy's aunt Tamara Scott broke down on Friday morning when telling Daily Mail Australia that the boy's father Andrew Dodt was 'beyond shattered'.

'He went to the school this morning to collect his school bag - he felt he had to do that, and he just cuddled it and cried,' Ms Scott said.

'He's unrepairable.'

The devoted aunt explained Andrew and Peter shared a special bond.

'He loved his dad with everything he had. It was him and his dad against the world,' she said.

Peter is pictured with his father Andrew and his sisters, Chloe (pictured right) and Cassie (pictured left)

Community members have laid flowers in front of Hillcrest Primary School after a freak accident claimed the lives of five young students

On Thursday night, Andrew wrote a heartfelt tribute to his 'baby boy'.

'My baby boy Peter Dodt has grown his wings this afternoon and left me so heart broken,' he shared on Facebook.

'I would do anything in this world just to have him back.

'Dad loves you so much. Peter, till I see you again in heaven xxxx.'

Tasmania's education department confirmed they have 'put a hold on the use of jumping castle-style equipment until the results of the investigation are known'.

Scott Morrison and his wife Jenny have paid tribute to the children who were tragically killed in a freak jumping castle accident in Tasmania this week

On Saturday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison was seen comforting his wife as she broke down while laying flowers outside the school.

The bouquets were left with a handwritten note which read: 'In loving memory of these beautiful children who are no longer with us'.

'Our hearts break for the families and the community left behind. Thinking of you all. With love and sympathy, Jen, Scott, Abbey and Lilly.'

A police investigation is underway to determine whether the jumping castle was tethered to the ground correctly before disaster struck.
Bake Off judge Dame Prue Leith says she has no regrets about voting for Brexit, despite being targeted by internet trolls.

The TV star reveals she felt powerless when she was attacked for her views  but still believes that leaving the EU in the long term is a good thing.

Recalling the criticism she received at the time of the 2016 referendum, she says: Being trolled is absolutely awful because you are so powerless. Everybody says this but it is true. You cannot come back and argue your case.

I was advised  and I think correctly  to do nothing, dont give it oxygen, all youll do is reignite the people who hate you. So I did nothing, and it went away. It didnt last very long, and it didnt upset me for very long.

She also tells todays BBC Radio 4s Desert Island Discs that while she is still supportive of Brexit, some of the issues it has created  such as a shortage of migrant labour for the hospitality sector  could have been tackled sooner.

Bake Off judge Dame Prue Leith says she has no regrets about voting for Brexit, despite being targeted by internet trolls

I havent actually regretted it [voting for Brexit] because I still think long-term its a good thing, she says.

But I voted because I thought that we ought to be making our own decisions. And the only things that I have been disappointed by  and they are disappointing  is obviously I think we were not quick enough to realise just how difficult it would be to get staff.

I think we should let people in if we need them in the trade.

The 81-year-old has been supportive of The Mail on Sundays campaign to prevent the UK being flooded with inferior food in the wake of post-Brexit trade deals.

She says: The other thing I am still anxious about is I think we have very good food standards in this country, and I have always thought that we shouldnt be allowed to make a deal that breaches our own rules.

Prue, who moved to London from South Africa in 1960 and opened her first Michelin-starred restaurant in London nine years later, won a new generation of fans when she replaced Mary Berry on The Great British Bake Off in 2017.

During tastings, she has often commented on whether it is worth the calories but says she is reconsidering the phrase following concerns by eating disorder experts.

Its just an expression of how much I love something  This is worth every calorie, Ill say, Yum, she tells host Lauren Laverne. I think Beat, they are a charity that try to tackle eating disorders, and they say that I mustnt say it because people then who have an eating disorder feel guilty, they feel unhappy, so they eat more. So perhaps Ill stop saying it.

The TV star reveals she felt powerless when she was attacked for her views  but still believes that leaving the EU in the long term is a good thing

She also reveals she lost no time consulting Dame Mary when she was offered the Bake Off job.

I asked her what [fellow judge] Paul Hollywood was like, she recalls. She said, Hes fine. You have to hold your own because he is very articulate.

In 2017, Prue provoked controversy when she accidentally tweeted her congratulations to winner Sophie Faldo ahead of the final show of that series being screened. She was on holiday in Bhutan at the time and misunderstood the time difference.

The tweet was taken down after just 89 seconds, but it was still too late to stop it going viral.

While she felt so terrible about the blunder, she reveals that she received a congratulatory call from the Prime Minister of Bhutan because her gaffe had put the country on the map.

Speaking candidly about her 13-year affair with future husband Rayne Kruger while he was still married to Nan, one of her mothers closest friends, she says: Nobody knew about our affair, so I was still great friends with all of his family and indeed his wife, who I adored.

Although this was absolutely deceitful, I could no more have walked away from him than flown to the moon. I was completely in love with him.

After Raynes divorce, Prue fell pregnant with her son Danny Kruger, now a Conservative MP.

I wanted a baby really badly and I did become pregnant so we then told Nan that we had fallen in love and that were going to have a baby, which must have been appalling for her because of course she had no idea, she says.

What we didnt tell her was that we had been in love for 13 years... I am not at all proud of the fact that I was an adulteress for all that time.
Ruthless gang leader and killer Abuzar Sultani kept five safe houses stashed with dozens of guns, ammunition, and even police uniforms.

The 'serial killer' who was sentenced to three life jail terms for assassinating mafia figure Pasquale Barbaro, Rebels gang enforcer Michael 'Ruthless' Davey and bikie Mehmet Yilmaz, had enough weaponry to outfit a small army.

Police uncovered the staggering haul when they secretly broke into an apartment in Ada Street, in the Sydney suburb of Concord, on September 1, 2016.

Sultani hid his safe houses under stolen identities, but his fingerprint on a 2016 Census form return envelope linked him to one of them.

Abuzar Sultani at his apartment in Australia Avenue at Sydney Olympic Park in March, 2016

The Desert Eagle 9mm pistol found by police at Abuza Sultani's safe house which was used in a murder

The cache at Sultani's apartment included guns, bullets, police clothing, camouflage material, disguises, and drugs.

An AR-15 semi-automatic rifle was found hidden in a guitar case in a lounge room cupboard. There were also another 11 guns in the cupboard.

Below the AR-15 was a silver toolbox with six more guns, gun magazines and bullets. Behind that was a Darrell Lea cooler bag with four more guns.

And a shotgun was found in a gap between the shelves and the cupboard wall.

A Tupperware container was found with 44 bullets and there was also a bullet crimping tool and a Taser with cartridges.

Three NSW Police shirts were found in a safe house linked to 'serial killer' Abuzar Sultani

An AR15 semi-automatic rifle found inside a guitar case at Abuza Sultani's safe house in Sydney

Winchester Super Speed bullets were found in the police raid on a safe house linked to Abuzar Sultani

Another shelf held hundreds of rounds of ammunition and allegedly stolen identification documents.

More plastic containers filled with meth were found on the top shelf.

Camouflage, disguises, and armour were found in an Australia Post tub, including a black polymer face mask, a ballistics vest, disposable overalls, three NSW Police shirts and fake number plates.

A polymer mask disguise was found in one of Abuzar Sultani's safe houses

Other weapons found included a homemade pen gun that could fire one shot, a self-loading pistol, and a Browning Challenger pistol with a silencer.

There was also a .25 calibre Colt pistol and a 9mm Israeli Weapons Industries Desert Eagle that Sultani told one associate was his 'favourite'.

The Colt and the Desert Eagle were the ones used to kill Michael Davey six months earlier.

An associate of Sultani who gave evidence against him, told the police he gave Sultani up to 100 guns between 2013 and 2016, including .22 calibre rifles, Mach 10s, sniper rifles and AK-47s.

Abuzar Sultani (pictured left) and Joshua Baines (pictured right) leaving an apartment in Sydney Olympic Park before murdering Mehmet Yilmaz

'Serial killer' hitman holds up offensive sign as he's jailed for LIFE for murdering flashy mafia gangster Pasquale Barbaro and two other underworld slayings

By Michael Pickering and Candace Sutton for Daily Mail Australia

Two 'serial killers' responsible for the brutal execution of flashy mafia gangster Pasquale Barbaro - and two other underworld figures that same year - have been jailed for life.

Siar Munshizada and Abuzar Sultani were sentenced by NSW Supreme Court Justice Des Fagan on Friday morning, who described the men as having a 'depraved gratification for killing'.

Munshizada held up a piece of paper after the sentencing had been delivered which read 'bias dog'.

Abuzar Sultani pleaded guilty to the murder of Pasquale Barbaro (pictured)

He had reacted to Justice Fagan's remarks by saying, 'Triple life. Are you serious?'

It comes after the identities of the men - and two others - involved in Barbaro's death were revealed on Thursday after their lawyers lost a last ditch appeal in a so-called 'bikie super trial.'

Lawyers for Munshizada and Sultani had made a last ditch bid to the Court of Criminal Appeal to stop their identities being shared - which was ultimately unsuccessful.

That court heard the men 'shared the arrogant and immoral belief they had the entitlement to extinguish the life of another person'.

The duo's assassination spree which ended the lives of the three gangsters and bikies took place over three months in Sydney in 2016.

A 35-year-old heavily-tattooed drug dealer, Barbaro was related to a well-known crime family regarded as Australia's mafia.

Women arrive for the funeral of Michael Davey who was known as 'Ruthless'. Family and friends gathered at Pinegrove Cemetery in Michinbury (above) for a 45 minute service at which an 'Ode to Micky' was read and a slideshow of his life was broadcast

Known for his Lamborghini, Armani and Versace clothing and bling jewellery, his love of Instagram and for having a big mouth, Barbaro was brazenly gunned down in the streets of inner Sydney in November 2016.

His killers can now be revealed as members of a gang known as 'Sultani's Crew', named after their leader, Abuzar 'Afghani Abs' Sultani, now aged about 32.

The cohorts in Barbaro's murder to Sultani, a former head of the Rebels bikie gang Burwood chapter, are Siar Munshizada, who is aged about 33, and Joshua Baines and Mirwais Danishyar, both now in their late 20s.

Sultani and Munshizada are also guilty of the murders of two other bikies, Michael Davey and Mehmet Yilmaz.

In his sentencing remarks, Justice Fagan revealed Sultani and Munshizada met in prison in 2008 or 2009 when they were about 20 years old.

Both had originally emigrated to Australian from Afghanistan.

Michael Davey, known as 'Ruthless' and 'Micky D' was a Rebels gang mate of one of the men who murdered him after he was lured outside his home around midnight and shot

Munshizada introduced Danishyar, his cousin, to Sultani during 2010 while Baines, who had no family connection with the other three, became associated with the group in October 2013.

From late 2013 through until 2016 the four offenders were associated with about 13 other men of similar age in an organised criminal group led by Sultani, the judgement read.

Sultani and Munshizada were Davey's former Rebels outlaw motorcyle gang mates.

Davey, a Rebels gang enforcer known as 'Ruthless' was gunned down in the driveway of his Kingswood home, in Sydney's west, after receiving a call to go outside and meet someone just after midnight on March 30, 2016.

Known for his love of bikes, girls and fast cars, he was laid to rest in a white coffin brought in on a sidecar by a masked rider at a funeral attended by hundreds of bikies which heard how he 'he lived his life like a rock star'.

A funeral cortege of thundering Harleys rode up with Davey's coffin followed by a vintage GTS Monaro and a white Rolls Royce.

Sultani pleaded guilty to Barbaro's murder, while the other three were found guilty by the court.

'Ruthless' was laid to rest in a white coffin brought in on a sidecar (above) at a funeral attended by hundreds of bikies and their girlfriends which was told he lived his life 'like a rock star'

Sultani also pleaded guilty in 2019 to murdering Mehmet Yilmaz and Michael Davey.

Mehmet Yilmaz, 29, was shot multiple times as he returned to his car after visiting the home of a Comanchero bikie in September, 2016.

Munshizada was found guilty of murdering Davey last year and guilty of murdering Yilmaz in May this year.

Mirwais Danishyar was found guilty in March this year of the murder of Pasquale Barbaro on November 14, 2021.

But the guilty findings for all the four men being sentenced this week remained a secret as their lawyers successfully applied for non publication orders to suppress their clients' names.

The three-year blackout began to run out last week when the four men had their application to continue a suppression order rejected by the NSW District Court.

They applied to the Court of Criminal Appeal to extend the secrecy orders and were ordered to appear before Justice Desmond Fagan on Monday.

Joshua Baines (pictured centre), now aged in his late 20s, was found guilty of Pasquale Barbaro's murder

Justice Fagan ruled that the suppression orders be lifted by 4pm on Monday, December 6 removing the cloak of secrecy from the killer bikies.

The bikies' lawyers then made an urgent application before three judges in the Court of Criminal Appeal to have the names suppressed.

But that was rejected on Thursday in a very brief judgement by the bench of the CCA.

The first being sentenced by Justice Fagan, Danishyar appeared at the NSW Supreme Court on Monday wearing prison greens and surrounded by correctional officers.

His sentencing hearing was told that Danishyar 'shared the arrogant and immoral belief they had the entitlement to extinguish the life of another person'.

Earlier this month, Justice Fagan questioned an attempt by Danishyar's lawyers to have the seriousness of his sentence mitigated by the idea that he had sought out the company of his co-offenders because he was 'at a loss or seeking identity'.

His Honour then described the two offenders who are guilty of all three murders in 2016 as 'serial killers'.

Head of the organised crime group known as Sultani's Crew was Abuzar 'Afghani Abs' Sultani (above), now aged about 32 and a former Rebels gangmate of one of the men he murdered

Justice Fagan also said he 'couldnt possibly sentence him on the basis hes contrite or remorseful' as attested by a forensic psychiatrist, because Danishyar had pleaded not guilty to Barbaro's murder before being found guilty.

The court heard evidence that Sultani regularly used and threatened violence against members and associates of his group after disassociating from the Rebels some time in 2015.

The group continued to conduct criminal activity under the direction of Sultani, including drug supply, intimidation and stand-over in the collection of debts, dealing in firearms, motor vehicle theft and procurement of false registration plates.

By 2016, Sultani had built up a 'significant arsenal' of firearms and ammunition hidden in safe-houses around Sydney.

The court heard that Sultani avoided police surveillance between 2014-2016 through the use of Phantom Secure BlackBerry handsets used by active members of his group.

The handsets were modified to eliminate all electronic functionality except the ability to send and receive encrypted emails.

Justice Fagan said encrypted emails were transmitted between group members in connection with each murder and that the offenders were 'emboldened' to commit the murders aided by the clandestine communications system.

In his remarks, Justice Fagan said Sultani had a 'personal hostility' towards Mr Barbaro because he believed he was in some way responsible for the death of alleged standover man Joe Antoun, who had been a mentor to Sultani.

'I am satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that for some time before 14 November 2016, Sultani had planned to kill Mr Barbaro and that he was waiting to receive definite information of a time at which he would attend a location where he could be surprised and murdered,' Justice Fagan said.

On the night in question, Munshizada drove an Audi Q7 at speed along Larkhall Avenue and stopped next to Barbaros' Mercedes after he had emerged from the Earlwood home of George Alex.

Baines then fired four shots from his position in the back of the Q7 through the front passenger window of Mr Barbaros car.

Hit four times, including in the torso, Barbaro fled the car and attempted to run.

Sultani left the front passenger seat of the Audi and fired a shot in Barbaro's direction. After Barbaro collapsed, Sultani fired five rounds into the back of the victims head and neck as he lay face down on the ground.

Two of the gunshots inflicted instantly fatal wounds, Justice Fagan found.
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Vice President Kamala Harris (seen above in Washington, DC, on Thursday) caused a stir when she told the Los Angeles Times this week that the Biden administration 'didn't see [the Delta and Omicron variants] coming'

The White House has been scrambling to contain the fallout from Vice President Kamala Harris's statement on Friday in which she appeared to take a swipe at her boss, President Joe Biden, for not anticipating the Delta and Omicron variants of the coronavirus that have fueled a nationwide surge in newly diagnosed cases.

Harris on Friday took a swipe at Biden for declaring 'independence' from Covid on July 4 - and appeared to blame scientists for the administration's failure to be better prepared for Omicron and Delta as the new strains threaten to send the country spiraling back to pandemic shutdowns.

Harris, in an interview with The Los Angeles Times, said: 'We have not been victorious over it.

'I don't think that in any regard anyone can claim victory when, you know, there are 800,000 people who are dead because of this virus.'

Confirmed cases of Omicron reached 830 as of Saturday morning - a 50 percent increase from Friday - and the variant has now been detected in nearly every state. Kentucky, Arkansas, Maine, Kansas and Wyoming confirmed new Omicron cases, bringing the total to 45 states.

The vice president insisted that the virologists 'upon whose advice and direction we have relied' were blind to the next wave.

'We didn't see Delta coming,' Harris told the paper.

'I think most scientists did not - upon whose advice and direction we have relied - didn't see Delta coming.'

An administration official tried to put a positive spin on the vice president's remarks, insisting that she meant that the president and his aides did not foresee the mutations.

'The vice presidents comments referred to the exact kind of mutation,' said a statement by a Harris adviser obtained by Fox News on Saturday.

'The administration knew mutations were possible, it [is] the reason we ordered extra tests, extra gear and extra PPE [personal protective equipment].'

The adviser said that the administration kept promoting vaccinations, masking and social distancing in case new variants would appear.

'It is the reason the president, vice president and our entire administration warned early and often that the best way to get on the other side of the pandemic is to get vaccinated,' the aide said.

'We were and continue to be prepared.'

Kamala Harris is seen on Friday speaking to The Los Angeles Times in her Washington DC office

Also on Friday Harris appeared on Charlamagne Tha God's show on Comedy Central for an interview, which became uncomfortably heated after the radio host asked the vice president: 'So who's the real president of this country? Is it Joe Manchin or Joe Biden?'

Since coming into office in January of this year, the administration has made the case that it was manned by competent officials who would oversee the country's return to normal.

But the surging case count nationwide has upset the narrative. Still, administration officials are hanging their hopes on continued vaccinations as a way out of the pandemic.

'[The vice president] and the president have warned for months, they said the best way to get on the other side of this is to get vaccinated,' the aide said.

'Why were they doing that? Because they were clear mutations could occur.'

The clarification comes just a day after Harris got into a heated exchange with Comedy Central host Charlamagne Tha God who pressed her on whether Biden or Senator Joe Manchin, the Democratic legislator who has stood in the way of the president's key agenda items, is 'the real president.'

Appearing on Comedy Central with Charlamagne - real name Lenard Larry McKelvey - Harris was asked why she and Biden were unable to pass their flagship $1.75 trillion Build Back Better legislation.

His question so angered Harris that her aide, Sanders, could be heard off-camera on the other end of the remote interview, shouting: 'I'm so sorry Charlamagne, it's Symone, we have to wrap.'

On December 14 Harris listened as Biden spoke at a DNC holiday party (above)

'She can hear me,' Charlamagne chuckles. Sanders responds: 'Can you hear me now? I'm sorry but we have to wrap. I'm sorry to interrupt.'

'They're acting like they can't hear me, yo,' Charlamagne says, turning to a producer off-camera, implying that Harris' team was faking technical issues.

Harris, looking tense, stared at Charlamagne and replied, 'I can hear you,' allowing the interviewer to finally continue with his question.

'So who's the real president of this country? Is it Joe Manchin or Joe Biden?' Charlamagne asks.

'Come on, Charlamagne,' Harris says. 'Come on. It's Joe Biden.'

Charlamagne replies: 'I can't tell sometimes.'

Harris, growing visibly angry, wags her finger at the host and says: 'No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

'It's Joe Biden, and don't start talking like a Republican about asking whether or not he's president. And it's Joe Biden. And I'm vice president and my name is Kamala Harris.'

Sanders, the aide who attempted to cut off the interview, is the vice president's chief spokeswoman, who is one of at least four top aides to announce their departures from Harris' staff in recent weeks.

'She can hear me,' Charlamagne chuckled.

Sanders responded: 'Can you hear me now? I'm sorry but we have to wrap. I'm sorry to interrupt.'

'They're acting like they can't hear me, yo,' Charlamagne said, turning to a producer off-camera, implying that Harris's team is faking technical issues.

Harris, looking tense, stared at Charlamagne and replied, 'I can hear you,' allowing the interviewer to finally continue with his question.

Just weeks ago Harris was branded a 'bully' who inflicted constant-soul destroying criticism' on her office staff in a damaging expose by The Washington Post following a mass exodus from her office.

Gin Duran, a Harris aide who quit after working with her for five months, said there's a reason her office is experiencing such a large staff turnover.

'One of the things we've said in our little text groups among each other is what is the common denominator through all this and it's her,' Duran told The Post. 'Who are the next talented people you're going to bring in and burn through and then have (them) pretend they're retiring for positive reasons.'

The beleaguered vice president spoke to the media outlets as the Omicron variant spreads nationwide, with 44 states and Puerto Rico now having detected cases as of Saturday morning, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The number of confirmed Omicron cases in the US has nearly doubled in a period of 24 hours, with the variant now confirmed in all but six states.

Omicron was first discovered last month in South Africa but is now taking hold in the US, as well. As of Saturday morning, there were 830 cases of Omicron confirmed by DNA sequencing across the country - a 97 percent increase from Friday morning's tally.

In reality, the true number of Omicron cases is much higher, as only 1 to 2 percent of all cases are sequenced for variant markers.

The CDC estimates that Omicron accounts for at least 13 percent of all new cases in New York, which on Friday recorded its highest single-day tally of new Covid-19 cases ever at 21,027.

The Big Apple has been particularly hard-hit, again, with the number of cases doubling in three days.

Earlier this week, Governor Kathy Hochul reinstated controversial mask mandates for most indoor venues.

The rise in cases in the past three days caused Dr Jay Varma, Mayor Bill de Blasio's top medical advisor, to tweet 'we've never seen this before in New York City.'

Testing has now confirmed the presence of Omicron in every US state except for Oklahoma, Montana, North and South Dakota, Indiana, and Vermont, though the eventual arrival of the highly transmissible variant in every state seems assured.

Highly vaccinated states in the Northeast seem to be struggling the most at the moment as cold weather, waning immunity and the new variant all contribute to a new case surge.

Questions have been asked as to why the US was not swifter to react, when the Omicron variant was noted first in South Africa, and then caused havoc in the UK.

'We didn't see Omicron coming. And that's the nature of what this, this awful virus has been, which as it turns out, has mutations and variants,' Harris told The LA Times.

The mutations and variants have been long known as a feature of coronaviruses.

By the time Harris and Biden took over, in January 2021, the WHO had already identified three 'variants of concern' - Alpha, Beta and Gamma.

Two more - Delta and Omicron - emerged in the Biden-Harris era.

Harris denied that the administration had been complacent about the end of the pandemic

Biden on July 4 celebrated 'independence' from the virus, in a positive speech which some have now said was misguided.

'While the virus hasn't been vanquished, we know this: It no longer controls our lives,' the president said.

'It no longer paralyzes our nation. And it's within our power to make sure it never does again.'

Harris said one of her biggest regrets is that she had not been able to do more to combat myths about the virus and vaccine.

'I would take that more seriously,' she said of the misinformation.

'The biggest threat still to the American people is the threat to the unvaccinated.

'And most people who believe in the efficacy of the vaccine and the seriousness of the virus have been vaccinated. That troubles me deeply.'

Harris told the paper she understood the frustration many felt at still being faced with a surge in Covid, despite there now being a vaccine and booster available.

She said she appreciated that many were angry at having to cancel Christmas plans once again, and was well aware of the toll that uncertainty and anxiety took on mental health.

'I get it. I get it. I totally get it,' she said.

'I mean, you know, one of the concerns that I have is the undiagnosed and untreated trauma at various degrees that everyone has experienced.'

The vice president was highly tipped to be the Democrat nominee in 2024 before she took office, and has failed to impress.

Less than half of Americans approve of the job she is doing.

A new Hill/HarrisX poll released on Tuesday shows 43 percent of registered voters approve of Harris's performance, while 50 per cent say they disapprove.

The same poll taken December 6-7 shows 7 percent of respondents are unsure of their approval of the vice president.

Harris would not say whether she felt that her gender and race were a factor in her low approval ratings.

'I'll leave that to other people to evaluate,' she said.

A new poll released Tuesday shows only 43 per cent of registered voters approve of the job Kamala Harris is doing as vice president

Kamala Harris's gaffes June 8: Asked by NBC's Lester Holt why she hadn't yet, in her role as Biden's border tsar, visited the U.S.-Mexico border, she replied: 'And I haven't been to Europe. And I mean, I don't ... understand the point that you're making. I'm not discounting the importance of the border.' July 10: Harris was asked about proposals to enforce voter ID, and said that she was opposed to it because people outside the cities may not be able to print off copies of their documentation. 'There are a whole lot of people, especially people who live in rural communities, who don't  there's no Kinko's, there's no Office Max near them,' she said, to widespread mockery. September 29: A student attending an event to promote voting said that Israel was conducting an 'ethnic genocide' in Palestine. Harris responded: 'Your voice, your perspective, your experience, your truth cannot be suppressed, and it must be heard.' Her office spent the next day trying to calm furious pro-Israel politicians and diplomats. October 11: Harris was found to have used child actors in the recording of a video promoting space, with children gushing about how much they loved science and technology. November 10: The vice president, on a visit to Paris, was mocked for meeting a group of French scientists working in a lab, and speaking to them with a French accent. Advertisement

And asked about the exodus of her staff, Harris said she would rather 'talk about how they've been mentored and nurtured and supported' by her.

Harris's defensiveness about the administration's response to Covid came as Biden himself warned of a 'winter of severe illness and death' for the unvaccinated.

Unvaccinated people are being hit especially hard by this surge, with official city data showing that 804.46 out of every 100,000 testing positive for the virus during the week that ended on December 5 - nearly doubling from 415.99 cases per 100,000 a week earlier.

In Washington DC, the case rate per 100,000 remains much lower than many other states, at 39, but the figure is rapidly rising.

The city has experienced a 230 percent increase in cases over the past two weeks.

Like New York, it is a densely populated city that also struggled when the virus initially broke out in spring 2020.

Cases have also doubled, and then some, in Hawaii over the past two weeks.

The islands have suffered a 140 percent increase in new cases over the past two weeks.

While cases seem to be rising on the east coast - and Hawaii - the Midwest and the Great Plains states are suffering a wave of deaths.

Michigan leads the nation in deaths at the moment, with 1.16 out of every 100,000 residents dying from Covid every day.

Hospitals in the state are being swarmed by new cases, and officials fear that situation will only get worse.

Indiana is also among the nationwide leaders in Covid deaths, averaging 0.8 deaths per 100,000 residents every day.

Also in the Midwest, Ohio (0.71 deaths per 100,000 each day), Wisconsin (0.69) and Minnesota (0.62) are dealing with recent case surges.

Montana finds itself right behind Michigan in death rate at the moment, and is suffering the most of states in the northwestern plains.

The state is averaging 1.15 deaths per every 100,000 residents every day, and especially worrying total for a place with a small, spread out, population.

Wyoming is dealing with a surge of its own, with 0.74 of every 100,000 residents dying from Covid each day.

In North Dakota, its 0.62, and 0.61 in South Dakota. Colorado is recording 0.69 deaths per every 100,000 residents every day.

Cases are decreasing in these states, though, down 49 percent in Montana, 34 percent in Wyoming, 19 percent in North Dakota and 19 percent in South Dakota as well, signaling they may be past the worst of the recent surge.

Other states like Pennsylvania (0.92 deaths per 100,000 every day), Arizona (0.96), West Virginia (0.84) and Colorado (0.69) are also among the nation's leaders in Covid deaths.

In the south, cases are also rising across many states. Florida is currently posting a 127 percent increase in cases over the past two weeks, though that figure is unreliable as the state does not regularly report cases.

Alabama (70 percent increase in cases over the past two weeks), Georgia (60 percent), Texas (89 percent) and Virginia (62 percent) are all experiencing sharp case increases, leading the region.

Cases are declining for states on the west coast, though, with California posting an 11 percent decrease in cases, Alaska down 35 percent, Washington down four percent and Oregon down three percent.
A US warship fired at a drone that was terrorizing a Navy destroyer off the coast of California for weeks in 2019 after the Navy deployed special 'ghostbuster' teams to deal with them, new documents reveal.

The series of encounters with suspected UAVs, or unmanned aerial vehicles, in July 2019, saw as many as six mystery aircraft swarm several US Navy warships close to a sensitive training area at the Channel Islands, according to The Drive, which obtained Navy ship log documents via FOIA requests.

It was originally thought that these swarms of 'tic tac' shaped drones only affected the Navy for a few days in mid-July, but new documents reveal that Navy officials were still dealing with these encounters throughout the month.

New information revealed that on July 20, the USS Russell fired five shots at the drones - which The Drive worked out could fly at speeds of up to 45 miles an hour and traveled at least 100 nautical miles, far exceeding the capabilities of any commercially-available unmanned aircraft - in a UAV exercises, according to ship logs.

The USS Russell (pictured) and several other navy ships experienced drone swarms during July 2019. New documents reveal the Navy dealt with attacks for weeks

The USS Russell sent a ghostbusters team out around 11am on July 20 after drones were spotted near the ship. A ghostbuster is a rifle shaped tool that jams radio frequencies between the drone and its operator

The USS Russell's ship logs showed that it fired five shots at the swarm of drones on July 20, including one misfire

The USS Russell experienced a 'counter' with the drones around 9.30am on July 20, shooting off fives rounds around 11am, with at least one misfire.

Two days later, the USS Russell sent out a 'ghostbusters' team around 10.30am on July 23. The team 'completed' their mission around 11am.

The Drive defined a 'ghostbuster' as a rifle-shaped lower-end counter UAS device that jams radio frequencies between the drone and its operator.

It is unknown if the USS Russell already had 'ghostbusters' on board the ship or if it was bought in specifically to combat the increase in drone presence.

The USS Kidd sent out a SNOOPIE team around 2.30am after spotting drones on July 20, before the USS Russell

Around 3.30am, the USS Paul Hamilton reported 'multiple drones spotted off [the] bow' of the ship and sent out a SNOOPIE team

Drones were spotted off the USS Russell on July 20. The ship sent out SNOOPIE teams and a ghostbusters team after the USS Paul Hamilton and Kidd sent out SNOOPIE teams earlier in the morning

The USS Russell indicated on July 20 that it had a 'counter' with a UAS

The USS Russell's ship log was heavily redact on July 30, when it experience another swarm of drones, and it is unclear what happened in the day few days following the drone appearance

The ship sent another ghostbusters team out 10 days later on July 30 after several other ships indicated drone presence. A Ship Nautical Or Otherwise Photographic Interpretation and Exploitation (SNOOPIE) team was sent out in the early morning hours and ghostbusters were sent out shortly after following two other ships who did the same.

Earlier, the USS Kidd sent out a SNOOPIE team around 2.30am, while the USS Paul Hamilton sent out a team around 3.30am.

The USS Russell also sent out a 'Small Craft Action Team,' or SCAT, which provides 360-degree protection to ships and are typically used for small boat attacks. At the same time, the USS Bunker Hill also sent out a SCAT and SNOOPIE team.

However, the USS Russell's ship logs were heavily redacted on July 30 and it is unclear what the USS Russell did in the following days.

The ship's logs also indicated that an unidentified admiral boarded the ship on July 22, shortly before the UAVs exercises started and they left the ship on July 31.

It is unclear what their purpose on the ship was, or if it had any connection to the drone presence.

The USS Russell fired five shots at drones around 11am on July 20, with at least one misfire document. Multiple ships, including Russell, Kidd, and Paul Hamilton sent out SCAT teams (pictured), SNOOPIEs, and ghostbuster teams to combat drones

In addition, the Navy was already engaged in an investigation - which began on July 16 after drones were spotted on July 14 - during the admiral's visit. The information was later sent to the Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Michael Gilday on July 18.

The Navy was not able to identify the drones during their investigation.

The lack of evidence, lead to widespread public interpretation after filmmaker Jeremy Corbell released a series photos showing a triangular-shaped light flying over the top of the USS Russell. The footage was confirmed by the Justice Department to have been taken by the ship's crew.

Corbell believed the object could maneuver water and land with ease, according to The Drive.

The Navy insisted there is no extraterrestrial element to the object pictured, despite not being able to identify it.

The drone drama all began on the night of July 14, 2019 after ship logs from the USS Kidd show that just before 10pm that night two drones were spotted.

A SNOOPIE team was engaged to figure out who, or what, the mystery flying objects were

Within a few minutes of the sighting, reports show the USS Kidd moved into quiet -mode - for EMCON, which stands for 'emission control' - minimizing communications as it sought to work what the threat level was.

It contacted a nearby warship also on patrol, the USS Rafael Peralta, who also engaged their SNOOPIE team.

Several other US Navy destroyers on patrol nearby began noticing strange lights.

The USS John Finn also reported UAV activity on July 14, and noticed a 'red flashing light' at 10:03pm, according to its logbook.

Just over an hour later at 11:23pm, the USS Rafael Peralta spotted a white light hovering over the flight deck.

The drone was able to remain hovering above the destroyer's helicopter landing pad while traveling at speeds of 16 knots and in low visibility.

The nearly 90-minute encounter was well beyond the capability of commercially-available drones.

The next night, the drones returned, this time as the warships were patrolling closer to the Californian mainland.

They were first spotted by the USS Rafael Peralta and the ship's SNOOPIE team was engaged at 8.39pm.

At 8.56pm, logs show the USS Kidd had also come into contact with drones.

The USS Paul Hamilton made a sharp right turn after drones flew by the ship on July 17

The USS Paul Hamilton (pictured) had a swarm of 16 drones follow it on July 17

'The drones seem to have pursued the ships, even as they continued to maneuver throughout the incident,' The Drive reported.

Logbooks onboard the USS Russell show drones were swarming all over it, dipping in elevation from 1000 to 700 feet and seemingly able to move in any direction.

The USS Russell had separate contact with drones nine occasions in less than an hour.

Then at 9:20pm that night, the USS Kidd noticed 'multiple UAVs' around the ship.

The USS Rafael Peralta was also swarmed by as many as four drones. It was contacted by a passing cruise ship, the Carnival Imagination, to say they too had spotted up to six drones.

The three-hour frenzy of activity continued until close to midnight, with none of the warships able to say with certainty where the drones had come from.

On July 17, logs show the USS Paul Hamilton making an abrupt right turn after drones flew by the ship, the new documents revealed.

A map, obtained by The Drive, shows a heavy presence of drones near the USS Paul Hamilton, which one being marked with a star. It is unknown what the star stands for due to heavy redaction.

The ship's log did reveal that the boat went into EMCON during this experience.

The Navy's top commanders including the Chief of Naval Operations and commander of the Pacific Fleet were notified.

The Los Angeles bureau of the FBI was also brought in to look at the incident.

The subsequent investigation found that just a handful of civilian ships were in the area at the time that could have been used as landing pads for the drones.

Investigators suspected the drones may have been launched from the ORV Alguita, a catamaran in the area.

Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Michael Gilday (pictured) was notified of the drone sightings on July 18. He later said the Navy could not identify the drones but did not believe it was extraterrestrial

And while the Alguita did have drones onboard, it was soon established its aircraft were not capable of such aeronautical feats.

Naval intelligence was brought in on the investigation and it was soon turning its glare inwards.

The area is home to a large US Naval Base on Sam Clemente Island, where sensitive training operations are often undertaken.

Soon afterward, the Navy classified the investigation, preventing further information from being released to The Drive.

In March 2021, the former Director of National Intelligence revealed the US has evidence of UFOs breaking the sound barrier without a sonic boom and making maneuvers impossible with known technology.

John Ratcliffe, who served as Donald Trump's Director of National Intelligence, said that many of the incidents still have no easy explanation.

'There are a lot more sightings than have been made public,' Ratcliffe told Fox News.

'Some of those have been declassified.'
Prince William has been urged by the Queen to stop flying helicopters with his family because she is 'terrified' that disaster could strike.

The 95-year-old monarch has had 'several conversations' with William, 39, asking him to 'stop flying himself, particularly in bad weather' amid fears an accident could threaten the line of succession.

Unofficial rules usually prevent senior royals from flying together but the regulations have been relaxed since William's children were born, allowing for the young family to spend more time together.

William, Kate and their children George, eight, Charlotte, six, and Louis, three, split their time between Kensington Palace in London and Anmer Court in Norfolk, and regularly fly the 115miles between the two homes.

William is second in line to the throne behind his father Charles, the Prince of Wales, while is son George is third in the order of succession.

Prince William has been urged by the Queen to stop flying helicopters with his family because she is 'terrified' that disaster could strike

The Queen has had 'conversations' with William asking him to 'stop flying himself'

A source close to the Queen told the Sun: 'Her Majesty has told close friends and courtiers that she would like William to stop flying himself, particularly in bad weather, as helicopters are not the safest form of transport.

'It keeps the Queen awake at night and she is understandably very worried.

'She knows William is a capable pilot but does not think it is worth the risk for all five of them to carry on flying together and can't imagine what would happen. It would spark a constitutional crisis.

'The Queen has told William she is worried that, however good he is as a pilot, bad weather and accidents can strike at any time.

'The Queen is delighted in the way William and Kate have risen to the challenge in recent years and knows the monarchy is safe in their hands.

'She thinks the future is bright with them at the helm after Charles but if something happened to him and the family it doesn't bear thinking about.'

The family have flown together, often with a pilot and crew but sometimes with William at the controls, since they asked for permission to do so after the birth of Prince George in 2013.

The family (pictured together in 2017) have flown together, often with a pilot and crew but sometimes with William at the controls, since they asked for permission to do so after the birth of Prince George in 2013

The unofficial rules were relaxed further following the arrivals of Charlotte and Louis, allowing the family to fly together.

At the time, a Palace official said: 'While there is no official rule on this, and royal heirs have travelled together in the past, it is something the Queen has the final say on.'

Prince William is a competent pilot who has flown with the Royal Air Force, serving as search a rescue pilot at RAF Valley on Anglesey in North Wales, and the East Anglia Air Ambulance.

The family are thought to be looking for a home in Windsor, to avoid the need for regular helicopter trips.
School districts across the nation are returning to remote learning due to staffing shortages and a surge of COVID as cases of the highly transmissible Omicron variant has doubled in just 24 hours ahead of the holiday break, according to reports.

On Friday, Prince George's County in Maryland became the first major school district to announce that all students will make the move to remote learning.

Students in the district will begin online learning Monday, just four days before winter break begins.

The remote learning will continue for two weeks when classes resume on January 3, the county's public school website states.

'Educators, administrators and support staff must be able to deliver in-person instruction and other activities in conditions that prioritize their own health, as well as the wellbeing of the school community,' Monica Goldson, the CEO of the countys public schools, said in a letter to the community.

Districts nationwide look to take students out of the classroom and back to remote learning again due to the Omicron variant. Pictured: A stock image of students in class

Pictured: A health care worker administers a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine to a student during a 'Vax To School' campaign event at a high school in Staten Island in August

'The increased positivity rates have significantly challenged the ability to do so, causing anxiety among many school communities and disruption to the school day.'

And in New York City, the Department of Education has already closed 859 classrooms citywide, four times the number one month ago, according to the department's website.

Another 2,500 classes were partially closed as of Friday while newly reported COVID-19 infections spiked across the city.

According to the city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the city averaged 2,899 confirmed cases each day over the past week, an increase from a daily average of around 1,800 cases over the last 28 days.

US Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, pictured, visits the COVID-19 student vaccine clinic at Prince George's County Public Schools in November

Pictured: number of US infections per day in November and December

The US passed 800,000 deaths from the virus this week, with nearly 51 million US cases overall

Meanwhile, in Upstate New York, health officials announced that the Oswego City School District would be transitioning from in-class to remote learning from Friday, December 17 to December 23 due to the surge in COVID-19 cases, Oswego.com reported.

Since last Saturday alone, there have been 60 cases in the district, causing staffing shortages.

On Monday, the South Nodaway School Board in Missouri voted to cancel the remainder of the fall semester and resume classes on January 3, following the winter break, over similar staffing shortages caused by the spike in cases.

In St. Louis, the St. Roch Catholic School revealed it would also be transitioning to virtual classes this week, with students set to return after the winter vacation because too many teachers and students are currently out sick, according to St. Louis Today.

Pictured: where Omicron COVID variant is spreading in the US as of December 18, 6 pm

The Board of Education for the South Nodaway School District, pictured, voted to cancel the rest of the Fall semester and pick back up after the winter break on January 3

Public schools in New Orleans mandated vaccinations for students ages five and up this week, which will go into effect on February 1.

The requirement will make the city the first in the US to require a COVID-19 vaccine for school children that young.

The in-class closures come as the Biden administration looks to impose a new strategy using increased Covid testing to keep children in classrooms, which Biden announced on Friday.

School-aged children have been particularly vulnerable, as only 18 percent of kids five to 11 have at least one shot, with 61 percent of those 12 to 17, the American Academy of Pediatrics reported.

The US passed 800,000 deaths from the virus this week.
Free family calls for male prisoners have been scrapped  but women will keep the perk.

Jail bosses introduced the system after lockdown restrictions meant visits were banned.

But the Ministry of Justice decided in October that men could do without their 5 phone credit, though women still needed the freebie.

Free family calls for male prisoners have been scrapped  but women will keep the perk

A spokesman cited a higher rate of self-harm among female prisoners: a rise of two per cent in women's prisons compared to a 16 per cent fall in male jails in the year to June 2021.

But charities expressed concern that inmates are still having Covid-related mental health issues.
A desperate search is underway for a missing teenager who suddenly disappeared from his home while his parents were out.

Isaac Alabdallah, aged 15, was last seen by his family at their home in Aster Street, Greystanes, in western Sydney about 7pm on Saturday.

Isaac couldn't be found when family members returned home two-and-a-half hours later at 9.30pm.

There are grave fears for Isaac Alabdallah who disappeared from his western Sydney home

His disappearance was reported to police, which launched an investigation into Isaac's whereabouts and issued a public appeal.

Police and family members are concerned for Isaac's welfare as his disappearance is considered out of character and extremely sudden.

A police appeal on Facebook regarding Isaac's whereabouts was shared more than 600 times within a few hours.

Isaac is described as being of Middle Eastern appearance and about 170cm tall with a slim build and short black hair.

Anyone with information is urged to call police.
Turkey producer Bernard Matthews has drafted in prisoners to plug vacancies and ensure the birds reach tables this Christmas.

Almost 100 serving or former inmates are working across the poultry and hospitality sector as part of a Government drive to rehabilitate criminals.

Earlier this year it was reported that the meat processing industry had 14,000 vacancies  roughly 15 per cent of the workforce. It means firms have been keen to link up with prisoners on day release to help fill the gaps.

Almost 100 serving or former inmates (file photo used) are working across the poultry and hospitality sector as part of a Government drive to rehabilitate criminals

Bernard Matthews is employing nine prisoners and six former inmates at its Norwich factory.

Training manager Bryan Hurst said: 'The work we do with HMP Norwich gives individuals the opportunity to change their lives.

'Not only does this help them, but it reduces reoffending. It also massively benefits us as a company because these people are reliable, work extremely hard, and they really appreciate the opportunity.'

Justice Secretary Dominic Raab recently unveiled a prisons strategy White Paper that re-committed the Government to help prisoners gain education and skills to lower the chance of reoffending.

Research by the Ministry of Justice says prisoners who find work after release are up to nine per cent less likely to reoffend.

Earlier this year it was reported that the meat processing industry (pictured in a file photo) had 14,000 vacancies  roughly 15 per cent of the workforce

Pub retail and brewing chain Greene King is also taking part in the drive to recruit offenders.

It has taken on 79 prisoners since 2019 and employed another eight on day release this month.

Graham Briggs, head of apprenticeships, said: 'At Greene King we believe it is important to focus on an individual's future and their potential, not their past.

'We are excited to continue our partnership with the Ministry of Justice, which provides career opportunities for individuals released on temporary licence and leaving prison.

'These opportunities will help individuals move forward in life, become valued team members, have the stability of a steady income and build a career.'

The nationwide pub chain, Greene King, is also taking part in the drive to recruit offenders (file photo used)

The new strategy will result in advisers helping offenders find work in jails or outside on temporary day release.

Employers will interview prisoners by video link and there will be 'job centres' in prisons.

There will also be more computers in cells to allow vetted prisoners to do training or educational courses online as well as keep in touch with their families.

Jails with in-cell technology will increase from four to 11 by next summer.

All inmates will get 'resettlement' passports that will act like a CV and record their training, skills, drug treatment, accommodation and family ties.

Mr Raab said: 'Employers like Greene King and Bernard Matthews are leading the way in training prisoners and giving them jobs so they steer clear of crime on release.

'Under our new strategy, more prisons will be working with local businesses to help fill vacancies and cut crime.'
Bloodthirsty British hunters have been killing reindeer on a pre-Christmas shooting trip to Iceland.

The 2,000 'Icelandic Safari' was organised by Ian Farrington, a deer stalker from Devon.

He posted gruesome pictures online of slaughtered reindeer and boasted on a forum for hunters: 'We have returned from another trip to Iceland with 100 per cent success  all hunters taking reindeer bulls on the first day of their hunt.'

A hunter from the UK poses with the reindeer he killed at a hunt in Iceland last month

Mr Farrington, 59, said that last month's trip 'brings our results to 12 hunts conducted, with all of the hunters taking their beast during day one'.

Pictures from a previous hunt last year showed the dead bodies of reindeer bulls with antlers slumped on the ground after being shot by British hunters.

Another picture showed at least three dead reindeer strapped to the back of a bloodstained all-terrain vehicle after a hunt on the rocky plains of Iceland's Eastern Fjords.

Critics say reindeer hunting is cruel blood sport, but its supporters claim it is essential to keep their numbers down. The Icelandic government permits an annual cull of 1,800 reindeer.

Mr Farrington advertised prices for another three-day trip to Iceland next year. It will cost hunters 2,165 to kill a reindeer bull or 1,890 to kill a reindeer cow.

He is well-known in trophy-hunting circles, and has organised hunting all over the world through his firm Farrington Deer Services.

A slaughtered reindeer from a hunt in Iceland last month. British hunters have been killing reindeer on a pre-Christmas shooting trip

Its website advertises African safari hunts 'for the ultimate in game variety and terrain' as well as trips to Scandinavia, Italy, Japan and the US and Canada.

The British Government recently announced new legislation to ban hunters from bringing back trophies of their kills.

This is set to include reindeer trophies  much to Mr Farrington's disdain.

On the Stalking Directory forum, he wrote: 'The latest bill from our gracious.gov [government] is suggesting that the import of reindeer trophies will be banned  a concern if you wish to bring back trophies to the UK.'

Eduardo Goncalves, founder of the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting, said: 'Ian Farrington is quite literally making a killing by selling stomach-churning holidays where you can shoot reindeer for "sport", a smug selfie, and a sick souvenir.

'Reindeer are increasingly endangered. Scientists say hunting is one of the threats driving reindeer towards extinction.'

Approached by The Mail on Sunday, Mr Farrington said: 'I would prefer not to discuss.'
Have you ever railed at corrupt politicians or megalomaniac business leaders? Are there times when you think your boss is selfish, power-hungry or even a bona fide psychopath?

So often the people in charge of us seem ill-suited to the responsibilities they hold.

Ive spent decades looking at these questions. Ive explored who gets power, why they get it and how they behave when they achieve it.

Is it, as the old adage would tell us, that power corrupts? Well, possibly, but Ive had my doubts.

Another, more troubling, thought has been gnawing at me instead  that something much bigger and more serious is lurking beneath the waves. That power-hungry narcissists are actively seeking out positions that give them control over others.

Such people certainly appear to be well represented in positions of leadership, from the highest offices of state down to the most junior roles in company management. More worryingly still, for deep evolutionary reasons, the rest of us do our very best to help them achieve the power they then abuse.

Have you ever railed at corrupt politicians or megalomaniac business leaders? Are there times when you think your boss is selfish, power-hungry or even a bona fide psychopath?

The pretend prison guards who abused their pretend prisoners

A notorious psychological experiment from the 1970s helps make the point. Researchers at Stanford University in California recruited a group of men and told half of them they were guards, the other half prisoners. The results were dramatic.

No sooner were the guards handed control than they began abusing the prisoners, attacking them with fire extinguishers, forcing them to sleep on concrete floors and humiliating them.

So bad was the abuse that the experiment was ended early. When the findings were published, they shocked the world.

The evidence seemed all too clear: there are demons within all of us and that positions of authority set those demons free.

But consider this. To find their volunteers, researchers had placed newspaper adverts headed: Male college students needed for a psychological study of prison life.

Could the wording have skewed the sample of people taking part? When, in 2007, academics looked into this, they found a curious result. It turned out that people who respond to adverts containing the word prison are not the same as those who respond to similar adverts that refer to psychological studies.

In fact, those who were drawn in by the word prison scored significantly higher on measures of aggressiveness, authoritarianism, Machiavellianism, narcissism and social dominance and significantly lower on empathy and altruism.

It raises a fascinating question  while we always assumed that power corrupts, is it possible that corrupt and corruptible people seek out power? That power isnt a force that turns good people bad, but a magnet that attracts bad people?

A notorious psychological experiment from the 1970s helps make the point. Researchers at Stanford University in California recruited a group of men and told half of them they were guards, the other half prisoners. The results were dramatic

Spotting corruption with the roll of a dice

A study in India recruited hundreds of students and asked them to play a simple game: roll a dice 42 times and record the results.

Before they played, however, the students were told theyd be paid more if they rolled higher numbers. Some students cheated wholesale  the number six was recorded 25 per cent of the time, while the number one was recorded only ten per cent of the time. A few students were even so brazen as to claim they had rolled sixes 42 times in a row.

But there was a twist: the cheats had different career aspirations from those who reported scores honestly. Those with bogus high scores were much more likely to aspire to join Indias notoriously corrupt civil service.

When another team of researchers ran a similar experiment in Denmark, a country where the civil service is clean and transparent, the results were inverted. It was the honest students who wanted to be civil servants. The liars sought professions that could make them filthy rich.

Even five-year-olds love a strong man

Why do we let it happen? Why are corrupt narcissists so frequently in senior roles?

It is partly because our idea of what makes a good leader is ingrained from our earliest years. In one Swiss study, children aged five to 13 were asked to play a computer game in which they picked a captain for an imaginary ship based on two faces on screen.

What the children didnt know was that the two captains werent random  the faces belonged to the winner and runner-up politicians in recent French parliamentary elections.

Staggeringly, 71 per cent of the time the children picked the candidate who had won the election.

The same experiment conducted with adults gave nearly identical results.

Who looks the part, in other words, is an essential part of how we pick our leaders. Some of this is a matter of culture, but across the world the evidence is clear: tall, strong, over-confident men have an advantage.

...And for that we can blame our ancestors

Part of the problem, it seems, is that our brains havent changed since the Stone Age. In that time there have been roughly 8,000 generations, and about 7,980 of them have lived in societies in which size and strength were major advantages.

Our brains are wired to favour people who look like they might be good at fending off sabre-tooth tigers or hunting gazelles.

Our world has changed but our brains havent. Combine those Stone Age biases with modern-day racism and sexism, and it makes the problem even worse.

Short men struggle, too. More than 2,000 years ago, Alexander the Great granted an audience to the captured Persian queen Sisygambis. Alexander was accompanied by his best friend, Hephaestion, who was taller. Immediately, Sisygambis knelt before Hephaestion to plead for her life, mistakenly assuming that the taller man was the king.

Height was believed to be a pretty good predictor of status then and it is now. American presidents are consistently taller than men of their time. Taller presidents also have a higher chance of being re-elected.

And its not just height that affects our judgment. All human faces can be scored by how baby-faced they appear. Theres evidence, for example, that judges and juries treat baby-faced defendants as less culpable for their actions. Political or business leaders with baby faces, meanwhile, may be seen as weak.

Enough about you, let's talk about me!

Not only do selfish people seek power, they are particularly good at obtaining it thanks to a combination of traits known as the dark triad: theyre Machiavellian, narcissistic and psychopathic  which often means they lack empathy, are impulsive, reckless, manipulative and aggressive.

Yet such people can also be charming, charismatic and ruthlessly focused  key qualities for success in job interviews.

In fact, for them a job interview is perfect: they love to talk about themselves. They strategise about how to get what they want, even if it means manufacturing lies or false credentials.

According to Dr Kevin Dutton, a research psychologist at Oxford University, the ten professions with the most psychopaths are chief executives, lawyers, TV and radio personalities, salespeople, surgeons, journalists, police officers, members of the clergy, chefs and civil servants.

Another study found that those with dark triad traits are strongly drawn to positions that give them an opportunity for dominant leadership, and particularly so in finance, sales and law.

Other researchers have found that Washington DC has by far the most psychopaths per capita of any region in the United States.

When you shake hands, as I have, with a rebel commander who committed war crimes, or a ruthless despot who tortured his enemies, its startling how rarely they live up to the caricature of evil. Theyre often charming. They crack jokes and smile. They dont appear to be monsters, but many are.

Why we let confident idiots lead the way

Not that all bosses are psychopaths. Far from it. They could be no more than confident fools, and there are plenty of them around. Yet show us certainty in the face of uncertainty and were sold.

A recent paper in the science journal Nature argued that over-confidence exists because it used to help humans survive. In the days of food scarcity, trying something  even a long shot  in the battle to survive was better than doing nothing. So groups learned to follow leaders who displayed over-confidence.

If someone tells you theres a waterhole on the other side of the savanna, and youre already dying of thirst, inaction is usually at least as bad as following someone with a false sense of certainty.

A series of studies has shown that incompetent but over-confident individuals quickly obtain social status in experimental groups.

Often wrong but never uncertain  it remains a winning strategy in far too much of our world.

Turn a spotlight on the dark corner offices

History has consistently taught us that people who know they are being monitored behave better.

Yet in todays corporate and political systems, it is the workers who are scrutinised, not the bosses.

The most watched people in corporate headquarters are too often those who are least likely to do any serious damage.

Corner offices and boardrooms remain opaque.

Yet todays watchers are the very people who should feel watched themselves.

The world would be a better place if people in power worried more that their every corrupt move was being scrutinised.

Headlines change the world for the better

Newspapers matter, and particularly local newspapers. The hollowing-out of local and regional journalism is likely to ensure that fewer people fear a free press.

Uganda provides an instructive lesson. An audit of education spending in the East African nation discovered that up to $8 out of every $10 allocated to schools was being stolen. The money was funding corruption, not children.

It made front-page news and, soon, only $2 out of every $10 was being stolen.

But heres the crucial bit: embezzlement decreased most in places that were near newspaper distributors. When corrupt officials were being exposed, it mattered only if people could actually read about it.

If nobody writes the stories, or nobody reads them, the powerful will develop a sense of impunity and become even worse.

Now is the time to do something about it

Why are so many horrible people in charge? It is a particularly urgent puzzle to solve because were constantly disappointed by those in power.

Yet nothing is set in stone. Better people can lead us.

We can recruit more intelligently. We can remind leaders of the weight of their responsibility. We can make them see people as human beings, not abstractions.

We can rotate personnel to deter and detect abuse. We can use random tests to catch bad apples.

And if were going to watch people, we can focus on those at the top who do the real damage, not the rank-and-file.

With concerted effort and the right reforms, we can swing the pendulum back, pushing away corruptible people who seek and abuse power and invite others to take their place.

Whatever our Stone Age brains might tell us, there is a better way.

Corruptible: Who Gets Power And How It Changes Us, by Brian Klaas, is published by John Murray on January 6, priced 20.
The federal government does not expect states and territories to re-impose Covid-19 lockdowns, despite a worrying surge in Omicron infections.

More than 3800 new daily cases have been recorded across NSW and Victoria combined in recent days, fuelled by open borders and Christmas travel.

Other countries on the other side of the world are ramping up Covid-19 restrictions and the Netherlands is reimposing a lockdown.

But federal health minister Greg Hunt does not anticipate a return to Covid-19 lockdowns as Australia reaches the 90 per cent vaccination rate for people aged 16 and older.

The federal government doesn't believe lockdowns will be reimposed, despite a surge in Covid cases (pictured Christmas shoppers in Sydney)

'We're going into summer and we have one of the highest vaccination rates in the world and a very different set of circumstances,' he said.

'We don't see that that's a likely situation in Australia.'

Mr Hunt urged people to get their booster shot as soon as they were eligible, five months after a second jab.

About 1.3 million people have received their booster shots, with more than 640,000 doled out in the last week.

It comes as deputy chief medical officer Sonya Bennett warns Omicron transmission has a doubling time of around two days.

She has urged people to don masks while indoors, stick to outdoor Christmas gatherings and limit numbers.

'The transmission rate alone is concerning. And if we see high numbers, that sheer number of cases is a cause for concern,' Dr Bennett told reporters on Sunday.

'If we do end up with a lot of cases, regardless of severity, that's going to clearly have an impact on both business and industry, and individuals.'

Sydney will unlikely go back into lockdown due to the state high vaccination rate (pictured, beachgoers soaking up the sunshine at Bronte on Saturday)

Infectious diseases paediatrician Robert Booy did not expect infections to fall until February following an anticipated January peak.

'There are so many simple things that are effective that could be reinstituted that won't affect people's lives too much,' he told the ABC.

Professor Booy wants people to wear masks indoors and for contact tracing to be scaled up, not down.

He also urged NSW to bring back QR code check-ins en masse instead of reserving them for settings classified as high risk.

'There's all sorts of things like that that can be done which can make a difference without having to fully lock down,' he said.

NSW recorded 2566 new infections on Sunday, Australia's highest spike in daily infections (pictured heath workers at a drive-through testing clinic at Bondi)

Health minister Greg Hunt (pictured) described lockdowns as an unlikely situation in Australia

NSW recorded 2566 new infections on Sunday. There are 227 people in hospital, 28 of them in intensive care.

Victoria reported 1240 new cases and four more deaths. It has 392 Covid patients in hospital, 81 of them in intensive care.

Queensland recorded 42 new cases while the ACT recorded 18.

Even if Omicron infections proved to be less severe, Prof Booy warned higher transmission rates meant just as many people could end up in hospital.

On Saturday, South Australia recorded 73 new infections, eight new cases in the Northern Territory and one in Tasmania.

Australia has hit the 90 per cent double vaccination milestone of over-16s

Earlier this week, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet promised no more lockdowns for New South Wales, despite the worsening Covid-19 crisis

'That's certainly my intention,' Mr Perrottet told broadcaster Alan Jones.

'We made a compact with the people of our state based on the health information we received on vaccinations that once we got to a certain point, we wouldn't need to go back.'

'My focus isn't on case numbers. It's on ICU and hospitalisation numbers. I think coming out every single day and saying here are the case numbers, I believe will instill fear in the community.'

'What we need to do is shift the focus from case numbers to what's most important and that is the ICU and hospital presentations and I think we've successfully done that in our state.'

'There are still so many commentators, politicians and members of the public who would still prefer us to be locked down in circumstances where there is no need.

'My position in NSW is that we will get there. Freedom is the default position.
Tasmania will order residents to wear masks in all indoor spaces after a handful of Covid cases triggered a sweeping mandate.

Premier Peter Gutwein announced the new rules on masks would come into force from 12.01am on Monday during a press conference on Sunday.

The mask mandate applies to all indoor settings including offices, retail, gyms, supermarkets, restaurants, pubs, clubs, public transport and ride-share vehicles.

'We've done this before and as a matter of fact, a lot of Tasmanians are already doing it,' Mr Gutwein told reporters.

Tasmania will order residents to wear face-coverings in all indoor spaces after a handful of Covid cases triggered a sweeping mask mandate (pictured, arrivals in Hobart Airport)

Premier Peter Gutwein (pictured) announced the new rules on masks would come into force from 12:01am the following day during a press conference on Sunday

By contrast, NSW and Victoria slashed a series of Covid restrictions last week, despite surging case numbers and the worrying spread of the Omicron variant.

In NSW, masks are now only required in certain high-risk areas like public transport, planes, and for unvaccinated front-of-house hospitality staff.

Premier Dominic Perrottet said despite a surge in new infections, mask mandates will not be reintroduced at this stage as he keeps an eye on hospitalisation numbers.

Tasmania recorded three new cases of Covid on Sunday, bringing the state's total active infections to seven after the island state reopened borders on Wednesday.

Tasmania recorded three new cases of Covid on Sunday, bringing the state's total active infections to seven (pictured, Tasmanians at a shopping centre in Hobart)

Of the seven cases detected in Tasmania, six are receiving treatment at home while one is being cared for in a community facility (pictured, a lone runner on a street in Hobart)

Of the seven cases, six are receiving treatment at home while one is being cared for in a community facility.

Authorities believe one of the cases is a 'man in his 30's who arrived in Hobart from Melbourne on Friday'.

Another case was a woman in her 50's who arrived from Sydney in Launceston on Wednesday, while one was a family member and close contact of a previous case.

On Saturday, health officials announced a man in his 'late teens' had tested positive for the virus in Tasmania's north, triggering a list of new Covid exposure sites.

On the same day as the island state flung open its doors to travellers, NSW relaxed a suite of Covid restrictions and allowed new freedoms to the unvaccinated.

The mask mandate will apply to all indoor settings including officers, retail, gyms, supermarkets, restaurants, pubs, clubs, public transport and ride-share vehicles

On the same day as Tasmania reopened its borders NSW relaxed a suite of Covid restrictions and allowed new freedoms to the unvaccinated (pictured, residents walk along Hobart mall)

Meanwhile in Victoria, a government spokesperson said there were no plans to impose new capacity limits or cancel major events as cases numbers surge.

NSW and Victoria are set to lift the 72-hour isolation rules for international arrivals from December 21 - less than a month after authorities first imposed the rule.

As of Sunday, nearly 96 per cent of eligible residents in Tasmania have had one dose of a Covid vaccine, while 90 per cent have had two.

Since the start of the pandemic, 13 people from the island state have died from the virus while 225 people have recovered.
Confidential information held by some of Britain's police forces has been stolen by Russian hackers in an embarrassing security breach, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

The cyber-criminal gang Clop has released some of the material it plundered from an IT firm that handles access to the police national computer (PNC) on the so-called 'dark web'  with the threat of more to follow.

Clop is believed to have demanded a ransom from the company, Dacoll, after launching a 'phishing' attack in October that gave it access to material, including that of the PNC, holding the personal information and records of 13 million people.

It is unclear what additional  and potentially more sensitive  information Clop might release on the dark web, where it could be scooped up by fraudsters (file photo used)

When Dacoll refused to pay, the hackers uploaded hundreds of files on to the dark web, a hidden area of the internet only accessible through a specialised web browser.

The company declined to reveal the size of ransom demanded.

The files include images of motorists, which Clop appears to have taken from the national Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system.

Footage includes close-up images of the faces of drivers who have been snapped speeding.

It is unclear what additional  and potentially more sensitive  information Clop might release on the dark web, where it could be scooped up by fraudsters.

Like many ransomware groups, Clop sends 'phishing' emails (pictured in a file photo) to employees, which appear genuine but actually contain a sophisticated virus

Philip Ingram, a national security expert and former colonel in British military intelligence, said: 'This is an extremely serious breach of a company providing a capability to police forces across the UK.

'The damage caused by this kind of data leak is unfathomable as it brings into question the cybersecurity arrangements that exist between multiple public and private organisations to manage sensitive law enforcement data.'

Dacoll, based in West Lothian, was established in 1969 by electrical engineer Brian Colling, who had previously repaired home appliances before doing National Service with the RAF.

The 88-year-old has grown the company into a UK-wide IT solutions provider, with 160 staff.

One of Dacoll's subsidiaries, NDI Technologies, provides a 'critical' service for 90 per cent of the UK's police forces, giving officers remote access to the PNC.

Another Dacoll firm, NDI Recognition Systems, provides IT support for the ANPR systems used by the police, Highways England and DVLA.

A spokesman for the National Cyber Security Centre said: 'We are aware of this incident and working with law enforcement partners to fully understand and mitigate any potential impact.'

Clop has earned millions of pounds through ransomware hacks in the past two years. Victims have included the oil giant Shell, American bank Flagstar and the University of California.

Confidential information held by some of Britain's police forces has been stolen by Russian hackers in an embarrassing security breach (file photo)

Like many ransomware groups, it sends 'phishing' emails to employees, which appear genuine but actually contain a sophisticated virus that harvests data when opened.

Faced with the prospect of sensitive material being leaked, some firms pay the ransom, including US insurance giant CNA Financial which reportedly paid out $40 million (30 million) earlier this year.

The MoS revealed last month how Clop had targeted Stor-A-File, a British data storage company whose clients include GP practices, NHS hospital trusts, local councils, law firms and accountants.

A National Crime Agency spokesman said last night: 'The agency is aware of an incident affecting Dacoll and we are supporting the investigation.'

A Dacoll spokesman said: 'We can confirm we were the victims of a cyber incident on October 5.

'We were able to quickly return to our normal operational levels. The incident was limited to an internal network not linked to any of our clients' networks or services.'
A paralysed Afghan toddler has endured another week in agony despite repeated reassurances from British civil servants that they would help him.

Two-year-old Navid was injured in August during the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan when a suicide bomber killed 183 people at Kabul airport.

After his case was raised by The Mail on Sunday last week, the Government said it would be urgently looking into this case.

But it took a Foreign Office official five days to contact his family, only to ask for information that had been provided months ago.

Two-year-old Navid (pictured) was injured in August during the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan when a suicide bomber killed 183 people at Kabul airport

Specialists at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London have agreed to help Navid, and Foreign Office officials offered reassurances that they would attempt to evacuate him.

But almost four months after the attack, Navid and his family remain at risk from the Taliban in Kabul.

Dr Zuzanna Olszewska of the University of Oxford who has helped the family, said: The glacial pace of this process is disappointing.

A Government spokesman said: We are urgently looking into this case and will be contacting the family.
A dozen Afghan intelligence officers who spied for British troops say they have been left to the mercy of the Taliban despite being promised safe passage to the UK.

The 11 men and one woman worked for the country's National Directorate of Security (NDS), an agency disbanded by the Taliban after they seized the capital Kabul in August.

They are among thousands of Afghans and Britons still to be evacuated from the war-torn country.

It came amid claims that RAF planes that could be used to fly desperate Afghans to Britain from Pakistan has been returning virtually empty.

Sources said the Voyager A330 flights had contained only civil servants returning to the UK for Christmas.

Afghan intelligence officers who spied for Britain say they have been left at the mercy of the Taliban despite being promised safe passage to the UK. The 11 men and one woman worked for Afghanistan's now disbanded National Directorate of Security (NDS), which conducted surveillance for UK forces. (Above, file image of Afghan security forces escorting suspected Taliban fighters)

It has also been claimed that RAF aircraft evacuating desperate Afghans from the region have been returning to the UK virtually empty. (File photo)

The NDS officers conducted surveillance operations for British forces - including undercover missions for MI5 and MI6 to infiltrate groups like the Taliban and Al-Qaeda - with their primary role was to unearth terrorist plots in Afghanistan or against the West.

The operatives, whose ranks range from colonel to major general, are in hiding with their families. One officer was given an 'Eagle' award from British troops for valour on his secret missions.

Human rights groups claim more than 100 former NDS officers have been executed by the Taliban since August.

Susan Mateen, from the Afghan Council of Great Britain (ACGB) which is campaigning to bring them to Britain, said the suicide bomb attack at Kabul airport on August 26th had prevented the dozen NDS officers from being flown out. They have since been told that they need to cross into Pakistan before they can be rescued.

'These 12 individuals served Britain and British counter terrorism missions loyally with many having 10 years or more of service, which in turn kept British troops safe and stopped terrorism to our shores,' said Ms Mateen. 'The British government has a duty to save them, but the UK has abandoned them to the Taliban.'

According to a source, Voyager A330 flights which can carry up to 291 passengers have been departing in recent weeks with as few as 25 on board, usually Foreign Office officials returning home for Christmas.

A defence source said: 'The Voyager flight was bringing back anywhere between five and 25 Afghan people when it has a capacity for far more. It was effectively being used solely for the movement of civil servants.'

But last night the Ministry of Defence said that some of the flights were full to near-capacity, including the last one, which was completely filled.

The Home Office did not give a response.
The United States Air Force is authorizing the use of gender-neutral and gender-specific pronouns in email signature boxes.

The Air Force made it clear that allowing for emails to end with he/him, she/her and they/them would be allowed in a memo on December 9.

'This guidance provides approval for the use of pronouns in electronic signature blocks and expands on written communication by providing official templates posted on e-publishing website available for download,' the Air Force correspondence states.

'The use of pronouns (he/him, she/her, or they/them) in an email signature block is authorized but not required,' the memo added.

The Air Force has not yet responded to DailyMail.com's request for comment.

The United States Air Force is authorizing the use of gender-neutral and gender-specific pronouns in email signature boxes

Secretary of State Tony Blinken at the Adelcrantz Palace in connection with the OSCE meeting of member states' foreign ministers

The memo announcing the ability for people to use pronouns in Air Force email signatures

The State Department was criticized earlier in 2021 for celebrating International Pronouns Day

People often use pronouns in an effort to allow others to correctly address their gender. It's most often used by people who identify as gender neutral, don't wish to identify with a single gender or identify as a gender different from their sex assigned at birth.

The State Department was criticized earlier in 2021 for celebrating International Pronouns Day given the challenges it faces around the world.

'Today on International Pronouns Day, we share why many people list pronouns on their email and social media profiles,' the department tweeted.

There have also been other instances of the U.S. Military embracing various 'woke' causes recently, including a recruitment ad that features an animated lesbian wedding and an LGBTQ pride parade.

The new ad is part of the Army's 'The Calling' recruitment campaign that tells the stories of five diverse service members.

The ad came just weeks after a CIA recruitment video featuring a recruit described who herself as an 'intersectional cisgender millennial' was widely ridiculed online.

Released on May 4, the two-minute recruitment video, centers on Corporal Emma Malonelord and her upbringing as she is raised by two moms. Malonelord is an actual Army corporal; her story is illustrated in the cartoon.

The ad shows an animated Corporal Emma Malonelord (pictured) attending a gay rights parade

The Army's new recruitment ad chronicling the life of Corporal Emma Malonelord features an animated depiction of a gay rights march (pictured)

The new Army ad shows Corporal Emma Malonelord's mother's getting married after one suffered serious injuries following a car accident

The animated recruitment video chronicles Malonelord's life from her childhood up until she joins the Army as a Patriot Missile operator.

Her animated counterpart watches her two mothers get married after one recovers from a serious car accident that left her paralyzed.

Sen. Ted Cruz said he was standing up for the world's most ferocious fighting force as he criticized the video.

The Texas senator triggered online fury after questioning the role of what he called an 'emasculated military' and comparing it with a video that appeared to show a rugged, shaven-headed Russian recruit parachuting into combat.

'The job of the military is to kill the bad guys. And it is to strike fear in the enemies of America,' he told Fox News as he defended himself from accusations that he was unloading on serving U.S. troops.

'People sign up to join the military because they want to keep us safe, they don't want to sit around a circle, emoting and passing daisies back and forth.'

His comments highlight fears America's armed forces are being softened by 'woke' principles and follows similar criticism of a CIA advert.

Recently, the Air Force - as every military branches - has seen members discharged over President Joe Biden's vaccine mandate.

The Air Force has discharged 27 people for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine, making them what officials believe are the first service members to be removed for disobeying the mandate to get the shots.

The Air Force gave its forces until November 2 to get the vaccine, and thousands have either refused or sought an exemption.

Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said Monday that these are the first airmen to be administratively discharged for reasons involving the vaccine.

She said all of them were in their first term of enlistment, so they were younger, lower-ranking personnel.

And while the Air Force does not disclose what type of discharge a service member gets, legislation working its way through Congress limits the military to giving troops in vaccine refusal cases an honorable discharge or general discharge under honorable conditions.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, pictured, has said the vaccine is critical to maintaining the health of the force and its ability to respond to a national security crisis

The Pentagon earlier this year required the vaccine for all members of the military, including active duty, National Guard and the Reserves. Each of the services set its own deadlines and procedures for the mandate, and the Air Force set the earliest deadline.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has said the vaccine is critical to maintaining the health of the force and its ability to respond to a national security crisis.

None of the 27 airmen sought any type of exemption, medical, administrative or religious, Stefanek said.

Several officials from the other services said they believe that so far only the Air Force has gotten this far along in the process and discharged people over the vaccine refusal.
Staunch conservative Washington State Senator Doug Ericksen has died at the age of 52 on Friday following a month-long battle with COVID.

Ericksen, a representative from Ferndale, had contracted the virus while he was on a trip to El Salvador last month.

After arranging a medevac flight from the country, he checked himself into a Florida hospital the week after for treatment, according to former state Rep. Luanne Van Werven.

It is unclear if Ericksen had been vaccinated or not against the virus, but he had been an outspoken advocate against COVID-19 vaccine mandates prior to his death.

The cause of his death has also not been made official after his passing was publicly announced on Saturday.

Ericksen represented the 42nd District in Whatcom County and had been in the Legislature since 1998, the Seattle Times reported. He served six terms in the state House before being elected to the Senate in 2010.

He was also a former leader of Donald Trump's campaign in Washington.

Ericksen leaves behind his wife Tasha and their two daughters.

Washington Senator Doug Ericksen passed away at the age of 52 on Friday after a month-long battle with COVID

Ericksen was survived by his wife Tasha and their two daughters

Ericksen had contracted the virus while on a trip to El Salvador and sought treatment in a Florida hospital following his return

The family spoke out about the late senator following his death.

'We are heartbroken to share that our husband and father passed away,' Ericksens wife, Tasha, and his two daughters said in a statement to the Seattle Times on Saturday.

'Please keep our family in your prayers and thank you for continuing to respect our privacy in this extremely difficult time.'

Fellow lawmakers also reacted to the news after they were informed their former colleague passed away.

Lawmakers reacted late Saturday afternoon with shock and sadness. Washington State Senate Minority Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, said he was thinking of Ericksens family.

'Its just heartbreaking news, what do you do, other than you feel for them, you pray for them,' Braun said.

'Its tragic, the guy was one of the smartest people I know, and his floor speeches, his knowledge and environmental issues of all that stuff, was just fantastic,' State Senator Phil Fortunato said.

Ericksen's family released a statement following his death saying they were 'heartbroken'

Ericksen had also been a seasoned traveler as he was a foreign agent for Cambodia

Prior to his death, Ericksen had written to his colleagues to help him get treatment after he contracted the virus while in El Salvador.

'I took a trip to El Salvador and tested positive for COVID shortly after I arrived,' he wrote.

'I cannot get back home, and its to the point that I feel it would be beneficial for me to receive an iv of monoclonal antibodies (Regeneron).

'I have a doctor here who can administer the iv, but the product is not available here.

'Do any of you have any ideas on how I could get the monoclonal antibodies sent to me here?

'Ideally, I would like to get it on a flight tonight so it would be here by tomorrow.'

Ericksen had been vocal about being against the state imposed vaccine mandate and attempted to create a bill to block it

Ericksen represented the 42nd District in Whatcom County and had been in the Legislature since 1998

It is unclear why Ericksen had been out of the country at the time, but it was revealed he had traveled often as he had been a foreign agent for Cambodia and previously went to El Salvador to observe elections.

Ericksen, however, was remembered for attempting to introduce a bill to block the state-imposed vaccine mandate.

He had often sparred with Washington Governor Jay Inslee over their differing views with COVID as well as other policies such as climate change.

'This bill isnt pro-vaccine or anti-vaccine,' Ericksen said in August. 'It is pro-individual choice. We need to respect the right of people to make decisions for themselves.'

In response to his death, Inslee spoke on behalf of him and his wife to pay their respects to Ericksen.

'Trudi and I send our deep condolences to Dougs family, friends and colleagues. Our hearts are with them.'
Two rockets were fired toward the US Embassy in Baghdad's Green Zone, two weeks after warnings of a possible attack by Iranian-back militia circulated.

One rocket was destroyed in the air by the C-RAM defense system by American forces.

The other landed near the Grand Festivities Square area near the Green Zone, damaging two cars and landing 1,640 feet away from the Embassy, the report added.

Both rockets landed near the Union III base, where a U.S.-led coalition with Iraqi forces that oppose ISIS is located.

No casualties were reported.

Two rockets were launched at the Green Zone in Iraq (pictured), where the US Embassy and other foreign embassies and government buildings are located

One of the rockets were intercepted by American forces using a counter rocket and mortar anti-missile (C-RAM) defense system defense system. It fell 1,640 feet away from the US Embassy

The other landed near the Grand Festivities Square area near the Green Zone, damaging two cars

Security forces have started an investigation to detect the launch site.

A U.S. military official told Reuters that the counter rocket and mortar anti-missile, or C-RAM, system brought down one of the rounds and none of them landed on the U.S. Embassy.

The official said there were no American casualties.

The Green Zone hosts foreign embassies, including the U.S. embassy, and government buildings.

It is regularly the target of rockets fired by groups that U.S. and Iraqi officials say are backed by Iran.

US officials have said Iranian-backed militia could increase attacks on US troops in Iraq and Syria in coming weeks, in part to mark the anniversary of the killing of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

There were warnings the US Embassy would be attack after the Iran-backed militias set a New Years deadline for the US to pull its forces

The Iran-backed militias set a New Year's deadline for the U.S. to pull its forces for face possible attacks, the Jerusalem Post reported.

The U.S.-led coalition conducted Operation Inherent Resolve, which transitioned U.S. forces to a non-combative pole, was announced on December 9, according to the outlet.

However, the U.S. did say it would keep the 2,500 troops in Iraq to assist Iraqi government forces.

Marine General Frank McKenzie told The Associated Press that the Pentagon would still provide air support and military aid to Iraq's fight against ISIS.

The two were killed by a U.S. drone strike in Iraq on January 2, 2020.
CNN is closing its offices in the U.S. to all nonessential employees as the network - and the nation - experiences a surge in COVID-19, President Jeff Zucker said on Saturday in an internal memo to staff.

CNN, part of AT&T Inc.'s WarnerMedia division, will close its offices to all employees who are not required to go in, according to the memo, which was viewed by Reuters.

The network had set a tentative return-to-office date in January and it isn't known if that date will move, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.

'We are doing this out of an abundance of caution,' Zucker, 56, said.

'And it will also protect those who will be in the office by minimizing the number of people who are there.'

Employees who need to go into the office or work with reporters in the field will be required to wear a mask at all times, CNN said.

President Jeff Zucker, 56 (pictured), announced in an internal memo that all CNN's offices will be closed to nonessential employees until sometime in January

Reliable Sources anchor Brian Stelter, 36, tweeted that the closures meant going 'back to 2020 protocols, essentially'

The network will also make changes to its studios and control rooms to minimize the number of people at offices, according to the memo. CNN is going back to using 'flash studios,' which are smaller studios that operated remotely, according to the Wall Street Journal.

'TV news 101: Networks always have to ensure that control rooms and shows can remain on the air,' CNN anchor of Reliable Sources Brian Stelter, 36, tweeted.

'Back to 2020 protocols, essentially.'

CNN will require everyone to wear a mask while in the office and they have to be vaccinated

Before the change, CNN employees were allowed to come into the office voluntarily, the Journal reported.

CNN requires all employees to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 to come to the office or work in the field with other employees.

In August, the company terminated three of its workers for coming to the office unvaccinated as Zucker enforced the 'zero tolerance' policy.

Omicron cases have double overnight, spiking in across six states that broke daily records. New York City is the current epicenter of the Omicron variant, much like in the early days of the pandemic.

It is currently in 44 states.

The number of confirmed Omicron cases increased by 97 percent in the US from Friday morning to Saturday morning. The variant is now confirmed in every state but Oklahoma, Montana, the Dakotas, Indiana and Vermont.
Miners copped a barrage of expletive-filled abuse and sexist slurs by anti-coal protesters while being chased in cars around remote sites.

Anti-mining protesters have spent months camping at Adani's controversial Carmichael mine in Central Queensland and refused to move.

Bravus Mining and Resources claimed the protesters cause chaos at the site and pit spent $9,000 to ramp up security to protect staff, who now wear cameras for their own protection.

The company posted videos of the heated encounters on its Facebook page in a desperate plea for police to move the protesters on.

This protester allegedly unleashed a barrage of abuse on a female miner behind the wheel at the Adani coal site, calling her a sl*t

The footage shows protesters intimidating and firing a torrent of verbal abuse at female miners, blocking their path and driving aggressively and dangerously on the mining lease and public mine access road.

Another video shows a private charter helicopter landing close to an open-cut mining pit to drop off cartons of beer, wine, and other party supplies for protesters camping at the site.

One clip from November 23 shows a woman screaming at a female miner in a car calling her a 'f**king dumb sl*t' after a protester armed with a stick tried to block her way.

'You dumb sl*t' the woman screams before taking her anger out on the woman's colleague who tries to move her away.

'Don't f**king touch me.'

In another incident, a protester armed with a loudspeaker screamed into the face of a miner behind the wheel to stay away

In the another video, a busload of workers arriving from the airport were unable to access the mine due to an altercation with protesters.

A second bus of departing workers trying to leave the mine was also blocked.

Earlier this month, Bravus Mining and Resources and parent company Adani renewed calls for assistance to banish the 'professional' activists.

The company feared it would only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured or killed on site due to the protesters' actions.

'They use lock-on devices to halt trains and port activities and waste police time and come back to do it all over again as there are next to no penalties,' chief executive Lucas Dow said.

'Our people have told us they hold real concerns and worries about the near misses when their train could have run a protestor over or when they could have re-activated a conveyor belt and unknowingly killed an activist illegally locked-onto it.'

A helicopter landed outside the mine to drop off supplies to protesters

Protesters hugged after the helicopter arrived with supplies, including a case of VB

He described the lack of government and police intervention as 'outrageous'.

'They've verbally abused and threatened our employees, often targeting women, they recently chased one of our female workers in a four-wheel-drive, and flew a helicopter onto the mine to deliver supplies including alcohol to their camp,' Mr Dow told the Courier Mail.

'We've made several complaints to the Queensland Police Service about the presence of the activists and their behaviour, however, after nearly four months, police refuse to move them on.'

Queensland Police confirmed it received several complaints and that investigations were ongoing.

Bravus Mining and Resources claim the protesters caused altercations (one captured) at the mine and refuse to leave

Resources Minister Scott Stewart said Adani was advised several times it could apply for a Land Court order for the protesters to be removed.

But a frustrated Mr Dow put the onus back on the Queensland Government.

'The failure of the Queensland Government to propose an immediate and effective solution shows a lack of leadership by politicians who are more worried about protecting inner-city seats from the Greens than protecting hard working people in Queensland's coal communities,' he said.

The mine has been in operation since July 2019 and employs about 2,000 workers.

It has come under fire for its water usage, carbon emissions, and environmental impacts on the Great Barrier Reef.

Commercial-scale mining is planned to begin soon and will produce 10 million tonnes of coal each year.
Teachers who refuse to get vaccinated against Covid-19 will lose thousands of dollars worth of holiday pay.

Unvaccinated educators across Victoria's state schools were given just a week to get jabbed or miss out on their full leave entitlements.

On December 10, teachers and other school staff were told that if they didn't show proof of vaccinated by December 18, they wouldn't be paid for the school holidays.

Teachers who have refused to get vaccinated against Covid-19 will lose out on thousands of holiday pay following the introduction of a new jab rule (stock image)

Unvaccinated educators across Victoria's state schools were given one week to get jabbed or miss out on their full holiday leave entitlements (pictured, a Pfizer vaccine)

Those who didn't upload proof of vaccination by Saturday would not be paid from December 18 to January 27, the entirety of the summer break.

Educators were warned of the significant pay cut in an email from Tony Bugden, an executive director at the Department of Education.

He previously told staff in October that those who refused the jab would not be able to set foot on school grounds from October 18.

Unvaccinated educators were additionally told they would not be able to take leave from January 18 and would ultimately get the sack by April 28, 2022.

In October, unvaccinated teachers were reassured they would be paid over the school holidays, a hefty pay cheque that could number in the thousands.

On December 10, teachers and other school staff were told that if they didn't show proof of vaccinated by December 18, they wouldn't be paid (pictured, Melburnians queue for a test)

'Should you update your vaccination status during the school holidays to show that you meet the vaccination requirements, your pay will be reinstated and the expectation is that you will resume duty at the commencement of the 2022 school year,' the email from Mr Bugden read.

Unvaccinated teachers who are not medically exempt can either refuse the jab and not return to school, or get vaccinated and be backpaid their school holiday leave.

A couple, both of whom worked in the state system for years, told the Herald Sun they would miss out on a combined $10,000 over the four-week break.

Another man who worked full-time for nine years said he can't get both his shots in a week and claimed there was no legal basis for being asked to do so.

The teacher said he offered to do daily PCR tests but was denied by the department.

On December 10, teachers were told that if they didn't show proof of vaccinated by December 18, they wouldn't be paid for school holidays (pictured, shoppers in Melbourne)

A Department of Education spokesman said in a statement the school workforce is almost entirely fully vaccinated (pictured, medical staff test residents in Melbourne)

The Education Department said the school workforce is almost entirely vaccinated.

'Staff have overwhelmingly supported this important measure to protect themselves and their school communities,' it said.

'Teaching service and school council employees who work in schools must provide evidence they are fully vaccinated or medically excepted by December 18.

'If they do not, they will be considered unvaccinated from that date and will not receive pay during the school holidays.'
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Typhoon Rai has claimed at least 112 lives after it wrought devastation trampling through a paradise island province in the Philippines killing 63 people.

Governor Arthur Yap of Bohol province said ten others were missing and 13 injured, and suggested the fatalities may still considerably increase with only 33 out of 48 mayors able to report back to him due to downed communications.

Officials were trying to confirm a sizable number of deaths caused by landslides and extensive flooding elsewhere.

In statements posted on Facebook, Yap ordered mayors in his province of more than 1.2million people to invoke their emergency powers to secure food packs and drinking water.

He said drinking water was an urgent problem since stations were down during the power outage.

Typhoon Rai has claimed at least 112 lives after it wrought devastation trampling through a paradise island province in the Philippines killing 63 people. Pictured: Aerial view showing damaged houses in Surigao City, Surigao Del Norte Province.

A handout photo made available by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) shows coastguard personnel conducting rescue mission at a flood-affected village in Kabangkalan City, Negros Occidental

Residents stand amid damaged homes following Typhoon Rai in Talisay, Cebu province, central Philippines on Saturday

This photo taken on December 18, 2021 shows motorists passing a fallen electric pylon caused by Super Typhoon Rai after the storm crossed over Talisay, Cebu province

After joining a military aerial survey of typhoon-ravaged towns, Yap said: 'It is very clear that the damage sustained by Bohol is great and all-encompassing.'

He said the initial inspection did not cover four towns, where the typhoon blew in as it rampaged on Thursday and Friday through central island provinces.

The government said about 780,000 people were affected, including more than 300,000 residents who had to evacuate their homes.

At least 39 other typhoon deaths were reported by the disaster-response agency and the national police.

Officials on Dinagat Islands, one of the southeastern provinces first pounded by the typhoon, separately reported 10 deaths just from a few towns, bringing the overall fatalities so far to 112.

President Rodrigo Duterte flew to the region Saturday and promised two billion pesos ($40 million) in new aid. Aides said the president will visit Bohol on Sunday.

Yesterday, Met Office Storms tweeted that the typhoon had strengthened again in the South China Sea and was forecast to turn northwards, just before reaching the coast of Vietnam.

Typhoon #Rai has strengthened again in the South China Sea. Forecast to turn northwards just before reaching the coast of #Vietnam, but some impacts in the country still likely. pic.twitter.com/RTnUkpLpXj  Met Office Storms (@metofficestorms) December 18, 2021

In this photo provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, children push a cart beside damaged homes due to Typhoon Rai in Surigao del Norte province, southern Philippines on Saturday

A woman sits beside damaged homes due to Typhoon Rai in Talisay, Cebu province, central Philippines on Saturday

In this photo provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, toppled trees lie along an empty road in Surigao del Norte province, southern Philippines on Saturday

In this photo provided by the Philippine Navy, debris are scattered around the damaged Lipata port in Surigao city, Surigao del Norte province, southern Philippines on Friday

At its strongest, the typhoon packed sustained winds of 195 kilometres per hour (121 miles per hour) and gusts of up to 270 kph (168 mph).

It is one of the most powerful in recent years to hit the disaster-prone archipelago, which lies between the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea.

Floodwaters rose rapidly in Bohols riverside town of Loboc, where residents were trapped on their roofs and trees. They were rescued by the coast guard the following day.

On Dinagat Islands, an official said the roofs of nearly all the houses, including emergency shelters, were either damaged or blown away.

At least 227 cities and towns lost electricity, which has since been restored in only 21 areas, officials said, adding three regional airports were damaged, including two that remain closed.

The deaths and widespread damage left by the typhoon ahead of Christmas in the largely Roman Catholic nation brought back memories of the catastrophe inflicted by another typhoon, Haiyan, one of the most powerful on record.

It hit many of the central provinces that were pummeled last week, leaving more than 6,300 people dead in November 2013.

About 20 storms and typhoons batter the Philippines each year. The archipelago is located in the seismically active Pacific 'Ring of Fire' region, making it one of the world's most disaster-prone countries.

A woman walks past clothes that are left to dry on toppled trees due to Typhoon Rai in Talisay, Cebu province, central Philippines on Saturday

A man walks amid damaged homes following Typhoon Rai in Talisay, Cebu province, central Philippines on Saturday

Residents salvage parts of their damaged homes following Typhoon Rai in Talisay, Cebu province, central Philippines on Saturday

In this photo provided by the Office of the Vice President, Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo, second from right, talks to evacuees who are homeless due to Typhoon Rai in Cebu, central Philippines on Saturday
Texas Governor Greg Abbott was at the US-Mexico border in Starr County on Saturday to kick off work on a border wall funded entirely by private donors and state funds.

Abbott has championed the wall, which will take up $1 billion in state money and $54 million from private sector gifts, after President Joe Biden paused federal border wall construction for a review on his first day in office. He then canceled several federal contracts for it.

The construction begins as it was revealed that migrant crossing attempts at the southern border rose 140% from November 2021.

Abbott has aimed to crack down on migration through his Operation Lone Star Initiative, which utilizes Texas' National Guard and its Department of Public Safety.

The initiative has already placed physical hurdles, like steel shipping containers, on borderlines to block migrants.

'While Biden does nothing, we are stepping up to protect our communities,' Abbott tweeted on Saturday.

'The Lone Star State is securing the border.'

Texas Governor Greg Abbott was at the US-Mexico border in Starr County Saturday to kick off work on a border wall funded entirely by private donors and state funds

Abbott, a Republican, has aimed to crack down on migration through his Operation Lone Star Initiative, which utilizes Texas' National Guard and its Department of Public Safety

Some of the wall had already been begun by federal contracts under the Trump administration

Abbott claims that the wall is attempt to step up in the wake of President Biden stopping federal wall building contracts

Posillico Civil Inc., an engineering company, was awarded a $162million contract from the state in November. They had installed 880 feet of barrier by Saturday afternoon.

Abbott told Fox News that not only would his wall secure the border in a way he believes Biden won't, it'll get built at a faster pace than the Trump administration did.

'There are so many large landowners on the border who are so fed up with the Biden administration they are allowing Texas to build the border wall on their property,' Abbott told Tucker Carlson Friday. 'We have 100 miles or so of land that's being donated to the state of Texas for us to build the wall to better secure our border.'

During an appearance on Fox Business on Friday, Abbott said that the Texas legislature had allocated $3 billion for the project.

'Three billion dollars of Texas taxpayer money has been devoted to this cause of Texas securing the border, and so we have a lot of money available to us to continue to build the wall,' Abbott said, adding, 'For Texas [this] is going to cost less than it did for the Trump administration for one reason. And that's because in Texas, unlike the Trump administration, we're not having to devote money to acquire the land The state of Texas owns [land] on the border itself.'

President Biden not only ordered a pause to attempts to build the wall, he also canceled several federal contracts

Former President Donald Trump speaks near a section of the border wall as it began building during his tenure

Abbott said Texas would try to get the federal government to foot the bill.

'We are seeking federal government to pay for this and there have been requests made by members of the Texas Congressional Delegation to the federal government for funding to get all of this done,' Abbott said. 'Texas will also be bringing legal action against the federal government for the state of Texas to get reimbursed for all the costs we have incurred to do the federal government's job.'

Customs and Border Patrol officials encountered nearly 10,000 more border crossing attempts in November than October, up 140% over last November, according to newly released statistics.

Agents reported 173,620 encounters at the US-Mexico border in November, up from 164,303 encounters reported in October. The November figure is still down from 192,001 encounters in September and 209,840 in August.

In November 2020, there were 72,113 crossings.

Agents saw 127,653 unique individuals attempt to cross, a 10% increase over October. More than 50% were processed for expulsion under Title 42, a coronavirus public health order.

Encounters with unaccompanied children rose 9% to 13,959.

Fiscal year 2021 saw the highest number of border crossings on record at 1.7 million.

CBP commissioner Chris Magnus struck a positive tone on the new border figures.

'CBP's November Monthly Operational Update reflects an incredible amount of work on behalf of the American people to keep dangerous drugs and products out of our communities, to facilitate travel and billions of dollars in trade, and to maintain security along our borders,' Magnus said in a statement.

'It's an honor to lead a workforce whose mission is so vital to our economic health and national security. CBP's vigilance is key to disrupting smugglers and transnational criminal organizations as they exploit vulnerable populations and attempt to traffic illegal and dangerous products.'

Agents reported 173,620 encounters at the US-Mexico border in November, up from 164,303 encounters reported in October

The November figure is still down from 192,001 encounters in September and 209,840 in August

Meanwhile, the Biden administration this month was forced to resume former President Trump's Remain-in-Mexico policy by court order. Two bids by the Biden administration to end the policy, which requires those seeking asylum to wait in Mexico while their claims are being processed, were overruled in court.

And on Friday Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough ruled that Democrats cannot include immigration reform in President Biden's Build Back Better plan being debated in the Senate.
Two additional positive COVID cases have been revealed in connection with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's international tour earlier this month, bringing the total number of those infected while travelling to three.

Blinken, 59, departed for his eight-day tour to the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand on December 9 at Joint Base Andrews aboard the U.S. Air Force Special Air Mission 50601.

The trip was cut short, however, as after a journalist had contracted the virus while the traveling party was in Malaysia, which had forced an abrupt cancellation while they were in the country.

On Saturday, it was revealed that the two additional positive cases among crew members had not been not disclosed, bringing the total number of those who tested positive during the trip to three.

The Air Force confirmed the additional cases.

Blinken had planned to travel to countries in Southeast Asia to smooth relations due to China's growing influence in the region.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, 59, cut his international trip to the UK and Southeast Asia short after three positive COVID cases had been found among the members of the traveling party

Blinken is seen arriving in Malaysia where a journalist contracted the virus. Two other crew members were recently revealed to have also tested positive which had previously been disclosed

Blinken had met with Malaysia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Saifuddin Abdullah during his trip

'Two U.S. Air Force aircrew members supporting the Secretary of States international travel tested positive for COVID-19,' Ann Stefanek, the chief of media operations for the Air Force, said in a statement.

'Both aircrew members were fully vaccinated. Neither had come into close contact with the Secretary of State or senior staff.'

She said one is asymptomatic, while the other is experiencing mild symptoms and that both are following host nation COVID protocols, which generally mandate a 10-day quarantine.

The first crew member, who was symptomatic, tested positive in Jakarta, after arriving in the Indonesian capital from Liverpool, England, where Blinken participated in a Group of Seven foreign ministers meeting.

It was not immediately clear where the second crew member tested positive, but the journalist tested positive in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, according to the State Department, which has declined to comment on the Air Force cases.

Blinken boards his aircraft as he departs from Kuala Lumpur from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport

Blinken is seen greeted by officials upon his arrival at Subang Airport in Malaysia

This follows the State Departments announcement that a journalist among the traveling press corps had tested positive, which alarmed the rest of the party and resulted in the trip being cut short.

The journalists diagnosis in Malaysia set off a panic among the traveling party because of quarantine requirements for those testing positive at the next stop in Thailand.

Presented with a series of options to avoid the possibility of others testing positive, especially before the Christmas holiday, Blinken opted to curtail his trip.

Instead of spending Wednesday night in Thailand and having meetings there the next day, Blinken made a brief stop at the airport in Bangkok to replace the infected crew members and did not leave his plane.

He then flew to Guam, an American territory in the Pacific, and then to Hawaii before returning to Washington early Friday morning.

Two statements were given after the journalist's diagnosis and the cancellation of Blinken's meeting in Thailand but neither had mentioned the positive results of the two crew members.

The State Department says it has more than fulfilled the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) guidance for COVID by requiring every member of the traveling party to take daily COVID tests over the course of the trip and asking all of those on board the plane to take follow-up tests.

A reporter in Blinken's press corps posted a photo of people in hazmat suits approaching their plane

The department said Saturday that all official members of the traveling party had tested negative for the virus upon their return to Washington.

'At no time on the trip were the Secretary or his senior staff deemed to be close contacts of anyone who tested positive for COVID-19,' a spokesperson with the department said.

'Throughout the trip, we far exceeded CDC guidelines in terms of our testing and mitigation measures.'

The department also took measures such as increasing testing, enforcing social distancing and notifying traveling members who may have come into contact with the virus.

The spokesperson for the department also revealed that traveling party members had been tested at least eight times for COVID during the week.

However, military crews with the Department of Defense were not required to receive COVID testing and could even sign a waiver to excuse them from getting tested in every country they visit.

'All Air Force aircrew members supporting overseas DV travel are tested before flights departing the U.S., on the ground in every country that requires testing, and upon returning to the United States,' Brigadier General Patrick S. Ryder said.
More than three dozen American citizens and lawful residents, including an 11-month old boy, were rescued from Afghanistan through the help a civilian volunteer group.

The rescue of 39 on Friday, orchestrated by the Tampa-based Project DYNAMO, comes nearly four months after America's chaotic withdrawal from the Taliban-controlled nation in August, which left hundreds of Americans and allies behind.

'This is the first known major airlift rescue with American boots on the ground since the U.S. government abandoned the country of Afghanistan in August,' James Judge, a spokesman for Project DYNAMO, said in a statement.

The volunteer group, which has rescued more than 2,000 Americans who were left behind after U.S. troops withdrew on August 31, said those rescued were staying at a safe house in the capital city of Kabul.

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Project DYNAMO rescued 39 Americans and lawful residents from Afghanistan on Saturday who were left behind after America's chaotic withdrawal in August

Among the evacuees was an 11-year-old boy who flew from Kabul to JFK airport

The volunteer group secured everyone's documents and COVID-19 tests to make the trip

Volunteers provided food, water and COVID-19 testing before transporting them to Kabul International Airport, which was once filled with desperate crowds trying to flee the nation amid the Taliban's take over.

The evacuees flew out aboard two planes and landed at JFK International Airport in New York on Friday.

'It feels amazing to bring American citizens home,' Bryan Stern, Project DYNAMO co-founder, told WTSP.

'These are our neighbors... Our countrymen.'

A third plane holding eight foreign evacuees is set to arrive Sunday morning.

Bryan Stern, Project DYNAMO co-founder, is pictured holding everyone's documents at Kabul International Airport, in Afghanistan, as he preps them for the trip

Those rescued were given food and water at a safe house before heading out

The families arrived in New York on Friday after a day long trip

Biden's decision to withdraw US forces from Afghanistan was widely seen as a blow to American credibility to our Allies, especially amid reports that fellow G-7 leaders tried and failed to persuade him otherwise.

It also alarmed national security experts who feared the power vacuum left by the collapse of the Afghan government and Western evacuations would be filled by Russian and Chinese influence, and become a breeding ground for terrorist groups like Al Qaeda.

And some of the most searing anger at Biden came from the president breaking a vow he made on August 18, when he pledged on ABC News that 'if there's American citizens left, we're gonna stay to get them all out.'

However on August 31, he admitted in a speech after the evacuation concluded that 'about 100 to 200 Americans remain in Afghanistan with some intention to leave.'

The president was also accused of turning away from Afghans who aided the US military during its 20-year occupation - amid reports that Taliban fighters put targets on their backs.

Thousands of former US military translators and aid workers still in the special immigrant visa pipeline were left behind.

Top Biden officials like Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin were also under fire from Congressional lawmakers during heated hearings on Capitol Hill.

A Taliban fighter stands guard at the site of the twin suicide bombs, which killed scores of people including 13 US troops on August 26, at Kabul airport on August 27

Fears are growing that crowds could try to storm the airport once civilian mercy flights stop, or that opportunistic terrorists could attack the densely-packed crowd

Biden defended the United States' widely-criticized withdrawal operation from Afghanistan this past summer, claiming that he was against the invasion 'from the beginning' in a new interview - though his past Senate voting record says otherwise.

Speaking to CBS Sunday Morning, Biden chalked up the bipartisan criticism he received to failing to evacuate 'without anyone getting hurt.'

The president, 79, made the comments during a brief appearance in CBS correspondent Rita Braver's profile of First Lady Dr. Jill Biden.

While discussing the need for bipartisan unity Biden was asked if he was 'willing to lose his presidency' over 'sticking with' his beliefs.

He then launched into an unprompted defense of his record over the chaotic evacuation from Kabul in August, after the Afghan capital fell to the Taliban at unprecedented speed.

'For example, Afghanistan - well, I've been against that war in Afghanistan from the very beginning. We spent $300 million a week in Afghanistan over 20 years,' Biden said.

'Everybody says, "You could have gotten out without anybody being hurt." No one's come up with a way to indicate to me how that happens. And so, there are certain things that are just so important.'
Health officials in NSW revealed they are not testing Covid patients for the Omicron variant unless 'clinically relevant' - and don't know how many cases of the strain are now in the state.

In a series of Tweets on Sunday, NSW Health said while Omicron likely accounts for 'the majority' of the state's recent record Covid cases, but they don't have the resources to test every case for the strain.

Only 313 Omicron cases have been recorded in the state - an official figure that's seemingly meaningless.

The admission, as NSW recorded another 2,566 Covid cases on Sunday - most of which are now presumed to be Omicron - follows a study released from Imperial College London which claims the risk of past cases becoming reinfected with Omicron is five times higher than Delta and symptoms did not appear to be milder.

There is also increasing pressure on NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet to review the easing of restrictions such as mask wearing, which were lifted in the state last week, but hospitalisations are remaining steady with 227 patients in hospital.

NSW Premier Dom Perrottet (pictured) is under pressure to reinstate some restrictions amid the rising number of Omicron cases

On Sunday, NSW Health said there were 2,566 new cases of Covid in the state.

'However, NSW Health advises that the Omicron variant of concern likely accounts for the majority of today's cases,' NSW Health said.

The health department said they did not have the resources to make testing each Covid case for Omicron practicable.

'With the high number of COVID-19 cases, NSW Health will only undertake genomic sequencing for the Omicron variant in the circumstances where it will make a clinical difference to the care of a patient.'

'For instance, where it will inform treatment choices as some therapies work with Delta but not for Omicron, and in situations where it will inform public health action'.

The department added there are 227 Covid cases admitted to hospital, 28 of which are in ICU and ten require ventilation.

The state is currently surging towards 95 per cent of the population fully-vaccinated for at 93.4 per cent of those 16 and over have had two doses.

'Everyone aged 18 years and older may now receive a booster five months after receiving their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine,' NSW Health added.

Restrictions including mandatory mask wearing were removed last week as shoppers packed the city ahead of Christmas (pictured on Sydney's Pitt Street)

But even with high vaccination rates, experts are urging people to continue to practice physical distancing including mask wearing and maintaining 1.5 metres distance.

Epidemiologist and health researcher Professor Nancy Baxter told The Project on Friday that the easing of restrictions in NSW as case numbers surge 'did not make sense'.

'It doesn't make any sense at all, and most jurisdictions have been increasing mask mandates (with the rise in Omicron cases),' she said.

'You have Queensland that has, what, 20 cases today, introducing a mask mandate. Compared to NSW that relaxes theirs when their cases go from 200 to 2000 in 10 days.'

Her statements echo those of chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant who urged mask wearing at a press briefing last week.

'I would urge us to continue to wear those masks in indoor settings,' Dr Chant said.

Her message appears at odds with the state government's new mask-free policy.

During a testy exchange with reporters Dr Chant clarified that ending mask mandates was 'a matter for governments', but that people should take personal responsibility for their health.

Dr Kerry Chant has urged people to continue wearing masks (pictured on Wednesday)

Dr Chant was the only person present at the Wednesday press briefing last week who was standing beside NSW premier Dominic Perrottet to actually wear a mask (pictured)

'From public health position I am strongly recommending wearing masks and asking the community to do so,' she said.

Australian Medical Association president Omar Khorshid also weighed in, suggesting mask mandates should be reintroduced.

'It is a little bit of a gamble, with a new variant clearly embedded now in New South Wales.' he told the ABC's Afternoon Briefing on Wednesday.

The calls to reintroduce mask mandates follow a new study on the strain released by a London university.

The study claimed the risk of reinfection with the Omicron variant is more than five-fold that of Delta and it has shown no sign of being milder.

The results of the study by Imperial College London were based on UK Health Security Agency and National Health Service data on people who tested positive for Covid-19 in a PCR test in England between Nov. 29 and Dec. 11.

'We find no evidence (for both risk of hospitalisation attendance and symptom status) of Omicron having different severity from Delta,' the study said, although it added that data on hospitalisations remains very limited.

The Omicron variant is threatening to send Europe back in lockdown (pictured: crowds pack onto Northumberland Street in Newcastle in the UK on the final Saturday shopping day before Christmas)

'Controlling for vaccine status, age, sex, ethnicity, asymptomatic status, region and specimen date, Omicron was associated with a 5.4-fold higher risk of reinfection compared with Delta,' the study, which was dated Dec. 16, added.

The protection afforded by past infection against reinfection with Omicron may be as low as 19 per cent, Imperial College (ICL) said in a statement, noting that the study had not yet been peer reviewed.

The researchers found a significantly increased risk of developing a symptomatic Omicron case compared to Delta for those who were two or more weeks past their second vaccine dose, and two or more weeks past their booster dose.

The study involved AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines.

Depending on the estimates used for vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic infection from the Delta variant, this translates into vaccine effectiveness of between 0 per cent and 20 per cent after two doses, and between 55 per cent and 80 per cent after a booster dose.

'This study provides further evidence of the very substantial extent to which Omicron can evade prior immunity given by both infection or vaccination,' study lead Professor Neil Ferguson said in ICL's statement.

'This level of immune evasion means that Omicron poses a major, imminent threat to public health.'

Thousands of Christmas shoppers swarmed London's West End (pictured) despite record levels of Covid-19 infections in the UK

But Dr Clive Dix, former Chair of the UK Vaccine Taskforce, said it was important not to overinterpret the data.

'The conclusions made are based on making assumptions about Omicron where we still don't have sufficient data,' Dr Dix said. 'For example, we have no data on the cellular immune response which is now probably driving effectiveness of vaccines.'

'This is a crucial missing assumption in the modelling.'

Some of the conclusions are different to the data emerging from South Africa, where vaccines are holding up well against severe disease and death at present, he said.

'There is a huge amount of uncertainty in these modelled estimates and we can only be confident about the impact of boosters against Omicron when we have another month of data on hospitalisation ICU numbers and deaths,' he said.

The United States is also considering reinstating tough restrictions as the variant increases case numbers (pictured: people wait in line to get tested for Covid-19 at a mobile testing site in Times Square on Friday in New York)

An earlier study by Britain's SIREN looking at reinfection risk in health workers, which was carried out before Omicron emerged, found that a first coronavirus infection offered 85 per cent protection from a second for the following six months.

The data analysed by Imperial College was based on 333,000 cases, including 122,062 of Delta and 1,846 which were confirmed as the Omicron coronavirus variant through genome sequencing.

Imperial College's Professor Azra Ghani, who co-led the study, described it as 'essential for modelling the likely future trajectory of the Omicron wave and the potential impact of vaccination and other public health interventions.'

The new findings could accelerate the imposition of tighter restrictions across a number of European countries in a bid to stem the new variant's spread.
The mother of Star Hobson who allowed her toddler daughter to be murdered by her lover is 'upset' by calls for her eight-year sentence to be reviewed.

Frankie Smith, 20, phoned her grandfather David Fawcett - who is one of the two relatives who speaks to her - earlier this week to moan about her jail term after the Attorney General urged a review into the 'lenient' sentence.

She was given just eight years in prison - meaning she could be out in four - after a judge reduced her sentence to account for the 'burden' of knowing she played a significant role in the death of her 16-month-old daughter.

Smith's partner Savannah Brockhill, 28, was jailed for a minimum of 25 years and given a mandatory life sentence for murdering the child, who bled to death after being attacked at home in Keighley, West Yorkshire, in September last year.

Frankie Smith, 20, phoned her grandfather David Fawcett, 61, (pictured) - who is one of the two relatives who speaks to her - earlier this week to moan about her jail term after the Attorney General urged a review into the 'lenient' sentence

Star's mother Frankie Smith, 20 (L), was cleared of murder, but found guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child at Bradford Crown Court after three days of deliberation. Savannah Brockhill, 28 (R), was convicted by a jury unanimously of the murder of Star Hobson

Innocent Star had been tormented and abused by Smith and Brockhill during her short life

David, 61, told the Sunday People : 'She phoned me on Thursday and she's a little upset because they're reviewing the sentence. People don't think eight years is long enough.

'She's upset about it, to be honest. She's lost a daughter and has to live with that for the rest of her life, that's all she talks about.'

Health minister Gillian Keegan previously suggested Attorney General Suella Braverman could send the case to the Court of Appeal so the sentence of Star's mother could be reviewed.

Ms Keegan, whose brief includes care, told LBC that it 'doesn't sound like' justice that Smith was handed such a short jail term, adding: 'It doesn't sound enough, as a human being, it doesn't sound enough.'

Star's family had last night slammed the 'staggeringly soft' sentences handed out and urged the Attorney General to review the case under the unduly lenient sentencing scheme.

A spokesperson for the Attorney General's Office has now confirmed they received a request for the sentences to be examined, and law officers have 28 days from the date the terms were given to consider the case and make a decision.

Frank Smith, 68, Star's great-grandfather, said he hoped her killers would 'rot in jail' and asked: 'Is that all Star's life is worth? Frankie will be out in four years - how is that justice?'

Police released a harrowing picture of one of the bruises on Star's face that sparked calls to social services from family

TIMELINE OF STAR HOBSON'S SHORT LIFE Star Hobson was only 16-months-old when she was killed at her home in Keighley, West Yorkshire. Here are some of the key events in her short life: 2019 May 21 - Star Hobson is born November - Savannah Brockhill and Frankie Smith begin a relationship. 2020 January 23 - Smith's friend Holly Jones makes the first contact with social services over concerns about domestic violence and how much time she is left looking after Star. Police and social workers visit Star but no concerns are raised. Early February - Star goes to live with her great-grandparents, David Fawcett and Anita Smith at their home in Baildon, Bradford, after Smith says she has split up with Brockhill. April 26 - Star is removed from Anita Smith's house by her mother and taken to live with Smith and Brockhill. May 4 - Anita Smith contacts social services after she is told about Brockhill 'slam-choking' Star. June - David Fawcett posts a picture of Star with bruises on Facebook alongside a happier shot and with the caption 'From this to this in five weeks, what's going on Frankie?' June 21 - Star's father, Jordan Hobson, contacts social services. Police take Star for a hospital examination. Smith says her daughter had hit her face on a coffee table. June 23 - Another friend of the Smith family contacts social services with concerns. August 14 - David Fawcett and Anita Smith see Frankie and Star for the last time. August 28 - David Fawcett is sent a video of Star with bruises and confronts Brockhill. September 2 - Another of Star's great-grandfathers, Frank Smith, contacts social services after seeing video of bruises on the youngster's face. Social workers make an unannounced visit. September 15 - Social services closes the case after concluding the referral to be 'malicious'. September 22 - Star is seriously injured at the flat in Wesley Place, Keighley, and dies later in hospital. 2021 December 14 - Following a trial at Bradford Crown Court Brockhill is convicted of Star's murder while Smith is convicted of causing or allowing the toddler's death. Advertisement

He told the Sun that Brockhill, a former bouncer who beat the defenceless toddler, ultimately deserved the death penalty.

Frank was one of five relatives or close family friends who turned whistleblower and raised concerns over the treatment, and bruises that had appeared, on 16-month-old Star.

He said: 'She [Frankie] watched her child die. She lied repeatedly to cover hers and Brockhill's tracks.

'They both deserve to rot in jail. It's disgusting.'

Health minister Ms Keegan added: 'It's a shocking, shocking case - I mean, it's quite unbelievable. And also the case of poor Arthur (Labinjo-Hughes) as well. I mean, it's just unbelievable.

'Obviously the judge and the jury have made their... they recently passed the sentence but, you know, I guess the Attorney General has that power as well. So I don't know.'

She said: 'Those who loved Star are as bewildered as they are angry and sad at all that has been lost.'

She told the pair: '(Star) was 16 months when she was murdered. Her short life was marked by neglect, cruelty and injury.

'She was murdered by you, Savannah Brockhill. Frankie Smith, it was your role as her mother to protect Star from harm.'

The judge said the 'fatal punch or kick' to Star caused the toddler to lose half the blood in her body and damaged her internal organs.

'The level of force required to inflict these injuries must have been massive - similar to those forces associated with a road traffic accident,' she said.

'Only you both know what triggered that fatal assault.

The violent attack which led to Star's death was not, however, an isolated event.'

The judge said Star was also found to have suffered two brain injuries, numerous rib fractures, the fracture and refracture of her leg, and a skull fracture.

'She was also treated with, at best, callous indifference by you both and, on many occasions, with frank cruelty.'

Mrs Justice Lambert pointed to footage shown many times during the trial of Star 'clearly desperately in need of sleep' falling off her chair and 'dangerously hitting her head on the floor'.

She said both defendants filmed the incident and 'you both found this funny'.

'The question which those who have watched the evidence unfold will be asking is why anyone would or could behave in such a way towards a young and vulnerable child who should be cherished and protected rather than abused and neglected.

'The answer to that question is clear to me.

'Star was caught up in the crossfire of your relationship.'

The Bradford Partnership, which includes the agencies that had contact with Star during her short life, said on Tuesday: 'We need to fully understand why opportunities to better protect Star were missed.'

The safeguarding partnership said a review into the case will be published next month, but it 'deeply regrets' that 'not all the warning signs' were spotted.
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A Sydney apartment building had its roof ripped off and carried away by a 'mini tornado' as a freak five-minute storm swept over the city.

One person has died and two others are critically injured in hospital after wild weather thrashed the NSW capital on Sunday afternoon.

The Northern Beaches were lashed by extreme conditions which saw homes torn apart, power lines ripped from their structures and a trampoline blown into the ocean.

Winds peaked at 80km/h and emergency services received hundreds of calls, with as many as 25,000 residents to be without power late into Sunday night - with the worst of the damage seen around Narrabeen, but also Dee Why and Mona Vale.

A Northern Beaches apartment building had its roof ripped off and carried away by a 'mini tornado' as a freak five-minute storm swept over the city

Winds peaked at 80km/h on Sunday afternoon which saw the Dee Why unit have its roof completely ripped off the building and carried away

Debris scattered the streets causing heavy damage to properties and vehicles after the freak five-minute storm cell hit

Lifesavers swam out through crashing waves to get a trampoline which had been blown from a nearby backyard all the way to the waterfront

Pictures show the devastation caused by the choatic storm with carnage scattered across Sydney's picturesque coastline.

Side-by-side images of the same stretch in the Dee Why show barely visible buildings being lashed by heavy rainfall and wind.

Debris and what appears to be an awning then comes into shot, smashing into parked vehicles.

Shocking footage of a nearby apartment building in the beachside suburb shows a roof being stripped and sucked away by heavy winds.

Trees can be seen thrashing back and forth in the clip posted to Reddit, before the roof of the Northern Beaches unit block rips off and is carried away by cyclonic winds.

'I think this is a tornado, oh my god!' a person in the video can be heard screaming.

Pictures show the devastation caused by the choatic storm with carnage scattered across Sydney's picturesque coastline

Two kids watch from Narrabeen Lake after trees were uprooted and smashed into a ute parked near the shore

A Sydney apartment building had its roof ripped off and carried away by a 'mini tornado' as a freak five-minute storm swept over the city

Other locals say they were struggling to walk and drive as the storm cell swept through the area.

'I was on the beach at Mona Vale when this hit and I almost got blown over trying to walk back to the car,' another social media user posted.

'Didn't realise how bad it was cos it was over by the time I got in the car and started driving.'

Other pictures from the Northern Beaches show massive trees uprooted and stripped of leaves, laid bare across roads and destroyed vehicles.

One resident reported hearing screams after a tree fell and trapped several people inside a car.

Police confirmed in a statement a woman in her 70s had died in Royal North Shore Hospital as a result of the freak storm that hit just after 3:30pm.

Two other people remain in a critical condition.

Emergency services clean up the devastation left after the crazy weather slammed Sydney's north on Sunday

Several cars were crushed by falling trees with one Northern Beaches resident hearing screaming coming from a vehicle

Trees thrashed in the cyclonic winds as the storm tore through Sydney on Sunday afternoon - with one woman dying

Police described the fatality as 'tragic' and said the women that were injured were simply 'in the wrong place at the wrong time'.

'As you can imagine the patients had multiple injuries after being hit by falling branches and other debris,' Inspector Christie Marks said.

'We worked to treat them at the scene and get them to hospital for further care.

'Given the size of this tree it's remarkable that there weren't more people injured.'

There are power outages across the region, with SES and emergency services receiving calls throughout Sunday evening.

Trees cover a footpath on the Northern Beaches after a wild storm caused mass devestation

Locals begin cleaning up their streets on Sunday evening after the freak storm lashed the area

The Dee Why apartment building was ripped open exposing homes in the top floor on Sunday afternoon

More than 25,000 people will be without power until late into Sunday evening after the freak weather conditions tore down local power lines.

There remains severe thunderstorm alerts in place for large parts of Sydney, Newcastle, Gosford, Wollongong and Bathurst as a storm cell sweeps over south-eastern NSW.

Experts are predicting strong winds will continue to batter the state into the night, with police urging people not to enter dangerous areas.

Temperatures peaked at 35.8 degrees on Sunday and will remain in the high 20s on Monday and Tuesday in welcome news for sun-starved Sydneysiders.
Flower growers in Cornwall fear 80 per cent of their crop will rot in the fields next Spring due to a shortfall of 2,500 EU workers.

Around 80 per cent of Britain's daffodils are grown in Cornwall, generating around 100million for the UK economy.

January sees the start of harvesting and the daffodil industry needs approximately 2,500 workers to pick more than a billion stems.

A number of growers believe that 75 per cent of their crop will not be picked next year as a result of labour shortages.

Smaller growers will likely stop growing daffodils altogether as they struggle to bring workers to their fields.

Much of the labour supply comes from eastern Europe - in recent years mostly from Romania and Bulgaria.

A number of growers believe that 75 per cent of their crop will not be picked next year as a result of labour shortages

Smaller growers will likely stop growing daffodils altogether as they struggle to bring workers to their fields

The UK Government's post-Brexit immigration plans moved the UK away from offering visas to low-skilled migrant workers from Europe, drastically reducing the number of workers coming to the UK.

A scheme to attract seasonal workers from other parts of the world does not currently include flower picking as part of its remit.

A number of growers in the region have also tried to recruit locals, but with very limited success.

'If we cant recruit more pickers, there wont be a daffodil industry left. The situation is very grim,' James Hosking, of Fentongollan Farm, near Truro in Cornwall, told the Guardian.

'If only 50% is picked this spring, the following spring youre looking at 25% of that. And that means youre out of business.

'Therell be no alternative but to stop growing daffodils. Thats the end of an industry the UK leads the world in.'

Around 80 per cent of Britain's daffodils are grown in Cornwall, generating around 100million for the UK economy

January sees the start of harvesting and the daffodil industry needs approximately 2,500 workers to pick more than a billion stems

The world's largest daffodil grower, Varfell Farms in Penzance, Cornwall, produces 500million stems a year and needs 700 workers to pick them.

The crops are worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, but since Covid and the end of free movement following Brexit, the business only has around 400 flower pickers.

Workers at Varfell Farms earn 890 a week on average and their top pickers can earn up to 1800 a week.

Earlier this year, the business' owner Alex Newey said that it has to let daffodils rot in the fields as a result.

'We can't harvest them, we don't have enough pickers to pick them,' he said.

'We're losing hundreds of thousands of pounds.'

Much of the labour supply comes from eastern Europe - in recent years mostly from Romania and Bulgaria

'We have significant recruitment drives for local workers to come and harvest crops,' added Mr Newey.

'It's idealistic to think that because of Covid and the higher than usual unemployment rates that those people would come in and do that work.

'I would say that a daffodil harvester is to be highly respected because the work is very hard.

'You're out in the cold weather, it's in Cornwall, it blows pretty hard down there.

'It's wet and you're bending over picking daffodils for three months.

'Frankly, the people that we've had to come and do this work, the locals, may last a day or two days, but they certainly don't last two or three months.'

The government has promised to extend the visa scheme to include non-edible crops such as daffodils.

However, with just two weeks until the harvest season, the government has made no announcements.

MailOnline has contacted the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for comment.
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Boris Johnson suffered another hammer blow today as his ally Lord Frost dramatically quit slating Covid curbs and high taxes - with furious Tories demanding the PM sacks his chief-of-staff to avoid being ousted himself.

The Brexit minister, up to now a close ally of Mr Johnson, walked out with a parting shot at the 'direction of travel' and saying he had hoped the end of lockdown would be 'irreversible'.

The departure immediately sparked an extraordinary new wave of anger on Conservative WhatsApp groups, with MPs branding the development a 'disaster' and a 'watershed moment'.

Mutinous backbenchers have been retweeting messages suggesting that it might be 'too late' for the premier to save himself, after the massive mutiny over Plan B curbs last week and weeks of misery over sleaze allegations and the Downing Street 'Partygate' scandal. It could make it even harder for Mr Johnson to push through new restrictions to combat the surging Omicron variant, despite scientists warning mixing between households should be banned at Christmas.

Nikki da Costa, a former No10 aide and friend of Lord Frost, warned that the 'whole system' in No 10 'doesn't work'.

Echoing the views of many MPs, she told the Sunday Telegraph that Dan Rosenfield, a former Treasury official who replaced Dominic Cummings in Downing Street in late 2020, was partly responsible because he lacked 'political sensibility'. 'He doesn't like challenge,' she said.

Chief whip Mark Spencer has also been the target of Conservatives' ire, with anger that he has failed to head off problems such as the Owen Paterson lobbying row and the rebellion over 'Plan B'.

Lord Frost, who negotiated Britain's departure from the EU as Brexit Minister, is understood to have been persuaded to delay his resignation until January after giving notice to Mr Johnson a week ago.

However, after the Mail on Sunday exclusively revealed he was departing, the peer brought forward his departure.

A senior Government source said it was prompted by the introduction of 'Plan B' Covid measures, including vaccine passports. But that was just the final straw after months of growing discontent over tax rises and the staggering cost of 'net zero' environmental policies.

Conservative MPs are increasingly talking about a challenge to the Prime Minister's leadership within the next six months, with Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss leading the field of contenders.

Messages from a Whatsapp group of more than 100 Tory MPs titled 'Clean Global Brexit', showed Andrew Bridgen describing the move as a 'disaster' while Theresa Villiers calls it 'very worrying'.

Culture minister Nadine Dorries described Mr Johnson as a 'hero' and then appeared to be removed from the group before rebel ringleader Steve Baker wrote: 'Enough is enough'.

In his letter, released by Downing Street, Lord Frost praised Mr Johnson's work to implement the EU referendum result, but added: 'Brexit is now secure. The challenge for the Government now is to deliver on the opportunities it gives us.

'You know my concerns about the current direction of travel. I hope we will move as fast as possible to where we need to get to: a lightly regulated, low-tax, entrepreneurial economy, at the cutting edge of modern science and economic change.'

Making clear his frustration with Mr Johnson's strategy on the pandemic, he added: 'We also need to learn to live with Covid and I know that is your instinct too. You took a brave decision in July, against considerable opposition, to open up the country again.

'Sadly it did not prove to be irreversible, as I wished, and believe you did too. I hope we can get back on track soon and not be tempted by the kind of coercive measures we have seen elsewhere.'

In his reply, Mr Johnson expressed his sadness at Lord Frost's departure but praised his 'unique contribution towards getting Brexit done'.

Cabinet Minister Lord Frost has dramatically resigned from Boris Johnson's Government, The Mail on Sunday can reveal

Lord Frost's resignation became a controversial move among some Conservative MPs, messages from a WhatsApp group reveal. In a group of more than 100 MPs titled 'Clean Global Brexit', Andrew Bridgen describes the move as a 'disaster' and Theresa Villiers calls it 'very worrying', Sky News reports. Culture minister Nadine Dorries described Mr Johnson as a 'hero' and then appears to be removed from the group before Steve Baker writes 'Enough is enough'

Steve Baker says 'we have troubles enough in our immediate future' following the resignation of Lord Frost

Former Cabinet minister Lord Frost is seen arriving at 10 Downing Street on November 24, 2021

Pictured: Lord Frost's resignation letter to Boris Johnson, telling the Prime Minister 'you know my concerns about the current direction of travel'

Pictured: Boris Johnson's letter to Lord Frost, saying he was 'very sorry to receive' his resignation, 'given everything you have achieved and contributed to this Government'

IN FULL: LORD FROST'S RESIGNATION LETTER Dear Boris, I have led our EU exit process for the two and half years since you became Prime Minister. In those years we have restored the UK's freedom and independence as a country and begun the process of building a new relationship with the EU. That will be a long-term task. That is why we agreed earlier this month that I would move on in January and hand over the baton to others to manage our future relationship with the EU. It is disappointing that this plan has become public this evening and in the circumstances I think it is right for me to write to step down with immediate effect. Brexit is now secure. The challenge for the Government now is to deliver on the opportunities it gives us. You know my concerns about the current direction of travel. I hope we will move as fast as possible to where we need to get to: a lightly regulated, low-tax, entrepreneurial economy, at the cutting edge of modern science and economic change. Three hundred years of history show that countries which take that route grow and prosper, and I am confident we will too. We also need to learn to live with Covid and I know that is your instinct too. You took a brave decision in July, against considerable opposition, to open up the country again. Sadly it did not prove to be irreversible, as I wished, and believe you did too. I hope we can get back on track soon and not be tempted by the kind of coercive measures we have seen elsewhere. Together we have put this country onto a new path. I am confident that under your leadership this newly free Britain can succeed and prosper hugely. I wish you and the Government every success in that. David Advertisement

He added: 'Many said that it would be impossible to secure such a comprehensive agreement ... in such short time, even before the Covid-19 pandemic struck.

'It simply would not have been possible without your relentless hard work, resolve and vision. You should be immensely proud of your historic service to this Government and this country.'

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said Lord Frost was 'principled' - referring to his own resignation as Chancellor before the pandemic when Mr Cummings sacked his advisers.

Speaking on Trevor Phillips On Sky News Mr Javid said: 'I've had the privilege of working with him now for a couple of years. I think he's an outstanding public servant and I think that the way Brexit was done and how we achieved those successes, he's been a central architect of that, so I wish him the best.

'But I do understand his reasons, he's a principled man, you know, principled people do resign from the government  I know all about that  and that's something that's a decision for him to take.'

Backbencher Peter Bone said MPs were looking for Mr Johnson to pursue a 'more Conservative agenda'.

'I think absolutely what Lord Frost says is what I am looking towards Boris doing in the future and I think so many of my colleagues are,' he said.

'Boris has led this country exceptionally well, getting Brexit done, dealing with Covid, keeping our spirits up and getting the vaccination first in the world, saving millions of lives and keeping people in jobs and the economy recovered but what comes next?

'And that's what I think Lord Frost was talking about and I think part of that rebellion of 100 Conservative MPs was partly due to the fact that we want to see the Prime Minister move to a more Conservative agenda in the future.'

Lord Frost's dramatic move  triggered by his growing 'disillusionment' with the direction of Tory policy  has sparked yet another crisis within a beleaguered Downing Street.

The revelation is the latest blow for the embattled Mr Johnson, following a Commons rebellion of 100 Tory MPs over the 'Plan B' measures and the loss of a 23,000 majority in the North Shropshire by-election amid the 'partygate' row over celebrations inside No 10.

Sources said that Lord Frost's bombshell has caused 'panic' inside No 10. The Government source said: 'Lord Frost has been among the strongest advocates inside the Cabinet for keeping the country open and for avoiding further legislative control measures to deal with the pandemic. He believes that vaccine passports are an inappropriate measure on principle.

'The new Covid regulations added to his disillusionment with the policy direction of the Government in recent months, including his opposition to recent tax rises and the net zero prioritisation. He has made clear in recent public speeches that he does not believe a European-style high-tax, high-spend economic model that has been pursued by Downing Street is likely to deliver the benefits of Brexit.'

Lord Frost's stance reflects Mr Sunak's concerns about being strong-armed by No 10 into introducing measures such as the 1.25 percentage point hike in National Insurance to tackle the NHS backlog and reform long-term care, and the 'net zero' plan to decarbonise the economy by 2050, which some estimates have said will cost as much as 1.4 trillion.

The source added that despite the policy differences with No 10, Lord Frost's departure appeared to be on good terms.

A senior Government insider said that there were lots of factors behind Lord Frost's decision to move on.

But the source said they thought that, in particular, he had 'had enough of his current role which involved endless, exhausting skirmishes with Brussels.'

Lord Frost's resignation will come as a particular blow because he was known within Government as 'Boris's Brexit brain'. He led the UK's negotiations with the EU on a free trade agreement during the transition period, and the current disputes over Northern Ireland.

The infamous Northern Ireland Protocol keeps the border with the Republic open but requires checks on goods from Britain, which has led to certain products  such as sausages and oak trees  being blocked from entering the province under EU rules.

His departure also means the loss of one of the most popular Cabinet Ministers. In the most recent survey of Conservative MPs, he recorded a net satisfaction rating of 73.3 per cent, second only to Ms Truss and ahead of Mr Sunak. Lord Frost's resignation comes just as Mr Johnson was plotting a New Year 'relaunch' for the Government, understood to involve a shake-up of his No 10 team, a clear-out of his Whips Office  including Chief Whip Mark Spencer  and a limited ministerial reshuffle.

The mass Commons rebellion has exposed fault lines in No 10's relationship with the Parliamentary party, which leaves Mr Johnson exposed to the prospect of a vote of no confidence and, if he loses that, a contest for a new leader.

A confidence vote is triggered if 54 Tory MPs send letters to Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 Committee, calling for one.

Prime Minster Boris Johnson speaks with members of the Metropolitan Police in their break room, as he makes a constituency visit to Uxbridge police station on December 17, 2021

A senior Government source said Lord Frost's departure had been prompted by the introduction of 'Plan B' Covid measures, including vaccine passports

Rees-Mogg and Tory Chief Whip 'vulnerable' in mini-reshuffle Boris Johnson plans to 'reboot' his embattled Government by sacking his Commons 'enforcer' in an attempt to repair the fractured relations between No 10 and his restless Parliamentary party. Sources said that after last week's revolt by nearly 100 Tories over Covid restrictions, the Prime Minister was planning to 'clear out' the Whips Office, including Chief Whip Mark Spencer, in a small, targeted reshuffle. Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg, who with Mr Spencer helped to persuade Mr Johnson to back Owen Paterson in the sleaze row that caused another revolt and led to the loss of North Shropshire in Thursday's by-election, is seen as vulnerable. The hunt is also under way for a potential replacement for Mr Johnson's Chief of Staff Dan Rosenfeld as Mr Johnson heeds calls to make the No 10 operation more muscular and experienced. Although the coming months are expected to still be dominated by Covid and the booster campaign as cases surge, the Prime Minister is hoping to reinject momentum into his domestic agenda by publishing the delayed 'Levelling Up' White Paper. It has been written by the Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove and Andy Haldane, the former chief economist at the Bank of England. Their plans  to redistribute resources from the wealthy south to deprived areas  are expected to include the proposal to replace all 24 existing county councils and 181 district councils with elected mayoralties and create American-style governors for rural areas. It has been claimed that Mr Johnson was angered that the plans, which are an effective manifesto for the second part of his Premiership, were too 'blue sky' and lacking in concrete detail. Advertisement

The total is always kept strictly secret by Sir Graham, but the number of MPs threatening to do so has increased sharply since the by-election loss.

Downing Street is also waiting nervously for the results of a Cabinet Office investigation into 'partygate', which has itself been plunged into chaos. Cabinet Secretary Simon Case, who had been chosen to lead the investigation, stepped aside on Friday after it emerged an event was held in his own office in December last year.

A quiz was held for members of Mr Case's private office with invites sent out titled 'Christmas Party!' It took place on December 17, the day before the No 10 'cheese and wine' gathering which forms part of Mr Case's investigation. The probe will now be concluded by senior civil servant Sue Gray

Senior Tory sources say that if the by-election had been held a fortnight ago, before the partygate storm broke, they would have held the seat, which they lost to the Liberal Democrats.

They believe Mr Johnson will 'tough out' the rest of the winter  helped by the sense of national emergency created by the surge in Covid cases due to the Omicron variant  but face a serious threat in the spring as a result of May's local elections.

Theresa May increased the party's haul of council seats by 550 the last time they were contested in May 2017, when Jeremy Corbyn was Labour leader.

But her feat means Mr Johnson is likely to sustain morale-sapping losses next time around. MPs allied to Ms May are helping to foment opposition to Mr Johnson, out of revenge for the political trouble he caused her over Brexit when she was PM.

If members want to ditch Mr Johnson, they are likely to want to do so well in advance of the next General Election, due by 2024.

Lord Frost has also grown increasingly frustrated by his wrangles with European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic in the Brexit negotiations, threatening to suspend the Northern Ireland protocol by triggering Article 16 if agreement cannot be reached.

Writing for The Mail on Sunday last month, Lord Frost referred to the 'intensive and sometimes dramatic argument with the EU' over the protocol and called for 'more ambition and more urgency', saying: 'The core of the problem is that all kinds of goods are not getting to Northern Ireland in the way that they do to the rest of our country, or face extra costs and delays if they do. That's not fair on consumers in Northern Ireland.'

He previously sounded a warning about high-tax, high-spend policies at speeches to the Tory conference and to the Margaret Thatcher conference, run by the Centre For Policy Studies think-tank, last month.

Lord Frost was not available for comment last night.

The former ambassador and whisky buff who went back into Government to work for Boris Lord Frost was made a minister in the Cabinet Office in February this year, having served as Britain's chief Brexit negotiator since July 2019. He led the UK team during trade talks with Brussels which came to a successful conclusion in December last year. With the trade deal now in the books, he had been due to become National Security Adviser in the coming weeks but he will now be sticking with the Brexit brief. Born in Derby, Mr Frost won a scholarship to Nottingham High School before going on to study French and history at St John's College, Oxford. He joined the Foreign Office in 1987, with his first posting taking him to the British High Commission in Cyprus. In 1993 he experienced his first taste of working with the EU when he was posted to Brussels as first secretary for economic and financial affairs. He was then sent to the United Nations. Between 2006 and 2008 he was Britain's ambassador to Denmark before becoming the UK's most senior trade policy official in the business department. He left the diplomatic service in 2013 to head the Scotch Whisky Association  but when Mr Johnson became foreign secretary he returned to government as his special adviser. He also served as a member of the advisory council of Open Europe, a Eurosceptic think-tank. When Mr Johnson became Prime Minister, Mr Frost came back on board and duly negotiated the deal which enabled Britain to leave the EU at the end of January last year before then moving onto to trade discussions with the bloc. Advertisement

ANNA MIKHAILOVA: The Great Frost who learned to negotiate from the Kremlin

A rare Brexiteer in Whitehall, Lord Frost has made his name fighting Britain's battles with Brussels in the face of barefaced threats and hostile rhetoric.

His fearsome reputation at the negotiating table prompted Boris Johnson to declare him the 'Greatest Frost since the Great Frost of 1709' in his conference speech this year.

The pair have been allies since Mr Johnson was Foreign Secretary. And when he became Prime Minister, Mr Johnson appointed the former career diplomat to take charge of the negotiations where Theresa May and her chief negotiator, Olly Robbins had failed.

Known as 'Boris's Brexit brain' in Downing Street, Lord David Frost, 56, graduated from Oxford with a first-class degree in history and medieval French.

A rare Brexiteer in Whitehall, Lord Frost has made his name fighting Britain's battles with Brussels in the face of barefaced threats and hostile rhetoric

He started his career as a diplomat in the Foreign Office, where his roles included being posted to Brussels and serving as ambassador to Denmark.

He left the civil service in 2013 to head the Scotch Whisky Association. At the time he wrote a pamphlet on negotiating with the EU which advised: 'Make what you want seem normal.'

He was brought back into the government fold by Mr Johnson to advise him as Foreign Secretary, who then made him chief Brexit negotiator in 2019.

Mr Johnson subsequently praised his 'Herculean efforts in securing a deal with the EU'.

During his talks with Brussels, Lord Frost drew on tips from a book called The Kremlin School of Negotiation, written by Igor Ryzov, an expert in hardball tactics from the KGB era.

The book, published in the UK in 2019, offers insights into Soviet tradecraft and tips such as putting opponents into a zone of uncertainty where 'fear is the most powerful weapon'. And it describes Andrei Gromyko, the Soviet foreign minister involved in the Cuban Missile Crisis, as a master of the techniques.

He was brought back into the government fold by Mr Johnson to advise him as Foreign Secretary, who then made him chief Brexit negotiator in 2019

Last year Mr Johnson gave Lord Frost joint responsibilities of leading post-Brexit trade negotiations with the EU and acting as National Security Adviser.

The security appointment prompted a tart comment from Mrs May who called him a 'political appointee with no proven expertise in national security.'

However Lord Frost never took up the job full-time and instead retained a focus on negotiations with the EU, as well as taking up a seat in the House of Lords.

His title since March last year has been Minister of State at the Cabinet Office, and he has been a full member of Mr Johnson's Cabinet.

Since Britain left the EU, Lord Frost has been leading the post-Brexit trade negotiations, taking a notably tough line and publicly saying he is not afraid of ripping up the Northern Ireland protocol.

He took to Twitter to attack 'French rhetoric and threats' over fisheries after a French minister said the EU could hit the UK's energy supply.

In a significant speech in Portugal in October, Lord Frost laid down the gauntlet to the EU and said it 'doesn't always look like' the bloc wants the UK to succeed.

He said it will 'take two' to repair the 'fractious' relationship between Britain and Brussels.

But sources said Lord Frost has recently privately bemoaned the lack of movement over the protocol, and has said Mr Johnson is too distracted by other issues.

Privately Lord Frost says Mr Johnson isn't 'focused' on the Northern Ireland talks, but when the PM does concentrate, he provides the political will to get talks over the line

Privately he says Mr Johnson isn't 'focused' on the Northern Ireland talks, but when the PM does concentrate, he provides the political will to get talks over the line.

Last week, critics accused the Government of 'going soft' in its approach to the protocol as it announced negotiations would be rolled into the new year with a new deadline of the end of February.

Married to his second wife Harriet, Lord Frost has two children from his first marriage. He is a keen runner  but sources said he eased back last year when he suffered Covid symptoms.
The death of two men and two children who went down in a light plane crash was made all the more heartbreaking after it was revealed the pilot's loved ones were at the aerodrome as part of a family day in the lead up to Christmas.

Robert 'Roy' Watterson, 67, took off with a boy, a girl and another man on a joy flight around Redcliffe, north-west of Brisbane, at about 9am on Sunday.

But shortly after becoming airborne, the Rockwell Commander 114 disappeared behind mangroves and plunged into the water near Scarborough Marina.

It is understood the plane had engine trouble and flipped when Mr Watterson tried to return to the landing strip.

Aerial footage showed the plane, registered to Mr Watterson, underwater and upside-down.

Pilot Robert 'Roy' Watterson, 67 (pictured), died in a plane crash in waters off north-west of Brisbane with two children and another man

It is understood the plane had engine trouble and flipped when Mr Watterson tried to return to the landing strip

Mr Watterson's family became increasingly worried when the four-seater plane did not return to the Redcliff Aerodrome as scheduled.

'There were a number of family members of the pilot who were at the Redcliff Air ground at the time of the accident,' QLD Police Inspector Craig White told reporters.

'The family are deeply traumatised as you would expect. It's a tragic accident in the lead-up to Christmas and it's the last thing that any family needs to go through at any time.

'The families became aware when they knew that the aircraft hadn't returned on site and also they began looking at social media posts.'

Inspector White said Queensland Police divers in the afternoon recovered the bodies of the other passengers from the wreckage.

They are thought to be from Canberra but officers are still working to identify their next of kin.

Police and coast guards attended the scene (pictured). The plane was lodged among mangroves and was difficult for rescue teams to access

Pictured: The light plane floating in the water near Scarborough Marina, near Brisbane

Aerial footage showed the plane underwater and upside-down after crashing into the ocean (pictured)

He said the joy flight was prearranged but the group were not charged any money for the scenic tour.

The cause of the crash remains undetermined with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau now investigating what went wrong.

'Our Brisbane team is already on the site to gather evidence and we have another team of investigators coming up from Canberra on Monday morning,' ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said.

Police and the ATSB are now calling on anyone who may have witnessed the crash to come forward as they scour through air traffic control logs to determine why the plane went down.

A preliminary report is expected to be released within six to eight weeks.
A Muslim-convert extremist serving a life sentence for stabbing a prison officer at a high security jail mocked and joked about his sentence on Facebook despite a social media and internet ban.

Baz Hockton was one of two terrorists who 'savagely' attacked an officer with makeshift 'shanks' while wearing fake suicide belts and shouting 'Allahu Akbar' at HMP Whitemoor, Cambridgeshire, on January 9 last year.

Already serving a 12-year sentence for a separate stabbing attack, Hockton was radicalised in prison after befriending Brusthom Ziamani - a convicted terrorist who planned to behead a soldier in 2014 inspired by the murder of Lee Rigby.

Hockton was sentenced to life imprisonment in October 2020, but has been posting on Facebook mocking his prison sentence from inside HMP Strangeways in Manchester, despite a ban on phones and internet access, The Sunday Telegraph reports.

In one post, he said 'Strangeway living 2021' along with a picture of him bearded and smiling with a shaven-headed in a tracksuit top and bottoms.

Baz Hockton is serving a life sentence for stabbing a prison officer at a high security jail HMP Whitemoor last year

A CCTV image of the aftermath of the attack on a prison officer at HMP Whitemoor in January last year

The post received comments including 'you look like a terrorist Baz, get a shave mun [sic]' and 'Bazzie, you looking well Boom Boom xxx'.

Hockton and Ziamani lured Prison Officer Neil Trundle into a cupboard space off-limits to prisoners at HMP Whitemoor by asking him to fetch them a spoon before attacking him with makeshift weapons.

Both inmates were found in possession of Islamic extremist writings when their cells were searched after the brutal murder bid.

Material was also recovered from Hockton's cell setting out his desire to become a martyr.

Weeks before the attempted murder, an image was uploaded to the Facebook site boasting of how he would be leaving prison.

It said: '2026 Soon Home. Whitemoor living.'

Despite the posts, a Facebook site in his name was still live last week.

A post said: 'Inbox me all your details and I will send you some Xmas money, bro.'

Professor Ian Acheson, a former prison governor and Government advisor on extremism in prisons, said: 'Here is another example of state institution being humiliated by failing to notice what purports to be a convicted terrorist offender, who almost killed a prison officer, being able to operate online.

'If he is able to operate a phone, it is another catastrophic system failure.

The exterior of HMP Whitemoor high-security jail in Cambridgeshire, home to some of Britain's most dangerous offenders

'This is one of the most iconic and dangerous offenders who almost carried out the first ever murder of a prison officer in Britain.

'How are they allowing him access to a Facebook site? And why is a platform like Facebook allowing him to so brazenly boast about his exploits.'

The Facebook site has now been taken down.

A spokesperson for Meta, Facebook's parent company, said: 'We removed the account brought to our attention. We have a well-established process with the Ministry of Justice and will remove inmate accounts being used from prison.'

A statement added it has rules prohibiting terrorists and hate groups from using the platform.

It refused to respond to questions on why the site had remained live through and beyond Hockton's conviction for the terror attack.

Hockton was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 23 years after a judge said she was satisfied he was 'inspired by extremist beliefs' and had a 'terrorist connection'.

The Ministry of Justice said anyone found with a phone in prison faced extra time behind bars and it was spending 100 million on extra security measures including x-ray body scanners and phone blocking technology at 74 male prisons.
The father of a 12-year-old boy who narrowly survived Tasmania's jumping castle tragedy revealed his son is 'so lucky' to be alive, and had been thrown off the inflatable moments before disaster struck.

Beau Medcraft lost six of his Hillcrest Primary School classmates last week after a 'mini-tornado' swept the jumping castle into the air, with the children falling 10 metres to their deaths.

John Medcraft took to social media to share the details of his son's fortunate escape and express his sorrow to the victims who weren't so lucky.

'My boy Beau was and is so lucky, he was on the jumping castle and thrown off,' he said of Thursday's tragedy,' he said.

'He's bruised, busted and broken but he's still with us. He's more thinking of his mates he's lost and all of them. He's a tough kid.'

The father of 12-year-old Beau Medcraft, who survived the jumping castle tragedy which claimed the lives of six of his classmates, said his son is 'so lucky' to be alive - as he attends the memorial to farewell his classmates

Beau attended the growing memorial for the six children on Sunday, armed with gaming controllers which he left as a tribute to his dead friends.

With both arms in casts and his shoulder in a sling, Beau placed four Xbox controllers among the sea of flowers and cards left by families and members of the local community.

He then broke down as he hugged his parents who embraced the young boy at the tribute.

The grandparents of the youngest victim of the tragedy lamented the life 'taken away'.

Graham and Sharyn Deacon also attended the memorial on Sunday to farewell 11-year-old Addison Stewart.

'Addison had such a great life ahead of her but that has been taken away,' grandfather Mr Deacon said.

'We are just so proud of her. She is a beautiful granddaughter, we have looked after her since she was a baby.'

Chase Harrison (pictured, bottom right) died in hospital on Sunday. His death follows those of 11-year-old Addison Stewart and 12-year-olds Zane Mellor, Jye Sheehan, Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones and Peter Dodt

The grandfather of Zane Mellor, 12, shared an emotional moment at the site of the tragedy on Sunday, embracing a tree before sitting and crying beneath it.

He walked into the grounds behind the memorial, with a counsellor telling the Daily Telegraph he was 'looking for answers'.

'I saw a granddad who was wanting some closure, he wanted to know,' Tasmanian rural health counsellor Bradley Carter said.

'It was lovely to be with him at that moment. He is not blaming anyone, he is just looking for answers.

'He doesn't want jumping castles banned but he just wants to make them safer so kids can enjoy it and know they will come home.'

Beau lost six of his Hillcrest Primary School classmates last week after a 'mini-tornado' swept the jumping castle into the air, with the children falling 10 metres to their deaths (pictured, Zane Mellor's mother Georgina lays a tribute at the scene)

The latest victim, Chace Harrison, died on Sunday morning at the Royal Hobart Hospital.

The 11-year-old became the sixth child to die, with her relatives saying it had completely destroyed their family.

'It is just such a tough time,' relative Karen Wallace said. 'We don't even want to celebrate Christmas.'

The latest victim, Chace Harrison (pictured), died on Sunday morning at the Royal Hobart Hospital

Miranda McLaughlin's son, Peter Dodt, was one of six children killed in the horrific accident in Devonport.

Ms McLaughlin hadn't seen Peter or her daughters Cassie and Chloe since last Christmas because they live with their father Andrew in Tasmania and state borders kept closing.

When restrictions finally eased in December, the mother-of-nine told Daily Mail Australia that she and her toddler Dylan jumped on a plane to Devonport last week.

Unbeknown to her, it would be the last time she would see Peter alive.

He was killed in the incident, along with his classmates Jye Sheehan, Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones and Zane, all age 12, while Addison and Chace were both 11.

Two others are fighting for life in hospital, and one has been released to recover at home.
Sadiq Khan today delivered a stark message to Londoners about New Year partying warning urging them to stay at home with family.

The capital's mayor pleaded with the public to 'err on the side of caution' - saying they should only go to pubs and restaurants if it can be done 'safely'.

Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr show, Mr Khan gave a grim picture of the 'existential' threat facing hospitality businesses as people bunker down and cancel events over Covid fears.

He called on the government to bring forward a package of support to keep venues afloat during the latest crisis.

But he also gave a clear indication that people should not be engaging in revelry in the current climate.

Sadiq Khan today delivered a stark message to Londoners about New Year partying warning urging them to stay at home with family

Asked whether New Year parties should be going ahead, Mr Khan said: 'I think it depends what sort of parties you are planning. If it is with your family, your direct family at home of course that is fine.

'I think what you have got to recognise, if you are meeting with strangers, if you have not had your lateral flow test on that day, if you can't keep your social distance, if there is not good ventilation, you may be passing the virus on if you have got it without showing symptoms.

'Or you may be getting it. Err on the side of caution.'

Told that chief medic Chris Whitty was urging people to be selective about the events that were important to them personally, Mr Khan said: I've not had the benefit I'm afraid of listening to Chris Whitty directly, but I trust Chris Whitty if that is the advice from the chief medical officer I would rather listen to him.'

Asked whether people should still be going to bars and restaurants, he said: 'If they can do so safely.'

Mr Khan yesterday declared a major incident due to the 'hugely concerning' surge in cases across the capital, as he voiced fears about staff absences in vital public services including the NHS, the fire service and police due to infection.

In a dire warning, the Mayor of London said the rapid spread of the Omicron variant had left him 'incredibly worried' that the capital could run out of police officers, NHS workers and firefighters.

'The surge in cases of the Omicron variant across our capital is hugely concerning, so we are once again declaring a major incident because of the threat of Covid-19 to our city,' he said.

The number of confirmed cases of Omicron in England increased by 69 per cent on the previous day's total - up 9,427 to 23,168, figures from the UKHSA showed today

Boris Johnson has so far refused scientists' pleas for a last-ditch Christmas lockdown to quell the spread of the Omicron mutant variant

'The Omicron variant has quickly become dominant with cases increasing rapidly and the number of patients in our hospitals with Covid-19 on the rise again.'

But a Government source angrily accused Mr Khan  who announced a similar major incident in January  of politicising Covid-19.

Omicron is the dominant variant in London and it is thought it has also replaced Delta across England and Scotland.

The number of people in the capital's hospitals with the virus has risen 28.6 per cent week on week, according to official figures released on Friday.
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At least 45 more migrants have been pulled from British waters this morning pushing the total number closer to 27,000 just days before Christmas.

The migrants were spotted being helped ashore by Border Force officials in Dungeness, Kent, after making the journey across the English Channel from France during heavy fog.

Tired and freezing from the winter cold, the migrants were seen without lifejackets stepping on to dry land Dungeness in Kent at around 7am after being picked up in the English Channel by the RNLI.

They walked up the vast shingle beach, some wrapped in blankets, escorted by police before being taken to be processed.

At least 45 migrants were spotted being helped ashore by Border Force officials in Dungeness, Kent, after making the journey across the English Channel from France during heavy fog

The migrants, who appeared to be mostly men, were seen wrapping up in scarves and hooded jackets to keep warm

Men are aided ashore by Border Force officials in Dungeness, Kent, this morning

A coastguard rescue helicopter was deployed to pick up five migrants who jumped from a dinghy eight miles off the coast of Dungeness

It comes after another 100 were intercepted yesterday, bringing the grand total of migrants crossing to British soil this year up to at least 26,792, compared with just 8,410 for the whole of 2020.

Before Wednesday the last groups to make the crossing came on December 5, when Border Force needed three boats to deal with the numbers.

Around 40 migrants were detained by Border Force officials on Thursday after they landed on the beach at Dungeness at 1.30pm after being brought to shore on a RNLI lifeboat.

It comes after inspectors found migrants were still being held in 'very poor' conditions after coming ashore despite Home Office assurances of 'significant improvements'.

The large group of migrants were helped onto shore by workers for the RNLI and Border Force officials this morning

They walked up the vast shingle beach, some wrapped in blankets, escorted by police before being taken to be processed

RNLI and Border Force officials help migrants off a boat using a ladder as they get onto shore

Women who said they had been raped by smugglers were 'not adequately supported', and lone children were being held with unrelated adults, according to findings published after migrant detention facilities had been visited in the past three months.

Earlier this week, the Home Office confirmed part of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) site in Manston, near Ramsgate, will also be used to process migrants.

Meanwhile, French prosecutors said all 27 of the people who died after trying to cross the English Channel by boat last month to reach the UK have now been formally identified.

Yesterday's group included two small children - one a toddler where immigration officers were waiting for them

Around 30 people were pictured walking up the vast shingle beach escorted by police before being taken off to be processed yesterday morning

The group, who drowned when their boat sank in the Channel last month while trying to reach Britain, included seven women, a teenager and a seven-year-old girl.

The final identification made was of a 29-year-old Vietnamese man, the Paris authorities said.

Most of the victims of the boat accident were Iraqi Kurds, according to the 26 earlier identifications. Four Afghan men, three Ethiopians, a Somalian, an Egyptian and an Iranian Kurd were also drowned in the disaster.

What happens to migrants after they arrive in the UK? Migrants who have been picked up after landing or intercepted at sea are taken to a Border Force processing centre, usually near Dover Here arrivals are triaged to identify any medical needs or vulnerabilities, fed and checked to see if they have a criminal record. Adults have an initial interview before being sent to accommodation centre across Britain, paid for by UK taxpayers and provided by private contractors. The migrants are given 37.75 per week for essentials like food, clothes and toiletries while they wait for a decision on their asylum application. Kent County Council normally takes unaccompanied children into its care, although other local authorities are also involved in this programme. Other migrants might be kept in a detention centre ahead of a plan to send them back to Europe. However, just five were deported last year as ministers admitted to 'difficulties'. While a member of the EU, Britain was part of the Dublin Regulation, an EU-wide deal that required migrants to apply for asylum in the first member state they arrive in and could be deported back to that country if they moved on to another. However, since Brexit there has been no formal arrangements to allow migrants to be deported to France or another EU member country. Advertisement

The majority were men but seven women, a 16-year-old and a seven-year-old were also among the dead.

Authorities often have difficulties identifying dead migrants because they do not carry official documents and their family members frequently have to travel from remote areas overseas to see the bodies.

The accident was the most deadly involving a migrant boat in the Channel and cast a spotlight on the increasing number of desperate people seeking to cross the narrow waterway between France and England.

It also caused major diplomatic tensions between London and Paris.

Within 48 hours of the accident, French President Emmanuel Macron accused British Prime Minister Boris Johnson of being 'not serious' in his approach to stopping the crossings.

France was irked by Johnson's initial reaction, which was seen as deflecting blame onto France, and then by his decision to write a letter to Macron which he published in full on his Twitter account before the French leader had received it.

According to the investigation, the migrants left in an inflatable boat from Loon-Plage in northern France at night.

After their boat capsized only two men, an Iraqi Kurd and a Sudanese national, were rescued safely. according to the French interior ministry.

According to the Iraqi survivor there had been a total of 33 people aboard.

French investigators are still trying to establish a clearer picture of what happened during the disaster.

They are investigating reports the passengers had telephoned both French and British emergency services, appealing for help when the vessel began sinking.

Dan O'Mahoney, Clandestine Channel Threat Commander, said: 'Last month's tragedy is a devastating reminder of the dangers of Channel crossings and we are determined to work with our European and international partners to target the ruthless organised criminal gangs behind them.

'Unbelievably, these gangs continue to ply their deadly trade with more crossings taking place today, shamelessly putting lives at risk.

'The Governments New Plan for Immigration will be firm on those coming here via illegal routes and fair for those using safe and legal routes. This will reduce the pull factors in the current asylum and immigration system.'
An NHS worker has found a 'Chinese prisoner's ID' sewn into the lining of a coat she bought online and fears it could be 'a call for help'.

The 24-year-old purchased the garment for 49.99 off an online firm called My Shoe Store.

The coat was from Brave Soul, a core brand of UK based Whispering Smith which outsources to China for cheap labour.

An NHS worker has found a 'Chinese prisoner's ID' (pictured) sewn into the lining of a coat she bought online and fears it could be 'a call for help'

The woman, from Norwich, said: 'This could be a call for help by a slave labourer.'

'I work in the NHS and I do care that people are having the best kind of life,' she told the Mirror.

An Amnesty International spokesman said: 'Companies have a responsibility to respect human rights during their operations in China and anywhere else in the world.

'Key to this is engaging in human rights due diligence to prevent the risk of negatively impacting peoples rights through their work, business relationships and within their value chains.

'We would also urge the UK government to considering making this due diligence mandatory for national companies operating abroad.'

MailOnline has approached Whispering Smith for comment.

The coat (pictured) was from Brave Soul, a core brand of UK based Whispering Smith which outsources to China for cheap labour

In 2015, a Primark shopper found a distressing letter inside a pair of socks which claimed to be from a Chinese torture victim.

Shahkiel Akbar discovered the note hidden in the black cotton-rich socks which he bought from the budget chain's store in the Metrocentre, Newcastle.

When he translated the note into English, Mr Akbar found what appeared to be a desperate cry for help from a man who claims to have been tortured after being framed for blackmail and fraud.

After finding the letter, Mr Akbar, 24, took it to his local Chinese takeaway to see if staff could translate it for him. When the owner said he was Korean and could not read Chinese, Mr Akbar used an app on the phone to translate the words into English.

In 2015, a Primark shopper found a distressing letter inside a pair of socks which claimed to be from a Chinese torture victim (pictured)

The letter purported to be from a man called Ding Tingkun from Anhui province.

The letter read: 'I was falsely accused and set up for fraud and blackmail by and illegally sentenced on June 29, 2014, by Lingbi County Peoples Court for three years in jail.

'At present I am forcefully detained at Lingbi County detention centre. My body and mind have been subjected to extreme torture and damage!

'Whoever sees this letter, please give it to national government leader President Xi Jingping, Premier Li Keqiang or expose this through a journalist or media!'

He also added: 'My wife and I have both been made paralysed.'
The creator of West Wing has waded into a row over identity politics while defending his decision to cast a Spanish actor as a Cuban character in the new film Being the Ricardos.

Aaron Sorkin, the screenwriter behind such Hollywood blockbusters as The Social Network (2010) and Steve Jobs (2015), criticised the trend of actors being limited to roles that reflect their true selves - for example, gay actors only playing gay characters.

Mr Sorkin, 60, said in an interview with the Sunday Times Culture magazine: 'It's hearbreaking and a little chilling to see members of the artistic community re-segregating ourselves.'

The Oscar-winning actor Javier Bardem, from Gran Canaria, Spain, plays Cuban-born Desi Arnaz in the new film Meeting the Ricardos - avaialable to stream on Amazon Prime Video from Tuesday 21 December.

Mr Sorkin continued: Spanish and Cuban are not actable. If I was directing you in a scene and said: 'Its cold, you cant feel your face'. Thats actable. But if I said: 'Be Cuban'. That is not actable.

Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, who penned West Wing and the screenplay for the new film Meeting the Ricardos, waded into the culture wars in an interview with the Sunday Times Culture magazine in defence of his decision to cast a Spanish actor as a Cuban character

Javier Bardem, from Gran Canaria, Spain (left) plays the Cuban-born 1950s sitcom star Desi Arnaz (right) in new film Meet the Ricardos, a biographical picture about the turbulent romance between the two leading actors in the long-running American sitcom I Love Lucy (1951-57)

Nicole Kidman stars alongside Javier Bardem in Meeting the Ricardos, playing Lucille Ball in the biopic about the romance that blossomed between the two leading actors in the 1950s iconic American sitcom I Love Lucy

Throwback: Despite their divorce, in which she called their marriage 'a nightmare,' Lucy and Desi remained publicly amicable for the rest of his life; they are pictured while married

He said: Nouns arent actable. Gay and straight arent actable. You can act being attracted to someone, but cant act gay or straight.

'So this notion that only gay actors should play gay characters? That only a Cuban actor should play Desi? Honestly, I think its the mother of all empty gestures and a bad idea.

Meeting the Ricardos, which also stars Nicole Kidman, is a biographical drama about the relationship between the two leading actors from I Love Lucy - an American sitcom that aired from 1951 to 1957.

Sorkin contrasted his decision to cast a Spanish actor as a Cuban with the 'demeaning' practice of blackface, saying the latter makes 'ridiculous cartoon caricatures out of people'.

Having an actor who was born in Spain playing a character who was born in Cuba was not demeaning, he said.

The award-winning screenwriter continued: We know that Mickey Rooney with the silly piece in Breakfast at Tiffanys and that makeup, doing silly Japanese speak, we know thats demeaning. This is not, I felt.'

The real Desi Arnaz, who had a turbulent marriage to Lucille that ended in divorce, pictured in 1954 during the run of I Love Lucy

Javier Bardem also weighed in on the controversy, saying it was unfair that he was being targeted when actors from English-speaking countries regularly play characters from other English-speaking nations without any pushback.

The 52-year-old from Gran Canaria told The Hollywood Reporter: 'What do we do with Marlon Brando playing Vito Corleone? What do we do with Margaret Thatcher played by Meryl Streep? Daniel Day-Lewis playing Lincoln? Why does this conversation happen with people with accents?'

He continued: 'What I mean is, if we want to open the can of worms, lets open it for everyone. The role came to me, and one thing that I know for sure is that Im going to give everything that I have.'
The Project host Hamish Macdonald has admitted it's 'scary times' as a medical expert warned that Christmas Day could turn into an Omicron superspreading event.

Dr Dan Suan, a researcher and clinical immunologist at The Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney, told the program on Sunday that enough is known about the new strain to be confident it poses a significant risk.

'The Omicron variant has some characteristics which mean that it is a profound public health threat and, because of our social mobility at the moment, it's spreading very quickly,' Dr Suan said.

'In the lead-up to Christmas, we're going to have a huge superspreader event, which will almost certainly cause a hospital-based disaster in January unless we take immediate action now.'

The concerning warning prompted a frank response from Macdonald who replied: 'It's scary times for everyone'.

Dr Dan Suan from The Garvan Institute (pictured) said enough was known about the Omicron strain to determined it posed a 'profound public health threat'

Covid cases have risen sharply in NSW in recent days, with 2,566 new cases reported on Sunday - a new record.

So far, 313 are confirmed as Omicron cases, however, NSW Health said the majority of the new cases are likely this variant but they would only do the additional testing to confirm if it was 'clinically relevant' in a treatment setting.

In NSW, there are 227 people in hospital, 28 of whom are in intensive care and ten are breathing through a ventilator.

'We know how contagious it is; we know that it escapes the vaccines; and we know how quickly it spreads. Because we can already see that by the vertical nature of the case curve here in Sydney,' Dr Suan said.

While there is still some contention as to whether symptoms are milder or on par with Delta, Dr Suan said there would still be a percentage that would need to go to hospital.

'If you infect enough people with Omicron, a certain proportion of people need to go to hospital. That proportion is reduced by vaccines - that's the whole point - but not enough.'

He warned if cases numbers surge to large enough levels - spurred on by Omicron's heightened contagiousness - that hospitals might not be able to cope.

In Victoria, where cases dipped slightly to 1,240 on Sunday, 392 people are hospitalised and 81 are in ICU - with 41 being ventilated.

The Project host Hamish Macdonald (pictured) said the rise in case numbers especially going into Christmas was 'scary for everyone'

Case numbers are already spiking to alarming levels in the US and UK where authorities are considering reinstating some tough restrictions in an effort to get ahead of the virus.

Macdonald noted some leading health experts such as former deputy chief health officer Dr Nick Coatsworth has warned against alarmism over the new variant.

Dr Coatsworth told the ABC on Thursday that with vaccines and treatments developed in the last two years we should not be as worried about case numbers.

'In 2021 we have emerging evidence that this is a milder variant and I don't think those numbers are of as great a concern as we would be led to believe.'

He said 'of course' there should be concerns about Omicron but 'the answer is not snap lockdowns, the answer is not increased restrictions for COVID-19. The answer is a booster blitz'.

Dr Suan warned of potential super-spreader events as relatives catch-up over the Christmas period just as restrictions are relaxed (pictured: Melbourne airport in Wednesday)

But a new study released from the University College of London claims reinfection of past Covid cases is five times greater with the Omicron variant than Delta.

And that vaccine effectiveness is also significantly reduced against the Omicron strain.

'Controlling for vaccine status, age, sex, ethnicity, asymptomatic status, region and specimen date, Omicron was associated with a 5.4-fold higher risk of reinfection compared with Delta,' the study, which was dated Dec. 16, said.

The protection afforded by past infection against reinfection with Omicron may be as low as 19 per cent, Imperial College London said in a statement, noting that the study had not yet been peer reviewed.

The researchers found a significantly increased risk of developing a symptomatic Omicron case compared to Delta for those who were two or more weeks past their second vaccine dose, and two or more weeks past their booster dose.

The study involved AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines.

Depending on the estimates used for vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic infection from the Delta variant, this translates into vaccine effectiveness of between 0 per cent and 20 per cent after two doses, and between 55 per cent and 80 per cent after a booster dose.

'This study provides further evidence of the very substantial extent to which Omicron can evade prior immunity given by both infection or vaccination,' study lead Professor Neil Ferguson said in ICL's statement.

'This level of immune evasion means that Omicron poses a major, imminent threat to public health.'

Border restrictions and other rules are easing just as Omicron causes case numbers to spike (pictured: Sydney Airport on Wednesday)

Dr Suan said that though restrictions are easing in NSW, residents should still practice personal Covid safety measures particularly when catching up with relatives over Christmas - and possibly travelling to do so.

'We have the potential, on Christmas Day, to have an enormous superspreader event, all in the same day. And that will appear in our hospitals in the first week of January,' he said.

Dr Suan warned that this type of event could easily overwhelm hospitals and cause a spike in fatalities.

He echoed calls from NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant and other experts that NSW residents should take it upon themselves to wear masks, despite official mask mandates being lifted.
Thousands of Australians will be spending Christmas locked in their homes as the Omicron Covid variant seeps though the country, sending positive cases and their close contacts into isolation.

Health officials in NSW have even admitted they have no clue how many cases of the highly-infectious mutant strain are active in the state because it's too expensive and time consuming to test for - but that there are likely thousands.

The revelation comes as worrying new international data finds Omicron is 'no milder' than the Delta variant - but five times more likely to re-infect.

Although 90 per cent of the Australian population over 16 are fully-vaccinated, the new variant is managing to spread in record numbers with the figure at 4,000 cases a day nationally and soaring.

Adding to the Christmas holiday panic is the immense strain on testing clinics as Australians desperate to travel interstate flock for swabs.

Most interstate travel, including to Queensland, requires a negative test before departure but with results taking two to three days, the wait is sending travel plans into turmoil.

Thousands of Australians will be spending this Christmas alone as the Omicron Covid variant continues to spread (pictured, tourists have a photo taken wearing Santa hats on Christmas Day on Bondi Beach in Sydney)

Long lines of cars wait for a Covid-19 test at the St Vincent's Hospital drive-through testing clinic at Bondi Beach in Sydney on Sunday as thousands rush to get tested before Christmas Day

Queensland and Tasmania have both reintroduced mask mandates in indoor settings, amid rising case numbers as holiday visitors start to flood interstate.

The Sunshine State recorded 42 new cases on Sunday, while South Australia saw 80 infections and Victoria saw a slight drop to 1,240 - with 392 people in hospital.

While isolation requirements differ wildly between the states, all require household contacts of a positive case - or those who have spent significant time with them - to get tested and isolate.

In NSW, Premier Dominic Perrottet has so far refused to bring back any restrictions despite mounting pressure, just days after removing density limits and allowing the unvaccinated the same freedoms as those who've had the jab.

The daily infection rate in the state soared to a record 2,566 cases on Sunday with another 21 admitted to hospital.

Despite the rise in cases NSW's high vaccination rate, above 95 per cent, has seen the state's hospital system cope well with the growing outbreak.

There are 227 Covid patients in NSW hospitals, 28 of which are in ICU and ten require ventilation.

Mr Perrottet is confident no more restrictions are needed as long as admissions to ICU remain low.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet (pictured) is under pressure to reinstate some restrictions amid the rising number of Omicron cases

Restrictions including mandatory mask wearing were removed last week as shoppers packed the city ahead of Christmas (pictured on Sydney's Pitt Street)

But while there is no official lockdown, the high number of cases is meaning a high number of close contacts are being forced to self-isolate over the Christmas break.

The strategy is also seeing Christmas plans for thousands thrown into jeopardy as Covid testing clinics struggle to keep up with demand, leading to long waits.

Some have reported waiting up to three days to receive results, with frustrated travellers letting loose on social media describing the agonising waiting periods.

Ian Pratt, who flew to NSW from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, was forced to extend a business trip to Sydney by an extra day so he could get tested before stepping on a plane to travel home.

'To get test results back in time, I need to come to Sydney a day early, rush from the airport (and go) straight to the PCR testing centre to line up for three hours,' he posted on Wednesday.

'We've had almost two years to get ready for this, and this is the best system they could come up with.'

Health workers at a pop-up Covid-19 testing clinic are seen in Sydney's Bondi, with 148,937 tests carried out on Saturday

A Sydneysider gets a swab test as the Omicron Covid variant threatens to derail Christmas plans for thousands

But the amount of Omicron seeping throughout NSW in particularly looks likely to become a mystery after a controversial announcement was buried by health officials.

In a series of daily tweets, NSW Health revealed it is now longer testing Covid patients for the Omicron variant unless 'clinically relevant' - and it's left officials with no idea how many cases of the strain are now in the state.

In a series of Tweets on Sunday, NSW Health said while Omicron likely accounts for 'the majority' of the state's recent record Covid cases, they don't have the resources to test every case for the strain.

Only 313 Omicron cases have been recorded in the state - an official figure that's now seemingly meaningless.

Superspreader Covid events NEWCASTLE: *Argyle House nightclub - Over 200 Covid cases - December 8 SYDNEY: *Oxford Tavern trivia night in Petersham - Over 40 Covid cases - November 30 *A 1990s themed party boat on Sydney Harbour - December 3 - five Covid cases *Taylor Swift album party at the Metro Theatre - 97 Covid cases - December 10 Advertisement

The admission follows a study released from Imperial College London which claims the risk of past cases becoming reinfected with Omicron is five times higher than Delta and symptoms did not appear to be milder.

'NSW Health advises that the Omicron variant of concern likely accounts for the majority of today's cases,' NSW Health said.

The health department said they did not have the resources to make testing each Covid case for Omicron practicable.

'With the high number of Covid-19 cases, NSW Health will only undertake genomic sequencing for the Omicron variant in the circumstances where it will make a clinical difference to the care of a patient.

'For instance, where it will inform treatment choices as some therapies work with Delta but not for Omicron, and in situations where it will inform public health action'.

Epidemiologist and health researcher Professor Nancy Baxter told The Project on Friday that the easing of restrictions in NSW as case numbers surge 'did not make sense'.

'It doesn't make any sense at all, and most jurisdictions have been increasing mask mandates (with the rise in Omicron cases),' she said.

'You have Queensland that has, what, 20 cases today, introducing a mask mandate. Compared to NSW that relaxes theirs when their cases go from 200 to 2000 in 10 days.'

Dr Kerry Chant has urged people to continue wearing masks (pictured on Wednesday)

Dr Chant was the only person present at the Wednesday press briefing last week who was standing beside NSW premier Dominic Perrottet to actually wear a mask (pictured)

Her statements echo those of chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant who urged mask wearing at a press briefing last week.

'I would urge us to continue to wear those masks in indoor settings,' Dr Chant said.

Her message appears at odds with the state government's new mask-free policy.

During a testy exchange with reporters Dr Chant clarified that ending mask mandates was 'a matter for governments', but that people should take personal responsibility for their health.

'From public health position I am strongly recommending wearing masks and asking the community to do so,' she said.

Australian Medical Association president Omar Khorshid also weighed in, suggesting mask mandates should be reintroduced.

'It is a little bit of a gamble, with a new variant clearly embedded now in New South Wales.' he told the ABC's Afternoon Briefing on Wednesday.

The health department said they did not have the resources to make testing each Covid case for Omicron practicable (pictured, a woman on Bondi Beach in Sydney dressed as Santa)

The calls to reintroduce mask mandates follow a new study on the strain released by a London university.

The results of the study by Imperial College London were based on UK Health Security Agency and National Health Service data on people who tested positive for Covid in a PCR test in England between November 29 and December 11.

'We find no evidence (for both risk of hospitalisation attendance and symptom status) of Omicron having different severity from Delta,' the study said, although it added that data on hospitalisations remains very limited.

'Controlling for vaccine status, age, sex, ethnicity, asymptomatic status, region and specimen date, Omicron was associated with a 5.4-fold higher risk of reinfection compared with Delta,' the study, which was dated Dec. 16, added.

The protection afforded by past infection against reinfection with Omicron may be as low as 19 per cent, Imperial College (ICL) said in a statement, noting that the study had not yet been peer reviewed.

The researchers found a significantly increased risk of developing a symptomatic Omicron case compared to Delta for those who were two or more weeks past their second vaccine dose, and two or more weeks past their booster dose.

The study involved AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines.

The Omicron variant is threatening to send Europe back into lockdown (pictured, crowds pack onto Northumberland Street in Newcastle in the UK on the final Saturday shopping day before Christmas)

Depending on the estimates used for vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic infection from the Delta variant, this translates into vaccine effectiveness of between 0 per cent and 20 per cent after two doses, and between 55 per cent and 80 per cent after a booster dose.

'This study provides further evidence of the very substantial extent to which Omicron can evade prior immunity given by both infection or vaccination,' study lead Professor Neil Ferguson said in ICL's statement.

'This level of immune evasion means that Omicron poses a major, imminent threat to public health.'

But Dr Clive Dix, former Chair of the UK Vaccine Taskforce, said it was important not to overinterpret the data.

'The conclusions made are based on making assumptions about Omicron where we still don't have sufficient data,' Dr Dix said. 'For example, we have no data on the cellular immune response which is now probably driving effectiveness of vaccines.'

'This is a crucial missing assumption in the modelling.'

Thousands of Christmas shoppers swarmed London's West End (pictured) despite record levels of Covid-19 infections in the UK - where Omicron is on the march

Some of the conclusions are different to the data emerging from South Africa, where vaccines are holding up well against severe disease and death at present, he said.

'There is a huge amount of uncertainty in these modelled estimates and we can only be confident about the impact of boosters against Omicron when we have another month of data on hospitalisation ICU numbers and deaths,' he said.

An earlier study by Britain's SIREN looking at reinfection risk in health workers, which was carried out before Omicron emerged, found that a first coronavirus infection offered 85 per cent protection from a second for the following six months.

The data analysed by Imperial College was based on 333,000 cases, including 122,062 of Delta and 1,846 which were confirmed as the Omicron coronavirus variant through genome sequencing.

Imperial College's Professor Azra Ghani, who co-led the study, described it as 'essential for modelling the likely future trajectory of the Omicron wave and the potential impact of vaccination and other public health interventions.'

The new findings could accelerate the imposition of tighter restrictions across a number of European countries in a bid to stem the new variant's spread.

The United States is also considering reinstating tough restrictions as the variant increases case numbers (pictured: people wait in line to get tested for Covid-19 at a mobile testing site in Times Square on Friday in New York)
Thousands of coronavirus patients will be treated in their own homes to help the health service cope with a rapid rise in Omicron cases.

Plans have reportedly been passed to expand the use of 'virtual wards' by treating 15 per cent of Covid patients at home, with the use of devices to remotely monitor their oxygen levels.

It is hoped that keeping Covid patients out of hospital will free up beds in the stretched NHS and could also allow more routine operations to go ahead.

According to The Sunday Times, the health service also hopes to discharge up to 10,000 hospital patients before the start of January.

Professor Stephen Powis, the medical director of NHS England, said the organisation was now on a 'war footing'.

The new plans will also include the use of 'care hotels', which will see the NHS paying for patients to be looked after by live-in carers.

Three hotels in the south of England are already operational, with one in Plymouth looking after 30 patients.

Professor Powis told the Sunday Times that patients on virtual wards will be given oximeters to fit on their finger.

Thousands of coronavirus patients will be treated in their own homes to help the health service cope with a rapid rise in Omicron cases, the medical director of NHS England, Professor Stephen Powis, has said

He said this would allow patients to receive 'the same care they would in hospital but from the comfort of their own home.

'This is better for patients, it is better for their families and it is better for the NHS, as it limited the spread of the virus, which we know at the minute is rising exponentially.'

He added: 'This approach has been shown to provide safe care without the need for hospital admissions.'

The virtual wards will be used for patients who arrive at hospital or call an ambulance and, while found to be in need of care, do not have to be admitted to a ward.

Professor Powis added that the NHS plans to use 20,000 reservists made of former doctors, nurses and non-clinical staff to help shore up vital services.

Eight pilot schemes have already been run across England, with 17,000 reservists recruited and a further 3,000 on the way.

The virtual wards will be used for patients who arrive at hospital or call an ambulance and, while found to be in need of care, do not have to be admitted to a ward

Health Secretary Sajid Javid told Sky News on Sunday that it is unvaccinated people who are 'taking up hospital beds' that could be used for someone else.

He said 10 per cent of the population - more than five million people - have still not received their jabs.

Around nine out of 10 of those needing the most care in hospital are unvaccinated, Mr Javid said.

'I just cannot emphasise enough the impact that they are having on the rest of society,' he added.

'They must really think about the damage they are doing to society by they take up hospital beds that could have been used for someone with maybe a heart problem, or maybe someone who is waiting for elective surgery.

'But instead of protecting themselves and protecting the community they choose not to get vaccinated.

'They are really having a damaging impact and I just can't stress enough, please do come forward and get vaccinated.'

Mr Javid was speaking after Mr Javid hinted in an article for the Sunday Telegraph that new restrictions to control the spread of coronavirus may be on the way.

He said that in his former career as a trader the 'most important decisions' were taken when data was 'early and patchy, but a trend was emerging'.

'Once that trend leads to a clear outcome, it may be too late to react to it,' he wrote.

Yesterday, the number of people in hospital nationally with the Omicron variant rose by 20 to 85 and cases increased by 69 per cent in a day with another 10,059 infections recorded.

Overall, Britain recorded another 90,418 Covid cases - a 67 per cent rise on the figure seven days ago.

Deaths from Covid-19 fell by five per cent on last week, to 125 from last Saturday's 132, although they had risen by 21 compared to Friday's figure.

A further 900 people were admitted to hospital with Covid, not much higher than the 865 daily average for the past seven days.

There were also 125 Covid-related deaths, just above the 112 daily average for the past week. Overall, there have been seven Omicron-related deaths.

In the first Covid wave in Spring 2020, along with last winter, there were large 'excess death' peaks but this has not been the case so far this year.
Comedian Trevor Noah is suing a New York City hospital and orthopedic surgeon for being 'negligent' during a surgery he underwent last year.

In the lawsuit, filed in the New York Supreme Court, Noah claims both the Hospital for Special Surgery as well as Dr. Riley J. Williams were 'careless in failing to treat and care for [him] in a careful and skillful manner.'

It also accuses them of failing to 'use proper tests and examinations in order to diagnose the conditions' he 'was suffering' from, and 'failing to use approved methods in general use in the care and treatment' of Noah, 37, who underwent surgery at the hospital on November 23, 2020.

The lawsuit further claims that the hospital and surgeon failed to 'prescribe proper medications,' and failed to 'discontinue certain prescription medications.'

As a result, it claims, Noah suffered 'severe personal injury,' resulting in a 'loss of enjoyment for life.'

DailyMail.com has reached out to Noah, as well as his attorney, Justin Blitz, for more information. It has also contacted the hospital for comment.

Comedian Trevor Noah, left, is suing Dr. Riley J. Williams, right, an orthopedic surgeon for being 'negligent' in a surgery he underwent last year

The lawsuit does not specify what surgery the South African-born comedian underwent while he was a patient of Dr. Williams from August 25 to December 17, 2020, according to Page Six.

But as a result, it says, Noah sustained 'severe and painful personal injuries; sustained severe nervous shock, mental anguish, severe emotional distress and great physical pain; was confined to [a] bed and home for a long period of time' and 'has suffered loss of enjoyment of life.

The lawsuit also claims Noah 'was prevented from engaging in his usual occupation for a long period of time; and since some of his injuries are of a permanent nature, he will continue to suffer similar damages in the future.'

A representative from the hospital told People they have received Noah's claims, which they called 'meritless.'

'HSS received a complaint filed on behalf of Mr. Trevor Noah,' the representative said. 'We have shared with Mr. Noah's attorney a detailed rebuttal to the claims, which are meritless.

'Due to HIPAA we are restricted by law from addressing publicly specific aspects of the treatment of any patient.'

The representative added that it is 'committed to excellence in the care we provide to each of the more than 150,000 patients we treat each year.

'This commitment has made HSS the world's leading academic medical center specialized in musculoskeletal health, consistently ranked number one in orthopedics globally and nationally.'

Noah underwent a surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgeries in Manhattan on November 23, 2020 and allegedly suffered 'severe and painful personal injuries; sustained severe nervous shock, mental anguish, severe emotional distress and great physical pain'

Noah has previously received an emergency appendectomy in 2015, though it is unclear whether that is related to his surgery last year.

Afterward, he told his audience on The Daily Show: 'I am back from the world's shortest vacation.

'Some of you may have heard that I was out yesterday with a touch of emergency appendectomy surgery. Appendix out and I'm OK now.'

He continued: 'What better way than enjoying America's healthcare system?

'It was an interesting experience going to the emergency room ... but I don't know if "emergency room" is the right term, because they make you wait.

'I feel like there should be two rooms - a room for emergencies and a room for people who can fill out forms.'

He also warned his fans at the time that he 'can't stand up,' according to The Wrap.
Andrew Marr quoted a line from his Anchorman 'mentor' Ron Burgundy as he signed off from the last ever episode of his Sunday morning political programme.

The 62-year-old veteran broadcaster is leaving the BBC after 21 years, including 16 years fronting the long-running flagship show.

With special guests Sajid Javid, Sadiq Khan, and David Tennant on today's programme, Marr ended the show with a nod to Will Ferrell's character in the 2004 comedy and quoted the iconic catchphrase, 'You stay classy San Diego'.

He is set to join LBC and Classic FM after saying he was 'keen' to get his 'own voice back' and would now focus on presenting political and cultural radio shows and writing for newspapers.

Father-of-three Marr, who is married to fellow political journalist Jackie Ashley, 67, and earns up to 339,999 a year at the BBC, added that leaving to join LBC's owners Global would give him 'a new freedom' to do journalism with 'no filter'.

He said iconic catchphrase 'Stay Classy San Diego' said by character Ron Burgundy, played by Will Ferrell in the 2004 comedy Anchorman

Marr waves as he leaves BBC Broadcasting House in London today after presenting his final edition of current affairs program The Andrew Marr Show

As the BBC show came to a close, he said: 'That it is, all over, I have been so lucky and so privileged to share so many Sunday mornings with you.

These shows are never just about whose name is on the tin they are also about the fabulous team behind them so as the titles roll, just take a moment today to look at the names of all the people who really make this happen.

Quoting his 'mentor' Ron Burgundy, Marr added: 'I have been wondering how to close this final show, but I cant do better than quoting my great mentor: "You stay classy, San Diego."'

One user on Twitter wrote: 'His mentor Anchorman Ron Burgundy, great sign off Andrew'

Another added: 'I dont think any of us expected him to say that.'

Sophie Raworth will temporarily take over The Andrew Marr Show on BBC One's flagship Sunday programme.

The 53-year-old will be interim presenter from January 9 after the veteran hack said last month he will ditch the Corporation for LBC and Classic FM.

The BBC said she will front the show for a 'short period' while a recruitment process for a permanent presenter takes place.

MailOnline understands that Global will be paying Marr at least 500,000 a year for his new role, although the Leicester Square-based network refused to confirm this.

Industry experts said LBC would be a 'great home for Andrew as he won't have to abide by the BBC's strict impartiality rules'. It comes after Marr hinted in May that he may be leaving the BBC because of 'not being able to speak in your own voice'.

Andrew Marr (pictured) quoted a line from his Anchorman 'mentor' Ron Burgundy as he signed off from the last ever episode of his Sunday morning political programme

Sophie Raworth (pictured) will temporarily take over The Andrew Marr Show on BBC One's flagship Sunday programme

Andrew Marr will be presenting new radio shows on LBC and Classic FM from next year

The Glasgow-born veteran broadcaster joined the BBC in May 2000 as political editor and later spent 16 years at the helm of his own Sunday morning show.

Global said Marr will be presenting new shows on LBC and Classic FM, a new weekly podcast on Global Player, and will also write a regular column for LBC's website.

His exit comes as BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg is said to be in discussions about leaving her role to become a presenter on Radio 4's Today programme.

Jon Sopel is the 6/4 favourite to replace her, with previous political editors such as Marr and Nick Robinson having moved on to other presenting jobs at the BBC.

Lat month, Sarah Smith was made the BBC's new North America editor, taking over from Sopel, and Marr's departure suggests the staffing movements could continue.

Marr previously tweeted : 'Personal announcement. After 21 years, I have decided to move on from the BBC. l leave behind many happy memories and wonderful colleagues.

'But from the New Year I am moving to Global to write and present political and cultural shows, and to write for newspapers.

'I think British politics and public life are going to go through an even more turbulent decade, and as I've said, I am keen to get my own voice back.

'I have been doing the Andrew Marr show every Sunday morning for 16 years now and that is probably more than enough time for anybody!'

In a statement released by Global, Marr added: 'Coming to Global gives me a new freedom - to do fast-paced, very regular political journalism on LBC with no filter, in entirely my own voice.

'On Classic FM, I'll be exploring my love of classical music, and culture generally, with some surprising guests. I feel I'm joining a young, hungrily ambitious and exciting company and I can't wait to get stuck in.'

Marr received an annual salary from the BBC of up to 339,999 in the 2020/2021 year for his work on The Andrew Marr Show, Radio 4's Start the Week, documentaries for BBC One and election night.

This was down from a salary of up to 364,999 in 2019/2020, and up to 394,999 in 2018/2019.

Addressing Andrew Marr's departure from the BBC, its director-general Tim Davie said in a statement: 'Andrew Marr has been a brilliant journalist and presenter during his time at the BBC.

'He leaves an unmatched legacy of outstanding political interviews and landmark programmes. We wish him well for the next chapter.'

Other BBC colleagues including Newsnight policy editor Lewis Goodall were among those congratulating Marr on his lengthy career at the corporation.

Goodall wrote: 'What a huge loss to the BBC Andrew but what an incredible contribution over so long. Best of luck with the new gig.'
ABC chair Ita Buttrose is calling for increased funding to support the public broadcaster despite already receiving more than $1billion per year.

Buttrose, who was appointed to the role by Prime Minister Scott Morrison in 2019, has been outspoken calling for further political and financial support for the ABC.

In an interview with The Australian, the 79-year-old said she was confident funding would be an important platform for next year's federal elections, as the broadcaster enters its 90th year.

'I'm optimistic that after the election, the funding of the ABC will be given proper consideration,' she said.

ABC chair Ita Buttrose (pictured in Sydney in March) is calling for increased funding to support the public broadcaster despite already receiving more than $1billion per year

The ABC has become a point of contention for the Liberal goverment, with Coalition MPs taking aim at the broadcaster, Christian Porter taking legal action against the company and constant battles between Mr Morrison and senior leaders.

Buttrose has repeatedly taken shots at the prime minister throughout her tenure at the top, but she is now hoping the ABC gets the appropriate prioritising of funding.

'We would hope that the 90th year of the ABC will be the reason for whoever wins government to give us the funding we need,' she said.

It's expected the government will announce the latest three-year funding package for the ABC as a part of the 2022 federal budget.

That could be brought forward if Mr Morrison calls an election in May.

It currently receives more than $1billion per year, which includes transmission fees.

It's expected the government will announce the latest three-year funding package for the ABC as a part of the 2022 federal budget

Buttrose says a Deloitte report commissioned by the ABC into its operations found the broadcaster's screen productions earned $744million for the economy between 2017 and 2022.

It also provided 8,300 full-time jobs for Australian workers.

In November, Buttrose accused the Morrison government of 'political interference' into their normal processes of reporting the news after the launch of a Senate inquiry into the way it handles public complaints.

'This is an act of political interference designed to intimidate the ABC and mute its role as this country's most trusted source of public interest journalism,' she said in a statement.

'Any incursion of this kind into the ABC's independence should be seen by Australians for what it is: an attempt to weaken the community's trust in the public broadcaster.

'If politicians determine the operation of the national broadcaster's complaints system, they can influence what is reported by the ABC.'
Desperate New York City restaurant owners have been forced to get creative to tackle the city's rodent infestation after rat sightings soared by 40percent in 2021 compared to 2019.

Restauranteurs have blamed lack of regular trash collection and street-cleaning services during the pandemic era staff shortages for the increase in critters.

The problem has become so bad that the savvy New York rats are spoiled for choice in scraps, so it takes a special kind of bait to lure them in - peanut butter Oreo cookies.

'Peanut butter Oreos are the best,' said Jim Webster, Rat Trap Distribution's director of operations, of his secret weapon.

Rat Trap Distribution leases a two-feet tall Ekomille trap to restaurants for $250 a month, which lures the rodents in with cookies and then kills then with a safe alcohol-based substance.

Rat sightings have soared 40percent in 2021 compared to 2019. Big Apple restaurant owners are getting creative to tackle the rodent issue

In an attempt to tackle New York City's rodent problem, which has especially gotten out of hand post-pandemic, restaurants are leasing a two-feet tall device for $250 a month, which promises to kill the rodents with Oreo cookies and a safe alcohol-based substance

Pat Marino, who founded Rat Distribution, said he is now a 'ratologist,' but back in 2019 when he became the first and only distributor of the Italian artifact in the US, he just saw a business venture and decided to go for it

Rat Trap Distribution, the company that leases the devices, said the Big Apple restaurants prefer to use peanut butter Oreo cookies to lure the rats into the device

Pat Marino, who founded Rat Distribution, said he is now a 'ratologist,' but back in 2019 when he became the first and only distributor of the Italian artifact in the US, he just saw a business venture and decided to go for it.

He said around 165 of his devices have been installed in New York City.

Incoming mayor Eric Adams has already vetoed the device, branding it 'amazing' and saying he is thinking of distributing more across the city once he is in office.

New York City's rat problem is big, well-known and well-documented by residents who often poke fun at the issue.

In 2017, Mayor Bill de Blasio launched a $32 million project to address the issue, but it has nonetheless persisted and seemingly gotten worse.

The problem was exacerbated by a $106 million cut from the sanitation departments budget during the summer, and the number of sanitation workers who have quit or not shown up to work after Mayor Bill de Blasio mandated vaccination for all city workers in October.

In early November, more than 9,000 city workers, one in six sanitation workers were still on leave for not being vaccinated.

Casa La Femme, a lavish Egyptian restaurant in the West Village, is one in a growing number of restaurants in the city that have leased an Ekomille in an attempt to get rid of the rodents.

After watching the video on the Rat Distribution's website, Anastasios Hairatidis didn't think twice and ordered the device right away.

'Usually, we procrastinate,' he told The New York Times. 'It's really for the community.'

New York City's rat problem is big, well-known and well-documented by residents who often poke fun at the issue

When the rats get comfortable with the dynamic, the platform will drop, making them fall to the lower compartment filled with a noxious substance that will make them unconscious and eventually drown them

The company will then remove the carcasses and clean the device

The cookies, along with sunflower seeds and other types of bait are placed in the surroundings of the device, and in a tiny set of stairs, the rats will climb until they reach the upper surface of the device.

They'll be able to freely climb up and down for a week or so, as impatient renters wait for the final act.

When the rats get comfortable with the dynamic, the platform will drop, making them fall to the lower compartment filled with a noxious substance that will make them unconscious and eventually drown them.

The company will then remove the carcasses and clean the device.

While rats are still extensively present, customers are finding the method quite effective, but PETA said it is just another cruel act humans are perpetrating on animals.

The organization described the Ekomille as a new way 'to torment and kill small animals who are simply trying to live their lives, just like any other New Yorker,' to the Times.
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New York City's SantaCon celebrations likely contributed to the surge in COVID-19 cases, the chair of the city's health committee has said, after thousands of revelers packed into Manhattan bars a week ago.

Records are being broken daily in the state - the 21,908 new cases reported on Saturday was a slight increase over the 21,027 cases reported the day before, and both were daily records.

On Sunday, the record was once again broken, with 22,478 positive cases in New York state.

The previous record was January 14, 2021, when 19,942 tested positive in the state.

The test positivity rate was 7.53 per cent - up from about 2.6 per cent on September 22.

Officials said that 3,909 people were hospitalized on Friday, a net increase of 70 patients.

Manhattan - which in previous waves was less hard-hit than the other boroughs of New York City - is currently the worst borough.

Mark Levin, the chair of the city's health commission, said Santa Con - which sees thousands of costumed revelers trawl the bars of the East Village and Lower East Side - could be a factor.

'Manhattan unfortunately now has highest covid rate in NYC,' tweeted Levin on Saturday.

'This is partly because we test more. But this should serve as a warning about how much omicron is out there.

'Be especially cautious about indoor gatherings where masks come off. (And yes SantaCon may partly be to blame.)'

On social media, many said that they had tested positive since attending SantaCon - and others reacted with fury to the event having been held in the first place.

SantaCon is pictured on December 11 in New York City, with thousands of revelers gathering for the annual bar crawl - which was cancelled last year

Official attendance at this year's gathering - the 23rd annual event - has not been confirmed.

In 2019, an estimated 30,000 party goers showed up.

In 2020 it was cancelled, but this year went ahead with precautions: participants were told to ready for New York City's vaccine requirements, with bars and restaurants demanding proof of vaccination to enter.

'Don't F*** with NYC Vax Requirements,' is one of the 'six Fs of Santa Con' posted on the website.

'Santacon began in 1994 as San Francisco's Santarchy, a culture-jamming event created by the Cacaphony Society to point out the absurdity of America's consumerist holiday traditions,' the organizers write.

'Over the past 24 years, it's grown to an annual tradition in its own right.

'Although NYC hosts the largest existing Santacon, it is one of over 300 similar events that will take place in over 40 countries around the world this holiday season.'

Thousands of costumed bar crawlers are seen on December 11 processing down from Times Square

The event has been followed by a significant spike in COVID cases

Partygoers are seen on December 11 lining up to enter Margaritaville near Times Square

On Sunday, Hoboken, New Jersey, was staging its own version.

Ravi Bhalla, the mayor of Hoboken, signed an executive order on Thursday afternoon mandating that businesses taking part in the bar crawl make sure than anyone who enters has been fully vaccinated by December 4, or else they face potential closure, liquor license revocation or disciplinary suspension.

The order lasts all day Saturday and until 6pm on Sunday.

'If you're not vaccinated, our message is simple: Don't bother participating in a bar crawl this weekend,' said Bhalla.

Bars not participating in SantaCon are encouraged, but not mandated to require vaccinations indoors, the mayor's announcement said.

On Thursday New Jersey reported its highest one-day total number of cases since January 13.

Hoboken's experiment comes as the effects are being felt in New York City, a week later.

'SantaCon Was Even More Cursed Than Usual This Year,' reported New York Magazine.

Residents are now facing waits of over five hours to get tested at the city's clinics.

People stand in line for COVID tests in Times Square on Sunday, amid a surge in cases

People are seen on Saturday lining up to get tested for COVID-19 after days of record infections

A huge line forms at the Barclays Center Saturday as demand for COVID testing soars in New York City

People line up outside the Barclays Center for COVID-19 testing on Saturday as the Omicron coronavirus variant continues to spread in Brooklyn, New York City

On social media, many people were confirming their positive test after SantaCon - while others were furious that the event had been allowed to happen.

'Would you go to NYC Santa Con and drink at crowded bars all day knowing there's a new variant on the rise and expect not to get COVID?' said one.

No it wasn't worth it and yes I made a mistake,' said another.

'But then again, so did thousands of other people.'

One woman posted to TikTok a video of the line for COVID testing, captioned: 'When you went out for SantaCon on Saturday and now you're on the back of a 2 hour urgent care line.'

Another asked whether the line to get in to Bounce, a Manhattan bar, was worse than the COVID testing clinic.

Memes circulated, showing everyone blaming each other after SantaCon.

'My TikTok fyp is all SantaCon attendees testing positive for Covid imagine getting Covid from SANTACON? Embarrassing af. There are so many better places to get it,' tweeted one man.

'Everyone in NYC has covid from santacon but they're still holding Christmas bar hopping events LIKE WHY CANT WE LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES this is why other countries think Americans are stupid,' tweeted another.

Another remarked: 'Imagine having to tell someone that you got Covid because you needed to be at Santacon.'

Nationwide, confirmed cases of Omicron reached 830 as of Saturday morning - a 50 per cent increase from Friday - and the new variant has been detected in nearly every state.

Kentucky, Arkansas, Maine, Kansas and Wyoming confirmed new Omicron cases, bringing the total to 45 states.

Dr Anthony Fauci, Joe Biden's chief medical advisor, said that there needed to be more at-home testing.

'We are going to see a significant stress, in some regions, of the hospital system,' he said.

'This virus is extraordinary. It has a doubling time of anywhere from two to three days.'

He said Omicron 'is going to take over' and that 'we are going to be in for some significant difficulties'.

On Friday, the mayor of New York City joined Governor Kathy Hochul in rejecting any plans for another lockdown over the surge in COVID-19 cases.

Bill de Blasio, like Hochul, insisted on Friday that vaccination and precaution is the best way to combat the city's COVID-19 surge.

'No, no, no,' de Blasio told WNYC on Friday when asked about possible shutdowns of public schools and other activities.

'Don't fight yesterday's war,' he added.

'This is not March of 2020. We're one of the most highly vaccinated places in the United States of America.

'The more we vaccinate, the more we can get through this.'

Another lockdown 'would really destroy, in so many ways, people's livelihoods and it would, I think, after everything people have been through  it would be traumatizing.'

On Sunday, de Blasio attended a service at the First Baptist Church in the Crown Heights district of Brooklyn.

He warned the congregation that tough times are coming, but told them: 'Your city is ready.'

De Blasio, who leaves office on December 31, said: 'It's obvious that we are still in the grips of this pandemic. But I want you to hear the most important things I can tell you today. Your city is ready. Your city is ready.'

He added: 'This next phase will be a challenge.

'And it is a challenge we will overcome, because we have been through  and I'm sorry to say this, and we all felt it, we all lived it  we have been through much, much worse.

'And somehow, when we were the epicenter in this country, there was a lot of pain, there was a lot of loss in this congregation and in every congregation.

'But people fought back in this city, brilliantly  brilliantly. And that's something everyone should be proud of. People fought back.

'And I'm going to tell you, as we brace for this next challenge, this is different.

'What we're going to experience in this month and next month in New York City is very, very different than what we experienced in that horrible spring of 2020.

'But what we have now is a profound answer we didn't have then, but weve got to use answer. And it's vaccination.'

He pointed out that 90 per cent of the city have had at least one dose, and urged anyone still hesitant to get their jab.

Hochul said that a return to the lockdowns of spring 2020 and winter 2020-21 were not the answer this time, with the vaccine in place and hospitalizations stable.

'This spreads quickly, but it's not as dangerous,' she said of Omicron.

'So while my number one goal is to protect the health of New Yorkers, I also want to protect the health of the economy.'

Mayor Bill de Blasio said that he would not use his authority to put New York City into another lockdown over higher coronavirus cases in recent weeks

Kathy Hochul, the governor of New York, on Friday said she did not want to return to lockdowns of 2020

Hochul spoke as the virus was surging in the state and in New York City

Hochul said she wanted people to continue 'their regular activities' and encouraged tourism.

'I don't want this economy to shut down again. It's just so painful,' she said. 'I don't want kids to stop going to school.'

She added: 'I don't want to have this artificial suppression based on fear, when we are in a far better place than we were so many months ago with the tools we need, the weapon we need - and that is the booster shot, in particular.

'We can't - and we won't - go back to where we were 21 months ago.

'We have the tools to fight this virus. Wear a mask. Get vaccinated. If you're fully vaccinated, get your booster as soon as you can.'

She said there was 'very sadly' a resistance among 8-10 per cent of New Yorkers.

'The surge is here, it's going to get worse, we know it's going to get worse - especially after Christmas.

'We saw a 70 per cent increase in cases from Thanksgiving to two weeks later. And the same thing will happen.

'But it doesn't have to be this way. This thing is so preventable.'

New York state has a significantly higher level of vaccination than the national average.

In her state, 93.9 percent of adults have had at least one shot, and 81.6 percent of all residents. Nationwide, the total falls to 77.1 percent of all people aged above five receiving at least one.

Yet the high level of vaccinations, and Hochul's wish to keep the city and state economically vibrant, has not stopped serious disruptions to the state.

Restaurants and bars are not being forced to close, but several are, due to either staff sickness or customers staying away.

And several Broadway shows have closed.

The Radio City Rockettes announced on Friday they have canceled the remainder of their scheduled performances this season due to COVID-19.
The Labor Department announced Saturday that it won't start checking businesses' compliance with its recently reinstated vaccine-or-test rule until January 10.

Originally, the deadline for private businesses and companies to enforce the rule that their employees either get vaccinated against coronavirus or test weekly was on January 4, 2022.

After a series of court challenges, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration mandate be immediately halted.

All cases pertaining to the OSHA rule were moved to the 6th Circuit last month, and on Friday it ruled that the mandate be reinstated.

The administration said it was 'gratified' by the ruling.

'OSHA can now once again implement this vital workplace health standard, which will protect the health of workers by mitigating the spread of the unprecedented virus in the workplace,' the Department of Labor (DOL) wrote in a statement on the ruling on Saturday.

Joe Biden's administration is pushing back enforcement of its vaccine-or-test mandate for private industry from January 4 to January 10 after court set backs

'To account for any uncertainty created by the stay, OSHA is exercising enforcement discretion with respect to the compliance dates of the ETS,' the statement added. 'To provide employers with sufficient time to come into compliance, OSHA will not issue citations for noncompliance with any requirements of the ETS before January 10 and will not issue citations for noncompliance with the standard's testing requirements before February 9, so long as an employer is exercising reasonable, good faith efforts to come into compliance with the standard.'

'OSHA will work closely with the regulated community to provide compliance assistance.'

Noncompliance citations could reach nearly $14,000 per violation and repeat and willful offenders could face fines of up to $136,532 per violation.

DOL and OSHA have already admitted that businesses' compliance will rely mostly on whistleblower reports  meaning someone within the company would have to out their employer for not enforcing the vaccine-or-test rule.

The administration does not have the manpower for inspectors to go to the worksites of private companies in the U.S. and check that every single employee has either been vaccinated or tested.

Businesses with 100 or more employees are affected by the OSHA mandate, meaning more than 80 million workers at private U.S. companies will now have to prove to their employer they are vaccinated against COVID-19 or else frequently test and mask up in the workplace.

There would be exceptions for those who work outdoors or only at home.

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday ruled 2-1 to reverse a decision by a federal judge in the 5th circuit that put a stay on President Joe Biden's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for private companies.

The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday to reinstated Biden's nationwide vaccine-or-test mandate for businesses. Potter Stewart United States Courthouse in Cincinnati is the home of the US 6th Circuit Appeals Court

In a swift response to the ruling, 27 businesses filed an appeal to the Supreme Court to block the mandate late Friday. They argued the OSHA rule would 'harm' thousands of businesses across industries.

Republican-led states joined with conservative groups, business associations and some individual businesses to push back against the requirement as soon as OSHA published the rules in early November.

They argued that OSHA was not authorized to make the emergency rule.

The case was consolidated before the Cincinnati-based 6th circuit, which is dominated by Republican-appointed judges.

Of the two ruling in favor of the OSHA mandate, one was appointed by Democratic president Barack Obama and the other by a Republican. The dissenting judge was appointed by former President Donald Trump.

'Given OSHA's clear and exercised authority to regulate viruses, OSHA necessarily has the authority to regulate infectious diseases that are not unique to the workplace,' Judge Julia Smith Gibbons wrote in her majority opinion.

Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge said she would ask the U.S. Supreme Court to block the order.

'The Sixth Circuits decision is extremely disappointing for Arkansans because it will force them to get the shot or lose their jobs,' she said.

The United States has reached over 50 million positive tests for the coronavirus dating back to March 2020

This past week, the US reached a grim milestone of 800,000 people dead

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, who also is chairman of the Republican Attorneys General Association, said in a Twitter message Friday that he was confident the mandate could be stopped.

The mandate had been blocked for now in 24 states - 14 involved in a case reviewed by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans and 10 where it was halted by a Nov. 29 ruling by a federal judge in St. Louis.

President Joe Biden unveiled in September regulations to increase the adult vaccination rate as a way of fighting the pandemic, which has killed more than 800,000 Americans and weighed on the economy.

Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia was one of two Democratic senators joining with Republican colleagues to attempt to stop his vaccine mandate

Vaccine mandates are deeply controversial in the United States. Supporters say they are a must to put an end to the nearly two-year coronavirus pandemic, while opponents argue they violate the Constitution and curb individual liberty

Which states initially filed lawsuits against the vaccine mandate? Five groups representing 27 states had filed lawsuits attempting to stop President Biden's vaccine mandate. - The Republican attorneys general of Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming, alongside the Democratic AG of Iowa filed in the St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals - Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Utah in the New Orleans-based 5th Circuit, which initially overturned the mandate - Kansas, Kentucky, Idaho, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee and West Virginia in the Cincinnati-based 6th Circuit - Alabama, Florida and Georgia in the Atlanta-based 11th Circuit - Indiana in the Chicago-based 7th Circuit Advertisement

It also comes after the omicron variant continues to rip through the nation, with cases increasing over 30 percent day-by-day.

Companies such as United Airlines have used mandates to increase the number of vaccinated employees, often with only a small number of workers refusing the shots.

However, as recently as Friday, several companies had decided to suspend vaccination requirements - including Boeing, Amtrak, Spirit AeroSystems and General Electric.

Republicans, conservative groups and trade organizations sued over the OSHA rule, arguing the agency overstepped its authority.

The rule set a January 4 deadline for compliance, although it unclear if that will be enforced because the rule was blocked for weeks.

This comes after the Biden administration on Thursday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to lift rulings by two lower courts that put the president's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers on hold, saying the shots were crucial before an expected winter spike in cases.

The business-backed Job Creators Network, a party to the case, expressed disappointment with the ruling.

'This mandate adds an incredible burden on small business owners who are still suffering negative effects of the pandemic,' the group said in a statement. 'JCN has immediately asked the Supreme Court to save businesses and employees from this government overreach.'

Senator Jon Tester (left), a Democrat, is also joining Republican colleagues in an attempt to stop vaccine-or-test requirements for private companies. Leslie Rutledge, Arkansas attorney general (right), was among the Republicans angry at the 6th Circuit court's decision

Both rulings were issued as part of legal challenges to U.S. President Joe Biden's mandates for healthcare workers treating Medicare and Medicaid patients.

The rule initially required more than 2 million unvaccinated healthcare workers to be vaccinated by Dec. 6.

'The exceptionally urgent need to reduce the risk of COVID-19 exposure for Medicare and Medicaid patients given the anticipated winter surge in infections tips the equities overwhelmingly in favor of a stay,' Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar argued in a 40-page motion to the Supreme Court.

The US 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans

A three-member panel of the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, which covers Texas, Louisiana and parts of Mississippi, affirmed it's ruling in a new opinion published in November.

That saw it order the US Department of Labor to take no further steps to implement its mandate, whose deadline is January 4.

The Biden administration argued that halting implementation of the vaccine mandate could lead to dozens or even hundreds of deaths.

However, Circuit Court Judge Kurt Engelhardt wrote in the prevailing opinion that the mandate goes too far, and that he has 'grave' concerns about whether the edict is legal or constitutional.

'The mandate is staggeringly overbroad,' the opinion said. 'The mandate is a one-size-fits-all sledgehammer that makes hardly any attempt to account for differences in workplaces (and workers).'

US 5th District Court of Appeals Judges (L-R) Edith Jones, Kurt Engelhardt and Stuart Kyle Duncan upheld their decision to put a hold on President Joe Biden's Covid-19 vaccine mandate for companies with 100 workers or more

Representative Chip Roy of Texas praises the Circuit Court rulings reaffirming the stay on the Biden vaccine mandate

Lawyers for the Justice and Labor departments filed a response Monday in which they said stopping the mandate from taking effect will only prolong the COVID-19 pandemic and would 'cost dozens or even hundreds of lives per day.'

In Washington, Senate Republicans pushed through a proposal that aims to repeal the vaccine or testing requirements for private companies, saying the rules are unconstitutional and put jobs at risk.

Two Democrats, Senators Joe Manchin and Jon Tester, joined their Republican colleagues in passing the measure, which is expected to face resistance in the House.

Vaccine mandates are deeply controversial in the United States. Supporters say they are a must to put an end to the nearly two-year coronavirus pandemic, while opponents argue they violate the Constitution and curb individual liberty.

The Fifth Circuit judges appeared to agree with the opponents.

'The public interest is also served by maintaining our constitutional structure and maintaining the liberty of individuals to make intensely personal decisions according to their own convictions - even, or perhaps particularly, when those decisions frustrate government officials,' Engelhardt wrote.
Los Angeles County schools lost over 92,000 in-person school days during a period of just over one month in the fall due to quarantine rules, a CDC study found.

That number, however, could have been higher if some of the schools did not implement a testing strategy for exposed students that prevented them from sending home classrooms full of students, according to the study released on Friday.

Those schools implemented a Test to Stay program that allowed students who are exposed to COVID to stay in school as long as they wear a mask, undergo two COVID tests per week and quarantine while they are not in school.

They must also remain asymptomatic to return to class.

Schools that implemented the strategy, the Centers for Disease Control found, had fewer cases of transmission between students and were able to keep students in the classroom more often.

Los Angeles County schools lost over 92,000 days of in-person learning due to strict quarantine rules from September 20 to October 31, according to a study from the Centers for Disease Control. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, left, is seen here talking to students while visiting Melrose Leadership Academy in Oakland in September

According to the study, the Los Angeles County Department of Health implemented a Test to Stay strategy from September 20 to October 31.

Of the county's 78 school districts, about half of them allowed their schools to implement the practice, and just 21 percent used it.

In total, 432 out of the 2,067 schools within the county used the Test to Stay strategy, and after they implemented it, the CDC study found, 'no tertiary transmission was identified.'

The 1,635 schools that did not implement the policy, meanwhile, lost a total of 92,455 in-person school days during the September 20 to October 31 period when students were in quarantine.

But no in-person instruction was lost for quarantined students who were in schools that used the Test to Stay strategy.

Katie Lucey administered a COVID test on her son, Maguire, in New York on December 16, as the CDC started recommending testing students who were exposed to COVID to keep them in schools

The CDC study released on Friday shows that the schools that implemented a Test to Stay had a 0.7 percent risk of spreading the virus amongst students, whereas those that didn't had a 1.3 percent risk, as the positivity rate declined

The Centers for Disease Control now recommends school districts throughout the country implement the Test to Stay strategy, noting that while students above the age of 5 are encouraged to get the COVID vaccine, the Test to Stay strategy could be used to keep unvaccinated students at school, rather than having them quarantine at home.

'TTS does not appear to increase transmission risk in public schools and might greatly reduce loss of in-person school days,' the agency concluded in its study, though it noted: 'Implementation requires resources that might be currently unavailable to some schools.'

And in a press release about the study, the CDC said the testing strategy is a 'valuable tool in a layered prevention strategy that includes promoting vaccination of eligible students and staff, requiring everyone age 2 and older wear a mask inside schools and facilities, keeping at least three feet of distance between students, screening testing, ventilation, handwashing and staying home when sick.'

Los Angeles County is now seeing a seven-day average positivity rate of 1.18 percent, with 3,730 new cases reported on Saturday as the omicron variant of the virus continues to spread, according to data from the county Department of Public Health.

And nationwide, there were 15,754 new cases on Friday, with 1,816 new deaths.

Meanwhile, 77.2 percent of all Americans ages five and older have had at least one vaccine, and 61.4 percent are fully vaccinated.

The risk of community transmission remains high.
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Joe Biden's chief medical advisor on Sunday contradicted the vice president, who had claimed that no one saw the Omicron variant coming.

'We did. We definitely saw variants coming,' said Dr Anthony Fauci, after being read out Kamala Harris's quote.

On Friday she told The Los Angeles Times: 'We didn't see Delta coming. I think most scientists did not  upon whose advice and direction we have relied  didn't see Delta coming.

'We didn't see Omicron coming. And that's the nature of what this, this awful virus has been, which as it turns out, has mutations and variants.'

Fauci said that Harris was mistaken - but he accepted that Omicron's potency had not been forecast.

Dr Anthony Fauci on Sunday contradicted Vice President Kamala Harris, who had claimed that the administration 'didn't see Omicron coming'

Kamala Harris is seen on Friday speaking to The Los Angeles Times in her Washington DC office

Harris denied that the administration had been complacent about the end of the pandemic

'What was not anticipated was the extent of the mutations and the amino acid substitutions in Omicron, that is really is unprecedented and came out of nowhere,' Fauci told CNN's Jake Tapper, on State of the Union.

'When you have a virus which has 50 mutations.

'To me that is really quite unprecedented so that is something you would not have anticipated.

'But we certainly were anticipating that there were going to be variants. Because when you have so much replication going on in the community, if you give a virus enough opportunity to replicate you know it's going to ultimately mutate.

'And sometimes those mutations become a new variant, and that's what happened with Delta, and certainly with Omicron.'

He later told NBC he saw the variants coming, but thought Harris' statement 'was taken a bit out of context,' adding he believed she was referring to 'the extraordinary number of mutations ... particularly with omicron.

'I think that the vice president's statement was taken a bit out of context,' he said.

'I believe that the vice president was referring to the fact, if you look at the number of mutations in Omicron, it's unprecedented,' he said.

'No one had expected it that much but we were well prepared and expected that we were going to see variants,' he said.

And Fauci, who turns 81 on Christmas Eve, told ABC's This Week he had no immediate plans to retire.

'There's no way I'm going to walk away from this until we get this under control,' he said.

'That's the purpose of what we do. That's our mission in life.

'We're in a war. And it's kind of like - we're half way through World War Two and you say, you know, I think I've had enough of this. I'm walking away.

'You can't do that. You've got to finish this. And we're going to finish this, and get back to normal.'

Fauci said the COVID-19 virus was 'very unpredictable'.

Since the start of the month, both U.S. COVID cases and deaths have risen about 50 per cent and the number of hospitalized COVID patients climbed 26 per cent, according to a Reuters tally.

Biden plans to give a speech on Tuesday about the fast-spreading variant and plans to combat it, hammering home his message to unvaccinated Americans to get a shot and for those who are vaccinated to get a booster.

Asked about Biden's prediction a year ago that Christmas 2021 would be 'almost normal', Fauci said: 'It's understandable how one could say, hope, as an aspiration, that we would be at a different place.'

He stressed the need to get vaccinated and boosted - 'particularly in the situation we are now in, with Omicron.'

Fauci later told NBC's Meet the Press that 'the real problem' for the U.S. hospital system is that 'we have so many people in this country who are eligible to be vaccinated who have not yet been vaccinated.'

He said it was still safe for people to travel, as long as they were careful.

'If you are vaccinated, and boosted, and wear a mask at all times.

'I think people just need to be prudent,' he said.

Confirmed cases of Omicron reached 830 as of Saturday morning - a 50 per cent increase from Friday - and has been detected in nearly every state.

Kentucky, Arkansas, Maine, Kansas and Wyoming confirmed new Omicron cases, bringing the total to 45 states.

Fauci said that there needed to be more at-home testing.

'We are going to see a significant stress, in some regions, of the hospital system,' he said.

'This virus is extraordinary. It has a doubling time of anywhere from two to three days.'

He said Omicron 'is going to take over' and that 'we are going to be in for some significant difficulties'.

Fauci added: 'It's going to be tough. It's going to be a tough few weeks and months, as we head more into the winter.'

But, he said he thought schools could stay open.

'Right now we can keep the children in schools safely. What the CDC came out a few days ago was the Test to Stay system, and it does work,' he said.

'We are trying as best we can to keep the schools open.

'I believe that even with the stress of what we are feeling now, we can keep the schools open.'

He said they were 'trying to get a veil of protection over the country', and that vaccination was 'an absolutely essential part of the process' - but masking and testing was also vital.

'Testing is absolutely essential,' he said. 'Particularly the point of care, where you can do testing yourself and get a result in 15 minutes.

'It's more than one thing. It's a comprehensive approach.'

On Monday, Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, mocked the idea of at-home tests being distributed for free - as is the case in multiple other countries.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was widely panned on Twitter after mocking the notion of sending every American at-home COVID tests for free

People line up to await the opening of a CityMD health clinic as the Omicron coronavirus variant continues to spread in Manhattan, New York City on Saturday

A huge line forms at the Barclays Center Saturday as demand for COVID testing soars in New York City

People line up outside the Barclays Center for COVID-19 testing on Saturday as the Omicron coronavirus variant continues to spread in Brooklyn, New York City

Asked why the U.S. was not doing the same, Psaki replied: 'Should we just send one to every American?'

TRANSCRIPT OF PRESS ROOM EXCHANGE: And I have one quick question on testing. Last week, obviously, the President explained some ramp-up in testing, but there are still a lot of countries, like Germany and the UK and South Korea, that basically have massive testing, free of charge or for a nominal fee. Why can't that be done in the United States? PSAKI: Well, I would say, first, you know, we have eight tests that have been approved by the FDA here. We see that as the gold standard. Whether or not all of those tests would meet that standard is a question for the scientists and medical experts, but I don't suspect they would. Our objective is to continue to increase accessibility and decrease costs. And if you look at what we've done over the course of time, we've quadrupled the size of our testing plan, we've cut the cost significantly over the past few months, and this effort to push  to ensure  ensures you're able to get your tests refunded means 150 million Americans will be able to get free tests. Q That's kind of complicated though. Why not just make them free and give them out to  and have them available everywhere? PSAKI: Should we just send one to every American? Q Maybe. I'm just asking you  there are other countries  PSAKI: Then what  then what happens if you  if every American has one test? How much does that cost, and then what happens after that? Q I don't know. All I know is that other countries seem to be making them available for  in greater quantities, for less money. PSAKI: Well, I think we share the same objective, which is to make them less expensive and more accessible. Right? Every country is going to do that differently. And I was just noting that, again, our tests go through the FDA approval process. That's not the same process that  it doesn't work that way in every single country. But what we're working to do here is build on what we've done to date and continue to build out our testing capacity, because, Mara, we absolutely recognize that this is a key component of fighting the virus. Advertisement

'Maybe,' the reporter replied, before again trying to point out the example of other countries, only to be cut off by Psaki.

'Then what happens if every American has one test? How much does that cost, and then what happens after that?' Psaki asked.

The testy briefing room back-and-forth quickly caught the attention of doctors and public health experts, who wasted no time raking Psaki over the coals for what one commenter described as her 'terrible, flippant, wrong' response.

'Actually stunned by this response by the @PressSec @WHCOVIDResponse @WhiteHouse,' tweeted Rick Bright, CEO of the Rockefeller Foundation.

'We should remove all access barriers to rapid tests.

'They're too expensive, in short supply & adding extra insurance barriers isn't the answer. Yes, mail them to all Americans.'

Gregg Gonzalves, a Yale University researcher did not mince words, writing in a tweet: 'this answer was terrible, flippant, wrong.

'Rapid tests are hard to get, expensive & could be a key intervention in fighting #COVID19.

'Other countries have figured out better ways to get these tools into the hands of their citizens. Do better.'

Dr Tatiana Powell, an oncologist, argued that nearly two years into the pandemic, at-home tests should be free and available to everyone.

'If we run out when we send one to every [home], we're doing something very wrong,' she tweeted.

Dr Craig Spencer, Director of Global Health in Emergency Medicine at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center, pointed out that the US government has already spent billions of dollars of vaccines, so 'tests should be no different.'

Psaki boasted that the eight at-home tests that have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration were 'the gold standard.'

She suggested that other countries, by making the kits free and easily accessible, possibly fall short of that standard.

She then touted the expansion of at-home testing, saying that thanks to the Biden administration's reimbursement plan, 150 million Americans will get access to free tests.

But reporters were unconvinced, claiming that the plan was 'too complicated,' and asking why the government would not simply give out the tests free of charge to everyone.

Four days after Psaki's Monday exchange, Harris's claims about failing to foresee Omicron and Delta immediately raised eyebrows.

The mutations and variants have been long known as a feature of coronaviruses.

By the time Harris and Biden took over, in January 2021, the WHO had already identified three 'variants of concern' - Alpha, Beta and Gamma.

Two more - Delta and Omicron - emerged in the Biden-Harris era.

The beleaguered vice president spoke to the media outlets as the Omicron variant spreads nationwide, with 45 states and Puerto Rico now having detected cases as of Saturday morning, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The number of confirmed Omicron cases in the U.S. has nearly doubled in a period of 24 hours, with the variant now confirmed in all but five states.

As of Saturday morning, there were 830 cases of Omicron confirmed by DNA sequencing across the country - a 97 per cent increase from Friday morning's tally.

In reality, the true number of Omicron cases is much higher, as only 1 to 2 per cent of all cases are sequenced for variant markers.

The CDC estimates that Omicron accounts for at least 13 percent of all new cases in New York, which on Friday recorded its highest single-day tally of new Covid-19 cases ever at 21,027.

The Big Apple has been particularly hard-hit, again, with the number of cases doubling in three days.

Earlier this week, Governor Kathy Hochul reinstated controversial mask mandates for most indoor venues.

The rise in cases in the past three days caused Dr Jay Varma, Mayor Bill de Blasio's top medical advisor, to tweet 'we've never seen this before in New York City.'

Testing has now confirmed the presence of Omicron in every US state except for Oklahoma, Montana, North and South Dakota, Indiana, and Vermont, though the eventual arrival of the highly transmissible variant in every state seems assured.

Highly vaccinated states in the Northeast seem to be struggling the most at the moment as cold weather, waning immunity and the new variant all contribute to a new case surge.

Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island also recorded record high daily cases this week.

In Ohio, more than a thousand members with the National Guard were called in to provide assistance for medical facilities as the state was facing staffing shortages in their hospitals.

In Nebraska, medical facilities were forced to ration treatment on non-COVID patients as hospital beds continue to grow scarce due to the growing number of cases.

In the past month, 60,000 patients have been newly treated in hospitals across the country with doctors and officials urging the United States' unvaccinated population - 39% of Americans - to receive the shot in order to create space for non-COVID patients.

This increase has spiked hospitalization rates in various Midwestern states, as well as California, and there are 67,306 patients currently treated nationally.

The presence of the new Omicron variant, which is believed to be responsible for the most recent surge, has so far been identified in 830 cases across the country in 44 states.

The surge in recent cases is a 40 percent increase from November's numbers, with 118,717 cases being reported each day.

The hospitalization admissions rate in the U.K. has also increased in the past week with a reported 7.06 patients per 100,000 people.

In South Africa, where the Omicron variant was first detected, there have been about 7,600 people currently admitted into the hospital nearly a month after the country announced the presence of the new strain.

Biden on July 4 celebrated 'independence' from the virus, in a positive speech which some have now said was misguided.

'While the virus hasn't been vanquished, we know this: It no longer controls our lives,' the president said.

'It no longer paralyzes our nation. And it's within our power to make sure it never does again.'

Harris said one of her biggest regrets is that she had not been able to do more to combat myths about the virus and vaccine.

'I would take that more seriously,' she said of the misinformation.

'The biggest threat still to the American people is the threat to the unvaccinated.

'And most people who believe in the efficacy of the vaccine and the seriousness of the virus have been vaccinated. That troubles me deeply.'

Harris told the paper she understood the frustration many felt at still being faced with a surge in COVID, despite there now being a vaccine and booster available.

She said she appreciated that many were angry at having to cancel Christmas plans once again, and was well aware of the toll that uncertainty and anxiety took on mental health.

'I get it. I get it. I totally get it,' she said.

'I mean, you know, one of the concerns that I have is the undiagnosed and untreated trauma at various degrees that everyone has experienced.'

The vice president was highly tipped to be the Democrat nominee in 2024 before she took office, and has failed to impress.

Less than half of Americans approve of the job she is doing.

A new Hill/HarrisX poll released on Tuesday shows 43 percent of registered voters approve of Harris's performance, while 50 per cent say they disapprove.

The same poll taken December 6-7 shows 7 percent of respondents are unsure of their approval of the vice president.

Harris would not say whether she felt that her gender and race were a factor in her low approval ratings.

'I'll leave that to other people to evaluate,' she said.

Biden's decision to wait until Tuesday to address his plan has been met with incredulity as many criticized his apparent lack of urgency while he spends the weekend in Delaware.

Some have claimed that waiting till next week to outline a plan against Omicron is not a proactive move for a president who famously vowed to 'shut down the virus.'

Mark Knoller, a former CBS White House correspondent, tweeted: 'If the Pres has something urgent to say about Covid, why wait until Tuesday?'

Bob Wacheter, the chair of Department of Medicine at the University of California San Francisco, also warned about the dangers of Omicron, specifically in New York City after a friend who had gotten three jabs went to a holiday party at the Big Apple last week.

'Today he tested pos. Feels flu-ish but luckily nothing worse. [Omicron's] a different foe  treat it w/ respect.'

Erin Sanders, a biologist who's worked on COVID research since the pandemic began, urged Biden and Harris to act quickly.

'#Omicron doubles in 2 days. Time is everything. @POTUS @ VP please we cannot wait. Do not sit in your ivory tower and watch the country burn,' Sanders tweeted.

Bree Newsome, a North Carolina community leader, said Biden needed to act quickly to curb the Omicron surge.

'Cases will have doubled by the time Biden makes his planned speech on COVID Tuesday. That's how fast this thing is moving,' Newsome wrote on Twitter.

Alison Goldberg, a therapist and supporter of COVID protocols who's dealt with patients' anxiety and depression during the pandemic, also expressed her frustration with Biden's lack of urgency.

'Biden wants us to wait until Tuesday so he can tell us to get [vaccinated], that this is a pandemic of the unvaccinated, and to ensure that no school closures unvaccinated kids who are exposed to covid can stay in class as long as they test. No urgency.'

President Joe Biden will spend the weekend in Delaware after attending the anniversary memorial of his first wife

Some criticized Biden's decision to wait until Tuesday to unveil his Omicron plan as they warned that the variant was serious

When the pandemic first struck the U.S. in March 2020, many criticized then-President Donald Trump for failing to properly tackle COVID and saw Joe Biden as a more pragmatic leader for the issue.

Before his November 2020 victory, Biden famously tweeted, 'I'm not going to shut down the country. I'm not going to shut down the economy. I'm going to shut down the virus.'

Psaki tweeted that the president's upcoming plan would build off his 'Winter Plan,' which addresses booster shots, lockdowns and mask mandates.

'POTUS will announce new steps the Administration is taking to help communities in need of assistance, while also issuing a stark warning of what the winter will look like for Americans that choose to remain unvaccinated,' Psaki wrote on Saturday.

'We are prepared for the rising case levels, and [Biden] will detail how we will respond to this challenge. He will remind Americans that they can protect themselves from severe illness from COVID-19 by getting vaccinated and getting their booster shot when they are eligible.'
The White House accused Joe Manchin on Sunday for breaking his word after the Democrat publicly said he is a 'no' on President Joe Biden's Build Back Better initiative following months of negotiations over the social spending legislation.

'Senator Manchin promised to continue conversations in the days ahead, and to work with us to reach that common ground,' White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement on his latest comments.

'If his comments on Fox and written statement indicate an end to that effort, they represent a sudden and inexplicable reversal in his position,' she added, 'and a breach of his commitments to the President and the Senator's colleagues in the House and Senate.'

Manchin told Fox News Sunday: 'I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation.'

'I just can't,' the West Virginia Democratic senator continued. 'I've tried everything humanly possible. I can't get there.'

He said: 'This is a no.'

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina slammed the response from the White House as 'laughable.'

'The White House statement attacking Senator Manchin for deciding to vote no regarding Build Back Better is 'Baghdad Bob' laughable,' he tweeted in reference to former Iraq Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf's nickname stemming from his colorful television appearances.

He went on to attack the cost of BBB and how provisions, such as the Green New Deal, would 'dramatically increase inflation'.

'The White House continues to repeat the lie that Build Back Better is fully paid for,' Graham lamented. 'The CBO analysis is not fake and Build Back Better without budget gimmicks will add $3 trillion to the deficit.'

'The true cost of Build Back Better  $5 trillion over 10 years, not $1.75 trillion  is the wrong medicine to address the ills of the nation's economy,' he added.

'The White House's lame attempts to attack CBO and Senator Manchin to hide the devastating impact of Build Back Better is not working and will not work.'

Progressives, on the other hand, were furious with Manchin.

'Let's be clear: Manchin's excuse is bulls**t,' Representative Ilhan Omar tweeted on Sunday. 'The people of West Virginia would directly benefit from childcare, pre-Medicare expansion, and long term care, just like Minnesotans.'

She added: 'This is exactly what we warned would happen if we separated Build Back Better from infrastructure.'

Omar told MSNBC she knew Manchin 'couldn't be trusted.'

Independent Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont called for a Senate floor vote on the bill anyway, claiming he wants Manchin to have to vote against BBB in front of America and the world.

Less than 30 minutes before Manchin killed BBB, one of his aides was told to give the White House and congressional leadership a heads up, according to Politico.

At the time, Manchin was preparing to go live for an interview with Fox News' Bret Baier, who was hosting his first Fox News Sunday episode after Chris Wallace announced his departure last Sunday.

The mood at the White House following news from Manchin's office was described by Politico as 'panic and disbelief'.

'We tried to head him off,' a senior White House official said, claiming Manchin 'refused to take a call from White House staff' before the interview.

Psaki said the White House will continue to apply pressure on Manchin in hopes he will 'again' change his mind on BBB.

'Just as Senator Manchin reversed his position on Build Back Better this morning, we will continue to press him to see if he will reverse his position yet again, to honor his prior commitments and be true to his word,' she said.

Democratic Senator Joe Manchin said Sunday that he can't vote for President Biden's Build Back Better agenda  even after the New Year

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki (left) released a statement Sunday indicating the administration was blindsided by Manchin's remarks. She wrote: 'Senator Manchin's comments this morning on FOX are at odds with his discussions this week with the President'

WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY JEN PSAKI STATEMENT ON JOE MANCHIN REBUKE OF BBB Senator Manchin's comments this morning on FOX are at odds with his discussions this week with the President, with White House staff, and with his own public utterances. Weeks ago, Senator Manchin committed to the President, at his home in Wilmington, to support the Build Back Better framework that the President then subsequently announced. Senator Manchin pledged repeatedly to negotiate on finalizing that framework 'in good faith.' On Tuesday of this week, Senator Manchin came to the White House and submittedto the President, in person, directlya written outline for a Build Back Better bill that was the same size and scope as the President's framework, and covered many of the same priorities. While that framework was missing key priorities, we believed it could lead to a compromise acceptable to all. Senator Manchin promised to continue conversations in the days ahead, and to work with us to reach that common ground. If his comments on FOX and written statement indicate an end to that effort, they represent a sudden and inexplicable reversal in his position, and a breach of his commitments to the President and the Senator's colleagues in the House and Senate. Senator Manchin claims that this change of position is related to inflation, but the think tank he often cites on Build Back Betterthe Penn Wharton Budget Instituteissued a report less than 48 hours ago that noted the Build Back Better Act will have virtually no impact on inflation in the short term, and, in the long run, the policies it includes will ease inflationary pressures. Many leading economists with whom Senator Manchin frequently consults also support Build Back Better. Build Back Better lowers costs that families pay. It will reduce what families pay for child care. It will reduce what they pay for prescription drugs. It will lower health care premiums. And it puts a tax cut in the pockets of families with kids. If someone is concerned about the impact that higher prices are having on families, this bill gives them a break. Senator Manchin cited deficit concerns in his statement. But the plan is fully paid for, is the most fiscally responsible major bill that Congress has considered in years, and reduces the deficit in the long run. The Congressional Budget Office report that the Senator cites analyzed an unfunded extension of Build Back Better. That's not what the President has proposed, not the bill the Senate would vote on, and not what the President would support. Senator Manchin knows that: The President has told him that repeatedly, including this week, face to face. Likewise, Senator Manchin's statement about the climate provisions in Build Back Better are wrong. Build Back Better will produce a job-creating clean energy future for this countryincluding West Virginia. Just as Senator Manchin reversed his position on Build Back Better this morning, we will continue to press him to see if he will reverse his position yet again, to honor his prior commitments and be true to his word. In the meantime, Senator Manchin will have to explain to those families paying $1,000 a month for insulin why they need to keep paying that, instead of $35 for that vital medicine. He will have to explain to the nearly two million women who would get the affordable day care they need to return to work why he opposes a plan to get them the help they need. Maybe Senator Manchin can explain to the millions of children who have been lifted out of poverty, in part due to the Child Tax Credit, why he wants to end a program that is helping achieve this milestonewe cannot. We are proud of what we have gotten done in 2021: the American Rescue Plan, the fastest decrease in unemployment in U.S. history, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, over 200 million Americans vaccinated, schools reopened, the fastest rollout of vaccines to children anywhere in the world, and historic appointments to the Federal judiciary. But we will not relent in the fight to help Americans with their child care, health care, prescription drug costs, and elder careand to combat climate change. The fight for Build Back Better is too important to give up. We will find a way to move forward next year. Advertisement

'Senator Manchin's comments this morning on Fox are at odds with his discussions this week with the President, with White House staff, and with his own public utterances,' Psaki started in her statement.

'Weeks ago, Senator Manchin committed to the President, at his home in Wilmington, to support the Build Back Better framework that the President then subsequently announced,' she added.

'Senator Manchin pledged repeatedly to negotiate on finalizing that framework 'in good faith.'

Manchin did not tell Baier of the news he was about to break on Fox's network.

He definitely said during his interview Sunday that he is against Biden's BBB social spending agenda after Chuck Schumer pushed a vote on the legislation until after the New Year.

The senator told Fox's Bret Baier: 'This is a mammoth piece of legislation and I had my reservations from the beginning when I heard about it five-and-a-half months ago.'

Psaki said that Manchin changing his stance on BBB due to record spiking inflation is not valid.

Psaki wrote: 'Senator Manchin will have to explain to those families paying $1,000 a month for insulin why they need to keep paying that, instead of $35 for that vital medicine. He will have to explain to the nearly two million women who would get the affordable day care they need to return to work why he opposes a plan to get them the help they need. Maybe Senator Manchin can explain to the millions of children who have been lifted out of poverty, in part due to the Child Tax Credit, why he wants to end a program that is helping achieve this milestonewe cannot.'

Donald Trump adviser Stephen Miller praised Manchin's decision.

'Big kudos to [Kevin McCarthy] & House GOP for their relentless campaign to expose the BBB monstrosity,' he wrote. 'They showed it's not enough anymore just to vote no  you must FIGHT & keep FIGHTING. B/c House R's FOUGHT the bill of horrors is now stalled. (Senate GOP Leaders take note).'

Miller continued: 'Next up, @RepTomEmmer is going to make sure House Dems pay the electoral price for backing BBB's mass inflation, mass debt, mass amnesty and mass migration socialist nightmare.'

'Hammering this vote can turn the Red Wave into a Red Tsunami  the TRUMP REVOLUTION has just begun,' he tweeted.

Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey said Manchin 'was right to call out these dangers.'

'He did a huge service to the nation by just saying no,' the Republican tweeted.

Democrats and progressives were immediately furious at Manchin for finally coming out against the legislation in full.

'Well, I think he's gonna have a lot of explaining to do to the people of West Virginia,' Senator Sanders told CNN's State of the Union Sunday morning.

The independent progressive senator called for a floor vote on BBB so Manchin is forced to 'vote no in front of the whole world.'

'The American people have got to understand what is at stake,' Sanders said on CNN. 'For decades what Congress has been doing, giving tax breaks to the rich, not standing up to the drug companies.'

'The president of the United States and Democrats have been trying finally to address these issues,' he added.

'If Mr. Manchin doesn't want to support us  well look, we've been dealing with Mr. Manchin for month after month after month,' Sanders said. 'But if he doesn't have the courage to do the right thing for the working families of West Virginia and America, let him vote no in front of the whole world.'

Progressive Representative Ilhan Omar called Manchin's reasons for killing the bill 'bulls**t'

Senator Bernie Sanders immediately condemned Manchin's remarks on Sunday, telling CNN: 'Well, I think he's gonna have a lot of explaining to do to the people of West Virginia'. He also called for a Senate vote so it forces Manchin to 'vote no in front of the whole world'

Democratic Representative Abigail Spanberger accused Republicans of 'wholly refusing to work with Democrats' in BBB negotiations.

'Children, families, and the future of our planet are counting on us,' she tweeted along with a full statement on Manchin killing the bill.

'Many provisions in the Build Back Better framework are critical for the long-term health and safety, and security of our families and our communities,' Spanberger wrote.

'During this process, we should not ignore that Members of the Republican Party have wholly refused to work with Democrats,' she added. 'But after months of negotiations, one Democratic U.S. Senator has now summarily walked away from productive negotiations.'

'That is unacceptable, and we cannot act like this moment is the end.'

Spanberger, a congresswoman from Virginia, previously said that Biden shouldn't aspire to be FDR, who he is often compared to when boasting his sweeping BBB agenda.

Representative Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, a part of the progressive 'squad', said she 'absolutely' agrees with Sanders on bringing a vote on BBB to put Manchin on the record about his opposition  despite him already admitting on national television that he will not support the legislation.

'To be clear, my lack and deficit of trust was about Senator Manchin,' Pressley told CNN's Jake Tapper on State of the Union Sunday morning. 'He has continued to move the goalposts. He has never negotiated in good faith. And he is obstructing the president's agenda, 85 per cent of which is still left on the table.'

'And in obstructing the president's agenda, he is obstructing the people's agenda,' she added.

'I was listening to his interview earlier today, and he said it's a mammoth bill/ You're right. It's a mammoth bill to address mammoth hurt, to lower the cost of eldercare, child care, prescription drug costs, the child tax credit, which is so critical in combating child poverty.'

She accused Manchin of 'obstructing the people's agenda'.

In a statement on BBB released Sunday, Manchin wrote: 'I have always said, 'If I can't go back home and explain it, I can't vote for it.'

'Despite my best efforts, I cannot explain the sweeping Build Back Better Act in West Virginia and I cannot vote to move forward on this mammoth piece of legislation,' he said in an echo of his remarks on Fox News Sunday.

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee responded to that part with confusion.

'What exactly can Manchin not explain about lower-cost child care and tax cuts for parents, lower-price prescriptions and health care for families, and creating more high-pay jobs?' PCCC questioned.

'Anyone who cares about inflation or the impact of COVID on people's lives should be eager to pass Build Back Better and give families needed health care and financial relief,' the group added. 'If Democrats don't fulfill these super-popular promises, and lose in 2022, they will have Joe Manchin to thank.'

Speaking on the Senate floor on Friday, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer indicated the president's Build Back Better bill (BBB) would be shelved until 2022 to give Biden more time to negotiate with Manchin.

'The president requested more time to continue his negotiations, and so we will keep working with him, hand in hand, to bring this bill over the finish line and deliver on these much-needed provisions,' he said without specifying a timeline.

Biden mentioned Manchin three times on Thursday in a statement admitting it was unlikely that Democrats would pass the $1.75 trillion social and climate reform bill before the end of the year.

'In these discussions, Senator Manchin has reiterated his support for Build Back Better funding at the level of the framework plan I announced in September,' he said.

'I believe that we will bridge our differences and advance the Build Back Better plan, even in the face of fierce Republican opposition.'

After speaking with Biden multiple times last week, Manchin issued an icy dismissal of the president's comments.

'The president put out a statement. It's his statement, not mine,' he told Politico on Friday.

Democrats had hoped to stick to Schumer's goal of passing the legislation by Christmas, but Manchin continued to voice issues with the expiring child tax credit.

'I thought we had resolved that,' progressive Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren also told the outlet.

Manchin, who along with Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona have forced Biden to chip away at the bill's original $3.5 trillion price tag, reportedly didn't agree with using the legislation's 10-year financing scheme to fund a one-year extension of the child tax credit.

But with his topline firmly set at $1.7, a longer extension would have only been possible if Democrats agreed to scuttle certain programs altogether.

Manchin snapped on Wednesday after reports his opposition to the Child Tax Credit killed Biden's hopes for the Senate to pass the president's signature Build Back Better bill by Christmas.

'This is b******t. You're b******t,' the West Virginia senator yelled at a reporter who asked him about reports that the child tax credit has become a major sticking point in his talks with the White House.

'I'm done, I'm done,' Manchin fumed as the questions continued.

'Guys, I'm not negotiating with any of you all. You can ask all the questions you want. Guys, let me go,' he told the press as he walked through the basement of the Capitol, muttering 'God almighty' as he walked away.

Manchin is taking the blame from Democrats for the failure to move forward on Biden's signature legislation.

The moderate Democrat has refused to support the BBB bill as it stands and, in a 50-50 split Senate, the president needs every single Democratic vote to get his agenda through.
Three men were arrested by police probing suspected fake Covid vaccination records on Tuesday.

Police took action after staff at a London NHS trust alerted the Met's Cyber Crime unit to a 'suspicious pattern'.

Officers arrested three men on suspicion of unauthorised computer access and conspiracy to commit fraud by misrepresentation.

Detective Superintendent Helen Rance from the central Cyber Crime Team said: 'It is concerning that individuals may have fraudulently created false Covid vaccination records during a time when levels of the virus are rising.

Three men were arrested last week on suspicion of creating fake Covid records on the NHS system (File image)

'The staff at both Trusts did the right thing and reported their concerns, which has allowed us to fully investigate the circumstances.

'I want to reassure the public that no systems were hacked from outside of the NHS networks and the integrity of the systems remains robust.'

Covid cases have been rising at a staggering rate owing to the Omicron variant, especially in London.

Sadiq Khan declared a state of emergency in the capital because of the surge and asked Londoners to 'err on the side of caution'.

The Met said a 27-year-old man and a 23-year-old man, both from Ilford, were arrested for allegedly creating fake vaccine records.

Covid hospital admissions have spiked by more than a third in a week in Britain's Omicron hotspot of London, official data shows

The number of confirmed cases of Omicron in England increased by 69 per cent on the previous day's total - up 9,427 to 23,168, figures from the UKHSA showed

In a seperate investigation a 36-year-old man, also from Ilford, was arrested on suspicion of the same crimes.

The arrest followed a member of staff from a different NHS trust noticing suspicious vaccination records on their online system.

The staff member reported their concerns to Action Fraud who sent the information to the Met.

Police searching two houses related to both investigations seized 14 devices.
Surveillance video shows a tornado tearing through a bank in Mayfield, Kentucky last weekend, when dozens of twisters wreaked havoc and killed at least 93 people in five states.

The FNB Bank branch in Mayfield - the same Western Kentucky town where eight people died at a candle factory on December 10 - was destroyed by a tornado on the same night.

Video from inside the bank shows Christmas trees and standee posters shaking from the wind as the twister approaches. The lights flicker off before the tornado rips through the lobby, ripping off the glass doors and sending a Christmas tree flying.

No customers or employees were inside the bank when the tornado hit at 9.28pm. A bank spokeswoman said no vaults or safety deposit boxes were compromised.

Surveillance footage shows a FNB Bank branch in Mayfield, Kentucky on December 10

Christmas trees and posters shake as a tornado approaches the bank at around 9.28pm

The winds send everything inside flying, including the holiday decorations

The glass front doors are ripped apart from the tornado, which charted a path of 163.5 mi

A spokesperson said no one was inside and no deposit boxes or vaults were compromised

The December 10 tornadoes killed at least 93 people in five states, including 78 in Kentucky, according to ABC News. Six were killed in Illinois, five in Tennessee, two in Arkansas, and two in Missouri.

Brook Wiles, a representative of FNB Bank, said the company decided to release the video because 'people need to see how destructive and how quickly it destroyed our town.'

She told Fox Weather that her office was hit 'very hard.'

'I had a week old color printer that was in my office - maybe someone somewhere will find it some day because it is not anywhere in the bank right now. We salvaged what we could,' Wiles said.

The bank in Mayfield, above before the storm, is one of nine branches across Kentucky

The roof was torn apart after a tornado spun through it on December 10

'I had a week old color printer that was in my office - maybe someone somewhere will find it some day because it is not anywhere in the bank right now,' a spokeswoman said

Brook Wiles, a representative of the bank, said the company decided to release the video because 'people need to see how destructive and how quickly it destroyed our town'

The bank has nine offices in the state, which remain operational. Wiles said the Mayfield branch was temporarily working out of a technology park.

The victims in Kentucky range in age from 2 months old to 98 years old, ABC News reports.

There were at least 44 tornados reported in nine states: Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Indiana, Ohio and Alabama.

The continuous tornado path spanned 163.5 mi, making it the longest continuous tornado track in Kentucky history. It's also the deadliest tornado outbreak in the US since May 2011, when more than 170 people were killed.

A Missouri girl who saw a tornado rip apart her family home last week - killing her older sister, hospitalizing her mother and breaking her vertebrae - took her first steps on Thursday as she learns to walk again.

Avalinn Rackley, 7, aided by a walker and a neck brace, began a slow and steady stroll across her hospital room after a successful round of surgery on Wednesday, where family members cheered her on as they found hope amid their tragedy.

'Good job! You're doing so good,' they are heard saying as they recorded the steps. 'I love you so much.'

The resilient 7-year-old was smiling as Le Bonheur Children's Hospital workers assisted her at the Memphis facility. When Avalinn appeared a bit strained from the exercise, a family members asked her, 'What's wrong, darling?'

To which the remarkable girl answered, 'Nothing,' as she continued walking.

Avalinn's great-aunt, Sandra Hooker, 62, told DailyMail.com that Avalinn should be home by the weekend with her grandmother as family members pray for a miracle for her mother Meghan Rackley, 32, who suffered severe brain injury and is fighting for her life.

Avalinn Rackley, 7, began taking her first step to learn how to walk on Thursday after suffering from a broken vertebrae when a tornado ripped apart her Missouri home last week, killing her older sister and critically injuring her mother

The plight of the Rackley family captured the nation's attention when a photo of Avalinn and her sisters Annistyn, 9, and Alanna, 3, taking shelter in their bathroom went viral as more than 30 tornadoes rampaged through Kentucky, Missouri and other states last weekend.

One of the tornadoes that hit their Caruthersville home flung the girls and their parents, Meghan and Trey, 37, into a field, killing Annistyn and severely wounding Avalinn and Meghan.

Trey and Alanna suffered less sever injuries and have been released from the hospital.

Meghan, who fell into a coma, was hospitalized in St. Louis for severe brain trauma, and while the family said she was able to move a bit on Thursday, they said they still need a miracle.

Hooker said that Avalinn has been doing well and that doctors have removed one of two drains in her back from Wednesday's surgery.

In a Facebook post about the 7-year-old's physical therapy session, grandmother Pamela Moore wrote, 'This girl has been the bravest little girl. She has won the heart of everyone in this hospital.

Billy and Judy Miller died while holding hands during last weekend's deadly tornadoes that ripped through Kentucky

Billy and Judy Miller died when a tornado tore through Muhlenberg County, northwest of Bowling Green, in western Kentucky Friday night

'She has been so strong. I just know that her big sister Anni is right with her. I can feel it.'

In Kentucky, an elderly couple married for 56 years died holding hands after the devastating tornadoes.

Billy and Judy Miller were two of the victims killed as storms tore through Muhlenberg County, northwest of Bowling Green in western Kentucky, late Friday night.

In total, 78 people have died from the tornadoes in Kentucky.

'They had passed away together, holding on to each other,' their granddaughter, Serenity Miller told KHOU.

'Their love was so deep for each other, we knew they wouldn't be able to survive without each other.'

Miller said that despite half a century together and losing a son, Billy Miller Jr, and a daughter, Heather Miller Brooks, her grandparents' love for each other never dimmed.

Elijah Johnson, 20, has filed a lawsuit with 109 other employees after the Mayfield Consumer Products factory allegedly said they couldn't go home before the tornado on December 10

The before-and-after of the factory, which was completely obliterated by the tornado as it tore through Kentucky, leaving nothing but rubble behind. The company has since denied telling its employees they couldn't leave and are offering hazard pay

In Mayfield, more than 100 employees of the Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory braved a tornado inside the facility, with some saying they were trapped under as much as five feet of rubble.

Elijah Johnson, 20, has filed a lawsuit with 109 other employees against the family-owned candle factory in Kentucky.

They are asking for an undisclosed amount after they say they were told that if they left the factory they'd be fired - despite tornado sirens going off.

Only a few hours later, the whole factory was destroyed by the tornado, killing eight and injuring several. It is unclear how many are injured or missing.

The lawsuit claims the company showed 'flagrant indifference to the rights of Plaintiff Johnson and to the other similarly situated Plaintiffs with a subjective awareness that such conduct will result in human death and/or bodily injuries.'

The company has since denied this claim, stating that they followed protocol.
Donald Trump mocked his successor in an interview taped Friday where he questioned whether Joe Biden is running the country after he called Vice President Kamala Harris the president during a graduation commencement speech.

He told Fox News' Maria Bartiromo in the interview that aired Sunday that 'in the truest sense' Biden is 'not running the country.' Trump specifically pointed to Biden repeatedly referring to Harris as the president and flip flopping from one day to the next on issues he supports.

The former president also told Bartiromo that he hopes for a rematch with Hillary Clinton in 2024  even though he has not yet announced he is running. And he praised the relationship he forced with Xi Jinping when he was in the White House, even though the Chinese leader is a 'killer.'

Bartiromo said to Trump in the pre-recorded interview that aired Sunday on her Fox program Sunday Morning Futures. 'Just today, [Biden] called Kamala Harris president again.'

'Oh geez,' Trump interjected.

'Do you think someone else is directing him?' she asked.

'Well, I never called Mike Pence president,' Trump chuckled.

'I'll tell you,' he continued. 'I can't imagine what's going on. It's hard to believe.'

'Who's running the country?' Bartiromo posed to Trump.

'Well, think of it,' he started. 'It was so obvious in this case' that he is not in charge.

Donald Trump sat down for a wide-range interview with Fox News' Maria Bartiromo on Friday, which aired on Sunday Morning Futures

Trump mocked Joe Biden's latest gaffe by saying, 'I never called Mike Pence president,' said he hopes for a 2024 rematch with Hillary Clinton and praised his relationship with 'killer' Chinese President Xi Jinping

Later on Sunday a visibly weary Trump briefly spoke at the First Baptist Dallas megachurchs Christmas service. Former First Lady Melania Trump was not in attendance.

The ex-president spent roughly 10 minutes thanking his supporters as well as law enforcement and the military, noticeably less animated and speaking slower than at his normal public appearances. Without mentioning him by name, he took aim at his rival President Joe Biden yet again for the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The way we left, it looked like we left in surrender, Trump said.

He also promised Melania would be with him the next time despite her absence at most of his recent public appearances since they left the White House.

I said, Dont worry, Ill do this one all by myself and she said Id love to go. Now that I see how beautiful this is, shes going to be very upset with me, he said.

He didnt elaborate on what his wife, who has her hands full with a new venture into NFTs, was doing instead.

Trump appeared on stage before an excited crowd at the packed megachurch service Sunday afternoon

He spoke for roughly 10 minutes but avoided any political or campaign speech that could likely run afoul of existing election laws

On Friday, Biden gave the commencement address at South Carolina State University  the day after the White House was forced to clarify Harris's comments that she and the president had not discussed plans for his reelection.

Biden's Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that the president still plans to stand again in 2024 with Harris as his running mate.

However, a momentary slip during his speech resulted in him promoting Harris to the top job as he discussed historically black colleges and universities.

'But all kidding aside, of course, President Harris is a proud Howard alum,' Biden said during his opening remarks.

Bartiromo also brought up Hillary Clinton saying a 2024 presidential win for Trump would mean an end to democracy.

'Will this be a rematch?' the pro-Trump reporter asked.

'Oh, I have no idea,' Trump said. 'I hope so  I mean, I'd like that.'

'But look  the woman's crooked as can be,' he continued. 'She cheated in the election, they spied on my campaign. Remember I put out that little statement, 'They're spying on my campaign'? And all hell broke out. You know why it broke out? Because they knew I was right.'

President Biden delivered a commencement speech at South Carolina State University Friday where he said: 'But all kidding aside, of course, President Harris is a proud Howard alum'

At the same time Trump's interview aired on Fox, his former competitor Clinton had an interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria on his Sunday morning show GPS.

Trump also told Bartiromo that China owes $60 trillion in reparations for COVID-19 damages while receiving pushback from the Fox News host when lading his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Bartiromo asked Trump about U.S. relations with China.

'You know, I had a great relationship with President Xi,' Trump said as part of a glowing assessment of his rapport with Xi. 'I really believe he liked me, and I like him. I had a great relationship'

The Fox host cut Trump off, threw her arms in the air and said: 'He's a killer!'

'He is a killer,' Trump concurred. 'But I had a great relationship with him.'

Trump said that COVID was the turning point in his relationship with Xi.

'They really destroyed the whole world,' he said.
Former President Donald Trump's and ex-FOX News host Bill O'Reilly's 'History Tour' once again drew sparse crowds at the third stop of their tour in Houston on Saturday.

The event at the Toyota Center was delayed by nearly two hours due to stormy weather that apparently interfered with the former president's flight to Texas.

It was supposed to start at 3pm local time, but at around 3.30pm, O'Reilly took the stage to explain that weather had delayed Trump's appearance.

Trump's spokeswoman, Liz Harrington tweeted at around 4.14pm local time that the airport had finally reopened, and he finally took the stage at around 5pm.

But even when it was originally supposed to start, the Houston Chronicle reports, 'there were still plenty of seats available,' with video taken by Daily Beast reporter Zachary Petrizzo showing hundreds of empty seats as he panned around the stadium.

Tickets for the event - which reviews Trump's one-term presidency and his 2024 intentions - ranged from $100 to over $300.

Former President Donald Trump and ex-FOX News host Bill O'Reilly took to the stage at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on Saturday as part of O'Reilly's History Tour

There were many empty seats as the event was supposed to begin at 3pm local time

The small crowds in Texas comes after the tour sold just 62 percent of the tickets it expected to sell in Orlando, Florida.

According to city data obtained by the Orlando Sentinel, the tour sold just 5,406 tickets, despite earlier predictions of a sellout by organizers at an arena with a listed capacity of 8,700.

'The listed capacity for the event of 8,700 didnt include vast swaths of the upper bowl covered with a tarp before the event started... despite tickets for those seats being listed as available all the way until Sunday morning,' the newspaper reported.

'But when doors opened at noon, people who bought tickets to an upper bowl seat, including an Orlando Sentinel reporter, were told they had been upgraded to empty seats in the lower bowl,' according to the Sentinel, which also reportedly happened at the first event in Sunrise, Florida.

The event on Saturday was delayed when stormy weather interfered with the former president's flight. He finally took the stage at around 5pm

In total, the Sentinel reports, 6,201 people went through the turnstiles at the Amway Center on December 12.

The Center usually has a listed capacity of between 12,500 to 17,000.

And when the former president spoke at the Center in 2019 to kick off his 2020 campaign, 19,792 people passed through the turnstiles.

Ticket prices for the event, meanwhile, plummeted on the morning of December 12 to as little as $40, after previously starting at $100 and rising into the thousands for VIP packages, which included floor seats, floor seats, a reception before the show, and photos with Trump and OReilly.

'I guess it does show that theres a limit to his popularity,' Aubrey Jewett, a professor of political science at the University of Central Florida, told the Sentinel.

'Hes still influential and still popular within the Republican Party. But a lot of his fans apparently were not willing to pay 100 bucks a crack to hear him talk for two hours.'

By the time the former president left office in 2020, his job approval rating was just 29 percent - the lowest in his presidency since he took office in 2017, when his approval rating was at 44 percent, according to the Pew Research Center.

Trump discussed the COVID pandemic, his relations with foreign leaders and his 2024 intentions on the tour

O'Reilly had previously threatened a lawsuit against Politico after it reported in July that the initial sales for the tour - which is billed as a 'series of live conversations across the county' between O'Reilly and the former president - were slow.

Trump spokeswoman Liz Harrington told the outlet at the time: 'Come December, the sold-out shows will be a memorable night for all.'

The History Tour is set to conclude in Dallas, Texas on Sunday.
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Britain has recorded 82,886 Covid cases as Sajid Javid has refused to rule out another lockdown before Christmas and SAGE advisers told government officials that mixing of households should be banned 'very soon'.

The number of cases has risen by 32,473, or 64.4 per cent, in seven days. But is lower than yesterday's figure of 90,418.

Some 45 deaths were recorded today, a decrease of 7 from last week's 52 and a percentage decrease of 13.5.

And cases of the Omicron variant have risen by 50 per cent in just 24 hours to 37,101 as the UK Health Security Agency confirmed a further 12,133 cases today.

It comes as Health Secretary Sajid Javid this morning refused to rule out the possibility of another lockdown before Christmas.

Mr Javid admitted 'everything is under review' after SAGE delivered a grim assessment that the number of infections could reach two million by the end of the month without tougher restrictions - floating a 'circuit breaker' ban on households mixing and closure of non-essential shops.

Medical and science chiefs Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance briefed the Cabinet yesterday that more measures are required to stop hospital admissions soaring above 3,000 per day in England. Modelling suggests the peak could be as high as 10,000 and the daily death toll might reach 6,000.

There is deep resistance among ministers about the prospect of plunging millions of people back into lockdown wrecking Christmas again while evidence remains unclear.

Questions have also been raised about whether Mr Johnson even has the political capital to push through restrictions, after a massive revolt against Plan B last week and the bombshell resignation of his Brexit minister Lord Frost overnight, highlighting the danger of 'coercive' policies.

However, Mr Javid appeared to hint at a looming shift this morning, saying the SAGE analysis is 'sobering' and the government is ready to 'do what is necessary'.

Pushed on whether a circuit breaker could be ruled out before Christmas, Mr Javid told the BBC's Andrew Marr show: 'There are no guarantees in this pandemic, I don't think.

'At this point we just have to keep everything under review.'

Of the advice from scientists, he said: 'It's a very sobering analysis. We take it very seriously.

'We do have to challenge data and underlying assumptions, I think that is appropriate, and take into account a broader set of facts.'

The gloomy news of another potential Christmas of chaos came as:

Sajid Javid refused to rule out the possibility of another lockdown before Christmas;

Sadiq Khan declared a 'major incident' in London amid fears the capital could run out of police officers, firefighters and NHS workers to cover shifts because rapid rise of Covid cases;

The number of people in hospital with the Omicron variant rose by 20 to 85 and cases increased by 69% in a day with another 10,059 infections recorded;

'Professor Lockdown' Neil Ferguson said most people infected with Omicron in Britain would not get seriously ill because they will be protected by their immunity from vaccines or prior infection.

In interviews this morning, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the government has to use the 'data that we have got' and infections were rising quickly

Government advisors are understood to be urging ministers to take action 'immediately' to stop a significant wave of hospitalisations and warn that it willl be at least a week before the effect of any action taken now is seen.

The aim of a 'circuit breaker' ban on household mixing would be to stop hospitalisations overwhelming the NHS until booster jabs can be given to all adults, which the government hopes to achieve in January.

Some critics of the SAGE message point to data from South Africa which shows that far fewer people are hospitalised by Omicron leading to speculation that it could cause milder symptoms.

They also say that the Omicron wave in the 'ground-zero' Gauteng region where the variant was first detected has peaked much more rapidly than previous waves. After rising rapidly for three weeks cases in Gauteng are now falling.

SAGE advisers counter that South Africa's high levels of immunity from infection and young population could be responsible for the lower hospitalisation numbers.

Stephen Reicher, professor of social psychology at the University of St Andrews and a member of Sage, said it was clear that Plan B measures alone would not be enough to stop the spiralling numbers of Omicron cases in the Uk and that the Government needs to 'act now'.

He added: 'Now, you could have it after Christmas, the problem is after Christmas it's probably too late, it's probably by then we will have had a huge surge of infections with all the impact upon society.'

Officials draw up plans for two-week 'circuit breaker' lockdown - including bans on households mixing Plans for a two-week circuit breaker after Christmas with a ban on indoor mixing are being drawn up, it emerged last night. Leaked minutes of a meeting of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) warn that restrictions are needed 'very soon' to avoid hospitalisations rising to 3,000 a day. During the meeting on Thursday, the experts backed a ban on indoor social contact and hospitality. In what could be a blow to Britons planning New Year parties, they want fresh measures to come in before January 1. 'The timing of such measures is crucial,' said the minutes, seen by the BBC. 'Delaying until 2022 would greatly reduce the effectiveness of such interventions and make it less likely that these would prevent considerable pressure on health and care settings.' Whitehall officials are preparing draft regulations that would ban meeting others indoors except for work purposes, and pubs and restaurants would be limited to outdoor service only, reported The Times. According to the Sage minutes, the advisers recommended moving back to restrictions set down in Step One and Two of the roadmap out of lockdown in the spring, which involved a ban on indoor social contact and indoor hospitality. They warned that solely sticking to Plan B could lead to 'at least' 3,000 hospital admissions a day in England. Admissions have been between 800 and 900 a day in the past week. Introducing these measures early enough 'could substantially reduce the peak in hospital admission and infections compared with Plan B alone', the minutes said. Boris Johnson was presented with several options yesterday for a so-called Plan C, ranging from 'mild guidance to nudge people, right through to lockdown', according to the Financial Times. Ministers will decide this weekend whether any new Covid restrictions are needed following the latest dire warnings from scientists. Advertisement

The surging statistics came as Professor Neil Ferguson  whose projections have spooked No10 into lockdowns before  called for curbs to be tightened by New Year on the back of his latest modelling of the mutant strain.

He told BBC 4's Today Programme hospitalisations could be overwhelmed by Christmas as Omicron cases rise in the next week with a 'very large epidemic underway'. He added: 'The level of protection against severe disease is not perfect and the very large case numbers may still translate into very large numbers of hospitalisations.'

During the Sage meeting on Thursday, the experts backed a ban on indoor social contact and hospitality. In what could be a blow to Britons planning New Year parties, they want fresh measures to come in before January 1.

Leaked minutes from Sage, seen by the BBC, said scientists had told ministers that tougher measures need to be brought in 'very soon'.

'The timing of such measures is crucial,' said the minutes. 'Delaying until 2022 would greatly reduce the effectiveness of such interventions and make it less likely that these would prevent considerable pressure on health and care settings.'

An emergency Cobra meeting this weekend will discuss if a joint response to the threat of the Omicron variant is needed across the UK. The meeting will raise fears that more curbs could be imposed before Christmas  despite the opposition of Tory MPs and Downing Street's apparent determination to get through without them.

It comes as the number of confirmed Omicron cases in England reached 37,101, up 12,133 on the previous day's total, figures from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on Saturday showed.

Hospital admissions in England for people with confirmed or suspected Omicron rose to 85, from 65.

On Friday, Britain recorded its highest number of daily infections since the pandemic began, with a total of 93,045 people testing positive for Covid in the past 24 hours, up 60 per cent in a week.

Industry experts had feared the Government's increasingly alarmist messaging surrounding the Omicron mutant strain was affecting customer confidence over what should be a peak period for pubs, bars and restaurants.

Festive takings are expected to fall by up to 40 per cent in December - crippling venues that survived by a thread during previous lockdowns and expect to receive no financial support this time around.

Prof Reicher, who was speaking to Times Radio in a personal capacity, said the time to act was now to prevent the new variant overwhelming the NHS.

It comes amid reports officials have been drawing up draft plans for a two-week circuit-breaker lockdown after Christmas.

The Financial Times reported that Boris Johnson was presented with a number of options on Friday under a so-called Plan C, ranging from 'mild guidance to nudge people, right through to lockdown'.

The newspaper quoted allies of the Prime Minister who claimed Mr Johnson still wanted to go down the guidance route, but that he also had to be realistic about the threat of Omicron.

The BBC reported the advisers had recommended moving to restrictions seen in step one and two of the easing of lockdown restrictions in the spring. This included a ban on indoor mixing and indoor hospitality.

They reportedly warned against delaying further interventions until 2022.

Is it REALLY safe to cut the 10-day quarantine? How long are people infectious for? Britain's Covid's self-isolation sentence could be halved to just five days, some academics have argued. Data suggests roughly 98 per cent of virus transmission occurs either before people become ill, or within five days of symptoms starting. Dr Muge Cevik, an infectious disease expert from the University of St Andrews, said earlier this year: 'Given most transmission happens very early on, the isolation period could be much shorter for the cases. 'Viral load peaks pretty quickly, so people are highly infectious within the first few days.' How long can Covid patients test positive for? Lateral flow tests, which offer results in as little as 15 minutes, work best for sniffing out the people who are most infectious. They look for viral proteins called antigens in samples taken from the nose and throat. But the kits are less sensitive than gold-standard PCRs, which sees swabs sent off to laboratories to be analysed for viral genetic material. It means they are less likely to spot someone when they are infected, but also less likely to give a positive result when someone has gone past their peak infectiousness and have a lower viral load. PCRs, on the other hand, are extremely sensitive and can pick up the presence of viral fragments long after the illness has cleared. For this reason, a positive PCR result does not always mean someone is still contagious. Advertisement

The Times reported that draft regulations were being prepared which could ban meeting others indoors except for work purposes and that pubs and restaurants would be limited to outdoor service only, for two weeks after Christmas.

On Saturday, Prof Reicher told Times Radio that 'all the science suggests that (Plan B is) not going to be enough'.

He said: 'The only way really, or at least the most effective way, we can have an immediate effect is to decrease the number of contacts we have.

'In many ways, the most effective way of diminishing contact is to have a circuit-breaker.

'When people say "look, we don't want to close down", of course, we don't want to close down. But the problem is at the moment, things are closing down anyway, because of the spread of infection.

'So I think we need to act now.'

Lord Victor Adebowale, chairman of the NHS Confederation, voiced support for a circuit-breaker, warning that a cautionary approach should be taken.

He told Times Radio: 'I would support the circuit-breaker. My members would support the circuit-breaker.

'We've been calling for Plan B for some time now and we're glad that it was voted through. I think the Government has to be prepared to recall Parliament if further interventions are needed.'

He added: 'The fact of the matter is we should be taking the precautionary principle. We should be protecting our NHS and our public services. We have no economy without health.'

A Government spokesperson said: 'The Government will continue to look closely at all the emerging data and we'll keep our measures under review as we learn more about this variant.'

Professor Ferguson today told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme Omicron did not yet appear to be more severe than the previous Delta and Alpha variants.

He said: 'The severity aspect is the least well defined because we've observed relatively few hospitalisations. Case numbers are low. We don't see a particularly strong signal of any change in severity compared with Delta.

'That's not to say it's going to look like the Alpha wave we had a year ago because we do expect all those people with immunity and vaccination will have milder disease.

'But intrinsically Omicron doesn't look to be much different to Delta. There is a lot of uncertainty so we'll know a lot more about that in a week's time because numbers of cases and hospitalisations are building quickly.'

Having two vaccinations or Covid previously gives Britons 'very little' protection from the virus - but they will still have 85-90 percent protection from serious illness, he added.

'From a public health perspective it means we expect immunity people have built up over the last 12 months to be better preserved against severe disease than against infection. If you've been infected before or only had two doses of the vaccine you have very little protection against being infected with Omicron.

'But the protection against severe disease should hold up well. Perhaps 85-90 percent protection. The challenge we face with a very large epidemic on the way is even that level of protection against severe disease is not perfect and the very large case numbers may still translate into very large numbers of hospitalisations.'

He said the country is currently at risk of overwhelming the NHS. 'With increasing amounts of data coming in. It is a real concern we will be heading into something that has the risk of affecting the behaviour of the health service. People are changing their behaviour and that will have an impact, whether it is enough is hard to say.'
Hillary Clinton was on television Sunday promoting her new political thriller State of Terror -- which she admitted is based on her 2016 rival, former President Donald Trump.

In her third interview this month, the former first lady accused Trump of 'masterminding' the January 6 Capitol riot and said he was a 'danger' to the country.

Her recent media blitz has fueled rumors that Clinton is testing the waters for her own re-election bid after repeatedly calling a potential Trump 2024 ticket a threat to democracy.

This morning, CNN host Fareed Zakaria asked about claims her new novel is a 'thinly veiled attack on President Trump.'

'Having lived through that presidency, when it came time to write a political thriller with my friend and collaborator Louise Penny, of course I would draw from the reality that we all have experienced,' Clinton said, adding that 'it's a good thriller.'

In a statement to DailyMail.com, a spokesman for Trump responded: 'Perennial loser Hillary Clinton appears to have recognized that her only marketable attribute is that she lost to President Donald J. Trump.'

'That's a sad reality, but there's nothing thrilling about it.'

Clinton said the former president, who she lost the election to in 2016 despite winning the popular vote, is 'assaulting' democracy.

Clinton gave her third television interview in two weeks on Sunday, fueling rumors that she's testing the waters of a potential 2024 comeback

'I do think our democracy is under continuing assault by the former president, who masterminded a coup in the attack on our Capitol, has continued to promote the false accusation that the election of 2020 was somehow rigged against him,' Clinton said.

She added, 'I think he poses a real clear and present danger to the United States.'

Clinton said her novel is based on the Trump presidency

She appears to draw on her own background in the book as well. Clinton said the novel's protagonists are 'two women of a certain age' -- the Secretary of State and her best friend.

Before running for the White House in 2016 Clinton served as former President Barack Obama's Secretary of State, though her legacy in the position was marred by the 2012 Benghazi attack that killed the US ambassador to Libya and a foreign service officer.

The book is set at the opening of a new presidency. Soon after the inauguration, deadly explosions are set off in three European cities.

The Secretary of State and her adviser are forced on a long journey navigating internal government bureaucracy and unraveling the mystery of who is behind the blasts - thought to be a Pakistani arms dealer freed from incarceration by the previous US president.

Reviews of Clinton's novel leave little doubt that she got her inspiration from real life. The former president is described as a one-term leader who fled Washington for Florida after he lost to plot his comeback.

He's described in various ways to be ignorant, vengeful and charismatic -- and demanding 'loyalty' from all those who served in his administration.

She also accused Trump of 'masterminding' the Capitol attack on January 6 (seen here riling up supporters at his White House Stop the Steal rally shortly before some of them stormed the Capitol)

She's not the first Trump critic to claim he has direct responsibility for what his supporters did

Earlier in the interview Clinton urged her fellow Democrats to 'zero in' on Americans' everyday concerns before the 2022 election and accused Republicans of trying to run and govern on fear.

'They do a really good job scaring people and making people afraid. They don't deliver for people except for I guess in an emotional way, when people are frustrated they feed conspiracy theories, they make up stuff, but they don't deliver for people, Clinton said of the opposing party.

Just as she was appearing on CNN today, Trump had a pre-recorded interview on Fox News where he said he would welcome a 2024 challenge from Clinton.

'I hope so -- I mean, I'd like that,' he said when asked whether a rematch was on the table.

Trump accused her of cheating in the 2016 election.

'But look  the woman's crooked as can be,' he said. 'She cheated in the election, they spied on my campaign.'

DailyMail.com has reached out to a Trump spokesperson for comment.
Outgoing National Institutes of Health (NIH) director Dr. Francis Collins says the US could see one million COVID-19 cases per day as new shapeshifting variants take hold and cases snowball.

Collins' forecast comes as the highly-contagious Omicron iteration spreads like wildfire throughout the nation and the Delta variant continues to sicken masses of people ahead of the winter holidays.

Confirmed cases of Omicron reached 830 as of Saturday morning - a 50 per cent increase from Friday - and the variant has been detected in nearly every state.

During the week ending December 18, 127,692 overall cases were reported on average throughout the US, but Collins warned that figure could swell to one million per day.

'We cannot afford to let down our guard,' Collins told NPR.

'Even if it has a somewhat lower risk of severity, we could be having a million cases a day if we're not really attentive to all of those mitigation strategies.'

On average, 1,290 people have died from the virus daily during the past week; the virus has killed more than 800,000 Americans since the pandemic began.

More than 50.7 million others have contracted the virus.

Since the start of December, both U.S. COVID cases and deaths have risen about 50 percent and the number of hospitalized COVID patients climbed 26 percent, according to a Reuters tally.

During the week ending December 18, 127,692 daily COVID-19 cases were reported on average throughout the US

On average, 1,290 people have died from the virus daily during the past week; the virus has killed more than 800,000 Americans since the pandemic began

Outgoing National Institutes of Health (NIH) director Dr. Francis Collins says the US could ultimately see 1 million COVID-19 cases per day

Collins said the if Americans don't take all possible precautions, the figures could become disproportionately worse.

'I know people are tired of this,' he told NPR's Scott Detrow. 'I'm tired of it too, believe me. But the virus is not tired of us. It's having a great old time changing its shape every couple of months, coming up with new variants and figuring out ways to be even more contagious.'

President Joe Biden plans to give a speech Tuesday about the fast-spreading variant and plans to combat it, hammering home his message to unvaccinated Americans to get a shot and for those who are vaccinated to get a booster.

Biden's administration has 60 emergency response teams on hand to backup the nation's already-overburdened hospitals in the event hospitalizations surge, Collins said.

'I expect those surge teams are going to be busy - already that's been put in place in some instances because of delta - and I'm not going to be surprised if there's even more of a demand in the next month or two,' he said.

The CDC estimates that Omicron accounts for at least 13 percent of all new cases in New York, which on Friday recorded its highest single-day tally of new Covid-19 cases ever at 21,027

Pictured: Crowds line up in New York City's Times Square on December 18 to get tested for COVID-19 as cases sharply rise in the city ahead of the holidays.

Biden's chief medical advisor on Sunday contradicted Vice President Kamala Harris, who had claimed that no one saw the Omicron variant coming.

'We did. We definitely saw variants coming,' said Dr Anthony Fauci, after being read Harris's quote.

On Friday she told The Los Angeles Times: 'We didn't see Delta coming. I think most scientists did not  upon whose advice and direction we have relied  didn't see Delta coming.

Tthe virus has killed more than 800,000 Americans since the pandemic began

'We didn't see Omicron coming. And that's the nature of what this, this awful virus has been, which as it turns out, has mutations and variants.'

Fauci said that Harris was mistaken - but he accepted that Omicron's potency had not been forecast.

'What was not anticipated was the extent of the mutations and the amino acid substitutions in Omicron, that is really is unprecedented and came out of nowhere,' Fauci told CNN's Jake Tapper, on State of the Union.

'When you have a virus which has 50 mutations.

'To me that is really quite unprecedented so that is something you would not have anticipated.'

Collins also chimed in on the issue, saying that while infectious disease experts expected another mutation on the heels of the Delta variant, it didn't predict expect a vastly different variant to emerge.

'We expected it to be Delta-plus,' Collins said.

'Instead what we got was Omicron which bears no relationship to any of the previous strains and it does mean we are dealing with a virus that is really quite sufficiently different, that does clearly stress the immune system's ability to respond to it and making this a little tougher than we thought it would be.'

About a year ago, Biden's predicted that Christmas 2021 would be 'almost normal,' a forecast Fauci said was 'understandable' at the time.

He stressed the need to get vaccinated and boosted - 'particularly in the situation we are now in, with Omicron.'

Fauci later told NBC's Meet the Press that 'the real problem' for the U.S. hospital system is that 'we have so many people in this country who are eligible to be vaccinated who have not yet been vaccinated.'

The Omiccron variant has been detected in nearly every state, except Oklahoma, Montana, North and South Dakota, Indiana, and Vermont

Kentucky, Arkansas, Maine, Kansas and Wyoming confirmed new Omicron cases, bringing the total to 45 states.

The CDC estimates that Omicron accounts for at least 13 percent of all new cases in New York, which on Friday recorded its highest single-day tally of new Covid-19 cases ever at 21,027.

The Big Apple has been particularly hard-hit, again, with the number of cases doubling in three days.

Earlier this week, Governor Kathy Hochul reinstated controversial mask mandates for most indoor venues.

The rise in cases in the past three days caused Dr. Jay Varma, Mayor Bill de Blasio's top medical advisor, to tweet 'we've never seen this before in New York City.'

Testing has now confirmed the presence of Omicron in every US state except for Oklahoma, Montana, North and South Dakota, Indiana, and Vermont, though the eventual arrival of the highly transmissible variant in every state seems assured.

Highly vaccinated states in the Northeast seem to be struggling the most at the moment as cold weather, waning immunity and the new variant all contribute to a new case surge.

Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island also recorded record high daily cases this week.

President Joe Biden plans to give a speech Tuesday about the fast-spreading variant and plans to combat it, hammering home his message to unvaccinated Americans to get a shot and for those who are vaccinated to get a booster

In Ohio, more than a thousand members with the National Guard were called in to provide assistance for medical facilities as the state was facing staffing shortages in their hospitals.

In Nebraska, medical facilities were forced to ration treatment on non-COVID patients as hospital beds continue to grow scarce due to the growing number of cases.

In the past month, 60,000 patients have been newly treated in hospitals across the country with doctors and officials urging the United States' unvaccinated population - 39% of Americans - to receive the shot in order to create space for non-COVID patients.

This increase has spiked hospitalization rates in various Midwestern states, as well as California, and there are 67,306 patients currently treated nationally.

The presence of the new Omicron variant, which is believed to be responsible for the most recent surge, has so far been identified in 830 cases across the country in 44 states.

The surge in recent cases is a 40 percent increase from November's numbers, with 118,717 cases being reported each day.

The hospitalization admissions rate in the U.K. has also increased in the past week with a reported 7.06 patients per 100,000 people.

In South Africa, where the Omicron variant was first detected, there have been about 7,600 people currently admitted into the hospital nearly a month after the country announced the presence of the new strain.

Despite his warning, NIH boss Collins said he'll go forward with plans to host a Christmas brunch, albeit with precautions.

'We were planning to invite some of the trainees at NIH who are far from home to come for a brunch on Christmas Day at our house if they're all fully vaccinated and boosted,' he said.

'Still planning to go forward, very carefully, with a small group, and everybody will be wearing masks except when they're eating.'

Infectious disease experts - including Biden's chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci - say more access to COVID-19 testing is necessary

Fauci said that there needed to be more at-home testing.

'We are going to see a significant stress, in some regions, of the hospital system,' he said.

'This virus is extraordinary. It has a doubling time of anywhere from two to three days.'

TRANSCRIPT OF PRESS ROOM EXCHANGE: And I have one quick question on testing. Last week, obviously, the President explained some ramp-up in testing, but there are still a lot of countries, like Germany and the UK and South Korea, that basically have massive testing, free of charge or for a nominal fee. Why can't that be done in the United States? PSAKI: Well, I would say, first, you know, we have eight tests that have been approved by the FDA here. We see that as the gold standard. Whether or not all of those tests would meet that standard is a question for the scientists and medical experts, but I don't suspect they would. Our objective is to continue to increase accessibility and decrease costs. And if you look at what we've done over the course of time, we've quadrupled the size of our testing plan, we've cut the cost significantly over the past few months, and this effort to push  to ensure  ensures you're able to get your tests refunded means 150 million Americans will be able to get free tests. Q That's kind of complicated though. Why not just make them free and give them out to  and have them available everywhere? PSAKI: Should we just send one to every American? Q Maybe. I'm just asking you  there are other countries  PSAKI: Then what  then what happens if you  if every American has one test? How much does that cost, and then what happens after that? Q I don't know. All I know is that other countries seem to be making them available for  in greater quantities, for less money. PSAKI: Well, I think we share the same objective, which is to make them less expensive and more accessible. Right? Every country is going to do that differently. And I was just noting that, again, our tests go through the FDA approval process. That's not the same process that  it doesn't work that way in every single country. But what we're working to do here is build on what we've done to date and continue to build out our testing capacity, because, Mara, we absolutely recognize that this is a key component of fighting the virus. Advertisement

He said Omicron 'is going to take over' and that 'we are going to be in for some significant difficulties'.

Fauci added: 'It's going to be tough. It's going to be a tough few weeks and months, as we head more into the winter.'

But, he said he thought schools could stay open.

'Right now we can keep the children in schools safely. What the CDC came out a few days ago was the Test to Stay system, and it does work,' he said.

'We are trying as best we can to keep the schools open.

'I believe that even with the stress of what we are feeling now, we can keep the schools open.'

He said they were 'trying to get a veil of protection over the country', and that vaccination was 'an absolutely essential part of the process' - but masking and testing was also vital.

'Testing is absolutely essential,' he said. 'Particularly the point of care, where you can do testing yourself and get a result in 15 minutes.

'It's more than one thing. It's a comprehensive approach.'

On Monday, Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, mocked the idea of at-home tests being distributed for free - as is the case in multiple other countries.

Asked why the U.S. was not doing the same, Psaki replied: 'Should we just send one to every American?'

'Maybe,' the reporter replied, before again trying to point out the example of other countries, only to be cut off by Psaki.

'Then what happens if every American has one test? How much does that cost, and then what happens after that?' Psaki asked.

The testy briefing room back-and-forth quickly caught the attention of doctors and public health experts, who wasted no time raking Psaki over the coals for what one commenter described as her 'terrible, flippant, wrong' response.

'Actually stunned by this response by the @PressSec @WHCOVIDResponse @WhiteHouse,' tweeted Rick Bright, CEO of the Rockefeller Foundation.

'We should remove all access barriers to rapid tests.

'They're too expensive, in short supply & adding extra insurance barriers isn't the answer. Yes, mail them to all Americans.'

Gregg Gonzalves, a Yale University researcher did not mince words, writing in a tweet: 'this answer was terrible, flippant, wrong.

'Rapid tests are hard to get, expensive & could be a key intervention in fighting #COVID19.

'Other countries have figured out better ways to get these tools into the hands of their citizens. Do better.'
Passengers flying from Manchester Airport to Spain were forced to wait in crammed lines for more than three hours with 'no social distancing or air conditioning'.

Ian Gold was due to fly with his wife, and their two daughters but their flight was delayed due to the 'infuriating' situation at the airport.

He said seven of ten security gates were closed and only one boarding pass was open, resulting in the queues 'growing and growing' up to more than 1,000 people.

Mr Gold blamed the issues on 'staff shortages' and said people in the queue were talking about cuts that had been made at the airport.

Manchester Airport has lost almost 500 members of its workforce to redundancy over the past 12 months due to plummeting passenger numbers as a result of the pandemic and the associated travel restrictions.

A spokesman for the airport told MailOnline said the longer security queues were due to a 'greater number of passengers than expected, and a higher-than-usual rate of staff absence'.

Passengers travelling to Spain from the UK are currently required to fill in and sign an online health control form and must show a QR code, generated from the form, on arrival at a Spanish airport.

Tourists to Spain must show proof they have received at least two doses of a coronavirus vaccine, while EU citizens or those accompanying EU citizens may present alternative documentation to a vaccine certificate.

Ian Gold said he and his family were forced to queue for more than three hours at Manchester Airport on Sunday afternoon

Mr Gold, his wife, and two daughters started queuing at Manchester Airport at 12pm today and got to the front three hours and 45 minutes later.

Calling it a 'real disgrace', Mr Gold said: 'Theres old people with sticks and no where to sit, theres no ventilation, theres no social distancing.

'Seven security gates are closed out of 10. That is infuriating, it really is.

'Everyone is next to each other. Theres no air conditioning. It is scorching. I am furious about it. There are people in their 70s and 80s, they are literally trying to run to their planes.

'The line just kept growing and growing.'

Mr Gold said only one boarding pass gate was operating, while all the others were closed.

He said his flight was due to take off at 4.10pm but had to be delayed until 5.45pm as a result of the queues.

He added: 'There was a gentleman flying to Saudi Arabia in absolute panic because the flight was either gone or about to go.

A lady with two young babies was trying to get through. It was just a disaster zone.

'This is important. We are talking about social distancing. It should be run properly.

'Ive never seen anything like it.'

Mr Gold's daughter, who asked not to be named, said immigration staff at the airport told her that 'loads of staff' had been laid off and not replaced as visitor numbers began increasing.

She said: 'The queues were just insane.

'There is literally queue times of over three hours, no social distancing, no air conditioning, literally everyone rammed in together.

'They kept pulling people out of the queues whose flights had been made late by the queues.

'Im finally out of the queue, but we were in it for more than three hours.'

Mr Gold said there was no possibility to social distance in the queue and there was a lack of air conditioning. A spokesman for Manchester Airport said the longer security queues were 'due to there being a greater number of passengers than expected, and a higher-than-usual rate of staff absence'

A spokesperson for Manchester Airport today told MailOnline: 'We have, at times this weekend, experienced longer security queues than we would like. This is due to there being a greater number of passengers than expected, and a higher-than-usual rate of staff absence.

'Our customer service staff continue to do all they can to assist passengers.

'Wherever possible, travellers are being prioritised within the queue, but we are aware some people have unfortunately missed flights and, along with their airlines, we have been working to support their onward travels as best we can.

'Due to additional pre-departures checks, as countries update guidance for travel, it is very important that passengers arrive at least three hours before their scheduled flight time if they have to check in and drop bags. They can arrive two hours before if travelling just with hand luggage. Passengers should also familiarise themselves with security rules, especially if they havent travelled for some time.

'We apologise to all affected for any inconvenience caused and are working to rectify the situation as soon as we can.'
A rescue cat turned adventurer has made it to some of the highest summits in the UK with his lurcher friend and owner in tow.

Orion was rescued by veterinary nurse Katie Bowen, 31, around two years ago, after he was brought to the rescue centre she worked at having been separated from his mother.

Orion, a part Maine Coon, was just two days old when he arrived at the centre with his sister, so Katie, from Bracknell, Berkshire, took on the challenge of hand-rearing them.

'I was a vet nurse in a rescue centre,' Katie told The Mirror. 'We would often get kittens brought in and I ended up with Orion and his sister. They were tiny.

'No one knows a lot about his [Orion's] background or even his breed.'

Orion began walking with a harness at nine weeks, so that he could accompany owner Katie on her trips. Pictured - Orion at the top of Mount Snowdon earlier this year.

She fell in love with Orion's gentle and loving personality and with room for one kitten for company for her five-year-old lurcher, Pongo, she decided to keep him.

At nine weeks of age, Katie decided to introduce Orion to her love of rambling through the countryside, training him on a harness so that he could eventually accompany her on her adventures.

'I thought, "I take Pongo out on all these adventures, why shouldn't Orion be part of that?"

'Orion even comes away on holiday. Most of our holidays are either camping or in a van. We just hit the road and off we go.

'When we get a pitch to camp, he likes to sit up on a picnic table and surveys the whole campsite.'

In this year alone, Orion has scaled the heights of Mount Snowdon and Sugar Loaf Mountain in Wales on an eight-day trip with Katie and Pongo.

At nine weeks of age, Katie decided to introduce Orion to her love of rambling through the countryside, training him on a harness so that he could come on camping trips

'I did have to carry him some of the way up Snowdon, but we still climbed it together,' Katie added.

But, she revealed that Orion prefers to be closer to the ground.

'He likes walking in woods best,' she said. 'Snowdon wasn't his favourite expedition because it was a bit windy, so for some of it he hid in my cat carrier.

'But, we did get a photo of him at the top of Snowdon and he walked some of the way and loved it.'

Orion's latest adventure saw him scale Snowdon, the highest peak in Wales

Orion's adventures mean he is now unfazed by most things, and regularly accompanies Katie on shopping trips in the town centre, and has even watched the Red Arrows fly overhead.

Katie's golden rule is keeping Orion on his lead at all times.

'I do this for his safety, although he still gets up to mischief,' she said.

Katie is keen to show that with the right training, cats can become walking companions.

I would say just pick up a harness, they are really cheap, and see if your cat accepts it, she said.

For the first walk I would choose somewhere quiet and just go at your cats pace. Some cats just arent going to want to do it, especially if youre starting with an older animal.

But if your cat enjoys walking it can be an amazing experience. I really encourage feline owners to try it.
House January 6 Committee member Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois is not ruling out the possibility that members of his own Republican Caucus were responsible for the Capitol riot in a stunning admission on Sunday morning.

His interview comes less than two days after it surfaced that several GOP lawmakers had contact with Ali Alexander, founder of the Stop the Steal movement, in the lead-up to January 6.

Alexander sued the Democrat-led panel on Friday in a bid to try and stop Verizon from handing over his phone records to the committee.

A late Friday evening court filing by Alexander's lawyers revealed that the longtime Trump supporter had communicated with Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Paul Gosar of Arizona and Mo Brooks of Alabama or their offices before former President Donald Trump took the stage at his Stop the Steal rally in front of the White House just before the insurrection.

That includes 'a few phone conversations' with Gosar himself, according to the filing obtained by Politico.

On Sunday Kinzinger was asked about text messages and other communications to or from GOP lawmakers on January 6 and whether he thought they bared 'direct responsibility' for the Capitol attack.

'It's possible,' Kinzinger answered. 'I'm not ready to kind of go to that point yet because I want to let the facts dictate it, but I will tell you, yes, there are more texts out there that we haven't released.'

Kinzinger said that action against lawmakers in Congress and even Donald Trump is on the table for the committee investigating the Capitol attack

Rep. Adam Kinzinger tells @jonkarl its possible" some of his GOP colleagues in Congress are responsible for the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.



"I will tell you, yes, there are more texts out there we havent released. https://t.co/DrxF56htoo pic.twitter.com/mIwF0Z9VOE  This Week (@ThisWeekABC) December 19, 2021

'We're gonna pursue doggedly everything to the ends of the Earth and that includes, we don't like necessarily having to go there, but that includes if members of Congress had any involvement.'

Kinzinger is one of two Republicans serving on the Capitol riot committee, along with Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming.

Despite the committee rarely naming names of their fellow lawmakers in damning texts obtained from ex-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Republicans are already on the offensive.

In September reports emerged that Biggs was spearheading an effort to oust Cheney and Kinzinger from the Republican Party over their partnership with Democrats.

Rally organizer Alexander told the bipartisan committee on December 9 that he 'spoke to Rep. Biggs in person and never by phone, to the best of his recollection.'

He also said he had 'no verbal phone conversations' that he recalls with either Biggs or Brooks, though he admitted to communicating with the Alabama lawmaker over a 'Dear Colleagues' letter Brooks sent.

Less than 48 hours earlier, Stop the Steal founder Ali Alexander sued the committee to stop them from accessing his communications from Verizon

Hundreds of people have been charged for storming the Capitol on January 6

In a since-deleted video from January Alexander name-checked both of them along with Gosar as having a direct part in helping him organize the White House rally before the riot.

'We four schemed up of putting maximum pressure on Congress while they were voting,' Alexander had said.

Biggs and Brooks have both denied meeting Alexander. Gosar appeared with him publicly multiple times but hasn't discussed their relationship in detail.

Brooks released a statement to Politico last night with a text he allegedly received from Alexander and said he had 'no recollection' of ever meeting or speaking with Alexander.

'Congressman, this is Ali Alexander. I am the founder of Stop the Steal, the protests happening in all 50 states,' the text reads.

'We met years ago back in 2010, during the tea party when you were first elected. I texted the wrong number. I had intended to invite you to our giant Saturday prayer rally in DC, this past weekend. Also Gen. Flynn should be giving you a ring. We stand ready to help. Jan. 6th is a big moment for our republic.'

Two of the lawmakers Alexander claims to have had contact with are Reps. Paul Gosar and Andy Biggs

Brooks said in the statement: 'Outside of this possible text message with someone who claimed to be "Ali Alexander," Congressman Brooks has no recollection of any other communications involving Congressman Brooks and someone claiming to be "Ali Alexander," and, after a search involving cell phone records and emails, Congressman Brooks has found no communications that purport to involve Congressman Brooks and anyone claiming to be "Ali Alexander."'

No current members of Congress have been subpoenaed by the committee, though the House of Representatives recently voted to recommend Meadows - who served in the House before becoming Trump's chief of staff - for criminal contempt charges over abruptly ending his cooperation.

But that's not off the table for lawmakers, Kinzinger said, adding that even Trump could be a target if need be.

'Nobody should be above the law, but we also recognize we can get the information without him at this point, and, obviously, when you subpoena the former president, that comes with a whole kind of, you know, circus environment,' he said. 'But if we need him, we'll do it.'
Newly released Pentagon documents detail a 'pattern of failures' among top military officials that resulted in thousands of civilian deaths - including many children.

The New York Times reported on Saturday that a trove of confidential documents covering more than 1,300 reports of civilian casualties undercuts the government's portrayal of a war fought with precision bomb, as government officials undercounted the number of civilian.

In compiling its report, the Times said its reporters had 'visited more than 100 casualty sites and interviewed scores of surviving residents and current and former American officials.'

The paper obtained the Pentagon documents through Freedom of Information requests beginning in March 2017 and lawsuits filed against the Defense Department and the Central Command. A new suit seeks records from Afghanistan.

Taken together, the Times reports, the documents detail how military officials used 'deeply flawed intelligence,' resulting in a 'pattern of failures.'

Pledges of transparency and accountability, it said, had regularly fallen short.

'Not a single record provided includes a finding of wrongdoing or disciplinary action,' the paper reported in what it said was the first of a two-part series.

A trove of confidential documents obtained by the New York Times show that US airstrikes have resulted in more than 1,300 reports of civilian casualties - many of them children. Here, a MQ-1B Predator remotely piloted aircraft flew overhead during a training mission in Nevada

Relatives and neighbors gathered around the incinerated husk of a vehicle targeted by an American drone in Monday

Poor or inadequate surveillance footage often contributed to deadly targeting failures throughout the Middle East, according to the Times report.

Among three cases it cited was a July 19, 2016 bombing by US special forces of what were believed to be three Islamic State group staging areas in northern Syria.

Initial reports were that the strike resulted in 85 fighters killed. Instead, the dead were 120 farmers and other villagers.

And a November 2015 attack in Ramadi, Iraq after a man was seen dragging 'an unknown heavy object' into an Islamic State position. The 'object,' a review found, was a child, who died in the strike.

More recently, the United States had to retract its claim that a vehicle destroyed by a drone on a Kabul street in August had contained bombs. Victims of the strike, it turned out, were 10 members of a family, including children.

Many civilian survivors of US attacks, the report says, were left with disabilities requiring expensive treatment, but condolence payments numbered fewer than a dozen.

Asked for comment, Captain Bill Urban, spokesman for the US Central Command, told the Times that 'even with the best technology in the world, mistakes do happen, whether based on incomplete information or misinterpretation of the information available. And we try to learn from those mistakes.

'We work diligently to avoid such harm. We investigate each credible instance. And we regret each loss of innocent life.'

He described minimizing the risk of harm to civilians as 'a strategic necessity as well as a legal and moral imperative,' because these casualties are used 'to feed the ideological hatred espoused by our enemies in the post 9/11 conflicts and supercharge the recruiting of the next generation of violent extremists.'

Mahmud Qassum, a Syrian child, was injured in the rebel-held city of Idlib when his family's car was accidentally struck on December 7, 2021 by a US drone targeting an al-Qaeda leader riding nearby on a motorcycle, his family said

Afghans are pictured here inspecting the damage of a house in Kabul, where 10 family members were killed in an airstrike on August 29

These sandals and other items belonged to 10 family members who died in a wrongly directed US drone attack in Kabul on August 29, 2021

Captain Bill Urban, spokesman for the US Central Command, said airstrikes that target civilians can lead to more 'ideological hatred' and terrorism. Here, an Iranian woman holds a sign vowing revenge on the US after top general Qasem Soleimani was killed outside the Baghdad Airport last January

The US air campaign in the Middle East grew rapidly in the final years of former president Barack Obama's administration, as public support waned for the seemingly endless ground wars.

Obama said the new approach, often using unmanned aircraft controlled from far away, represented 'the most precise air campaign in history,' able to keep civilian deaths to a minimum.

The new technology made it possible to destroy a part of a house filled with enemy fighters while leaving the rest of the structure standing, the Pentagon said.

But over a five-year period, US forces executed more than 50,000 airstrikes in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, the report said, with much less than the advertised precision.'

US soldiers stand amid damage at the Ain al-Asad air base after it was struck by Iranian missiles following the death of Soleimani

Before launching air strikes, the military must navigate elaborate protocols to estimate and minimize civilian deaths. A Marine is seen here in the cyber operations center at Fort Meade in Maryland as they conducted offensive and defensive cyber operations

Before launching air strikes, the military must navigate elaborate protocols to estimate and minimize civilian deaths.

But there are several ways available intelligence can mislead, fall short, or at times lead to disastrous errors.

For example, the Times said, video shot from the air does not show people in buildings, under foliage or under tarpaulins or aluminum covers.

And available data can be misinterpreted, as when people running to a fresh bombing site are assumed to be militants, not would-be rescuers.

Sometimes, the Times said: 'Men on motorcycles moving "in formation," displaying the "signature" of an imminent attack, were just men on motorcycles.'

Captain Urban, the Central Command spokesman, said air-war planners do their best under exceedingly difficult conditions.

But he added that 'in many combat situations, where targeteers face credible threat streams and do not have the luxury of time, the fog of war can lead to decisions that tragically result in civilian harm.'
Donald Trump Jr. told young Republicans attending a conference Sunday that letting liberal initiatives slide has gotten conservatives 'nothing' as he implored supporters to fight back against Democratic policies.

Speaking to a Turning Point audience in Arizona, the 43-year-old claimed conservatives have been playing T-ball for the past five decades as Democrats have been 'cheating' while playing hardball.

'We've turned the other cheek and I understand the biblical reference, I understand the mentality,' he said. 'But it's gotten us nothing.

'It's gotten us nothing while we've ceded ground in every major institution in our country.'

Trump Jr. spent much of his 30-minute speech decrying cancel culture, taking jabs at President Joe Biden and poking fun of 'woke-ism' as he bemoaned the liberal way of life.

Donald Trump Jr. told young Republicans attending a conference Sunday that letting liberal initiatives slide has gotten conservatives 'nothing'

He put out a rally cry to 'band together....[to] take on these institutions.'

'We are the front line of freedom,' he said to a cheering crowd. 'We are the front line of liberty.

'If we band together, we can take on these institutions, but we've got to do it together. If we get together, they cannot cancel us all.'

Don Jr gave a possible taster of policy issues his father could run on if he makes a 2024 White House bid.

No such announcement is expected until well after the 2022 midterm elections, but Trump Sr remains hugely popular with Republicans.

He stands a strong chance of beating Joe Biden, should the elderly president choose to run again, and Kamala Harris, who've both suffered tanking ratings over their handling of the economy, the border crisis, and the seemingly unending COVID cases that have once again begun to spike.

Meanwhile, a House Committee revealed last week that Trump Jr. sent panicked texts to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, urging outgoing president Donald Trump to 'condemn this sh*t' as rioters stormed the Capitol January 6.

The exchange indicated Trump Jr. knew the riots were 'out of hand', despite downplaying them publicly during the months following the insurrection.

Rep. Liz Cheney, the House Select Committee's vice chair, on December 13 read a number of text messages from Trump Jr. and others that 'leave no doubt that the White House knew exactly what was happening here at the Capitol.'

'[President Trump] has got to condemn this sh*t ASAP. The Capitol police tweet is not enough,' Don Jr. texted Meadows.

Meadows replied to the president's son: 'I'm pushing it hard, I agree.'

'Donald Trump Jr. texted again and again urging action by the president, "We need an Oval Office address. He needs to lead now. It has gone too far and gotten out of hand,"' Cheney told the committee on December 13.

Newly-reveal texts reveal that Trump Jr. was aware of the severity of the January 6 Capitol riots. He sent panicked texts to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, urging outgoing president Donald Trump to 'condemn this sh*t' as rioters stormed the Capitol

Trump Jr. publicly downplayed the riots but struck a different tone in frantic messages to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows

Former president Donald Trump

The politician's son on Sunday sharply criticized Biden's administration, lamenting its chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal and its relationship with Russia.

'Everyday when I wake up now, I feel like we must have hit bottom already,' Trump Jr. said. 'And thats the one place where I said Joe Biden has overperformed. I thought it would take him at least four years to destroy America Hes a dominant force in blowing it.'

He also poked fun at liberal University of Pennsylvania for allowing a trans woman to compete on the woman's swim team.

Lia Thomas, who previously spent three years competing as a man, smashed two US records earlier this month while competing at a weekend contest, sparking fresh claims of unfairness.

Thomas, 22, put in an astounding performance at the Zippy Invitational Event in Akron, Ohio, that saw her finish the 1,650 yard freestyle 38 seconds ahead of her teammate Anna Sofia Kalandaze.

Lia Thomas, 22, (pictured after transitioning) is now dominating women's college swimming records

'There are women that work their a**es off they spent their lives trying to reach the pinnacle of success in a sport only to be beaten by 38 seconds in the 500 freestyle,' he said. Thirty-eight seconds in swimming is a long time.

'Where are the feminists? They're strangely silent on this one.'

His comments on the Bible riled up critics on social media, who called Trump Jr. out on undermining the book's lessons.

'So Donald Trump Jr. wants the MAGA to follow the blood thirsty part of the Bible?' tweeted @NostraSkepticMe.

Another user called the Trump family out on the scandals it faced during the 45th president's administration, including Trump's failed marriages, treatment of migrant children, and inaction on school shootings.

It's hardly the first time Trump Jr. has called on his followers to take a hard-fisted approach to politics.

Months after Trump fanatics stormed the capital after his family falsely claimed the 2020 election had been rigged, he slammed fellow Republicans for their willingness to 'lose gracefully.'

'There's no natural pushback,' Trump Jr. told Fox News' Sean Hannity. 'The Republicans aren't willing to do it. They have shown that over the decades.

'They'd just rather lose gracefully, I guess. That's not really a plan that I would go with, but it's what they've done.'
A new study finds that those who get a breakthrough COVID-19 infection after being fully vaccinated may acquire 'super immunity' from another infection.

The small study compared 26 vaccinated staff at Oregon Health & Science University who had breakthrough infections to people who were vaccinated but never got the coronavirus.

The breakthrough group saw a surge in antibodies.

'The increases were substantial, up to a 1,000 percent increase and sometimes up to 2,000 percent, so it's really high immunity,' said study author Fikadu Tafesse, a molecular microbiology and immunology professor at OHSU in Portland, Oregon.

'It's almost "super immunity."'

Cases of Omicron, thought to be more infectious than other variants - almost doubled from Friday to Saturday, with the variant confirmed in all but six US states.

Meanwhile, a Columbia University study found that patients given a booster shot of either Pfizer or Moderna had 6.5 times fewer antibodies for Omicron than the original virus - meaning boosters alone may not be as protective.

People who get a breakthrough COVID infection after being fully vaccinated may get 'super immunity', a new study finds. Above, a man gets a COVID shot in Miami on December 16

The efficacy of a regular course of the three vaccines approved in the US waned significantly after six months in a study conducted by the Public Health Institute in Oakland, California

Cases of Omicron almost doubled from Friday to Saturday, with the variant now confirmed in all but six US states

'The bottom line of the study is that vaccine provides you with foundational immunity for whatever comes next,' Tafesse told USA Today, cautioning that no one should purposefully seek to get infected with COVID-19.

Various studies show that being infected and getting a dose of a COVID vaccine is very effective against COVID, but this is one of the few that consider the reverse scenario.

'This is one of the first that shows a breakthrough infection following vaccination generates stronger immunity than prior infection or vaccination alone,' said Dr. Monica Gandhi of the University of California at San Francisco.

Professor Fikadu Tafesse of Oregon Health & Science University found that antibodies increased by as much as 2,000 percent in people infected after vaccination

She warns that getting the virus first isn't recommended because 'we cannot predict who will get very ill with COVID.'

'What we're saying is, we know life happens. If you happen to be exposed to the virus, you'll have this amazing immune response,' Tafesse said. 'It mirrors the immunity response we get to the booster.'

Getting a booster may provide crucial protection against Omicron, according to a study by a team at the Public Health Institute in Oakland, California released last month.

The Pfizer-BioNTech jab - which is far and away the most commonly used in the US - saw its effectiveness drop from 87 percent in March to 43 percent in September.

Moderna's shot held up the best, and is the only one of the three to still be more than 50 percent effective.

The shot's effectiveness has still fallen greatly, though, from 89 percent in March to 58 percent in September.

Johnson & Johnson vaccine recipients are especially at risk with just 13 percent efficacy against contracting the virus.

Infections have been trending up since late October, averaging 125.7K a day on December 17

Only 65 percent of the US population over 5 years of age is fully vaccinated. Nearly a third of adults have a booster shot, according to the CDC

Meanwhile, Columbia University study looked at people given a booster of one of the two mRNA vaccines and found that boosted people had 6.5 times fewer antibodies for Omicron than the original virus.

It was less of a drop than that of people who only got a normal two-dose course. There was a 21-fold drop in neutralizing antibodies against Omicron after two doses of Pfizer compared to the original strain and a 8.6-fold drop with Moderna's jabs.

The study has not been peer-reviewed or published in a scientific journal.

Omicron already accounts for about three percent of cases nationwide and 13 percent of cases in the New York/New Jersey area, according to recent modeling data from the Centers for Disease Control.

On Saturday, New York state reported that the number of Omicron cases in New York City - the epicenter of the first wave of the pandemic - was 192, though there are likely more, New York Magazine reports.

On Saturday, New York reported 21,908 cases of COVID-19 throughout the state, a slight uptick from Friday's 21,027 new cases, which was already a new single-day record.

The CDC maintains that vaccines continue to be effective against the worst outcomes of COVID-19.

'With other variants, like Delta, vaccines have remained effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalizations, and death. The recent emergence of Omicron further emphasizes the importance of vaccination and boosters,' the CDC says.

The agency says Omicron will 'likely' spread more easily than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus, but it's not known how much easier it spreads than the Delta variant, which sent cases soaring late this summer.

SantaCon is pictured on December 11 in New York City, with thousands of revelers gathering for the annual bar crawl - which was cancelled last year

Mark Levin, the chair of the city's health commission, said the event could've been a factor

Santacon - which sees thousands of costumed revelers trawl the bars of the East Village and Lower East Side - could have contributed to the rise of cases in New York City.

Mark Levin, the chair of the city's health commission, said the December 11 event could've been a factor.

'Manhattan unfortunately now has highest covid rate in NYC,' he tweeted Saturday.

'This is partly because we test more. But this should serve as a warning about how much Omicron is out there.

'Be especially cautious about indoor gatherings where masks come off. (And yes SantaCon may partly be to blame.)'

On social media, many said that they had tested positive since attending SantaCon, and others reacted with fury to the event having been held in the first place.

As of Saturday morning, there were 830 cases of the Omicron COVID-19 variant confirmed by DNA sequencing across the country, a 97 percent increase from Friday morning's tally.

In reality, the true number of Omicron cases is much higher, as only 1 to 2 percent of all cases are sequenced for variant markers, but the testing data shows a disturbing national trend.

Dr Anthony Fauci on Sunday contradicted Vice President Kamala Harris, who had claimed that the administration 'didn't see Omicron coming'

Kamala Harris is seen on Friday speaking to The Los Angeles Times in her Washington DC office

Testing has now confirmed the presence of Omicron in every US state except for Oklahoma, Montana, North and South Dakota, Indiana and Vermont, though the eventual confirmation of the highly transmissible variant in every state now seems assured.

On Sunday, Joe Biden's chief medical advisor contradicted the vice president, who had claimed that no one saw the Omicron variant coming.

'We did. We definitely saw variants coming,' said Dr. Anthony Fauci, after being read Kamala Harris's quote.

On Friday, Harris told the Los Angeles Times: 'We didn't see Delta coming. I think most scientists did not - upon whose advice and direction we have relied  didn't see Delta coming.

'We didn't see Omicron coming. And that's the nature of what this, this awful virus has been, which as it turns out, has mutations and variants.'

Fauci said that Harris was mistaken - but he accepted that Omicron's potency had not been forecast.

'What was not anticipated was the extent of the mutations and the amino acid substitutions in Omicron, that is really is unprecedented and came out of nowhere,' Fauci told CNN's Jake Tapper, on State of the Union.

'When you have a virus which has 50 mutations.

'To me that is really quite unprecedented so that is something you would not have anticipated.
As the UK recorded another 194,747 cases - up 6.4 per cent on a week ago - Boris Johnson told MPs that the growth is 'the fastest we have ever known' and older, more vulnerable people are now being affected. However, he said bluntly that the government 'does not believe we need to shut down our country again'. Instead Cabinet has agreed to stick to the existing 'balanced and proportionate' Plan B restrictions in England that are 'taking the edge off' the Omicron wave. The obligation to work from home where possible, as well as wear masks in many settings and use Covid passes at large events and nightclubs will be reviewed again before they expire on January 26 - but Mr Johnson hinted strongly that they will not be renewed. The premier was congratulated by senior Tories including Jeremy Hunt and Theresa May for holding his nerve despite pressure to clamp down before Christmas. In another boost, Nicola Sturgeon has U-turned by following England and cutting the self-isolation period in Scotland from 10 days to seven. Challenged by another Conservative former minister, Steve Baker, in the House, Mr Johnson said he hoped that once Omicron 'blows through' the country 'life will return to something much, much closer to normality' and the current restrictions will 'not be necessary'. But Mr Johnson has also disappointed many by batting away calls for the self-isolation period to be trimmed immediately to five days to help fill gaps in the workforce - with more than a million people currently under house arrest.
Dr Anthony Fauci has said he cannot see the end of mask wearing on planes, despite airline executives being at pains to stress the efficacy of their air purification systems.

Fauci was speaking on ABC's Meet the Press after Gary Kelly, the CEO of Southwest Airlines, said called for the end of mask mandates on planes and claimed 'masks don't add much, if anything' in fighting the spread of COVID-19. Kelly tested positive the day after his Congress testimony.

Asked on Sunday during an interview on ABC's Meet the Press whether he thought the end of face masks on planes was in sight, Fauci replied: 'I don't think so.'

He continued: 'I think when you're dealing with a closed space, even though the filtration is good, that you want to go that extra step.

'When you have people, you know you get a flight from Washington to San Francisco, it's a well over a five hour flight.

'Even though you have a good filtration system, I still believe that masks are a prudent thing to do and we should be doing it.'

Dr Anthony Fauci on Sunday morning appeared on ABC'S This Week, and said face masks were still necessary on planes

Jonathan Karl, hosting, asked Fauci whether he felt masks on planes would soon become obsolete. Fauci replied: 'I don't think so'

A federal mandate on face masks on planes has been in place since February, and will remain for the foreseeable future, Fauci said. Pictured is a plane in May 2020, before the mandate was in place

Wearing a face mask on airplanes has now become routine

Fauci did say on NBC's Meet the Press that people who were fully vaccinated did not need to isolate if they came into contact with an infected person.

'If you are vaccinated and you get exposed, you don't need to isolate yourself,' Fauci said.

'Some people (do), and I think it would be prudent to wind up getting tested.'

Kelly, 66, sat during Wednesday's Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing - entitled 'Oversight of the U.S. Airline Industry' - between American Airlines CEO Doug Parker and United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby, who were also maskless, for roughly three hours.

Seated to Kirby's left was Delta Air Line COO John Laughter and Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA).

Kelly, who plans to retire in early 2022, received a positive test result on Thursday after experiencing mild symptoms.

The spokesman said that Kelly is fully vaccinated and boosted, and tested negative 'multiple' times before the Wednesday hearing.

All four of the other panel members at the hearing  Parker, Kirby, Laughter and Nelson  tested negative on Friday and would continue to get tested and monitor for symptoms, CNBC reported.

At the hearing, all four airline executives said they were confident the HEPA filtration systems were keeping travelers safe.

'I think we all generally agree now that the cycle of the way air turns over in a pressurized air cabin, and the filtration system is superior to many indoor spaces that you can be,' said Laughter, Delta's COO.

'The airplane is the safest place that you can be indoors,' said Kirby, CEO of United.

Parker, the CEO of American Airlines, added: 'The aircraft is the safest place you can be.'

Yet Nelson, who represents more than 50,000 flight attendants at 17 airlines, said the filtration was useful, but that other layers of protection were also essential.

'So it is important to recognize that the safe controlled environment on the plane is a layered safety protocol, which includes the sanitation of the aircraft and includes the service procedures and includes the HEPA filtration that is not on all aircraft, by the way, and it includes everyone wearing the masks.'

Nelson pointed out that not all aircraft have HEPA filtration and not all passengers are vaccinated.

On Thursday, as news of Kelly's diagnosis spread, and people questioned the wisdom of him downplaying face masks, Delta CEO Ed Bastien - who was not at the hearing - told CNBC he did not agree with the other airline executives' assessment on the mask issue.

'Particularly when we see omicron continuing to enter into our country, masks are going to be important as a safeguard for a while yet,' Bastien said.

Parker then his position on Instagram.

'I agreed with my fellow CEOs that being onboard a plane is proven to be a safe and healthy indoor environment,' he wrote.

'I did so by saying, 'I concur,' and then talked about air quality.

'I didn't mention masks or the federal mask mandate, but my concurrence was ambiguous and it is my fault for not being clearer in my response.

'We support the federal mask mandate. Full stop.

'It was issued by the TSA and in consultation with CDC and other health experts to protect the safety and well-being of our customers and team members.'
Forty-four passengers onboard Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas cruise tested positive for COVID-19 after the ship docked in Miami on Saturday.

The cruise line also announced that one of the passengers onboard a prior cruise itinerary had tested positive for the Omicron variant.

'We were notified by the CDC that a guest onboard our (December) 4th cruise tested positive and it was identified as omicron,' a spokesperson for Royal Caribbean told USA TODAY on Saturday. 'They asked us to notify guests on the sailing, the one that ended today, and the current one.'

Forty-four out of 6,074, passengers - or about .72percent - onboard the cruise that departed on December 11 tested positive for COVID after the trip around the Eastern Caribbean. The cruise line said they've all been quarantined.

The scene is slightly reminiscent of the early stages of the outbreak in 2020, when cruise ships became the first super-spreaders due to their enclosed environment and contact between travelers from different cities and countries.

Royal Caribbean said future cruises won't be halted.

Forty-four passengers onboard Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas cruise tested positive for COVID-19 after the ship docked in Miami on Saturday (file picture)

The cruise line also announced that one of the passengers onboard a prior cruise itinerary had tested positive for the Omicron variant

Passengers were warned by Royal Caribbean of the 44 cases. The cruise line added that the guest who had previously tested positive for Omicron had failed to report their symptoms to the crew while onboard.

'This guest did not report symptoms to our onboard medical teams as outlined in our health protocols,' Royal Caribbean said in an email, according to USA Today. 'Their post-cruise test results were subsequently confirmed as the omicron variant.'

'They were found as a result of immediately identifying close contacts after a guest tested positive,' Royal Caribbean spokesperson Lyan Sierra-Caro said.

The US has recorded more COVID-19 deaths than any other nation. cruise ships became the first super-spreaders in 2020

'Everyone who tested positive is asymptomatic, and we continually monitored their health. Six guests were disembarked earlier in the cruise and transported home. The remaining guests received assistance today upon our arrival,' she added.

She said that the Omicron case was unrelated to the 44 cases on Saturday.

Onboard Royal Caribbean cruise ships, passengers age 12 and older are required to be fully vaccinated and to test negative to board the cruise.

Those under 12 are required to have a negative test.

Royal Caribbean has advised passengers to get tested three to five days after disembarking, following CDC guidelines.

Royal Caribbean had allowed fully vaccinated passengers to go maskless in designated areas

Twenty-one of its cruise ships came back in operation during the summer

Cruise ships were the first super-spreaders amid the first COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020. The enclosed environment and contact between travelers from different countries were the main factors contributing to the severity of the outbreak.

On February 1, 2020, a passenger who had been aboard the Diamond Princess days before tested positive for the virus.

After the ship arrived in Japan on February 3, 2020, more than 700 people on board became infected. The Diamond Princess was quarantined in the port of Yokohama and for weeks it was the largest outbreak in the world after China.

Cruise lines have recently updated their mask policies, requiring all passengers to wear masks indoors unless actively eating or drinking as an additional measure to curb the spread of the Omicron variant.

Royal Caribbean had allowed fully vaccinated passengers to go maskless in designated areas. Twenty-one of its cruise ships came back in operation during the summer.

Since US cruises resumed in June, travel and tourism operators have enacted vaccine and testing requirements to avoid disruptions that cost them millions of dollars for much of the pandemic.

Since US cruises resumed in June, travel and tourism operators have enacted vaccine and testing requirements to avoid disruptions that cost them millions of dollars for much of the pandemic

There are currently more thean 50 million active cased of COVID-19 in the country

Major Carnival Corp and Royal Caribbean Group brands require most passengers age 12 and older to be fully vaccinated but the companies do make some exceptions. Unvaccinated children under the age of five can cruise on Carnival's ships.

Passengers must present a negative COVID test taken no more than two days before boarding. Royal Caribbean accepts antigen tests.

Walt Disney Co's Disney Cruise Line requires all passengers eligible for vaccines in the United States to be fully vaccinated. Starting January 13, all guests ages five and up will need to be vaccinated.

Unvaccinated passengers must show a negative COVID-19 test taken between three days and 24 hours before their sail date. Rapid antigen tests are not accepted.

Everyone is tested by Disney Cruise Line at the terminal before boarding, meaning unvaccinated passengers are tested twice.

Norwegian Cruise Line has a 100percent vaccination policy, meaning children under 5 who are not yet eligible for a vaccine are not permitted on cruises.

Norwegian tests its passengers for COVID at the port before they board.

The US has reported more than 800,000 COVID-19 deaths since the pandemic started, more than any nation in the world

To be considered fully vaccinated, all the cruise lines require the final vaccine dose to be administered 14 days before the start of the cruise.

In November, Disney World had to put its COVID-19 vaccination mandate on hold for its Florida theme park employees after Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law making it illegal for companies to require staff to get vaccinated.

The Labor Department announced Saturday that it won't start checking businesses' compliance with its recently reinstated vaccine-or-test rule until January 10.

Originally, the deadline for private businesses and companies to enforce the rule that their employees either get vaccinated against coronavirus or test weekly was on January 4, 2022.

After a series of court challenges, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration mandate could move ahead.

The US has reported more than 800,000 COVID-19 deaths since the pandemic started, more than any nation in the world.

There are currently more thean 50 million active cased of COVID-19 in the country.

Florida is the center of cruising in the US, with over 60 percent of all the country's embarkations.

The Sunshine State has recorded 62,220 deaths since the pandemic started and has 3.75 active COVID-19 infections.
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Embattled actor Alec Baldwin enjoyed a chilly day at the beach near his Hamptons, Long Island home as the investigation into his shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of his western film, Rust.

Baldwin, 63, was pictured on Sunday at the beach with three of his seven children, and their nanny, as temperatures remained in the 40s, dipping into the 30s by mid afternoon.

The Baldwin clan seemed to be dressed appropriately for the weather, each wearing large winter jackets and boots as they trekked the empty beach, where there were no other souls around.

But the family didn't stay at the Little Alberts Landing Beach for too long in the wintery weather, and only remained at the beach for about 15 minutes - after throwing some seaweed into the ocean.

Alec Baldwin, left, walked along a rocky beach in the Hamptons with one of his sons on Sunday

The family strode down the length of the seemingly empty private beach, each dressed in winter gear

Baldwin chased after his young son through the dunes of Little Alberts Landing Beach in the Hamptons

Baldwin seemed almost pensive at one point as he stared out into the Atlantic Ocean

Baldwin watched as his son tried to climb up the dunes in the cold weather on Sunday

Baldwin made his way down the sandy beach through the tall grass as the investigation into his shooting continues

One of his children brought Baldwin a clump of seaweed he found as temperatures remained in the 40s on Sunday

After a while it seemed to get too cold for Baldwin's children with temperatures hovering in the 40s

In between the fun, Baldwin, 63, took some calls on his iPhone, which Santa Fe sheriffs have issued a search warrant for

The Baldwin family's outing began at around 11am, with the clan heading to a wooded area before making their way to the Little Alberts Landing Beach just a few miles from their house

The Baldwin family's outing began at around 11am, with the clan heading to a wooded area of the elite Hampton's before making their way to the entirely empty beach at around noon.

At one point, the actor seemed pensive after throwing some some seaweed into the ocean, and looking out into the expanse.

And in between the fun with his children, Baldwin, a father of seven, took some calls on his cellphone, which Sante Fe sheriffs in New Mexico issued a search warrant for.

He was seen wearing a black winter coat and dark pants as he strode around the beach, smiling.

They left within 15 minutes, after it appeared to get too cold for Baldwin's children.

The family has been in the Hamptons since Friday, when Baldwin was pictured outside his Manhattan home packing up his Escalade with Christmas wreaths, bags and presents.

Baldwin kept his son in hand as the young boy tried to shield his face from the wind

The actor took some seaweed from his son's hand before throwing it back in the water

As his kids were busy, Baldwin strode along the empty private beach on his phone

There was nobody else on the beach on Sunday besides the Baldwin family

The Baldwins made their way to the beach after walking down a wooded area

The entire outing lasted only about 15 minutes, after which it seemed the children seemed to get too cold.

The Baldwin family has been taking a Christmastime retreat in the Hamptons since they were seen leaving their Manhattan home on Friday.

Baldwin was pictured at around 8.30am loading his black Escalade with bags, luggage, a holiday wreath, and some games - apparently packing for an extended trip.

He filled the vehicle with their stuff before slipping into the backseat and leaving with his driver.

He and wife, Hilaria, 37, needed to take two more SUVs to accommodate their nannies and six children, each of whom required either a car seat or booster seat, depending on their age.

Alex Baldwin was seen packing up an SUV with his family's belongings on Friday morning

The dad had boxes of new toys, which were presumably Christmas presents for his and Hilaria's children

The family was not traveling light and appeared to be heading out of town for the Christmas holiday

Just one day before their big trip, Hilaria slammed the paparazzi on her Instagram Stories and warned them to 'stay away' from her husband. She shared footage of the photographers snapping their pictures, claiming they were purposefully provoking him.

'These people are trying to taunt Alec,' she captioned the clip. 'This is not good for ptsd. I'm sure that comes as no surprise when you see this. I get you guys want to make money...but this is disgusting. And those of you who pay for these photos  shame.'

In a second post, she demanded that the paparazzi back off while vowing to protect her family.

'Stay away from him,' she insisted. 'Stop it right now. Have some humanity. Stop thinking about money and attention. Let the investigation do [its] process and it will play out. You don't need to come and traumatize him more every single step of the way. This is my family and I will protect them until the end.'

The confrontation took place outside Woody Allen's Upper East Side home, where reporter Jon Levine was waiting for Baldwin to quiz him about the shooting on the set of Rust

An irate Baldwin was caught on video lunging at a New York Post reporter while gripping an umbrella on December 2

The family's departure on Friday also came just one day after Baldwin took to Twitter to deny that he had requested a larger Colt gun before Hutchins was fatally shot on the set of Rust.

He tweeted an article from Newsweek, which claimed that he had requested a bigger gun before the accidental shooting.

'This, in fact is a lie,' Baldwin wrote over the article link.

'The choices regarding any props by me for the film RUST were made weeks before production began. To suggest that any changes were made "before fatal shooting" is false,' he added.

His tweet came after Sante Fe sheriffs in New Mexico issued a search warrant for his iPhone in regards to the fatal October 21 shooting.

The warrant authorizes police to review all text messages and photos on the actor's cellphone, as well as any stored location data, as part of their investigation.

Baldwin was seen on his phone making a call shortly after the shooting, and Judge David Segura, a magistrate in Santa Fe, approved the search warrant request on Thursday afternoon.

Santa Fe, New Mexico sheriffs are continuing to investigate the scene of the fatal shooting on the Rust set (pictured)

The family's departure on Friday came just one day after Baldwin took to Twitter to deny that he had requested a larger Colt gun before Hutchins was fatally shot on the set of Rust

Detective Alexandria Hancock  referred to as the 'affiant' in the warrant  said that they requested Baldwin hand over his phone, but the actor and his lawyers said that they require a warrant first.

'Affiant requested Alec's phone from him, as well as his attorney, and was instructed to acquire a warrant,' the warrant request states.

Hancock, in the request for the warrant, spelled out in detail what she wanted to obtain from Baldwin's phone  a list that included his contacts, call records, photos, videos, and text messages.

'Affiant is requesting a warrant for the seizure and search of Alec Baldwins' cell phone to search for any evidence relating to the death investigation of Halyna Hutchins,' the warrant request states.

'Affiant believes there may be evidence on the phone, due to individuals using cellular phones during and/or after the commission of crime(s).

'Such information, if it exists, may be material and relevant to this investigation.

'Affiant was also made aware there were several emails and text messages sent and received regarding the movie production 'Rust' in the course of interviews.'

According to the search warrant, Baldwin told police that he exchanged emails with the film's armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, regarding what style of gun to use in the film.

They ultimately decided on a Colt .45 pistol.

Halyna Hutchins, 42, died on the set of Rust when a gun Baldwin was handling 'went off' and shot her

Baldwin is seen on October 21 after speaking to investigators about the fatal shooting of Hutchins. His phone is now being sought by the team probing Hutchins's death

Baldwin had been handed the antique pistol for the scene and was told that it was 'cold'  not loaded.

He was rehearsing a scene in which he pulls out his gun, and later said in an interview with ABC that he never pulled the trigger, but the gun went off anyway.

Hutchins, a 42-year-old cinematographer, was shot and killed. The director of the film, Joel Souza, was shot in the shoulder and survived.

It is unclear why it has taken so long for New Mexico police to seize Baldwin's phone.

The actor has insisted that he has fully cooperated with the investigation.

Dave Halls, the assistant director who was watching, confirmed Baldwin's account, through his lawyer.

Baldwin spoke to George Stephanopoulos about the tragic shooing in an interview that aired on December 2, saying: 'Someone is responsible for what happened, and I can't say who it is, but it's not me'

Baldwin recalled how he stood over her for 'about 60 seconds' and was then ushered out. Was she conscious?' Stephanopoulos asked. 'My recollection is yes,' he replied.

Baldwin's version of the on-set tragedy 'I'm just showing. I go, "How 'bout that? Does that work? You see that? Do you see that?'" 'And then she goes, "Yeah, that's good." 'I let go of the hammer, bang. The gun goes off. Everyone is horrified. They're shocked. It's loud. They don't have their earplugs in. 'No one was  the gun was supposed to be empty. I was told I was handed an empty gun. 'If they were cosmetic rounds, nothing with a charge at all, a flash round, nothing. 'She goes down, I thought to myself, "Did she faint?" 'The notion that there was a live round in that gun did not dawn on me 'till probably 45 minutes to an hour later.' He added: 'Well, she's laying there and I go, "Did she hit by wadding? Was there a blank?" 'I never pulled the trigger. No, no, no. You would never do that. 'The gun was supposed to be empty. I was told I was handed an empty gun. 'Nobody gave a f*** who you are anymore until this. You see a lot of people with their phones now, in a coffee shop,' he said, showing them filming him. Advertisement

He said 'no one had any idea' there was live ammunition used until a police officer showed a photo of the shrapnel removed from Souza's arm.

Then began 'the agony, insanity, that someone put a live bullet in the gun,' he said. 'She was laying there and she was there for a while I was amazed at how long they didn't get her in a car or get her out, but they waited until a helicopter came.

'And by the time the helicopter took off with her, we were literally all glutted to that process outside.

'When she finally left, I don't know how long she was there for. She kept saying, she's stable, just as you disbelieve there was a live round in the gun, you disbelieve its going to be a fatal accident.

'At the end of my interview with the sheriff's department, they told me, "We regret to inform you she didn't make it." They told me then and there.'

He added: 'That's when I went outside and called my wife.'

Baldwin said that he has been told by people 'in the know' that it is 'highly unlikely' he'll face criminal charges.

'Someone is responsible for what happened, and I can't say who it is, but it's not me,' Baldwin told Stephanopoulos.

'Honest to God, if I thought I was responsible I might have killed myself. And I don't say that lightly.'

He also took a swipe at former President Donald Trump, his media foe whom he impersonated on Saturday Night Live, for suggesting that he 'loaded the gun himself.'

'He said that I did it deliberately. Just when you think things can't get any more surreal, here's the president of the United States making a comment on this tragic situation.'

Following the interview, New York Post's Jon Levine attempted to quiz the actor about the claim.

Baldwin refused to engage, and his wife Hilaria repeatedly asked the journalist to leave and 'please go away' while training her cellphone camera on him.

Levine met the couple as they were leaving Woody Allen's townhouse, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

When Levine would not stop asking questions about the shooting, Baldwin charged at him while grasping his umbrella and yelled that he was not allowed to be on someone's private property.

He did not make contact with the reporter, who pointed out to him that the sidewalk was, in fact, public property.

After the interview aired, Baldwin posted an Instagram photo of himself cradling one of his six young children.

'No matter what happens to me. No matter what I suffer. If I win or lose, anything. Anything. No one can take away from me the joy and love you have given me, @hilariabaldwin,' he wrote.

'These are tough times. The world is choked with fumes of hate. But you have given me a reason to live. Our life with our family is all I care about. Nothing else. I owe that to you.'
Jeremy Clarkson fans caused traffic chaos in the Cotswolds yesterday as long queues formed near the Diddly Squat Farm Shop.

Dozens of cars lined the grass verges and people could be seen forming long queues as they flocked to the popular farm shop in Chadlington on the last Saturday before Christmas.

The shop's car park was described as a 'sea of mud' as a results of the poor weather and the high number of vehicles with one visitor suggesting the shop should change it's name to Diddly Squelch.

The popularity of Clarkson's Farm on Amazon Prime has led to huge queues on several occasions for the Diddly Squat Farm Shop, with neighbours growing concerned about the volume of traffic it attracts.

The shop describes itself as 'a small barn full of good, no-nonsense things you'll like'.

Jeremy Clarkson fans caused traffic chaos as queues formed near the Diddly Squat Farm Shop

Jeremy Clarkson fans caused traffic chaos in the Cotswolds at the weekend as dozens of cars lined the grass verges near his Diddly Squat Farm Shop in Chadlington on Saturday (pictured)

People were seen in long queues as they took advantage of the last weekend before Christmas

Fans from all over the country have been queuing up for two-and-a-half hours to get inside the Diddly Squat shop since the launch of the hit Amazon Prime show earlier this year, much to the displeasure of some of his neighbours.

Pictures taken yesterday show poor weather and a high volume of vehicles turned the car park into a mud bath for those lucky enough to park there while dozens of others parked on the grassy verges nearby.

Police were called out to manage traffic chaos in June, caused by hundreds of Jeremy Clarkson fans descending on his farm in the hope of meeting him and to check out his stock, which includes honey, chutney and T-shirts.

Villagers are divided over the impact of the shop, which opened less than a year ago, with some saying it has put Chadlington on the map and boosted the local economy.

Others have warned that the traffic congestion caused by the shop is 'an accident waiting to happen'.

Last week, neighbours accused Jeremy Clarkson of flouting planning conditions at his Diddly Squat farm - by selling out-of-town souvenirs.

Neighbours have complained about traffic chaos caused by the shop's popularity in the past

The shop's popularity sky-rocketed in June with the launch of Clarkson's Amazon Prime show

Pictured: Jeremy Clarkson fans form large queues at his Diddly Squat Farm Shop yesterday

Objections continued to flood in from angry residents about the television presenter's ambition to expand operations at his farm.

Locals stepped up the fight to block the former Top Gear host in his bid for a new car park and cafe on the site with a total of 52 formal objections now lodged with the council.

Clarkson's representatives had been forced to change transport plans for the scheme to try and appease a mounting number of objectors.

But the actions haven't gone far enough for many locals with a string of new objections recently added to the application.

A large number of complaints surround the danger of the increased amounts of traffic - which locals say hasn't been resolved by the amended plans.

A total of 12 people have submitted official letters in support of the application.

Clarkson's lager, Hawkstone, is one of the UK's most popular lagers and is available at his shop

Pictures show the poor weather turned the shop's car park into a mud bath for visitors

The car park was a sea of mud after visitors left Diddly Squat Farm Shop yesterday afternoon

Clarkson bought the plot of land in 2008 and Clarkson's Farm follows the presenter's highs and lows of tackling a 1,000 acre working farm.

The presenter recently revealed he was 'the happiest he has ever been' and that he 'loved every second' of filming the new hit show.

His Diddly Squat shop is described as a 'small barn full of good, no-nonsense things' on its official website.

The Amazon Prime series follows an intense and frequently hilarious year in the life of Britain's most unlikely farmer and his team, as they contend with the worst farming weather in decades, disobedient animals, unresponsive crops, and an unexpected pandemic.
The Navy is launching a maternity uniform pilot program in 2022 for pregnant sailors, providing them with maternity uniforms, free of charge.

From January 2, 2022, to September 30, 2026, pregnant volunteers, sailors and officers in the active component and Navy Reserve will be allowed to receive 'a full array of authorized Navy maternity uniforms,' according to an administrative message from the Navy.

These uniforms will be provided to sailors at no cost and then returned to the service.

'Issued maternity uniforms may be worn throughout the period of required wear up to 12 months after receipt,' the NAVADMIN, short for all Navy specific administrative messages, said.

'Participant selection will occur on a first-come, first-served basis. Uniforms will be provided to participants fully hemmed and with all required sewn-on accoutrements attached.'

Pregnant members of the Navy force will return the free maternity uniforms to the service once they are no longer needed. From left to right: a woman wearing a Service Dress Blue uniform, a E-1 to E-6 uniform, a service Khaki uniform and a Navy working unifrom

Since 2021, the Marine Corps System Command has begun gradually releasing a series of updated maternity items in response to concerns about fit, comfort and appearance. Pictured: Emily Madden, a U.S. Army's Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center clothing designer supporting Marine Corps Systems Command, demonstrates a prototype version of the modified maternity nursing shirt on Maj. Elena N. Vallely, March 4, 2021, aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia

Sailors interested in joining the pilot program must get approval on all their medical documentation related to their pregnancies as well as commander approval.

They must also file and submit an application on the MyNavy HR website. Those who receive eligibility for the program must not have previously received, or are in the process of receiving, a maternity clothing allowance.

That said, more than 400 volunteers are expected to join the pilot program in 2022. The Navy is predicting an increase of personnel every year.

'If the 2022 MPP is successful, allowable participation numbers will be increased,' the NAVADMIN said.

Uniforms mentioned in the pilot program are the Navy Working Uniform Type II, Service Khaki for E-7s and above, and the Navy Service Uniform for E-1s to E6s.

All E-1s through E-3s in the Navy are known as seaman, fireman, airman, construction workers, or paramedic, while E-4 through E-6 are called petty officers. Those above the E-6 rank are known as Chief Petty Officers (CPOs).

'Service Dress Whites and Blues dependent upon the Uniform needed and the Cardigan Sweater will also be issued,' a Navy news release said.

This isnt the only initiative that the Navy has taken recently regarding its expecting members.

Exepcting sailors who would like to be part of the pilot program must have all their medical documentation related to their pregnancies approved as well as commander approval.

The Naval Air Force Reserve released the military's first ever maternity flight suit in July. Pictured: Lt. Cmdr. Jacqueline Nordan, Commander, Naval Air Force Reserve's (CNAFR) mobilization program manager, poses in the first Navy maternity flight suit.

In July, the service launched its historical first maternity flight suit prototype for pregnant aircrew so they wouldn't have to wear maternity khaki uniforms or larger flight suit uniforms that could cause safety issues if not properly altered.

Instead, the maternity flight suit prototype was designed to help pregnant aircrew fit in their uniforms as they progress in their pregnancy by adding expandable panels to standard flight suits.

As a result, aircrew only need one flight suit for the duration of their pregnancy.

Similarly, the Marine Corps also came up with new maternity uniforms in April for expecting Marines that have adjustable tabs to adjust the uniforms to fit better.
A Covid-positive teenager who decided to keep partying despite knowing he had the virus will mean 150 revellers will spend Christmas in isolation.

The teenager, 19, spent the night at the popular nightclub Loverboy in Adelaide's city centre despite receiving a notification he had tested positive to Covid-19.

He is understood to have received a text message from SA Health at 10pm - but allegedly ignored the warning and entered the club at 10.45pm last Friday.

The venue has since been declared a close contact exposure site, forcing 150 club-goers and staff into isolation for a week just days away from Christmas.

Anyone at the club between 10.45pm on Friday and 4.15am on Saturday is considered a close contact by health officials.

Vaccinated attendees will be asked to quarantine for seven days and the unvaccinated must be in isolation for 14 days.

His actions sparked understandable anger, but the teenager - now isolated in a medi-hotel - has asked his critics to move on.

'I reckon we just drop it. I've admitted to my mistakes and am truly apologetic,' the young man wrote to social media.

The teenager, 19, spent the night at the popular nightclub Loverboy in Adelaide's city centre (pictured) despite receiving notification he had tested positive to Covid-19

South Australia is reporting record numbers of locally acquired infections as the Omicron variant threatens the festive period.

Loverboy described the infected-patron as 'selfish' in a statement and warned the venue planned to take legal action.

'Christmas is supposed to be a time to celebrate with family and loved ones, however, because of the actions of one selfish person, that wont be the case for many,' the statement read.

'We have to close our doors for the busiest week of the year and will be opening presents in isolation. We will be seeking justice.'

SA Police will investigate if the teenager has breached the state's Emergency Management Act, which could mean the issuing of a $1,092 fine.

Rumours of a Covid-positive patron in the Hindley Street nightlife area spread on Friday, prompting many nightspots to close early, and remain shut in the lead-up to Christmas so the festive period is not ruined for staff and patrons.

It is understood the teen received the text message from SA Health at 10pm but allegedly ignored the warning and entered the popular venue (pictured) at 10:45pm last Friday

Premier Steven Marshall on Friday announced restrictions would ease when 90 per cent of the eligible population were vaccinated, earmarked for December 28.

Once the vaccine benchmark is reached, density restrictions will be axed and capacity for indoor venues as well as gyms and nightclubs will be expanded.

Across Australia, thousands of families eager to celebrate the festive season will be spending Christmas in isolation as the Omicron variant continues to spread.

In NSW, which recorded 2,566 new infections on Sunday, health officials admitted they don't know how many cases of the highly-infectious mutant-strain are in the community.

The revelation comes as worrying new international data finds Omicron is 'no milder' than the Delta variant - but five times more likely to re-infect.

Although 90 per cent of the Australian population over 16 are fully-vaccinated, the new variant is managing to spread in record numbers with the figure at 4,000 cases a day nationally and soaring.

Adding to the Christmas holiday panic is the immense strain on testing clinics as Australians desperate to travel interstate flock for swabs.

Most interstate travel requires a negative test before departure but with results taking two to three days, the wait is sending travel plans into turmoil.

Queensland and Tasmania have both reintroduced mask mandates in indoor settings, amid rising case numbers as holiday visitors start to flood interstate.

The Sunshine State recorded 42 new cases on Sunday, while South Australia saw 80 infections and Victoria saw a slight drop to 1,240.

Prior to the outbreak South Australia had recorded less than a thousand cases throughout the entire pandemic, and now has a total of 1,216.

NSW Health has revealed it is now longer testing Covid patients for the Omicron variant unless 'clinically relevant' - leaving officials with no idea how many cases of the strain are now in the state.
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Tens of thousands of Sydney residents are still without power as clean-up efforts continue after a 'mini tornado' ripped through the NSW capital, killing a woman and leaving two others fighting for life.

The Northern Beaches were battered by a freak storm on Sunday afternoon, which saw hundreds of homes damaged as trees were jerked from the ground and slammed onto properties from Forestville to Mona Vale.

A woman, 68, died at the scene after she was struck by a fallen tree which had been hit by lightening in a carpark in Ocean Street, Narrabeen.

Her friend, a 70-year-old woman, and a 19-year-old girl who suffered spinal injuries are both in critical conditions at Royal North Shore hospital.

More than 25,000 homes remained without power on Monday morning after the storm ripped out power lines, tore homes apart, and blew a trampoline into the ocean.

Clean-up efforts have begun in the Northern Beaches after the freak storm left a trail of destruction in its path (pictured)

A freak storm battered the Northern Beaches on Sunday afternoon, killing a woman and leaving two fighting for life. Pictured is a unit block in Dee Why that had its roof torn off when the mini-tornado ripped through the area just after 3pm

Winds peaked at 80km/h on Sunday afternoon which saw the Dee Why unit have its roof completely ripped off the building and carried away

The Dee Why apartment building was ripped open exposing homes in the top floor on Sunday afternoon

A piece of crumpled metal from a build was torn off a roof and swept across a pavement in a pedestrian strip in Dee Why

Volunteers assisting in the clean up efforts have begun taping off dangerous areas before they will be able to return to clear debris

Winds peaked at 80km/h and emergency services received more than 500 calls for help, with the worst of the damage seen around Narrabeen, but also Dee Why and Mona Vale.

Additional SES volunteers from across the state are being sent to the region to assist the mass clean-up effort, with hundreds of the calls yet to be attended.

'We still have about 350 calls for assistance outstanding with more coming in this morning,' the SES said.

'The majority of jobs come through for damaged roofs, trees down, blocked driveways or streets  theres been significant damage to property.'

A knocked-over pole leans over the front fence of a Dee Why home on Monday as mounds of roof fragments are sprawled across lawns and roads

Cranes work to lift rubble from the top of an apartment block on Monday after its roof caved in during the freak storm

A man surveys the damage around his home after wind-blown metal roof panels crashed onto the grass in front of his fence

Some 35,000 homes across Collaroy, Dee Why, North Curl Curl, Narrabeen and Forestville were left without electricity overnight.

'Sunday storms have caused damage to our network and left 35,000 customers without power,' an Ausgrid statement read.

'We are working through the night to remove a significant amount of debris and make areas safe to undergo repairs to restore power as soon as possible. Customers should expect to be without power into Monday morning. We apologise for the inconvenience.'

Power has since been restored to around 7000 homes as emergency crews work to help get more than 22,000 properties back onto the grid.

Emergency services volunteers coned off a section of road surrounding homes in Dee Why left severely damaged by Sunday's storm

A Northern Beaches apartment building had its roof ripped off and carried away by a 'mini tornado' as a freak five-minute storm swept over the city

Debris scattered the streets causing heavy damage to properties and vehicles after the freak five-minute storm cell hit

A car surrounded by fallen trees narrowly escaped damage, with police cordoning off debris littered areas across the area

A cement driveway was uprooted by the storm as fallen trees took out powerlines around the area

An airduct was torn from the roof of a new apartment block in Dee Why, with the pavement surrounding the building taped off to protect pedestrians from the possibility of falling debris

The huge piece of metal was left teetering on the edge of the roof after being ripped from its base during the wild weather event

Pictures show the devastation caused by the chaotic storm with carnage scattered across Sydney's picturesque coastline.

Side-by-side images of the same stretch in the Dee Why show barely visible buildings being lashed by heavy rainfall and wind.

Debris and what appears to be an awning then comes into shot, smashing into parked vehicles.

Shocking footage of a nearby apartment building in the beachside suburb shows a roof being stripped and sucked away by heavy winds.

Trees can be seen thrashing back and forth in the clip posted to Reddit, before the roof of the Northern Beaches unit block rips off and is carried away by cyclonic winds.

'I think this is a tornado, oh my god!' a person in the video can be heard screaming.

Footpaths and roads have been closed as trees toppled down onto pavements and houses around Sydney's northern suburbs

Pictures show the devastation caused by the choatic storm with carnage scattered across Sydney's picturesque coastline

Two kids watch from Narrabeen Lake after trees were uprooted and smashed into a ute parked near the shore

Lifesavers swam out through crashing waves to get a trampoline which had been blown from a nearby backyard all the way to the waterfront

A Sydney apartment building had its roof ripped off and carried away by a 'mini tornado' as a freak five-minute storm swept over the city

Other locals say they were struggling to walk and drive as the storm cell swept through the area.

'I was on the beach at Mona Vale when this hit and I almost got blown over trying to walk back to the car,' another social media user posted.

'Didn't realise how bad it was cos it was over by the time I got in the car and started driving.'

Other pictures from the Northern Beaches show massive trees uprooted and stripped of leaves, laid bare across roads and destroyed vehicles.

One resident reported hearing screams after a tree fell and trapped several people inside a car.

Emergency services clean up the devastation left after the crazy weather slammed Sydney's north on Sunday

Several cars were crushed by falling trees with one Northern Beaches resident hearing screaming coming from a vehicle

Trees thrashed in the cyclonic winds as the storm tore through Sydney on Sunday afternoon - with one woman dying

Police described the fatality as 'tragic' and said the women that were injured were simply 'in the wrong place at the wrong time'.

'As you can imagine the patients had multiple injuries after being hit by falling branches and other debris,' Inspector Christie Marks said.

'We worked to treat them at the scene and get them to hospital for further care.

'Given the size of this tree it's remarkable that there weren't more people injured.'

There are power outages across the region, with SES and emergency services receiving calls throughout Sunday evening.

Trees cover a footpath on the Northern Beaches after a wild storm caused mass devestation

Locals begin cleaning up their streets on Sunday evening after the freak storm lashed the area

There remains severe thunderstorm alerts in place for large parts of Sydney, Newcastle, Gosford, Wollongong and Bathurst as a storm cell sweeps over south-eastern NSW.

Experts are predicting strong winds will continue to batter the state into the night, with police urging people not to enter dangerous areas.

Temperatures peaked at 35.8 degrees on Sunday and will remain in the high 20s on Monday and Tuesday in welcome news for sun-starved Sydneysiders.
Viral TikTok videos claim to show a long line of trucks who are 'boycotting' Colorado by driving round it and refusing to enter the state over the 110-year jail sentence of a fellow driver who caused a huge crash that killed four on a Colorado interstate.

Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, 26, was driving a semi on April 25, 2019 down Interstate 70 in Lakewood, Colorado, when he crashed into two dozen vehicles - including four other semi-trucks stuck in rush-hour traffic. The impact caused a fireball explosion that incinerated cars and trucks and killed four people.

According to TikTok videos, fellow drivers are now refusing to enter the state as a way to denounce the sentence they've deemed harsh and unfair.

'They just offered me $5 the mile to go to Colorado. You know what I told them?...No trucks to Colorado. Let's show the entire country what us truckers can do when we stand together,' a trucker using the username @semi__crazy posted online.

Although the videos have gained traction in recent days, the Colorado Motor Carriers Association said on Friday they were not aware of serious attempts of a boycott.

Viral TikToks reportedly show angered Colorado drivers protesting the 110-year jail sentence of a fellow driver who caused a huge crash that killed four on a Colorado interstate, as a petition to grant him clemency comes close to reaching the goal of 4 million signatures on Change.org. It is unclear if these are current photos.

According to TikTok videos, fellow drivers are now refusing to enter the state as a way to denounce the sentence they've deemed harsh and unfair

'Rogel Lazaro Aguilera-Mederos, 23, has nothing on his driving record, or on his criminal history,' the Change.org petition for Aguilera-Mederos' clemency, which was addressed to Colorado Governor Jared Polis and Jefferson County courts, reads

TikTok videos show what dozens of trucks lined up on the side of the road and blocking highways, with drivers refusing to enter the Centennial State.

'Us truck drivers are not going to Colorado. No more drivers to Colorado, we are sorry. We are standing with Roger,' a man who claimed to be a driver said in Spanish.

Another video showing more trucks blocking traffic was captioned 'We need to stop the country to show Colorado we are drivers, not killers.'

Many supported the protest in the comment section of the videos, while others believed it was an extreme measure that could affect food supply.

'As a driver of over 30 years, I have to agree with the sentence!! Our job as professional drivers first and foremost is to keep the public safe,' a driver commented.

However, Greg Fulton, president of the Colorado Motor Carriers Association told ABC News, said he hasn't seen concerning evidence of a boycott.

'I'm not seeing really anything that's showing up of that boycott in terms of companies missing shipments or other things like that,' Fulton told the outlet.

Fulton also said that while he feels for the driver, calling the crash a mechanical failure, as the petition states, is incorrect.

'I think in our eyes is inexperience, a lack of familiarity with the driver of the mountains...I don't think the company should have put them in this situation,' he said.

'They just offered me $5 the mile to go to Colorado. You know what I told them?...No trucks to Colorado. Let's show the entire country what us truckers can do when we stand together,' a trucker using the username @semi__crazy posted online

On December 13, Aguilera-Mederos, of Texas, was sentenced to 110 consecutive years in prison by county court Judge A. Bruce Jones, who said his hands were tied due to mandatory minimum laws in the state.

He sentenced Aguilera-Mederos to the minimum in the range available to him on all 27 criminal counts, the Denver Channel reported.

'Rogel Lazaro Aguilera-Mederos, 23, has nothing on his driving record, or on his criminal history,' the Change.org petition for Aguilera-Mederos' clemency, which was addressed to Colorado Governor Jared Polis and Jefferson County courts, reads.

The governor is the only person who can grant clemency at the state level. Polis most recently commuted four sentences and issued 18 pardons in December 2020. Clemency usually results in a sentence reduction or a pardon.

'He had complied with every single request by the Jefferson County courts, and investigators on the case.'

Pictured: a screenshot of the petition for Aguilera-Mederos, who was sentenced to prison for 110 consecutive for causing a fireball crash that killed four people

Aguilera-Mederos, pictured, of Texas, as he was sentenced to 110 consecutive years in prison, who said his hands were tied due to mandatory minimum laws in the state

'He's passed all of the drug and alcohol tests that were given including a chemical test.'

'This accident was not intentional, nor was it a criminal act on the drivers part. No one but the trucking company he is/was employed by should be held accountable for this accident.'

'We are trying to hold the person who needs to be held responsible, responsible. The trucking company has had several inspections since 2017, with several mechanical violations.'

The petition goes on to say that Rogel could have 'done things differently to avoid the courts,' but ultimately commended him for taking responsibility and apologizing to the victim's families.

'Some of the families even offered forgiveness,' the petition continues.

'Rogel is not a criminal.'

It has become one of the website's top signed petitions after it reached 4 million signatures, according to the Change.org page.

Before his sentencing, Aguilera-Mederos pleaded with a judge to give him a lighter sentence, claiming he is not a criminal and did not mean to hurt anybody

Among the vehicles he crashed into were four other semi-trucks

Prosecutors say Aguilera-Mederos, of Texas, was driving at 85mph when he crashed into two dozen cars on April 25, 2019 near the Denver West Colorado Mills Parkway

A giant fireball formed from the impact of the crash, incinerating some cars and trucks

Aguilera-Mederos, of Texas, was working for a Houston-based trucking company at the time of the fatal crash. He was driving an 18-wheeler loaded with lumber.

Prosecutors said he was eastbound coming down the interstate from the mountains at about 85mph. They said he also swerved at times, forcing others off the road before he crashed into two dozen vehicles causing a giant fireball, FOX 31 reports.

It left behind a scene of 'significant, just unbelievable carnage,' Lakewood Police Spokesman Ty Countryman said in a news conference following the crash, noting that some bodies were still in the wreckage hours later. Video showed cars stopped in every direction as the huge fire spread, sending smoke billowing.

'This is looking to be one of the worst accidents we've had here in Lakewood,' Countryman said.

Four were killed in the crash, including: Doyle Harrison, 61, of Hudson, Colorado; William Bailey, 67, of Arvadal; Miguel Angel Lamas Arrellano, 24, of Denver; and Staney Politano, 69, of Arvada.

Six others were taken to the hospital for their injuries.

He was found guilty in October on 27 criminal charges including vehicular homicide, assault and reckless driving for a fiery crash in April 2019, and a county court judge said he had to sentence Aguilera-Mederos, pictured with his attorney, according to state minimums

Among the victims of the deadly crash were Stanley Politano, 69, of Arvada, Colorado, left, and Miguel Angel Lamas Arrelano, 24, of Denver, right,

Doyle Harrison, pictured, was also killed in the inferno

Victim William Bailey is pictured with his wife, Gage Evans

Aguilera-Mederos had claimed the brakes in his truck had failed and he lost control, but prosecutors argued in court that he could have taken steps to prevent the crash, including using a runaway truck ramp miles before the wreck. He made a 'bunch of bad decisions' instead, they said.

Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, 26, was sentenced to 110 consecutive years in prison

But his defense attorney claimed he did not know that his truck brakes were smoking or that he would not be able to stop. He also argued that Aguilera-Mederos' actions were a series of negligent decisions, and that he did not intend to hurt anybody.

But in October, a jury found him guilty of 27 criminal charges, including:

Four counts of vehicular homicide

Two counts of vehicular assault

Six counts of assault in the first-degree with extreme indifference

10 counts of criminal attempt to commit assault in the first degree

One count of reckless driving

Four counts of careless driving causing death

He was also found not guilty of 15 counts of criminal attempts to commit assaults in the first degree.

Before his sentencing, Aguilera-Mederos pleaded with the judge to be lenient, breaking down in tears as he spoke.

'It's hard. This was a terrible accident, I know,' he said. 'I take the responsibility, but it was an accident.

Some of the lumber Aguilera-Mederos was transporting was strewn across I-70 as traffic was stopped in both directions

Smoke billowed throughout the sky in the aftermath of the crash

'I have never thought about hurting anyone in my entire life and Jesus Christ, he knows that, he knows my heart,' he continued.

'I am not a criminal, I am not a murderer.'

'The accident - it wasn't intentional, it wasn't intentional, Your Honor. I did all that I can as a man. I put myself in harm's way to avoid harming anyone else.'

He claimed that he tried to avoid the traffic, and noted that he did not flee in the aftermath 'because I respect the laws.

'I want to say sorry, sorry for the loss, sorry for the people injured,' he concluded, noting: 'I ask ... God many times why them and not me.'
Australia's Omicron outbreak will peak in just a few weeks and new restrictions will only be necessary if hospital cases 'go through the roof', a top Covid expert predicts.

Australian National University professor Peter Collignon said the new strain appeared to be milder or no worse than previous ones even though it spread quicker.

He said Australia is seeing a spike in cases due to the Christmas party season, with people enjoying 'high-risk activities' such as eating and drinking in pubs and clubs.

'I suspect we'll have more numbers over the next week or two,' he said.

'I suspect [cases] will go up until the first or second week of January, then it will gradually go down or at least stay stable, then next winter it will go up again.'

Australia is seeing a spike in case of the Omicron variant due to the Christmas party season, with people currently enjoying 'high-risk activities', Professor Peter Collignon said

Professor Collignon said the growth in cases in Britain and the US was primarily because 'they are going into winter'.

'But the big note there, as well as here, we are not seeing huge numbers of hospital admissions,' he said.

'Yes you can get mild disease more frequently or even reasonably frequently even if you're vaccinated... but the real crunch is the deaths of people and hospital admissions, and they're not going up because vaccines work.'

Professor Collignon said the new Omicron wave was 'the new reality' for the next four or five years.

'Omicron spreads a bit more but it doesn't seem to be worse in severity of disease so this is what we've got to expect,' he said.

'Provided we keep the hospitalisations down, that's good news because it means we can get on with life without that huge risk hanging over our heads.'

People queue at the St Vincent's Bondi Beach Covid-19 drive through testing clinic in the days before Christmas

'The real crunch is the deaths of people and hospital admissions, and they're not going up because vaccines work,' Professor Collignon said on the Today Show

He said re-imposing Covid restrictions in NSW such as mask wearing indoors, as Queensland and Tasmania did, would only be necessary if hospitalisations 'go through the roof'.

'The main precaution we should be taking is to be outdoors more than indoors. Outdoors there's much less transmission than indoors,' he said.

'Have a barbecue during the day instead of a dinner at night. Avoid crowded indoor venues as much as you can decrease the time you go there.

'If you have people unwell make sure nobody is unwell who comes over, they should be getting tested and not coming over.'

Thousands of Australians face spending Christmas locked in their homes as Omicron seeps though the country, sending patients and their close contacts into isolation.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has so far refused to bring back any restrictions despite rising cases of the Omicron variant, just days after removing density limits and allowing the unvaccinated the same freedoms as those who've had the jab. Pictured: Shoppers in Sydney

Health officials in NSW admitted they have no clue how many cases of the highly infectious mutant strain are active in the state because it is too expensive and time consuming to test each case for its strain - but there are likely thousands.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has so far refused to bring back any restrictions despite mounting pressure, just days after removing density limits and allowing the unvaccinated the same freedoms as those who've had the jab.

The daily infection rate in the state soared to a record 2,566 cases on Sunday with another 21 admitted to hospital. There were 2,501 more cases on Monday.

Epidemiologist and health researcher Professor Nancy Baxter told The Project on Friday the easing of restrictions in NSW as case numbers surge 'did not make sense'.

'It doesn't make any sense at all, and most jurisdictions have been increasing mask mandates (with the rise in Omicron cases),' she said.

'You have Queensland that has, what, 20 cases today, introducing a mask mandate. Compared to NSW that relaxes theirs when their cases go from 200 to 2000 in 10 days.'

In a series of daily tweets on the weekend, NSW Health revealed it is now longer testing Covid patients for the Omicron variant unless 'clinically relevant' - and it's left officials with no idea how many cases of the strain are now in the state.

'The main precaution we should be taking is to be outdoors more than indoors. Outdoors there's much less transmission than indoors,' Professor Collignon advised

The health department said they did not have the resources to make testing each Covid case for Omicron practicable.

'With the high number of Covid-19 cases, NSW Health will only undertake genomic sequencing for the Omicron variant in the circumstances where it will make a clinical difference to the care of a patient.

'For instance, where it will inform treatment choices as some therapies work with Delta but not for Omicron, and in situations where it will inform public health action'.

Despite the rise in cases NSW's high vaccination rate, above 95 per cent, has so far seen the state's hospital system cope well with the outbreak.
Australia is being urged to bring forward booster shots to help prevent thousands of additional COVID-19 infections as holidaymakers take advantage of open borders.

Epidemiologist Adrian Esterman wants the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation to follow the United Kingdom's lead and recommend boosters three months after a second dose.

He fears leaving the gap at five months will result in 'thousands of people infected for no reason'.

The University of South Australia professor anticipates booster shots becoming an annual event, if not more frequent than that.

Eligible Australians are urged to bring forward to bring their Covid-19 booster shots (pictured)

'But at the moment, it's still difficult to get a booster shot because of ATAGI's ruling,' he told Australian Associated Press.

'What we'll see is that states and territories will be reintroducing more public health measures because they have to because our hospital systems will be too stretched.'

NSW on Sunday recorded 2566 new infections. There are 227 people in hospital, 28 of them in intensive care.

Professor Esterman thinks that state is in deep trouble as Premier Dominic Perrottet refuses calls to mandate masks indoors and bring back QR code check-ins for all venues.

'The epidemic curve (in NSW) is almost vertical. Cases are doubling every three days,' he said.

'I don't think lockdowns are necessary, but states and territories should retain their public health measures.'

The warning comes as Covid cases in NSW surge to all time highs (pictured a long queue at a drive-through clinic at Bondi)

Victoria reported 1240 new cases and four more deaths. It has 392 COVID-19 patients in hospital, 81 of them in intensive care.

South Australia reported 80 new COVID-19 cases, Queensland 42 and the ACT 18.

There were nine in the Northern Territory as authorities there anticipated extending a lockdown in the town of Tennant Creek.

Tasmania reported three new infections as it prepared to mandate masks indoors.

Australia's full vaccination rate for people aged 16 and older is sitting at 90.42 per cent. The first dose rate is nearing 94 per cent.

The number of boosters delivered into arms exceeds 1.3 million, with more than 640,000 doled out in the last week.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is reportedly readying to send preservation notices across the Biden administration in preparation for multiple investigations

House Republicans are preparing an all-out offensive against the Biden administration in the event they win back the majority in the 2022 midterm elections, a new report claimed on Sunday.

Multiple opinion polls combined with Democrats' lackluster performance in this year's races point to a potential red wave come November, threatening President Joe Biden's chances of holding on to a slim majority in Congress.

GOP House Leader Kevin McCarthy is planning to send out preservation notices to several departments within the administration in preparation for a slew of investigations to take up the second half of Biden's first term, Axios reported.

That includes probes ranging from well-known GOP criticisms including Biden's handling of the pandemic, Afghanistan withdrawal and the border crisis.

They're also reportedly looking at an Internal Revenue Service leak and Fox News host Tucker Carlson's claims he was spied on by the National Security Agency.

McCarthy is working on recruiting legal counsel and advisers as well as other resources to embark on the investigations on Republicans' first day as the majority party, the report details.

One of those probes will allegedly be into the Biden Justice Department's crackdown on violence in educational settings. Attorney General Merrick Garland had directed the FBI to work with local law enforcement to tackle a 'disturbing trend' of violent outbursts against teachers and other school officials after a letter from the National School Boards Association (NSBA) likened angry parents to 'domestic terrorists,' which the group has since apologized for.

Another will explore Biden and his defense officials' decisions leading up to the military's withdrawal from Afghanistan over the summer, for which the president has received bipartisan criticism.

One of them will be how the Biden administration handled the US military's withdrawal from Afghanistan over the summer

They're also reportedly looking for information into Americans who were left stranded despite Biden's vow to remain a presence in Kabul until all US citizens were evacuated.

Republican lawmakers also plan to dive into the crisis at the southern border after illegal crossings reached a 21-year high in July and remain high above recent years' totals.

On the coronavirus pandemic, over which there's been fierce opposition to Biden's vaccine orders and mask mandates, GOP members of Congress want to look into the communications that led to school closures and face covering rules.

They're also hoping to study the origins of COVID-19, despite a previous investigation by the World Health Organization coming up inconclusive due to China's lack of cooperation.

Republican lawmakers have saved particularly harsh criticism for Dr. Anthony Fauci, Biden's chief medical adviser, over allegations he green-lit funding for an experimental virus program in Wuhan, where the coronavirus first originated.

They're also hoping to look at Biden's handling of the pandemic and the origins of coronavirus

Lawmakers are interested in allegations made by Fox News host Tucker Carlson that the NSA was spying on him and his primetime news show

And in what seems to be departure from their expected political ambitions, the House GOP is curious about accusations Tucker Carlson made on his primetime program that the NSA was targeting him and his show.

The NSA later released a statement claiming Carlson was never an intelligence asset nor has it 'had any plans to take his program off the air.'

According to the report Republicans also want to look into a leak of IRS data detailing how billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk pay little or none at all in taxes compared to their vast wealth.

The leak was reported in a bombshell ProPublica investigation exposing billionaires who dodge paying thousands or even millions of dollars.

McCarthy and his colleagues are also hoping to look into a Defense Department contract Amazon was trying to acquire for as much as $10 billion. Republican lawmakers claimed in June that a series of emails first obtained by the New York Times showed that the tech giant tried to use undue influence to win a cloud computing contract that eventually went to Microsoft.

The reported communications between Amazon and military officials took place under the Trump administration.
Prince Andrews accuser Virginia Roberts was available to give evidence at Ghislaine Maxwells child sex trafficking trial  but nobody called her, the court was told.

Miss Roberts  now Virginia Giuffre  was allegedly recruited as a schoolgirl sex slave by Maxwell and forced into abuse by Epstein and his friends, including the Duke of York, who strenuously denies the claims.

Miss Roberts has been a running feature of the case, having flown 32 times on Epsteins Lolita Express private jet with the multi-millionaire financier and Maxwell, as well as recruiting schoolgirl Carolyn for alleged abuse, jurors heard. Yet neither side has called the 38-year-old as a witness.

Virginia Roberts - now Giuffre - claims she was available to give evidence at the trial

The prosecution did not explain why it had not done so, although it might have feared that inconsistencies which have emerged over the years in her well-publicised story might not have been helpful.

And if the defence had called Miss Roberts, who blames Maxwell for ruining her life, it could have been disastrous. In a hearing on Saturday, prosecutors taunted Maxwells defence lawyers by saying they could have invited Miss Roberts to take the stand but had chosen not to.

Andrew Rohrbach said: The most obvious witness who was available to both sides and who we expect the defence to comment on is Virginia Roberts, who was described as a victim but did not testify and she was fully available to the defendants. They did not call her.

Maxwell denies six charges of child sex trafficking, and faces dying in jail if convicted of them

Mrs Giuffre was allegedly recruited as a schoolgirl sex slave by Maxwell and forced into abuse by Epstein and his friends, including the Duke of York, who strenuously denies the claims

Maxwell faces the fight of her life on the final day of her trial in New York. Jurors could be sent out to begin their deliberations as early as this evening, Judge Alison Nathan said.

The British socialites lawyers have accused prosecutors of going after her rather than Epsteins co-conspirators such as Sarah Kellen, who has been dubbed the paedophiles lieutenant.

On Friday evening, Maxwell said there was no need for her to give testimony in her defence because prosecutors had failed to prove her guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

Maxwell denies six charges of child sex trafficking, and faces dying in jail if convicted of them.

In court, her demeanour has changed from looking confident to appearing panicked and upset with her 5 million legal team.
The Scout Association has apologised to a campaigner after investigating her for two years for misgendering someone on Twitter.

Assistant cub scout leader Maya Forstater inadvertently called a bearded transgender scout leader he rather than they in 2019.

This prompted an inquiry, which found Miss Forstater had brought the organisation into disrepute.

Miss Forstater, who runs the group Sex Matters and who has been praised by JK Rowling, said the complaint by Gregor Murray was vexatious

Now the Scouts have issued an apology, saying she did not deliberately misgender the complainant in order to cause harm and that she did not spread lies about them.

Miss Forstater, who runs the group Sex Matters and who has been praised by JK Rowling, said the complaint by Gregor Murray was vexatious.

It came after she raised concerns about the Scouts transgender policy.

She added: The whole process has been bullying from start to finish. They didnt interview me. They ignored my evidence. They made things up I hadnt done.

A spokesman for the Scouts said: It is inappropriate for us to comment further on a case that has been closed.

Assistant cub scout leader Maya Forstater inadvertently called a bearded transgender scout leader he rather than they in 2019

The investigation dates back to 2019, when Miss Forstater raised concerns on Facebook about the Scouts transgender policy, which she said would mean an end to separate spaces, such as sleeping facilities, for girls.

She got into a Twitter conversation with Murray, a scout leader from Dundee, to whom she referred using the pronoun he instead of Murrays preferred they.

Murray complained to the Scout Association. Miss Forstater responded that the misgendering was not intentional, and that the complaint was vexatious and intended to bully her and deter leaders in the Scouts from discussing issues relating to the organisations transgender policy.

Murray said: "I am very disappointed to see the Scout Association kowtow to bigotry. I think that that sends the wrong message to the amazing young people we work with.

"I think the associations actions are incongruent with their stated aims and values, particularly their promise to be youth shaped and inclusive.

"This is an unfortunate example of those with the most privilege demonstrating utter cowardice, and doing what is easy, rather than what is right.

"I will continue to fight for trans adults and young people, even though I dont have the platform or resources that my opponents do. I urge all organisations who may work with trans people to stand up for their most vulnerable members."

At the same time, Miss Forstater was going through an employment tribunal case after her contract was not renewed when she claimed people could not change their biological sex.

The original judge used the issue of the Scouts misgendering as part of his judgment that her views were not worthy of respect in a democratic society.

It was this judgment which led to JK Rowling tweeting in support of Miss Forstater two years ago. This judgment was overturned on appeal over the summer.

The Scout Association finally issued an apology on Friday, saying: The evidence that you provided in response to the complaint, to demonstrate that it was vexatious was not considered at the appropriate time by the Scout Association.

If it had been, the complaint may well have been found to have been vexatious.

In any case it is clear you did not deliberately misgender the complainant in order to cause harm and did not spread lies and misinformation about them, as alleged in their complaint about you.

The Scout Association therefore apologises for the experience you have encountered through this process which has gone on for over two years.

Miss Forstater said: I am glad this part is over. I loved being a Scout leader but I have left the Scouts because I did not feel proud to wear the uniform anymore after the way they treated me.

They allowed Gregor Murray to use their complaints process to bully me for speaking up about safeguarding. It is part of a wider problem that the Scout Association has. I hope they will face up to it.

It is hard to believe that the thing people are most concerned about is respecting pronouns when you are talking about whether male people can be allowed to invade the space where women are naked and vulnerable.

What about the intimidating, hostile and degrading environment this creates for women and girls?

She added: JK Rowling has been amazing. Two years ago she shone a light on what happened to me and is happening to thousands of women.

Despite all of the threats and harassment she hasnt wavered. Her public support and bravery led more people to speak up.

A spokesman for the Scouts said: We are aware of this case. This matter has taken some time to resolve but has now been concluded. It is inappropriate for us to comment further on a case that has been closed.
An MP who hit headlines when she was 'sexted' by NSW Treasurer Matt Kean will be promoted to state Cabinet in today's reshuffle.

Eleni Petinos, 34, will be among several fresh faces in Premier Dominic Perrottet's revamped ministry as he makes his own appointments after Gladys Berejiklian's resignation.

Ms Petinos, who became the MP for Miranda in 2015, found herself in the news in 2018 when texts between her and Mr Kean were shared by his then-girlfriend Caitlin Keage.

Eleni Petinos (pictured) will be among several fresh faces in Premier Dominic Perrottet's revamped ministry

'I was in Adelaide trusting my partner not to play up,' Ms Keage captioned the Instagram post (pictured) which has since been deleted

The messages revealed Mr Kean told Ms Petinos - who will serve as Minister for Small Business, Minister for Fair Trading - that he was 'tempted to drive down to see' her, just after 10pm on December 27, 2017.

She replied: 'Miss me huh? lol,' before he said: 'Yup. Really need to f*** you.'

Ms Petinos said he already had 'CK for that' and when he asked, 'is that a no?' she replied: 'It's that time of the month'.

Mr Kean said: 'OK come up later x.'

She later texted Mr Kean and said: 'Just got your Christmas card you're absolutely gorgeous - love you xx'.

Ms Keage shared the messages on her social media accounts with the caption: 'When your boyfriend cheats on you when you're away with family.

'I was in Adelaide trusting my partner not to play up. But alas, here we are. Another minister getting away with his predatory behaviour.'

Ms Petinos - who was reported to be single - denied 'allegations' against her saying: 'I am saddened that I have been drawn into this relationship breakdown.

'I deny the allegations. It pains me to be making a statement about matters which are outside the scope of my work and are entirely personal.'

The messages revealed Mr Kean told Ms Petinos (pictured) he was 'tempted to drive down to see you' just after 10pm on 27 December, 2017

Former partners Matt Kean and Caitlin Keage are pictured on the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 2016

Mr Kean released a short statement, saying: 'I am deeply sorry my relationship with Caitlin ended in such a spectacular and sad fashion. I wish her all the best.'

Ms Petinos also made headlines six months before the sexting scandal after vomiting in the back of a Government car following a State of Origin game in Sydney.

Former Deputy Premier John Barilaro lent her his ministerial car to get home because she was 'feeling unwell'. Ms Petinos paid for the cleaning bill herself.

Mr Perrottet will announce his new Cabinet on Monday morning and swear them in this week.

MPs who will also get the call up include Natasha Maclaren-Jones, Wendy Tuckerman, Steph Cooke, James Griffin, Mark Coure, Dugald Saunders, Ben Franklin and Sam Farraway.

Adam Marshall, Melinda Pavey, Don Harwin, and Shelley Hancock will not return to Cabinet.

Ms Petinos told Mr Kean 'It's that time of the month' when he propositioned her. She is pictured with then Treasurer, Scott Morrison
Ghislaine Maxwell took three young women to target men at a party in 2000 after a film premiere attended by Prince Charles, it has been claimed.

The child sex trafficking suspect, 59, is seen in a newly-emerged photograph sipping a drink while the three girls surround a City broker and his friend.

The image, obtained by The Sun on Sunday, was taken in the Red Cube nightclub in London on November 22, 2000, during an after party for the Charlie's Angels screening.

On the same night, next door at the Odeon Leicester Square, Prince Charles attended the premiere where he was seen arm in arm with its stars Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu.

There is no suggestion the Prince of Wales was aware of Maxwell's presence with the young girls.

But the photo raises fresh concerns about how close she and billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein came to royal circles, with their links to Prince Andrew already under scrutiny.

Ghislaine Maxwell took three young women to target men at a party in 2000 after a film premiere attended by Prince Charles, it has been claimed

The party took place after a screening for Charlie's Angles, attended by Prince Charles who gave a speech (pictured alongside Lucy Liu and Drew Barrymore on the night before the premiere)

The anonymous broker seen next to the alleged madam and the three young girls said he is 'appalled' at the thought of them targeting guests at the party.

He said: 'The three girls came up to me and a friend and were being very flirtatious. They were in their late teens or early 20s.

'One, who is on my right in the picture, seemed to be the leader and was asking us if we wanted to buy them drinks or go on somewhere.

'The girl on my left was quieter and more nervous.

'And the girl at the back was East European and also quiet. It seemed their questions were all to ascertain our wealth.'

The broker said no one was interested in the girls and after a few minutes they were ushered away by Maxwell.

Epstein and Maxwell's royal connections are already under scrutiny with the pair also seen relaxing in the Queen's log cabin at Balmoral

A source found the photo while tidying their possessions and recalled Maxwell being annoyed with the girls for spending too long with certain guests before moving them along.

They said they discussed at the time whether the girls might have been escorts.

The Prince of Wales had made a speech for The Prince's Trust on the night, which benefited from the premiere.

Just 18 days earlier, Maxwell was an alleged guest of Prince Andrew at a Los Angeles party hosted by BAFTA for the Charlie's Angels film.

And a month later, Epstein and Maxwell joined the Duke of York in the Sandringham Estate for a pheasant shoot.

The Prince's Trust said it did not organise the party attended by Maxwell and had 'no data' about the event.

It comes amid rumours Maxwell could start 'naming names' if she is found guilty of sex trafficking charges this week.

Closing arguments in Maxwell's trial begin tomorrow, with the jury likely to retire that evening.

A legal source connected with the case told The Mail on Sunday that with the Manhattan court breaking for Christmas at the end of Wednesday, a verdict this week is 'highly likely', adding: 'The jury won't want this hanging over them over Christmas, so lawyers on both sides expect a verdict this week.'

Ghislaine Maxwell could start 'naming names' if she is found guilty of sex trafficking charges this week

Maxwell denies all six charges linked to grooming underage girls for abuse by the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

However, the source said if she is convicted  and facing up to 70 years in prison  she might co-operate with the US Government in exchange for a reduced sentence or better jail conditions.

'This could be bad news for Prince Andrew and other high-profile men who hung out with Ghislaine and Jeffrey Epstein,' the source said.

'It is possible she will begin to co-operate and tell what she knows in an attempt to lessen her jail term. We know that prosecutors are looking at other co-conspirators in connection with Jeffrey Epstein's child sex ring. Ghislaine undoubtedly possesses information which could assist prosecutors in other cases. If she decides to co-operate, her testimony could be devastating. She was Epstein's right-hand woman for years, imagine what she knows?'

Prince Andrew's name has been mentioned three times during the trial, including by one of Epstein's pilots who confirmed he flew the Prince on the disgraced financier's private jet dubbed 'the Lolita Express' because of the young girls it ferried around the world.

One of them, Virginia Roberts, claims she was forced to have sex with the Prince three times, including at Maxwell's home in London. He vehemently denies all the allegations and insists he has never met Ms Roberts.

The jury in Maxwell 's trial was shown these photos that speak to the close relationship between the pair, which prosecutors have characterize as 'partners in crime'

Former US presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump were also named in court as associates of Epstein, as were actor Kevin Spacey and a slew of Wall Street financiers, politicians and prominent businessmen.

After Epstein committed suicide in jail in 2019 while being held on child sex charges, then-US Attorney General William Barr vowed to prosecute those who aided him.

'There will be accountability,' he said. 'This case will continue against anyone who was complicit with Epstein. The victims deserve justice and they will get it.'

Maxwell's lawyers claim she is being punished by proxy for Epstein's crimes.

On Friday she declined to give evidence in her defence, telling the judge: 'The government has not proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt so there is no reason for me to testify.'

Maxwell appeared in court yesterday, with lawyers making arguments about how Judge Alison Nathan should instruct the jury. She will read 80 pages of instructions to them tomorrow.

Defence lawyers fought successfully for the judge to refer to the British socialite as 'Maxwell' instead of 'the defendant' and jurors were told they can weigh up whether she 'consciously avoided' knowledge of Epstein's abuse of underage girls.
NSW has recorded 2,501 new Covid-19 cases while Victoria has recorded 1,302 new infections less than a week from Christmas.

The new cases announced in NSW on Monday mark a slight drop from the pandemic record of 2,566 reported on Sunday.

Hospitalisation rates have sharply increased with 261 patients being treated in the state- up from 227. ICU figures have also jumped from 28 to 33.

Victoria has seen a rise in hospitalisations with the figure now sitting at 406 - up from 392 - with the number of ICU patients stabilising at 81.

The new infections means thousands more Australians and close contacts will be unable to celebrate Christmas with their loved ones as they are forced into isolation.

Australia has been warned against betting too much on Omicron proving milder than previous Covid-19 variants as infections surge across the country.

NSW has recorded 2,501 new Covid-19 cases while Victoria has recorded 1,302 new infections less than a week from Christmas

As NSW continues to set national records for daily COVID-19 infections, the premier is resisting calls to reinstate mask mandates but says he will act if required

University of New South Wales professor of epidemiology John Kaldor cautioned a lot remains unknown about the Omicron strain.

'The first thing to figure out, as with any new variant, is first of all how infectious (is it)? Then, secondly, how much disease is it causing and, particularly, how well are the vaccines working?' he told ABC radio on Monday.

'We've got the answer to the first one of those three, but we haven't got the answer to the second and the third as yet.'

Some 94.9 per cent of NSW residents aged 16 and older have had one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 93.4 per cent of people are fully jabbed.

More than 81 per cent of people aged 12-15 have had one dose of a vaccine and 78.1 per cent have had both doses.

Professor Kaldor warned waiting to see whether hospitalisation rates worsened before making a call about pandemic restrictions was risky.

'We can't be waiting to watch that number (and) react in some way to make our decisions at this stage,' he said.

He expected new infections to climb into the tens of thousands in the absence of more public infection controls, particularly in NSW.

'If the severity is of a scale that's even half that of Delta, then there'll be a really strong impact on the hospitals and their ability to just to provide care to people who need it,' Prof Kaldor said.

NSW is urging people to keep wearing masks indoors while other health experts are calling for mask mandates to return in those settings.

A total of 3,958 infections were recorded across the country on Sunday

Hospitalisation rates have sharply increased with 261 patients being treated - up from 227. ICU figures have also jumped from 28 to 33

Dan Suan, an immunologist at Westmead Hospital, says the new Omicron variant is so contagious urgent action is required.

'Sydney is sleepwalking into a catastrophic disaster in January if we don't do something about it right now,' he said in a Facebook post

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, who contracted Omicron during an oversees trip to the United Kingdom and United States, said people needed to get on with their lives.

'It was really mild, a couple of days and the rest of time you had the virus, you didn't feel sick. And that is one of the frustrations,' he told the Seven Network.

Mr Joyce, who is double vaccinated, has been cleared to leave hotel quarantine in Washington and return to Australia for Christmas.

Epidemiologist Adrian Esterman wanted the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation to follow the United Kingdom's lead and recommend boosters three months after a second dose.

He feared leaving the gap at five months will result in 'thousands of people infected for no reason'.

Epidemiologist Adrian Esterman wanted the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation to follow the United Kingdom's lead and recommend boosters three months after a second dose

The University of South Australia professor anticipated booster shots becoming an annual event, if not more frequent than that.

Victoria on Sunday reported 1240 new cases and four more deaths. It has 392 COVID-19 patients in hospital, 81 of them in intensive care.

On Sunday, South Australia reported 80 new COVID-19 cases, Queensland 42 and the ACT 18.

There were nine new infections in the Northern Territory as authorities there anticipated extending a lockdown in the town of Tennant Creek.

Tasmania reported three new cases as it prepared to mandate masks indoors.

Australia's full vaccination rate for people aged 16 and older is sitting at 90.42 per cent. The first dose rate is nearing 94 per cent.

The number of boosters delivered into arms exceeds 1.3 million, with more than 640,000 doled out in the last week.
The man suspected of snatching Madeleine McCann will be charged with the 2004 rape of a woman next year, German officials have said.

Christian Brueckner, 45, is accused of brutally attacking Irish tour rep Hazel Behan, who was 20 at the time, on the Algarve three years before the British toddler disappeared.

German news website Der Spiegel reported that prosecutors will conclude the investigation early next year.

Christian Brueckner, 45, is accused of brutally attacking Irish tour rep Hazel Behan, who was 20 at the time, on the Algarve three years before the British toddler disappeared

Brueckner is currently serving a seven-year sentence for raping an American pensioner in 2005.

The German national lived in the Algarve for much of the period from 1995 to 2007 and made a living doing odd jobs in the area where Madeleine vanished

German prosecutors have not yet revealed what evidence they have that implicates Brueckner in Miss Behans case.

His lawyer declined to comment.

The German national lived in the Algarve for much of the period from 1995 to 2007 and made a living doing odd jobs in the area where Madeleine vanished.

He is also known to have burgled hotel rooms and holiday flats.

Portuguese police files on Ms Behans case seen by the German news weekly say there are numerous parallels between her ordeal and the attack on the 72-year-old woman.

She came forward in June 2020, waiving her anonymity, and demanded her case be reopened after reading about Brueckners conviction in the media.

Ms Behan revealed at the time details of the attack in which she described how a masked man climb over the balcony to her apartment in the early hours of the morning.

She said a knife was held to her throat before the man tied and gagged her before raping her repeatedly for a period of four or five hours.

The assailant then threatened to kill her before fleeing over the balcony and leaving her bleeding.
Harry Kane was lucky not to see red for a wild lunge that floored Liverpool's Andrew Robertson just minutes after the Tottenham talisman had scored in Sunday's Premier League showdown, Jamie Redknapp and Gary Neville have argued.

Tottenham had taken a 13th-minute lead through Kane shortly before he left the visiting left back wincing on the turf with a reckless one-footed challenge that enraged Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp.

Kane was among the players to remonstrate with referee Paul Tierney, who decided a booking was a suitable sanction amid calls for a harsher punishment at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Harry Kane lunged in on Andrew Robertson less than 20 minutes into Liverpool's trip to Spurs

Ex-Reds midfielder Jamie Redknapp said that Robertson was lucky his foot was not grounded

Watching pundit Neville told Sky Sports: 'Harry Kane is a lucky boy. That was not a clever challenge.'

Redknapp insisted: 'It's a red card. He's reckless and out of control. The crowd were up, fever pitch. When you go in for a challenge, I've seen a lot of players sent off for less than that.

'Having a reputation, being England captain  these little things do help you, because that is a really late challenge.

'He's lucky that Andy Robertson's foot is not on the floor, but he just gets out of the way in time. He's over the top of the ball, it's high.'

Kane sent Robertson flying into the air and the away fans wanted the striker to earn a red card

The England captain pleaded his case to referee Paul Tierney following the questionable tackle

The visiting fans bayed for Kane's dismissal following the incendiary incident with Spurs still 1-0 up at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Robertson gingerly rose to his feet following the tackle on his ankle, helping his side on their way to levelling the scores ten minutes before the break through Diogo Jota's header.

At full-time, Carragher added: 'I don't understand the terminology used. VAR is talking about speed and intensity, Kane is sprinting and lunges in, that is nonsense.'

And Redknapp said: 'That is a red card. When you go in and use that amount of force, right now how the game is, he is out of control.

Tierney brandished a yellow card as Robertson remained on the turf and was clearly in pain

'If Robertson's foot is on the floor he snaps his leg. It is not intentional, he is not that type of player. Being England captain... reputation helps a lot.'

Jota had earlier been denied a penalty that former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher described as 'blatant'.

Carragher complained: 'There were eight penalties last week. [It's unclear] whether referees have thought this week they're not giving them [or] it's got to be [for] something really big.

'Newcastle should have had one [against Manchester City] earlier this afternoon. It's a blatant penalty.

The reprimanded hotshot had given Spurs the lead minutes earlier in the heavyweight clash

'We went too far last season the other way  last season, if it was just a touch, it was a penalty.

'We've come away from that, which I think we'd all agree with, but... a penalty's a penalty.'

Angry Klopp joined Kane in the book after arguing with Tierney following the striker's foul, and the Reds boss was later seen reiterating his views to the official in the tunnel at the break.

Robertson was sent off with little more than ten minutes remaining after an altercation with Emerson Royal that Tierney checked with the help of VAR, as the feisty encounter ended 2-2 in North London.
Mino Raiola has claimed that rumoured Chelsea target Matthijs de Ligt is open to leaving Juventus, according to reports.

De Ligt arrived in Turin as a teenager for 75million (63m) in 2019, having won the Golden Boy award the previous year and led Ajax to the Champions League semi-finals in the 2018-19 season.

During his time at Juventus, he has won Serie A and the Coppa Italia, but the side currently find themselves down in seventh place, 12 points adrift of leaders Inter Milan.

Mino Raiola represents Matthijs de Ligt, and has claimed his client is ready to leave Juventus

De Ligt has won two major trophies at Juventus, and now wants to take on a new challenge

With the Italian giants way off the pace in their domestic league, Raiola has suggested that his client wants a fresh challenge.

'(De Ligt) is ready for a new step he thinks that too,' he told Dutch newspaper NRC.

This could be good news for Chelsea, who have been linked with the 22-year-old international in recent months.

The west London club have four defenders out of contract next year, with Antonio Rudiger, Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva and Andreas Christensen yet to put pen to paper on new deals.

Antonio Rudiger could leave Chelsea when his contract at Stamford Bridge runs out next year

If Rudiger does leave, Thomas Tuchel may look to bring in de Ligt as a potential replacement

The former two look set to depart Stamford Bridge, with a number of major European clubs tracking Rudiger, while Barcelona have moved into pole position to sign Azpilicueta.

Therefore, the Blues may need to bring in defensive reinforcements next summer, and de Ligt could be a player that they look to target following Raiola's comments.

De Ligt still has over two-and-a-half years left on his Juventus contract, indicating that Chelsea may have to pay a substantial fee to land the centre back.
Christiania, an autonomous 1,000-strong community in Copenhagen, was once known predominantly for its tolerance of drugs (production, sale and use of), not for its artisan bakeries, but the scene is changing.

These days you're more likely to get a whiff of organic bread baking than wacky baccy, as I discover on a food tour of the Danish capital.

Other areas have cleaned up their acts, too. Vesterbro, located just outside the city centre, was once dense with slaughterhouses, butchers' shops, market halls and brothels. It's still gritty, but now brims with independent cafes, restaurants and micro-breweries, and can take much of the credit for transforming this city into one of Europe's most exciting food hubs.

Colourful: The hip community of Christiania is becoming well-known for its artisan bakeries. Pictured is the entrance to the district

A smorrebrod at Aamanns 1921 restaurant - which Kate describes as 'a sleek place tucked off the pedestrianised shopping street of Stroget'

I'm staying at Scandic Kodbyen, which has an interior that gives more than a passing reference to its meatpacking history.

Vegetarians and vegans might prefer to book elsewhere as you'll find tabletops that look like sliced salami, illuminated glass wall panels of blood red marbled meats, and steak patterned carpets.

An early evening stroll takes me along the streets of Slagterboderne (meaning Butcher's Stalls) and Flaesketorvet (Flesh Square) to the epicentre of the neighbourhood  the old meatpacking area of Kodbyen (Meat City), where you'll find the Kodbyens Fiskebar restaurant. It was among the first eateries to move in and help transform the area, and its basic decor hasn't stopped it making The Michelin Guide.

'In Denmark we say dum som en torsk (stupid as a codfish),' my waiter tells me. 'But for a stupid fish, it's delicious and our special for today.' My lightly smoked cod comes with hand cut chips and a spicy remoulade.

Nearby Fleisch is a working butcher's shop with a restaurant that offers a meaty seven-course tasting menu and, for hardcore carnivores, a homemade organic bourbon infused with bacon.

Elsewhere in the city, I go in search of the Danish staple  the smorrebrod (open sandwich), discovering it being dragged into the 21st century at Aamanns 1921, a sleek place tucked off the pedestrianised shopping street of Stroget (don't miss designer Georg Jensen's beautiful shop and Royal Copenhagen's flagship store and museum), where I order mine with a cured salmon and blackcurrant topping.

Graffiti-sprayed Norrebro was ranked by Time Out as one of the world's coolest neighbourhoods, now more gourmet than ghetto thanks to places like Kiin Kiin, the only Thai restaurant (outside of Thailand) which has a Michelin star.

A street in Norrebro, which was ranked by Time Out as one of the world's coolest neighbourhoods

TRAVEL FACTS B&B Doubles at Scandic Kodbyen from 99 (scandichotels.com). Easyjet Gatwick to Copenhagan from 39 (easyjet.com). Also see visitcopenhagen.com. Advertisement

No food trail would be complete without a graze around high-end Torvehallerne covered food market.

These twin glass halls are a showcase for Danish fare from small-scale farms and producers.

Try mild liquorice slathered in dark chocolate at chocolatier Xocolatl; head to Glean for velvety vegan cream buns; and at Surroundings & Friends, a Nordic deli, you can pull up a stool, order a charcuterie board, a local Borghgedal beer and watch the hungry world go by.

Between the halls is a flower market where well-heeled ladies come to buy elegant bouquets and buskers strum guitars.

Back at Scandic Kodbyen, I order a Sweyn Forkbeard Nr. 3 (a Viking inspired cocktail made from fennel-infused gin, mead, milk thistle and honey) in Bar Mor. Skal (cheers), the bartender calls to me, as I worry briefly about the kilos I surely must have gained.

Strangely though, my belt just needs the smallest of adjustments  testament not to the quantity, but to the quality of all I'd devoured.
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One of my more intrepid ancestors, John Pendlebury, is probably smiling right now as I drift along the Nile  in a boat thats a floating hotel with luxuries of which hed surely approve.

A frequent visitor to Egypt in the 1930s he lived for archeology but liked his home comforts as well. In one letter home he wrote: A few idiotic luxuries; caviar, asparagus tips, pate de foie gras. These are the inessentials which make life worth living in a world of hard-boiled eggs and hacked meat.

Hed certainly have been satisfied by the hearty and healthy food we enjoyed on the recently refurbished Sanctuary Nile Adventurer. Its an elegant and luxurious ship. And with just 32 cabins and experienced Egyptologists on board it offers a wonderfully relaxed way to scratch the surface of the countrys 7,000-year heritage.

The Mail on Sunday's Sarah Siese enjoyed a four-night cruise on the Sanctuary Nile Adventurer. Pictured is the boat on the Nile

Grand tour: Sarah described the food served on the ship as 'hearty and healthy'. Pictured is the dining deck

An early highlight of my four-night cruise was the stop at Edfu, said to be the best-preserved temple in Egypt.

As we sailed into port I was woken by the muezzin before taking a horse and carriage (there are few cars here) from the riverbank to the temple. Husain, the trap driver, and his pony Monica  who he jokes is Ferrari number one  run the gauntlet of hawkers drawing in tourists with cries of lovely-jumbly-scarf-one-dollar-one-dollar!

Just over a mile from the river, the vast temple is almost entirely intact. Walking in is truly like stepping back in time.

Theres a lovely lack of uniformity to the complex and a human side to its story that I adored  our guide, Mo, pointed out the sloppy homework all over Edfu where the workmen hadnt quite done their job properly. This is no reflection on their skills, but rather a small-scale insubordination and sign of how they tried to rebel some 2,000 years ago.

Its also proof that human nature never really changes.

More evidence of this can be found nearby where were shown signs of a huge scale, ancient perfume and embroidery business. Its where traders sold their wares to the visitors of yesteryear who, even then, had to exit via the gift shop.

Treasure trove: Sarah visited the tomb of Tutankhamun, which is located in the Egyptian Museum in the heart of Cairo

A highlight of Sarah's trip was a stop at the Temple of Edfu. 'Walking in is truly like stepping back in time,' she writes

Ancient perfume recipes line the walls in a small side room, describing more than 250 flowers stored in underground alabaster jars where remains of breath mints, scented candles and perfume were found.

When a young Frenchman wrestled to decipher the hieroglyphs during the Napoleonic era, he got as far as comprehending that they contained a mix of two spoken languages: Egyptian and ancient Coptic. The discovery of the Rosetta Stone proved the master key and meant Mo could confidently point at the dash and horseshoe and tell me it is a number, probably 11.

Further down the Nile, 2,000 years of silt protect the temple in Esna, where a relief of Ptolemy III shows him smiting his enemies who raise their hands to beg forgiveness.

Another relief shows the disliked Roman Emperor Augustus with six toes  again, an act of defiance as deformities were considered a curse, so the two fingers to Rome was as easy for Egyptians to read as a newspaper headline is for us.

The showstopper of my Egyptian adventure was, of course, the tomb of Tutankhamun. His legend was reborn on November 4, 1922, when British archaeologist Howard Carter and his benefactor Lord Carnarvon discovered his tomb  an encounter that remains the most spectacular unearthing in the history of archaeology.

Meticulous excavation took more than ten years, and the four small chambers hidden beneath the Valley of the Kings delivered more than 5,000 fantastic objects which gave a real insight into the life and death of this ancient ruler who continues to fascinate the world, including the 24 lb mask covering his face.

Solid gold, beaten and burnished, the death mask was placed over the head of the mummy outside the linen bandages in which his whole body was wrapped.

It shows actual facial features so that Ba, the soul, could recognise the mummified body and help it to be resurrected. It paints a picture of the eras artistic mastery, revealing the great cosmopolitan wealth of the Egyptian empire and its royal treasures.

Sarah says Cairo, above, is a 'glorious whirl of colour and confusion and the ultimate mix of ancient and modern'

All of a sudden, Im swept up in dreamy wonderment and ponder what my life would look like as a tomb raider in 2021. It must be in the genes.

I saw the treasures of Tutankhamun at the start of my holiday in Cairo, the city thats a glorious whirl of colour and confusion and the ultimate mix of ancient and modern. For now, King Tuts tomb and treasures remain in the old and overcrowded Egyptian Museum in the heart of the city. Visit late next year, though, and he may have finally been moved to his magnificent but much delayed new home in the Great Egyptian Museum.

Its set to be one of the biggest museums in the world, an architectural wonder of the modern age and a new showcase for the city. Better still, its set right alongside the pyramids, which youll be able to view through its vast, floor-to-ceiling windows.
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In spring 1995, the house at 440 North Shore Drive in Fountain City, Wisconsin, was just a typical family home.

By the end of summer, a freak geological mishap had turned it into a tourist attraction called Rock in the House  and its still attracting curious travellers today.

They come from all across the USA and the wider world to see the two-storey-high boulder that tore the back of the house in two - and that has never been moved.

This Wisconsin house attracts visitors from all over, keen to see the two-storey-high boulder lodged at the rear

The 55-ton boulder was originally part of a bluff 500ft above the house, but became dislodged on April 24, 1995.

It careened down the hillside and smashed into the rear wall of the house, coming to a stop halfway into the main bedroom.

An eyewitness told local newspapers that he heard a train-like roar before the boulder hit the house.

The 55-ton boulder was originally part of a bluff 500ft above the house, but became dislodged on April 24, 1995

An eyewitness told local newspapers that he heard a train-like roar before the boulder hit the house. Husband and wife owners Maxine and Dwight Anderson were inside the house at the time  Maxine was in the bedroom itself  but both were able to escape the carnage unscathed

Husband and wife owners Maxine and Dwight Anderson were inside the house at the time  Maxine was in the bedroom itself  but both were able to escape the carnage unscathed.

However, the experience shook the couple so badly that they moved out of the house  which theyd only just finished renovating  immediately, and put it up for sale a month later.

Another local couple, John and Frances Burt purchased the house, with the boulder still in place.

The Andersons put their abode up for sale, with the new owners deciding to open it as a tourist attraction called Rock in the House

However, instead of removing the giant rock, they decided to open the property up as a tourist site.

In return for depositing a donation in a jar, visitors were originally allowed to enter the house, where they could read a series of handwritten notes left by the current owners that described what had taken place in the property on the day of the accident.

However, the site was closed during the pandemic and has recently been shut down due to an act of vandalism.

Pictured is one of the information stations that the current owners put in the house to tell tourists what happened at the property. Visitors cannot go inside at the moment but they can view the house from outside

Tourists are still welcome to view the house from the outside, however.

One TripAdvisor reviewer recently wrote: The rock is truly something to see in person.'

Another commented: Stop and see this unforgettable story.'

With thanks to Lorie Shaull for permission to use her pictures of Rock in the House.
Filming is already underway on MasterChef Australia: Foodies vs Favourites.

Contestants from the new season were spotted boarding a bus in Melbourne on Tuesday, before being transported to a mystery location.

The 2022 season will see 12 amateur 'foodies' facing off against franchise 'favourites', several of whom are professional chefs.

Heating up: Filming is already underway on the upcoming season of MasterChef Australia: Foodies vs Favourites. Pictured centre: inaugural MasterChef winner Julie Goodwin

Among those set to return to the series are Julie Goodwin, Michael Weldon, Tommy Pham, Alvin Quah and Sashi Cheliah.

A mixture of familiar faces and some unknowns were seen piling onto the bus before being ferried across the city.

Julie, 51, was dressed casually in a black short-sleeve T-shirt with a V-neckline and black pants, and she carried a brown leather bag.

All aboard: Contestants from the new season were spotted boarding a bus in Melbourne on Tuesday, before being transported to a mystery location. Pictured: Michael Weldon

Coming soon: The 2022 season will see 12 amateur 'foodies' facing off against franchise 'favourites', several of whom are professional chefs

Bonding: Also spotted making his way to the bus was Tommy Pham (left), who walked alongside fellow favourite Sashi Cheliah (right)

The former MasterChef winner also wore black boots, sunglasses and a pale blue surgical face mask.

Meanwhile, Michael, 35, stepped out in a pair of blue jeans, a white T-shirt and a green short-sleeve shirt, which he wore open.

The MasterChef favourite carried a blue tote bag on one shoulder and held a thermos as he made his way onto the bus.

Making a comeback: Michael, 35, stepped out in a pair of blue jeans, a white T-shirt and a green short-sleeve shirt, which he wore open

Back in black: Julie, 51, was dressed casually in a black short-sleeve T-shirt with a V-neckline and black pants, and she carried a brown leather bag

Mixing it up: A mixture of familiar faces and some unknowns were seen piling onto the bus before being ferried across the city

Also spotted making his way to the bus was Tommy, who walked alongside fellow favourite Sashi, 42.

The 31-year-old kindergarten teacher looked smart in a pair of black jeans, which he paired with a white shirt worn with the sleeves rolled up.

He also donned a leather belt, black boots, a black face mask, and carried a blue backpack.

In the bag: MasterChef favourite Michael carried a blue tote bag and held a thermos as he made his way onto the bus

The right ingredients: Speaking about the upcoming season, MasterChef judge Melissa Leong said it was exactly what Australia needed after a difficult couple of years

Recipe for success: Despite it being early days, the contestants appeared to have already formed a strong rapport, chatting and laughing as they made their way onto the bus

Sashi opted for a pair of black pants, which he teamed with an orange and black striped T-shirt.

Like Tommy, he also wore black boots, a face mask, and carried a backpack, as well as a takeaway cup of coffee.

Several of the contestants chatted as they made their way onto the bus, with some appearing determined to keep a low profile.

'We are back for another action-packed season of thrills, chills and kitchen spills,' judge Melissa Leong said in October, as reported by 10play

'We couldn't be more pumped! Add to that a handful of new MasterChef foodies going head-to-head with beloved characters from the MasterChef universe over the years and then of course there's JULIE GOODWIN!' said Melissa Leong

Staying protected: The majority opted to wear face masks as they boarded the bus, with many carrying bags filled with their belongings

The majority opted to wear face masks as they boarded the bus, with many carrying bags filled with their belongings.

One excited woman was even seen holding a plate of food as she chatted with her fellow contestants.

Many stopped to pick up takeaway coffees along the way, seemingly in need of a caffeine hit.

Feeling nervous: In an interview with Yahoo! in November, Julie Goodwin admitted she was 'petrified' about returning to the MasterChef kitchen, despite winning the 2009 season

School's out: The 31-year-old kindergarten teacher looked smart in a pair of black jeans, which he paired with a white button-up shirt worn with the sleeves rolled up

Despite it being early days, the contestants appeared to have already formed a strong rapport, chatting and laughing as they made their way onto the bus.

Speaking about the upcoming season, MasterChef judge Melissa Leong said it was exactly what Australia needed after a difficult couple of years.

'We are back for another action-packed season of thrills, chills and kitchen spills,' Melissa, 39, said in October, as reported by 10play.

'I watch [MasterChef] every year and I've just watched the standard rise and rise and the food get more and more amazing,' admitted Julie Goodwin

Piece of cake: One excited woman was even seen holding a plate of food as she chatted with her fellow contestants

Pressure cooker: Returning contestant Julie Goodwin said she's curious to see if she measures up to the recent batch of cooks that have passed through the MasterChef Australia kitchen

'We couldn't be more pumped! Add to that a handful of new MasterChef foodies going head-to-head with beloved characters from the MasterChef universe over the years and then of course there's JULIE GOODWIN!

'If ever there was a time to feel connected through food, it's now: MasterChef Australia is the hit of nostalgia, inspiration and feel-good fun we need as a nation and [fellow judges] Jock [Zonfrillo], Andy [Allen] and I couldn't be more excited to serve up a generous and heartfelt serving to audiences in 2022.'

In an interview with Yahoo! in November, Julie admitted she was 'petrified' about returning to the MasterChef kitchen, despite winning the 2009 season.

Coffee's always a good idea: Many stopped to pick up takeaway coffees along the way, seemingly in need of a caffeine hit

Hiding in plain sight: Several of the contestants chatted as they made their way onto the bus, with some appearing determined to keep a low profile

Plenty to smile about: Tommy briefly removed his face mask and was seen smiling at his fellow contestants before boarding the bus

'I'm quite petrified about it,' she confessed.

'I watch [MasterChef] every year and I've just watched the standard rise and rise and the food get more and more amazing.'

But she added that she's curious to see if she measures up to the recent batch of cooks that have passed through the MasterChef Australia kitchen.

Close contestants: A group of female contestants were seen sharing a laugh as they made their way to the bus

Walk and talk: Three male contestants from the upcoming series were spotted navigating the streets of Melbourne

'It'll be really interesting to see if my style will cut it these days in the MasterChef kitchen,' she admitted.

Julie said she was 'grateful to have been given another chance' to return to the beloved cooking show and was 'looking forward to it', describing it as 'a lot of fun'.

While little else is known about the highly anticipated season at this stage, it's set to air on Channel 10 sometime next year.
It was revealed earlier this year that the high-profile disappearance of Sydney con-artist Melissa Caddick would be transformed into an TV series set to air next year.

And on Wednesday, the cast were seen filming Channel Nine's upcoming drama for the very first time in Sydney's Dover Heights - the same area Caddick used to live.

Stunning Wentworth actress Kate Atkinson, 49 - who will play the lead role of Caddick - appeared sombre and stern as she filmed scenes alongside veteran Australian actor Colin Friels.

Filming begins: On Wednesday, the Underbelly: Vanishing Act cast were seen filming the Nine's upcoming series for the first time in Dover Heights, Sydney - the same area Caddick used to live. Pictured: Kate Atkinson, who plays Melissa (centre) and actor Colin Friels (left)

While it was revealed earlier in the year that Atkinson had landed the lead role, it can be said that her strikingly beautiful facial features are remarkably different to that of Caddick's.

It is yet to be confirmed who Friels will play in the drama.

In the scenes, Atkinson was dressed in a formal red blouse and high-waisted black trousers - not unlike something high-rolling fraudster Melissa would have worn in the years prior to her disappearance.

She wore her hair in a slicked-back straight style, and accessorised with some pearl earrings.

Lead role: Wentworth actress Kate Atkinson, 49 who will play the lead of Caddick in the highly anticipated series, appeared sombre and stern during filming

Different: While it was revealed earlier in the year that Atkinson had landed the lead role, it can be said that her strikingly beautiful facial features are remarkably different to that of Melissa Caddick's (left)

Smart: In the scenes, Atkinson was dressed in a formal red blouse and high-waisted black trousers - not unlike something high-rolling con-woman Melissa would have worn in the years prior to her disappearance

Style: She wore her hair in a slicked-back straight style, and accessorised with some pearl earrings

Kate was also spotted wearing a tracksuit, including burgundy leggings and a black hoodie. It's not known if this look was part of filming, or prior to it.

A dog was also present on-set, similar to one Caddick had been pictured with on social media in the past.

Friels stood feet behind Atkinson as they filmed in the picturesque setting, wearing a blue T-shirt and grey trousers for the occasion.

Other cast members were seen walking around on-set, while an abundance of masked-up crew were seen discussing the scenes while surrounded by technical equipment.

Change of look: Kate was also spotted wearing a tracksuit, including burgundy leggings and a black hoodie. It's not known if this look was part of the scenes, or prior to it

Cute: A dog was also present on-set, similar to one Caddick had been pictured with on social media in the past

Sombre: Colin Friels stood feet behind Atkinson as they filmed in the picturesque setting, wearing a blue T-shirt and grey trousers for the occasion

Other confirmed actors onboard for the production include Tai Hara from Home and Away, as well as Maya Stange, Sophie Bloom and Ursula Mills.

Melissa Caddick, 49, is missing presumed dead, having last been seen alive in November 2020 - and only one of her limbs was ever found.

The financial conwoman scammed 60 clients out of at least $23milion, mostly from family and friends over a number of years, before ASIC raided her $6.8 million Dover Heights home, in Sydney's east.

Star-studded: Other confirmed actors on board for the production include Tai Hara from Home and Away as well as Maya Stange, Sophie Bloom and Ursula Mills

In scenes reminiscent of a Hollywood blockbuster, Ms Caddicks foot was then found by campers at Bournda Beach on February 21, south of Tathra on the NSW south coast, with NSW police then declaring her dead.

The shoe also located was a unique ASICS sneaker - which Ms Caddick had previously been seen wearing - can only be purchased in Israel.

Further bodily remains of Ms Caddick have never been located, and she was farewelled at a private service in April.

Her first known swindle was petty embezzlement in 1998, with her silver tongue often resulting in her talking her way out of trouble - until last year.

Bustling set: Other cast members were seen walking around on-set

Action: An abundance of masked-up crew were seen discussing the scenes while surrounded by technical equipment

Ms Caddick's crime was a detailed Ponzi scheme involving 60 friends and family, totalling $30 million - only $7 million of which was ever repaid. The rest of the money vanished.

Creating an impression of success became an essential part of Ms Caddick's modus operandi.

Her immaculate presentation was designed to ensure people saw her as professional and overlooked her habitual dishonesty.

From 2012 onwards, after creating her finance company Maliver, it was common for her to tell interested clients who approached her that she was 'too busy' to help them - then later tell them they were in luck, somehow finding time for their business.

New project: It was announced earlier this year that Kate Atkinson would be starring as Melissa Caddick in the upcoming series

The brochure she handed out for Maliver lied about her credentials as she was not a certified financial planner and did not have a masters of business.

The business operated using someone else's Australian Financial Services Licence. Once she had their money, she created a fake CommSec share trading account for each client.

Where she needed to, she forged not only clients' signatures but also that of the nearest available justice of the peace - her father-in-law Rodo Koletti.

She emailed clients a fake monthly report claiming stunning returns of up to 30 per cent, which convinced them to invest more with her, and to get her more word-of-mouth business.

Many of Caddick's victims lost their life savings.

Pictured: Melissa Caddick with her first husband Tony Caddick (pictured right) - they had a child together who was living with Ms Caddick when she disappeared

She stole from childhood friends and their families, her personal trainer, her employees and surgeons in Perth.

When ASIC investigators raided Caddick's home last November, they confiscated dozens of expensive designer label dresses, handbags, and shoes.

Her scams began to unravel when a client did due diligence on documents provided to them and the woman whose Australian Financial Services Licence she used notified ASIC - which is believed to have been November 2019.

ASIC recorded the complaint but took no action at that time.

Another complaint in June 2020 contained more detail and ASIC applied to the Federal Court to freeze her assets and seize her passport.

Soon after ASIC knocked on her door, Ms Caddick promptly disappeared to permanently evade justice.

In October, Caddick's husband denied she rorted her clients and ripped off their friends and family, despite the overwhelming evidence.

Grim discovery: Ms Caddicks shoe was found by campers at Bournda Beach on February 21, south of Tathra on the NSW south coast, with NSW police then declaring her dead

Anthony Koletti, 39, insisted his wife was not a 'cold-hearted fraudster' but instead a victim of a rouge investigation by Australia's financial watchdog.

The rollerblading hairdresser in a bombshell interview on Seven News Spotlight claimed Caddick was likely murdered by an angry investor.

But he laid all blame at the feet of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission for raiding her home the night before she vanished on November 12.

Mr Koletti claimed the fraud investigation either enraged an investor who wrongly believed she swindled their money, or made her so distraught she took her own life.

Following the dramatic police raid and a subsequent 14-hour search at their multi-million home, the two laid in bed together exhausted and confused.

'She went straight to sleep but I was up until 4am,' he said.

'I just held her. I just felt I had to console her so we just cuddled and spooned.

'I said goodnight I love you.'

Mr Koletti insisted his wife couldn't be guilty because she had 'no reason to steal' as she already 'had everything she wanted'.

He showed the TV cameras around his wife's office where the raid took place, still with an immaculate filing system including a draw marked 'Melissa to do'.

'ASIC took all the files, all the receipts, everything like that... so really I feel like she had no foot to stand on,' he said, in an unfortunate slip of the tongue.
Formula 1 legend Sir Stirling Moss left almost 21 million following his death last year, so you might expect his only son Elliot to be living a life of luxury and fast cars, just like dad.

Not so. I can reveal that a strange twist in how Stirling's will turned out means that barely a fraction of the fortune has gone to restaurateur Elliot, 41, and now I hear relations with his mum are breaking down.

Lady Susie Moss received the bulk of Stirling's estate and perhaps she has her reasons, but a friend tells me: 'She hasn't helped Elliot financially even though she lives in a 10 million house and got nearly all the fortune in the will.'

Elliot is working as a humble chef in his own 20-seat restaurant, Plu, with only a pot washer, part-time waitress and his pregnant wife Helen to help.

A strange twist in how F1 legend Stirling Moss' will turned out means that barely a fraction of the fortune has gone to his restaurateur son Elliot, 41. Pictured: Elliot with sister Allison, dad Stirling and mum Susie in 2000

With Covid cases rising, Plu is now struggling to stay afloat and he doesn't know where to turn for help.

'To keep the business going Elliot even had to sell his treasured 1952 DB2 that his dad arranged for Aston Martin to give to him when he was nine.

'He got very little in the will  it all went to his mum. If she intends to let him access any of his dad's fortune, she is yet to make that clear.'

Elliot, who trained with Michel Roux Jr at Le Gavroche, set up the restaurant in St Johns Wood, North London, in 2019. It has been popular with locals, but Covid cancellations have cost Elliot dear.

Lady Susie Moss received the bulk of Stirling's estate following his death in April last year. Pictured: Moss in a Mercedes at the British Grand Prix

The friend added: 'He was left a relatively small sum of 132,000. He's not a flash guy. If he had been left millions, he would have invested in the business and perhaps had a holiday as he hasn't had one for years.

'It's very surprising that the bulk of the estate remains in the hands of his mother. She hasn't so far helped with the business  Elliot relied on furlough at one stage.'

Elliot, who lives in a modest flat, has become the talk of London, with Michelin judges praising his 'highly creative dishes'.

He declined to comment. Lady Susie could not be reached.

TV chef Jamie Oliver urged his viewers last week to serve party guests his beef-cheek stew with potato and celeriac mash, but his own tastes are more straightforward.

Jamie, 46, shared a snap on Instagram, left, of his guilty pleasure: taking salt and vinegar-flavoured Hula Hoops and stabbing them into a block of cheddar, all accompanied by a large whisky.

He describes it as 'filthy and genius'  I'm with you, Jamie.
With Christmas travel to the French Alps off the menu, what's a girl to do with her couture ski wear?

For Sophie Cannell, the 27-year-old girlfriend of Damien Hirst, the answer was simple: wear it to dinner in London.

The former ballerina, who has been in a relationship with the 56-year-old artist for three years, wore her 5,540 Chanel jumpsuit as the couple went to his favourite restaurant, Scott's in Mayfair.

Sophie Cannell wore couture ski wear for dinner with artist boyfriend Damien Hirst at his favourite Mayfair restaurant, Scott's

Damien was pushing Scott's 'smart' dress code to the limit in a grey hoodie, purple jacket, blue joggers, trainers and a shoulder bag bearing the slogan 'Sex'.

The couple were joined by Sophie's mother Angela, who at 60 is only four years older than Damien.

As they sat at an outside table, one ear-wigging diner told me: 'They were talking about their Christmas plans and how they would all like to spend it together.'

Is it time to make an honest woman of Sophie, Damien?

Damien was pushing Scott's 'smart' dress code to the limit in a grey hoodie, purple jacket, blue joggers, trainers and a shoulder bag bearing the slogan 'Sex'

He may be rich enough to buy them whatever they want, but Jack Whitehall won't be dipping into his pockets for his four godchildren this Christmas.

The comedian instead confesses that they will be getting freebie merchandise from his new movie, family comedy Clifford The Big Red Dog.

The 33-year-old says: 'I have lots of teddies and comics coming over from America.' And I don't think he was joking

Is Sir Mick Jagger loosening the purse strings in his old age?

Is Sir Mick Jagger loosening the purse strings in his old age?

The 78-year-old has earned a reputation for frugality over the years (ex-wife Jerry Hall famously called him 'tight'), but my spy at Selfridges in London tells me the Rolling Stones frontman bought 'literally hundreds' of pre-sents for family and friends using its personal shopper service.

His Christmas list would be long by anyone's standards: the star has eight children, including his youngest, five-year-old Deveraux, plus five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

It's little wonder he may be feeling generous  the Stones were the highest-grossing live act of 2021, making 87.2million from their No Filter US tour.
As if Boris Johnson doesn't have enough on his plate, Jennifer Arcuri, the American entrepreneur with whom he had an affair, wants to team up with another of his former lovers  journalist Petronella Wyatt.

Petsy, 53, tells me: 'I've had what feels like 20,000 missed calls from her. It's a bit sad really.'

Apparently Arcuri, 36, is writing a TV series about an American who works with a British politician.

But Petronella will not be joining forces. 'We are such dissimilar people,' she explains.

As if Boris Johnson doesn't have enough on his plate, Jennifer Arcuri (pictured), the American entrepreneur with whom he had an affair, wants to team up with another of his former lovers

Apparently Arcuri, 36, is writing a TV series about an American who works with a British politician and wanted to join forces with one of Mr Johnson's former love interests, journalist Petronella Wyatt

Petronella became romantically entangled with Boris when he edited The Spectator magazine and she was its deputy editor.

Her mother Lady Wyatt disclosed their affair after Petronella had an abortion and claimed: 'He said he was going to marry her.'

Pole-dancing enthusiast Arcuri  she installed a pole at the East London flat where she entertained Boris  first encountered him as a business student.

Within a year she had become another chapter in the Prime Minister's tempestuous love life, which has seen him father seven children by three different women.

Did actor Mark Strong earn half a million pounds for voicing 'Hands, Face, Space' Covid ads?

I only ask because his 3.2 million company has just reported its best ever performance with a 530,000 rise in shareholder funds.

The last time Mark, who plays surgeon Daniel Milton in Sky drama Temple, earned anything close was in 2010.

A Government spokesman said they negotiate 'extremely competitive rates for delivering life-saving messages to the public.'

Mark's agent would not elaborate maybe he gave it all to charity?
Despite a judge's pleas to settle their differences, Mohamed Al Fayed's feuding daughter and son will have their day in court.

Camilla and brother Omar, 34, have received a request for their presence at the High Court next year.

Omar claims that his sister, 36, and her husband orchestrated an assault on him at the family estate last year.

He is seeking 100,000 damages and says he is 'super happy'.

Though I suspect Camilla won't be

Billionaire businessman Mohamed Al Fayed's daughter Camilla (pictured) and brother Omar, 34, have received a request for their presence at the High Court next year

Omar (centre, between his father and sister) claims that his sister, 36, and her husband orchestrated an assault on him at the family estate last year

Its love actually for Marvel star Chiwetel Ejiofor

Chiwetel Ejiofor has started dating his local dog groomer, Sacha Bertagnon

After years of stepping out with a string of glamorous models and Hollywood stars, Chiwetel Ejiofor has started dating his local dog groomer.

In scenes that are reminiscent of his 2003 festive hit Love Actually, the 44-year-old Bafta-winning actor booked in a session for his pet Clay at the Le Wag salon in Fulham, and promptly fell for owner Sacha Bertagnon.

Now friends are saying he has finally found the one and the pair are already talking marriage and babies.

Chiwetel, who will play Karl Mordo in next years Marvel movie Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, has previously dated 007 actress Naomie Harris and Balmain model Frances Aaternir.

Bake off stars Freya Cox and Lizzie Acker look as if theyve just fallen off the top of a Christmas tree as they frolic around Castle Howard near York.

The pair were rivals on this years contest, but its sweet to see theyve become friends afterwards.

Freya, on the left in her Instagram snap, said: The decor inside and out is to die for.

I assume she means the castle!

Bake off stars Freya Cox and Lizzie Acker look as if theyve just fallen off the top of a Christmas tree as they frolic around Castle Howard near York

Some good news at last for cabaret and panto star Kit Hesketh-Harvey and his estranged wife Kate Rabett  they have a new grandchild.

I revealed in October that Kit had split from Kate, the former Bond girl and ex-lover of Prince Andrew.

Now I can report that the couples son Rollo and wife Rosie have welcomed a baby, Ivo, just in time to spread some joy through the familys Christmas get-together.
Australian pop-rock group 5 Seconds of Summer's former management is suing the band for $2.5million for unpaid recording and merchandising deals.

According to TMZ, YMU Music, filed a hefty lawsuit claiming that the group owes them a 'fat cheque for their hard work securing lucrative deals'.

The LA-based musicians reportedly hired YMU in February to help them secure million dollar recording and merchandising deals, but never paid them.

Australian pop-rock group 5 Seconds of Summer's former management, YMU Music, is suing the band for $2.5million for unpaid recording and merchandising deals. Pictured L-R: Michael Clifford, Luke Hemmings, Ashton Irwin and Calum Hood

It's alleged that the group fired YMU once the new deals were locked in, to avoid paying their hefty 15 per cent commission fees.

YMU claim that they have sent the group several invoices for their work over the past few months but are yet to be paid.

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to the group and YMU Music for comment.

Lawsuit: According to TMZ, the band's ex management, YMU Music, have filed a hefty lawsuit claiming that the group owes them a 'fat cheque for their hard work securing lucrative deals'

New music: They recently celebrated their 10-year anniversary as a band with the release of a new single 2011 - the year they started

It comes as the Aussie rockers dropped their new single, 2011, to commemorate their 10th anniversary.

In a statement the band called the past decade: 'Singlehandedly the best 10 years of our lives.'

'Above all else we were once again rediscovering how beautiful it is to be able to share our story together,' they said.

Throwback! The four-piece group first formed in 2011 at Norwest Christian College in Riverstone, in western Sydney and played their first gig at the famous Annandale Hotel

'We've loved every minute of being in this band. Here's to another ten years of 5 Seconds of Summer,' their statement concluded.

The four-piece group first formed in 2011 at Norwest Christian College in Riverstone, in western Sydney and played their first gig at the famous Annandale Hotel.

They joined One Direction on their Take Me Home world tour in 2013 which helped raise their profile.

But it was their 2014 single She Looks So Perfect that really sent their career soaring.

They have since released four albums, and over the years have received a slew of American Music Awards, MTV accolades and ARIA gongs.
From a lofty perch in the iconic clock tower at St Pancras Station, it is one of the quirkiest and most sought-after properties in London.

The two-bedroom flat features wall paintings by pop artist Peter Blake and unrivalled views over the capital to St Pauls Cathedral and The Shard.

But now its owner, model and actress Lily Cole, stands to make a profit of more than 3 million on the meticulously restored property  after putting it up for sale for 4.6 million.

Model and actress Lily Cole, stands to make a profit of more than 3 million on the meticulously restored property

The 33-year-old star of the St Trinians films bought the flat in 2009 when the Victorian building, formerly the Midland Grand Hotel, was being refurbished.

Designed by Gothic revival architect Sir Gilbert Scott, the hotel opened in 1873 before closing in 1935. It eventually fell into disuse and was saved from demolition in the 1960s.

Cole is said to have engaged a designer she met on the set of a commercial during her modelling days to help her transform the 1,600 sq ft space, which included restoring original features.

Three painters were hired to recreate the original ceiling, which took three weeks, while a company replicated the original mosaics in the hallway. A staircase Lily found in a salvage yard was installed.

The propertys stunning and unusual features are featured in Channel 4s Britains Most Expensive Houses, which takes viewers inside the homes of some of the countrys richest people, on December 29.

Designed by Gothic revival architect Sir Gilbert Scott, the hotel opened in 1873 before closing in 1935. It eventually fell into disuse and was saved from demolition in the 1960s

The propertys stunning and unusual features are featured in Channel 4s Britains Most Expensive Houses

It reveals a unique rainbow painting over the arch of a bay window by Peter Blake, best known for designing the cover of The Beatles Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band album.

The walls also feature a railway track created by a Dutch master craftsman, which runs around the perimeter of the living room just above the picture rail  a quirky nod to the station below.

The models eclectic tastes are also revealed, with green bathroom tiles and deer head taps imported from Morocco, and a free-standing copper bathtub in front of a giant window overlooking the city.

The eco-campaigner is believed to have lived in the flat with her partner Kwame Ferreira, 44.

He is an Angolan businessman and co-founder of Coles company Impossible, which tries to solve business problems and social issues with eco-friendly technology.

Cole and Ferreira have a five-year-old daughter, Wylde.

She launched Impossible in 2013 when she took a step back from her fashion career. The company now has offices in San Francisco, Lisbon and London and has worked with brands such as jeweller Tiffany & Co and tech giants Samsung and Google.

Earlier this year Cole was forced to apologise after she posted a photograph of herself in a burka, with a call to embrace diversity, just as the Taliban was overrunning Afghanistan.

The star, who graduated from Cambridge with a double first in history of art, claimed that she didnt read the news.
Bindi Irwin is certainly in a love bubble with eight-month-old daughter, Grace Warrior, and husband Chandler Powell.

And on Saturday, the 23-year-old wildlife queen shared a sweet picture of her family on Instagram, as they posed with their adorable Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Piggy.

A breezy-looking Bindi, Chandler, and Piggy smiled as adorable Grace gazed at the camera, with Bindi captioning the photo: 'All the love.'

Family: Bindi Irwin shared a sweet photo of herself with daughter Grace Warrior, eight months, and husband Chandler Powell on Saturday as the family enjoyed some quality time together

Chandler wore the iconic the Australia Zoo uniform while Bindi opted for a more relaxed-look for the occasion.

A number of the star's fans commented on what a lovely family photo it was of the reality TV star.

It comes after Grace Warrior proved herself the star of the show after meeting the newest addition to the Irwin family zoo.

Cute! Australia Zoo have welcomed Sumatran elephants to the popular Queensland park, and the adorable Grace was seen waving to the majestic animals as part of an advert on Twitter

Australia Zoo have welcomed Sumatran elephants to the popular Queensland park, and the adorable bub was seen waving to the majestic animals.

A clip of Grace was shared to Twitter with the tot waving enthusiastically to the elephants as her mother cradled her in her arms.

The family were also seen looking at and cuddling toy elephants in the gift shop at the zoo.

A tonne of love! Bindi and Chandler took Grace Warrior, eight months, to meet elephants at Australia Zoo for the first time earlier this week

It comes after Bindi took Grace to meet a baby koala for the first time on Tuesday.

The Wildlife Warrior, 23, shared some adorable images of the moment on Twitter and said the encounter 'made her heart happy'.

The sweet pictures were also taken at the Irwin family's Australia Zoo.

Hi! Dressed in a cute onesie and a bow band on her head, Grace waved enthusiastically to the elephants as her mother cradled her in her arms

'Koala joey meeting our joey makes my heart happy,' Bindi wrote alongside the sweet snaps, adding a love heart emoji.

In the images, Bindi and her husband Chandler Powell, 25, smile as they hold Grace up to a koala joey sitting on a branch.

'Cute family photo,' one fan commented underneath.

'Koala joey meeting our joey makes my heart happy,' Bindi wrote, adding a love heart emoji, when Grace met the adorable koala's at the park

Another added: 'A cute koala and the most adorable baby on earth. Honestly, Bindi, I don't know how you and Chandler manage to deal with all that sweetness.'

Bindi and Chandler announced their daughter's birth on March 26, just a day after she was born on their first wedding anniversary.

Bindi first met Chandler in 2013, when the young American wakeboarder went on a guided tour of Australia Zoo in Queensland.

New addition: Bindi and Chandler announced their daughter's birth on March 26, just a day after she was born on their first wedding anniversary

It comes after the couple revealed Grace's first word in an interview with Who magazine last month.

They said the child's first word was 'da', short for 'dada' or 'daddy'.

'Hearing her say 'Da' and look at me was the highlight of my life. Nothing compares at all,' Chandler added.
Scott Disick looked cozy as he bundled up in winter clothes while walking in New York City on Saturday.

The reality star, 38, wore a clean, white Dior jacket and a pair of blue ski pants as he left his hotel in The Big Apple.

Disick donned a brilliant white hoodie underneath his puffy jacket.

Keeping warm: Scott Disick looked cozy as he bundled up in winter clothes while walking throughout New York City on Saturday

His dark brown hair was slicked back and he looked rugged with a well-maintained beard.

The star's appearance in the city comes just a couple days after he left a flirty comment on a post made by his ex Kourtney Kardashian's sister Khloe.

Khloe shared a photo of her new hairdo, curly blonde hair that barely reached her shoulders.

Clean look: The reality star, 38, wore a clean, white Dior jacket and a pair of blue ski pants as he left his hotel in The Big Apple

A long time together: The Talentless founder was previously in a relationship with Kourtney from 2005 to 2015. They share three children together (pictured 2015)

Her sister's former flame commented 'Fine American' on the picture, a reference to the youngest Kardashian sister's fashion brand Good American.

The Talentless founder was previously in a relationship with Kourtney from 2005 to 2015. They share three children together: 12-year-old Mason, nine-year-old Penelope and seven-year-old Reign.

For the sake of their children, Disick reportedly tries not to show hostility toward Kardashian's fiancee Travis Barker.

'Whatever kind of hostility he has with Travis and Kourtney, he sets it aside in front of the kids,' a source told US Weekly.

Chatting with a Kardashian: The star's appearance in the city comes just a couple days after he left a flirty comment on a post made by his ex Kourtney Kardashian's sister Khloe

'All Scott talks about is his kids.  Hes always bringing them up in conversation when hes not physically with them,' a source says of Disick.

After Disick moved on from Kourtney, he dated Sofia Richie from 2017 to 2020, and most recently Amelia Grey Hamlin, before their split in September.

A month after Disick's split, Kourtney and Travis got engaged, with sources claiming he was 'furious.'

'He knew it was possible, but is very jealous of Kourtney and Travis' relationship,' the insider said, adding he thinks they might, 'call things off before the wedding.'
Emmerdale's Aaron Anthony is said to have dramatically quit because he is 'bitterly angry' with two of his co-stars who are facing a race probe.

The soap has been rocked by a race row after two cast members reportedly 'mimicked the accent of a mixed-race actress' on the set of the popular ITV soap.

Aaron, who plays Ellis Chapman, has told producers he will not be returning after his contract ends because he is furious with his colleagues' alleged behaviour, claims The Sun.

Furious: Emmerdale's Aaron Anthony is said to have dramatically quit because he is 'bitterly angry' with two of his co-stars who are facing a race probe (pictured on the soap)

Last month, reports emerged an unnamed actress of Emmerdale was upset following an inappropriate comment made towards her, before it was claimed her accent was mocked during the fall out.

It was said Matthew Wolfenden, 41, who plays David Metcalfe and Isabel Hodgins, 27, who portrays Victoria Sugden, are the pair facing allegations.

Both stars - who joined the soap in 2006 - have categorically denied claims of racism and have suggested the whole thing was a misunderstanding.

It was claimed Matthew Wolfenden, 41, and Isabel Hodgins, 27, are the pair facing allegations. They have both categorically denied claims of racism

Aaron, 28, is reportedly so 'furious' about the row and how the subsequent investigation 'has been handled', he has decided to leave the show after two years.

A source told the publication: 'Aaron is bitterly angry about this situation and he has had to be persuaded to come back to Leeds film his scenes in recent months.

'He has done some filming over the last couple of weeks, but the understanding is that those scenes will be his last.

'He has been very vocal in his opinions about the allegations and about the way in which the enquiries have been handled by the bosses. He now feels his position on the show is untenable.'

MailOnline has contacted Aaron's representatives and Emmerdale for comment.

Recast: Aaron (L) took over the role from disgraced actor Asan N'Jie (R), who was sacked for threatening to 'kill' fellow soap star Jamie Lomas, 44, at the TV Choice Awards in 2019

It was also reported at the time that following the alleged incident, Matthew rowed with Aaron.

The source went on to say the pair subsequently had a 'tense conversation', adding that afterwards, Matthew and Isabel 'stopped filming.'

The insider added: 'Emotions have been running high' on the set since the incident, with cast unsure 'what to believe'.

Aaron took over the role from disgraced actor Asan N'Jie, who was sacked for threatening to 'kill' fellow soap star Jamie Lomas, 44, at the TV Choice Awards in 2019.

Meanwhile, both Matthew and Isabel continue to be absent from screens and are said to not be returning until next year.

An Emmerdale spokesman told MailOnline: 'While we would never comment on individual cases, Emmerdale has robust policies in place to deal with any allegations brought to our attention and take the appropriate steps.'

MailOnline has contacted the agents for both stars at the time.

Race row: Meanwhile, it's said the female cast member at the centre of the race row is continuing to film 'as normal', though she wishes she 'wasnt entangled in it'

It's said the female cast member at the centre of the race row is continuing to film 'as normal', though she wishes she 'wasnt entangled in it'.

The publication reports the 'issue is far from solved' and as two of Emmerdale's biggest stars their sudden absence from set have cause major 'production issues'.

Both Matthew and Isabel were embroiled in the soap's huge Super Soap Week stunt in October, where their characters had plunged into fast-flowing rapids after the rope bridge collapsed.

However, with both Isabel and Matthew gone, it has led to scripts being 'hastily rewritten', which has caused some confusion for dedicated viewers.

It's said bosses had planned to keep the huge storyline 'prominent', but with both characters off screen for 'an unspecified period of time', it has presented a 'a real challenge' for scriptwriters.

The pair were last seen onscreen on October 28, with the onscreen lovers heading off to visit Victoria's stepmother Diana Blackstock in Portugal.
Queen guitarist Brian May announced Saturday that he had tested positive for COVID-19.

The 74-year-old musician and songwriter shared the news in an Instagram post featuring photos of his positive test result.

'Yep. The shocking day finally came for me. The dreaded double red line,' he began his post.

Health scare: Queen guitarist Brian May, 74, announced Saturday on Instagram that he had tested positive for COVID-19; picture in January 2020 in Seoul, South Korea

May included a closeup of what appeared to be a self-administered rapid antigen test.

He urged his fans not to bother with 'sympathy,' as his condition seemed to be on the upswing.

'It has been a truly horrible few days, but Im OK. And I will tell the tale,' he continued.

The musician urged his followers and fans to 'PLEASE take extra care out there, good folks,' as the novel coronavirus was 'incredibly transmissible.'

'You really do NOT want it messing up YOUR Christmas,' he concluded, before signing off and wish his fans 'love.'

On the mend? 'It has been a truly horrible few days, but Im OK. And I will tell the tale,' May wrote, suggesting he was on the upswing

Safety first: The musician urged his followers and fans to 'PLEASE take extra care out there, good folks,' as the novel coronavirus was ' incredibly transmissible'

May has previously been vocal about his contempt for fellow guitarist Eric Clapton after he expressed anti-vaccine views and vowed not to perform in venues that require proof of vaccination against COVID-19.

'I love Eric Clapton, hes my hero, but he has very different views from me in many ways,' May told The Independent in August. 'Hes a person who thinks its OK to shoot animals for fun, so we have our disagreements, but I would never stop respecting the man.'

He then defended the science on the value of vaccinations and described vaccine conspiracy theorists as 'fruitcakes.'

'Anti-vax people, Im sorry, I think theyre fruitcakes,' he said. 'Theres plenty of evidence to show that vaccination helps. On the whole, theyve been very safe. Theres always going to be some side effect in any drug you take, but to go around saying vaccines are a plot to kill you, Im sorry, that goes in the fruitcake jar for me.'

Frenemies: The Queen guitarist told The Independent in August that Eric Clapton (pictured in 2020) and other anti-vaxxers are 'fruitcakes'; Clapton seen in March 2020 in London

Safe and effective: May went on to defend the science behind vaccines. 'On the whole, theyve been very safe,' he said; pictured in February 2020 in Sydney, Australia

May's positive test comes amid a rise in coronavirus cases in the UK as the Omicron variant continues to grow in prominence.

At least 90,418 people tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, and more that 513,000 people have tested positive over the past week, a more than 44 percent increase over the previous week.

The guitarist is best known for his blistering solos and lead lines with the band Queen, which featured the late Freddie Mercury on vocals, Roger May on drums and John Deacon on bass.

The band experienced a renewed wave of popularity following the 2018 film Bohemian Rhapsody, which earned Rami Malek an Academy Award for his portrayal of Mercury.

Health troubles: May suffered a heart attack earlier this year, which he said could have killed him. He later suffered a stomach hemorrhage from his heart medications, though he has since said he's doing well; pictured with Adam Lambert in 2019

In October 2020, May told Good Morning Britain 'I nearly lost my life' after he suffered a heart attack back in May, which required stents to be inserted to open blocked arteries.

He also admitted that he'd suffered a stomach hemorrhage, apparently as a result of the medications he was taking for his heart.

'It was pretty bad, and the complications that came afterwards were pretty bad,' he shared.

But the rocker added that he was focused on 'cardio rehab' now and said he was feeling much better.

'I'm getting strong. I'm going to be Ironman soon,' he joked.
The Bachelor's Laura Byrne dressed to impress as she attended the Sydney Sail GP with Brittany Hockley on Sunday.

The 37-year-old looked effortlessly chic in a figure-hugging white dress which also featured a matching belt.

Laura couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she posed on a yacht alongside Brittany at the event.

White on the mark! The Bachelor's Laura Byrne cut a stylish figure in a flirty white dress as she joined Brittany Hockley at a VIP sailing event in Sydney

She left her long locks out and opted for a neutral palette of makeup consisting of a nude lip and blush.

Meanwhile, Brittany cut a stylish figure in a white dress which had a peephole front as she held a glass of champagne in the air.

The pair were also joined by Laura's fiance Matty Johnson, who she met on the 2017 season of The Bachelor.

Matty looked stylish in beige pants, a white buttoned shirt and sneakers as he posed alongside Laura shortly after arriving to the event.

Stylish: Meanwhile, Brittany made a statement in a white dress which had a peephole front as she held a glass of champagne in the air

Out and about: The pair were also joined by Laura's fiance Matty Johnson, who she met on the 2017 season of The Bachelor

Holly Kingston also made an appearance at the star-studded event.

The Bachelor star dressed to impress in a blue and white flared jumpsuit which also had a belt.

The 27-year-old teamed her look with a pair of white heels, a brown bag, sunglasses and statement earrings.

Event: Holly Kingston also made an appearance at the star-studded event

Making a statement: The Bachelor star dressed to impress in a blue and white flared jumpsuit which also had a belt

Kate Waterhouse and her friend Nadia Fairfax also made an appearance at the event, which was held over two days, on Friday.

Kate, 38, stunned in white pants and a stylish green top which she teamed with black sandals.

Meanwhile, Nadia made a style statement in a white pants and unique floral printed crop top.
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Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss looked stylish as they reunited at The Matrix Resurrections premiere at Castro Theatre in San Francisco, California on Saturday.

The duo, who are reprising their roles as Neo and Trinity in the new film, both oozed glamour and elegance in chic black outfits that were worthy of the occasion.

Reeves, 57, was the epitome of cool as he walked the unique Matrix-inspired green carpet while wearing a two-piece black suit and a pair of brown suede shoes.

Reunited! Actors Keanu Reeves, 57, and Carrie-Anne Moss, 54, looked exceptionally stylish as they reunited at The Matrix Resurrections premiere in San Francisco, California on Saturday

Elegant costars: The duo, who are reprising their roles as Neo and Trinity in the new film, both oozed glamour and elegance in chic black outfits that were worthy of the special occasion

The talented Canadian actor also added a little something extra to his outfit with a fun striped tie.

Reeves looked especially dapper and sophisticated with his suave salt and pepper beard.

Meanwhile his on-screen love, Carrie-Anne Moss, 54, wore a stunning black gown with a plunging neckline and silver embellishments on the bottom.

While the reviews for the movie have been mixed, the actors received heaps of praise for their undeniable on-screen chemistry.

Happy trio: The actors happily posed with Matrix director Lana Wachowski

Sensational: Carrie-Anne Moss wore a stunning black gown with a plunging neckline and silver embellishments on the bottom

Picture perfect! The actress was happy to show off her spectacular black gown from the side

Sophisticated: Carrie-Anne's dress featured a chic black cape

Elegant: Reeves walked the unique Matrix-inspired green carpet while wearing a two-piece black suit and a pair of brown suede shoes

Suave: The actor looked especially sophisticated with his suave salt and pepper beard

The premiere was a star-studded event with plenty of celebrities in attendance including Jada Pinkett Smith and her son Jaden Smith, Priyanka Chopra, Neil Patrick Harris, Jonathan Groff, Marc Jacobs, and Jessica Henwick.

The film is the long-awaited fourth installment in the sci-fi franchise.

The series consists of four feature films, starting with The Matrix (1999) and continuing with three sequels, The Matrix Reloaded (2003), The Matrix Revolutions (2003) and The Matrix Resurrections (2021).

Unique: Director Lana Wachowski showed off her quirky sense of style on the green carpet, wearing a black dress with a latex bust

A vision in red: Jada Pinkett Smith - who plays the character of Niobe in the movie - wore a stunning red gown to the event with a dramatic long train that trailed behind her. She paired the look with red leggings and matching red heels

Cool mom: The actress brought her son Jaden Smith, 23, with her

Radiant pair: Jada looked positively radiant as she posed with Jaden

The story focuses on the Neo, played by Keanu Reeves, Trinity, played by Carrie-Anne Moss, and Morpheus, originally played by Laurence Fishburne in the first three films, but replaced by actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in The Matrix Resurrections.

Neo and Trinity are yet again trying to free humanity from the Matrix - a virtual reality system run by artificial intelligence that imprisons human beings and uses them as a power source.

The Matrix Resurrections takes place twenty years after the events of The Matrix Revolutions.

Neo is back to living an ordinary life under his original identity as Thomas A. Anderson in San Francisco. He then meets a woman (Trinity) but neither of them recognize each other.

But when a new version of Morpheus gives Neo the iconic red pill, his mind is reopened to the Matrix once more and he joins a group of rebels to fight the enemy.

New addition: The movie added a number of new cast members to its fourth edition, including actress Priyanka Chopra

Shimmery dream: The wife of Nick Jonas showed up in style, wearing a glamorous shimmery gown with a fiery orange fan embellishment on the torso

All together: The Matrix Resurrections cast attending the premiere of the film at Castro Theatre in San Francisco, California

New Morpheus: Actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who plays a new version of Morpheus, looked on-trend as he sported a leather trench coat and black boots

Director Lana Wachowski, 56, showed off her quirky style on the carpet, wearing a black dress with a latex bust. She paired the outfit with black booties.

Always creative with her look, she also sported funky colorful dreads.

Meanwhile Jada Pinkett Smith, 50, who portrays Niobe in the films - one of the rebels participating in the war against the Matrix - was a vision of beauty in red.

The actress wore a stunning red gown to the event with a dramatic long train that trailed behind her. She paired the look with red leggings and matching red heels.

Dapper: Jonathan Groff, who portrays agent Smith in the movie, also attended the premiere with his boyfriend

Chic: Actress Jessica Henwick, who plays the character of Bugs, wore a stunning black dress with a high slit

Happy spouses: Neil Patrick Harris attended the event with his husband David Burtka wearing a colorful suit

Elegant: Freema Agyeman was a vision in a black dress. The actress plays Astra in the new Matrix film

Dapper pair: Ellen Hollman, who plays the role of Echo in the movie, graced the green carpet with her husband, Stephen Dunlevy

Jada made it a family affair and brought her son, Jaden Smith, 23, with her.

Jaden looked exceptionally trendy and warm as he wore a black suit that had a black coat and jacket on top of it. He finished off his look with white New Balance sneakers.

The movie added a number of new cast members to its fourth edition, including actress Priyanka Chopra.

The wife of Nick Jonas showed up in style, wearing a glamorous shimmery gown with a fiery orange fan embellishment on the torso.

Her shiny brown locks fell loosely onto her shoulder in perfect waves.

The actress also accessorized with dangling drop earrings and a large ring.

Unique look: Actress Madelyn Cline had her blonde hair stylishly slicked back as she wore a chic black dress with a deep V cut

Even the mayor loves Matrix! The 45th mayor Mayor of San Francisco, London Breed, was also in attendance

Ready to enter the Matrix: Bulgarian-American professional wrestler Miroslav Barnyashev, known as Miro attended the premiere with his wife, Catherine Joy 'CJ' Perry, who is also a professional wrestler. Director Alex Winter attended the event with his wife, Ramsey Ann Naito

Fashion guru: Marc Jacob was fashionable as ever while attending the event with his husband Charly Defrancesco

Youthful sense of style: Adorable actor Gaige Chaturantabut wore a shiny jacket and black sneakers to the premiere

Chopra recently expressed her enthusiasm for being cast in the movie on Instagram, writing: 'They had me at 'Neo and Trinity are back'! The Matrix trilogy defined my generation of cinema. It was the gold standard something we all role played and referenced all our lives. So, here I am a small, excited little fish in the huge cinematic pond that is THE Matrix!'

She added, 'Needless to say, I am honoured and thrilled to be a part of this legacy and to have had the experience of working under the tutelage of Lana Wachowski and alongside this incredible, iconic cast.'

Another new addition was actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who plays a new version of Morpheus. The star looked on-trend as he sported a leather trench coat and black boots to the premiere.

Jonathan Groff, who portrays agent Smith in the movie, also attended the premiere with his boyfriend. The actor wore a dashing black suit with a mesh shirt underneath.

Back in action: The fourth installment in the sci-fi franchise revives Keanu Reeves as Neo in the first Matrix film since 2003's The Matrix Revolutions; Keanu and Carrie-Anne Moss pictured

Gang's all here: (L-R) Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jada Pinkett Smith, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Lana Wachowski, Neil Patrick Harris, Jonathan Groff, Jessica Henwick, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Ellen Hollman, and James McTeigue pictured

Neil Patrick Harris came to the premiere with his husband David Burtka. The How I Met Your Mother actor, who portrays a character simply known as The Analyst, wore a bright multi-color suit and turtleneck to the event.

The event was also attended by Marc Jacobs and his husband, the 45th mayor of San Francisco, London Breed as well as Bulgarian-American professional wrestler Miroslav Barnyashev, known as Miro, and his wife, Catherine Joy 'CJ' Perry, who is also a wrestler.

The fourth installment in the sci-fi franchise revives Keanu Reeves as Neo in the first Matrix film since 2003's The Matrix Revolutions.

Co-written and directed by Lana Wachowski, the movie also brings back Carrie-Ann Moss, Lambert Wilson, and Jada Pinkett Smith from the original franchise.

Back in action: Co-written and directed by Lana Wachowski, the movie also brings back Carrie-Ann Moss (pictured), Lambert Wilson, and Jada Pinkett Smith from the original franchise

Seeking normalcy: Taking place twenty years after the events of The Matrix Revolutions, Neo is now living a seemingly ordinary life under his original identity as Thomas A. Anderson in San Francisco

Wild ride: Keanu's Neo is now seeing a therapist who prescribes him blue pills to counteract the strange and unnatural things he occasionally glimpses

Taking place twenty years after the events of The Matrix Revolutions, Neo is now living a seemingly ordinary life under his original identity as Thomas A. Anderson in San Francisco.

He is now seeing a therapist who prescribes him blue pills to counteract the strange and unnatural things he occasionally glimpses.

While the response has been mixed with some saying it's far from a 'perfect' movie, it has been met with unanimous praise over the 'astonishing' set pieces and 'burning' chemistry between Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Ann Moss.

The Matrix Resurrections comes out in theaters on December 22.
Jada Pinkett Smith dressed up for her appearance at the red carpet San Francisco premiere of The Matrix Resurrections.

The actress, 50, wore a fiery red dress with a train that ran far behind her as she posed for the cameras.

Smith's hair was buzzed almost down to the scalp, and she donned a huge silver earring in her right ear.

Smiling for the cameras: Jada Pinkett Smith dressed up for her appearance at the red carpet San Francisco premiere of The Matrix Resurrections

The Girls Trip star also stood with her son Jaden. He, 23, wore a black trench coat over a black shirt and matching pants. His hair was cut short, and his bangs nearly covered his eyes.

She also posed with director Lana Wachowski who wore a black dress and colored her short hair orange, pink and yellow.

She finished off her ensemble with a pair of stockings and a pair of black boots.

A huge train: The actress, 50, wore a fiery red dress with a train that ran far behind her as she posed for the cameras

Standing with her son: The Girls Trip star also stood with her son Jaden. He, 23, wore a black trench coat over a black shirt and matching pants

Jada's appearance in the film marks the third time she will appear in the Matrix series as Niobe. She previously played the role in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions.

The newest film in the series will follow Keanu Reeves' Neo as he returns to the Matrix years after leaving the world.

The Matrix Resurrections hits theaters December 22.

Smith's appearance at the event came just a few weeks after Will Smith lent his voice to a trailer for the television series Bel Air, a reboot of Smith's popular 1990s sitcom where he and his wife Jada met.

Standing with the director: Smith also posed with director Lana Wachowski who wore a black dress and colored her short hair orange, pink and yellow

Back again: Jada's appearance in the film marks the third time she will appear in the Matrix series as Niobe. She previously played the role in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions; Jada pictured with Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Neil Patrick Harris

Coming soon: The Matrix Resurrections hits theaters December 22; (L-R) Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jada Pinkett Smith, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Lana Wachowski, Neil Patrick Harris, Jonathan Groff, Jessica Henwick, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Ellen Hollman and James McTeigue pictured

Quite unlike the early 90s comedy, the teaser for Bel-Air was quiet and dark. Jabari Banks is seen dressed in character, evoking the original made famous by Will Smith in a T-shirt, vest and yellow sideways cap.

'This is a story all about how my life got flipped, turned upside down,' Smith narrates as Banks plunges backwards into a pool of dark water.

According to the official synopsis, the one-hour drama will be set in modern times and explore 'Wills complicated journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air.'

'With a reimagined vision, Bel-Air will dive deeper into the inherent conflicts, emotions and biases that were impossible to fully explore in a 30-minute sitcom format, while still delivering swagger and nods to the original show,' it reads.
Jennifer Lopez is setting the record straight about her real thoughts on Ben Affleck and his recent statements on ex-wife Jennifer Garner.

The entertainer, 52, was said to be 'p****d' at Affleck, 49, for statements made on The Howard Stern Show, however Lopez says the reports are 'simply not true.'

Furthermore a source told DailyMail.com that the claims are 'false' and that the ladies are not only 'friends,' but 'doing well at co-parenting.'

No bad blood: Jennifer Lopez shut down rumors she was 'p****d' at Ben Affleck following his statements on ex Jennifer Garner, as she told PEOPLE that the story was 'simply not true' on Saturday

A Page Six insider had initially reported that the Hustlers star was 'p****d' and 'not happy' with him, after he seemed to pin his past substance abuse issues on Garner during his interview on December 14.

The source had said she thought his statements were 'reckless and cavalier' and that she did not want to be 'dragged' into anything.

However Lopez shut down the claims to PEOPLE: 'This story is simply not true. It is not how I feel.'

The Hustlers star continued to sing The Tender Bar actor's praises as an all around human: 'I couldn't have more respect for Ben as a father, a co-parent, and a person.'

Utmost respect: 'I couldn't have more respect for Ben as a father, a co-parent, and a person,' Lopez continued to tell the publication; pictured December 15

Amicable! 'I would never want my kids to think I would ever say a bad word about their mom,' Affleck maintained as he clarified his statements  which he said were not only taken out of context but 'made me out to be the worst, most insensitive, stupid awful guy'; pictured December 9

Additionally an insider continued to tell DailyMail.com that things between the Jennifers could not be better at this time.

They said: 'Jennifer and Jennifer are friends, to make anything other than that is false...the story that she is upset at Ben is not true. They are all doing well at co-parenting.'

During Affleck's interview he told Stern that 'part of why I started drinking' was 'because I was trapped.'

While speaking on divorce candidly he also said that had they stayed married they 'would've ended up  probably at each other's throats.'

After his statements landed him in hot water, he clarified what he meant on Jimmy Kimmel Live and said things got entirely taken out of context.

'I had gone on and said how much we respect each other and cared about each other and cared about our kids and put them first,' he said.

Controversial: During Affleck's interview with Howard Stern on December 14 he seemed to pin his past substance abuse issues on Garner and their marriage as he said 'part of why I started drinking' was 'because I was trapped'

And additionally said that the part of the interview that got the most attention 'made me out to be the worst, most insensitive, stupid awful guy.'

'I would never want my kids to think I would ever say a bad word about their mom,' he said.

In his chat with Stern he had also said that he made a conscious decision to consider his children: Violet, 15, Seraphina, 12, and Samuel, nine, before rekindling with Lopez.

'My responsibility to my children is the highest responsibility. I don't want to do anything that is painful or destructive to them if I can help it.'
Priyanka Chopra stunned as she attended the San Francisco premiere of The Matrix Resurrections on Saturday night.

The 39-year-old actress wore a dazzling dress with a thigh-high split and a red applique across the bodice.

The megastar stepped in style in a pair of pointed-toe pumps that coordinated perfectly with her dress.

Stunner: Priyanka Chopra stunned as she attended the San Francisco premiere of The Matrix Resurrections on Saturday night

Priyanka, who plays the character Sati in the film, styled her thick brunette hair in a look reminiscent of classic Hollywood glamour.

It had a side part and soft barrel curls that were arranged over one shoulder.

The movie star accessorized with a pair of drop earrings and a couple of rings. She skipped a necklace, keeping her dress at the center of attention.

Radiant: The 39-year-old actress wore a dazzling dress with a thigh-high split and a red applique across the bodice

Chopra, who's married to Nick Jonas, rocked long metallic nails for the NorCal event.

Her beauty was accentuated by complementary warm-hued makeup, including a unique look of double-winged eyeliner.

The Quantico actress' brown eyes popped with a fluttery set of eyelashes.

The India native's cheeks were made rosy by a dusting of blush, and her lips were highlighted by a reddish brown stain.

Gorgeous: Chopra's beauty was accentuated by complementary warm-hued makeup, including a unique look of double-winged eyeliner

Timeless: Priyanka, who plays the character Sati in the film, styled her thick brunette hair in a style reminiscent of classic Hollywood glamour

She walked the premiere's step-and-repeat with a smile on her face as she posed and gave interviews with her costars.

While speaking to a reporter, Priyanka and Jada Pinkett-Smith - who plays Niobe in the film - were asked which of the movie's infamous pills they would rather take, with red representing truth, and blue representing ignorant bliss.

The ladies agreed they'd prefer the red one. Priyanka said, 'I'm a red pill kind of girl. That's why I'm hanging out with her,' referring to Smith, who was in a strapless red gown.

The Matrix Resurrections comes out in theaters on December 22.

Castmates: She walked the premiere's step-and-repeat with a smile on her face as she posed and gave interviews with her costars.

Group photo: The Matrix Resurrections comes out in theaters on December 22
The Witcher's Eamon Farren has worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood.

But now the 36-year-old has revealed his biggest acting influencers were his teachers at Benowa State High School and.

Speaking to The Confidential, Eamon - who has worked with Cate Blanchett and Henry Cavill - said their belief meant everything to him.

Inspiration: The Witcher's Eamon Farren, 36, (pictured) has revealed his acting inspirations after rising to fame on the Netflix's global hit

'I've worked with some amazing people and incredible artists that have given me such knowledge but I honestly believe the most important thing I got early on were those teachers I met in Queensland that really said to me, ''You should do this'',' Farren told the publication.

'Because growing up in Queensland on the Gold Coast I was the drama nerd, and I went to a school where surfing was a subject, and to be the theatre kid, it was other.'

He credited the teachers for encouraging him to believe in himself.

'The whole drama department at Benowa State High, those were the teachers that actually said to me, you can go to drama school and you should do theatre and you should be an actor  And I think there wouldn't be a Cate Blanchett without those people, there wouldn't be me here probably.'

Praise: 'I've worked with some amazing people and incredible artists that have given me such knowledge but I honestly believe the most important thing I got early on were those teachers I met in Queensland that really said to me, ''You should do this'',' Farren told the publication.

'The permission to be you and do you is an incredible thing,' he finished.

Eamon has had somewhat of a quiet rise to success. After finishing school he went on to study at NIDA in Sydney.

He later auditioned for The Witcher while living in Los Angeles.

Star power: Eamon has worked alongside Henry Cavill (pictured) on the show

Break: Farren plays Cahir Mawr Dyffryn aep Ceallach, one of the villains of the show

Farren plays Cahir Mawr Dyffryn aep Ceallach, one of the villains of the Netflix drama.

Prior to being on The Witcher, he won an AACTA Award for his role in the successful mini-series, Carlotta, in 2015.

He also starred in The Dig, alongside Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan.
Jason Wilder parents two young girls as a single dad.

And the actor has some tips for surviving Christmas with a pair of tweens - let them buy their own presents.

He has two daughters, Savannah, 12, and Arielle, nine, and he tells Stellar they rule the roost.

Advice: Jason Wilder (pictured) parents two young girls as a single dad. And the actor has some tips for surviving Christmas with a pair of tweens - let them buy their own presents

'I think they just want to be able to buy their own stuff this year. They're like, "I don't want to be disappointed in your presents, so let me sort that out,'" he said.

'Gone are the days of trying to figure it out. [Now] they're just like, "I want to buy my own clothes and get my own make-up" and all that sort of stuff. I'm definitely entering a different stage of parenthood,' he added.

Jason has been shooting his new film You, Me and the Penguins, alongside Tammin Sursok in recent months.

'Gone are the days of trying to figure it out. [Now] they're just like, "I want to buy my own clothes and get my own make-up" and all that sort of stuff. I'm definitely entering a different stage of parenthood,' he said

The former Pretty Little Liars actress shared a particularly amusing moment from the set in July.

In footage posted to Instagram, co-star Jason is seen jumping up from his seat during what appears to be a script read-through with co stars Madeleine West and Nick Hardcastle.

'I got sh*t on by a lorikeet,' he's heard saying, before Nick added: 'You did, you really did.'

Tammin then asked what the commotion was all about with the other actors.

Laughs: Jason has been shooting his new film You, Me and the Penguins, alongside Tammin Sursok in recent months. The former Pretty Little Liars actress shared a particularly amusing moment from the set in July, when Jason was pooped on by a bird

'He just got pooped on,' Tammin then yelled, breaking into laughter.

You, Me and the Penguins was being shot in Brisbane with Tammin playing an outreach manager at the Animal Discovery Institute in San Diego.

Tammin's character is forced to travel to Australia's Crystal Bay Penguin Sanctuary when its threatened with closure.

The story arc gets its thrust when she gets heated with the head zoologist, played by Jason, after the pair are forced to work together.
Angelina Jolie was spotted out and about with her son Pax Thien Jolie-Pitt on ex husband Brad Pitt's 58th birthday.

The mom-of-six spent quality time with her second oldest child, 18, as they enjoyed lunch at Sugarfish and shopping at Fred Segal in West Hollywood.

Angelina, 46, wrapped up in a black trench coat and covered her face in a disposable black face mask.

Saturday out: Angelina Jolie was spotted out and about with her son Pax Thien Jolie-Pitt on ex husband Brad Pitt's 58th birthday

Angelina looked spiffy in a pair of grey, flared dress pants that peeked out from under her outerwear.

The movie star paired them with black patent leather heels.

She wore pendant earrings and sported a chic red manicure, which was visible as she held onto her coat.

Her dark hair was parted off center and pulled back behind her head.

One-on-one: The mom-of-six spent quality time with her 18-year-old second oldest child as they enjoyed lunch at Sugarfish and shopping at Fred Segal in West Hollywood

Over her mask her blue eyes stood out with black eyeliner and some understated mascara, and her dark brows were neatly shaped.

Jolie carried a medium size black leather handbag by Christian Dior.

Pax looked much more casual in a pair of dark trousers, white sneakers, and a white crewneck t-shirt.

His look was topped with a light grey windbreaker jacket, and he had a black hat handy. Like his mom, he also wore a black face mask.

Sleek: Angelina, 46, wrapped up in a black trench coat and covered her face in a disposable black face mask

The Eternals star was recently in Washington, DC with her daughter Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt, 16.

After the trip she took to Instagram to share a lengthy post with her 11.8 million followers.

She began the caption, 'Honored to visit Washington, DC, with Zahara, working with advocates and lawmakers to modernize and strengthen the #ViolenceAgainstWomenAct to include protections for childrens health and safety, communities of color, tribes, LGBTQ survivors, rural areas, and all survivors.'

The filmmaker looked professional and feminine in a white, short-sleeve button-up shirt that she tucked into a long, pleated skirt.

Women's champion: Angelina poses with her daughter Zahara and Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (Texas) in Washington, DC

Advocacy: The filmmaker meets with Senator Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) to update the Violence Against Women Act

Though Brad and Angelina have been declared legally single since 2019, they're still working out details pertaining to custody of their six children - Maddox, 20, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, 15, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 13.

In September it was revealed that Brad requested a review of the custody case after a court disqualified a private judge who granted him joint custody.

Lawyers for the star filed a petition for review with the California Supreme Court after the disqualification of Judge John Ouderkirk in July, effectively voiding the joint custody ruling, according to People.
Julia Roberts is currently in Australia filming her new movie A Ticket to Paradise.

And last weekend, the Oscar winner stunned shoppers when she waltzed into a Bonds underwear store at a Surfers Paradise shopping mall in Queensland.

The Herald Sun reports that the 54-year-old was at the Pacific Fair mall along with a friend.

Shop till you drop: Julia Roberts (pictured) is currently in Australia filming her new movie A Ticket to Paradise. Last weekend, the Oscar winner stunned shoppers when she waltzed into a Bonds underwear store at a Surfers Paradise shopping mall in Queensland

Staff at the shop instantly recognised the Pretty Woman star, who paid for a number of items of clothing.

It was revealed back in March that Julia and her co-star George Clooney were heading to Australia to film the hotly anticipated project.

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.

Local style: The Herald Sun reports that the 54-year-old was at the Pacific Fair mall along with a friend. Staff at the shop instantly recognised the Pretty Woman star, who paid for a number of items of clothing. Pictured: Bonds brand clothing

The movie also stars Billie Lourd as Dever's best friend, who travels with her to Bali, where she decides to marry a local.

The two-month project will be filmed entirely in Queensland, with the picturesque Whitsundays doubling for Bali.

The production is expected to generate $47million for the Australian economy and create more than 270 jobs.

Long-time pals: It was revealed back in March that Julia and her co-star George Clooney were heading to Australia to film the hotly anticipated project. Pictured in May 2016

Ticket to Paradise is written and directed by Ol Parker, who helmed The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.

Longtime friends George and Julia have starred in three films together - Oceans Eleven (2001), Oceans Twelve (2004) and Money Monster (2016).

George relocated to Australia in October with his human rights lawyer wife Amal and the couple's five-year-old twins, Alexander and Ella.

Julia also jetted into Australia in October, spending her quarantine period at a $56.9million mansion in Sydney's Vaucluse.
Shona McGarty has revealed she will be looking for love after the new year - but will certainly not be resorting to dating apps.

The EastEnders star, 30, is back on the market after calling it quits with her fiance Ryan Harris last January following an eighteen month engagement.

She told The Sun: 'Tinder is just not for me. What would I put on the profile? "Likes eating Monster Munch in bed? Takes long baths?" Forget swipe right, they'd delete the app.'

Stunning: Shona McGarty has revealed she will be looking for love after the new year - but will certainly not be resorting to dating apps

Claiming to be 'really happy at the moment', the actress said she's 'just moving forward' and keeping busy with work after the amicable split with electrician.

She admitted: 'It's been quite hard to date this year, and I've actually never been on a proper date, because I find it awkward. I prefer it when things are natural.

Having previously set up a profile on a dating app that she 'can't remember', Shona revealed that some of her friends have formed long-term relationships through the platforms.

She said: 'They've had kids and everything, but it's not for me. I'm much more of a people person, I like to meet someone in real life.

The British Soap Award nominee joked that currently she's 'looking forward to a cheeseboard at Christmas' and is enjoying her own company.

Tragic: The EastEnders star, 30, is back on the market after calling it quits with her fiance Ryan Harris last January following an eighteen month engagement

Speaking to Daily Star, she said of her split: 'We just grew apart. Nothing bad happened, it was all very amicable. We were together for a long time, but it just wasn't meant to be.

'I'm not ready to date anyone else at the moment and I think it's really important to have some time by yourself...

'As I've got older it's refreshing because I no longer care what people think of me any more. I'm definitely older and wiser...

'EastEnders has been a great place to grow up. I've been so lucky to have so many wonderful people around me.'

She previously said of her split: 'We just grew apart. Nothing bad happened, it was all very amicable. We were together for a long time, but it just wasn't meant to be'

Shona confirmed her engagement to Ryan in January 2018, and revealed he popped the question on her birthday by hiding the ring inside the cake.

Elsewhere, she is set to be involved in a huge upcoming Christmas storyline on EastEnders in which her character discovers the truth about serial killer Gray Atkins.

With Gray (Toby-Alexander Smith) having killed three Walford residents, including her boyfriend Kush Kazemi, Whitney determines to expose him on his wedding day with Chelsea Fox.

In an interview with Metro.co.uk, the actress revealed how Whitney is 'petrified' when in comes to exposing the cold-hearted killer.

She explained: 'Whitney and Chelsea have grown quite close, and she feels very protective of her. She's pretty sure Gray murdered Chantelle, so when Chelsea rings her saying 'help me, help me', she drops everything and runs.'

She went on to say that after knowing the dodgy lawyer for 'a long time', she's grown concerned after spotting certain behaviours in him, including aggression.

Shona added: 'I think initially she put that down to the fact he'd lost his wife, he's a single parent and he's finding it all very difficult, but the warning signs are there now and she's expecting to find out that there is more to it and that he's not a very nice person.'

She concluded: 'She's definitely risking her own life. Whitney is very selfless. She would risk her own life to save someone else, she's very much like that.'
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She launched her own swimwear brand Kimberley London back in 2013.

And Kimberley Garner looked sensational as she enjoyed a trip to the beach in Miami, Florida on Saturday.

The former Made In Chelsea star, 30, who was joined by a pal, displayed her incredible figure in a bright blue swimsuit.

Wow: Kimberley Garner looked sensational as she enjoyed a trip to the beach in Miami, Florida on Saturday

The one-piece showed off Kimberley's sun-kissed tan while she also sported a wrap skirt while strolling on the sands.

Letting her blonde locks fall loose down her shoulders, the media personality also sported a beige hat.

Kimberley went for a dip in the water during her day out and brought her pet pooch with her.

The star appeared in good spirits as she was seen sharing a laugh with her friend on the outing.

Stunning: The former Made In Chelsea star, 30, displayed her incredible figure in a bright blue swimsuit

Beach: Kimberley also sported a wrap skirt while strolling on the sands

Kimberley had a busy summer posing on beaches around the world in her own designs, including during the Cannes Film Festival in France in July.

She recently shared some snaps of herself in a black bikini as she posed on the white sandy beach of the Cap Juluca, A Belmond Hotel on the Caribbean island of Anguilla.

She could be seen wearing the dark swimwear which left her toned midriff on show.

Kimberley enjoyed the summer with her boyfriend, and is yet to reveal his identity.

Radiant: The media personality also sported a beige hat as she soaked up the sun

Fun in the sun: Kimberley brought her pet pooch with her as she made the most of the warm weather

Flawless: At one point, the star styled her tresses into an updo

The influencer previously surprised fans when she revealed she cancelled a secret wedding and ended a long-term relationship last summer.

Speaking to MailOnline in September 2019, Kimberley confirmed she had called it quits with her former boyfriend.

The businesswoman said: 'I ended the relationship recently. It was a really wonderful three years and we are still good friends today.'

It comes after she risked a very awkward wardrobe malfunction at the world premiere of No Time to Die at the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington in September.

Pals: The star appeared in good spirits as she was seen sharing a laugh with her friend on the outing

Trip: Kimberley had a busy summer posing on beaches around the world in her own designs, including during the Cannes Film Festival in France in July

Interview: The influencer previously surprised fans when she revealed she cancelled a secret wedding and ended a long-term relationship the previous summer

Past: Speaking to MailOnline in September 2019, Kimberley confirmed she had called it quits with her former boyfriend

The Sloane Ranger put on a very racy display in a daring white cut out gown as she walked the red carpet for the star-studded screening for Daniel Craig's final outing as James Bond.

She ensured she herself had a licence to thrill as she flashed plenty of leg and a hint of side-boob as she posed up a storm for the cameras.

The beauty oozed confidence as she strutted her stuff in the risque number which was slashed at the chest.

It featured a perilously high split which almost revealed more than Kimberley intended.

The businesswoman said: 'I ended the relationship recently'

Limelight: Kimberley previously found fame when she appeared on E4's Made In Chelsea

Following: The star boasts over 540,000 followers on Instagram

Event: It comes after she risked a very awkward wardrobe malfunction at the world premiere of No Time to Die at the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington in September

Outfit: It featured a perilously high split which almost revealed more than Kimberley intended

Kimberley boosted her height with pointed perspex heels with a diamante strap and accessorised her show-stopping look with a dazzling silver cuff.

The stunner let her outfit do all the talking by leaving her blonde tresses in a loose style, while she highlighted her features with a light palette of make-up.

Kimberley made the most of her time on the red carpet as she was also seen posing next to an impressive motorbike.
Molly-Mae Hague shared a rare look into her new home following the burglary at her former flat in Manchester in October.

The former Love Island star, 22, and her boyfriend Tommy Fury, also 22, had to move from their penthouse in the city before moving into their new place.

Molly-Mae has hired 24/7 security for the new property and vowed that she would not share as much of the new pad on social media.

Nice: Molly-Mae Hague, 22, has shared a rare look into her new home following the burglary at her former flat in Manchester in October

The burglars 'took everything' including jewellery and designer goods last month.

She took to Instagram on Saturday to post a picture of her kitchen and wrote alongside the snap: 'Cleaning day.'

The grey-themed kitchen looked spotless and was complete with bar stools and stunning countertops.

A source told MailOnline at the time of the burglary: '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'.

New home: The former Love Island star and her boyfriend Tommy Fury had to move from their penthouse in the city before moving into their new place

At around 10pm on Thursday October 21, 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.'

While Molly Mae and Tommy partied in London, the gang descended on their block of flats, in which there are five other properties.

Emotional: A source told MailOnline at the time of the burglary: 'Molly's taking no chances - she's hired 24/7 Confidentiality Protection as well as her other security'

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...

'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.'
Sofia Richie and her boyfriend Elliot Grainge were spotted running errands together in Beverly Hills on Sunday morning.

The 23-year-old model and her partner, 28, were spotted staying close while walking through a parking garage during their outing.

The happy couple has been romantically involved for the better part of this past year, and they went Instagram official with their romance in March.

Quality time: Sofia Richie and her boyfriend Elliot Grainge were spotted running errands together in Beverly Hills on Sunday morning

Richie kept it casual in a slightly oversized light beige sweater during her time with Grainge.

The social media personality complemented her top with a near-matching pair of shoes and a slightly distressed pair of blue jeans.

The fashion industry figure also kept a stylish purse slung over her left shoulder.

Her gorgeous and typically free-flowing blonde locks were tied back tightly.

Staying comfortable: Richie kept it casual in a slightly oversized light beige sweater during her time with Grainge

Color coordination: The social media personality complemented her top with a near-matching pair of shoes and a slightly distressed pair of blue jeans

Grainge sported a black crewneck sweater and a matching pair of sweats as he stepped out with his girlfriend.

The music industry figure contrasted the dominant tone of his outfit with a pair of beige-and-white sneakers.

He also kept the shining California sun out of his eyes with a gray cap.

Both the model and her boyfriend sported facial coverings to keep themselves protected from COVID-19.

Staying safe: Both the model and her boyfriend sported facial coverings to keep themselves protected from COVID-19

Richie and Grainge were initially spotted spending time together in several locations before they went Instagram official.

Prior to becoming involved with the music industry figure, the model was in a long-term relationship with Scott Disick.

The former couple remained together for several years until they went through a much-publicized breakup in 2020.

The two attempted to salvage their relationship on several occasions but went their separate ways for good in September of that year.

In the past: Prior to becoming involved with the music industry figure, the model was in a long-term relationship with Scott Disick; they are seen in 2019

Richie went on to begin a relationship with Grainge, and an insider recently spoke to E! News to express how well she had adjusted to her new boyfriend.

'They are a great match and it's going really well. Sofia and Elliot currently live together and the adjustment has been so easy and seamless,' they said.

The source also expressed that the model and the executive had already discussed taking their relationship to the next level.

'They have talked about getting engaged and it's something that Sofia wants and is looking forward to,' they stated.
Helen George has opened up about her second pregnancy saying say she was 'adamant' to keep on working throughout.

The Call The Midwife star, 37, also told The Mirror that she feels that there is too much 'prejudice' in the industry regarding women working while pregnant.

The star gave birth to baby Lark back in November and has a four-year-old daughter Wren with her partner and former co-star Jack Ashton.

Hard worker: Helen George, 37, has opened up about her second pregnancy saying say she was 'adamant' to keep on working through out the nine months (pictured holding her newborn Lark)

She revealed to the publication: 'I was quite adamant to carry on working through my pregnancy, which was absolutely fine. I think sometimes there is a prejudice that pregnant women shouldnt work, especially in our industry. It was important to me to carry on.'

She shared her thoughts on working as an actress while pregnant: Its not always easy for women to stay working when theyre pregnant. I think women have it hard in every profession, especially acting. Im quite passionate about advocating that were fine [to work] and the team can shoot around you. Theres no reason that shouldnt happen.'

Helen gave birth to Wren back in November, a little earlier than she had expected - but assured that she was healthy.

Opening up: The Call The Midwife star also told The Mirror that she feels that there is too much 'prejudice' in the industry regarding women working while pregnant (pictured earlier this year)

Helen finished filming for the 11th series back in September and expressed her relief that she was able to prepare for the baby's arrival.

She described herself as 'lucky' to have been on the series for 10 years, and even keeps Trixie's first medical bag on her mantelpiece.

Helen announced the birth of Lark back in November with a sweet snap of Jack holding the newborn.

She wished Jack a happy birthday in the caption and jokingly apologised that he now has to now share a birthday week with her.

Helen, who is best known for playing Trixie Franklin in the BBC series, shared the news she was expecting her second child in July.

Jack played Trixie's one-time fiance, Reverend Tom Hereward in Call The Midwife and the couple met on the set of the medical drama.
Oritse Williams has announced his engagement to girlfriend Kazz Kumar.

The JLS hitmaker, 35, popped the question to marketing manager and former songstress Kazz, 37, back in October during the band's successful reunion tour.

Charmer Oritse whisked an oblivious Kazz to the Miskin Manor Hotel in Cardiff for what she believed was a Valentine's-themed photoshoot with motorbike manufacturer Harley-Davidson.

Congratulations! JLS star Oritse Williams has announced his engagement to Kazz Kumar after meeting the former songstress online

Reliving the sweet moment, the Beat Again pop star told Hello! Magazine: 'I went all in. I commissioned photographers, videographers and made up a timesheet and moodboards. Harley-Davidson were in on it too and provided the bikes and jackets and lanyards.'

The smitten pair went official with their relationship in July last year after meeting via social media.

At the time of their blossoming relationship, the boy band member expressed the importance of experiencing something 'genuine' without interference or distraction.

Wedding bells: The JLS hitmaker, 35, popped the question to marketing manager and former songstress Kazz, 37, back in October during the band's successful reunion tour

Elsewhere during the interview, a loved up Oritse detailed the lengths he went to for his bride-to-be.

Of the engagement ring, he explained: 'I wanted to find a colour similar to Kazz's favourite crystal, rose quartz, so I had a pink sapphire flown over from Sri Lanka, which is where her heritage is from.'

An equally smitten Kazz told the magazine that she knew from the very first date with Oritse that she wanted to be with him for the rest of her life, branding him the 'sweetest and kindest soul in the entire world.'

Love story: The smitten pair went official with their relationship in July last year after meeting via social media

Love at first sight: A loved-up Kazz told Hello! Magazine that she knew from the very first date with Oritse that she wanted to be with him for the rest of her life

The Londoner, who teased that the couple were on 'cloud trillion' as opposed to cloud nine, spoke of how his JLS bandmates Aston Merrygold, JB Gill and Marvin Humes are 'over the moon for both of us.'

Marvin, JB, Aston and their partners Rochelle, Chloe and Sarah  who between them have seven children - have welcomed Kazz with open arms.

'The JLS kids absolutely love her. I had to peel them off her to give her a kiss before I went on stage during the tour. They were like, "No, shes our Kazz!"' the husband-to-be said.
Former child star Brooke Shields proudly announced Sunday that both of her teenage daughters Rowan Francis Henchy and Grier Hammond Henchy are 'home for the holidays.'

The 56-year-old native New Yorker - who boasts 3.6M social media followers - received glowing comments from comedian Ali Wentworth and Sex and the City author Candace Bushnell.

18-year-old Rowan is attending Wake Forest University in North Carolina following her graduation from Cold Spring Harbor High School in New York.

Family reunion: Former child star Brooke Shields proudly announced Sunday that both of her teenage daughters Rowan Francis Henchy (L) and Grier Hammond Henchy (R) are 'home for the holidays'

15-year-old Grier recently modeled for the winter 2021 campaign for New York clothing company, Cool Is A Construct.

Brooke's post came two weeks after she called Grier an 'a**hole' while appearing on the Armchair Expert podcast hosted by Dax Shepard and Monica Padman.

'The 15-year-old shocks me at times...She's a social justice warrior. She can take an argument. I'd love her to be a prosecutor,' Shields said on December 6.

'That's so great!' The 56-year-old native New Yorker received glowing comments from comedian Ali Wentworth and Sex and the City author Candace Bushnell

College student: 18-year-old Rowan (pictured June 9) is attending Wake Forest University in North Carolina following her graduation from Cold Spring Harbor High School in New York

Following in her mother's footsteps: 15-year-old Grier (pictured December 10) just modeled for the winter 2021 campaign for New York clothing company, Cool Is A Construct

'[Grier] just FaceTimed me about this dress she wants to buy, and it's this big drama, and I'm trying to succinctly tell her what is the best plan of action to get said dress, and then in case, if said dress doesn't fit a certain way, we can get another one.

'It's this whole thing, but I was laying it out and then I get a text saying, "I really don't appreciate the way you talk to me. I think you talk to me like I am a child." And I'm like, "Hmm, okay..."'

The A Castle for Christmas producer-star said Grier and Rowan are like 'night and day,' which is 'crazy' because they have the 'same parents, same bodies, same house.'

'The 15-year-old shocks me at times': Brooke's post came two weeks after she called Grier an 'a**hole' while appearing on the Armchair Expert podcast hosted by Dax Shepard (L) and Monica Padman (R)

Shields said on December 6: 'I get a text [from Grier] saying, "I really don't appreciate the way you talk to me. I think you talk to me like I am a child." And I'm like, "Hmm, okay..."'

2020 family portrait: The A Castle for Christmas producer-star said Grier and Rowan are like 'night and day,' which is 'crazy' because they have the 'same parents, same bodies, same house' (pictured with her husband of 20 years Chris Henchy)

Brooke also admitted her children's 'first love' is their father - Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga producer Chris Henchy - whom she married 20 years ago.

Shields will next compete on the lie detector game show Would I Lie to You - premiering next year on The CW - hosted by Aasif Mandvi and featuring team captains Sabrina Jalees and Matt Walsh.

The Princeton grad taped her episode of the BBC comedy panel show spin-off on November 10 alongside fellow guests Amber Ruffin, Ayad Akhtar, and Sal Vulcano.
It's not every day you find yourself sitting in the same restaurant as Hollywood royalty.

So it's no wonder local diners were stunned when George Clooney and wife Amal caught up for brunch with Julia Roberts at Brisbane's Calile Hotel on Saturday.

The trio are currently staying in Queensland while George and Julia film their new movie Ticket to Paradise.

Stars on the menu: George Clooney and wife Amal (right) were seen catching up for brunch with Julia Roberts (left) at Brisbane's Calile Hotel restaurant on Saturday

Photos taken by an onlooker show Amal, 43, and Julia, 54, on one side of the table as George, 60, sits opposite with his hands clasped and elbows resting on the table.

It is believed they dined at the Calile's upmarket lobby bar, which boasts a menu featuring $75 rib-eye steak and a $60 charcuterie plate.

Julia looked sleek in a black long-sleeve top and gold bead necklace, and tied her hair back into a low ponytail.

Laid back: Photos taken by an onlooker show Amal, 43, and Julia, 54, on one side of the table as George, 60, (left) sits opposite with his hands clasped and elbows resting on the table

Meanwhile, Amal looked typically stylish in a beige singlet.

The human rights lawyer parted her dark brown locks to the side and propped a pair of sunglasses on her head.

George dressed down in a simple black polo shirt and placed his sunglasses on the table in front of him.

Project: Julia and George started filming Ticket to Paradise last month on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane, and then moved to the Whitsundays shortly afterwards

The trio appeared to be drinking wine with their meal.

Julia and George started filming Ticket to Paradise last month on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane, and then moved to The Whitsundays shortly afterwards.

The high-profile actors play a divorced couple who travel to Bali in a desperate bid to stop their daughter, played by Kaitlyn Dever, from getting married.

Down Under: It was revealed in March that George and Julia were heading to Australia to film the hotly anticipated project

The movie also stars Billie Lourd as Dever's best friend, who travels with her to Bali, where she decides to marry a local.

It was revealed in March that George and Julia were heading to Australia to film the hotly anticipated project.

George relocated to Australia in October with Amal and the couple's five-year-old twins, Alexander and Ella.

'You have to stay in one place for 14 days until you're finally allowed to go out and breathe': Despite spending their mandatory 14-day quarantine period at a sprawling NSW Southern Highlands estate rather than the usual hotel, George still complained about the conditions

Despite spending their mandatory 14-day quarantine period at a sprawling NSW Southern Highlands estate rather than the usual hotel, George still complained about the conditions.

'You have to stay in one place for 14 days until you're finally allowed to go out and breathe,' he told WTF podcast host Marc Maron.

Julia also jetted into Australia in October, spending her quarantine period at a $56.9million mansion in Sydney's Vaucluse.

Quarantining in luxury: Julia also jetted into Australia in October, spending her quarantine period at a $56.9million mansion in Sydney's Vaucluse

The property was the former rental home of Lachlan and Sarah Murdoch, the son and daughter-in-law of Australian-born media mogul Rupert Murdoch.

The home was patrolled by around-the-clock armed guards, while multiple chefs, waiters and housekeepers stayed with Julia as part of her travel bubble.

George and Julia are good friends in real life, having first met on the set of Ocean's Eleven in 2001.
Washington: After the overwhelming response from fans on the recently released 'Spider-Man: No Way Home', Kevin Feige--president of Marvel Studios has confirmed that the production company and Sony are currently working on developing at least one more movie for the 'Spider-Man' franchise.

As per The Hollywood Reporter, the Marvel Studios president says he outright confirmed the news "because I don't want fans to go through any separation trauma like what happened after 'Far From Home.'"

The outlet obtained the quotes of Feige and 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' producer Amy Pascal from an interview published on Friday with the New York Times where both of them confirmed that their respective studios are currently inactive talks about where to take the superhero following the events of Tom Holland's third turn as the famed web-slinger.

"Amy and I and Disney and Sony are talking about -- yes, we're actively beginning to develop where the story heads next, which I only say outright because I don't want fans to go through any separation trauma like what happened after Far From Home. That will not be occurring this time," said Feige, mentioning the brief period in 2019 where the deal for Disney and Sony to co-produce the movies fell through.

For the unversed, around two months after Spider-Man: Far From Home was released, it was reported in August 2019 that negotiations between Sony film studio chief Tom Rothman and Feige on the then untitled third 'Spider-Man' movie had broken down.

The deal falling through-- and at the time, seemingly ending the studios' 'Spider-Man' partnership -- was reportedly due to Disney's request for a higher percentage of the third film's gross, as well as all merchandising revenue, a request that Sony turned down. That standoff between Disney and Sony eventually came to an end in September 2019, thanks in part to Holland himself, reported The Hollywood Reporter.

During the recent interview, Pascal teased that 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' ending will be the launch point for another chapter.

"At the end of the movie we just made, you see Spider-Man make a momentous decision, one that you've never seen him make before. It's a sacrifice. And that gives us a lot to work with for the next film," said Pascal.

For the uninformed, the Sony producer had indicated in a November interview that there were three more films in the works with Tom Holland attached.

"This is not the last movie that we are going to make with Marvel -- [this is not] the last Spider-Man movie. We are getting ready to make the next Spider-Man movie with Tom Holland and Marvel. We're thinking of this as three films, and now we're going to go on to the next three. This is not the last of our MCU movies," stated Pascal.
Amaravati Farmers, Various Political leaders take out Nyayasthanam (Tulluru) to Devasthanam (Tirupati) Maha Padayatra against the Three capitals in Guntur district on Monday. (DC Image)

Vijayawada: The movement demanding decentralised development under distributed capitals is swiftly gaining momentum in AP.

This comes in the background of pro-Amaravati farmers, backed mainly by TDP, continuing protests for past two years and recently intensifying their agitation. They conducted a padayatra to Tirupati for 44 days, which culminated into a big public meeting on Friday at Tirupati, giving a message to people that their demand for only one capital at Amaravati has gained strength.

The padayatra has forced people of Rayalaseema, North Andhra and coastal regions to think twice about the severe impact of centralised development at Amaravati. Not to lose out, they have started their movements for distributed capitals in Rayalaseema, north Andhra and coastal regions.

Medhavula Chaitanya Vedika, Vidyarthi Upadhyaya Medhavula Forum, Andhra Pradesh Abhivruddhi Porata Samithi, Uttarandhra Rashtriya Samithi, Aikya Dalita Mahanadu, Rayalaseema Medhavula Forum and other organisations are raising their voices against centralised development focused on Amaravati. They are demanding distributed capitals for decentralised development of all regions in the state.

Supporters of three capitals also held a big public meeting at Tirupati on Saturday seeking three capitals. Rayalaseema Rights Organisation leader B. Subramanyam Reddy said their movement is fast spreading in the state, mainly among students. He announced plans of a padayatra from Srikakulam or Srisailam to Amaravati in support of three capitals.

Uttarandhra Rashtriya Samithi president Raju Goud welcomed decentralised development saying North Andhra has been neglected for decades despite their support to Telugu Desam. He announced that they are going to conduct a Maha Padayatra in support of three capitals in the coming days.

Leaders of Vidyarthi Upadhyaya Medhavula Forum said centralised development in Hyderabad led to bifurcation of united Andhra Pradesh. If there is no distributed development, there could be further divisions of AP. Andhra Pradesh Abhivruddhi Porata Samithi leaders accused Amaravati farmers of trying to create disturbances in Rayalaseema area demanding development of only their region.
Saudi Arabian officials allowed local quarantine of five days for migrant workers. As a result, lower flight charges and the reduction of 14-day quarantine to five days gave them some relief.  Representational image/DC

HYDERABAD: In the backdrop of snowballing Omicron fears, several Gulf migrants have cut short their vacation and flown back to the Gulf countries to resume their work.

Also, anticipating a possible hike in flight charges and likely restrictions on flight services, several migrants have reached back their homeland while there is also a rush to return to the work stations. This happens both ways.

Gulf migrants belonging to Adilabad, Karimnagar and Nizamabad districts are hurriedly finalising their travel plans for fear of eruption of a third wave courtesy the Omicron spread.

Due to the Covid-19s adverse effect on the aviation sector finances, a few airlines have collected huge fares from those flying out of Gulf countries to India. The migrant workers, mostly belonging to north Telangana state districts, were forced to pay hefty sums for travel.

In addition, quarantine charges too burdened them in the last few months. To reach Saudi Arabia, Kuwait or Bahrain, the migrants had to have a 14-day quarantine in Sri Lanka, Maldives or Dubai en route to their destination.

For instance, a migrant worker from India usually pays Rs 90,000 to reach Saudi Arabia. But the midway quarantine rule forced passengers to pay as high as Rs 1.50 lakh.

Reportedly, Saudi Arabian officials allowed local quarantine of five days for migrant workers. As a result, lower flight charges and the reduction of 14-day quarantine to five days gave them some relief. In these circumstances, some migrant workers thought it fit to cut short their tour plans and reach back to the workplaces earlier than what was originally planned.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle from Sharjah, migrant worker Ashok of Jagiryal village in Bheemgal mandal of Nizamabad district said he got RT-PCR tests done thrice  at home, the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) at Hyderabad and at Dubai Airport before he reached the destination.

Travellers must reach the airport at least three hours before their scheduled time of departure, to take the RT-PCR tests. I resumed my work in Sharjah after showing a Covid negative report, he said.

Pendem Srinivas, who runs a travel agency at Morthad in Nizamabad district, said a few migrant workers are showing an interest to reach back to the Gulf countries soon. If a lockdown is imposed in India in the event of a third wave, the migrant workers will be stuck here and lose their employment in the Gulf countries, he pointed out.

If their personal matters like attending marriages, housewarming ceremonies etc., are completed in their native places, the workers are ready to return for work. Only the new visa holders are facing restrictions in the Gulf countries. Else, the civil identity card holders are simply resuming their work a bit early too, he explained.
Three trucks on the bridge fell off and a car was crushed under the collapsed single-column bridge. (Representational Image: PTI)

Beijing: Four were killed and eight left injured after a part of a ramp bridge in the city of Ezhou in central China's Hubei Province, collapsed on Saturday.

The accident took place at around 3:36 p.m. (local time) when part of the ramp bridge spanning over an expressway collapsed.

Three trucks on the bridge fell off and a car was crushed under the collapsed single-column bridge, closing the two-way traffic of the expressway, Xinhua reported citing the provincial transport and police departments.

An unknown number of people were working on the bridge when the accident happened. Preliminary investigation showed that an overloaded truck with a weight of 198 tonnes broke into two pieces when falling off, sending two other vehicles down with it, Xinhua reported.

Investigation on the cause of the accident is still underway.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi shaking hands with Afghanistan's Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi before their meeting in Islamabad. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan / AFP)

ISLAMABAD: Envoys from 57 Islamic nations as well as observer delegations were meeting in Pakistan Sunday for a summit aimed at relieving the humanitarian crisis in neighbouring Afghanistan, while testing diplomatic ties with its new Taliban rulers.

The meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation is the biggest major conference on Afghanistan since the US-backed government fell in August.

After the Taliban's lightning return to power, billions of dollars in aid and assets were frozen by the international community, and the nation of 38 million now faces a bitter winter.

The United Nations has repeatedly warned that Afghanistan is on the brink of the world's worst humanitarian emergency with a combined food, fuel and cash crisis.

On Sunday, Pakistan's capital was on lockdown, ring-fenced with barbed wire barriers and shipping-container roadblocks where police and soldiers stood guard.

Any aid pledges were set to be announced Sunday evening.

Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is among the delegates, alongside others from the United States, China, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations.

Pakistani officials said 70 delegations were taking part.

No nations have yet formally recognised the Taliban government and diplomats face the delicate task of channelling aid to the stricken Afghan economy without also propping up the hardline Islamists.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said the meeting would speak "for the people of Afghanistan" rather than "a particular group".

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were the only three countries to recognise the previous Taliban government of 1996 to 2001.

Qureshi said there was a difference between "recognition and engagement" with the new order in Kabul.

"Let us nudge them through persuasion, through incentives, to move in the right direction," he told reporters ahead of the OIC meeting.

"A policy of coercion and intimidation did not work. If it had worked, we wouldn't have been in this situation."
The country's largest airline, IndiGo, is working with other industry players and the civil aviation ministry to address a "long-standing problem" of the high indirect tax rate, which currently stands at 21 per cent, according to its chief Ronojoy Dutta.

In his Christmas and New Year greetings to the employees, the IndiGo CEO also flagged that profitability is under considerable pressure owing to the low airfare regime, at a time when the carrier is focusing on "repairing" its balance sheet. His views also come at a time when the civil aviation sector is slowly on the recovery path after being battered by the coronavirus pandemic.

While various restrictions, including on travel, were being eased till late last month, the emergence of the Omicron variant has triggered fresh health concerns and various countries have started to re-impose curbs to contain the infections. The domestic aviation industry has been pitching for lower direct and indirect taxes at various levels.

Also Read  Privatisation: Changing tracks aided Air India, derailed BPCL sale

"We pay over 21 per cent of our revenues as indirect taxes to the government. We think it is unconscionable that a critical infrastructure industry such as aviation, with its large multiplier effects in employment, should be taxed at such a high rate. We are working with other players in the industry and the civil aviation ministry to address this long-standing problem," Dutta said in the message.

The IndiGo chief also pointed out that even as the domestic aviation market is growing rapidly, post the second wave, which almost grounded air travel demand, airline ticket prices in India are among the "lowest" in the world.

"As income levels in the country rise, we can expect some relief in the form of higher ticket prices, but in the meantime, there is considerable pressure on profitability," he said.

During the pandemic, the airline incurred huge losses and has been forced to take on a large amount of debt to fund its cash burn, Dutta said and emphasised that "repairing our balance sheet is an urgent task".

Also Read  2 airlines issued show-cause notices for not following Covid guidelines for international arrivals

Outlining the "game plan" for the future, Dutta said maintaining the cost leadership position is, of course, of "critical importance" amid heightened domestic competition along with international expansion, as "we see immense scope for profitable growth in geographies all around us".

"We see opportunities for improving our revenues by further segmenting our customer base and offering additional services tailored to each segment. Developing our cargo business is one of our major initiatives," he said.

Significantly, 2022 is expected to see two more players -- ace investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala's ultra-long cost carrier Akasa and grounded Jet Airways under new owners (Jalan-Kalrock consortium) -- taking to the skies.

Dutta said the airline's growth prospects are well reflected in its fleet plan, with growth muted for the next 24 months but then expected to accelerate to 25 per cent per annum. "... given the environmental challenges of our planet, we will be making investments in sustainable growth".

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Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif will wrap up the shoot of their latest movie Tiger 3 after a 15-day sechdule in New Delhi, according to a report carried by Pinkvilla. Key action sequences will be filmed in real locations during this leg. The team has already made arrangements to ensure that things go as planned and the stars will join the shoot in January.

This will be Kat's first major professional assignment after her marriage. The New York actor tied the knot with Vicky Kaushal last week in a grand yet private ceremony, which was attended by their close friends and relatives. The wedding festivities were held amid tight security. Guests were asked to refrain from carrying mobiles to the venue to maintain privacy.

Tiger 3 is the third installment of the Tiger series. The franchise began with the 2012 release Ek Tha Tiger, which revolved around the love story of an Indian spy and an ISI agent. The blockbuster was followed by Tiger Zinda Hai, which emerged as a success. It remains to be seen whether Tiger 3 manages to take the franchise to new heights.

The film is being directed by Maneesh Sharma, who rose to fame with Ranveer Singh's Band Baaja Baaraat, and is the biggest project of his career. It is a part of Yash Raj Films' 'Spy Universe, which includes Pathan. The film stars Emraan Hashmi as the antagonist and is his first film with 'Bhai'. The movie revolves around what happens when the hero locks horns with his Pakistani counterpart. It is likely to hit the screens next year.

Salman, meanwhile, is working on Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali, which is reportedly an adaptation of the Tamil movie Veeram. There were talks of him playing the lead role in the Hindi adaption of Vijay's Master but that is unlikely to happen.

Kat, on the other hand, will soon be seen in Phone Bhoot. She also has a superhero movie in her kitty
Former Brexit negotiator David Frost on Saturday resigned from the government with immediate effect, topping a torrid week for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson after a party rebellion on new coronavirus curbs and by-election humiliation.

Frost, a trusted ally of the prime minister, sent his resignation letter following reports that he was to leave his post in January.

"It is disappointing that this plan has become public this evening and in the circumstances I think it is right for me to write to step down with immediate effect," he said in the letter, published by Johnson's Downing Street office.

Frost told Johnson he had "concerns about the current direction of travel" regarding coronavirus regulations and tax rises.

Johnson responded that he was "very sorry" to receive the resignation, "given everything you have achieved and contribute to this government".

The Mail on Sunday earlier reported that Frost had handed in his resignation a week ago, but had been persuaded to stay on until the New Year.

Johnson is already reeling from a rebellion by 100 of his MPs in a parliamentary vote over coronavirus measures and the stunning loss of a 23,000-majority seat in a by-election.

That was partly blamed on a slew of reports that his staff and aides had held parties last Christmas despite virus restrictions in place at the time.

The by-election loss for Johnson's Conservatives intensified speculation of a leadership challenge.

Frost recently came 2nd in a poll of most popular ministers held by ConservativeHome, an influential blog read by the grassroot Tories who could end up deciding Johnson's replacement.

The deputy leader of the main opposition Labour party Angela Rayner said the resignation demonstrated "a government in total chaos right when the country faces an uncertain few weeks.

"@BorisJohnson isn't up to the job. We deserve better than this buffoonery," she tweeted.

Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen warned Johnson was "running out of time and out of friends to deliver on the promises and discipline of a true Conservative government.

"Lord Frost has made it clear, 100 Conservative backbenchers have made it clear, but most importantly so did the people of North Shropshire," he wrote on Twitter.

And Arlene Foster, who stepped down as Northern Ireland's first minister because of post-Brexit trading arrangements in the UK province, said it had huge implications.

"The resignation of Lord Frost from the Cabinet is a big moment for the Government but enormous for those of us who believed he would deliver for NI," she wrote on Twitter.

Frost told Johnson in his resignation letter: "I hope we will move as fast as possible to where we need to get to: a lightly regulated, low-tax, entrepreneurial economy.

"We also need to learn to live with Covid and I know that is your instinct too," he said, in apparent reference to the new measures introduced by the government last week.

"You took a brave decision in July, against considerable opposition, to open up the country again. Sadly it did not prove to be irreversible, as I wished, and believe you did too.

"I hope we can get back on track soon and not be tempted by the kind of coercive measures we have seen elsewhere," he added.

Frost had been locked in talks for weeks over the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol, which governs trade between the British mainland of England, Scotland and Wales, and Northern Ireland, and with the European Union.

He was especially focused on revamping the agreement's governance, objecting that the EU's highest court in Luxembourg has power over its implementation.

He seemed to be at odds with his government over the issue earlier in the week, when a government spokesman appeared to suggest there could be some softening on its position on the EU's role as arbiter.

Frost, 56, was appointed as Johnson's so-called EU "sherpa" shortly after the British leader took office in July 2019, and became chief trade negotiator after helping to finalise last year's divorce deal.

A career diplomat with the Foreign Office, his resume features stints in Brussels in the 1990s and as ambassador to Denmark from 2006 to 2008.

More recently, Frost spent nearly three years as chief executive of the Scotch Whisky Association and briefly became chief executive of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

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By Peter Yeung,

Michael Schaper, head of Hamburgs storm surge security team, gestures to a road that passes over a nearby bridge and across the harbourside HafenCity district.

Do you see how it gradually rises? he says. The fact that the street level is just a few meters higher over there means it will be flood-protected for the next century.

Schaper is referring to a 157-hectare, semi-artificial island on the banks of the River Elbe in the German port city, which experts describe as one of the worlds most innovative urban flood protection systems  even though it uses a technique thats millennia-old.

Touted by its developers as a blueprint for the new European city on the waterfront, HafenCity is a once-derelict harbour district thats now filled with striking new buildings, including solar-powered apartment blocks and the 866-million-euro Elbphilharmonie concert hall, a mass of shimmering glass shaped like a giant wave that was designed by architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron. When HafenCity is fully complete, the massive development zone  a mix of affordable and market-rate housing complexes, office buildings and cultural spaces  will house 15,000 residents and 45,000 workers.

But beyond the glitz, Hamburgs focus on adaptability and multi-functional design are why the district and the city around it are being championed as a model for climate change resilience.

HafenCity is outside of the dike line, which is the citys main flood defence, says Schaper, referring to the 103 kilometre-long dike that has protected Hamburg for decades. But as our population grows and the weather becomes more and more extreme, we need to find new solutions for how to safely expand.

Officially established in 2008, much of HafenCity is built on top of an artificial sand terrace, known as a terp, that lofts new construction, roads and public spaces 7.8 to 8.5 meters above the high-tide line. Some older buildings, including the districts UNESCO-protected red-brick Speicherstadt warehouses that date back to the 1880s, remain at their original lower level, but they have been hardened to withstand occasional inundation, with direct exits to the upper level and reinforced windows and other forms of waterproofing below. Public promenades along the riverside are likewise designed to be floodable.

Its a dramatic example of how a city can plan new development around the certainty of future flooding. While Hamburg sits more than 100 kilometres from the North Sea, its lowlands are vulnerable both to storm surges and heavy rainfall. About 45% of the city, where 326,000 of the citys 1.8 million inhabitants live, would regularly flood if there were no defences, according to Gabriele Gonnert, a professor at the Institute for Geography at the University of Hamburg.

Also read: Climate change cannot be ignored or neglected: German envoy

To protect the city, Hamburg long relied on a dike system. But that defence was breached, spectacularly, in February 1962, when storm front Vincinette swept over the north German coast and along the Elbe. The dike failed at 63 locations, submerging almost one-fifth of the municipality and killing 315 people. For three days, the city was without electricity, gas or telephone connection.

As a consequence, much of Hamburgs city centre and suburbs are today surrounded by a newer dike, 25 kilometres of which is seawall and 78 kilometres of green wall covered in vegetation. A dike defence organisation of 300 members carries out patrols and checks the conditions, using a stock of 190,000 sandbags to temporarily reinforce it if necessary. Extending the dike around HafenCity, however, was deemed impossible due to environmental and logistical challenges. Locks, for example, would have needed to be built to keep the diked canals navigable, which would be costly and leave little room for shared public spaces.

Instead, HafenCitys designers turned to a time-tested alternative: the terp. Based on an ancient Dutch technique for building atop artificial mounds, the practice predates the modern era of seawalls. Its a very old system, says Gonnert. But bringing it to a dense urban area with modern architecture is new. Nowadays we are able to protect the city against storm surges and sea level rise in a very safe way. Sea level rises will become greater after 2100, but we have research and working groups to find new defences. In the old times, we simply reinforced the dikes. But now we need to be creative.

With roads and public spaces safely elevated, frequent floods are more easily tolerated by residents and visitors; even between October and May when the Elbe is liable to overflow its banks, life is largely unaffected. Promenades only briefly flood and raised bridges ensure emergency services always have access.

The concept of living with water rather than attempting to wall it off is also in place elsewhere in Hamburg. The 300-year-old St. Pauli Fishmarket, located on a small section of low-lying land at the foot of a hill, is allowed to flood when storm surges occur. In the less densely-populated Altona suburb, houses close to the waters edge have reinforced windows and flood protection doors. Since 1962, there have been eight storm surges with peak water levels higher than in February 1962, but none have caused serious damage.

Also read: OPINION | All is right with the world!

Cities globally are in the process of figuring out how negotiate sea level rises and more frequent flooding due to the effects of climate change. A 2019 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) forecasted that by the end of the century, sea levels could be 1.1 meters higher and severe floods would be routine in low-lying cities. According to analysis by C40 Cities, if emissions dont decrease, 800 million people living in 570 cities will be vulnerable to a 0.5 metre rise by 2050.

Gonnert warns that the onset of extreme weather events makes the job of authorities more challenging. Its more difficult to forecast the flooding due to rain because of climate change, she says. So if, like in the summer of 2018, it is very hot for several days followed by strong rainfall, the water will not soak into the ground. The streets become flooded and the river level becomes very high in a short time.

Supercharged rain events are already playing havoc with parts of Europe: Catastrophic floods swept across western Germany in July 2021, killing 166 people, in what was called a once in 400-year event. A study published in August found that due to climate change the floods were 1.2 to 9 times more likely now than they would have been more than a century ago. The scientists said that record rainfall led to the flooding, including 3.5 inches over 24 hours in the Ahr and Erft river valleys.

Nobody expected it, says Enno Nilson, a scientist at the German Federal Institute of Hydrology (BFG), who was part of the team of researchers. It was a surprise and shock for all of us. It still is now. This is why climate change must be an essential part of risk assessment when it comes to urban planning.

Its very forward-thinking. Its a tourist attraction and a flood defence at the same time.

Stefan Al, a Dutch urban designer and author of Adapting Cities to Sea Level Rise: Green and Gray Strategies, says that cities, as Hamburg has demonstrated, must go beyond standard engineering solutions like seawalls and take approaches that are nature-based, sensitive to local communities, and integrated with the public realm.

As cities build more infrastructure to adapt to climate change, they must go beyond short-term flood protection and consider the long-term effects on communities, their economy and their relationship with the water, says Al. The uncertainties of climate change and population growth means it must be a flexible protection system.

Increasingly in cities, he says, simply reinforcing flood protection structures like dikes can cause environmental problems and devour much-needed urban space. Instead, adaptation strategies should focus on flexible, multi-use designs that are nature-based. Crucially, as well as providing flood protection, HafenCitys terp preserves the publics access to the water, integrating flood defence with urban planning. As does the Zaha Hadid-designed promenade, lined with restaurants, that runs above the dike on the citys Niederhafen waterfront.

Its very forward-thinking, says Al. Its a tourist attraction and a flood defence at the same time. Its a pleasure to walk along, the steps can be used as an amphitheatre, and you can even cut the cost of flood protection using the real estate built into it.

But neither dikes nor terps can offer absolute protection against storm surge disasters, according to Schaper. In some cases, good communication and quick responses are the best defence. To avoid the kinds of fatalities seen in 1962, the Hamburg Storm Surge Warning Service sets off sirens and broadcasts radio announcements ahead of storms, for example, while a city-run digital map lets residents see where floods are most likely after heavy rainfall.

Faced with evolving challenges, Hamburgs flood adaptation is ongoing: The city expects to invest up to 1 billion euros in new protections over the next 50 years.

There is no 100% safety from the dangers of flood and storm surge, says Schaper. Today we are very happy, but we dont know what will happen in 100 years. Its a permanent task, from one generation to the next.
A meeting of foreign ministers from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation agreed on Sunday to establish a humanitarian trust fund to address the growing economic crisis in Afghanistan which has left millions facing hunger over the winter.

The fund will be set up under the Islamic Development Bank to channel aid to Afghanistan in coordination with other groups, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told a news conference.

A final statement from the meeting said that allowing Afghanistan access to its financial resources would be pivotal to preventing economic collapse and said realistic pathways to unfreezing billions of dollars in frozen central bank reserves should be explored.

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With hospitalisations and a rapid rise in new coronavirus cases being driven by a surge of the omicron variant, Londons mayor on Saturday declared a major incident  or emergency  for the first time since January.

The declaration sets up special coordination procedures and indicates that emergency services and hospitals cannot guarantee their normal level of response.

The move came as the number of patients in London hospitals increased 29 per cent over the past week. The city has confirmed 65,525 new cases in the past week and 26,418 cases in the past day, the highest number since the start of the pandemic, Mayor Sadiq Khans office said in a statement Saturday. The Greater London area has seen cases rise by nearly 200 per cent over the past two weeks, making it the hardest hit area of Britain.

Its really important that Londoners understand how serious things are, Khan said in a video posted by The Telegraph. The best thing Londoners can do is get both vaccines and the booster. They provide extra layers of protection.

Also Read | UK may be forced into Omicron circuit breaker lockdown: Reports

The really bad news, he added, was that the vast, vast majority of those hospitalised are unvaccinated.

British health officials warned this week that the omicron variant was doubling at a rate of less than every two days in parts of the country. While the effect on hospitalisations and mortality rates remained unclear, the National Health Service was likely to face a deluge of patients because of the explosive growth in cases, Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England, said this week.

It is moving at an absolutely phenomenal pace, he said.

Countries around Europe are clamping down to push back against the spread of the omicron variant. The Netherlands announced a full lockdown, Denmark closed theaters and concert halls, and Ireland instituted an 8 p.m. curfew for pubs.

In Britain, the surge of the virus has put intense pressure on political officials. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been under fire in recent weeks after reports that his staff held holiday gatherings at Downing Street last year at a time when the government was instructing people not to meet with friends and family.

In London, Khan is trying to overcome vaccine hesitancy. On Saturday, he visited a mass vaccination pop-up clinic and announced a series of virtual events to encourage Londoners to get vaccinated.

The mayors office said that Londons Black and Asian communities, along with low-income residents, had been hurt disproportionately by the pandemic. These communities, Black Londoners in particular, the office said, had also been targeted by vaccine misinformation.

More than 2.5 million booster doses have been given in London, but more than 1 million eligible residents have yet to receive a single dose, the mayors office said.

Khan last declared a major incident in January when a peak in COVID-19 cases was taking a toll on the NHS. He made the same declaration for a tram derailment in 2016, the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 and a terrorist attack near London Bridge in 2019.
A growing body of preliminary research suggests the Covid-19 vaccines used in most of the world offer almost no defence against infection by the highly contagious Omicron variant.

All vaccines still seem to provide a significant degree of protection against serious illness from Omicron, which is the most crucial goal. But only the Pfizer and Moderna shots, when reinforced by a booster, appear to have initial success at stopping infections, and these vaccines are unavailable to most of the world.

The other shots  including those by AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and vaccines manufactured in China and Russia  do little to nothing to stop the spread of Omicron, early research shows. And because most countries have built their inoculation programmes around these vaccines, the gap could have a profound impact on the course of the pandemic.

A global surge of infections in a world where billions of people remain unvaccinated not only threatens the health of vulnerable individuals but also increases the opportunity for the emergence of more variants. The disparity in the ability of countries to weather the pandemic will almost certainly deepen. And the news about limited vaccine efficacy against Omicron infection could depress demand for vaccination throughout the developing world, where many people are already hesitant or preoccupied with other health problems.

Also Read  Covishield may not be an effective booster: Virologist Shahid Jameel

Most evidence, so far, is based on laboratory experiments, which do not capture the full range of the bodys immune response, and not from tracking the effect on real-world populations. The results, however, are striking.

The Pfizer and Moderna shots use the new mRNA technology, which has consistently offered the best protection against infection from all variants so far. All of the other vaccines are based on older methods of triggering an immune response.

The Chinese vaccines Sinopharm and Sinovac  which make up almost half of all shots delivered globally  offer almost zero protection from Omicron infection. The great majority of people in China have received these shots, which are also widely used in low- and middle-income countries, such as Mexico and Brazil.

A preliminary effectiveness study in Britain found that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine showed no ability to stop Omicron infection six months after vaccination. Ninety per cent of vaccinated people in India received this shot, under the brand name Covishield; it has also been widely used across much of sub-Saharan Africa, where COVAX, the global Covid-19 vaccine programme, has distributed 67 million doses of it to 44 countries.

Researchers predict that Russias Sputnik V vaccine, which is also being used in Africa and Latin America, will show similarly dismal rates of protection against Omicron.

Demand for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine had been surging in Africa, because its single-shot delivery regimen makes it easy to deliver in low-resource settings. But it too has shown a negligible ability to block Omicron infection.

Also Read  Daily Omicron cases in the UK triple to more than 10,000; death toll jumps to seven

Antibodies are the first line of defence induced by vaccines. But the shots also stimulate the growth of T cells, and preliminary studies suggest that these T cells still recognise the Omicron variant, which is important in preventing severe disease.

What you lose first is protection against asymptomatic mild infection, what you retain much better is protection against severe disease and death, said John Moore, a virus expert at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York. He called it a silver lining that Omicron, so far, appears less lethal than the Delta variant.

But this protection will not be enough to prevent Omicron from causing global disruption, said J Stephen Morrison, Director of the Global Health Policy Center at the Center for International and Strategic Studies.

The sheer scale of infection will overwhelm health systems, simply because the denominator will be potentially so big, he said. If you have a burst of infection worldwide, a shock, what does the world look like on other side of it? Is it, The war is over, or, The war has just entered another phase? We havent begun thinking about any of that.

People with breakthrough cases may experience an only asymptomatic infection or mild illness, but they can pass the virus to unvaccinated people, who could fall more severely ill, and become a source of new variants.

Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the global vaccine alliance, said that more data was needed before drawing conclusions about vaccines effectiveness against Omicron  and that accelerated vaccination should continue to be the focus of pandemic response.

Preliminary data from South Africa suggest that with Omicron, there is a much higher chance of people who already had Covid-19 getting reinfected than there was with the original virus and previous variants. But some public health experts say they believe that countries that have already been through brutal waves of Covid-19, such as Brazil and India, may have a buffer against Omicron, and vaccination after infection produces high antibody levels.

Also Read  Masks reduce Covid-19 deaths, suggests study

The combination of vaccination and exposure to the virus seems to be stronger than only having the vaccine, said Ramanan Laxminarayan, a public health researcher in New Delhi. India, he noted, has an adult vaccination rate of only about 40% but 90% exposure to the virus in some areas.

Without a doubt, Omicron is going to flood through India, he said. But hopefully India is protected to some extent because of vaccination and exposure.

China does not have this layer of protection to back up its weak vaccines. Because of Chinas aggressive efforts to stop spread of the virus within its borders, relatively few people have previous exposure. Only an estimated 7% of people in Wuhan, where the pandemic began, were infected.

Much of Latin America has relied on the Chinese and Russian vaccines, and on AstraZeneca. Mario Rosemblatt, a professor of immunology at the University of Chile, said that more than 90% of Chileans had had two doses of one vaccine, but the great majority of these were Coronavac, the Sinovac shot. High vaccination coverage combined with early reports that omicron does not cause serious illness is leading to a false sense of security in the country, he said.

We have to get people to understand that it doesnt work like that: If you get high transmissibility youre going to have the health system saturated because the number of people getting ill will be higher, he said.

Laxminarayan said the Indian government, to which he is an occasional adviser, was considering booster shots, but the Delta variant still poses a significant threat in India, and two vaccine doses offer protection against Delta. That presents the government with a difficult choice between focusing on getting people who remain unvaccinated, or only partly vaccinated, to two doses, or trying to get boosters to older people and those with high-risk medical conditions as protection against Omicron.

The news that the non-mRNA vaccines offer little protection against infection from Omicron may further erode demand for shots in countries already struggling to build demand, Morrison said. This challenges the whole value of vaccines, he said. If youre so far behind and then you suffer this, its going to feed anti-vaccine sentiment and weaken confidence.

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India reported 7,081 new Covid-19 cases, 264 deaths in the last 24 hours. Maharashtra reported 6 new cases of the variant on Sunday, taking the state's tally beyond 50. India's Omicron tally has crossed 150. Meanwhile, Andaman and Nicobar Islands completed 100% Covid vaccination. Stay tuned for updates
Envoys from 57 Islamic nations were meeting in Pakistan Sunday for a summit aimed at relieving the humanitarian crisis in neighbouring Afghanistan, while testing diplomatic ties with its new Taliban rulers.

The meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation is the biggest major conference on Afghanistan since the US-backed government fell in August.

Also Read | Pakistan hopeful of reaching consensus on Afghanistan during key OIC meeting

After the Taliban's lightning return to power, billions of dollars in aid and assets were frozen by the international community, and the nation of 38 million now faces a bitter winter.

The United Nations has repeatedly warned that Afghanistan is on the brink of the world's worst humanitarian emergency with a combined food, fuel and cash crisis.

On Sunday Pakistan's capital was on lockdown, ring-fenced with barbed wire barriers and shipping-container roadblocks where police and soldiers stood guard.

Any aid pledges were set to be announced Sunday evening.

Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is among the delegates, alongside others from the United States, China, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations.

No nations have yet formally recognised the Taliban government and diplomats face the delicate task of channelling aid to the stricken Afghan economy without also propping up the hardline Islamists.

Also Read | Afghan crisis, regional connectivity to be focus of India-Central Asia dialogue on Sunday

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said the meeting would speak "for the people of Afghanistan" rather than "a particular group".

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were the only three countries to recognise the previous Taliban government of 1996 to 2001.

Qureshi said there was a difference between "recognition and engagement" with the new order in Kabul.

"Let us nudge them through persuasion, through incentives, to move in the right direction," he told reporters ahead of the OIC meeting.

"A policy of coercion and intimidation did not work. If it had worked, we wouldn't have been in this situation."

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NATO will discuss Russia's security proposals but it will not let Moscow dictate the alliance's military posture, German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht said on Sunday on a visit to German troops based in Lithuania to deter a Russian attack.

On Friday, Moscow set out a list of demands for the West that includes withdrawing NATO battalions from Poland and Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, once part of the Soviet Union.

Also Read: NATO chief warns Russia against 'aggressive actions' at Ukraine border

Russia is also demanding a legally binding guarantee that NATO will give up any military activity in Eastern Europe and Ukraine and an effective Russian veto on future NATO membership for Ukraine - which the West has already ruled out.

"We need to solve the current tensions on the diplomatic level but just as well by putting up a credible deterrence," Lambrecht told reporters in Rukla on her first visit to German troops abroad.

The combat units, deployed three years after Moscow's annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula Crimea in 2014, are meant to stall an assault and buy time for additional NATO troops to arrive at the frontline.

"We will discuss Russia's proposals...But it cannot be that Russia dictates to NATO partners their posture, and that is something that we will make very clear in the talks (next week at the NATO council)," she added.

Also Read: Putin says NATO drills in Black Sea are serious challenge for Moscow

The West has threatened harsh economic sanctions on Russia should Moscow escalate its military build-up on Ukraine's border. Moscow says it is only responding to threats to its security from Kyiv's increasingly close relations with NATO.

Speaking alongside Lambrecht on Sunday, Lithuania's Defence Minister Arvydas Anusauskas accused Russia of trying to drive a wedge into the alliance, and said NATO must not allow Moscow to divide Europe into spheres of influence.

"We need to support Ukraine with all means, which includes the delivery of lethal weapons," Anusauskas added, without giving details on what kind of weapons he meant.

Lambrecht declined to comment on a report by Spiegel on Saturday that NATO's top general Tod Wolters had suggested the alliance should establish a similar military presence as in Poland and the Baltic states in Bulgaria and Romania.

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India and the five Central Asian nations on Sunday stressed on the central role of the United Nations to respond to the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan, even as Pakistan hosted a meeting of the Organizing of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which offered to coordinate international humanitarian assistance to the conflict-ravaged country.

Islamabad sought to use the OIC meet to tacitly grant some degree of legitimacy to the Taliban dispensation in Kabul. New Delhi, however, got the support of the five Central Asian nations to once again stress the need for an inclusive government in Afghanistan.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar hosted the Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan for the third dialogue between India and Central Asia. They discussed the situation in Afghanistan, where the Taliban returned to power after two decades earlier this year  taking advantage of the withdrawal of the United States and its NATO allies.

Read more: Jaishankar holds bilateral talks with foreign ministers of four Central Asian countries

Our concerns and objectives in that country are similar: a truly inclusive and representative government, the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking, ensuring unhindered humanitarian assistance and preserving the rights of women, children and the minorities, Jaishankar told his counterparts from the five Central Asian nations. We must find ways of helping the people of Afghanistan.

The joint statement issued after the meeting between Jaishankar and the Central Asian Foreign Ministers too underlined the need for immediate humanitarian assistance for Afghans and preserving the rights of women, children and all ethnic groups in Afghanistan.

New Delhi is keen to deepen its engagement with the Central Asian nations as the Talibans return to power in Afghanistan gave Pakistan a strategic edge against India in the region. Prime Minister Narendra Modis National Security Advisor Ajit Doval last month hosted his counterparts from the five Central Asian nations as well as from Iran and Russia for a discussion on Afghanistan. The Modi Government is also contemplating to host the leaders of all the five nations in the region as Chief Guests at the Republic Day ceremony in New Delhi on January 26 next year.

Pakistans Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi too hosted his counterparts from the OIC nations in Islamabad on Sunday. The Foreign Minister of interim government set up by the Taliban in Kabul, Amir Muttaqi, was also invited to speak at the extraordinary session of the OIC. It was apparently a move by Imran Khans government in Islamabad to accord some degree of legitimacy to the Talibans dispensation in Kabul within the 57-nation bloc.

The new government exercising control over the entire country  that has secured its geography and territorial integrity, established security, does not pose a threat to any world country and as a ruling system  reserves the right to have formal relations with the world and be a responsible member of the wider international community, Muttaqi said, addressing the OIC meet.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the Islamic nations had a religious duty to provide assistance to people of Afghanistan. The OIC Secretary General Hissein Ibrahim Taha called upon the members of the organization to provide humanitarian assistance for people of Afghanistan through its mission in Kabul.
Bihar had its administrative capabilities severely tested during the year as a devastating second wave of Covid-19 overwhelmed its health infrastructure and massive hooch tragedies flew in the face of its much touted prohibition law.

Politics, as always, occupied centrestage in the state whose economic backwardness was underscored by the NITI Aayog, much to the annoyance of the Nitish Kumar government which felt its efforts to bring about a change for the better should also have been taken into account.

The state, which was relatively less severely affected by the coronavirus last year, felt the heat this summer when its active caseload exploded and death toll shot up by six times in just a couple of months.

Also Read | Bihar govt 'trouble engine', not 'double engine': RJD

The contagion, in its fury, demonstrated its levelling potential as those killed in the second surge included many of the high and the mighty, including the chief secretary and members of the legislature.

The helplessness of brawn before the microbe was all too evident when former MP Mohd Shahabuddin, whose strongarm politics struck terror well beyond the frontiers of the state, died serving prison term in the national capital and was buried in Kotla, with hardly anyone from his notorious army of supporters around to pay the last respects.

The photograph of a Delhi labourer talking over phone to his family back home in Bihar's Begusarai, his face contorted with grief, became the defining image of the migrant crisis triggered by last year's lockdown.

Disturbing images of rotting, bloated corpses floating on the Ganga in Buxar symbolised the devastation wrought by the second wave which brought the young and the robust to their knees as mercilessly as the old and frail.

The Indian Medical Association put Bihar at the top in terms of the number of doctors who fell prey to the coronavirus, bringing into sharp focus the lack of protective gear for the frontline Covid warriors. Sub-optimal health facilities continued to stick out like a sore thumb many months later as more than 20 people were left groping in darkness after losing their eyesight to cataract surgeries held at private hospital in Muzaffarpur where, according to preliminary investigation, the operation theatre was not properly disinfected.

Buoyed by the cool autumn breeze, people decided they had enough of Covid restrictions and plunged into Durga Puja, Deepawali and Chhath festivities, often throwing caution to the winds.

Also Read | NITI Aayog's unflattering report vexes Nitish Kumar govt in Bihar

With drinking, like gambling, having become a forbidden pleasure on account of prohibition, people seemed to have taken to spurious liquor during Deepawali in a big way.

More than 40 hooch deaths in West Champaran, Gopalganj, Muzaffarpur and Samastipur districts cast a long shadow on the festival of lights.

The chief minister commanded the police force to ensure illegal brewing within Bihar and smuggling of liquor from other states is stopped forthwith.

The men in uniform seem to have lost their marbles in the face of the enormity of the task at hand. They went into an overdrive, rounding up visitors from outside the state and conducting searches at wedding parties, causing outrage.

The pace of the ever running political mill in the state remained undiminished all the while.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar demonstrated amply that electoral losses suffered in assembly polls last year notwithstanding, he had aces up his sleeve.

In the beginning of the year, he sprang a surprise by giving up the post of JD(U) national president though his hold over the party was evident as the top post seamlessly went from one trusted lieutenant to another.

Now in the seventh decade of his life, Kumar, who has become the longest serving chief minister of Bihar, showed the ability to swallow his pride with the re-induction of Upendra Kushwaha, his former protege who had become a venom spewing detractor.

Kushwaha, who merged his RLSP with the JD(U), has been rewarded with a berth in legislative council and is expected to keep Koeris firmly behind his boss, who seeks to hold his own against an aggressive BJP. The chief minister has repeatedly shown his numerically stronger ally that he is ready to fight it out on issues like caste census and special category status.

The saffron party is torn between the twin compulsions of going with the line adopted by the Centre, which it rules, and backing the chief minister with whom it shares power.

Ram Vilas Paswans LJP came apart in less than a year of his death. A split engineered by his younger brother Pashupati Kumar Paras has left his son and heir apparent Chirag Paswan in the lurch.

In the opposition camp, old allies Congress and RJD fought and parted ways for the umpteenth time. The Congress, however, showed some nerve after the induction of firebrand leader Kanhaiya Kumar and vowed to go it alone in the 2024 general elections.

The state assembly celebrated the centenary of its building with much fanfare, though the year in the House will also be remembered for the unsavory episode of the Speaker being held hostage by members of the RJD-led opposition who had to be shooed away by baton-charging policemen.

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The elections to Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) took place on Sunday, amid allegations raised by opposition parties of having its cadres roughed-up and "attacked" at several places by the supporters of the ruling Trinamool Congress.

The elections to 144 municipal seats had 950 candidates in the fray, with over 40 lakh registered voters. An estimated 64 per cent polling was recorded till 5 pm.

Through the day of polling, the Left, the Congress, and the BJP continued to raise concerns on poll-related stand-offs in different pockets of the city. Crude bombs were hurled in two localities in north Kolkata. Three persons allegedly got injured in poll-related incidents.

Amit Malviya, BJP's co-in-charge for West Bengal, raised concerns about different poll-related issues through a series of tweets. "Meena Devi Purohit, 5 time BJP councillor and former Deputy Mayor, brutally attacked by TMC goons, her clothes torn," one of his tweets mentioned.

Polling booth in ward 22 fully vandalised by TMC goons. BJP workers attacked. EVM machine smashed to ground. BJP has been winning this ward time and again. Kolkata police is missing so are EC officials.

Well done, Mamata Banerjee. Looks like the humiliation of Tripura is hurting. pic.twitter.com/inOYKAMZiw  Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) December 19, 2021

Suvendu Adhikari, state BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition in the state, too, raised questions about "dysfunctional" CCTVs in the booths. The BJP supporters protested at several spots.

The Left and Congress also raised similar allegations. The Left Front has announced state-wide agitation on Monday and Tuesday.

The Trinamool Congress, however, observed the poll process differently. "People in Bengal are celebrating the festival of Democracy with pride. Our Chairperson @MamataOfficial has always ensured free & fair elections across the state and we will continue to protect Democracy and uphold the values & principles of this nation," the Trinamool's official handle stated.

People in Bengal are celebrating the festival of Democracy with pride! Our Chairperson @MamataOfficial has always ensured free & fair elections across the state and we will continue to protect Democracy and uphold the values & principles of this nation. pic.twitter.com/HWLvLs3VhB  All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) December 19, 2021

The party's official handle also quoted Abhishek Banerjee, Trinamool's national general secretary, where he stated, "If it is proven that any AITC worker has been involved in incidents of violence, stern action will be taken against them within 24 hours."

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar also through his tweets highlighted the poll-related concerns. Governor Dhankhar stressed that "peaceful polls with no fear in the mind of voter and absence of interference of state appratus are at heart of any election process".

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By Archana Chaudhary

India seeks to work with Central Asian nations to help provide aid to Afghanistan and ensure a more representative government is in place there, India Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said Sunday.

Our concerns and objectives in that country are similar, Jaishankar told his counterparts from Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyz Republic and Uzbekistan at the India-Central Asia Dialog in New Delhi. We must find ways of helping the people of Afghanistan.

The Indian minister listed the need for an inclusive government in Afghanistan, fighting terrorism and drug trafficking, providing unhindered humanitarian assistance and preserving the rights of women, children and minorities as priorities for the Asian neighbours. New Delhi has so far held only one formal meeting with the Taliban group since its takeover of Afghanistan earlier this year.

Also Read  Hundreds queue for passports in bid to leave Afghanistan

The Indian government is concerned about how Taliban rule could impact security in the region, especially in Indias restive northern state of Jammu and Kashmir. New Delhi, which invested $3 billion (around Rs 228 crore) in Afghanistan, has been expanding its ties with energy-rich Central Asian nations. New Delhi has also backed regional infrastructure projects including the North-South corridor that includes highways and railways connecting Chabahar port in Iran with Russia to reduce the time of shipments between Europe and central Asian markets.

National security advisers of all the five Central Asian countries along with Iran and Russia last month attended regional talks on Afghanistan hosted by India. Of the central Asian nations, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan share borders with Afghanistan.

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India and Taiwan have started negotiations for a free-trade agreement and setting up a semiconductor manufacturing hub in an Indian city, signalling their resolve to further expand the two-way economic engagement. If the move to create the semiconductor manufacturing plant succeeds, it will be only the second such facility by Taiwan in a foreign country after its production hub in the United States, people familiar with the development said.

The Indian government has already proposed a number of sites for the facility and one of Taiwan's leading semiconductor producers, including the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and the United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), may implement the mega project, they said.

Taiwan is a major player in the production of chips globally. According to industry estimates, the TSMC manufactures around 50 per cent of all semiconductors globally. "There is a strategic significance of attempting to firm up the FTA and to set up the semiconductor hub," said one of the people cited above.

Also Read  India plans Rs 76,000 cr scheme to lure semi-conductor firms

Taiwan considers itself a sovereign state. However, China claims Taiwan as part of its territory. The move to set up the facility comes amid increasing demands for chips in India by automakers and technology companies, among others, when there is a global shortage of chips.

The people said the proposal to set up the semiconductor hub is largely driven by the strategic significance of the ties between India and Taiwan rather than the commercial aspect of it. "The semiconductor plant in the US was set up in the reflection of the close strategic ties between the two sides. It will be the same in India's case as well," said one of the people cited above.

The US has been steadfast in its outreach to Taiwan in the face of increasing Chinese hostilities and reassuring Taipei of its continued support.

The government on Wednesday unveiled a plan to provide incentives worth Rs 76,000 crore to encourage the setting up of semiconductor design, manufacturing and display fabrication (fab) units with a larger goal of making India a global electronics production hub.

In sync with their keenness to expand economic engagement, India and Taiwan have already held two rounds of talks for firming up an FTA as well as a bilateral investment agreement to boost trade ties, the people said. India has been promoting its ties with Taiwan in the areas of trade, investment, tourism, culture, education and people-to-people exchanges.

The cooperation in the areas of trade, investment and industry between India and Taiwan has been on an upswing in the last few years.

The volume of bilateral trade has grown nearly six-fold from $1.19 billion in 2001 to almost $7.05 billion in 2018 and India ranks as Taiwan's 14th largest export destination and 18th largest source of imports, according to official data.

Also Read  Tata Group in talks with Taiwanese companies for chip-making project: Report

By the end of 2018, around 106 Taiwanese companies were operating in India, with the total investment amounting to $1.5 billion in the fields of information and communication technology, medical devices, automobile components, machinery, steel, electronics, construction, engineering and financial services.

The two sides have also set up teams for further expansion of ties in education as well as skill development training.

At present, an estimated 2,800 Indian students are studying in Taiwan. India does not have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan but both sides have trade and people-to-people ties.

In 1995, New Delhi set up the India-Taipei Association (ITA) in Taipei to promote interactions between the two sides and facilitate business, tourism and cultural exchanges. The ITA has also been authorised to provide all consular and passport services. In the same year, Taiwan too established the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in Delhi.

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News Highlights: Elamaram Kareem urges govt to call meeting of all Oppn parties 'if it is sincere' in letter to Joshi
Congress on Sunday demanded a time-bound SIT probe into an alleged land scam involving the Assam Chief Minister's family. It alleged that a company owned by Assam CM's wife and relatives has illegally grabbed government land.

Addressing a joint press conference, Congress leaders Gaurav Vallabh, Ripun Bora, Jitendra Singh and Gaurav Gogoi said, "Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, on one hand, is showing hard-handedness in evicting poor and deprived families on the ground that no one has the right to illegally take over the government land, but on the other hand he is handing over the government land worth crores of rupees to his family members on his own whims and fancies," they alleged.

The Congress alleged, "As per an investigation by leading media houses, a real estate company, RBS Realtors, Co-founded by the chief minister's wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma is allegedly occupying around 18 acres of government land intended for landless individuals and institutions."

The party alleged that RBS Realtors Private Limited acquired most of the 18 acres in two stages, first in 2006-2007 and then in 2009.

Individuals, who are landless and needy, are granted ceiling surplus land by the Assam government and are prohibited from selling that land for a 10-year period.

"In 2009, a total of 11 bigha three katha and four lessa (i.e. 3,01,674 square feet or 6.92 acres) of ceiling surplus land in Bongora intended for and allotted to supposedly needy individuals by the government of Assam was bought by Himanta Biswa Sarma's wife's company, violating the 10-year lock-in period," it said.

"A total of seven plots in North Guwahati were allegedly allocated to RBS realtors between 2008 and 2009 Plot 1- 4.37 acre land: Assam government allotted 4.37 acre ceiling surplus land to Lalmoti Talukdar on condition that it couldn't be sold for ten years. Barely two months later, on January 28, 2009, Talukdar sold 3.19 acres of the 4.37 acre to RBS Realtors Plot 2- 1872 square feet land: Assam government allotted 1,872 square feet (0.042 acre) ceiling surplus land to Basanta Nath with a 10-year lock-in period for sale," it said.

"In 2017, 23.61 per cent of the Rs 100 face value shares of Vasistha Realtors were transferred to Meena Bhuyan, mother of Riniki Bhuyan Sarma and mother-in-law of the chief minister.

On September 16, 2019 -- barely 18 days after Himanta Biswa Sarma's son Nandil Biswa Sarma became an adult -- Meena Bhuyan transferred her shares to him. As of FY-20, the chief minister's son owns 23.61 per cent shares of the company," Congress alleged.

Gaurav Vallabh said that a sitting CM, whose family is directly "involved in land grabbing", has no right to remain in power.

Himanta Biswa Sarma should be sacked from his Chief Minister's post immediately, Gaurav Vallabh added.

All unlawful land transfers to the aforementioned realtors must be immediately cancelled and provisions must be made to provide alternate land to the landless and needy people whose land was unscrupulously taken away, the Congress demanded.

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On December 13, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor project, in a mega event that nearly drowned out all other noise in the media.

Modi took a dip in the Ganga, strolled in the streets with the eyes of the ancient, sacred city firmly on him.

The hype was typical Modi and the event came ahead of the crucial Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh. Its message: Ayodhya is done and dusted, but the BJP is not done with temples, not yet. There is the unfinished business in Mathura, and, of course, there is Kashi. This renewed temple pitch of the BJP has confounded the Opposition parties; their ripostes revealing their struggles.

The Samajwadi Party, faced with the BJPs repeated Muslim appeasement attack, promised to show documents and claimed that the Kashi corridor plan was envisaged by it. Party chief Akhilesh Yadav chose to attack Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on the Ganga cleaning issue, saying the CM avoided taking a dip in the river knowing well that the water was not clean.

Also Read | Uttar Pradesh Elections: Opinions divided over Kashi Vishwanath corridor

The BSP let its Brahmin face, Satish Chandra Mishra, invoke Hindu deities in his speeches. A day after the Kashi corridor inauguration, party chief Mayawati slammed the BJP, saying mere announcements, laying foundation stones and inaugurating half-baked projects will not strengthen the base of the saffron party.

The AAP, which has not much of a presence in UP, took the remove the BJP to save gods line (some locals objected to the demolition of old structures which allegedly also housed some idols, a charge denied by the state government).

The Congress was largely silent on Modis Kashi event. But a day before the event, Rahul Gandhi sought to challenge the BJP on its home turf of Hindutva. While addressing a rally in Jaipur, his this is country of Hindus remarks startled many in the secular camp. He also sought to wade in the I am a Hindu but not a Hindutvavadi argument, seeking to make a distinction between the two, though it doesnt seem to gain any traction.

But the fact that none of the top leaders of Congress chose to speak at the inauguration of Kashi Dham project speaks volumes of the challenge Congress faces when it comes to countering the BJPs Hindutva pitch. Desperate not to get sucked into the religion debate, Congress has been attempting to bring back the spotlight on issues such as price rise and unemployment and farmer issues.

It has also through events like Vijay Samman Rally in Dehradun to mark the anniversary of the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war to paying respects to Indias first CDS Bipin Rawat, who died in a chopper crash last week, tried to counter the nationalist pitch of the BJP.

While Modi was in Varanasi, Rahul on November 14 fired a salvo at the PM. You do the politics of religion. Follow the religion of politics. Since you have gone to UP, go and meet the family members of farmers who died. Not suspending your minister (MoS Home Ajay Mishra) is injustice, and unrighteousness (adharma), he tweeted.

Also Read | Yogi 'un-upyogi' for UP, says Akhilesh

For the BJP, the temple issue (a matter of faith and not politics) seems to be icing on the cake, with a crust made up of development doles and well-crafted social engineering (call it caste calculations). Hence, the controlled but sustained release of religious sentiments since the last two months as the poll campaign for UP gains momentum.

Political analyst Rasheed Kidwai said the BJPs temple pitch indicates the utter lack of confidence in the incumbent CMs development plank. It aims to rob the Opposition a level-playing field, TV airtime and brings back focus on emotive religious sentiments, said Kidwai.

Nearly 700 km away, another temple town Mathura is also feeling the ripples of unrest as UP polls inch closer. Days after the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha said it will install a statue of the deity at the mosque, a move which was prevented by the administration, a petition was filed in a local court on December 16 seeking prohibition on namaz at the Shahi Idgah, located close to the temple in Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi.

Seeking removal of the Idgah and claiming that it was built on the actual birthplace of Lord Krishna, the petition alleged that Aurangzeb had built the mosque by dismantling the temple in 1669. There is also a growing clamour from the right-wing for bypassing the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act 1991  enacted by the then P V Narasimha Rao government to prevent claims of ownership on places of worship after the demolition of Babri mosque  in the last few months.

UP Deputy Speaker Nitin Agarwal, state ministers Laxmi Narain, Anand Swarup Shukla and BJP MP Ravindra Kushwaha all made remarks favouring the construction of a temple at Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi. As the drumbeat for temples gets louder, what result the BJPs temple template will bear will only be clear in the next three-four months.

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Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is gearing up for a direct fight with the Narendra Modi government at the Centre over the 'raw deal' being meted out in the state, especially in paddy procurement.

After two rounds of the sit-in, including the one led by the Chief Minister himself in Hyderabad last month, demanding the Centre to lift entire paddy produced in the state, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief has asked his party cadres to widen the scope of the fight by staging protests in every village against 'anti-farmer' policies of the BJP-led NDA government.

Unlike the first phase of protest, which was confined to 'dharnas' in all the 119 Assembly constituencies, and the subsequent mega dharna led by KCR, as the Chief Minister is popularly known, in Hyderabad, the third phase will include demonstrations and burning of effigies.

Also Read | KCR meets Stalin; discusses political situation

At a meeting with ministers, TRS state legislators, MPs and other leaders on December 17, KCR had declared an open war with the Centre.

"The party cadres have been told to burn effigies of BJP-led Centre and Union ministers who are speaking lies and spreading misinformation over the issue of paddy procurement," a senior party leader had said after the meeting.

This will be the first time in seven years that TRS will be organising protests of this nature against the BJP-led Central government.

KCR, who last week completed three years as Chief Minister in his second term, minced no words in slamming the Centre for doing injustice to Telangana. He asked the party leaders to go to the people in their respective constituencies and explain to them the anti-farmer policies of the Centre.

KCR told the party cadres that the time has come for a decisive fight with the Centre, which is harming the interests of Telangana farmers by running away from its constitutional duty to lift paddy from the state.

Also Read | Telangana CM K Chandrashekhar Rao leaves for Tamil Nadu, to meet counterpart MK Stalin

The TRS decision to intensify the protest comes close on the heels of the face-off during the ongoing Winter Session of the Parliament.

After taking on the Centre on the floor of the House for not lifting paddy from the state, the TRS announced a boycott of the rest of the session over paddy procurement, other issues related to Telangana and suspension of 12 members of Rajya Sabha belonging to other opposition parties.

The 16 MPs of TRS, including seven from Rajya Sabha, wanted the Centre to announce a national food grain procurement policy and also take a decision on paddy procurement from the state during the Rabi season.

Angered by the Centre's attitude towards their demands, the TRS MPs said the country will get justice only when Prime Minister Narendra Modi leaves his seat.

"This is a fascist and anti-farmer government. We will prepare the people to revolt against the BJP in the people's arena," said TRS Parliamentary Party leader K Keshava Rao.

The TRS government, which was already worried over the impact of the Centre's decision not to procure parboiled rice during the upcoming Rabi season, is also up in arms for sluggish procurement of paddy during the ongoing Kharif season.

The TRS was further angered by the statement of Central minister Piyush Goyal in the Parliament as he sought to blame the state government for the tardy pace of procurement.

"How can they blame the state government when the Food Corporation of India, warehouses, trains all are in their hands," asked Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy.

He claimed that the state has almost reached the procurement target of 60 lakh tonnes set by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) for the current season. To mount pressure on the Centre to procure more paddy, a delegation of state ministers and MPs left for Delhi on Saturday.

The TRS is thus adopting a two-pronged strategy. While pressurising the Centre to lift the paddy from the state, the party is taking the issue to the grassroots level to explain to the people, especially farmers, that the problems are created by the anti-farmer policies of the Centre.

Political observers say that by hitting the streets, the TRS is also trying to effectively counter the BJP, whose state leadership has stepped up an attack on the ruling party in the state for failing the farmers.

By organising a series of protests, TRS plans to expose what it calls 'double game' of the BJP. KCR and other leaders have been slamming the BJP leaders for provoking the farmers on a problem created by their own government at the Centre.

The TRS government has already appealed to the farmers not to grow paddy during Rabi season as the Centre has ruled out procuring parboiled rice from the state. The agriculture department said that since only parboiled rice is grown in the state due to its agro-climatic conditions, the farmers should look for alternate crops.

BJP leaders, on the other hand, have been asking the farmers to continue growing paddy and blaming TRS for the present situation. BJP's state unit chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar has targeted the ruling party for not promoting the cultivation of fine quality rice.

Apart from countering the BJP, the TRS faces the big challenge of convincing the farmers to stop paddy cultivation. Since paddy cultivation is considered relatively easy and is not capital intensive, persuading the farmers for a change in crop pattern will not be easy. Some political analysts say that in this situation, the TRS has limited options.

"KCR needs an escape route from the potential wrath he would face at the hands of the farmers in Telangana. Irrigation projects were the biggest assets for the TRS government to cultivate a positive image among the farmers. But now the issue of paddy procurement might upset the farmers and turn them against this regime. Now KCR needs to find means to blame the Modi government for not procuring paddy. His attack on the Union government must be looked at from that prism," said political analyst Palwai Raghavendra Reddy.

He also feels that time is fast approaching for KCR to transfer the baton of power to his son K T Rama Rao.

"This would necessitate KCR to find a higher pedestal to step on to and pave way for his son. Talking of national politics, and indicating his potential move to New Delhi, is possibly what KCR is looking at at this stage," Reddy added.

With just two years to go for Assembly elections, KCR will be keen to ensure that he doesn't lose grip on power in the state, and at the same time play a key role in national politics.

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Campaigning for the December 24 municipal corporation election in Chandigarh, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal promised free water and doorstep delivery of services if his party wins the polls.

He accused the ruling BJP and the Congress of having "ruined" Chandigarh which is also known as 'the City Beautiful'.

Also Read: Will never be showpiece to win Punjab elections, never lie to people for coming to power: Sidhu

"These days, a rumour is doing the rounds that soon the Centre is going to hand over Chandigarh to Punjab.

"If that turns out to be true and since after a few months the Aam Aadmi Party is going to come to power in Punjab, then it is pointless to vote for the BJP and Congress (in the municipal polls)," Kejriwal said.

Chandigarh is a Union Territory and joint capital of Punjab and Haryana.

He pledged that corruption would be rooted out if the AAP wins the Chandigarh civic polls.

"Like Delhi, the people of Chandigarh will not need to go to the municipal corporation office to get their work done. The employees will visit the homes of people to get their works such as getting rations card or electricity and water connection will be done," Kejriwal said.

Also Read: Government ready for Omicron variant: Arvind Kejriwal

He said garbage from the Daddu Majra dumping ground will be cleared, and CCTV cameras and street lights will be installed at various places for the safety of women, he said.

"After the formation of Chandigarh Municipal Corporation in 1996, you gave Congress a chance to rule for 13 years and BJP for 12 years. Together they ruined the city. Give one chance to Aam Aadmi Party, we will undertake development," Kejriwal said.

"BJP says it is necessary to have a double engine government for development. The MP of Chandigarh belongs to BJP, the mayor belongs to BJP, the Governor is of their choice and the government at the Centre is also of BJP. Yet why is that they have failed to do anything worthwhile for the city," he asked.

Addressing the gathering, AAP's Punjab president and MP Bhagwant Mann claimed that the BJP has become 'Jumla Party' which makes hollow slogans.

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The government has invited floor leaders of five parties for a meeting on Monday morning to resolve the impasse over the suspension of 12 Rajya Sabha MPs but the Opposition is suspicious about the intention behind the move, amid indications that they may choose not to attend the deliberations.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi wrote to floor leaders of Congress, Trinamool Congress, Shiv Sena, CPI(M) and CPI, whose MPs are suspended, for the meeting scheduled on Monday at 10 am in Parliament House.

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge wrote a letter to Joshi late in the night describing the invitation to select parties for a meeting between Leader of the House Piyush Goyal and the Parliamentary Affairs Minister as unfair and unfortunate.

Also Read | Suspended MPs hold Jan Sansad in Parliament House

All the Opposition parties are united in the protest against the suspensionWe have been requesting from the evening of November 29 itself that either the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha orGoyal should call leaders of all Opposition parties for a discussion to break the stalemate, he wrote.

.@kharge writes to Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi. Says it is unfair and unfortunate that govt has invited only parties whose MPs are suspended for a meeting @DeccanHerald pic.twitter.com/DsVUOk0gvY  Shemin (@shemin_joy) December 19, 2021

This reasonable request of ours has not been agreed to, further inviting only leaders of four (sic) Opposition parties instead of inviting all Opposition parties is unfair and unfortunate and unfortunate, he added.

Opposition sources said that the five parties may not attend the meeting called by the government, as only parties whose MPs are suspended are invited. A final call will be taken at a meeting of Opposition parties to be chaired by Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday before the one scheduled by the government, they said.

Sources said that various floor leaders had telephonic consultation with Kharge during which they conveyed that it was an attempt to divide the Opposition. Trinamool Congress, which is not attending meetings called by Congress, has also consulted other parties and all are on the same page, they said.

They also feel that the government has scheduled the meeting just before the proceedings of Parliament just to show that they were making attempts to resolve the crisis, as Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on Friday adjourned the House without transacting any business to facilitate a meeting between both the government and the Opposition. However, no meeting took place during the weekend.

Also Read | Opposition protests rock Rajya Sabha over issue of suspended MPs

Twelve MPs -- six from Congress, two each from Shiv Sena and Trinamool and one each from CPI(M) and CPI) -- were suspended on November 29 for the entire Winter Session for their alleged unruly behaviour on the last day of the Monsoon Session in August.

The suspended MPs began a sit-in at Gandhi Statue in Parliament House from December 1 and had held a 'Jan Sansad' last Friday against their suspension. Opposition MPs from both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha also held a joint march, as they rejected the government demand for an apology from the MPs for revoking the suspension.

Congress Chief Whip Jairam Ramesh said they have already conveyed to the government to stop trying to divide the Opposition which is united. "All parties are united. Govt should call all Opposition parties who are protesting unconstitutional and illegal suspension of 12 Opposition MPs," Ramesh told DH.

Also read | People gave them 'marching orders' twice, says Joshi on suspended MPs

Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha floor leader Derek O'Brien tweeted, "Monday morning stunt from a government who do not want Parliament to function. Government calls leaders of the 4 (sic) Opposition parties whose 12 RS MPs have been arbitrarily suspended. Govt leaves the other 10 (sic) Opposition parties out. Failed stunt. All Opposition clear: first revoke the arbitrary suspension."

Monday morning STUNT from a Govt. who do not want #Parliament to function. Govt calls leaders of the 4 Oppn parties whose 12 RS MPs have been arbitrarily suspended. Govt leaves other 10 Oppn parties out. Failed stunt. ALL OPPN clear : first revoke arbitrary suspension  Derek O'Brien |  ' (@derekobrienmp) December 19, 2021

CPI(M) floor leader Elamaram Kareem, a suspended MP, told DH that he has received the invitation for the meeting and a "collective decision" will be taken on attending the meeting.

CPI's Binoy Viswam, also a suspended MP, echoed Kareem. "Opposition united is fighting the suspension of 12 MPs. Calling five parties for discussion at the fag end of the session is to divide the opposition unity. CPI will not subscribe to it. The final decision will be taken tomorrow in the joint opposition meeting," Viswam said.

Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut also confirmed that he received an invitation. "The Opposition leaders will meet in Parliament tomorrow morning to take a decision on taking part in the meeting called by the Government," he said.

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Despite militants and militancy in Kashmir being glamorised by vested interests, the last 32-years of conflict had a devastating effect on the lives of the widows and the children of those terrorists who were killed and left their families to fend for themselves.

A recent sociological research titled: The effects of armed conflict on the families of slain members of armed groups in Kashmir published in International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews (IJRAR) reveals the miserable condition of families of the slain militants.

In most cases, the death of the family head (militant) led to the problems with mental health, as well as stunted intellectual development and physical growth of his children and widow, the research carried by Dr Asima Hassan from Kashmir University reveals.

The researcher, who surveyed 100 families across Kashmir for the paper, says 94 per cent of the families had a negative impact due to the killing of the militant, who was head of the family, while in 6 per cent cases they were not impacted.

Also Read | Despite killing of 133 militants this year, over 200 ultras still active in Kashmir

Due to the financial problems and lack of social support, the incident had a devastating impact on them (families). In 85 per cent cases the widow didnt go for remarriage as she had the responsibility of the orphaned children. The widows, who didnt remarry faced problems like loneliness, mental torture, lack of control and guidance at home, fearful moments, failure of control over children, social insecurity, economic hardships, social apathy, discrimination and rough treatment by relatives and neighbours, it points out.

The respondents in the research have revealed that the sympathy of the people in the initial days after the killing of the militant vanished with time and they were later left to fend for themselves.

A narrative of heroism has been constructed around the militancy in Kashmir which is believed to be one of the reasons for people to take up arms against the state. In recent years, crowds used to pelt stones to distract security forces during encounters and the protests after the killing of militants. Support is also counted in the attendance at funerals, the serpentine procession of mourners trailing behind the bodies of dead militants.

The funerals of slain militants had become a matter of pride for grieving families. However, this heroic image and sympathy vanishes within a few days after the militants death and his family is left alone. Though some monetary help is being provided by relatives, neighbours and charity organisations to those families, whose financial conditions are worse, it is either insufficient to make the family financially empowered or it compromises the dignity of the family as the little support is not provided secretly, the research findings reveal.

It has also revealed that the emotional/mental well being of 93 per cent of the widows and single parent orphans was impacted after the militant's death. It was observed that the respondents were having multiple psychological problems which included being fearful and feeling insecure. The respondents were having sleep disorders because of fearful thoughts which resulted in fear of getting victimised again, the findings point out.

The physical health of 81 per cent of the respondents (widows and orphans of slain militants) had also deteriorated after his death. Similarly, 37 per cent of such families faced a problem in finding a match for the children of slain militants while 27 per cent respondents did not answer this question.

Girls of militant families, dead or alive, such as their sisters, daughters, cousin sisters and other female relatives have lost the chance of getting good, equal and choicest boys. Though marriage with girls related to the members of armed groups has not emerged as a taboo, they were considered undesirable and were often avoided. This was done because of the reasons which included harassment on the part of security forces and the feeling that these families could not pay the dowry, the research reveals.

A senior police officer said that unfortunately the media has always portrayed and projected militants as some sort of heroes and role models or at times like an alien kind.

And when a terrorist is killed in an encounter with security forces, the media builds a dramatic picture because they need to carry forward the story of a region with a built-in narrative of conflict and terrorism. For Pakistan and its proxies, killings in Kashmir have been turned into statistics which hardly ever give us an inkling into what people go through, he said.

It is important to ensure de-fantasisation of conflict situation and de-heroisation of terrorists and terrorism, he suggested.

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Covid vaccination certificates have been issued to 30-year-old 'Niten Gadkari', 33-year-old 'Amit Sha', 26-year-old 'Om Birla', and 37-year-old 'Pushyu Goyal' in Etawah district.

These vaccine certificates were issued by a community healthcare centre in Sarsainawar village in Takha tehsil.

The names on these certificates are similar to the Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, Amit Shah, Piyush Goyal and Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla.

According to Bhagwan Das, chief medical officer of Etawah district, "Someone hacked the ID of our official and has done this to malign the vaccination drive of the district. These certificates are generated online and this is a conspiracy."

Also Read | Modi, Rahul, Rakhi Sawant feature in vax data in Bihar's Saharsa

The district administration has ordered a probe into the matter and a three-member team has been sent to the village for investigation.

The certificates were issued to people who were reportedly vaccinated with the first dose on December 12 at Sarsainawar community health centre in Etawah district.

The date for the second dose has been fixed between March 5, 2022, and April 3, 2022  after a gap of about 12 weeks and 16 weeks, respectively.

In Etawah district, 236 sites, all government run, are conducting vaccination. More than 1.6 million Covid vaccine doses have been administered in the district so far.

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Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday urged the people to complement the efforts of his administration in taking the Union Territory to new heights of development.

Sinha was speaking at his monthly episode of the 'Awaam ki Awaaz' programme which he dedicated to the martyrs of the 1971 war.

I pay homage to the brave hearts of the armed forces whose tales of valour etched the saga of December 16 as a glorious chapter in the rich legacy of our nation, he said in his radio programme.

Addressing the people, the Lt Governor shared the slew of measures taken by his administration for the growth and prosperity of Jammu and Kashmir and called upon them to discharge their social and moral responsibilities and complement the efforts in taking the Union Territory to new heights of development.

Sinha highlighted valuable insights received from various corners for drafting the development policies as per the needs of the people and passed directions to the concerned departments to make the governance process more inclusive, participatory and people-centric.

Following the ideals of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, we are moving ahead to bring about meaningful and lasting change in the life of the people by connecting every citizen with the mainstream of development, he said.

In the last two years, under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said, the administration has tried to create a system that serves everyone with equal opportunities.

It is our endeavour to mobilise all the resources to improve the standard of living in the areas which have been deprived of progress for decades, he said.

The Lt Governor extended his heartfelt tributes to the Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife, and all the officers and jawans who lost their lives in a chopper crash on December 8.

He also paid homage to the three police personnel killed in the terrorist attack on their bus in Srinagar on December 13.

I want to assure the fellow countrymen that the sacrifice of our brave police personnel will not go in vain, he added.

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A day after a man was beaten to death for an alleged sacrilege bid at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, another person was killed for allegedly disrespecting 'Nishan Sahib' (Sikh religious flag) at a gurdwara here on Sunday morning.

Some residents of village Nizampur claimed that the man disrespected the Nishan Sahib and tried to run away but was caught after a chase.

According to police, the man was beaten to death.

On Saturday evening, an unidentified man was caught and beaten to death after he allegedly attempted to commit sacrilege inside the sanctum sanctorum of the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Tuesday transfer Rs 1,000 crore into the accounts of 1.60 lakh self-help groups (SHGs) and Rs 20.20 crore to 1.01 lakh beneficiaries of the Mukhya Mantri Kanya Sumangala Yojana in Uttar Pradesh.

He will also lay the foundation stone of 202 supplementary nutrition manufacturing units when he visits Prayagraj on Tuesday.

According to the government spokesman, about 80,000 SHGs will receive Community Investment Fund at Rs 1.10 lakh each and 60,000 SHGs will get Rs 15,000 each as revolving fund.

The Prime Minister will then transfer Rs 20.20 crore to 1.01 lakh beneficiaries of Mukhya Mantri Kanya Sumangala Scheme under which conditional cash transfer is made to a girl's account at various stages, with each being entitled to Rs 15,000 in total.

"So far, 9.92 lakh girls have benefitted and after fund transfer on Tuesday, 1.01 lakh more beneficiaries will be added. The Prime Minister will also transfer monthly stipend of Rs 4,000 to 20,000 banking correspondent sakhis," a spokesman said.

The state government aims to employ a banking correspondent sakhi in all 58,189-gram panchayats.

So far, 56,875 women have been selected, out of which 38,341 have been trained and certified.

In another programme, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of 202 supplementary nutrition manufacturing units.

The cost of each unit is approximately Rs 1 crore. The units are being funded by SHGs and will employ 4,000 members and benefit 60,600 SHGs by paying against their equity.

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In a no-holds-barred attack, Punjab minister Rana Gurjeet Singh on Sunday called state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu a "political mercenary" and alleged that he has divided the party. The minister also accused Sidhu of questioning the loyalty of the "true and traditional Congressmen" and said he joined the party just to become the chief minister.

"But sooner you leave better it will be for the party as you have divided and damaged the party from within as if you were pursuing some hidden agenda of your real political masters who are still pulling your strings," Rana said in a statement.

"You are just like a mercenary having joined the party just with the sole purpose of becoming the chief minister, while I have been in the party right from my birth," the minister said, calling himself a "born Congressman".

Also Read  Navjot Singh Sidhu calls Kejriwal 'political tourist', dares him for debate on employment

Sidhu had joined the Congress after quitting the BJP ahead of the 2017 Assembly polls. The minister said Sidhu is just a "political mercenary bereft of any principles or ideology".

"It is an irony that someone who is basically a political party hopper and has not even spent five years in the party, is preaching and pontificating to people like us who have spent an entire lifetime in the service of the party," he said.

Rana said keeping in mind Sidhu's "unstable and eccentric behaviour", nobody is sure whether he would stay in the Congress or quit the party before the Assembly polls.

The senior Congress leader also questioned intentions of Sidhu in opposing his own government and the CM, saying he has now been "exposed".

"You have been openly criticising our chief minister as you have started feeling jealous and insecure about his popularity among the masses," Rana said.

Also Read  Amarinder attacks Channi, Sidhu after Pakistani drone spotted near border

"As party president, your key responsibility is to keep the party united but you did not leave any stone unturned to create fissures in the campaign committee, manifesto committee and screening committee, which were constituted by the party high command," said Rana.

The ministers statement came a day after the Punjab Congress chief in a dig at a rally suggested that it is the "end of road for Rajas and Ranas".

Sidhu had also backed the candidature of MLA Navtej Singh Cheema from Sultanpur Lodhi, a seat Rana's son Rana Inder Partap Singh is eyeing to contest from.

Earlier this year, Sidhu had become the state Congress chief amid a power tussle with Amarinder Singh, who had quit the party following his unceremonious exit as the chief minister.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday reached out to former Northern Army Commander Lt Gen D S Hooda promising support after the veteran soldier drew the Prime Ministers attention to the availability of a new anti-cancer drug through social media.

The medicine  not yet available in India but approved by the US Food and Drug Administration  would have benefitted Sushma Hooda, a cancer patient and Lt Gen Hoodas sister and many other patients.

Received a call from @PMOIndia (Prime Ministers Office) and spoke with Prime Minister Narendra Modi who expressed concern over the case. Truly humbled and honoured on receiving his call and his words that the case would be looked into. Proud to be an Indian and even prouder of the PMs personal intervention, tweeted Lt Gen Hooda.

Received a call from @PMOIndia and spoke with PM Narendra Modi who expressed concern over the case. Truly humbled and honoured on receiving his call and his words that the case would be looked into. Proud to be an Indian and even prouder of the PMs personal intervention. Jai Hind https://t.co/FPBVAPVWQ2  Lt Gen D S Hooda (@LtGenHooda) December 18, 2021

The message led to widespread appreciation for PM Modi and his humane gesture on social media.

Earlier in the day, the former Army Commander retweeted a message from his sister.

There is hope for us now as the USFDA has tested and approved as first-line treatment a new drug called Sacituzumab Govitecan (Trodelvy) in April 2021. Also, the European Medicine Agency has approved it for medical use in November 2021, she wrote, requesting Modi to expedite the approval and purchase of the drug in the Indian market to grant a lease of life to her and several others who have exhausted all other options of treatment.

Lt Gen Hooda retweeted his sisters tweet tagging the Prime Ministers office and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. I start this tweet by admitting that I have a personal interest. Sushma Hooda is my sister, a cancer patient of several years with dwindling hope. Keeping sentiments aside, approval of the new drug may give a fighting chance of survival to many like her.

One of the brains behind the Indian Armys surgical strike across the Line of Control in September 2016, the General Officer retired on November 30 in the same year after a 40-year long service.

In February 2019, in the run up to General election, he headed a task force set up by then Congress president Rahul Gandhi to prepare a vision paper on national security challenges.

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The Sri Lankan Navy has arrested 43 Indian fishermen and seized six fishing boats. The arrested fishermen have been lodged in the Kangesanthurai camp in Sri Lanka, according to a fisheries department official in Tamil Nadu.

Upset over the reported arrests and the seizure of the boats, the fishermen associations will hold protests across the state on Monday.

Also Read | Sri Lankan Navy 'hurled stones, bottles' to shoo us away: Fishermen

A Tamil Nadu fisheries department official while speaking to IANS said, "Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu are regularly attacked by the Sri Lankan Naval personnel and recently a fisherman from Ramanathapuram, Rajkiran (30) lost his life after the Sri Lankan Navy attacked the Indian fishing vessel.

"In this case around 500 fishermen from Rameswaram had sailed to the sea and they were attacked by the Sri Lankan naval personnel near Katchatheevu. 43 Indian fishermen were arrested and are now in the custody of the Sri Lankan Navy. 6 fishing boats have also been seized by the Sri Lankans."

Political parties of Tamil Nadu have already contacted the Union Government and have requested to immediately speak to the Sri Lankan authorities for the release of fishermen from Tamil Nadu. The Union minister of state for fisheries, L. Murugan, who hails from Tamil Nadu has already commenced discussions with the higher officials of the Government of India.

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BJP's Kerala State President K Surendran on Sunday demanded the immediate arrest of the killers of the party's backward class leader and state secretary of OBC Morcha, advocate Renjith Sreenivas.

Speaking to IANS, Surendran said, "The SDPI killers are on a rampage in Kerala. This is the latest instance of a practising advocate being killed by an eight-member killer gang of SDPI and Popular Front. They barged into his house in the early morning on Sunday and hacked him to death in front of his mother and wife. He lives at the centre of Alappuzha town and this shows how callous the Kerala Police and the State Home Department led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is."

Calling for the immediate arrest of the killers, he said that the police are yet to arrest those behind RSS leader Sanjith's murder in Palakkad district in November, despite his wife being a witness. He said, "This (delay in arrest) led to the SDPI, PFI killers getting emboldened to murder advocate Renjith Sreenivas at his residence."

Surendran also said that the Home department and Kerala Police must not make the investigation a farce, and instead, bring the culprits to book.

Also Read  Section 144 imposed in Alappuzha, Kerala after SDPI leader, BJP functionary killed

The Director General of Kerala Police, Anil Kant, speaking to mediapersons at Thiruvananthapuram said that police would take strong action and even senior leaders would be arrested, if necessary, during the course of the investigation. He said that police were on high alert and that this was an unfortunate incident.

The Inspector General of Police, South Zone, Harshitha Attaluri, who is in charge of the investigation, said, "Police have already taken into custody 50 people from various organisations, including the SDPI, PFI combine and RSS, BJP combine. We have also taken into custody a few history-sheeters as well as RSS and SDPI local level leaders and cadres."

The Kerala Police are, however, groping in the dark due to their intelligence failure, to prevent the murder of advocate Renjith Sreenivas.

It is to be noted that an SDPI leader, KS Shan, who was the state secretary of the party, was hacked to death on Saturday night. The SDPI alleged that the RSS-BJP combine was behind this murder. The SDPI and PFI took to social media baying for the blood of a BJP-RSS leader over Shan's death.

SDPI state President Muvattupuzha Ashraf Moulavi said, "Senior RSS leader Valsan Thillankery was yesterday at Alappuzha and he had called for the Hindus to strengthen and empower themselves. The killing of Shan was planned and executed with the blessings of Valsan Thillankeri."

RSS leader and Hindu Aikya Vedi State President Valsan Thillankeri said, "The SDPI and PFI are targeting the RSS and BJP leaders. They are even announcing these leaders beforehand as killers and then are targeting and killing such leaders. Police have to act stringently and bring the culprits of Renjith Sreenivas to book."

The last rites of both the leaders are set to be performed on Sunday evening.

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A Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) leader and a BJP leader were killed at Alappuzha district of Kerala in a gap of around ten hours between Saturday evening and Sunday morning.

Considering the tense situation, the district administration clamped prohibitory orders in the district for two days and the police were maintaining tight vigil across the state.

It was on Saturday evening that Popular Front of India's political outfit SDPI's state leader K S Shan was murdered. BJP leader Renjith Sreenivas was killed during the wee hours of Sunday. Police suspect that both were political killings and the BJP leader was killed as an act of settling scores by SDPI.

It was the fifth murder of political activists in Kerala over the last two months. Two BJP-RSS activists and a CPM worker were killed during the last two months.

Also read: Alappuzha killings: State BJP chief calls for arrest of killers

While Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan flayed the incident and made a call to single out those trying to spread hatred and unleashing terror, the opposition parties accused the Chief Minister of backing fundamental outfits that try to create a communal divide.

Opposition leader V D Satheesan of Congress said that the political killings were the outcome of the communal appeasement politics of Pinarayi Vijayan. BJP national president J P Nadda stated that Kerala was turning into an unlawful state under the Vijayan government.

Meanwhile, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan said that he was feeling ashamed.

Shan, 36, who was a state secretary of SDPI, was murdered at Mannancherry in the district. A gang of around seven who came in a car knocked down the two-wheeler Shan was riding and hacked him to death. He reportedly suffered around 40 hack injuries and died late by Saturday night at a hospital in Kochi.

Renjith Sreenivas, 45, who was state secretary of BJP-OBC Morcha, was hacked by a gang that barged into his house at Alappuzha South police station limits during the early hours of Sunday. His mother reportedly witnessed the attack and he suffered around 20 hack injuries. The accused, suspected to be SDPI workers, allegedly used an ambulance with SDPI's label.

Inspector General of Police, South Zone Harshita Attaluri said that around 50 were taken into custody with both the murders. A special police team was probing into the incidents.

BJP-RSS and SDPI leaders accused each other of the killings. BJP state president K Surendran said that SDPI was carrying out the murders with the support of the Pinarayi Vijayan government. SDPI state president Ashraf Ali said that it was planned murder involving RSS senior leaders.

Police sources said that both the incidents happened in a radius of around ten kilometres and it was strongly suspected to be political revenge killings. Heavy police deployment was made at sensitive areas of the district to avoid further tension. The district administration was planning to hold an all party meeting on Monday.

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Efforts have been stepped up to arrest former Minister from the previous AIADMK regime, K T Rajenthra Bhalaji, in a case related to a job scam, police sources said on Sunday while the main opposition said he would face the matter legally.

With the Madras High Court rejecting Bhalaji's anticipatory bail application on December 17, police have intensified searches, apart from forming as many as six special teams to arrest him in the case, Virudhunagar district police sources said.

Bhalaji is reportedly considering legal options like the possibility of approaching the Supreme Court. Some of his relatives and car driver have already been questioned and police are pursuing all available leads, sources added.

Bhalaji held the milk and dairy development portfolio in the AIADMK government (2016-21). The police case on the job scam is against Bhalaji, two of his personal assistants and an associate.

At least 23 victims have been identified so far and a total of Rs 1.40 crore was collected from them. They were promised various jobs in the state government departments/undertakings including in the state-run dairy cooperative 'Aavin.'

Conspiracy, cheating, criminal intimidation are among the IPC sections invoked against them. Two FIRs were filed by police in connection with alleged cheating.

Dismissing the anticipatory bail petition of Bhalaji and others, the High Court had said: "This court consistently in the cases of job racketing, finding innocents are being cheated, lured and their future becomes questionable and considering job aspirants not only lose their money, they also lose their future."

"In view of the some dealt with firmness in job racketing cases. This case is one of job racketing. Hence, this Court is not inclined to show any leniency on the petitioners."

Rejecting 'claims' that the former Minister was 'absconding,' AIADMK leader D Jayakumar said Bhalaji would face the matter legally in consultation with legal experts.

While the DMK government showed 'vigour' to apprehend him as he belonged to the AIADMK, and formed as many as 6 special police teams, he asked, "why the government did not show same interest in maintaining law and order arresting those involved in crimes against women."

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Mormugao, the Indian Navy's second indigenous stealth destroyer of the P15B class, proceeded on her maiden sea sortie on Sunday.

The ship, named after a Goan seaport city and planned to be commissioned in mid-2022, took to the sea on the date -- December 19 -- when the nation celebrates 60 years of the state's liberation from Portuguese rule.

The seaport city of Mormugao is situated in the eponymous Morumugao Sub-District of the district of South Goa, along the Arabian Sea, on the western coast of India. It has a deep natural harbour and is Goa's chief port.

The Indian Navy played a pivotal role in the liberation of the state and naming the ship after the port city is expected to not only enhance the bond between the Indian Navy and the people of Goa, but also link the ship's identity permanently to the crucial role the Navy played in nation-building.

#IndianNavy's 2nd indigenous stealth destroyer of the P15B class, #Mormugao proceeded on her maiden sea sortie today. #19December is perhaps the most befitting date for the ship to put to sea as today the nation celebrates 60 years of Goa's liberation from Portuguese rule.(1/n) pic.twitter.com/XenaEl3cBZ  PRO Defence Mumbai (@DefPROMumbai) December 19, 2021

Mormugao is being built at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDSL) as part of the 15B destroyers project. The ship incorporates several niche indigenous technologies, an example of the 'atmanirbar' (Make in India) initiative.

Mormugao will add significantly to the Indian Navys combat capabilities.

With the recent commissioning in November 2021 of INS Visakhapatnam and the fourth P75 submarine INS Vela, the commencement of sea trials of Mormugao is testimony to the cutting-edge capabilities of MDSL and the strong indigenous shipbuilding tradition of a modern and vibrant India.

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For the first time, the Mumbai-based leading nature research body Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) has decided to satellite-tag the winter avian guests of India's commercial capital, the majestic flamingos, to track their global movements.

BNHS director Dr Bivash Pandav said, to begin with, the process will be done for about ten birds at the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary.

BNHS has already applied to the Telecom Department for using GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) bandwidth to be used for monitoring the tagged birds. The organisation will also need customs clearances.

The radio tags, attached to a harness, will be looped to the birds wings like "school bags for kids," a researcher said.

Traditionally, flamingos fly into Mumbai from various parts of the world such as Iran, Afghanistan and Israel, apart from Kutch, and spend their winter here at various wetlands  from Mahul-Sewree, Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary, Navi Mumbai. The BNHS study will help understand the pattern of their flights.

The current system of tagging has its limitations for tracking as the researchers have to wait for alerts from those who notice them and those who have an eye for the tags. But in the case of the satellite tagging, study teams can download the signals from anywhere, depending on the network.This is a very exciting development, said B N Kumar, director of NatConnect Foundation.

Describing the migratory birds as "ambassadors of environment," he said the advanced tech-based tracking will help better understand biodiversity.

NatConnect Foundation has suggested to BNHS to extend the process to Navi Mumbai wetlands where BNHS itself has identified five water bodies for conservation. Right now, there are hardly any birds at NRI or TS Chanakya wetlands, but once we get to see them, we can definitely go there, Dr Pandav said.

BNHS has planned to conserve the wetlands at Belpada, Bhendkhal, Panje, NRI and TS Chanakya and Bhandup as part of the TCFS Satellite Sanctuaries.

Researchers were excited when some birds tagged by BNHS three-to-four years ago were found again at Panje and Alibaug.

Birds have the typical habit of site fidelity, returning to the same area, which is tracked with the help of tagging. This has its limitations as BNHS has to wait for someone to observe the tags and report.

But with radio-tagging, BNHS will be able to continuously monitor movements of birds.

BNHS is currently working on bird flight patterns in connection with two major projects  the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) and the Navi Mumbai International Airport. The Union Environment Ministry has made it mandatory to work on wildlife mitigation for the two projects under construction now.

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NCP activists on Sunday performed milk 'abhishek' on statues of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Thane city and Ambernath township in Maharashtra.

They also staged a protest against Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai to condemn the alleged desecration of Chhatrapati Shivaji's statue in Bengaluru.

Also Read: Shivaji statue defacing: Bengaluru police register FIR

Activists of NCP gathered near the bust of the 17th Century king and performed milk abhishek in Ambernath. They raised slogans hailing the Maratha king. Similar 'Abhishek' was performed on the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji at Masunda lake in Thane city neighbouring Mumbai.

On the occasion, they slapped the picture of the Karnataka chief minister.

Speaking to reporters, Thane Guardian Minister and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde said it was not the first time that the national icon Shivaji Maharaj was insulted by some means or the other.

He reiterated that the Karnataka government take stringent action against the culprits of the Bengaluru incident. "Otherwise, we know how to deal with them. The local government (Karnataka) will be responsible," he said.

Tension prevailed in Belagavi bordering Maharashtra on Saturday after alleged activists of the Maharashtra Ekikarana Samiti vandalised a statue of freedom fighter Sangolli Rayanna, following news that a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was desecrated in Bengaluru.

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The cases of new Covid-19 variant Omicron crossed the 50-mark in Maharashtra with six more patients being reported on Sunday.

The state has now a total of 54 cases which include 22 in Mumbai followed by Pimpri-Chinchwad (11), Pune Rural (7), Pune City (3), Satara (3), Kalyan-Dombivli (2), Osmanabad (2), Buldhana (1), Nagpur (1), Latur (1), Vasai-Virar (1).

Two of the patients in Mumbai are from Karnataka and one each from Chhattisgarh and Kerala and two from Maharashtra districts of Jalgaon and Aurangabad.

Also Read | Karnataka records 300 Covid-19 cases, one death

Looking at the experience in other countries, the third wave would be of Omicron, state Public Health and Family Welfare Minister Rajesh Tope indicated a couple of days ago.

We have to increase the level of preparedness and precautions. I reiterate that vaccination and masks are the best solution, said Dr Suhas Pingle, President, IMA-Maharashtra State.

Meanwhile, Dr Trupti Gilada, Infectious Disease Specialist, Masina Hospital, Mumbai, said, "reports around the world are showing that although Omicron is a very infectious strain, the disease caused is mild. While it is not yet certain what the efficacy of the current vaccines is like for Omicron, there seems to be protection from severe infections, hospitalisations and death from all the prevalent strains.

Also Read | Delhi records 107 new Covid cases, highest daily rise since June 27

Over 55% of the eligible Indians are double vaccinated and over 85% have received at least a dose. Even if we do see a surge in the number of cases, the high level of immunity in the population will minimise the numbers really requiring hospitalisation, she added.

Integrated Diseases Surveillance Programme (IDSP) officials said that of the 54 patients, 28 have been discharged after RT-PCR negative reports.

Meanwhile, Mumbais Municipal Commissioner Dr. Iqbal Singh Chahal has once again appealed to citizens to avoid Christmas and New Year parties, and follow all Covid-19 guidelines strictly.

Also Read | As Omicron spreads, India may need to adopt a hybrid model of testing

In the near future, risk of Covid virus spread may increase if ceremonies and functions are held on the occasions of Christmas and New Year. There is also a need to curb the growing crowd at weddings and other ceremonies. Moreover, hotels, restaurants and other public establishments have also been found to be flouting Covid-19 norms, he said.

The Maharashtra government has threatened action against violators under the Indian Penal Code as well as the Epidemic Diseases Act and National Disaster Management Act.

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Amid sharp reactions from Maharashtra over the desecration of a Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in Bengaluru, the two descendants of the legendary Maratha warrior have expressed anguish over the act and sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The two 13th descendants of Shivaji Maharaj  Chhatrapati Udayanraje Bhosale of Satara and Sambhaji Chhatrapati of Kolhapur  have expressed deep concern over the incident and called for severe action against the culprits.

Both are Rajya Sabha members and have urged PM Modi, Amit Shah and Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to look into the issue.

Also Read | Bengaluru cops arrest seven in Shivaji statue desecration case

The entire country is saddened with the incident and the reactions are visible. There should be strong action against the culprits, said Chhatrapati Udayanraje Bhosale.

The desecration of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue at Bengaluru is highly condemnable. Lets not forget that the initial development of Bengaluru happened during Shahajirajes rule. The Government at the Centre and Karnataka state should take serious action against the culprits, said Sambhaji Chhatrapati.

The Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress Maha Vikas Aghadi government and opposition BJP have also condemned the incident saying that Shivaji Maharaj is a deity of not only Maharashtra but of the entire country, and any disrespect and insult to the founder of the Maratha empire will not be tolerated by the people of the state.

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Maharashtra witnessed waves of protests on Sunday in the wake of the alleged desecration of the statue of legendary Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Bengaluru and the statement of Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

A group of Shiv Sainiks gathered at the historic Shivaji Park at Dadar here and engaged in sloganeering against the BJP and the Chief Minister of the neighbouring state.

There were protests in several other places in Mumbai and other districts of the state including Pune, Sangli, Kolhapur and Satara.

The protests happened on a day when Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah visited Pune.

Also Read | Shivaji Maharaj's descendants express anguish over desecration of statue in Bengaluru

A group of local Shiv Sena leaders are expected to hand over a memorandum to Shah on the issue.

Meanwhile, at the Pune Municipal Corporation, Shah laid the foundation of a grand statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, dedicated a statue of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Constitution, and paid tributes at the statue of a social reformer Mahatma Jyotiba Phule.

Shivaji Maharaj gave a ray of hope during dark timeshe laid the foundation of Hindavi-swaraj, Shah said, adding that it was Shivaji Maharaj who gave the clarion call of Swadesh, swaraj and swadharma - which became the mission during the freedom movement.

Also Read | Bengaluru cops arrest seven in Shivaji statue desecration case

In Shivaji Park, the protest was led by Sena Sena legislators Sada Sarvankar and Manisha Kayande near the statue of the Maratha warrior king at the Shivaji Park in Mumbai.

Talking to reporters, Sarvankar claimed that the BJP seeks votes in the name of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Maharashtra and insults the warrior king in Karnataka.

A day earlier, Shiv Sainiks protested outside the BJP office in Mumbai.

Also Read | NCP workers protest against Karnataka CM, perform milk 'abhishek' on Chhatrapati Shivaji's statues in Thane

Prime Minister Modi should direct the Karnataka government to take action in the matter. This incident cannot be taken lightly. For several years, Marathi-speaking people in Karnataka are facing atrocities. Now, the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is desecrated," Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had said on Saturday.

The ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi allies - Shiv Sena, BJP and Congress - as well as opposition BJP, have condemned the incident.

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When Pune's DS Pai visited Goa four years ago for an official conference, he took out time early one morning to visit his Kuldev, family deity, Ramnathi temple at Bandivade.

"My colleagues were interested and came along with me. They said they did not even know of the existence of such a beautiful temple," Pai, who is India Meteorological Department's (IMD) head, Long-Range Forecast, told IANS on phone.

Pai's family migrated to Kerala in the 17th century when the Portuguese took over Goa. Like him, several others chose to make Kerala their home, but almost all of them have retained ties with the family deity even now. The trips have increased since he was posted to Pune, he said.

Read more: 'Voice of Freedom' and the battle for airwaves over Goa

Pai is not the only example. Not all visitors to this sunshine state go to the beach first but a bulk of them are actually temple goers. In fact, even when for the majority of tourists visiting Goa, the equation is simple: 'Goa Sun, Sand & Sea', over a dozen major temples and several smaller ones attract regular and annual crowds that have a sizable contribution to Goa's economy.

According to India Tourism Statistics 2019, a government of India publication, in 2017, Goa had 68,95,234 domestic and 8,42,220 foreign tourists while in 2018, the respective number of 70,81,559 and 9,33,841 showing a growth rate of 2.70 per cent and 10.88 per cent, respectively. Of course, the pandemic changed the situation, and the tourism sector was the hardest hit. In 2021, even when the domestic sector has picked up slowly, foreign tourists' numbers are no match.

But even before the pandemic and lockdown, tourists in general were unaware of Goa's rich tradition of multiple temples for centuries, and it would only be the niche tourists who would opt for it or those like Pai, who came for their deities.

Amongst the 50-odd main temples across Goa, about a dozen stand out for various reasons, their distinct architecture being one of them. Brick and mortar structures, most of these big temples are 400-year-old, have unique tiled, sloping roofs and almost all of them have 'deep maal', a vertical decorative pillar with niches to keep earthen oil lamps. Each temple compulsorily has a tank / water body next to it.

Mangeshi temple is amongst the most famous, but there are scores of others. Shantadurga at Kawale, Mhalsa Narayani at Mhardol, Lakshmi Nrusinha at Veling, Ramnathi and Mahalakshmi at Bandivade, Kamakashi at Shiroda, Santeri at Kelshi are amongst the bigger temples. Many of them are listed on the official website of Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC).

And then there are temples with even older vintage. The 1000-year-old Mahadev temple at Tambdi Surla near the border with Maharashtra and about 700-year-old Rudreshwar temple at Harale are the stone temples. When the Portuguese conquered Goa, devotees of several temples lining the coastal areas took the deities away to either deep inside the forests and undulating landscape of Goan territory, which now comprises the area between Panaji and Fonda, or further away to coastal Karnataka.

With it, a lot of community members -- all Konkani speakers -- too migrated away to almost the entire coastal belt from south Gujarat to Kerala. Konkani speaking Gaud Saraswat Brahmins (GSBs), scores of Marathi speaking families from across Maharashtra and of course, many from Goa itself, all have their family deities in Goa.

Shanta Durga at Amone is the family deity, the Kuldevi, of senior journalist Rajdeep Sardesai's family that hails from Madgaon. Not much into religious rituals -- "God resides in my heart" -- Sardesai said, "but I visit Goa for family functions regularly".

Sardesai agreed that outsiders are unaware of the rich temple traditions. "Goa lives by the river and not by the sea. Once you start discovering the river, you discover the real Goa. There is nothing wrong in promoting beaches but there is more to Goa than the beaches," he said.

Over the decades, especially after Independence, the diaspora spread to other states and even abroad. Many families make it a point to annually visit their family deities, many visit when there is a special occasion such as a marriage in the family and likewise.

Read more: Mormugao sails on Goa Liberation Day

"The Goan temples are unique by the fact that the deities are identified not just as Brahminical, but those belonging to all types of communities. The temples had a land of their own, they supported the economy of the area around them," said Padmashree Vinayak Khedikar, author who has documented the folk arts and literary traditions of Goa.

Families and villages from 'thal', a local term meaning the catchment for that temple, were dependent on the temple as a central institution and in turn they donated to the temple. "Each of the temples is an independent Sansthan institution. Till a few decades ago, anyone from the thal getting married would get a saree and dhoti from the temple. Also, some minor repairs or such chores to be carried out at people's homes were supported by the temple," said Khedikar, who has authored a book Goa Dev Mandal: Unnayan aani Sthalantar (Goa temple boards: upgradation and migration).

"Except for the law & order, the temples reigned over their respective thal even in the Portuguese era. There was a Mahajan system -- which led to a Mahajani Act in the late 18th century -- who were responsible for the maintenance of the temples and all its real estate. There were separate families identified for daily puja. Much of it has changed later," he said. But he was non-committal about the popularity of these temples. Sardesai said, "Temples would have to be promoted by the local community."

"Last 6-8 years, lots of people who read my blogs budget a day or two for temples and inform me or ping me or ask for information. Sometimes, they also put out a thread on social media and tag me to say, it was because of my blog," said Anuradha Goyal, author, columnist and blogger based in Goa and who has extensively written about Goa temples.

There has been no active promotion of temples by the state either. The BJP government for the last 10 years has had no promotional schemes for popularising temples to domestic tourists. However, given the political mileage that 'pilgrimage' is yielding -- Delhi Chief Minister has announced trains to pilgrim places from Goa; West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said Trinamool Congress stood for the temple, mosque and church; the Congress seems to have slowly woken up to the opportunity.

Former Deputy Chief Minister Ramakant Khalap agreed that temple tourism has been neglected and also acknowledged the contribution of temples in Goa's economy. "Ahead of the Assembly elections, we are preparing the Congress manifesto. It will prominently feature dev ghar (temple) promotion and planning to celebrate Goa as 'God's Own Abode'," Khalap said.

However, his idea of places of worship is not restricted to Hindu temples. "We plan to promote all places of worship. Puranas tell us this is a place reclaimed by Parshuram. Parvati did her penance here, we have Shanta Durga. Then much later came the Buddhists and Jain, there are a lot of remnants. Jews were here, Muslims were here and last were the Portuguese. Goa is a good example of how all religions have a syncretic existence. The temples, churches, and mosques, we have all of them," he said.

"Our manifesto will demand to have designated state festivals from each religion," Khalap added.

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That sacrilege inside the sanctum sanctorum of the Golden Temple could snowball into an election issue seems a foregone conclusion. Sample the narrative of the Congress in the run-up to the 2017 Assembly elections in Punjab. "We will bring the guilty to book and punish those who are shielding the accused," Amarinder Singh, then the Congress party's chief campaigner, had promised. The latter was an obvious reference to the Badals of the Shiromani Akali Dal.

The learning from the 2017 elections campaign is simple. For the sake of peace in Punjab, the issue should not turn into a political game to garner votes in the forthcoming polls. And that it should not disturb the communal harmony that exists in this state where Sikhs and Hindus live cheek by jowl and have lived through the most tumultuous period of history between 1980 and 1993 when the separatist movement was at its peak.

However, it's essential to be mindful of the recent history of Punjab. In 1978, when sacrilege took place, it led to clashes between traditional Sikhs and Nirankaris. The incident gave birth to the separatist movement in Punjab and marked the emergence of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. The Nirankaris are a movement within Sikhism that believes in a living guru and not the scriptural guru, the Sikh holy book of Guru Granth Sahib.

In 1978, Sikhs led by Bhindranwale were agitated with Nirankari chief Gurbachan Singh for holding a convention in Amritsar. Sikhs had been at loggerheads with Nirankaris on several issues, most notably the sect's belief of considering its chief as 'satguru'. Sikhs, on the other hand, consider Guru Granth Sahib as their living guru after the tenth Sikh guru Guru Gobind Singh.

Also Read | Man beaten to death over 'sacrilege' bid at Golden Temple

There were other issues also like the Nirankari sect had seven 'sitare', a kind of parallel to the tenet of 'panj pyaras' of the Sikh religion. Sikhs considered it blasphemous, and all of it came to a boil on April 13, 1978, when 13 Sikhs were killed in a clash between Sikhs and Nirankaris. The trial of the case was shifted to Haryana, where a court acquitted the Nirankari men on the ground that they acted in "self-defence", which had Bhindranwale announce that there would be a fight for justice. On April 24, 1980, the Nirankari sect head Gurbachan Singh was assassinated.

To put it plainly, that sacrilege incident, though contested by Nirankaris, ignited a fire that led to 13 years of a separatist movement in Punjab, which witnessed unprecedented bloodshed for the first time after the 1947 partition. Making political gains of issues about blasphemy, something Indira Gandhi and her Congress were accused of in 1980, could prove to be counterproductive and push Punjab, once the most prosperous state of India, back into the dark days.

Not that the Congress has faulted only once and learnt its lessons. It seems incorrigible at repeatedly wanting to play with fire. In 2017, Amarinder Singh initially blamed the Badals for shielding those accused of beadbi (religious sacrilege). In the run-up to the polls, he promised he would bring those who protected the guilty to the book, which meant the Badals. Five years later, in an interview with a news channel, he said, "How can you take action without evidence?" Subsequently, Navjot Singh Sidhu accused Amarinder Singh of being in cahoots with the Badals.

We are now likely to see candidates trying to milk the issue of sacrilege for votes in their poll campaigning by promising they will bring the guilty to book even though the power to investigate lies with law enforcement agencies. The law enforcement agencies, who report to the government, find themselves in a catch-22 situation while drawing the chain backwards to the conspirators or those shielding the accused. Since those in the government have made public claims about who the guilty are at the time of campaigning.

As for the latest sacrilege case, the man who committed blasphemy was killed, which could prove to be the biggest hiccup to understand further who the conspirators were. It does not look like a one-person job. There have been a series of such sacrilege incidents taking place since June 2015, and all seem deliberate well-planned acts. All political parties should commit that whoever comes to power will bring the guilty to book without hunting for credit. Consider this as service to God.

(The writer is a journalist based in Chandigarh)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.

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During the months that the Covid virus ensured that just about every Indian lost someone they knew, many religious institutions across the country stepped in to help: they organised hospital beds and vaccine camps, distributed food, clothes and masks, and on a rare occasion, offered to look after the educational needs of children orphaned by the deadly virus. A few weeks ago, when Hindu right-wing outfits threatened to disrupt a namaz gathering in Gurgaon, two Gurudwaras offered their premises to the Muslims to pray. Indeed, religious institutions do charitable work during ordinary times too, such as running free or low-cost schools, colleges, hostels, marriage halls and health centres, among others.

While religious institutions are variously engaged in society in the present, it is unclear, however, what the contemporary world means for their religious philosophies, whose origins go way back in time to radically different, non-modern contexts. In a generic sense, the moral appeal of kindness, compassion, honesty and non-violence, to name a few values affirmed across various religious philosophies, continues undiminished through time, but these values are part of complex metaphysical systems with richly varying senses of the universe, God, nature, humans, animals and the relations between them.

If religious metaphysical systems prescribe ways in which humans and communities can evolve a meaningful relationship with their social milieu, what is to happen to them when fundamentally new understandings of the social milieu emerge? Religious thought is, of course, in a dynamic relation with its social circumstances, with religious leaders making their texts speak to their time, to the changed social circumstances, allowing at times for the emergence of new sects or breakaway new religions. However, the current ecological crisis poses a different order of challenge to theology.

If human civilisation will not endure forever at current levels of human misbehaviour with the earth, religious leaders are confronting a world radically different than anything their predecessors imagined. Really, they owe it to themselves and their community to explore whether their theological heritage offers meaningful responses to the new existential predicament. Are there moral ideas and symbols inside that can reorient current life practices, that can bring a less hurtful relation with the earth? Can the tradition sustain itself by allowing for moral innovations in the present?

Barring a rare exception like Pope Francis, religious leaders do not seem to be theologically preoccupied with the ecological catastrophe. As they dont seem to be with the ever-present threat, since a few decades, of the nuclear annihilation of the world. In his Theology for a Nuclear Age (Westminster Press, 1985), which argues for a fundamental recasting of Christian theology in the light of the nuclear threat, Gordon Kaufman, an American theologian, asked whether it made any sense to see God as sovereign when the whole world could perish at the touch of a button. In a comparative spirit, what does the absence of a sovereign conception of an all-knowing, infallible God in several religious traditions of India mean for reimagining the place of God in relation to the climate crisis?

When it became clear that the UN Climate Change conference last month was mostly a token event, religious leaders in India didnt have anything to say by way of a response. As a new year makes its way, let us hope that this tragic state of affairs will give way.

The indifference to the new moral challenges on the part of the custodians of religious faiths in the country has been unfortunate: not only has ecological recklessness had a free run, the amoral pursuit of political power has become legitimate and the violence against religious minorities, tribals and Dalits a casual fact. An engagement with contemporary evil, with all the moral resources and experiences that the religious traditions offer, is what we will need to see. That might generate fresh ethical conversations and offer new ways of humanising ourselves. That might open up new sources of hope.

(The ISEC Professor looks for new ways of looking)
By Dan Lowry, Mario Krapp and Nick Golledge for The Conversation

Rising seas are already making storm damage more costly, adding to the impact on about 700 million people who live in low-lying coastal areas at risk of flooding.

Scientists expect sea-level rise will exacerbate the damage from storm surges and coastal floods during the coming decades. But predicting just how much and how fast the seas will rise this century is difficult, mainly because of uncertainties about how Antarcticas ice sheet will behave.

The recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projections of Antarcticas contribution to sea-level rise show considerable overlap between low and high-emissions scenarios.

But in our new research, we show the widespread collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is avoidable if we can keep global warming below the Paris target of 2 degrees Celsius.

In West Antarctica, the interior of the ice sheet sits atop bedrock that lies well below sea level. As the Southern Ocean warms, scientists are concerned the ice sheet will continue to retreat, potentially raising sea level by several meters.

When and how quickly this process could happen depends on a number of factors that are still uncertain.

Our research better quantifies these uncertainties and shows the full impact of different emissions trajectories on Antarctica may not become clear until after 2100. But the consequences of decisions we make this decade will be felt for centuries.

A new approach to projecting change in Antarctica

Scientists have used numerical ice-sheet models for decades to understand how ice sheets evolve under different climate states. These models are based on mathematical equations that represent how ice sheets flow.

But despite advances in mapping the bed topography beneath the ice, significant uncertainty remains in terms of the internal ice structure and conditions of the bedrock and sediment below. Both affect ice flow.

This makes prediction difficult, because the models have to rely on a series of assumptions, which affect how sensitive a modelled ice sheet is to a changing climate. Given the number and complexity of the equations, running ice-sheet models can be time consuming, and it may be impossible to fully account for all of the uncertainty.

To overcome this limitation, researchers around the world are now frequently using statistical emulators. These mathematical models can be trained using results from more complex ice-sheet models and then used to run thousands of alternative scenarios.

Using hundreds of ice-sheet model simulations as training data, we developed such an emulator to project Antarcticas sea-level contribution under a wide range of emissions scenarios. We then ran tens of thousands of statistical emulations to better quantify the uncertainties in the ice sheets response to warming.

Low emissions prevent ice shelf thinning

To ensure our projections are realistic, we discounted any simulation that did not fit with satellite observations of Antarctic ice loss over the last four decades.

We considered a low-emissions scenario, in which global carbon emissions were reduced quickly over the next few decades, and a high-emissions scenario, in which emissions kept increasing to the end of the century. Under both scenarios, we observed continued ice loss in areas already losing ice mass, such as the Amundsen Sea region of West Antarctica.

For the ice sheet as a whole, we found no statistically significant difference between the ranges of plausible contributions to sea-level rise in the two emissions scenarios until the year 2116. However, the rate of sea-level rise towards the end of this century under high emissions was double that of the low-emissions scenario.

By 2300, under high emissions, the Antarctic ice sheet contributed more than 1.5m more to global sea level than in the low-emissions scenario. This is because the West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapses.

The earliest warning sign of a future with a multi-metre Antarctic contribution to sea-level rise is widespread thinning of Antarcticas two largest floating ice shelves, the Ross and Ronne-Filchner.

These massive ice shelves hold back land-based ice, but as they thin and break off, this resistance weakens. The land-based ice flows more easily into the ocean, raising sea level.

In the high-emissions scenario, this widespread ice-shelf thinning happens within the next few decades. But importantly, these ice shelves show no thinning in a low-emissions scenario  most of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet remains intact.

Planning our future

The goal of the Paris Agreement is to keep warming well below 2 degrees Celsius. But current global government pledges commit us to 2.9 degrees Celsius by 2100. Based on our emulator projections, we believe these pledges would lead to a 50 per cent higher (70cm) Antarctic contribution to sea-level rise by the year 2300 than if warming remains at or under 2 degrees Celsius.

But even if we meet the Paris target, we are already committed to sea-level rise from the Antarctic ice sheet, as well as from Greenland and mountain glaciers around the world for centuries or millennia to come.

Continued warming will also raise sea levels because warmer ocean water expands and the amount of water stored on land (in soil, aquifers, wetlands, lakes, and reservoirs) changes.

To avoid the worst impacts on coastal communities around the world, planners and policymakers will need to develop meaningful adaptation strategies and mitigation options for the continued threat of sea-level rise.

(Lowry is Ice Sheet & Climate Modeller at GNS Science; Krapp is Environmental Data Scientist at GNS Science and Golledge is Professor of Glaciology, Te Herenga Waka  Victoria University of Wellington)



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On paper, Article 25 of the Constitution guarantees everyone the right to profess, practise and propagate their religion. This is subject to two kinds of restrictions  the laws regulating or restricting the secular aspects of religious practices, and the state regulating the religious practices themselves in the interests of public order, morality, health, and specific to Hindus, social welfare and reform.

Constitutionally, one can choose ones religion or choose none at any point of time in ones life. The Constitution doesnt say one is free to practise only ones birth religion (or worse, only one state-mandated religion). So where do anti-conversion laws such as the one currently being contemplated by the Karnataka government fit in?

Anti-conversion laws in India are not particularly new. Their history goes back to even pre-Independence days but post-Independence, Odisha had the first in 1967. The motivation behind this law was to check Christian missionaries in states with large tribal populations. Somewhat ironically titled the Orissa Freedom of Religion Act, 1967, the law prohibited forcible conversion and also mandated that anyone choosing to convert out of the faith they had been born in had to inform the district magistrate.

The Orissa law was challenged in the court and the Orissa High Court in Yulitha Hyde v State of Orissa (1972) struck it down as being contrary to Article 25 of the Constitution and also for the reason that the law was made on a subject which was beyond the State Legislatures power to pass the law. While the court agreed that forcible conversions could be banned, it found that the word inducement in the law was too wide and vague, and could be understood to have banned all proselytising activity.

Also Read | Karnataka anti-conversion bill will also cover 'Love Jihad', says Home Minister Jnanendra

However, when the matter was taken in appeal to the Supreme Court (and heard along with a challenge to the Madhya Pradesh law), the SC in Rev Ft Stanislaus v State of MP (1977) upheld such laws on the grounds that what was being prohibited was forcible conversion and therefore justified on the grounds of public order. Since it was a law related to public order, the SC also held that the State Legislature had power to pass such a law.

The Fr Stanislaus judgement is not without its problems. It accepts at face value the claim of the state government that forcible conversions cause law and order problems without asking for any material to justify it. It does not at all deal with the clause which mandates prior intimation to the district magistrate before conversion and does not engage seriously with the argument about the width of the acts which have been criminalised under the law. Though delivered by a Constitution bench, its reasoning is shoddy and incomplete.

More recently, the Himachal HC struck down parts of the Himachal Pradesh Religion Act, 2006, which imposed criminal sanctions on those who converted without intimating the government. It did this while upholding provisions similar to those upheld in the Fr Stanislaus case.

Marriage and conversion

However, a fresh set of changes took place to anti-conversion laws in the recent past attempting to bring even marriage as a forbidden reason for conversion. While the Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh laws in this front have been challenged and are pending in the Supreme Court, the Gujarat HC has stayed the operation of the amendment made by Gujarat to bring marriage into the purview of anti-conversion laws.

The fate of these laws might depend on the interpretation and application of the Supreme Courts nine-judge bench decision in Justice (Retd) Puttaswamy v Union of India (2017) where the scope of the right to privacy was dramatically expanded to include the right to make important life decisions such as marriage, choice of food, et al.

As things stand, if the Karnataka government introduces the anti-conversion bill and passes it into law, it will be the ninth state to pass such a law. Yet, one must ask  for what purpose such anti-conversion laws? Demographic data shows little, if any, evidence of any mass conversions. Any public order issues are usually the result of Hindutva groups attacking churches and priests gathering peacefully and using conversion as a cloak to justify their violence. So, what is this anti-conversion law really trying to do?

Also Read | Will not allow BJP govt to pass anti-conversion bill in Assembly: Congress leader Siddaramaiah

If one has to be cynical, perhaps the most successful anti-conversion law isnt even about conversion or religion. It is the 1950 Scheduled Castes Order of the Union government which directs that non-Hindu Dalits would not be considered Scheduled Castes for the purposes of reservations and benefits. This has since been amended to include Sikh and Buddhist Dalits within the fold of Scheduled Castes."

The unfortunate part of this is that Christian and Muslim Dalits continue to face discrimination and oppression as a result of their caste location. Even though Christian and Islamic doctrine do not recognise caste among the followers of their respective religions, it is a fact that caste practices and untouchability are common among Muslims and Christians in India.

Even though they suffer caste atrocities at the hands of their upper caste co-religionists, Christian and Dalit Muslims do not enjoy the protections of the SC/ST Atrocities Act  a fact which was brought into stark relief during the caste violence perpetrated by Christian Okkaligas on Christian Dalits in Harobele village in 2015.

What's the issue?

If the chance to escape caste oppression or get the benefits of affirmative action isnt really forthcoming from conversion, what particular problem then is the anti-conversion law trying to solve?

Applying the constitutional framework to try and understand the proposed anti-conversion law in Karnataka is, however, misleading. The Constitution assumes that laws are made for the purposes of public welfare or to promote a social, economic and cultural agenda which is in tune with the constitutional ethos. However, law-making can also have a sinister purpose that has nothing to do with the Constitution or rights. Laws can be made simply to promote and condone state-sponsored violence against vulnerable groups of people.

There is no credible basis for the claims of forcible conversion repeatedly made by a section of Hindus in Karnataka. Even the state governments surveys and reports have failed to throw up any credible evidence of such practices in Karnataka. The people alleged to have been forcibly converted, if at all, turned out to have converted voluntarily. Yet the claim is vociferously and vigorously repeated and never substantiated. The new attempt is to stretch it to include anyone who says that their religion is better than others  a leap of logic, which if applied elsewhere would make every advertiser a fraud and every politician guilty of a corrupt practice. What existing and real-world harm anti-conversion laws are attempting to address is not obvious.

One sees this pattern not just in the context of anti-conversion laws but also in laws which seek to ban cow-slaughter and love-jihad. None of these laws are intended to be applied by the state machinery or secular institutions.

The purpose of such laws is to give state protection for perpetrators of violence in society. An anti-love jihad law gives cover to the girls family and caste members to separate a consenting couple by putting the man in jail until the girl is pressurised to give up the relationship. The purpose of these laws is not to actually obtain convictions and punish criminals. The purpose is served at the point of filing the FIR and making the arrest. The purpose is to grind down vulnerable people through the use of state machinery.

The obvious target of Karnatakas anti-conversion law is therefore any Christian in the state. The purpose is to create an Other who can be demonised and targeted for the ends of political Hindutva. No doubt, if and when the bill becomes law and is challenged in court, constitutional principles will be used to decide its validity or otherwise. However, this exercise will completely miss the purpose of such laws.

(The writer is Co-Founder and Lead, The Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy)
On the day Omicron was declared as a variant of concern by the World Health Organization, the new Covid-19 strain had infected 87 individuals in five countries, with 77 of them just from South Africa.

But it took just three weeks for the new variant to spread to 91 countries, infecting more than 27,000 people. More than 12,000 patients came from the UK alone, and another 9,000 from Denmark.

Modelling studies predicted a possible deluge in Europe, while other G7 countries called it the biggest threat to the global population.

Is India prepared for an Omicron surge?

The states have no doubt improved their hospital beds and shored up their oxygen production since the peak of the second wave in May, when over 4.14 lakh cases were recorded in a single day, overwhelming the healthcare system.

But could Indias hypothetical third wave grow even bigger?

Also Read | India's Omicron tally crosses 100-mark after Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra report new cases

The Centres principal advisor and NITI Aayog member V K Paul flagged such a possibility during a media interaction on Friday. Highlighting the worsening Omicron situation in Europe, he said more than 80,000 people (not all are Omicron positive) were getting infected in the UK on a daily basis, which if extrapolated to India after adjusting for population, would translate into 14 lakh daily Covid-19 infections.

Similarly, France is witnessing 65,000 daily infections, which in India would mean 13 lakh daily cases.

Reservations about such an extrapolation notwithstanding, the question is: How many of those infected will require hospital care?

To answer this, the Centre is collecting data from other nations.

A number on the higher side of 20% roughly translates to 3 lakh cases that require hospitalisation every day  enough for Indian health system to collapse.

However, the UKs experience  daily admissions of 700-1000 compared to 3000-4000 seen in the previous peak  and the South African scenario give some hope.

Given the experience of other countries and the evidence that it has already reached our shores, we will see an Omicron-fueled surge in cases by January. From what weve seen in South Africa, cases appear to be milder overall. Relatively few of them require hospitalisation, at least from evidence so far, and their health systems have not been overwhelmed, Gautam Menon, a professor of physics and biology at the Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai told DH.

To curb such a spread, Paul and other public health experts have suggested aggressive surveillance to find out the early cases and effectively prepare for a high caseload. This is easier said than done.

Missing surveillance

The states have not yet taken the crucial first step  increasing the daily tests  to pick up the early signs of a surge.

Since November 27, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed the Omicron scenario following the WHO declaration, the number of daily tests has not exceeded 13 lakh, though experts suggested a four fold jump in tests.

In Maharashtra, the state with the maximum number of Omicron cases so far, the number of tests went up from 1.08 lakh on December 1 to around 1.2 lakh on Dec 15.

In Kerala, which accounts for 43% of Indias active Covid-19 cases, the number of RTPCR tests went up from around 84,000 on Nov 25 to one lakh plus on Dec 15.

Also Read | Pfizer vaccine for 2-4 year-olds fails to produce expected immunity

The ICMR figures suggest an increase of around 20,000 tests for the country in the last 10 days, which could be due to the extra screening at the airports.

Airport testing should continue but that will only delay a surge that comes from local transmission, not travelers. Everyone showing up in a hospital for anything from fevers to flu symptoms to pneumonia should also be tested. Thats how South Africa caught its first cases. Only the confirmed positive samples need to be sequenced to estimate if Omicron is spreading and replacing Delta, said virologist Shahid Jameel, a visiting faculty at Ashoka University in Haryana.

Senior doctor A H Ahangar, director of the Sher E Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences in Srinagar warned that the continuous surge in positive cases was an indication that the third wave of Covid is literally at our doorstep.

While government officials in every state exuded confidence that they would be able to manage a new wave with improved infrastructure that has been put in place in the last few months, public health experts voice a note of concern.

Oxygen audits, drills

In Tamil Nadu, public health expert K Kolandasamy told DH that the state should conduct a detailed audit on the preparedness of the health machinery. It should also check whether adequate medicines are available in the public health centres and whether pulse oximeters are working.

The audit should find out the status of the oxygen plants under construction and whether oxygen concentrators are working and are properly stored. The government should also train more people to handle oxygen concentrators as a precautionary measure, said the former director of the department of public health, Tamil Nadu.

The same was conveyed to the states by the Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan during a review meeting earlier this week.

He asked the state administrations to ensure installation of oxygen supply related instruments at the hospitals after their delivery at district headquarters. Bhushans directive came after the ministry realised that the ventilators supplied by the Union government had not even been unpacked in some states.

The states have also been asked to conduct mock drills of all installed and commissioned PSA (pressure swing adsorption) plants to ensure they are fully operational so that oxygen with the required quantity, pressure and purity reaches the patients at their bedside.

These drills are to be completed by December end. Each state is also to carry out an oxygen audit.

The new challenges would be finding additional centres for genetic sequencing and devising an appropriate arrangement to keep the suspected Omicron patients segregated till the sequencing results come in. Maharashtra, Gujarat and Kerala have two centres for sequencing, but it is the second issue that is turning out to be troublesome.

Kerala now insists on institutional quarantine for Omicron patients after a patient who tested Omicron positive was found to have flouted home quarantine norms and visited shopping centres and restaurants. The wife and mother of the first Omicron patient in Kerala, who came down from the UK, were also infected.

In Kolkata, we have made separate wards so that there is no contamination. We are prepared to accommodate any new suspect cases with Omicron in the government hospital. In case of an Omicron surge, we will increase the number of beds in the Omicron wards. We will not mix the other Covid patients with Omicron suspect patients, said an official of the West Bengal health department.

In September, Karnataka drew up a Rs 1,472 crore plan to spruce up medical infrastructure and human resources in hospitals for dealing with the third wave. The money was meant to increase the number of beds, improve oxygen supply and pay for the additional staff.

But a large part of the expenditure has yet not been made, with experts pointing out that taluk hospitals continue to be seriously ignored in terms of any infrastructural improvements.

The next one month is crucial to watch how Omicron plays out in India, noted a Karnataka official.

It is about time to ensure that routine epidemiological surveillance systems are strengthened, added Oommen John, a senior public health researcher at the George Institute for Global Health, Delhi. What does not get picked up through testing will eventually end up in ICUs.

(With inputs from Akhil Kadidal in Bengaluru, Arjun Raghunath in Thiruvananthapuram, E T B Sivapriyan in Chennai, Gautam Dheer in Chandigarh, Mrityunjay Bose in Mumbai, Mohammed Safi Shamsi in Kolkata, Prasad Nichenametla in Hyderabad, Sanjay Pandey in Lucknow, Satish Jha in Ahmedabad and Zulfikar Majid in Srinagar)

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By Ben Singh and Carol Maher for The Conversation

Wearable fitness trackers will be on many Christmas shopping lists this year, with a vast range of devices (and an ever-increasing number of features) hitting the market just in time for the festive season.

But what does the latest research say about how effective they are?

Fitness trackers are trendy

Currently, about one in five Australians own one of these wearables, and about a quarter use a mobile app or website to monitor their activity levels and health. And sales are predicted to grow over the next five years.

The landscape of the market is fast changing. For years, Fitbit and Garmin were the market leaders. But Australians now favour Apple watches (used by 43 per cent of people owning a wearable tracker) over Fitbit (35 per cent) and Samsung watches (16 per cent) over Garmin (13 per cent).

So far fitness trackers have mostly been taken up by younger people: about one in four Australians aged 2040 report using one, compared to just one in ten people aged 60 or older.

However, manufacturers are on a mission to change this, by adding features that allow users to monitor not just their fitness activity, but several other aspects of their health.

For instance, recent wearable models from all the leading manufacturers claim to measure a host of medical metrics, such as blood pressure, body fat levels, the amount of oxygen in your blood, your heart activity, and even identify when youve taken a fall (with a feature that lets you call for help).

Wearables get the basics right

Firstly, a multitude of studies have looked at the accuracy of wearable fitness trackers for measurements related to physical activity, including step counts, heart rate and number of calories burned. They show step counts are generally highly accurate, while heart rate and calories burned are reasonably accurate.

When study participants wear two different activity trackers at the same time, the numbers of steps, minutes of activity and calories burned arent exactly the same, but they are correlated.

That is, when one goes up so does the other, and vice versa. This suggests they are generally capturing the same information, albeit with slightly different sensitivity.

Evidence for sleep tracking is a little patchier. Wearables are pretty good at detecting bedtime, wake time and overall sleep duration. But estimates for more technical metrics such as the phases of sleep  such as REM sleep  dont marry with medical-grade measurements taken by polysomnography.

Sometimes wearables go beyond the basics

In a 2019 Apple-sponsored study reported in the New England Medical Journal, 4,19,297 participants without known atrial fibrillation wore an Apple Watch. During the study, 2,161 of them received an irregular pulse notification, of which 84 per cent were subsequently confirmed to have atrial fibrillation (an irregular and rapid heart beat).

This is a serious medical condition that requires treatment to prevent stroke. The ability to alert users of a potential undiagnosed cardiac condition seems highly beneficial. Although, others have cautioned the Apple Watch can also miss cases of undiagnosed atrial fibrillation  which emphasises the importance of never relying on wearable metrics for medical purposes.

Another study published in September reaffirmed the Apple watchs electrocardiogram feature can detect serious cardiac irregularities. A similar study is currently underway to evaluate Fitbits electrocardiogram feature, but results arent out yet.

Building a more advanced tracker

In terms of detecting falls (which would be very useful for older individuals), scientists are developing wrist-worn devices that can accurately do this using accelerometer technology, which is the same underlying technology already used by wearables. So the technology is there, but at this point its unclear whether the promising lab results will translate to accuracy in commercial wearables.

Meanwhile, the newest Samsung watch claims to measure blood pressure and body composition (such as fat mass, muscle mass and bone mass). Body composition is measured using a method called bioelectric impedance analysis.

When the user touches the watch with their opposite hand, it passes a weak electrical signal through the body and back to the watch. The body composition is then calculated using algorithms and the manually entered body weight.

At this stage, theres no data in the scientific literature to support the accuracy of these measurements, so wed recommend taking them with a pinch of salt. Then again, only a few years ago the same criticism was made of electrocardiogram measurements from wearables  and these have subsequently shown to have merit.

Evidence says your effort will pay off So thats the run down on accuracy, but do fitness trackers make a difference in peoples lives?

Hundreds of studies have used wearable activity trackers to try to increase physical activity in various general and patient populations. Meta-analyses (which involve combining results of multiple studies) suggest the devices are effective in helping people become more physically active and lose weight.

A meta-analysis of 35 studies in various chronic disease populations suggested users added around 2,100 additional steps per day after they started using a wearable activity tracker. Other meta-analyses have suggested weight loss in the order of 1 to 1.5 kilograms, on average, over the duration of the studies (with the duration varying between studies).

And studies that look specifically at step-tracking over long periods suggest the benefits gained are still present (although smaller) up to four years after the device was first worn.

Accuracy and effectiveness aside, wearable users typically report being satisfied with their devices. So if you happen to get one in your Christmas stocking this year, keep in mind it could help with those New Years fitness resolutions.

(Singh is a research fellow, University of South Australia; Maher is Professor, Medical Research Future Fund Emerging Leader, University of South Australia)

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Animal Husbandry Minister Prabhu Chauhan said discussions are on to ban the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES), which is creating unrest in Karnataka.

Speaking to media persons in Hubballi on Sunday he said: Let us wait for a decision taken by the top brass of the government. We can not tolerate the hooliganism of the MES. Burning of Kannada flag and desecration of freedom fighters from Karnataka is unacceptable.

Also read: Miscreants will be dealt with iron hand, says Bommai after statues targeted

He said the top priority of the BJP government in Karnataka is to protect the pride of Kannada and Karnataka. And for this, our government is prepared to take any step required.

He claimed that discussion in this regard was also held during the Winter Session of the Assembly in Belagavi.

No choice but to ban

Actor Prem also urged the state government to consider banning MES if it continues to create unrest in Karnataka.

Speaking to media persons after taking blessings at Sri Siddharoodha Mutt in Hubballi on Sunday, he said both Kannadigas and Marathi speaking people are living peacefully and happily in Karnataka. However, the MES is stirring a storm in the teacup through its act of burning the Kannada flag and damaging idols.

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Karnataka Legislative Council results throw major challenges to Chief Minister B S Bommai to establish his leadership within the party leaders, cadre and among masses. Sections in the Karnataka BJP believe that Bommai has failed to assert his leadership in the government, party and among the people.

In the recent Karnataka Legislative Council the ruling BJP won 12 out of 25 seats and the opposition Congress won 11, JD(S) one and an independent.

The BJP has doubled its tally from six to 12 in these 25 Karnataka Legislative Council seats on which polls were held, but shows that all is not well in the party after senior leader Mahantesh Kavatagimath lost in Belagavi, a region from where several state heavyweights belong.

Also Read | Karnataka Legislative Council polls: BJP, Cong on equal footing; JD(S) bites dust

A senior party functionary said that the BJP is expecting few more seats and is confident of winning Mysuru, Tumkur and Belagavi seats, but were defeated due to lack of coordination, mismanagement and disconnect between the chief minister and the local leaders.

Unimpressive performance in the MLC (Karnataka Legislative Council) polls have given ammunition to the rival camps, who have now started questioning Bommai's leadership and said even after months of becoming a chief minister he failed to assert himself either in the government or party as leader.

Leaders in the Karnataka BJP blame Bommai for failing to establish himself as a leader in government and party. They say that is the biggest reason for the defeat of a couple of seats in the Legislative council polls.

"Trusting Bommai, central leadership has been given a huge responsibility to him to lead the BJP government in the state by replacing B.S. Yediyurappa and the results show he has failed to fit in the shoes of the former chief minister," a senior party leader said.

A Karnataka BJP MLA said that there is nothing to cheer about the results except that the party won 12 seats but also lost many seats.

Another BJP Karnataka leader pointed out the lack of acceptance of Bommai as the Chief minister and his failure to take everyone together.

Even former Chief Minister Yediyurappa had raised concern over losing Belagavi. He had said that losing Belagavi despite having a number of MLAs, MPs and other senior leaders from the district is a matter of concern. He suggested that defeat must be discussed and the party must introspect to find out the reason behind the defeat.

A senior BJP functionary said that Mahantesh Kavatagimath's defeat from Belagavi exposed existing differences in the party and it also shows that the leadership failed to manage it despite having its knowledge.

"We lost Belagavi, despite having many senior party leaders, including ministers in the state government from the district. Who is responsible for the defeat? Losing Belagavi sent a wrong message among cadres and people. If we had won Belagavi, it would have sent a positive message to everyone," a senior functionary said.

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Slamming Maharashtra chief minister's tweet that Kannadigas were responsible for the violence in Belagavi, Rural Development & Panchayat Raj Minister K S Eshwarppa said that Uddhav Thackeray had not descended from heaven and "must know the ground reality."

Also Read | Shivaji statue desecration: Maharashtra govt seeks PM's intervention

Speaking to media persons here on Sunday, he demanded Congress in Karnataka to make its stand clear in this regard as the party was in power in Maharashtra through an alliance with the Shiv Sena.

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Animal Husbandry Minister Prabhu Chauhan claimed that since it took charge in Karnataka, the BJP government has prevented more than 10,000 cows from being butchered at the abattoir.

Speaking to media persons here after visiting the gaushala maintained by Sri Siddharoodha Mutt in Hubballi on Sunday, he said these cattle were rescued and rehabilitated in nearby government-controlled/supported gaushalas.

He said since the State government passed the Anti-Cow Slaughter Act, the animal husbandry department has received more than 40,000 calls in the last three months, and the officials have been able to resolve and book the culprits in 75 per cent of the cases. So far, they have booked cases against more than 500 people for illegally transporting cattle.

Also Read | Karnataka minister makes a moot point, says it costs Rs 70/day for cow care

Prabhu claimed that the governments hands have been tied by a public interested litigation that is pending before the court. We want to impose the strict provisions of Anti-Cow Slaughter Act in full force. However, a PIL has tied our hands. Else, the government intends to increase the fine amount to Rs 10 lakh and seven years imprisonment for those involved in illegal cow slaughtering, he said and added that the government also wishes to make arrest non-bailable for those killing cows and illegally transporting them.

The government will make all-out efforts to close all the illegal slaughterhouses in Karnataka, he added.

Prabhu said the government has identified 275 locations across Karnataka to set up gaushalas that will take care of the stray cattle and discarded cows and in the next two to three months, these cowsheds will start functioning.

The minister also claimed that Pashu-sanjeevini (a cattle helpline: 1962) is receiving a good response and soon, every district will have cattle ambulances where these emergency vehicles will reach the doorsteps of the farmers to address the cases.

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Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai in an emotional address to the people of his constituency Shiggaon in this district said nothing is permanent in this world including posts and positions, fuelling speculation in some quarters about his possible exit.

"Nothing is eternal in this world. This life itself is not forever. We don't know how long we will be here in such a situation, these posts and positions are also not forever. I am aware of this fact every moment," he said.

In an expression of gratitude to the people of his constituency, Bommai said he is only 'Basavaraj' for them and not the Chief Minister. The CM was addressing people after inaugurating the statue of Kittur Rani Chennamma, the 19th Century queen of Kittur in Belagavi district, who fought against the British.

"I have always been saying that outside this place (Shiggaon) I was Home Minister and Irrigation Minister in the past, but once I was in, I remained just 'Basavaraj' for you all. Today as a Chief Minister I am saying that once I come to Shiggaon, I may be Chief Minister outside but amongst you, I will remain as the same Basavaraj Bommai because the name Basavaraj is permanent and not the posts", he said.

There have been rumours in some quarters that Bommai is likely to be replaced. The CM is reportedly suffering from a knee-related problem, and may undergo treatment abroad but there was no official word on this.

The Chief Minister who turned emotional twice recalled how affectionately he was fed 'Rotti' (Jowar Roti) and 'Navane' (foxtail millet) rice every time he came to his constituency as Basavaraj.

"I don't have great things to say. If I could live up to your expectations, that's enough for me. I believe that no power is bigger than your love and trust. I try my best not to talk to you in an emotional way but sentiments overwhelm me after seeing you all," Bommai said in a choking manner.

Noting that there was a huge responsibility on his shoulders to plan a comprehensive development of the state and to respond to the demands and requests of every community, the Chief Minister said, "he always kept his conscience awake every moment and in his every deed".

Bommai took over as Chief Minister on July 28 after B S Yediyurappa resigned on the day he completed two years in office.

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As someone who likes to write about technology and its impact on society, I have been a late entrant to social media. I joined Twitter two years ago and have found the platform to be exhausting. Every time I log in, I notice trends blocking, banning, or cancelling brands and celebrities for the tiniest of mistakes. Instead of being a news digest, Twitter, for me, has been a constant source of angst and negativity.

It is strange to think that the platform was not always like this. For all its current boycotts, Twitter has historically been a source of actual change. It is a company with an interesting past and a promising future. And as Jack steps down, it is an excellent time to look at what is perhaps Twitters most impactful moment since its inception.

On 12 June 2009, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, had announced that he had won the majority vote in the Iranian presidential election. This led to widespread accusations being whispered around the country that he had rigged the election. People began by voicing their dissent on Twitter and then took to the streets in dozens of cities across Iran.

A question of maintenance

Twitter, despite being banned, became a hub to share videos of people being beaten on the streets and sometimes even shot by Iranian forces. Thanks to this activity, governments in Russia, the US, and the UK were able to understand better what was happening on the ground.

Looking at a protest on TV is markedly different from viewing it via Twitter, where it is easier for anyone interested to hear individual voices. So when Jared Cohen, then advisor to Hilary Clinton and recently back from Iraq, heard that Twitter was scheduled to go down for maintenance at the time of a major Iranian protest, he decided to reach out to Jack Dorsey.

According to Nick Bilton, in his book Hatching Twitter, Cohen mentioned that whether or not Twitter postponed its scheduled maintenance could make a difference in terms of what happens in Iran. Because of the situation, if Twitter decided to go ahead with the scheduled maintenance, it would inadvertently support the Iranian government. On the other hand, if it decided to postpone the maintenance, it would look like it was on the side of the protestors.

Somehow, Twitters co-founders, including Jack, had found themselves playing an integral part in Iranian politics while at the same time being pressured by State Department officials, a situation no one had prepared them for.

Eventually, they decided to postpone the maintenance. Twitter, then a three-year-old tech company, looked like it was taking sides in the governance of an independent nation-state, even though that was the last place it wanted to be in. Plenty of backlash followed, and the event still divides opinion on what Twitter ought to have done.

There is no guide to regulate platforms that have the power to shape the future of countries. It can be hard to understand whether users shape the platform or whether the platform shapes the users.

By choice or by design, Twitter has historically been a key part of protests across the world. Zeynep Tufekcis book, Twitter and Tear Gas, does an excellent job of documenting that.

It might be too soon to say whether any of this is going to change with the new leadership in place. Time will tell how the company will evolve, monetise its user base, and command the space it occupies. However, at its finest, lets hope it continues to be a source of tangible change.

The writer is a policy analyst working on emerging technologies. He tweets @thesethist

Tech-Tonic is a monthly look-in at all the happenings around the digital world, both big and small.
Locals came out in their droves to support a family fun day held in memory of a young Draperstown girl who sadly passed away last year.

Little Gracie-Mae Corrigan Bradley had only recently celebrated her 8th birthday when she was struck down by sepsis in February 2020.

Gracie-Mae was described by her mum as the life and soul of the party.

It therefore seemed fitting that friends and family organised a huge fun day to celebrate her short life, while raising funds for those that supported the family.

The event held at Ballinascreen GAA Club in September was a wonderful occasion for families and had great support from local businesses helping to draw in the crowds.

The grand total raised was an unbelievable 14,445.85.

Due to the unexpectedly high amount of money raised, the committee were able to share the funds among a number of worthy causes that were meaningful to the Corrigan Bradley family.

Gracie-Maes parents Conor and Toireasa with siblings Caoilte, Caitlin and Fionnan outside her dedicated room at Ronald McDonald House, Birmingham.

Gracie-Mae underwent heart surgery in Birmingham Childrens Hospital and the family recently made an emotional return trip to Ward 12 to thank the staff there and provide some well-deserved and much appreciated treats and toys for the nurses and young inpatients. While in Birmingham they also visited Ronald McDonald House which provides accommodation for families with a sick child in hospital.

It was invaluable to Gracie-Maes parents and they were very proud to donate 7,000 to sponsor a room in her name to help other families in similar circumstances. Additional funds will also be used to treat Gracie-Maes classmates in two local schools to a fun filled day trip.

Presenting the Ward 12 staff with an array of goodies.

Local charity Childrens Heartbeat Trust were also a major beneficiary of donations having been a support to the family from the moment Gracie-Mae was diagnosed with congenital heart disease. The charity was delighted to receive an incredible donation of 5,100. Childrens Heartbeat Trust is a local charity supporting families of children with heart disease in Northern Ireland.

The charity works closely with Clark Clinic, the regional paediatric cardiac ward at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children to help fund medical equipment and initiatives, ensuring that children with heart disease in Northern Ireland receive the best care and treatment possible.

For further information on Children's Heartbeat Trust please visit www.childrensheartbeattrust.org
The Christmas Eve box is becoming more and more popular, and what was once critiqued as an extravagant trend is fast becoming the newest and best traditional staple for households everywhere.

No matter how small, extra presents are always a good idea! Here's why you should include the box in your festivities:

What is a Christmas Eve box?

Essentially, its a box of goodies given on Christmas Eve. Each person in the family might have their own box, or you can create a family box, which is often cheaper, and gathers you all together.

Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse but if the kids are running riot and buzzing with excitement about the big day, its probably not very quiet, notes Wendy Miranda, customer brand ambassador for Lakeland.

Why not make it more magical with a Christmas Eve box? Find a lovely box or a hamper  you can personalise one for each child  and fill it with special treats for them to open on Christmas Eve.

What started as a small trend has now become a festive mainstay for many people in the UK, says Holly Harper, head of inspiration and new partners at notonthehighstreet. Weve seen an increase in popularity of personalised boxes over the years, and in the last week alone, searches for Christmas Eve Box have risen by over 50%.

How do you make one?

What your Christmas Eve box looks like is entirely up to you. Pop down the high street or look online and youll find plenty of ready-made options to choose from. Or you can make your own. If youre handy, you can knock some up from old pallets, you can get the kids involved and transform a cardboard box, or you can make use of an old hamper or box youve held on to  because it looked too good to throw away.

Personalisation does make them a little more special, so you can do that by decorating them. You could get crafty on cardboard or wood with good old marker pens. And if its a hamper, you could create a label, write a Christmas message on it, and tie it to the handle.

What should go inside?

Again, what you decide to put inside the box or boxes, is entirely up to you. What would you like to be gifted the night before Christmas?

You could fill it with anything, from some new festive pyjamas and a pair of cosy socks, to a new game or a DVD  and dont forget some yummy snacks to nibble on, suggests Miranda.

Harper suggests filling the reusable boxes, which can be brought out year after year, with pyjamas, a special letter from Santa and sweet treats, creating new traditions that add some extra magic to Christmas Eve night.

Matching PJs are a good gift for a family box, and available pretty much everywhere on the high street. But Christmas Eve boxes arent just for families. Make one for yourself for the perfect quiet night in  gift yourself some cosy sleepwear and a new book, or couples can create a date night gift box containing everything they need for the evening, whether thats cocoa and biscuits, Champagne and ingredients for a three-course meal, or underwear and bubble bath.

When do you unbox it?

The clue is in the name. A Christmas Eve box should be opened on Christmas Eve. It can act as a great way to get the kids to bed  if theyre well behaved all day and promise to go to sleep on time, they get to open it in the evening. But you can unbox it at any time of the day  it often depends on what you have planned and whos around.

As new traditions go, this is one we think is here to stay. Its a lovely idea, creates some magical new memories, and can cost as much or as little as you like.
Councillors at the Dundalk Municipal District December meeting, passed a motion calling on Louth County Council to organise an Independent Engineers road safety audit and an Independent Engineers opinion of the auto track sweep path analysis carried out at Rock Road/Sandy Lane junction due to town and village funding for footpath upgrade in May 2021.

Cllr Maeve Yore brought forward the motion to the monthly meeting, which was seconded by Cllr Sean Kelly. The issue being put forward by the councillor, which had already been debated at previous meetings, was that buses and trucks could not make the turn at the junction safely.

Cllr Yore said at the meeting that in her opinion, proper procedures were not followed by Louth County Council in relation to town and village scheme funding, as she was unaware of any local businesses being consultated in relation to the project.

The local councillor said that a grass verge being pulled back by 3 feet would help resolve the issue and that a local bus company serving the area was being adversely affected by the situation as it currently stood.

Director of Services, Paddy Donnelly, who was standing in for Frank Pentony told the meeting that the junction was in accordance with the Design Manual for Urban Roads and Streets (DMURS) and the professional advice was that it was not unsafe.

The motion was put to a roll call vote, with all councillors present voting for the motion.
Louth Labour TD Ged Nash has welcomed confirmation that the Ulster Bank branch in Ardee will remain open under plans by Permanent TSB to buy the banks Republic of Ireland business.

The Labour Partys Finance spokesperson said;

Earlier this year, Ulster Bank announced its plans to exit the Irish market.

I was always of the view that the optimum arrangement arising from this decision was for Permanent TSB to in essence take over the business.

I am pleased that this move has today moved an important step closer.

I have engaged from the start with the Financial Services Union and I have always made it clear to the banks that transfer of undertakings laws must be respected and that bank branches must be protected and jobs and terms and conditions must transfer seamlessly in any sale of the Ulster Bank assets to any other entity.

To this end, I welcome the commitment from the Ulster Bank and PTSB reflected in their binding memorandum of understanding that they do not plan to close the Ardee branch of the Ulster Bank and that jobs will be protected.

This is good news.
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CORK County Council has made an urgent request to Health Minister Stephen Donnelly for additional ambulances and ambulance personnel servicing the rural areas of Cork.

A motion by Independent councillor Frank Roche, specifically for the North Cork area, instigated the appeal, with the issue broadened to the entire county.

It is also to be raised at the HSE forum by Independent councillor Mary Linehan Foley.

Mr Roche spoke of instances where locations just 20 minutes from hospitals were waiting over two hours for an ambulance to attend the incident.

Fianna Fail councillor Frank OFlynn agreed with his North Cork colleague, and outlined that the first 10 to 15 minutes of an emergency are crucial and that delays should be prevented if at all possible.

It can be the difference between living and not living, said Mr OFlynn.

Independent Bantry councillor Danny Collins said he recently brought the issue to a fore at a national health forum recently.

Mr Collins detailed incidents where car crash victims were waiting two-and-a-half hours for an ambulance.

Mr Collins mentioned the intention to do a review in the first quarter of 2022 and said he hoped it was done on the ground and not in Dublin.

Our ambulance service is at breaking point, said Mr Collins.

Fine Gael councillor Michael Paul Murtagh, who is also a firefighter with Cork City Fire Service, said he has been working with the ambulance service for over 20 years on a full-time basis and said the fire service in the city offers a backup service that assists their work.

We run a cardiac crew, so basically, for any calls where the heart has stopped we respond when the ambulance cant and its something we could do in the county.

Mr Murtagh suggested the County Fire Service could offer a similar service.

The ambulance service does an incredible job, but its resources  this is the result of cutting numbers on the ground.

One solution is cardiac crew trained to respond when the ambulance cant.
Gardai on duty in Cork city centre were verbally abused and told to leave people alone.

But now the accused says he will never be in trouble again as he expressed seasons greetings to the judge.

When a garda on mountain bike patrol approached this man, James OReilly, he said to her, If you were a man Id pull you off that f***ing bike and bate you.

He then shouted, F***ing a**holes, picked up an unknown object, threw it and walked off.

That was on October 11 and now at Cork District Court he has pleaded guilty to engaging in threatening behaviour.

Sergeant Pat Lyons, who outlined the background to the incident, said James OReilly who is aged around 50 and living with Cork Simon Community first denied the offence when charged, saying, I threatened no guard.

He has 72 previous convictions including seven for engaging in threatening behaviour.

Frank Buttimer said, I would say the preponderance of offending goes back in time. And he has had nothing for more than two years.

Judge Kelleher said,

It is quite clear he has difficulties. This happened only two months ago so he still has difficulties.

Mr Buttimer described the defendants present drinking as sporadic.

The judge imposed a two-month sentence but suspended it.

OReilly said, Can I say something  you are not going to see me inside in this courthouse again. That is a promise. Happy Christmas.
The Omicron variant of Covid-19 is expected to become dominant within days, according to Professor Philip Nolan, chair of the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) modelling group.

As reported in The Irish Times, Professor Nolan detailed in a series of tweets how the Omicron variant will be a "significant challenge", as 35 per cent of positive swabs on Wednesday had the S-gene target failure marker for the variant.

This comes after Taoiseach Micheal Martin said he is very worried and apprehensive about the sheer scale of spread of the Omicron Covid-19 variant, as 7,333 Covid-19 cases were reported on Saturday.

As of 8am on Saturday, 410 Covid-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 107 are in ICU.

The level of social contact in the next three weeks is key... if we fail to act the impact of Omicron could be devastating, Professor Nolan said.

We can hope that this is a short sharp wave, and that we can regroup in early spring with more extensive booster vaccination complete; the earlier and harder we act now, the more likely it is that we will manage, and can de-escalate earlier in 2022.

Omicron will be a very significant challenge, but we are acting early, quickly and comprehensively. If we take a booster vaccine when offered, significantly limit contacts, mitigate risk, self-isolate if symptomatic and restrict movements if a contact, we can get through it. 1/22 pic.twitter.com/221nBd605Z  Professor Philip Nolan (@PhilipNolan_MU) December 18, 2021

Meanwhile, Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan urged people to work together to reduce the incidence of the virus.

Recent international experience and the rapid spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant here means we can expect to see a large number of cases over the next short period of time, Dr Holohan said.

We all remember the call to flatten the curve in the early days of the pandemic  we have successfully driven down incidence of disease in the community before  we can and must now work together to do it again.

By choosing to act safely right now, together we can limit the impact this disease will have in the weeks to come and in doing so, we can protect the vulnerable, prevent unnecessary deaths and ensure the continued operation of our healthcare system and other essential services.

Recent international experience and the rapid spread of the highly transmissible #Omicron variant here means we can expect to see a large number of cases over the next short period of time.  Dr Tony Holohan (@CMOIreland) December 18, 2021

Antigen testing

The Taoiseach has asked people to use antigen tests before going to social events amid the rising number of cases. While he recognised Nphet had reservations about antigen tests, he said he supported their use.

A positive antigen test is a very valuable thing, he explained.

However, he did not advocate widespread distribution of free antigen tests to the general population, adding that retailers had reduced the price of tests and free tests had already been made available for certain sectors of the population.

Mr Martin admitted it would be a "challenge", but said he remained confident schools would reopen in January.

According to the Taoiseach, between antigen and PCR testing, some 350,000 tests a week were being carried out. This comes as the positivity rate of the virus has risen to 18 per cent in recent days.
Amazon is loosening its control of workers' activities as safety concerns mount. The internet retailer has confirmed to Bloomberg that it will back off a rejuvenated effort to ban personal phones in warehouses. Staff were told on December 17th they could keep their phones at hand "until further notice."

The company banned phones in warehouses for years, but eased its approach as the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The ban was poised to resume in January 2022.

While Amazon didn't explain the decision, it comes just after a tornado struck a warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois, killing six people. It also follows a surge in COVID-19 cases. Warehouse employees have demanded access to their phones both for safety alerts and to stay in touch in the event of emergencies. A reinstituted ban would have appeared tone deaf, particularly in light of an incident where a dispatcher pressured a driver to keep delivering packages while a tornado rampaged through the Edwardsville area.

Companies are allowed to ban phone use on the clock, whether it's to improve safety or prevent staff from leaking sensitive information. That stance is changing as smartphones become an important part of daily life, though, and the combination of Amazon's poor safety reputation with recent incidents may leave the company little room to reimpose a ban  not without significant public pushback.
Illegal streaming could be particularly costly in Malaysia. TorrentFreak reports the country has passed amendments to its Copyright Act that punish those who enable pirate streaming. People who offer streaming services and devices that "prejudicially" hurt copyright owners can face fines equivalent to $2,377 or more, prison sentences up to 20 years, or both.

The updated law also discourages companies from either participating in streaming piracy or tolerating its presence. Unless managers can show they were unaware of a violation and took "all due diligence" to stop such acts, they'll be considered guilty of the relevant crime.

Copyright laws worldwide frequently cover digital piracy, but some of them were designed to tackle downloads and other, older forms of bootlegging. That was a problem for Malaysia, which couldn't use the Copyright Act against people selling piracy-oriented streaming devices until a High Court decision allowed those cases.

The potential punishments are strict, and the wording suggests it may be difficult for some companies to avoid entanglements with rogue employees. How much diligence is necessary, for example? Still, this shows how some countries may specifically address streaming through legislation, and might please the US and other copyright-driven nations worried their neighbors might tolerate illegal internet services.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP)  The Wichita police chief who was one of the first law enforcement officials to call the death of George Floyd a murder and received praise for his handling of Black Lives Matter protests has announced that he is leaving the department.

The Wichita Eagle reports that Gordon Ramsay announced Friday morning that he plans to resign from his position on March 1. He said his diversification of the police department is one of his proudest accomplishments.

Ramsay said he wanted to spend more time with family and is weighing a run for St. Louis County Sheriff in Duluth, where he was the police chief before getting hired in Wichita.

That is an exciting prospect for me and that is something that I am considering, he said. I have a passion for policing and community. Those two things energize me and I love it, but I need a little break.

Ramsay was named chief of the Wichita Police Department in 2016 as community activists demanded more transparency and accountability for police.

Ramsay, who is white, handled Black Lives Matter protests by organizing a picnic where he fielded questions for nearly an hour. Videos of police officers dancing with people at the cookout went viral.

His deputy chiefs include a Black woman and a Hispanic man. There are more minorities and women in the department now than ever, he said.

The face of the department has been forever changed, he said. Im really proud of that.

In 2020, Ramsay again made waves amid unrest. He was one of the first police officials to call the death of George Floyd in Minnesota that year a murder. Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin was later convicted of murder in Floyd's death and sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison.

But some of his initiatives have been criticized for not going far enough. He initiated a Citizens Review Board in the aftermath of the killing of Andrew Finch, an unarmed man shot to death on his porch by a Wichita police officer in a swatting incident in December 2017.

The review board has limited access to information provided by the department and is only allowed to review cases that are not tied up in litigation. Four years after the Finch shooting, the review board has not been allowed to review the incident.

City Manager Robert Layton, who hired Ramsay in 2016, said he had made a significant contribution to the community" and that he expects a replacement to be named in 2022.
TRIP REPORT



From: Zagreb From: Zagreb

To: Amsterdam

Flight number: OU450

Aircraft type: Airbus A320-200

Registration: 9A-CTK

Flight time: 1:50





This flight was taken in September. It was a busy morning at Zagreb Airport and while our inbound flight to Zagreb was on KLM, we flew back with Croatia Airlines, primarily because of the later departure time. KLM had a flight at something like 6.00 in the morning, while Croatia Airlines was at 8.20. We wanted to maximise our sleep.





After checking in, we headed upstairs for the security and immigration check. Once we cleared everything, the final call for our flight was already in progress. On this occasion, our plane was the A320 registered 9A-CTK. It was delivered new to Croatia Airlines in June 2000, so it is a 21-year-old aircraft. Zagreb Airport has eight air bridges, and they are incredibly long, although they are entirely covered in Uber ads, so there is some reading material.





At the entrance of the plane, we were warmly welcomed by two lovely crew members who gave us sanitising wipes. The flight was mostly full with around 150 passengers on board. We pushed back on time, and on one side of the plane we had a Turkish Airlines A321 preparing to depart to Istanbul and on the other a Croatia Airlines Q400 to Zurich. As we taxied to the runway, TV screens dropped down and the safety video was played. We had a long taxi to the runway passing by the old terminal building, which is not close to the current terminal.





We reached our cruising autohide over Austria, which is also when service started. It comprised of some sweet Dalmatian biscuits and a small bottle of water. The packaging indicates they are made up of olive oil and lemon. When reading the ingredients, I also noticed it contains white wine. A very interesting combination.





Mid-way through the flight the screens were lowered again to show some commercials. No flight map was shown unfortunately. Notice that there are also ads on the overhead bins. The seat pocket contains a Croatia Airlines magazine, aircraft safety card and an inflight shopping menu. All other consumption, besides the complimentary water and biscuits, must be purchased. Prior to Covid-19, a larger selection of complimentary beverages was available. There is an interesting page for aviation fans in the SkyShop menu with some Croatia Airlines souvenirs available for purchase.















We landed ahead of schedule as a KLM jet taxied past us lining up to depart to Dubrovnik. We arrived at the terminal and the seatbelt signs were turned off as people rushed to disembark.



Overall, it was a nice flight with Croatia Airlines. KLM however offers much more on the same route.





Share your travel experience by submitting a trip report to exyu@exyuaviation.com






The United States Big 3 carriers - American Airlines, Delta and United - have outlined their plans for the upcoming 2022 summer season and the future development of their operations to Dubrovnik. American, which launched seasonal flights from Philadelphia to the Croatian coastal city in 2019, was set to return in 2020 with additional flights and capacity. However, the coronavirus pandemic has seen the airline indefinitely delay the route. Brian Znotins, American Airlines Vice President for Network and Schedule Planning, said the company will take a holistic evaluation of its Dubrovnik route in the coming years to determine whether to potentially restore flights depending on how demand and competition has changed in the market by that time. There's nothing to say that we won't necessarily restart flights again, Mr Znotins said, adding that Philadelphia is the natural draw for utilising new aircraft as they come in to ramp up service to Europe.





Delta introduced seasonal flights from New Yorks JFK Airport to Dubrovnik during the summer of 2022, but at this point does not plan to restore flights next year. As Europe has reopened for American travellers, Delta is looking to increase operations to traditional markets frequented by US tourists and destinations that can attract even more high-yielding passengers. Croatia was one of the few countries within the European Union to permit entry to US citizens and residents both this year and last year, with Delta noting it was one of the major factors for the introduction of its flights to Dubrovnik.





United Airlines has confirmed the resumption of flights between New Yorks Newark Airport and the Croatian coastal city next summer following a successful debut this year. The carrier will restore operations on May 27, 2022 with four weekly rotations, departing Newark each Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Furthermore, the US carrier has extended its flight program to Dubrovnik with services to be run until the end of the 2022 summer season, on October 26 of next year. All flights will be maintained by the Boeing 767-300 aircraft. Uniteds Chief Commercial Officer, Andrew Nocella, has said the Dubrovnik service was launched in response to Croatia maintaining open borders for American citizens and residents throughout the coronavirus pandemic, and has performed strongly as a result. We feel really bullish about Europe for next summer. We had a look of that this summer. We started in a few new markets. In fact, we loaded those for sale very late. And those new markets are actually some of our top performing city fares because Croatia and Greece, in particular, made it clear to the world that they were open for business. And in fact, our customers responded to it immediately, and our new flights did incredibly well, Mr Nocella said.








STAMFORD  In less than two weeks, the average number of daily COVID-19 cases reported in Stamford has nearly doubled, according to data released Thursday by the state Department of Public Health.

From Dec. 6 through Dec. 17, the number of new infections on the 14-day average of cases skyrocketed from 17 to 33 new cases per 100,000 residents, marking a 94 percent change in just 11 days.

Despite earlier jumps in the local COVID-19 caseload  including the one caused by the delta variant in August and September  Stamford hasnt recorded cases this high since the spring. State data show that the two-week average of cases per 100,000 residents was last over 33 on April 22 as Connecticut finally began to emerge from the spike in cases that began the previous fall.

As cases continue to rise in Stamford and throughout the state, Mayor Caroline Simmons doubled down on her previous advice to city residents and urged them to stay vigilant going into the heart of the holiday season.

As we head into the final two weeks of the year and the Christmas holiday weekend, I strongly encourage all Stamford residents to do their part to protect themselves and their loved ones from the virus  this includes practicing proper hygiene, wearing your mask indoors and socially distancing, she told The Stamford Advocate in a statement.

We know that these measures help reduce the rate of infection, and with the rise in cases we have to do what we can to mitigate the spread of the virus.

Simmons also emphasized the need for vaccines and booster shots among city residents, especially as cases continue to rise.

Though nearly every town in Connecticut is seeing high levels of transmission among residents, the severity fluctuates wildly from town to town.

While all of Stamfords neighbors have at least 15 or more new daily cases per 100,000 residents, previous data from the state Department of Public Health show that, as of Dec. 11, Greenwich is reporting 22.6, New Caanan is reporting 32.1 and Darien 35.2.

Further north, Norwalk, Fairfield and Bridgeport have case averages higher than 40 per 100,000 residents.

That same data show Stamford on the lower end of that spectrum. The dashboard, last updated Thursday, shows the city with 23.5 new cases per 100,000 residents on a 14-day average, but even that figure comes with a caveat. Numbers from the states COVID-19 dashboard lag behind other numbers released by the state DPH.

But the more recent numbers show the problem getting worse.

Between Dec. 11, the last day on the dashboard, and Dec. 17, the 14-day average shot up 40 percent. On top of that, the seven-day average of new cases is even steeper, coming in at 40 cases per 100,000 residents.

Yet the number of new cases currently documented still pales in comparison to those reported this time last year, before vaccines became widely available to the public.

On Dec. 17, 2020, cases in Connecticut were peaking, and the city reported 87.6 new cases per 100,000 people on a two-week average that very day.

Editors note: This story has been updated to correct COVID numbers.

veronica.delvalle

@hearstmediact.com
SINGAPORE, Dec. 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Coindesk and Bloomberg, on December 17, the Grenada government officially appointed Justin Sun as Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the WTO, authorizing him to represent Grenada at WTO meetings during his term of office. The report revealed that Justin Sun will play a pivotal role in promoting growth of the economy and international trade in Grenada and the Caribbean by introducing digital technology.

Justin Sun is recently visiting Grenada, Cuba, Barbados, among other countries. He has demonstrated full commitment to powering economic growth by leveraging digital technologies along with his years of experience in the digital world.

As an early comer and practitioner in the blockchain world, Justin Sun founded TRON, one of the top three public chains in the world, in 2018. TRON now boasts over 67 million users and a full-fledged ecosystem, establishing itself as a linchpin in the global blockchain industry.

In addition to the blockchain sphere, Justin is also a heavyweight in science and technology, art, venture capital investment, and charity work, etc. In 2019, he placed a record-breaking bid to win the lunch with Warren Buffett and interacted with Tesla's founder Elon Musk, among other industry pioneers on cutting-edge topics including technology and digital currency on social media platforms.

Grenada is situated to the south of the Caribbean, with agriculture and tourism as its mainstays. According to the Grenada government, the appointment of Justin Sun, a veteran in the digital field, as Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the WTO, is conducive to the digitization of its trade, investment, and governance.

Media Contact

Name: Jessica ZHANG

E-mail: jessica.zhang01@tron.network

https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1713078/photo.jpg
CHENGDU WINS THE BID TO HOST 81ST WORLD SCIENCE FICTION CONVENTION (2023 WORLDCON)

Chengdu, China won the bid to host the 81st World Science Fiction Convention (the 2023 Worldcon) at DisCon III, the 2021 Worldcon in Washington DC on December 18, 2021 (Beijing time). The other three bidders were Nice, France, Memphis, USA and Winnipeg, Canada, but Nice and Memphis had withdrawn before the final voting.

The Worldcon is the top sci-fi cultural event around the globe. It is during this event that the Hugo Award, dubbed as the "Nobel Prize in the Science Fiction Circle" among sci-fi fans, is granted to recognize the best sci-fi and fantasy works of the year.

As the winner of the bid, Chengdu will be the first city in China and the second in Asia to host the Worldcon. In recent years, a wave of enthusiasm for sci-fi is rising in China, especially after Liu Cixin became the first-ever Chinese winner of Hugo Award for his science fiction novel The Three-Body Problem in 2015.

In China, Chengdu is regarded as the capital of science and fiction and a mecca for all sci-fi fans in the country, because it is home to the Science Fiction World magazine, the world's best-selling science and fiction periodical. It was on this magazine that Liu Cixin's The Three-Body Problem was first serialized.

"Over the past four decades, Chengdu has nurtured generations of science and fiction writers and fans. Lots of science and fiction groups have organized various exciting science and fiction activities in the city. Now, Chengdu is looking forward to a chance to welcome sci-fi fans from all over the world," stated Chengdu Science Fiction Society (CSFS) in its bid filing to the Worldcon.

The 2023 Worldcon will be held in August 2023 at Chengdu Century City New International Convention Exhibition Center. The venue consists of 17 halls measuring a total of 120,000 square meters.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211219005052/en/

Contacts:

Chengdu Science Fiction Society (CSFS)

Chen Shi, chengduscifia@163.com
The Board of Rio Tinto has selected Dominic Barton to succeed Simon Thompson as the company's new Chair. Dominic will join the Board with effect from 4 April, 2022 and be appointed to the role of Chair at the conclusion of the Rio Tinto Limited annual general meeting on 5 May 2022. Simon Thompson will step down as a non-executive director of Rio Tinto and as Chair at that same time on 5 May 2022, having served as Chair for four years and as a non-executive director since 2014.

A Ugandan-born Canadian, Dominic spent over 30 years at McKinsey Company, including nine as the Global Managing Partner and six as Asia Chairman. Most recently, he has been Canada's Ambassador to China since 2019. He brings a wealth of global business experience having advised clients in a range of industries, including banking, consumer goods, high tech and industrials, as well as a deep insight of geopolitics, corporate sustainability and governance.

Dominic's previous corporate governance work includes being Chair of Teck Resources, a non-executive director at Singtel Group and a non-executive director at Investor AB. He has held various public sector leadership positions, including Chair of Canada's Advisory Council for Economic Growth and Chair of the International Advisory Committee to the President of South Korea on National Future and Vision. His business acumen and public sector insights position him to provide critical guidance and oversight to Rio Tinto's leadership team during a pivotal time for the company.

Dominic said, "It is a great honour to succeed Simon as Chair of Rio Tinto. Returning to the private sector, I am excited to join a company with world-class people and assets as it navigates a shifting competitive landscape and seeks to emerge as a leader in the climate transition. I look forward to working with Jakob and the Board to implement a strategy that puts decarbonisation at the heart of the business and positions Rio Tinto to be a leader in addressing complex global problems, while building and sustaining trust with host communities."

Jakob Stausholm, Rio Tinto Chief Executive, said, "I am delighted with the choice of Dominic, who I believe brings exactly the skills and experiences that we in Rio Tinto need. I am truly looking forward to working with Dominic in our effort to continue to strengthen Rio Tinto, in particular drawing on his wealth of experience across Asia in both a business and diplomatic capacity. I would like to thank Simon for his dedication to Rio Tinto and the support and counsel he has provided, and continues to provide, to me during a period of transformative change."

The search for the new Chair was jointly led by Sam Laidlaw, senior independent director of Rio Tinto plc, and Simon McKeon, senior independent director of Rio Tinto Limited. The process included discussions with a cross-section of the company's shareholders in relation to the attributes, experience and skills they expected in the new Chair. These included proven experience of managing highly complex, cross-border relationships with multiple stakeholders; a strong track record of working in Asia and emerging markets; a commitment to the highest ESG standards; and a proven ability to lead a Board and act as a mentor to the Executive team.

Sam Laidlaw said, "The Board is delighted to have appointed such an outstanding individual and I know Dominic will lead the Rio Tinto Board with distinction. He has an impressive track-record, with extensive and broad business and diplomatic knowledge and a deep understanding of the link between business, governments and society. On behalf of the Board, I welcome him to Rio Tinto."

Rio Tinto confirms that there are no matters to be disclosed pursuant to Rule 9.6.13(1) (6) of the Listing Rules of the UK Listing Authority.

LEI: 213800YOEO5OQ72G2R82

Classification: 3.1. Additional regulated information required to be disclosed under the laws of a Member State.

This announcement is authorised for release to the market by Steve Allen, Rio Tinto's Group Company Secretary.

riotinto.com



Category: General

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211219005083/en/

Contacts:

Contacts

Please direct all enquiries to media.enquiries@riotinto.com

Media Relations, UK

Illtud Harri

M +44 7920 503 600



David Outhwaite

M +44 7787 597 493



Media Relations, Americas

Matthew Klar

T +1 514 608 4429



Investor Relations, UK

Menno Sanderse

M: +44 7825 195 178



David Ovington

M +44 7920 010 978



Clare Peever

M +44 7788 967 877



Rio Tinto plc

6 St James's Square

London SW1Y 4AD

United Kingdom



T +44 20 7781 2000

Registered in England

No. 719885

Media Relations, Australia

Jonathan Rose

M +61 447 028 913



Matt Chambers

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Jesse Riseborough

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Investor Relations, Australia

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Amar Jambaa

M +61 472 865 948



Rio Tinto Limited

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Melbourne 3000

Australia



T +61 3 9283 3333

Registered in Australia

ABN 96 004 458 404
On December 4, 2021, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn in Anji County, Zhejiang Province.

Wang Yi said, in the face of the pandemic and once-in-a-century changes, China and Cambodia, as iron-clad friends, comprehensive strategic partners and a community with a shared future, should unite closely more than ever before to safeguard the legitimate and legal rights and interests of the two countries, and maintain regional peace, stability and development. Not long ago, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen as well as other leaders of ASEAN countries jointly attended the ASEAN-China Special Summit to Commemorate the 30th Anniversary of ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations, and comprehensively elaborated on the profound connotation of the new positioning of bilateral relations, charting the course for efforts to elevate and upgrade the relations between China and ASEAN as well as between China and Cambodia. Premier Li Keqiang and Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen also held a productive meeting via video link. At the turn of the year, it is necessary for us to strengthen strategic communication, deepen strategic coordination, jointly implement the important consensus reached by the two leaders, and promote greater development in China-Cambodia relations and China-ASEAN relations at a new historical threshold.

Wang Yi said, at present, the COVID-19 pandemic keeps raging with frequent flare-ups. China is willing to support Cambodia in strengthening the positive momentum in preventing and controlling the pandemic, and continue to provide vaccine assistance to meet Cambodia's need and help Cambodia build a vaccine liquid bottling factory. China and Cambodia need to take the entry into force of both the bilateral free trade agreement and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) early next year as an opportunity to deliver faster and better post-pandemic economic recovery of the two countries and the region. China is willing to steadily advance cooperation in major projects such as expressways and airports, and create a high-quality development demonstration zone in production capacity cooperation. Both sides need to promote digital economy cooperation, create new highlights in bilateral cooperation, implement more livelihood projects, and expand Cambodian agricultural exports to China, so as to better benefit Cambodian people.

Prak Sokhonn congratulates China on its great victory against the pandemic under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, and believes China will surely achieve its second centenary goal. Cambodia highly applauds that China has honored its commitment to making COVID-19 vaccines a global public good and played an important leading role in the global response to the pandemic. Cambodia sincerely appreciates China's strong support for Cambodia's fight against the pandemic, and 90 percent of Cambodia's vaccines are from China. Cambodia attaches great importance to and supports the Global Development Initiative (GDI) and the Global Initiative on Data Security proposed by China. Cambodia wishes China a successful Beijing Olympic Winter Games.

Prak Sokhonn said, Cambodia and China have made smooth progress in Belt and Road cooperation on infrastructure projects, and maintained strong development momentum in economic and trade cooperation. China has become Cambodia's largest trading partner and the largest source of investment and tourists. Cambodia thanks China for expanding Cambodian agricultural exports to China and helping Cambodia achieve agricultural modernization. Cambodia stands ready to deepen bilateral practical cooperation and bring more benefits to the people of the two countries.

Both sides also exchanged views on jointly advancing China-ASEAN relations. Wang Yi said, China attaches great importance to and fully supports Cambodia in taking over as the rotating chair of the ASEAN in 2022. China is willing to work with Cambodia and other ASEAN countries to accelerate the integration of the ASEAN. China appreciates Cambodia's positive support for the GDI. Both sides need to fully leverage the resources of the United Nations and regional organizations to jointly promote the implementation of the GDI. China commends Cambodia's efforts to ratify the RCEP, and is willing to jointly advance the earlier full coverage of the RCEP across the countries in the region. Both sides need to promptly make the Five-Year Plan of Action on Lancang-Mekong Cooperation and speed up the building of the Lancang-Mekong Economic Development Belt. Prak Sokhonn totally agreed, and said that Cambodia is willing to jointly build ASEAN and China into peaceful, tranquil, prosperous, beautiful and friendly homelands.

Both sides speak highly of the fruitful outcomes of bilateral iron-clad friendship, comprehensive strategic partnership and a community with a shared future. The two countries will continue to stand firmly together to jointly safeguard the basic norms governing international relations, and oppose unilateralism and bullying practices.

After the talks, the competent authorities of the two sides signed the cooperation documents in inspection and quarantine of animals and plants, and food safety.
On December 6, 2021 local time, Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio met with Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs Yang Jiechi in Freetown.

Yang Jiechi conveyed President Xi Jinping's sincere greetings to President Bio. Noting that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Sierra Leone, Yang Jiechi said, President Xi Jinping had a phone conversation and exchanged congratulatory messages with President Bio, reaching important consensus on consolidating political mutual trust and deepening cooperation in various fields. At the just-concluded Eighth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), President Xi Jinping made important proposals on building a China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era and announced a series of major initiatives, demonstrating China's sincere willingness to further strengthen solidarity and cooperation with African countries. China is willing to work with Sierra Leone to implement the initiatives of the forum, align the outcomes of the conference with Sierra Leone's demand for development, and further boost cooperation in such fields as COVID-19 response, agriculture, fishery, education, and infrastructure, helping Sierra Leone fight against the pandemic and recover its economy. China is willing to further deepen coordination and cooperation with Sierra Leone in the United Nations and other multilateral organizations, safeguard the common interests of China and Africa, as well as developing countries at large, and jointly defend multilateralism and norms governing international relations.

Bio asked Yang Jiechi to convey his best wishes to President Xi Jinping and extended warm congratulations on the successful convening of the sixth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee. He said, China has made significant contributions to world peace and development, setting an example for developing countries. Sierra Leone firmly backs the one-China policy and supports the Beijing Olympic Winter Games. Sierra Leone and China have fostered profound traditional friendship and solid political mutual trust, with fruitful results in cooperation and broad development prospects. Sierra Leone thanks China for giving it strong support at critical moments, including the fight against Ebola and COVID-19. Sierra Leone warmly welcomes the new initiatives on China-Africa cooperation announced by President Xi Jinping at the opening ceremony of the Eighth Ministerial Conference of the FOCAC. Sierra Leone stands ready to actively advance the bilateral cooperation within the framework of the FOCAC, further beef up coordination on multilateral affairs, and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of China and Africa, as well as developing countries at large.

On the same day, Yang Jiechi also met with Sierra Leonean Foreign Minister David Francis.
Got two of my sons to come with me to the garage to push and pull the ol' girl into her bay, and while we were at it I thought I'd try and loosen the seized up left front wheel... any tricks to getting the drum off? I got this far;The cap, pin and center nut came right off, no problem at all. The bottom half of the drum can be pulled out about half an inch, but then it goes right back, as if it is hooked on a spring...Oh well, I'll read the shop manual I bought and see what it says too. Big Red will just have to wait until I return... she's pretty though
Without its signature traffic cops in circles at busy intersections, one-way Greenwich Avenue is undergoing an identity crisis. Its never really been a street anyway. Its a parking lot with ambitions.

Tom Keegan and I are perched on a bench at East Elm Street and Greenwich Avenue on a December afternoon thats warm enough to impersonate September. Were here to enjoy the lunchtime performance as cars and pedestrians navigate the most famous street in Connecticut during the Christmas shopping season.

The corner holds meaning for us both. I worked for several years at Greenwich Times former office down the block on Elm, where I met my wife. Keegan, 68, was the fourth member of his family to direct Avenue traffic as one of Greenwichs Finest. It was also his playground as a kid in the 1950s and 60s, as he grew up at the bottom of the hill.

Were pursuing a sequel to what the late Bernie Yudain called his most popular column among the more than 6,000 he wrote for Greenwich Time.

For all the invaluables on both sides of the shop windows, Bernie recognized Greenwichs true answer to snatching the ring from Gollum or the Golden Snitch from Harry Potter.

Mark this well, Bernie once wrote. There is one thing alone that love or money or political drag cannot buy: a parking space on Greenwich Avenue.

From our bench, we might as well be co-hosting a fashion show given the unseasonably gossamer fabrics and bare skin modeled by pedestrians. I reflexively squint a few times, not from sunlight bursting through the cerulean sky, but because it keeps ricocheting off jewelry pinned to chapeaus.

This also feels like a warm-up to the Westminster Dog Show, given the overpriced breeds that occasionally pause to sniff at our presence.

Im left to handle play-by-play, as Keegan is the color guy. He says things such as, People no longer drive their cars. They let their cars drive them.

The pedestrians seem guided by an invisible GPS as well. A woman and her poodle saunter across Elm like shes Beyonce in a video where the choreographer has ensured the chaos of rolling Teslas never touch her.

Keegan engages passersby I assumed werent tuned in. Given all those years on his feet, I wouldnt blame Keegan if he stayed on the bench. But he rises to do a broad impression of oblivious pedestrians hypnotized by phones.

A couple strolls by, arm-in-arm like theyre about to bust into a Christmas carol, and joins the chorus.

Everybody just walks into traffic ... the man says.

Keegan finishes the lyric, complete with jazz hands: There could be a fire truck coming.

At another point he warbles a real song as he recalls the lyrics to an early 1960s New York City public service announcement written by Vic Mizzy, the mastermind behind the themes to The Addams Family and Green Acres.

Dont cross that street in the middle, in the middle, in the middle, in the middle, in the middle of the block.

The tradition of Greenwich Avenue traffic cops was born in 1927, but reached the stop sign when Fred Camillo was elected first selectman in 2019 and finally took the step his predecessors feared. Traffic officers on The Ave have been redeployed to an electric bike patrol and plainclothes roles.

On cue, two officers roll up East Elm in tandem.

Keegan teases them, like a sergeant scolding grunts: One hand grenade will get ya both.

Were too quick for that, Tom.

New corner bumpouts (old trolley tracks were revealed during their installation) make the treacherous trek shorter for walkers. Keegan, who is retired and serves on Norwalks Common Council, says Police Chief James Heavey is thinking about proposing that signs be posted at corners reminding walkers to look up. Whats really needed is an app that shocks phone addicts when the sidewalk stops.

Keegan explains that there were always unwritten rules to driving on The Avenue, which was traditionally the final test townie parents gave teens before taking them to the DMV to get a license. Its a good time to finally write the unwritten rules.

Rule I: If seeking a spot from the left lane, the driver must park in spaces on the left side. If driving on the right, park on that side. No darting across a lane to grab a space.

Rule II: No backing up to get a parking space.

Rule III: No straddling the middle line looking for a space on the left or right. You gotta pick one, Keegan says.

Rule IV: And you never beep your horn, Keegan concludes. Thats against the rules, unless someone is going to hit you.

He doesnt finish before someone beeps, as though anxious for him to move the thought along.

If we were broadcasting our play-by-play on the radio, it would sound like an NPR show with an ambient soundtrack of honks and high heels delivering a steady beat that pays tribute to Charlie Watts.

Every car approaches the stop like the starting line in a Fast & Furious street race. And no one walks straight to cross. They drift to the right or left to avoid cars, regardless of their political persuasion. Only the Pomeranians look both ways.

We collect a few opinions, including a reasonable suggestion that officers be returned to the circles during busy times like these. Ultimately, even Keegan concedes our little exercise proved traffic without cops is really not that chaotic.

When we rise from the bench, we notice it bears a plaque dedicated to the late Harry Keleshian, a local businessman and real estate owner.

I knew Harry, Keegan says.

Keleshian was, among other things, known for seeking new ways to relieve traffic in the towns central business district. His bench was our perfect host.

We bid our farewells and head back to our cars in nearby lots. Only a blockhead, after all, tries to park on Greenwich Avenue.

John Breunig is editorial page editor of the Stamford Advocate and Greenwich Time. jbreunig@scni.com; twitter.com/johnbreunig.
GLASTONBURY Residents and school officials remain stunned days after a Board of Education member was punched during a public hearing to discuss the name of the high school mascot.

In video footage of the incident, Secretary Ray McFall and another man, who police have not identified, come face-to-face in a confrontation during a break in the meeting. At one point, McFall appears to push the man away from him, prompting the man to punch him in the face, knocking him to the floor.

The public hearing was to discuss a circulating online petition to restore the Glastonbury High School Tomahawk mascot, which was changed to the Guardians in July 2020.

As a result of the incident, which occurred Tuesday night during a 10-minute recess after the public hearing was closed, the board adjourned without voting on the matter.

Parents and family members of high school students expressed shock and disappointment following the incident.

Chris Johnson, who has two children at Glastonbury High School, said one of his sons was at the meeting and showed him footage of the incident when he returned home.

Im just shocked they didnt act as adults, he said.

Flor Briceno, whose niece is a high school student, expressed a similar sentiment.

Its surprising, she said. You dont expect that to happen.

Ron Circo picks up his grandchild from the school every day. He said that no debate at a town meeting should turn into a physical altercation.

It shouldnt come to that, he said. They arent setting a good example.

He said he feels this incident is evidence of too many ongoing divisive issues.

In my opinion, it seems everyone is so up tight about other issues, he said.

As for Johnson, he doesnt believe this issue should be one that divides people to an extreme level.

I just think theres more important things going on, he said.

Board of Education members from neighboring towns also weighed in, including Sharon Peters, chairwoman for the Portland Board of Education.

I was saddened to see such an incident take place at a Board of Education meeting, she said.

She has participated in several meetings where agenda items have caused emotions to run high, but she said it should never result in violence.

We are striving to demonstrate that, she said. Even if we disagree, we can have a respectful discussion. So far, we have been able to do so, and I hope that continues into the future.

Town Manager Richard J. Johnson and Town Council chairperson Thomas P. Gullotta did not respond to requests for comment.

Glastonbury police said Thursday that they are still investigating the incident and they do not anticipate charges will be filed this week.

Members of the Glastonbury BOE declined to comment and referred questions to the districts superintendent.

Superintendent Alan B. Bookman issued a statement the day after the incident, reminding the community of what is expected at public meetings.

The Board of Education welcomes public comment and appreciates that there will always be passionate testimony when controversial issues are considered, Bookman said. But it is critical that we listen to each other with respect and follow meeting rules so that everyone can be heard.
The Samsung Galaxy S6 had a slender metal body, more beautiful and more premium than the utilitarian, plasticy Galaxy S5 that came before it. The internal code name for the phone was Project Zero, because Samsung threw the Galaxy S playbook out of the window and started from scratch.

The company must have been surprised by the loud negative outcry when it finished working on the Project Zero and unveiled it to the world. While the premium look was nice, Samsung made several unpopular choices.



Samsung Galaxy S6 flanked by the iPhone 6 Plus and the Galaxy S5

First, the glass back was glued in place, meaning that the battery was no longer user-accessible. The S6 wasnt even water resistant like the Galaxy S5 was, that one had an IP67 rating and a removable back cover (and flap over its USB port, but that wasn't its biggest issue).

Samsung also dropped the microSD slot. Doubling the base storage to 32GB (from 16GB on the S5) and switching to faster UFS 2.0 (from eMMC) didnt seem to matter to fans  they only cared that they could no longer expand the storage of their phone.

Only SIMs allowed, no room for microSDs on this card tray

There were other inexplicable downgrades. The battery was smaller (2,550mAh vs. 2,800mAh), a side effect of the decision to shave down the phones thickness just 6.8 mm. Also, this made people worry more about the battery aging, since it would reduce the already small capacity. It supported faster 15W charging, which Samsung argued was better than having a replaceable battery. Many disagreed.

The Galaxy S6 measured only 6.8 mm thick, compared to the Galaxy S8 at 8.1 mm

Also, Samsung abandoned its microUSB 3.0 experiment and went back to regular microUSB 2.0. Not that anyone missed the wonky microUSB 3.0 connector, but going back isnt a good look and USB-C wasnt unheard of in 2015 when the Galaxy S6 arrived. MHL was slashed in the process (it is an early form of TV-out over USB).

Top to bottom: Lighting port (iPhone 6 Plus) * microUSB 2.0 (Galaxy S6) * microUSB 3.0 (Galaxy S5)

The Galaxy S6 did not arrive alone - it had a curvy friend, the Galaxy S6 edge. Its display was curved at its left and right edges, borrowing the flexible OLED technology from the Galaxy Note Edge. It still had the same diagonal, 5.1, but the curved sides gave it a unique look (the Note had only one curved edge). This came at extra cost and not everyone thought it was worth it, but at least people had a choice.

Curved screens would go on to become quite popular in the flagship segment

Later on in the year Samsung also released the larger Galaxy S6 edge+, which went up to a 5.7 display  as big as that of the Galaxy Note4 and 5 (though it was curved rather than flat). Other than the larger 3,000 mAh battery, the screen size bump was basically the only upgrade over the smaller Galaxy S6/S6 edge.

The Galaxy S6 edge+ (center) was as big as the Note5 (left), dwarfing the S6 edge (right)

Despite several unpopular changes, the Galaxy S6 series did represent an upgrade over the Galaxy S5. Its Super AMOLED screen was bumped up to 1440p resolution (the S5 was criticized for sticking with 1080p). The curved sides made for an eye-catching design too.

The camera on the rear stuck with a 16MP sensor with 1.12m pixels, but it brightened the aperture significantly (f/1.9 vs. f/2.4) and adopted OIS. The front camera got a major update too  5MP may not sound too exciting, but its much better than 2MP.









Samsung Galaxy S6 camera samples

The Galaxy S6 was also the first phone to feature Samsung Pay, which had a game-changing MST feature  it could emulate the magnetic stripe of credit and debit cards. This ensured compatibility even with older PoS terminals, which were the norm in the US.

Of course, youd want that feature well secured and the improved fingerprint reader helped with that. The Galaxy S5 had an FP reader, but it was the awkward swipe kind, which was really inconvenient to use. The S6 had a proper capacitive reader.

A proper fingerprint reader, unlike the swipe reader of the Galaxy S5

Sale figures were all over the place. After high pre-order numbers, the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge hit a combined 10 million sales about a month after release. The S5 was faster, it got there in 25 days alone. Info from Korea suggested that the flat S6 outsold the S6 edge 3:1. However, demand picked up and Samsung had to open a new plant to keep up with S6 edge orders. Three months in, the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge had set a new record with 15.8 million sales globally, beating the previous champ, the S4 with 15.2 million.

The Galaxy S7 would beat it the following year, by a fair margin too, but this shows two things. First, the upgrades outweighed the hated design choices, making this one of the best-selling Galaxy S phones (the S5 had its detractors, but the S4 was a bona fide hit). Second, some people really did hate the S6, which led to a pent up demand by the time the S7 arrived.

Loved or hated, the Galaxy S6 was one of the best selling models of its era

Memory is a funny thing, we remember the Galaxy S6 as being hated, while the S5 got a mostly positive reception. The thing is though, the S5 had many warts too and the S6 established some features used in the S-series for many years to come, especially the metal and glass design.

Or we see it that way now because in 2021 our views have shifted. For better or for worse, removable batteries are a thing of the past. And while the microSD card was briefly reinstated, it is gone from the S-series again. Even the 3.5 mm headphone jack is no more (thankfully, the S6 had one). Maybe it wasnt perfect, but maybe the Samsung Galaxy S6 and its two edge siblings werent as bad as we remember.
Garmin unveiled the Venu 2 and Venu 2S smartwatches in April, and we know a Plus variant exists since we saw its leaked image last month revealing the design, color options, and a few features. Now a massive leak by WinFuture reveals Garmin is planning to introduce more than one smartwatch since the publication posted over three dozen official-looking images of the Epix Gen2, Fenix 7, Fenix 7S, Instinct 2, and Instinct 2S, in addition to the Venu 2 Plus we've already seen.

Garmin Epix Gen2

The Garmin Epix Gen2 will have an in-built GPS like the original Epix and come with an altimeter and the standard set of health and fitness features, including heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, and blood oxygen saturation monitoring.



Garmin Epix Gen2

The Epix Gen2 is made of fiberglass-reinforced polycarbonate and 316L stainless steel. It's MIL-STD-810 certified and is water-resistant up to 100 meters.

The leaked images reveal the smartwatch has a total of five buttons - three on the left and two on the right, flanking two holes.



Garmin Epix Gen2

Garmin Fenix 7, Fenix 7S, and Fenix 7X

The Fenix 7 series includes the vanilla, S, and X models. All of them come with the usual health and fitness features. They are made of 316L stainless steel, and some variants will come integrated with solar panels to charge the battery when you are under the sun.



Garmin Fenix 7

We don't know what the Fenix 7X will look like, but the pictures of the vanilla 7 and 7S shared by the publication tell us the former will arrive in the 47mm size and the latter in 42mm. Both are water-resistant up to 100 meters and MIL-STD-810 rated.



Garmin Fenix 7S

However, while the Fenix 7 and the rest of the 7S color models have "Power Glass" ingrained on their back covers, the white version of the 7S has "Fiber-Reinforced Polymer" written, suggesting different builds.



Garmin Fenix 7S

That said, like the Epix Gen2, the Fenix 7 and Fenix 7S also have a total of five buttons each.

Garmin Instinct 2 and Instinct 2S

The Instinct 2 and Instinct 2S feature in-built GPS and come with heart rate monitoring, step counter, and sleep counter in addition to other activity tracking features. However, both smartwatches pack e-ink displays for longer battery life between the charges.



Garmin Instinct 2

The Garmin Instinct 2 also has MIL-STD-810 certification, and its grey-ish color model packs a solar panel so that its battery can be charged when under the sun.



Garmin Instinct 2

Like the Epix and Fenix series smartwatches, the Instinct 2 watches also have a total of five buttons each.



Garmin Instinct 2S

Garmin Venu 2 Plus

The Garmin Venu 2 Plus' screen tells us it will feature a step counter and heart rate monitor. However, the rear side of the smartwatch reveals even more features, including 50-meter water resistance and in-built GPS/multi-GNSS, allowing smartphone-independent route tracking.

The smartwatch's display is covered with Gorilla Glass, and the watch body is made of stainless steel. This particular model we are looking at is the 43mm version, and it remains to be seen if there will be a smaller/bigger variant on offer.



Garmin Venu 2 Plus

The Garmin Venu 2 Plus' back cover also has "Music" ingrained, suggesting it will have onboard storage for offline music playback.

You can also see that the Venu 2 Plus' strap has Quick Release 20 printed on it, meaning it's 20mm wide and can be removed/replaced easily by the users.



Garmin Venu 2 Plus

In addition to these seven smartwatches, Garmin is planning to announce the new color models of the Vivomove 3, Vivomove Sport, and Approach S12. It's unclear when exactly the US-based company will unveil these smartwatches, but since the official renders are already out, it shouldn't be too long before Garmin introduces these wearables.

Source (in German)
Sony's Xperia Pro-I just went on sale and at one of the press events accompanying the launch we ran into renowned filmmaker Philip Bloom. One of the big names in the industry, he has worked as a cameraman and cinematographer for Lucasfilm, CNN, Sky News, and the BBC, among others.

Mr. Bloom is also keeping a close eye on the smartphone industry and had some very interesting thoughts to share about the Sony Xperia Pro-I and the state of smartphone videography as a whole. You can read the interview below.

Renowned British filmmaker Philip Bloom (Image Credit: Philip Bloom)

How would you describe your experience using the Xperia Pro-I?

I am a big fan of using smartphones for photos and videos - ever since it was first possible and these days, there are many phones that do a really impressive job with both. What makes the Xperia Pro-I so special for me is its the first camera on a phone that has an image that doesnt look like a camera on a phone. The image looks much more natural and less over processed and this is the biggest issue that Ive had with other phones.

Having accurate eye autofocus, 4K 10-bit recording with the ability to go to 4K 120p and the benefits that a larger pixel pitch have on the image are all great and its that last feature that is the key. You can have all the features in the world but if the image isnt good then its meaningless.



Sony Xperia Pro-I

With the weight and size advantages obvious, what to you remain the main limitations of smartphone (video) cameras compared to their larger counterparts?

Physics is the main limitation. Theres a reason why dedicated cameras, even compacts, are the size they are. The amount of processing that is needed to pump out high quality video is substantial and phones are thin. So no space for a heatsink, no space for a fan. That thickness is also the thing that limits what sensor and optics you can put in there. I am very pleased that the Xperia Pro-I does have a microSD card as removable media is an important, and expected feature in a traditional camera.

Who do you think that handset is for? It probably won't be replacing the Alpha 1 in your high-profile jobs, so who, or rather what tasks do you think it's right for?

I think they made the phone for me, its really nice of them to do that! Joking aside, I am the target market; someone who shoots videos and stills a lot both professionally and personally. Whilst it cant come close to my full-frame mirrorless cameras, it does give me a very high-quality camera that I will always have on me. Its also something I can use in my work as a documentary filmmaker when I need an extra quick shot or need to be discrete.

I also think that advancing camera features has become the main reason why many people upgrade these days, well maybe not my mum, but for people that are into photography and video will find this very tempting.

What changes in terms of both hardware and software would you propose to make the Pro-I successor an even better professional tool?

There are many things I would love to see, too many to list, but the main things would be the following;

I want to see picture profiles that directly match my Alpha cameras, so its easier in the edit to cut them together. That means SLog 3, S Cinetone to start with. There needs to be an ability to have more control over your image; the ability to adjust noise reduction, sharpness, contrast and saturation. I would also like to see the ability to record all frame rates to the microSD card. Currently the higher frame rates can only be recorded internally, which is fine as the internal storage is so large but recording directly to removable media is the way we shoot for speed in media management.

I would be absolutely happy to sacrifice the super thick body to have better heat dissipation and also to have a large camera bump, so the whole sensor can be used as a larger lens. The last thing is to have a main camera of 35mm rather than 24mm. 24mm is a nice focal length for getting lots in frame but a 35mm lens is a more natural focal length for general video and photography.

If you had to compare the quality of the Pro-I to one of the larger cameras you've worked with, how far back in time would you have to go? A couple of years, five years, the early days of digital video cameras?

It is difficult to compare the quality of the image to any other cameras I have used as its combination of sensor size, recording mode and fixed focal length. It has elements of the RX10 and 100 4K cameras and the ZV-1 with some image characterises, but with a 10-bit recording codec and this is something that no Sony compact currently has. It is probably more similar to an RX100 VI and VII due to them having an F2.8 lens and 24mm on the wide end making the depth of field characteristics quite similar compared to the F2 of the models with the shorter lenses. So essentially, it is a new image and quality that I havent seen before, just with elements from many other Sony cameras over the past few years.



Sony Xperia Pro-I comes with a 1" type sensor and variable aperture

You've obviously been keeping track of the smartphone industry - do you like the direction it's headed when it comes to camera development? What would you like to see in focus over the next few years?

Computational video and photography are amazingly clever and that is the future, but not yet. We are seeing improvements each year, but we are a good few years away from having something that can truly emulate what a real camera with a large sensor and optics can do. My main concern is starting to happen already in the photo side where we are seeing AI enhance the photo to the point it does not resemble what is actually there. This is certainly the case with people but the whole controversy with the Moon mode of the Huawei P30 Pro a couple of years ago is actually a sign post of where things can easily head to and that worries me. Photography and video for me has always been about capturing a moment in time, a real moment. Yes, you can manipulate and change things in post but when you have cameras that do these things in real-time, the power of the image could easily be diminished if it no longer accurately represents that moment in time.
The Motorola Edge X30 may be a big hit for the brand, it was a clear favorite in last weeks poll. Between it and the Moto G200, which also seems ripe for success, Motorola is headed for a strong year.

The major concern that most commenters expressed is about the price  the X30 could be one of the best value-for-money phones of 2022, but we just dont know how much it will cost outside of China.

The phone has a lot going for it, but it is not perfect, so pricing is crucial. Most of the complaints are the usual  no microSD card, no 3.5 mm jack. Another issue is that proper flagships really need a telephoto lens, not a 2 MP depth sensor. Also, Motorola needs to work on its software support.

Still, this should be one of the cheaper Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 phones for the next 12 months and and it has a 144 Hz OLED display plus a large, fast-charging battery to boot. That under display camera sounds interesting too, though availability of the Special Edition phone is yet another mystery surrounding the X30.

The Motorola Edge S30 didnt fare very well. Again, its pricing for the rest of the world is unclear, but the Moto G200 has a 450 price tag in Europe and considering that these two phones are nearly identical, we cant see the S30 costing any less (if it ever is released globally).

Perhaps that is why the Edge S30 failed to attract attention  the Moto G200 is already well liked and the S30 doesnt really add enough to stand out.

By the way, we saw many complaints in the comments that the Motorola Edge X30 and S30 dont have a USB 3 port, so we should clear things up  both phones support Motorolas Ready For desktop mode with an external display and both definitely have USB 3. Were not sure about the exact version, but they do have it. Not that it would change how people feel about the S30.
Our island is renowned for its natural beauty, but a whole new perspective and appreciation is gained when looking down on it from 2,000 feet in the air.

A flight school opened on Guam earlier this year to provide people with the opportunity to enjoy these views and encourage curiosity in the world of aviation.

Lawrence Limtiaco, a 16-year-old Father Duenas Memorial School, has already done his first solo flight.

Flying is really fun and here on Guam you get to see the ocean and the views are amazing. I like being in the air and flying in general. Something about it is just cool to me, Limtiaco said.

When Limtiaco heard that there was a flight school opening on Guam, he was immediately interested.

My grandpa was a pilot so he told me stories and I was pretty much inspired by that. I also liked fighter jets and planes in general when I was little so that got me interested, Limtiaco said.

Aire Service partners Don Jones, John Shimizu and Roke Matanane began operations in August. To be honest, we have not had an official opening as we are still trying to resurrect aircraft and spaces (for airplanes), Jones said.

Jones, who comes from a small town in Indiana, was inspired to help create Aire Services because he had few opportunities for a career in aviation.

I had no mentors on pursuing a career in aviation. No direction and not a moments effort, for sheer lack of understanding, by anyone to help me, Jones said.

I want to help anyone, and young people in particular, pursue aviation careers, he added.

Aire Services offers discovery flights, where pilots such as 42-year-old Mindy Wilson, take people in a plane and teach the basics of flying.

I love taking new people up. One of my favorite things is showing people their house from the air. People can live in the same house for years but its a new perspective, Wilson said.

Wilson has been flying since age 19 after getting her pilots license in Oklahoma, where the views are much different than Guam. Guam is special because its so beautiful! It really gives me an appreciation of how small the island is and how big the ocean is, Wilson said.

Aire Services is a great place to learn to fly. Its a magnetic place. Once you start hanging out there its hard to leave, Wilson said.

Wilson explained how Aire Services is providing opportunities for Guam residents and youth. In the past if someone wanted to pursue aviation they would have to move, leave island and family, which is costly, just to take the first steps to get a pilots license, she said.

Jones does not want anyone to give up on dreams of being a pilot. For anyone that has a desire to learn to fly or work on aircraft, come see us. We will be more than happy to offer some insight and direction, he said.

Some advice I will give to teens interested is go for it. Ill warn you it is expensive but it is like an investment in yourself to get your license and learn to fly, Limitiaco said. For people scared of heights I think youll be fine, you should put yourself out of your comfort zone.
As a first-generation college student, Aila Rodriguez never thought she would have the opportunity to study at Brown University, an Ivy League school, due to financial constraints. When the chance landed on her lap, she took it.

I always had this perception that Ivy League schools are well beyond my familys reach, but with Browns financial aid, my tuition, housing, meals, books and health insurance are all fully paid for, the 20-year old international and public affairs major said.

The former Dededo resident graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in 2019 and takes pride in raising the Guam flag in Rhode Island.

Whenever possible, she tries to incorporate Guams history and relevant issues in her coursework. The junior plans on writing a senior honors thesis next year focusing on the discriminatory and unjust policies that affect the people of Guam.

Extra-curricular work

Shes also staying busy outside of her studies, working as a research assistant at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, an immigration advocate for the Student Clinic for Immigrant Justice, and vice president of the Brown Womens Pre-Law Association.

Next semester, she will be working as an intern for the Brookings Institution, one of the most influential think tanks in the country.

I think students who are passionate about what theyre learning are collaborative and are not afraid to ask for help succeed on this campus, Rodriguez said. Rather than being hyper-competitive, Brown fosters a collaborative environment for students and faculty.

Campus life

Rodriguezs favorite thing to relax is to get boba and walk around campus. Since its summer all year in Guam, she enjoys watching the leaves change color during the fall, the snowfall during winter and the flowers bloom during spring at Rhode Island.

Most students take a weekend or day trip to Boston or New York City to relax. Boston is only an hour away, while it takes about three hours to get to New York City from Providence.

Its very easy and super affordable to go to those cities using the train or bus, Rodriguez said. The last time I was in Boston was right before the pandemic hit, and I enjoyed exploring other campuses there and eating dim sum at Chinatown.

High school preparation

In terms of class rigor, Rodriguez said that academics at her university are not easy. Theyre challenging, but that doesnt mean that its impossible to do well.

Graduating from an under-resourced public high school, I did feel a bit unprepared for college, Rodriguez said. During high school, I was able to procrastinate and only study the night before and still get anA. College doesnt work like that.

However, the reading, writing and analytical skills that she acquired during high school helped her navigate the academics at Brown.

I have my AP English teacher ... and my honors science teacher ... to thank for that, Rodriguez said.

Guam students shouldnt think that attending an Ivy League school is out of their reach, she said. Give it a shot because you never know, and things might just work in your favor.
The Guam Museum is seeking more information about the families who lived around Magua, the site of construction for Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz, during World War II.

Census documents from 1940, identified by local historian Dave Lotz, show that at least 26 people lived in the area. Documents from the U.S. Navys land condemnations in 1950 provide a list of landowners, which include members of the Ada, Cruz, Manibusan, Iglesias, and Taitingfong families.

Magua was an ancient settlement area, the subject of controversy in 2018 when the U.S. military opted not to halt construction after the discovery of several historic sites. The military has said the area was not a permanent ancient settlement, though local officials and historians have disputed that as more human remains and artifacts have been unearthed over the course of the last three years.

Lt. Cmdr. Katherine Koenig, public affairs officer for Joint Region Marianas, told the PDN that a map of the area identified by Lotz may depict Magua, but possibly other areas such as Sabanan Fadang and Taguac. The site had also been cleared post-1940 because of agricultural and other military activity.

Lotz contends that the other possible sites depicted would be co-located with Magua, and that past clearing was not as significant as Camp Blaz current construction.

Lotz was one of the people museum curator Michael Lujan Bevacqua reached out to earlier this year, after increased public interest around the Magua area. The museum is looking to gather as much information as possible about the site prior to its clearing.

We want to understand that area, so that when people ask, when people talk about these issues, we can provide as much information as possible. So, if somebody says, well, nobody lives there. Well, we can say to them, well, no, actually  and chances are good, a lot of them might still be living there, Bevacqua said.

If it was established that Magua was a more permanent site, it would also change the way that the area was handled under historic preservation laws, Bevacqua added.

Some artifacts and habitations found in the area were related to World War II, Koenig said.

The archaeological sites were treated as significant cultural sites, she said, and subject to investigations to preserve and collect and cultural or historical information.

Descendants, remains

Much of the public focus on human remains found during base construction has been around pre-Spanish, Latte-era discoveries, but it shouldnt be assumed that those were the only remains in the area, Lotz said.

At least one person had contacted Bevacqua after they found their great-grandmother listed on the 1940 census. Another reached out to Lotz after seeing one of their family members named on the documents and believed they may have been buried there.

According to Koenig, one set of remains was found next to Japanese WWII-era equipment and was undergoing laboratory analysis with the Japanese Consulate. Much of the remains, however, were fragmentary and difficult to analyze.

These remains with unknown ethnicity and time period will continue to be treated with dignity and respect and will be reinterred at the SHPO-designated crypt, she said.

Bevacqua said it was reasonable to think that some of the residents in Magua during the war would have buried their dead at the site.

During the war, it was, it was common to kind of bury people at the ranch. Just because, you know, because normal life had shut down in terms of the Catholic Church in terms of so many things, he said.

If they could identify WWII burials there, I think the community would take it very seriously, Bevacqua said, because they buried somebody there, and if the family could identify it, and tell the story --we all have stories in our own family about sort of the tragedy of the war.

Prior knowledge

Bevacqua and Lotz were unaware of the landowners prior to Lotz discovery, but unsure whether information about World War II landowners was available to the military or Guams State Historic Preservation Office.

The condemnation documents that identify the former landowners are available upon request at the District Court of Guam.

The PDN asked Koenig whether the Navy was aware of the possible landowners before starting base construction. She deferred the question to the State Historic Preservation Office, but said the Navy would have done research to fulfill the 2011 Programmatic Agreement. Public notice was also required prior to the signing of the 2010 and 2015 environmental analyses.

In effect, all descendants of the former landowners have received notice along with the public at large. It is likely that some descendants would have also participated directly in public meeting discussions, ethnographic study interviews and other forms of outreach as part of environmental planning activities, she said.

The only property owner up there that they talked to was not a Magua property owner, Lotz said of the ethnographic study, it was immediately to the south, it was two members of the Artero family. Despite previous understandings of the area, Artero family members were not the only landowners in the NCS area, he said.

State Historic Preservation Officer Patrick Lujan, who was appointed to replace former SHPO Lynda Aguon, said his involvement with the matter as construction proceeded in 2018 was limited. He was unsure whether any of the families of former landowners had been contacted, prior to construction, or whether that was the mission of the office.

On Friday, Lujan said he would have to review past records, as most of the staff that was around before construction began had retired.

Everything that should have been conducted, including contacting the original landowners, should have been in the (environmental impact survey), conducted by the military, he said.

He was unsure what the SHPO could do moving forward, but encouraged anyone with family ties to the area to reach out to his office for assistance.

My door is open. They can come in any time.




Haiti - FLASH : Christian Aid Ministries forgives the kidnappers of the 17 American hostages





Friday, December 17, 2021, following the release the day before of the last 12 American hostages (out of 17) kidnapped in Haiti on Thursday, October 16, 2021 by the "400 mawozo" gang https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35497-haiti-flash-the-gang-400-mawozo-released-all-the-american-hostages.html all members of Christian Aid Ministries, David Troyer, Director General of the congregation writes on the website of the congregation "It is with great joy and deep gratitude to God that I confirm the safe return of the 17 staff members of the Ministries of Christian Aid who were taken hostage in Haiti by the 400 Mawozo gang. An American plane left Haiti with the hostages released yesterday [Thursday] afternoon. Everyone, including the 10 month old baby, seems to be doing quite well."



He also delivers a message to the Haitian people "We say thank you to the many people of Haiti who have expressed their regret for this incident and offered us their prayers and words of encouragement. Although it has been a very difficult time for everyone involved, Christian Aid Ministries wishes to continue walking with you in the future as best we can. You have responded resiliently to the crises that followed, and we sincerely hope that your country will flourish both economically and spiritually."



Finally addressing the kidnappers the congregation offers them forgiveness "We do not know all the challenges you face. We believe that the violence and oppression of others can never be justified. You have caused great suffering to our hostages and their families. However, Jesus taught us by word and by his own example that the power to forgive love is stronger than the hatred of violent force. Therefore, we offer you forgiveness. The hostages made it clear to you how you can also be forgiven by God, if you repent. Our desire is that you and all who hear or read this statement may come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, our Savior, the Son of God and the Prince of Peace. Jesus died for all so that all could be saved."



Learn more about "Aid Ministries in Haiti" :

"Christian Aid Ministries" has been working in Haiti for 30 years, the people taken hostage and our other employees are in Haiti:



Enabling thousands of poor children, often in remote areas, to attend school.



Providing help and hope to widows, the elderly and the disabled.



Provide medicines for the sick and nutritional products for malnourished children throughout the country.



Provide education to pastors.



Provide Bibles, Bible story books, and other Christian writing.



Oversee the reconstruction of houses destroyed or damaged by the recent earthquake.



Organize our "work for pay" program, which includes projects such as road construction and installation of water systems. (These projects give the unemployed the opportunity to do meaningful work supporting their families, while providing critical infrastructure to communities in need.)



In conclusion to answer a question asked many times "Didn't these people know that it is dangerous in Haiti? David Troyer replies "Yes, they knew that, but we go to dangerous places in many parts of the world. Why ? Because that is usually where the greatest needs are. This is what Christian aid ministries have been doing for decades."



Read also on this case :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35417-haiti-flash-3-new-american-hostages-released.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35299-haiti-flash-2-of-the-17-kidnapped-american-hostages-released.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35204-haiti-news-zapping.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-35112-icihaiti-insecurity-the-pnh-has-proof-that-the-16-american-hostages-are-alive.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35094-haiti-flash-joe-biden-sends-a-large-number-of-specialists-to-release-the-american-hostages-in-haiti.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35061-haiti-news-zapping.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35053-haiti-news-zapping.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35037-haiti-flash-the-gang-400-mawozo-demands-one-million-dollars-for-the-release-of-each-american-hostage.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35028-haiti-news-zapping.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35012-haiti-flash-at-least-fifteen-american-missionaries-kidnapped-in-port-au-prince.html



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





Mandate to bring against the Logistics Director of ONI

The Parquet of Port-au-Prince issued, on December 17, 2021, a warrant to bring against the director of the logistics service of the National Identification Office (ONI), Eddy Saint-Pierre accused of theft and embezzlement of public goods. Meanwhile, Jude Jacques Elibert, the former Director General of ONI, has been banned from leaving, also accused of theft and embezzlement of public property.



Varreux : 60,000 more barrels of gasoline

The Varreux terminal is preparing to receive 60,000 barrels of gasoline (2,520,000 gallons) from the tanker MT Minami.



Towards the activation of the ONA-POLIS program

The General Directorate of ONA will meet with officials of the Haitian National Police (PNH) and other public institutions concerned by the ONA-POLIS program. The purpose of this meeting is to make operational this program launched in February 2020 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30145-haiti-social-ona-polis-a-new-social-insurance-for-police-officers.html and whose registrations were opened in March of the same year https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30169-haiti-notice-open-registration-for-the-ona-polis-program.html



Registration suspended for all new petrol stations

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has decided to suspend the registration of all new gas stations in order to control the proliferation of gasoline pumps across the country.



Resumption of activities at the Lycee National of La Saline at the start of 2022 ?

Minister Nesmy Manigat spoke this Wednesday, December 15, 2021 with the director, teachers of the Lycee National de La Saline and notables of this community. During this meeting, several possibilities were explored to bring back teaching activities in this public institution from January 2022.



Artibonite : 54 schools supplied with food

54 schools from 7 municipalities, in the Artibonite Department, with an enrollment of 10,715 students were supplied with food during the month of December.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















By William Schwartz | Published on 2021/12/18

Despite the bombastic poster and marketing, "Fasten Your Seatbelt" is a much more down-to-earth movie than the spoof it initially appears to be. Actor Joon-gyoo (played by Jung Kyung-ho) is famous for the filthy enthusiasm with which he swears. Yet Joon-gyoo is sympathetic throughout "Fasten Your Seatbelt" as his reflexive swearing is under the pressure of a difficult situation. His airplane can't land because of strong winds, and the pilots being drunk doesn't help matters.

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Nevertheless, Joon-gyoo constantly apologizes for his reflexive swearing, and even tries to be nice and polite to his various fans on the airplane. This is all in spite of his exiting Japan and returning to South Korea under the cloud of an allegation that he impregnated a Japanese idol. Joon-gyoo's exact culpability for this is unclear throughout the movie. He only strongly insists that she isn't pregnant, which is a fairly specific denial.

We're frequently left guessing whether or not Joon-gyoo is actually a good person. The guy's stuck in four romantic entanglements that we know of, and seems just barely pathetic and demure enough that his reputation as a lecher might be undeserved. Jung Kyung-ho has a surprisingly nuanced performance as the potty-mouthed lead of a broad comedy. "Fasten Your Seatbelt" is loaded with nuance, and has aged surprisingly well considering how much the in-flight experience has changed in the last eight years.

The pilots, while not at all sympathetic, are more negligent and careless rather than actively malicious. They feel somewhat disturbingly like pilots that may have been in charge on your flights, you just never noticed the unprofessional behavior because these days the planes mostly fly themselves anyway. While not exactly likable the pilots, much like Joon-gyoo, seem mostly harmless as long as they aren't being actively put under pressure.

Then strong winds make landing impossible, with the entire situation having increasingly disastrous implications as the owner of their airline has come on board for a surprise flight inspection. Yet there's no real stakes. Every character largely exists in their own self-contained universe. Joon-gyoo freaks out in part because people are encroaching on his space in a crisis that's extremely dangerous.

Joon-gyoo's sense of panic is acute in part because every other character is panicking a lot less, begging the question of who the real troublemaker on the flight is. Joon-gyoo starts having borderline religious experiences, praying for safe passage, and repenting for his lifetime of evil. This is both sincere and, for the most part, just seems to be related to his habit of constant swearing.

The ambiguity behind Joon-gyoo's personality is the main point of intrigue "Fasten Your Seatbelt" has- which isn't necessarily a good thing, when the movie in question is a comedy. The performances are so realistic, and so like the common behavior you might expect from normal people on a plane, that the action never really rises to the level of genuinely funny. All the characters are just sort of mildly annoying, yet harmless as long as they aren't trying to talk to anyone else.

Review by William Schwartz

___________

"Fasten Your Seatbelt" is directed by Ha Jung-woo, and features Jung Kyung-ho, Han Soo-hyun, Kim Jae-hwa, Choi Kyu-hwan, Kim Ki-cheon, Kim Byung-ok. Release date in Korea: 2013/10/17.
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In a statement, the Iranian Ministry of Justice in Sineh Province, eastern Kurdistan, confirmed the execution of Haider Qurbani, in Sineh Central Prison, at 4:00 this morning, according to Roj news agency.

The Iranian authorities have accused Haider Qurbani of his membership in the Kurdistan Democratic Party - Iran, and his opposition to the Iranian state.

Haider Qurbani was arrested on October 16th, 2016, and he is a resident of the city of Cameran.

Iran is one of the countries witnessing an increase in executions. According to Amnesty International statistics, the year 2020 witnessed the execution of at least 246 people, but the number is expected to be much higher, as many executions are not disclosed.

T/S

ANHA
GOVERNMENT ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: The greatest gifts we can give our loved ones this festive period are vaccinations, taking tests, fresh air and face coverings.

This life-saving wish list will help ensure families and friends enjoy the safest of seasons greetings.

Were encouraged to make these ongoing health measures as much a part of the holiday as mulled wine and mince pies. Such steps can help protect our nearest and dearest while were together.

The gift of protecting one another from COVID-19  including the Omicron variant  is the one that truly keeps on giving. The weather outside may be frightful but, gathering indoors, we can still open windows to allow fresh air to disperse the virus. Embrace face coverings, there are seasonal styles aplenty to add festive flair to commuting and high street shopping trips.

Every adult in the country needs to get a COVID-19 booster vaccine, because two doses does not give you enough protection against catching Omicron. Get your booster now at nhs.uk/covidvaccination. Get Boosted Now is the national mission to build a wall of defence against the new Omicron variant. This mission is more urgent and more important than ever before because Omicron COVID-19 is spreading fast. Vaccines are the best way we can protect ourselves.

You can get a COVID-19 booster 12 weeks after your second dose. Boosters give you the best possible protection against the virus and should significantly reduce your risk of serious illness and hospitalisation.

And, swifter than shaving or applying makeup, taking rapid lateral flow tests are a quick and easy part of your getting ready routine before venturing out. If you have been in contact with someone with COVID-19 and are double vaccinated, you should take a daily rapid lateral flow test for seven days if you have no symptoms.

This will help slow the spread of the virus and allow you and your loved ones to continue your plans that day if you test negative. If you are unvaccinated, you must continue to self-isolate for 10 days if you are a contact of someone with COVID-19.

Dont forget the NHS COVID-19 app is still the fastest way to know if youve been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19, so keep it on.

A very merry Christmas and a happy New Year, celebrate safely and lets make it a good one.

Its vital to ventilate

Leeds University Professor of Environmental Engineering Catherine Noakes, pictured, said: As Christmas is coming people will naturally be spending more time indoors  welcoming friends and family into their home and attending social events together  as the weather gets colder.

While we are all looking forward to spending time with friends and family this Christmas, its important to remember that coronavirus is still spreading and can easily transmit in the home even when people are vaccinated.

In an enclosed space, the infectious particles hang around in the air like smoke and can build up over time, increasing the risk of other people in the room breathing in the virus, especially if there is no ventilation or fresh air helping to refresh the air.

Thats why its so important to ventilate indoor spaces by opening windows, even if just regularly for a short time. This way fresh air can disperse and blow COVID-19 particles away to decrease the risk of others being infected.

Wish List

1) Vaccinations

All adults now need to get a booster vaccine, as two doses do not offer enough protection against the fast spreading Omicron variant. Boosters are available 12 weeks after second jabs. Get Boosted Now at nhs.uk/covidvaccination to significantly reduce your risk of serious illness and hospitalisation.

2) Taking tests

Make taking rapid lateral flow tests part of your festive preparations.

Use any unused stocks of rapid lateral flow tests that you may have at home

Collect from your School/University if you already obtain test kits from there

Collect from your local Pharmacy

Collect from your local Community Test sites

Order online at gov.uk

3) Fresh air

Opening doors and windows for ten minutes can help you and your loved ones stay safe.

4) Face covering

To protect yourself and others, face coverings must be worn in shops, indoor venues and on public transport. A full list of where it is required to wear a face covering in the UK is available on gov.uk
The Narendra Modi government has notified a seven-member legal team headed by solicitor general Tushar Mehta to defend its decision to ban Zakir Naiks Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) as an unlawful organization under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967.

Senior lawyer Sachin Datta, Amit Mahajan, Rajat Nair, Kanu Agrawal, Jay Prakash and Dhruv Pandey are part of the team who will represent the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) before the UAPA tribunal to defend the ban. On November 15, 2021, the Centre extended the ban on IRF headed by Zakir Naik by five more years under Section 3(1) of the UAPA.

Since each such notification of banning any outfit under UAPA is examined by a UAPA tribunal, the Centre has constituted a strong team of lawyers to defend the ban on IRF.

Earlier on December 13th, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) notified the tribunal headed by Delhi High Court Chief Justice D N Patel under provisions of UAPA for the purpose of adjudicating whether or not grounds are sufficient to impose a ban on IRF as an unlawful association.

The tribunal is expected to take up the hearing of the matter on December 20.

IRF and Naik a threat to national security

IRF is headed by Zakir Naik (55) a radical Islamic preacher, who while promoting Islam always promotes ill-will against India, Hindus and instigates Muslim youths of India and abroad to commit terrorist acts.

Declared as proclaimed offender by the court of the National Investigation Agency, Naik ran away from India in 2016 and moved to Malaysia where he was granted permanent residency. On November 18, 2016, NIA had registered a case against him under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and UAPA, and his outfit was declared an unlawful association by the government a day before the NIA registered the case.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) holding a terror funding probe, charged him for money laundering worth Rs 193.06 Crore and attached his properties worth over Rs 50 Crore.

In the fresh notification, the Centre has said that if the unlawful activities of IRF were not curbed, it would continue to create communal disharmony, propagate anti-national sentiments and support militancy.

Centre has said that his (Naik) speeches and statements are objectionable, subversive that promote enmity, hatred among religious groups that can disrupt the secular fabric of the country. Besides, he instigates youths to indulge in terrorist activities. The activities of IRF are prejudicial to the security of the country.

Naik promotes Islamic terrorism proved beyond doubt

Naik runs two television channels namely Peace TV and Peace TV Urdu which are banned in many countries including India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Canada and the United Kingdom.

But he still has a huge viewership and an investigation of a couple of terrorist attack cases has revealed how he poisoned the mind of youths. His name surfaced in the 2016 Dhaka cafe bombing case. One of the bombers had admitted before told Bangladeshi investigators that he was influenced by the preaching of Naik.

Naiks name surfaced in connection with the April bombings in Sri Lanka. Zahran Hashim, associated with National Thowheeth Jamaath that took responsibility of the Easter bombings in Sri Lanka praised him. The terror attack had left 260 people dead.

Two youths from Kerala named as Yahya and Eeza who allegedly joined the Islamic State were inspired by Zakir Naik.

Source : OpIndia
Dec. 20

Richmond City Commission

The city of Richmond will hold its regular commission meeting on Monday, Dec. 20, at 4:30 p.m. at the City Hall Annex located at 600 Morton St. in Richmond. For questions, contact City Manager Terri Vela at tvela@richmondtx.gov or 281-342-5456.

Missouri City City Council

The regular meeting of the Missouri City City Council is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 20, in the City Hall, Council Chamber at 1522 Texas Parkway. For more information go to www.missouricitytx.gov.

Dec. 21

Sugar Land City Council

The Sugar Land City Council is scheduled to meet for its regular session at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 21, at Sugar Land City Hall, 2700 Town Center Blvd. N. For more information go to www.sugarlandtx.gov.

Rosenberg City Council

CANCELED: The Rosenberg City Council is scheduled to meet for its regular session at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 21, at Rosenberg City Hall, 2110 4th St. Council meetings may be viewed live on YouTube, the city of Rosenberg website, or by Rosenberg Comcast customers on channel 16. For more information go to www.rosenbergtx.gov.

Dec. 24

Christmas Eve

Friday, Dec. 24, is Christmas Eve. Most city services will be closed. Emergency services will be operational.

Dec. 29

Blood drive

A Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center blood drive is scheduled 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 29, at La Centerra at 23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd. (next to Francescas & Pandora). To sign up go to https://tinyurl.com/d8y8xa76.

Dec. 31

New Years Eve

Most city, county, state and federal offices will be closed Friday, Dec. 31, in observance of New Year celebrations. Emergency services will be maintained.

Jan. 3

Richmond City Commission

The city of Richmond will hold its regular commission meeting on Monday, Jan. 3, at 4:30 p.m. at the City Hall Annex located at 600 Morton St. in Richmond. For questions, contact City Manager Terri Vela at tvela@richmondtx.gov or 281-342-5456.

Missouri City City Council

The regular meeting of the Missouri City City Council is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 3, in the City Hall, Council Chamber at 1522 Texas Parkway. For more information go to www.missouricitytx.gov.

Jan. 4

Sugar Land City Council

The Sugar Land City Council is scheduled to meet for its regular session at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 4, at Sugar Land City Hall, 2700 Town Center Blvd. N. For more information go to www.sugarlandtx.gov.

Rosenberg City Council

The Rosenberg City Council is scheduled to meet for its regular session at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 4, at Rosenberg City Hall, 2110 4th St. Council meetings may be viewed live on YouTube, the city of Rosenberg website, or by Rosenberg Comcast customers on channel 16. For more information go to www.rosenbergtx.gov.

Jan. 6

TxDot: U.S. 90 Update

The Katy Area Chamber of Commerce presents TxDoT: U.S. 90 Update at a member meeting from 7:30-9 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 6, in the Katy Area Chambers Shell FCU Community Room, 814 East Ave., Suite H in Katy. James Koch, director of transportation planning and development for the Texas Department of Transportation, is scheduled to attend the presentation. For more information go to https://tinyurl.com/2p89puuw.

Jan. 7

Richmond Farmers Market

The Development Corporation of Richmond and the city of Richmond present the Richmond Farmers Market the first Friday of the month from 3 to 7 p.m. Richmond Farmers Market will be located at Wessendorff Park, 500 Preston St. For more information email Jessica Huang at Jessica@FarmersMarket.Love.

Jan. 12

Fulshear-Katy Area Chamber Meeting

The Fulshear-Katy Area Chamber of Commerce membership meeting is scheduled with a meet-and-greet at 7:30 a.m. and general meeting at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 12, at Parkway Fellowship at 27043 FM 1093 in Richmond. The scheduled guest speaker is Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. There is no charge for this meeting. For more information go to https://tinyurl.com/2s42nrwv.

Fort Bend ISD Update

The Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce presents the Fort Bend ISD Superintendent and Board Update for chamber members from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 12, at Fort Bend Chamber at 445 Commerce Green Blvd. in Sugar Land. Superintendent Christie Whitbeck and Board President Dave Rosenthal are expected to present an update on Fort Bend ISD. Tickets for pre-registered chamber members are $25. Tickets at the door are $40. For more information contact Rebekah Beltran at 281-566-2158 or via email at rebekah@fortbendcc.org or go to https://tinyurl.com/yckrh6nj.

Jan. 17

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Most city, county, state and federal offices will be closed Monday, Jan. 17, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Emergency services will be maintained.

Jan. 18

Sugar Land City Council

The Sugar Land City Council is scheduled to meet for its regular session at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 18, at Sugar Land City Hall, 2700 Town Center Blvd. N. For more information go to www.sugarlandtx.gov.

Rosenberg City Council

The Rosenberg City Council is scheduled to meet for its regular session at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 18, at Rosenberg City Hall, 2110 4th St. Council meetings may be viewed live on YouTube, the city of Rosenberg website, or by Rosenberg Comcast customers on channel 16. For more information go to www.rosenbergtx.gov.

Richmond City Commission

The city of Richmond will hold its regular commission meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 18, at 4:30 p.m. at the City Hall Annex located at 600 Morton St. in Richmond. For questions, contact City Manager Terri Vela at tvela@richmondtx.gov or 281-342-5456.

Missouri City City Council

The regular meeting of the Missouri City City Council is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 18, in the City Hall, Council Chamber at 1522 Texas Parkway. For more information go to www.missouricitytx.gov.

Jan. 28

Fort Bend Chamber Chairmans Gala

The 2022 Fort Bend Chamber Chairmans Gala is scheduled for 6 p.m.-midnight Friday, Jan. 28, at Safari Texas Ranch at 11627 FM 1464 in Richmond. Individual tickets are $100. Sponsorships are available. For more information contact Paige Talbott at 281-566-2152 or via email at Paige@fortbendcc.org; or go to https://tinyurl.com/mryucxhu.

Feb. 12

Boots & Badges Gala

Behind the Badge Charities is committed to holding its annual Boots & Badges Gala on Saturday, Feb. 12, at Safari Texas in Richmond. Sponsorships and tickets are available now at www.behindthebadgecharities.org/gala.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP)  A new analysis has found that Nebraska could save money and keep the states most troubled youths closer to home by starting a state-run adolescent psychiatric facility.

The Omaha World-Herald reports that the analysis was presented to the Legislatures Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Special Oversight Committee on Friday.

Karen Chinn, a consultant who worked on the study, said Nebraska youths are going to other states because private, in-state treatment programs will not take them.

Such youths are typically teens with aggressive and violent behavior who have experienced trauma and out of home placement from an early age.

She said Nebraska sent between 39 and 74 such youths to states as far away as Tennessee and South Carolina every year from 2015 through this year. The cost of doing so was $9.1 million in 2019.

Her analysis showed that the state could operate a 24-bed psychiatric residential treatment facility for an estimated cost of $3.8 million annually. The study estimated that such a facility could be built on the state psychiatric hospital campus in Lincoln for $12.7 million.

Chinn told the committee that they also could serve the same youths by working to expand the capacities of private treatment programs to handle more difficult youths.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  West Virginias biggest commercial airport says it is receiving $2.1 million in the first year of funding from President Joe Bidens infrastructure law.

Yeager Airport officials say this is the law's first round of five years of funding that can be invested in runways, taxiways, safety and sustainability, terminals, airport transit and roads.
OnScene TV

Two people were killed after a driver traveling the wrong way on the North Freeway slammed into their vehicle early Sunday.

The driver of a black Dodge Charger was going the wrong way on Interstate 45 about 12:35 a.m. when it crashed into two vehicles just north of downtown, according to Houston Police Commander James Bryant.
Tre Thomas still remembers the Christmas lights and trees in the parking lot of a Houston shopping center near Missouri City where hed spent time as a kid.

The plaza now consists of empty storefronts. Some walls are damaged or covered with graffiti.

But thats expected to soon change.

The community recently welcomed Edison Lofts, a nearby complex that includes affordable and market-rate apartments and a prekindergarten center. And on Saturday, officials and community members held a groundbreaking ceremony for the projects second phase  The Edison Center.

It will consist of a 32,000-square-foot cultural arts center with a 400-seat performing arts theater, community health clinic, after-school youth center, Festival Park outdoor green space, two small-business incubators and affordable retail spaces, according to a news release.

And Thomas, 46, of Cypress, is planning to bring another location of his business, The Station Seafood Co., to the space.

I have so many good feelings associated with it, he said of having another location of his eatery in a community he grew up in. He described it as coming full circle.

Charity Carter, the Edison Arts Foundations founder, described the center as an opportunity guided by three core values: family, community and art.

If the kids are involved, their families come, too  and coming together, with art as a catalyst to do so, is what this change will look like, Carter said. And when families and the community come together, they can help to support its needs, said the 47-year-old Fort Bend County resident.

Mayra Bullock knows firsthand how exposure to the arts can influence a young person. The 38-year-old met Carter, who was her dance teacher, when she was a senior at a Houston Independent School District high school. She said it was the first time shed met someone who looked like her, a woman of color, in the arts.

Of course Ive seen people on TV and stuff like that, but it was really my first experience in public school education where I was like, Oh man, I could really do this for a living, and I can study it and all of that, she said to those gathered. So that kind of set the tone for me to pursue dance and performing arts and things like that.

Bullock, a resident of Houstons Greater Third Ward who is on the Edison Arts Foundation board, said in an interview that she went on to study dance performance before moving back to Houston and working with Carter on the Fort Bend Academy of Arts & Dance from the ground up. In 2008, she began dancing with the Urban Souls Dance Company, where she said shes also a rehearsal director.

In her remarks to the crowd, Bullock spoke about the need for accessibility to the arts in communities.

And once the community, especially our youth, realizes that there are possibilities  theres hope, she said. And we all know what hope does for us. And once you have those possibilities and hope, then you feel like you can do whatever  there are no limits, the skys the limit.

Bullock also noted in an interview that there would be Black-owned businesses at The Edison Center, which she said was huge for the community.

No dream or no vision or idea that they have is too small, she said.

The second phase of the project, which has a fundraising goal of $18.6 million, is expected to be finished in December 2022. Those who would like to contribute to the effort can find further information at the Edison Arts Foundation website, edisonartsfoundation.org/.

leah.brennan@chron.com
The weather forecast anticipated a bad day for outdoor activities. But not even the severe thunderstorm alerts could dissuade some 5,000 people from participating in the Wreaths Across America event Saturday at the Houston Memorial Cemetery north of Houston to honor the service members buried there.

You have to give the respect to the fallen and the love that they deserve; they gave the ultimate sacrifice, said Kevin Woods, standing in front of the Hemicycle Memorial, a cemetery building where the ceremony began Saturday morning.

Another man, who served in the U.S. Navy in Iraq and Afghanistan, said, They sacrificed more than any of us could ever give, their lives.

Veterans, along with families and friends of soldiers, were among those honoring deceased military personnel at the vast cemetery.

Wreaths Across America is a tradition born in Maine but now celebrated at some 2,500 locations across the U.S. and abroad. The tradition involves laying more than 1 million wreaths on the headstones of those who fought in wars ranging from the Revolutionary War to present-day conflicts, the organization said.

The worst thing for a veteran is to be forgotten, said Scott deMasi, director of Wreaths Across America-Houston. We make sure that they are not forgotten.

deMasi began the celebration of Wreaths Across America in Houston 14 years ago with his then 9-year-old son Alex. He said they were watching a video about the ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington.

After making some checks, they realized the event wasnt held at the Houston National Cemetery. So father, son and five other members of the family each brought a wreath and placed seven at random graves. The next year, they and others laid around 14,000.

Wreaths Across America in Houston usually draws 15,000 to 17,000 people. They typically include veterans, their families, Boys and Girls Scouts, school children, and organizations dedicated to veteran causes, such as the Memorial Ladies.

The first part of the celebration was a formal ceremony that included a rifle salute and the symbolic presentation of large wreaths to the six branches of the armed forces, as well as the National League of POW/MIA Families and the U.S. Merchant Marine.

This year, parts of the ceremony were cut due to the weather conditions, such as the annual flyover by the Air Force. Thunderstorms passed through the area Saturday, bringing heavy rains and windy conditions at times.

After the formal ceremony, attendees scattered throughout the cemetery to place wreaths on headstones, where they said the names of the fallen out loud and paid tribute to them.

Wreaths Across America is always held in December, and although its celebration is not officially related to the holidays, some veterans reflect on the absence of the fallen during this festive season.

One such veteran was Jonathan Smith, who served in the Marine Corps in various deployments, including the invasion phase of the Iraq War in 2003. He said he came to place wreaths and honor soldiers who never made it home to their next Christmas. For the fallen veterans, this could be a time of the year to celebrate with their families, like me.

Participants planned to place 40,175 wreaths at the cemetery this year. They were brought to Houston in 18-wheelers from Maine, where they are handmade. Early Saturday, the trucks were joined by motorcyclists and escorted by the police in a caravan to the cemetery.

deMasi said that an important aspect of Wreaths Across America is to educate younger people about the sacrifices that veterans made for their country.

Soaked by the heavy rain from head to toe, Ethan Lewis, 17, laid a wreath at the grave of his grandfather Bernard Williams Lewis. The teen was accompanied by his mother, Rachel Lewis.

It feels very awesome to be here; my grandfather served with the Navy in World War II, said Ethan. I get to see all the men and women who serve for the country and it feels good to give back to them.

olivia.tallet@chron.com

Twitter.com/oliviaptallet
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott visited Starr County on Saturday to inaugurate the first stretch of a border wall being built by the state, calling it an unprecedented investment in border security.

Construction crews on site said about 880 feet of barrier have been installed as of Saturday afternoon.

Abbott has made immigration enforcement one of his top agenda items as he seeks reelection next year. At a news conference in front of the new wall segment Saturday, Abbott condemned the federal governments immigration policies  though some were extended from the Trump administration  and criticized President Joe Bidens reversal of the efforts to build a barrier between the U.S. and Mexico.

This unprecedented action is needed for one single reason, and that's because the Biden administration has failed to do its job, Abbott said.

In fiscal year 2021, immigration enforcement agents reported 1.7 million encounters along the U.S.-Mexico border, breaking a previous high of 1.6 million encounters in fiscal year 2000. Encounters are defined as the number of times a migrant has been stopped by immigration agents.

The Biden administration currently enforces two strict Trump-era immigration policies. Title 42, a pandemic health order, was issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last year to rapidly expel migrants to their home countries without the opportunity to ask for asylum. Following a court order, the Biden administration also revived the Trump administrations Migrant Protection Protocols, which forces asylum-seekers to remain in Mexico as their cases make their way through U.S. immigration courts.

Abbott has been prioritizing border security as he runs for reelection with Trumps endorsement. Abbotts likely Democratic challenger, Beto ORourke, dismissed the governors Saturday announcement.

Border communities are tired of Greg Abbott hosting photo-ops instead of of fixing the real challenges facing our border communities today, like the Abbott Tax border families will pay on their utility bills because he has failed to fix the grid, O'Rourke said in a statement.

Abbott was joined by Texas General Land Office Commissioner George P. Bush, as well as representatives from the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas National Guard.

Bush, who is currently running for Texas Attorney General, said this stretch of wall was being constructed on state-owned land that has been leased out to a local farmer.

It's on state acreage that we stand today where the people of Texas finally said, enough is enough, Bush said. Enough of open borders, enough of disorderly chaos  If the Washington, D.C. establishment doesn't do their job, Texas will.

Abbott announced in June that the state would build a wall along the Texas-Mexico border using state money and crowdfunded private donations. The governors office appropriated $250 million of state money as a down payment for the wall-building effort, and lawmakers appropriated an additional $750 million for border barriers during one of the legislative sessions this year.

As of Dec. 13, the state has collected $54 million in private donations, mostly coming from one single donor: Timothy Mellon, the chair of Pan Am Systems, a privately-held transportation and freight holding company. Mellon has previously donated to immigration enforcement efforts in the past.

In total, the state now has at least $1.05 billion for its border barriers.

That would fund between 31 and 183 miles of barrier construction, based on the per-mile costs of the contracts initiated by the Trump administration, according to a Texas Tribune analysis. The contracts, which were halted by the Biden administration, ranged from $6 million to $34 million per mile for wall construction.

The Texas-Mexico border is 1,254 miles long  roughly 1,000 miles of which has no barrier.

On a Fox Business Network program Friday, Abbott noted that the state-funded wall will cost less than the Trump-era estimates indicated because Texas will be using land the state already owns, versus having to acquire the land.

Unlike the border in California, Arizona or New Mexico, which is largely federal  or in some cases tribal  land, much of the Texas-Mexico border is privately owned, with some owners holding the titles to their property since the 1760s.

In September, the Texas Facilities Commission awarded an $11 million contract to a joint venture between Michael Baker International Inc. and Huitt-Zollars to manage the project, identify state land where barriers can be built and find willing private landowners to facilitate construction, according to the request for proposal.

The wall panels are being put up by Posillico Civil, Inc., which was awarded a contract not to exceed $162 million in November.

Texas Facilities Commission Chair Steven Alvis said at the news conference Saturday that the wall construction process has been moving expeditiously, noting that steps that usually take two to three months took two to three days. He said this stretch of wall went up in five days.

The Trump administration completed 55 miles of barrier along the Texas-Mexico border  21 miles of new barrier and 34 miles of replacement barrier.

Abbott has ramped up immigration enforcement in recent months, flooding the border with state troopers and National Guard personnel instructed to arrest migrants on state criminal charges. Just this week, immigrant and civil rights groups called on the Department of Justice to investigate the program. Abbott has also sued the Biden administration for attempting to reverse Trump-era immigration policies.

Mandi Cai contributed to this report.

The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans  and engages with them  about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
When Westminster United Methodist Church in Houston resumed in-person services late last year, after a seven-month halt due to COVID-19, there were Sundays when only three worshippers showed up, according to the pastor, Meredith Mills.

Since then, attendance has inched back up, but its still only about half the pre-pandemic turnout of 160 or 170, Mills estimates.

Its frustrating, she said. People just seem to want to leave home less these days.

Some houses of worship are faring better than Mills church, some worse. Polls by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows how dramatically church attendance fell during the worst of the pandemic last year, even as many say they are now returning to regular service attendance.

Among mainline Protestants, just 1% said in a May 2020 poll that they were attending in-person services at least once a week. In the new poll, 14% say theyre doing so now, compared to 16% who say they did in 2019.

Among evangelical Protestants, 37% now say they are attending services in person at least weekly, while 42% said they did that in 2019. In the May 2020 poll, just 11% said they were attending services in person that often.

Among Catholics, 26% attend in person at least weekly now, compared with 30% in 2019. In the 2020 poll, conducted as many bishops temporarily waived the obligation for weekly Mass attendance, just 5% were worshipping in person at least weekly.

At St. Ambrose Catholic Parish in Brunswick, Ohio, the six services each weekend drew a total of about 3,800 worshippers before the pandemic, according to the pastor, Bob Stec. Current weekend attendance is about 2,800, Stec says, with 1,600 or more households joining online worship.

Elsewhere, churches large and small have taken hits in attendance.

John Elkins, teaching pastor at Sovereign Grace Fellowship in Brazoria, Texas, says 25 to 30 people have attended services recently, down from around 50 before the pandemic.

For some, I was not political enough, he said via email. Some wanted more activities, some just stopped going to church.

Sovereign Grace, a Southern Baptist church, had never offered online worship before the pandemic. When in-person worship was halted for a month in 2020, leaving online worship as the only option, Elkins said he did more crisis counseling for congregation members than ever before.

At the much larger First Church of God in Columbus, Ohio, there was a near-total halt to in-person worship between March 2020 and September of this year. On two Sundays in September 2020, worshippers were invited back to the church to test the feasibility of in-person services.

But it was obvious they were still uncomfortable -- they came dressed like they were working at Chernobyl, said the senior pastor, Bishop Timothy Clarke, evoking hazmat suits appropriate for confronting a nuclear disaster.

Pre-pandemic, the predominantly African American church held three services each weekend, including one on Saturday evenings, with average total attendance of 2,500. Now theres a single service on Sunday, and only 500 worshippers  with masks and proof of vaccination -- are allowed into a sanctuary that can seat more than 1,500.

The return to in-person worship gives us a sense of connection and community, Clarke said. But you also have safety.

At All Saints Episcopal Church in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, average Sunday attendance dropped from about 140 pre-pandemic to as low as 30 before climbing back, reaching 120 earlier this month. The Rev. Steven Paulikas credits a mandatory mask policy.

Mask wearing puts people at ease about their health and allows them to do what people come to church to do -- worship God, he said.

Attendance is down sharply from pre-pandemic levels at St. Barnabas Lutheran Church in Cary, Illinois, which halted in-person, indoor worship for more than six months in 2020. Instead it held drive-in services in the parking lot.

Before the pandemic, about 115 people would attend one of two services offered on Sundays, said the pastor, Sarah Wilson. Now theres one service, and attendance is down by more than half.

Some families are still nervous about being in a room with others, even though most people attending are vaccinated and we require masks, she said. Other people have re-ordered their priorities and worship isnt one of them.

Friendswood United Methodist Church, in the Houston suburbs, has endured not only COVID-19 disruptions but also flooding during a winter storm last February that rendered the sanctuary unusable. It just reopened for services this month, said the pastor, Jim Bass.

Pre-pandemic, Friendswoods Sunday services would draw about 900 worshippers; Bass was pleased that about 650 gathered when the sanctuary reopened for high-energy, music-filled services on Dec. 5.

However, he said average attendance has been only half of that during most of the pandemic, creating a $400,000 shortfall in expected giving.

Like many houses of worship, Friendswood offered online services as an alternative to in-person attendance. He considers them a mixed blessing -- a plus for elderly congregation members worried about their health, but a disincentive for others who are increasingly disconnected from the church.

Theyve become spectators, Bass said.

At Temple Beth El in Charlotte, North Carolina, Rabbi Asher Knight was elated that recent Hannukah celebrations drew about 300 people in person. Overall, attendance now is roughly half of pre-pandemic levels, but an improvement over periods earlier this year when only a handful of worshippers appeared.

It was demoralizing and painful to lead worship with virtually no one present, he said. But in October and November, people got the booster and their children got vaccinated and they slowly started coming back.

In September, amid a surge in COVID cases, Temple Judea in Coral Gables, Florida, observed the Jewish High Holy Days with no in-person services. So the sanctuary wouldnt look so empty for online services, Rabbi Judith Siegal and her staff filled it with cardboard cutouts of congregation members, including children and pets.

In-person worship has now resumed, and the range of weekly attendance  75 to 125 people  is close to pre-pandemic levels.

Were still wearing masks, and the seating is still spread out, Siegal said. But our members love it.

Among Christians, the option of worshipping online has been embraced by many evangelical Protestants, according to the AP-NORC poll. About 3 in 10 have livestreamed services at least weekly in recent months, compared with about 1 in 10 Catholics or mainline Protestants.

Three-quarters of evangelical Protestants say they pray privately at least weekly, compared with roughly half of mainline Protestants and Catholics, the poll found.

Roughly a quarter of evangelical Protestants say theyve recently talked by phone or video conference with a religious or spiritual leader at least a few times a month, compared with about 1 in 10 mainline Protestants and Catholics.

Some faith leaders, such as Meredith Mills, see some positives, such as more energy in the church, even with fewer worshippers.

The ones showing up right now are the people who really want to be there, she said. There's a lot of joy in the room Sunday mornings. Its one of the reasons that, despite everything, I still love my job.

___

The AP-NORC poll of 1,083 adults was conducted Oct. 21-25 using a sample designed to be representative of U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4 percentage points.

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support from the Lilly Endowment through The Conversation U.S. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Renewing our democracy and strengthening our democratic institutions requires constant effort, Joe Biden announced at the recent Summit for Democracy. Over the last 10 years, democracy has been in decline across the world and, as Biden admitted, in the United States.

This is an understatement: American democracy is under siege. Today we witness a concerted, systematic and unrelenting effort to undermine our democracy. The sacking of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 and Donald Trumps continuing effort to discredit the results of the 2020 presidential election that he lost are just parts of the offensive. The attack on democracy is supported by Republican politicians, donors and party organs both at state and national levels. It is reinforced by the partisan Republican-appointed right-wing majority on the U.S. Supreme Court.

The campaign begins with the Big Lie that the election in 2020 was stolen  a lie that is repeated even though refuted by independent audits, by Republican judges, by Trumps own attorney general and by Republican election officials. Despite this, a majority of Republican voters now believe that the 2020 election was stolen.

That lie then is used by Republican legislators to push bills designed to make it harder to vote. They seek to limit mail-in ballots, reduce the days for early voting, cut the hours that polls are open, eliminate the number of places to vote, impose burdensome ID requirements and purge voting lists. By February, 253 bills were introduced in 43 states. And now Republican states from Arizona to Pennsylvania are seeking not simply to replace independent election officials with partisans but to empower legislatures to overturn elections if they dont like the results.

On top of that, partisan redistricting committees are gerrymandering districts to ensure that Republicans can capture the majority of the state legislature and the congressional delegation even if they lose a majority of the votes in the state. They are a minority party that is intent on taking and keeping control no matter what most voters think.

The campaign isnt a secret. It is open, brazen and shameless. Were taking action, Steve Bannon, formerly Trumps White House chief strategist, said last month, and that action is were taking over school boards, were taking over the Republican Party through the precinct committee strategy. Were taking over all the elections. Suck on this.

This effort is aided and abetted by the tong of right-wing Supreme Court justices. In a series of decisions, they have opened the floodgates to both corporate contributions and dark money  that is, secret  contributions. They have gutted the Voting Rights Act, weakening restrictions on discriminatory voting. They have now ruled that they wont limit gerrymandering or the purges of voting rolls  even when the partisan and undemocratic intent and effect are clear.

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This reaction spreads by sowing racial fears. Right-wing commentators and activists rail about replacement theory, that the growing numbers of people of color threaten to replace white America. Trump and his acolytes claim  despite the absence of any evidence  that urban areas are cesspools of voter fraud, again stoking racial division.

We have witnessed this kind of reaction before. After the Civil War, the Congress passed amendments to the Constitution that outlawed slavery, guaranteed Blacks the right to vote and guaranteed equal protection under the laws. Multiracial coalitions were forged in many of the former Confederate states and passed progressive reforms that expanded education and opportunity. The Confederate elite  the plantation owners and allies  were enraged. They organized the Ku Klux Klan to terrorize the reformers. They spread libel about corruption and voter fraud to discredit the emerging coalitions. Eventually, they cut a deal with Northern Republicans to remove federal troops, enabling them to impose apartheid  segregation  on the South, and suppress the right of Blacks to vote. A divided Supreme Court in Plessy v. Ferguson ruled that separate but equal was constitutional, essentially gutting the post-Civil War amendments. Across the South, Blacks suffered another century of political repression and second-class citizenship.

Will todays reaction succeed? Democracy already faces institutional obstacles. The Senate  with every state given two senators  is structurally biased against states with urban areas and large populations. Republicans can capture a majority of the Senate with a minority of the national vote. The Electoral College imposes that bias on the presidential election  as we saw when Trump was elected despite winning fewer votes than Hillary Clinton in 2016. In the Senate, the filibuster  requiring 60 votes to pass legislation  has been turned from an instrument rarely used (mostly by Southerners blocking civil rights legislation) to a routine tool to obstruct any progress.

Biden called on the leaders assembled at the summit to improve their democracies over the next year. In this country, protecting democracy will require passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act  reviving the Voting Rights Act  and the Freedom to Vote Act, which would limit secret money, end partisan gerrymandering and provide federal standards to protect the right to vote. Both have passed the House and would have majority support in the Senate but are blocked by Republican use of the filibuster. The most undemocratic tactic of the most unrepresentative house of Congress is obstructing the effort to save our democracy.

American democracy itself is at risk. As we saw after the Civil War, a minority party enforcing minority rule can succeed only with violence. The Jan. 6 sacking of the Capitol is but a prelude. The officials who refused to endorse Trumps Big Lie have been deluged with threats of violence both to them and their families. Rigged elections that ensconce a minority will have less and less legitimacy. Citizens of conscience across the country must rise up and demand action before it is too late.

Jackson is a political activist, Baptist minister and politician.
Former President Donald Trump said Saturday that if he could do it over again, he would do more to ensure that National Guard troops were deployed on Jan. 6 to prevent the storming of the U.S. Capitol.

In a public question-and-answer session with former Fox News personality Bill OReilly, Trump said he had recommended a day before the riot that 10,000 troops be deployed at the Capitol, but it didnt happen.

I would have insisted they had proper protection, Trump told thousands of supporters at the Toyota Center in Houston.

OReilly did not ask Trump about text messages made public this week in which some of his former Fox News colleagues and Trumps son, Donald Jr., pushed Trump to make a public statement earlier than he did to try to calm the violence.

While saying he would have sought better protection for lawmakers on Jan. 6., Trump was far from apologetic about the assault on the Capitol, which forced a lockdown of the complex, the evacuation of members of Congress and an hours-long delay in the certification of the 2020 presidential election results. Five people died in connection with the violence.

Trump referred Saturday to the Stop the Steal rally he held at the Ellipse, near the White House, on Jan. 6. At that rally, Trump recited a litany of discredited claims that the election had been stolen from him.

Democrats contend that Trump incited those present to march down Pennsylvania Avenue and attack the Capitol when he said: We fight like hell. And if you dont fight like hell, youre not going to have a country anymore.

Trump told the Toyota Center audience that there was love in that crowd at the Ellipse.

Trump also defended Ashli Bobbitt, the 35-year-old Air Force veteran who was fatally shot by a Capitol Police officer during the storming of the building. Trump called Bobbitt a patriot and said nobody else died that day.

Four others lost their lives during and after the attack, including Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who died the day after he was overpowered and beaten by rioters.

In a Democratic response to Trumps remarks, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee said Trump was continuing to push a big lie that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris did not win the election with the largest vote total in the history of the United States for any presidential election, but rather, that the former President won.

This is dangerous, and it is a poor reflection for Americas commitment to democracy for the rest of the world to see, Jackson Lee said in a statement.

During the 90-minute event at the Toyota Center, Trump insisted that if he were still in office, Russia would not be threatening to invade Ukraine, because he commanded the respect of Russian president Vladimir Putin and many other world leaders.

He said China and Russian dont respect Biden.

I had a great relationship with both of them, Trump said.

Later, he told OReilly: Russia wasnt going to go into Ukraine, I guarantee you that.

Trump did not offer any new hints about whether he will run for president in 2024. But in response to a question from OReilly, he said that entering politics had been worthwhile, despite the criticism he took from the media.

I love this country, he said. Its worth it.

The event was part of a four-city tour by the two men. Last weekend, they put on a pair of shows in Florida. They are scheduled to wrap up the series Sunday in Dallas.

The Houston appearance got off to a rocky start. Trump was nearly an hour and a half late. He said thunderstorms prevented his plane from landing in time for the scheduled start of the show.

Even with the delay, much of the lower section of the Toyota Center was filled by the time Trump spoke. Upper sections were blocked off, and there were plenty of available seats when the doors opened. Few attendees were wearing masks.

Before the event began, hundreds of people stood in line outside, shielding themselves from the rain with umbrellas, raincoats and flags.

Hien Truong, Hong Minh, and other women from the Hon-Viet singing group draped themselves in the colors of the South Vietnamese flag and a scarf with the colors red, white and blue.

All said they were at the event to support the former president and a possible Trump campaign in 2024.

He made America great again and what he promised to do, he did it. Hes a good man, said Troung, adding that she supported his tough stance toward China.

Another Trump supporter, Candice Powell, 39, of Houston, shielded her red gown and a gold purse from the rain with a Trump flag. She wanted to look her very best, she said.

I want to represent him right. Im sitting up front, she said, adding that she was looking forward to hearing something directly from Trump.

jeremy.wallace@chron.com
According to a new study, work hours may change in the coming years due to the impact of global warming.

A new study published in the academic journal Nature Communications says that rising temperatures in the day might force people to reconsider the wide-prevailing 9 to 5 workday and shift work to cooler parts of the day  either in the evening or early in the morning.

India already loses around 101 billion hours a year on account of the heat, the most in the world, and risks seeing this number rise to 230 billion hours a year when global warming reaches 2 degrees C over pre-industrial levels, the paper published in Nature on December 14 said.

Representational Image

Rising temperatures will affect peoples ability to work across domains  from the service industry, manufacturing industry, and others such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and construction industries.

The study however focuses on the impact of rising temperature on heavy labour, which is set to be affected the most since a significant amount of it involves spending time outdoors, away from air-conditioned chambers.

Exposure to heat is linked to multiple health complications such as premature death; workplace injuries; morbidity from heat-related illness; and acute kidney damage.

Shutterstock

When we overlay per-capita labour losses on the working-age population in heavy outdoor labour, we find that countries with large populations in South and East Asia experience the most work hours lost, both in the coolest hours and in the full workday, with India showing the largest heat exposure impacts on heavy labour (>101 billion hours lost/year), despite its modest average per-capita labour losses (162 lost hours a year), the paper said.

Luke Parsons, a climate researcher at Dukes Nicholas School of the Environment, who co-led the study, noted that many workers in the tropics are already stopping work in the afternoon because its too hot.

Luckily, about 30% of this lost labour can still be recovered by moving it to the early morning. But with each additional degree of global warming, workers ability to adapt this way will swiftly decrease as even the coolest hours of the day quickly become too hot for continuous outdoor labour, he said.

For more on news and current affairs from around the world please visit Indiatimes News.
Making things interesting for his students, a teacher decided to stage an experiment where he hid a cash prize in a locker and buried the clues within his course's syllabus to see if they would actually read it, reported LadBible.

The teacher, Kenyon Wilson, is a lecturer at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in the US. He posted the results of his 'semester-long experiment' on Facebook along with a photo of the locker where he had kept the treasure.

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

He told the publication that he hid $50 (Rs 3,800) in a locker and placed the directions on how to find it within the syllabus for his course. However, after the semester was over, Wilson found out that the money was still stashed away. This meant that his 70+ students had not read the entire curriculum.

Wilson, an associate head of performing arts at the university, wrote: My semester-long experiment has come to an end. At the start of the term, I placed $50 in one of our lockers and included the locker number & combination in my syllabus for a class with over 70 enrolled. Today I retrieved the unclaimed treasure. What academic shenanigans should I try next?

The note in his syllabus had told students that there was a surprise free to the first who claims, saying it could be found at locker one hundred forty-seven' and that the combination lock code was fifteen, twenty-five, thirty five.



Kenyon Wilson

Wilson added, It's an academic trope that students don't read the syllabus. I've heard of professors leaving hidden instructions for how to skip an assignment or receive extra credit. So, I thought I would try something along that idea. At the start of the term, I placed $50 of my own money in one of our lockers, and you know the rest. Was I surprised that the money was still there? In part, yes. But I'd be just as happy to have posted congratulating the student who first found the money and claimed it."

I waited until the end of the term before opening the locker, so I've not had the chance to tell my students in person. My post last Wednesday was essentially my letting my students in on the secret," he said.

After the professor shared the experience on social media, it has amassed up to 1,000 likes and 1,600 shares on Facebook. It has a whopping 124,000 likes on Twitter, where it was reposted.

Wilson said: Several of my students have posted screenshots of the syllabus as proof, and they have all taken it as a fun experiment.

He also said, I've got great students, and this exercise was just having fun with them."

Kenyon Wilson

For more trending, click here.
File photo of devotees carrying the holy book, Sri Guru Granth Sahib, in a golden palanquin during a religious procession on the eve of the 347th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur, at the Golden Temple, in Amritsar on Dec. 7. (ANI photo)
Police in Northern Ieland are treating the sudden death of a woman in north Belfast as murder.

Detectives from the PSNIs Major Investigation Team are investigating the circumstances after a body was discovered on Saturday morning.
Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan has dismissed reports of a fresh lockdown as "entirely speculative".

A senior Cabinet source told the Irish Examiner that Cabinet have been assured by members of Nphet that there is no truth in reports of a December 30 lockdown.

Dr Holohan and Taoiseach Micheal Martin spoke this morning after reports in the Mail on Sunday that Ireland would be facing a raft of new lockdown measures heading into the new year.

Sources have confirmed that Dr Holohan said although the Covid situation would be monitored closely, the reports are "entirely speculative".

A spokesperson for Mr Martin said: "There are no plans for a December 30 meeting, no nuclear buttons.

"The leaders and health minister met public health on Tuesday and they discussed the areas where restrictions might apply.

"On Friday, members of Nphet briefed members of Cabinet and there was no reference to lockdown plans, and they said theyd meet again on January 6.

"As the Taoiseach said yesterday, there are no guarantees, and they will keep monitoring the situation, but they are heartened with booster progress."

There have been 5,124 confirmed cases of Covid-19 announced today with 436 hospitalised, 107 of which are in ICU.

Dr Holohan said it has taken less than two weeks for Omicron to become the dominant strain of Covid-19 in Ireland.

We have slowed transmission of this disease in the past using our basic measures and responding immediately if symptomatic  it is extremely important we do everything we can to flatten the curve of this wave now to prevent unnecessary deaths, risk to the vulnerable, and to protect our health service," he said.

If the majority of us can now reduce our social contact, meet others outdoors, work from home unless absolutely necessary, ensure the appropriate use of face masks, avoid crowds, and keep indoors well ventilated.

"Very important if you have any Covid-19 symptoms self-isolate immediately and arrange a PCR test, if you are a close contact of a confirmed case please restrict your movements.

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan has tested positive for Covid-19 and is self-isolating at home. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins Photos

HSE chief clinical officer Colm Henry said it is "becoming very, very evident that Omicron is going to displace delta in the coming weeks", and become the dominant variant.

"Existing protection that people have from either natural infection or from primary vaccination regimes provides much more limited protection if no protection at all.

"Hence the importance for people to embrace the booster vaccination. There is very good evidence that the booster vaccinations do restore protection from symptomatic infection and can slow down the pace of the spread of this variant and give us a chance to respond and spread whatever harm ensues over a longer period of time for our already beleaguered healthcare services"

There were long queues at vaccination centres across the country as those aged 40 and over became illegible for their booster vaccine.

Some 290,000 vaccines have been carried out in the last six days, according to HSE chief executive Paul Reid, with 1.5M boosters and third doses distributed.

Meanwhile, Green Party leader Eamon Ryan has tested positive for Covid-19 and is self-isolating at home.

The minister is following all HSE protocols, a statement said.

He has advised the Taoiseach, tanaiste, and the secretary to the Government.

Minister Ryan attended Cabinet remotely on Friday, so members of the Cabinet are not close contacts.

Changes to business supports to be outlined

The Minister for Public Expenditure Michael McGrath has said that changes to the supports for businesses affected by Covid-19 will be announced by Tuesday at the latest.

Speaking on RTE's This Week programme, Mr McGrath said that the Cabinet will meet on Tuesday and if a further meeting is required over Christmas that will be arranged.

Mr McGrath noted the Government has committed to the enhanced rates of the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) and are looking at changes to the Covid Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS).

The scheme was initially designed to support businesses that had been closed, but Mr McGrath said businesses are now in a different space where trading hours are affected.
Planning for the festive season starts earlier than usual for event organiser Annie Dunne.

So, you might be excused for imagining she would rather pretend its just not happening when Christmas week actually rolls around  but not so fast.

For me, Christmas planning can start as early as February or March, between producing events, and my online shop, says Annie.

I love Christmas. I especially love the build-up to it with all the festive traditions and cheesy Christmas movies. Its a great time to catch up with family and friends and everyone is always in a good mood.

Annie has a strong background in event management and design.

Event organiser Annie Dunne at home.

Following stints at leading London event production agencies, she returned to Ireland in February 2020 and founded AD Event Design, a business designing dinner parties and small functions.

After having lived in London for a number of years working in events, I decided to move home to launch my own events company. Sadly, the pandemic hit at the exact same time and we went into lockdown, she says.

Its been a particularly challenging time for the hospitality industry but I have also found it to be quite a creative time. With a lack of events and only a handful of weddings, I opened an online tabletop shop which has been both rewarding and very interesting.

I love working directly with artisans and manufacturers, creating pieces that elevate the everyday and bring people together around the table.

And the faces around Annies own table this Yule will be those of her nearest and dearest. I will just be spending Christmas with my family and I honestly cant wait to switch off and enjoy some quiet time, she says.

Now based between Meath and Dublin, Annie just adores decorating her own space.

Right now, I am living in the country, which is bliss. Its such a treat to receive a warm welcome every morning from the dogs, she says.

We have three dogs but sadly not one of them would sit still whilst I tried to balance a Christmas hat on their head!

As for Annie herself, she likes to sparkle, no matter what month it is.

I dont keep festive elements in my home throughout the year but I am a big fan of sparkly socks which I like to wear every day of the week, she says.

The festive decorating season has extended in pandemic times, she agrees.

I think everyone was keen to start Christmas earlier this year. Usually, I would have said October, for instance, was way too early for decorations, but its been such a miserable and challenging time with Covid I think its important to do what makes you happy.

Annie's favourite festive task is decorating her tree.

TREE TIPS

Annies own Christmas tree has a lush, traditional look.

My favourite job is decorating the tree, we have lots of old decorations that have been collected over the years and each one evokes memories, she says.

Does she have any how-to tips for us on primping our own pines, real or fake?

One of the best tricks Ive learnt when decorating the Christmas tree is to hang the lights vertically instead of wrapping them around the tree. It really makes them stand out as they dont get lost between the branches

Over the last few years we have been buying our tree from Pines & Co and I cant recommend them enough  not only do they deliver your tree but they also collect it after Christmas which is hugely convenient.

TABLESCAPING IDEAS

Tablescaping has come into its own as an art form in the past two years. Come December 25, will Annie be deploying her professional flair prior to the sounding of the dinner gong?

And, crucially, does she have any Christmas crumbs of wisdom to dispense to us?

I always spend Christmas Day at home with my family, she says.

Annie's tablescape is 'all about layering'.

After that, its all about layering. I like to add in lots of candles of varying heights and flowers are a must.

Im such a big fan of Christmas crackers that I have started selling my own with items you will actually use  they are such a fun addition to the table and a great icebreaker!

But Annie is definitely not a fan of allowing the crackers, tinsel and other appealing accoutrements to outstay their traditional welcome.

I am incredibly superstitious so I like to have all the decorations down by January 6 but Im a big believer in repurposing and also using as many natural materials as possible when decorating, she says.

January will also see Annie packing her suitcase for Italy where she looks forward to working with new suppliers and wedding venues.

Hopefully the new year will bring some sort of normality and we will see the return of more events and parties! she says.
Spain's Catholic Church is to open an investigation into alleged sex abuse of hundreds of children by members of the clergy dating back 80 years that the newspaper El Pais has uncovered, the daily said on Sunday.

The investigation will look into allegations of abuse against 251 priests and some lay people from religious institutions that the paper has uncovered, El Pais said.
Today

Some clouds in the morning will give way to mainly sunny skies for the afternoon. High 74F. Winds light and variable.

Tonight

A mostly clear sky. Low 41F. Winds light and variable.

Tomorrow

Sunny, along with a few afternoon clouds. High near 75F. Winds light and variable.
One of the most senior persons involved in the debate told the Financial Times that after the rapid growth of decentralized finance has sounded the wake-up call for them, financial regulators may reach an agreement on a global framework for cryptocurrency next year.

Benoit Cure, head of the Innovation Center of the Bank for International Settlements, said that regarding cryptocurrency and Decentralized finance Intensified in recent months.

This former European Central Bank Council member has led the BIS Innovation Center for the past two years, which puts him at the forefront of international deliberations Encryption policy Because the World Central Bank uses BIS to share information and set global guidelines.

Cure, who Announce Nominated to lead the French competition authority on Thursday, said that the regulator allows the market to develop and understands how crypto assets work not necessarily a wrong decision.

But now it does grow very fast, and Into the mainstream in a different way, then it must be time for consistent supervision, he said in an interview last week.

Kuray said that the new wake-up call is decentralized finance Fast growing A corner of the cryptocurrency market, which uses distributed ledger technology and so-called smart contracts to conduct transactions worth billions of dollars without the need for a central hub like an exchange.

Decentralized finance, or as it is known as DeFi, opens up new avenues Interconnection with traditional finance, which creates potential new forms of systemic risks. Regulators can no longer ignore this, Cure said. It is pointed out that DeFi is related to stablecoins and traditional finance, which are widely used as settlement tools on the DeFi platform.

These [new] The service industry will compete with traditional finance, and funds will flow in and out of one universe to another. This created a compelling reason to start discussing the global principles of cryptocurrency regulation. 

The speed with which various jurisdictions formulate rules has also increased the urgency of providing a global framework. The risk in 2022 is that large jurisdictions [like] Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States, and China continued to move forward, but along different tracks, and produced a globally inconsistent system, Cole said.

He added: This is a risk that should be avoided, and there is still time to avoid it, he pointed out that different methods will create opportunities for regulatory arbitrage. Companies and individuals can choose the most advantageous place for their business. Play with the authorities. .

Cure stated that the Financial Stability Board composed of global finance ministries and regulators chaired by BIS will be the most natural forum for agreeing on a framework, and that they are likely to achieve this framework in 2022, but he warned: We are It will take at least two or three years to form a stable pattern on a global scale, because it takes time for countries to take these measures.

He added that the cryptographic framework can include agreements for different types of activities and determine whether stablecoins (a form of cryptocurrency backed by traditional assets such as the U.S. dollar) are electronic currencies, money market funds, or securities. It should also include guidance to regulate service providers in these ecosystems and platforms based on the services they provide.

Respected

Cure is in favor of strong consumer protection rules and personally dont mind whether pension funds are prohibited from investing in cryptocurrencies This seems to run counter to the security you expect from pension funds.

Nonetheless, he acknowledged that although there are good reasons for global cooperation, the ways in which different countries handle privacy will limit the scope of the global framework, and some countries are unwilling to share detailed information about the technologies used in their ecosystems. Technology used in finance often overlaps with technology used for other strategic purposes.

The final decision of a sovereign state will be On the one hand, it is the consideration of sovereign strategy, and on the other hand, it is the consideration of the sound operation of the financial system, he said. This is nothing new, thats it These balances are changing because technology is very important. The new risk is that the government will increase the technological fence and cause the global financial system to split.

He also said that policy makers are increasingly aware that central bank digital currencies should not be regarded as a separate discussion and should not be allowed to stay on a separate track of its development. We have seen the discussion turn CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency) is a fundamental contribution to the new ecosystem, he said.

You need central bank currency as a safe asset that can be used as a settlement asset to stabilize the new system This is not about CBDC being a sovereign substitute for private funds, but about CBDC being the glue that holds the system together. 
Binance has formed a joint venture with a consortium led by Telkom Indonesias US$830 million venture capital arm. Binance aims to expand Indonesias blockchain ecosystem by developing a new Indonesian digital asset exchange.

Binance establishes cryptocurrency exchange in Indonesia

Blockchain and cryptocurrency infrastructure provider Binance announced on Wednesday that it has established a joint venture with a consortium led by Telkom Indonesias $830 million venture capital arm MDI Ventures (MDI). Telkom Indonesia is the largest telecommunications company in the country.

The goal of the joint venture is to expand Indonesias blockchain ecosystem by developing a new Indonesian digital asset exchange. The announcement details:

Binance will provide world-class asset management infrastructure and technology to support the development of the new trading platform.

Our ambition at Binance is to develop the blockchain and cryptocurrency ecosystem on a global scale, and this move in Indonesia is an important step in this direction, Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) Commented.

Zhao disclose Last week, we are making some very significant changes in our organizational structure, product supply, our internal processes, and the way we work with regulators. He specifically elaborated that his company is working on major changes including the United Kingdom. Most places have established real offices, legal entities, appropriate boards of directors, and appropriate governance structures

This week, Binance Announce It is closing its cryptocurrency exchange in Singapore. Last week, Binance made a significant investment in the regulated exchange HGX. This investment makes our own application somewhat redundant. We will continue to work hard to develop Singapores crypto industry through our partners, Zhao explained.

The Indonesian government has previously stated that it will not completely ban cryptocurrencies like China. In Indonesia, crypto assets can be traded with commodity futures, but cannot be used as currency. The government is also promoting the establishment of a cryptocurrency exchange, and Bank Indonesia has been exploring the central bank digital currency (CBDC).

What do you think about Binances help to establish a cryptocurrency exchange in Indonesia? Please let us know in the comments section below.

Kevin Helms As a student of Austrian economics, Kevin discovered Bitcoin in 2011 and has been an evangelist ever since. His interests lie in Bitcoin security, open source systems, network effects, and the intersection of economics and cryptography.











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Disclaimer: This article is for reference only. It is not a direct offer or invitation to buy or sell, nor is it a recommendation or endorsement of any product, service or company. Bitcoin Network Does not provide investment, tax, legal or accounting advice. The company or the author is not directly or indirectly responsible for any damage or loss caused or claimed to be caused by using or relying on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.
Whether Kristalina Georgievas previous position at the World Bank manipulated data to benefit China caused an uproar that almost made the Bulgarian economist. Lost his job.

Regardless of the veracity of the accusations, no one doubts that China is determined to leave its mark on the multilateral institutions that underpin the global financial system.

China wants a bigger voice and more seats, said Yu Jie, a senior China researcher at the Chatham Institute. It wants to establish itself as the leader of the global South.

In recent months, Chinas geopolitical ambitions have changed from outlawing Cryptocurrency trading While promoting the digital renminbi, it also takes trade measures against countries that do not agree.These include closing the gate Lithuanian export This month, the Baltic States allowed Taiwan to open a representative office in Vilnius.

Equally important are Chinas financial and diplomatic ambitions in the United Nations and Washington-based institutions (such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank), which are at the core of the global system designed by Western countries after World War II.

What is unique is that China has achieved its ambitions by using its unusual dual status as a developing economy and a superpower.

The situation we saw in China really has no precedent, said Scott Morris of the Global Development Center, a Washington-based think tank. China has a unique importance in these institutions, especially in the World Bank as a shareholder, donor and customer.

For the poorest country in the world, China is now The worlds largest bilateral lender, Is actually larger than the sum of all other bilateral lenders.

Its ambitious overseas infrastructure investment One Belt One Road initiative has also won reduce It was replaced by a moderate global development initiative launched by President Xi Jinping at the United Nations General Assembly in September.

Yu said this is an example of Chinas playing with two hands. On the one hand, it seeks recognition from global institutions such as the United Nations to advance its agenda and gain support, especially in developing countries. Yu said that GDI does not even sound like a Chinese initiative.

At the same time, however, when its global ambitions at the World Bank or elsewhere were blocked, it quickly established alternatives, such as the Shanghai-based New Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

Chinas frustration is understandable. The prominent role of the G20 during the 2009 financial crisis was the belated recognition by the West that China and other major emerging economies should have a greater say in global governance. However, since then, almost nothing has changed in the International Monetary Fund or the World Bank.

Although accounting for nearly one-fifth of the world economy, Chinas shareholding in these two institutions is only about 6%, which is lower than that of Japan and only one-third of that of the United States. Efforts to reform the quota system of the International Monetary Fund have been hindered by losers, including European countries.

As for the World Bank, a formula it devised after the financial crisis would double Chinas shareholding ratio to 12%. But when considering the proposal, Sino-US relations deteriorated during the Donald Trump administration, and Chinas ambitions were shelved after the plan was shelved for future consideration.

If you are the United States, do you want to be deeply depressed? [allies] To please China? Morris asked. It is difficult to interpret the situation and conclude that the United States will do this. 

This tension reached its peak during the World Banks 2018 capital increase.The CEO at the time, Georgieva, was allegedly in charge of overseeing Data manipulation In the banks flagship Doing Business Report, China ranks high.

When these allegations came up in September this year, Georgieva, who was later transferred to the post of IMF president, was accused of doing so to help persuade China to increase funding.But with her Pointed out in her defense, China has clearly supported the banks capital increase for many years.

On the contrary, her critics said that she did so to appease Beijing after others were not allowed to increase their holdings in Beijing.

Respected

Georgieva denied any wrongdoing, and the IMFs board of directors, after reviewing these allegations, concluded that Insufficient evidence To show that she played an inappropriate role.

China has achieved greater success in the United Nations. In the past 20 years, as Beijing seeks to increase its influence, Chinas contribution has risen from 1% to 12%, placing the country in second place. At the same time, the contribution of the United States has fallen from 25% to 22%.

Like the United States, Chinese citizens are now in charge of four United Nations agencies, including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the International Telecommunication Union.

The cost of this impact is relatively low. Augusto Lopez-Claros, executive director of the Global Governance Forum, said: You have to believe that they understand that they can become an important participant in the international environment with relatively little money. They know this better than Americans.

CGDs review of Chinas expanding role in multilateral institutions and other development banks shows that Beijing does its best to express its position in these institutions. However, since China is still officially classified as a developing country, it also seeks financial and technical assistance from these institutions.

They have not given up their status as a developing country at all, said Morris of CGD. Its really unique. Think about India or other large emerging economies. They borrow a lot of money but dont have the status of a global leader.
The Pakistani government tried to ease tensions related to one of Chinas One Belt, One Road investment projects in the country, and reached an agreement with protesters who have been demonstrating in the port city of Gwadar for several weeks.

In the past month, fishermen and other residents in Gwadar, in the southwestern Balochistan province, protested in frustration because the promise of prosperity for the port and other projects built by China has not been fulfilled.

Locals complain that trawlers have encroached on their waters. China Infrastructure Investment Basic services such as education and drinking water supply are neglected.

The strong opposition attracted the attention of Prime Minister Imran Khan, who wrote last week that he heed the very reasonable request of Gwadars hardworking fishermen and would ban illegal fishing. Pakistan and China are investing approximately US$500 million in the port.

The government said on Thursday that it will ban external trawler fishing to protect local fishing rights, and speed up projects to improve access to clean drinking water and provide other public services to local residents in a bid to end the protests. .

Peaceful demonstration exposed Constant tension Chinas large-scale projects in highly sensitive areas of Pakistan. Balochistan is the birthplace of a long-term separatist rebellion. They believe that the region is one of the poorest areas in the country and is being developed by the state for natural gas and mineral resources.

The problems in the region have also exposed the difficulties faced by Chinese President Xi Jinping in implementing the Belt and Road initiative. Ambitious $1 trillion project Aims to build bridges, ports and roads through some of the poorest countries in the world.

Respected

The dissatisfaction of the local residents has a long history. The local people have no job opportunities, drinking water is a problem, and safety is also a problem, said Ayaz Amir, a former member of the Pakistani parliament.

Chinese citizens and projects have become targets in Balochistan and other parts of Pakistan, most recently July attack 13 people were killed in neighboring provinces, including 9 Chinese.

The Chinese have been watching [Gwadar] Also with great interest and caution. If the Pakistani government cannot manage it, then they will reconsider this interest, said Biral Gilani, executive director of Gallup Pakistan.

In a sense, this is a protest acceptable to the federal government, and the federal government is fighting similar resistance in a more radical way, he added. They would rather express their dissatisfaction through this platform than a more combative platform.

Gwadar is located near the border of western Pakistan with Iran and is the southernmost entrance of the US$60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is the core of Xi Jinpings One Belt, One Road plan.

China plans to connect its western Xinjiang province with Gwadar and provide important strategic access to the Arabian Sea and Gulf through a network of highways and energy pipelines.

Government officials admitted that the protests exposed gaps in the planning and development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

We have never seen similar protests in Gwadar in the past, said Ali Shah, a prominent TV reporter in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan. The protest is a lesson that must be remembered, and the demands of the people should be met before this happens again.
The chief economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) stated that regulation is absolutely important for the crypto industry. She added that banning cryptocurrencies, as India may be considering doing, will present practical challenges given its decentralized nature.

Chief Economist of IMF Cryptocurrency and Its Regulation

Gita Gopinath, Chief Economist, International Monetary Fund (IMF) It is said that Cryptocurrencies were discussed at an event organized by the National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER) on Wednesday.

Gopinath is also the Economic Advisor and Director of Research at the IMF. She is taking a leave of absence in the Department of Economics at Harvard University, where she is the John Zwanstra Professor of International Studies and Economics. Gopinath plans to become the first vice president of the International Monetary Fund early next year.

she says:

Compared with advanced economies, cryptocurrencies seem to be more attractive to emerging markets.

She pointed out that cryptocurrency is a special challenge for emerging markets, she further believes that emerging markets have exchange rate control and capital flow control, and cryptocurrency may have an impact on this.

Gopinath added:

Regulation is absolutely important for this industry. If people use it as an investment asset, the rules of other investment categories should also apply here.

She added that given the decentralized nature of cryptocurrencies, banning cryptocurrencies will bring practical challenges and emphasized the need for a global cryptocurrency policy.

Last week, the International Monetary Fund outlined some suggestion How to supervise cryptocurrency, pointing out that there is an urgent need for cross-border cooperation and cooperation in cryptocurrency supervision. The author said: Encrypted assets have the potential to change the international monetary and financial system in profound ways.

The International Monetary Fund also warn El Salvador opposed the use of Bitcoin as its national currency in November.The country adopted Bitcoin and the U.S. dollar as legal tender in September and has Buy 1,370 Bitcoin is used as its national treasury.

What do you think of the comments made by the chief economist of the IMF? Please let us know in the comments section below.

Kevin Helms As a student of Austrian economics, Kevin discovered Bitcoin in 2011 and has been an evangelist ever since. His interests lie in Bitcoin security, open source systems, network effects, and the intersection of economics and cryptography.











Image Source: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wikimedia Commons

Disclaimer: This article is for reference only. It is not a direct offer or invitation to buy or sell, nor is it a recommendation or endorsement of any product, service or company. Bitcoin Network Does not provide investment, tax, legal or accounting advice. The company or the author is not directly or indirectly responsible for any damage or loss caused or claimed to be caused by using or relying on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.
The waiting room for the Comprehensive Progress Agreement for the Trans-Pacific Partnership was already overcrowded even before South Korea knocked on the door last week.Seoul will join China and Taiwan In the process of seeking to join the 11-nation trade bloc, the United Kingdom has gone further and has begun to join negotiations. For Seoul, this is a bold step towards multilateralism and adds impetus to the great success story of CPTPP as an international trading system.

But these applications have brought members a series of geopolitical dilemmas.will Recognize China Expanding Beijings influence at the expense of Washington? If China does not join, can Taiwan join? Can members get rid of the tense bilateral relationship, such as the unfriendly relationship between Tokyo and Seoul, and allow new members to join the club? The best way is to go back to one thing that every country in Asia agrees on-the benefits of expanding trade-and evaluate candidates based on their merits. In doing so, the question will answer itself.

Over the years, the original TPP was promoted By the U.S., It regards trading as a tool to update economic governance rules. During the Obama administration, Washington negotiated texts with 11 other members: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam. TPP is designed as a high-quality agreement, with strict regulations on investment, intellectual property and labor standards, and tariffs.

The two parties reached an agreement in October 2015. But when the United States elects Donald Trump as president the following year, he will withdraw as one of his first actions. After the renegotiation, certain priorities of the United States (such as drug patent rights) were thrown aside, and the remaining 11 countries made the current CPTPP effective. The resulting agreement is very similar to the original vision of the United States: a highly liberalized trade agreement that sets high standards. If Beijing, London, Seoul and Taipei are willing to meet these standards, existing members should welcome them to join.

This condition is very important. As part of the joining process, applicants need to explain how they follow the rules. Therefore, the natural response to Beijings request to join is to ask it to join. For example, CPTPP has strict regulations on state-owned enterprises, so members will want to know the details of the governments control and support of various Chinese companies. Canberra naturally wants to know how Beijings punitive tariffs on beef, barley and wine meet the regulations.

If Beijing really wants to comply and can show its continued willingness to comply with the CPTPP principles, it will be a step forward for the global trading system. If not, it seems more likely, then China should not be accepted.

In contrast, the barriers in Seoul and Taipei are not high. Both parties must accept compromises in agriculture and fisheries. Members such as Tokyo will have the right to raise all trade issues, such as the ban on food imports from Fukushima due to the 2011 nuclear accident in Fukushima Prefecture. In contrast, it is illegal for Tokyo to block South Korea due to historical disputes during the war.

In Europe and the United States, trade has been politicized-seen as a sovereign issue, or a threat to worker wages. Asia is more pragmatic. Last year, it agreed to another regional trade agreement, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. It is wrong to allow geopolitics to influence CPTPP. Instead, the standards in the agreement are designed to shape geopolitics. Apply them and let them do their work.
A set of eight bitcoins (Bitcoin) Hobbyists launched a Kickstarter campaign to publish an educational book for U.S. federal policymakers to reduce their reliance on traditional media for narratives of cryptocurrency. The event successfully attracted US$23,151 in funding, almost five times the target of US$5,000.

This book was conceptualized shortly after the U.S. House of Representatives Passed a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, Which places strict reporting requirements on the crypto community. according to To the author:

We intend to write a book to help policymakers understand where Bitcoin users come from and what they care about. We want to dispel the perception that this is nerdy money and show how it affects so many people in the United States.

Possible book cover. Source: Kickstarter

Kickstarter was launched by Jimmy Song, a Texas-based cryptocurrency entrepreneur and experienced writer. Other authors include Annaliese Wiederspahn, Gary Leland, Pete Rizzo, Amanda Cavaleri, CJ Wilson, Charlene Fadirepo and Lamar Wilson.

According to the plan, the draft of the Bitcoin book has been drafted and will be completed by the end of 2021. By January, the author intends to sell audiobooks and paperbacks, which will be supported by the Book Release Campaign to promote the book in Washington, DC. 

Although the Bitcoin book author has provided an initial funding of $5,000 for the production of the book, additional funds will be invested in the books release party:

As the author of this book, we recognize that Washingtons impression is far from reality, and we try to correct this perception.

related: Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell stated that he is not worried that encryption will undermine U.S. financial stability

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell supports Bitcoin books efforts to demystify the ecosystem for regulators, implying a lack of concerns about cryptos undermining the countrys financial stability.

As reported by Cointelegraph, Powell also stated that stablecoins have the potential to expand, especially if they are connected to an existing very large technological network.
Some quotes are very good, they become stale due to overuse. Therefore, one might think of Jean Monnets line that Europe will be forged in a crisis and become the sum of solutions to the crisis. Regardless of cliches or not, the vision of Monnet (one of the founders of the European Union) has been maintained in this crisis, just like in past crises. The pandemic has helped the European Union cross the Rubicon through joint borrowing for fiscal transfers.

But another change has also pushed the EU forward in this crisis. This does not involve finding new solutions, but rediscovering old things. In the two decades since the 1990s, the ruling parties in Europecenter-right and center-left, especially under the leadership of Gerhard Schroeder in Germanywere seduced by a form of market fundamentalism and redistribution: Constrain the country, let the market work their magic, and then compensate when necessary. After years of fiscal austerity, underinvestment and the growing threat of climate change, this management philosophy has gradually faded. The pandemic has nailed the coffin: wise state intervention is clearly imperative to manage the health crisis and support livelihoods through lockdowns, which enables Europe to embrace the social market economy again.

The European Commissions re-evaluation of economic and social aspects makes it almost indistinguishable from the incarnation of itself ten years ago. Then, it is a proponent of fiscal consolidation, deregulation, and competitiveness in the form of reducing unit labor costs, that is, compressing the wage share of national income. now?

Commission this month Action plan launched For social economy-all kinds of entities that carry out economic but non-profit activities, from social enterprises to mutual aid associations and charities.The same week, it Published proposal Consolidate and clarify the rights of gig workers-Incorporate some of the developments that are taking place in courts around the world or individual EU governments into legislation to ensure that platform workers will not be affected by loopholes in the labor law.

At the same time, its year-long promotion of EU directives on adequate minimum wages is accelerating. The Nordic countries, which do not have a legal minimum wage, oppose it because they fear that it will undermine their collective bargaining model. Now, the new Prime Minister of Swedens Social Democratic Party, Magdalena Andersson, has accepted a compromise in a committee of governments. The chairman of the French parliament is likely to end this process next year.

So, the sail of the European social market economy. But these winds are international.In the United States, Joe Bidens government explicitly uses a doctrine to make policy I describe it as progressive supply-side economics, Which regards social spending as an investment in higher work participation and higher private sector productivity. Just a year after leaving the European Union in search of differences, the UK adopted a European-style wage replacement program for those who lost their livelihoods in the pandemic. Its conservative government is raising taxes to the highest level in history to fund public health services. In Japan, a new prime minister criticized neoliberalism and promised to adopt a more redistributive economic policy.

As a result, the EU and its member states (many of which are dominant on the center-left) are riding the wind and waves Changing global economic trendsThe same is true in the previous stage: the blind fascination with unregulated markets is a global phenomenon. The difference is that now, Europe is aligning with the global phenomenon that uses its strengths.

In a new paper, economists Thomas Blanchet, Lucas Chancel, and Amory Gethin use the most comprehensive approach to inequality to compare Europe and the United States. Europe has more equal income; not surprisingly. But the other two findings are not obvious. Greater equality in Europe is not due to a more progressive tax and transfer system.In fact, the United States redistributed more To the poorest people. Instead, the markets own returnsbefore the redistribution of taxes and transfer paymentsare shared more equally in Europe.In fact, more than in the US Rear Reallocate.

This is the return on continued social investment-even in times of economic downturn. The global social transformation caused by the pandemic has allowed Europe to regain its DNA. Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel once said that Europes population accounts for 7% of the worlds population, 25% of the economy, but 50% of social spending. She wanted to point out a problem. It looks more and more like an example worthy of emulation.

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SBI Group, a financial services company group headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, announced the launch of an encrypted asset fund composed of seven different digital currencies. The crypto funds launched by the Japanese company include Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, chainlink and polkadot.

SBI Groups new crypto fund utilizes 7 different digital assets

Three months ago, SBI Holdings, commonly known as SBI Group disclose The company is planning to launch a crypto asset fund.At that time, SBI stated that the new fund will be launched at the end of November, but the official press release Publish December 17.In addition to press announcements, SBI also released more Detailed summary Digital currency fund.

SBIs crypto funds include Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Polka (point), Link (LINK), Litecoin (LTC), Ripple (Ripple), and Bitcoin Cash (BCH)The financial services company called it Japans first cryptocurrency fund for ordinary investors. The press release explained that Japanese investors need to fully understand the nature of crypto assets and the risks associated with crypto asset investments.

The application period for investing in SBIs new crypto fund is from December 17, 2022 to January 31, 2022. The fund will be managed in the name of SBI alternative fund GK. The press release further explained that assets can be rebalanced after maturity in the future, but for now, the ratio of each cryptocurrency in the fund is about 20% or less . The SBI Groups new crypto fund contract is valid from February 1, 2022 to January 31, 2023.

SBI Alternative Fund Aims to reduce investment risk through time diversification

SBI has been involved in the cryptocurrency field for many years developing All types of products.Company owned cooperate With Ripple, it get UK-based crypto services companies B2c2 and SBI cooperating Cooperated with Boerse Stuttgart in 2019 to provide encryption services in Europe and Asia.Compared with earlier cryptocurrencies, Japans Encryption regulations Becoming stricter, greatly slowing down the launch of SBIs crypto fund.

SBIs press release explained: It takes 3 months forinitial buying andsell at expiration to each. It aims to reduce investment risk through time diversification. Automatic rebalancing of investment ratio allocation once a month , the financial institutions announcement added.

SBIs new crypto fund has its own Web portal According to reports, the fund was established on December 2, 2021. Interestingly, the SBI press release issued on Friday mentioned the possibility of SBI Group dealing with the Bitcoin Futures ETF and further mentioned the widespread use of NFTs (non-fungible tokens) using blockchain technology. 

What do you think of SBIs new crypto fund? Please tell us your thoughts on this topic in the comments section below.

Jamie Redman Jamie Redman is the head of news at Bitcoin.com News and a fintech reporter living in Florida. Since 2011, Redman has been an active member of the cryptocurrency community. He is passionate about Bitcoin, open source code and decentralized applications. Since September 2015, Redman has written more than 4,900 articles about destructive protocols emerging today for Bitcoin.com News.











Image Source: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wikimedia Commons

Disclaimer: This article is for reference only. It is not a direct offer or invitation to buy or sell, nor is it a recommendation or endorsement of any product, service or company. Bitcoin Network Does not provide investment, tax, legal or accounting advice. The company or the author is not directly or indirectly responsible for any damage or loss caused or claimed to be caused by using or relying on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.
Invictus Capital launched its first non-fungible token series through the Invictus NFT Lab called Out of Africa. Through this series, Invictus Capital will display art through blockchain technology and connect African artists with artists in other parts of the world.

Invictus Capital will release NFT collection

Blockchain investment platform Invictus Capital recently launched its first non-fungible token (NFT) series. The unveiling was completed by the Invictus NFT Lab, which tried to combine fine art with blockchain technology and brought many contemporary digital artists from Africa to the global market.

As described in It Online Report, The project is expected to start in January and distribute NFT posters. In February, an NFT representative auction of the original physical artwork will be held.

Invictus Capitals decision to launch NFT has won praise from stakeholders in the art field. For example, Marelize van Zyl, curator of the Out of Africa NFT series, praised Invictus Capitals efforts, saying:

Out of Africa Collection is composed of 100 unique NFTs on the Ethereum blockchain. This is the first time that many artists have worked in the NFT space. This series is a victory for these artists, representing some of the best newcomers, upcoming and mature talents.

Another stakeholder, Charl Bezuidenhout of Worldart, stated that NFT allows artists to have direct access to a truly global audience and a revenue model driven by royalties enabled by the blockchain.

Introduce NFT into mainstream investment portfolio

Invictus Capital CEO Daniel Schwartzkopff stated that his companys NFT series will greatly help to introduce NFTs into mainstream investment portfolios. Schwartzkopff said that the series will attract traditional art collectors, modern NFT collectors, and those in between. Anyone between the two.

According to the report, potential investors who wish to become part of the project can subscribe to the newsletter to obtain the latest information about participating artists and artworks.

What are your thoughts on this story? Tell us what you think in the comments section below.

Terence Zinwara Terence Zimwara is an award-winning journalist, writer and writer from Zimbabwe. He has written a lot of articles about the economic difficulties of some African countries and how digital currencies can provide a way out for Africans.































Image Source: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wikimedia Commons

Disclaimer: This article is for reference only. It is not a direct offer or invitation to buy or sell, nor is it a recommendation or endorsement of any product, service or company. Bitcoin Network Does not provide investment, tax, legal or accounting advice. The company or the author is not directly or indirectly responsible for any damage or loss caused or claimed to be caused by using or relying on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.
According to Airbus, the worlds largest aircraft manufacturer, airlines ordering popular single-aisle jets for short-haul routes will face a two-year waiting period for delivery due to continued supply constraints.

Christian Scherer, chief commercial officer of the European aerospace group, said that airlines demand for the companys A320 family of jets is so strong that the roughly delivery time for large orders is now about Around 2024-25.

I hope I have more aircraft to sell. The most ideal asset has supply constraints On a single channel, this points to the A320 and A321, and now it also points to the A220, he told the Financial Times.

Scherer said that despite the worry The spread of the Omicron variant of the new coronavirus, Demand is fundamentally driven by the demand for more fuel-efficient aircraft. Airbus won two important orders last week, including a deal with Air France-KLM Group for 100 A320neo and A321neo. The first delivery is expected in the second half of 2023.

In general, the entire airline industry realizes that when people can travel, they will travel, and they will do so with revenge The Covid crisis has accelerated peoples awareness of more . Energy-saving technologies are inevitable, Scherer said.

He added that only 13% of todays global commercial fleet is of the latest generation.

Airlines almost stopped ordering aircraft last year, and in many cases tried to delay or even cancel deliveries at the height of the pandemic. But as many airlines, including Australia Qantas, are now seeking to renew their fleets, the aerospace supply chain is under increasing pressure.

Manufacturing demand Boeing 737 Max The pressure is increasing. Since the aircraft was grounded in 2019 and resumed production in May 2020, the American manufacturer has surpassed Airbus in sales this year for the first time. As of the end of November, Boeing has received 692 Max orders this year.

Airbus won 540 orders for its competitors A321neo and A320neo during the same period.

The European group is still expected to maintain its position as the worlds largest aircraft manufacturer by the end of the year. As of the end of November, it had delivered 518 aircraft. Boeing delivered the 302.

Airbus insists that demand for its single-aisle aircraft is strong enough to justify a substantial increase in production from pre-pandemic levels. Airbus plans to increase the production of its A320 series to 65 per month by 2023. It is considering up to 75 per month in 2025. It reached a record of 60 per month in 2019, and then dropped to 40 per month last year. The new crown virus is coming.

Respected

However, aircraft lessors and engine manufacturers have Concerned about aggressive goals, Worrying that too many new jets will retire existing jets more quickly, thereby weakening their profits.

Ihssane Mounir, Boeings senior vice president of commercial sales, issued a more cautious warning about the demand outlook. He told the Financial Times that you must set the production targets that the market needs and the targets that the supply chain can support.

You have to look at the supply chain very carefully. Customers need reliability, quality and predictability, Mounir said.

Despite the pressure on the supply chain, Scherer insisted that it seems that there are no systemic barriers that will prevent us from upgrading.

Sash Tusa, an analyst at Agency Partners, said it will take time to restore supply chain capacity. He added that even large suppliers want Airbus to make some form of commitment (cash, pricing or guaranteed offtake) to increase prices before investing, of course, more than 60 A320neos per month: this level is The real obstacles to the industry.
US health officials are bracing for a trio of public health concerns this winter: more infections from the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, surging infections with the Delta variant, and a "slow but steady" comeback of the flu.

There is growing concern that a rise in Omicron cases, paired with climbing Delta cases and an increase in flu cases, could overwhelm health systems this winter, as well as possibly leading to a need to ramp up Covid-19 testing capacities, Lori Tremmel Freeman, chief executive officer of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), told CNN on Wednesday.

"It's the combination. It's kind of the perfect storm of public health impacts here with Delta already impacting many areas of the country and jurisdictions," Freeman said. "We don't want to overwhelm systems more."

After circulating at nearly nonexistent levels last year, the flu is reappearing in certain areas across the United States, Dr. Manish Patel, team lead for the influenza prevention and control team at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said during a call hosted by the CDC's Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) group last week.

"We do know influenza is going to come back and already has started to reappear in many places in the United States," Patel said.

Now, health officials and doctors are preparing for more illness this winter.

'It makes sense for us to be prepared'

The nation continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic, and health officials worry about adding flu patients to this burden.

"It makes sense for us to be prepared and maintain vigilance for influenza," Patel said.

He added that flu activity is unpredictable.

"Last year or last season -- really, in the past 18 months -- we have had no influenza activity in the United States and minimal activity globally in the Southern Hemisphere or the Northern Hemisphere. And this really has not happened before since we've had surveillance for influenza," Patel said. "The jury is still out on reasons why that hasn't happened."

In the first week of December, 841 people were admitted to US hospitals with influenza, according to the CDC. That's up from the prior week, when there were 496 new flu admissions.

"Overall, influenza activity is still low; however, an increasing number of influenza positive tests have been reported by clinical and public health laboratories during recent weeks," the CDC said in its weekly flu report. The majority of flu viruses were detected in young people, ages 5 to 24, but the proportion of flu virus detections among adults 25 and older has increased in recent weeks.

In late November, the CDC said increased flu activity has been detected among young adults and college students, which could mean the start of a new flu season. The agency also noted that as the flu and the virus that causes Covid-19 both circulate, the combination could stress health care systems throughout the United States.

Worry about a winter wave

"We are already in a Delta surge," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Wednesday night.

"The cases are going up. We have an average of about 117,000 cases. We have an increase in the percentage of hospitalizations. Deaths are still over a thousand," Fauci said. "Then you have, looking over your shoulder, the Omicron variant, which we know, from what's going on in South Africa and in the UK, is a highly transmissible virus.

"That's the reason why we are encouraging people, if they haven't been vaccinated, to get vaccinated but, as importantly, for those who've been fully vaccinated to get a booster."

The United States is averaging 119,888 new Covid-19 cases each day, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, as of Wednesday. This is about 50% higher than a month ago.

The United States is now also averaging 1,261 deaths each day, according to JHU. This is 5% higher than a month ago.

There are 67,306 people now hospitalized with Covid-19, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services. Hospitalizations have been trending up for more than two months, and this is 43% higher than a month ago.

This January, the United States could face a surge of Covid-19 cases, with the Omicron variant possibly contributing to the winter wave, according to modeling data that was presented to state and local health officials during a call with the CDC on Tuesday.

But that's just one possible scenario.

The CDC told CNN in a written statement Tuesday that the agency "regularly discusses planning scenarios with public health officials around the country," and Tuesday's discussion "was part of a regularly scheduled meeting hosted by the CDC COVID-19 Response with the leaders of four public health organizations."

The statement noted that the CDC is "preparing for a range of scenarios" involving the Omicron variant, and a portion of Tuesday's meeting was dedicated to "discussion around results from various modeling groups related to Omicron" -- but no CDC, US Department of Health and Human Services or US government models were presented.

The modeling information, along with data from Europe, indicates that the number of Covid-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant has the potential to double every two days, NACCHO's Freeman told CNN.

"When you think about how this virus has the potential to double every two days, then in a couple of weeks, we're going to be facing a lot of cases of Omicron," said Freeman, who was on part of Tuesday's call.

"That modeling implies that sometime in January, we will be at a different stage of recognizing Omicron, maybe as even a predominant virus. However, we still are learning about the severity, transmissibility," Freeman said. "The data is emerging from around the world."

The proportion of Omicron cases in the United States is expected to "continue to grow in the coming weeks," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said during a virtual White House briefing Wednesday. She added that early data suggests Omicron is more transmissible than Delta, with a doubling time of about two days.

While the Delta variant continues to cause the most Covid-19 cases in the United States, Omicron has gone from causing 0.4% of cases in the week ending December 4 to 2.9% of cases in the week ending December 11, according to CDC data.

Currently, CDC data indicates that Delta causes 96.8% of cases.

'We are definitely seeing an uptick in both infections'

Dr. Christina Johns, a pediatrician in Annapolis, Maryland, told CNN last week that there has been a "slow but steady" increase in patients testing positive for flu and Covid-19 in her pediatric network in recent weeks.

"We are definitely seeing an uptick in both infections over the last week," said Johns, emergency medicine physician and senior medical adviser for PM Pediatrics, which has more than 70 pediatric office locations across the United States.

"We are starting to see a slow and steady trickle of an increase of cases. And why is that? Well, because this is the time of year when we typically start to see influenza begin to circulate," she said. "But why aren't we seeing the explosive uptick? One reason is that school-aged children are still largely masked in many school districts, and so I think that that helps to keep numbers down. The overall layered protective measures that are still in place in many areas are effective for both Covid as well as influenza."

This winter, Johns said, there is the concern of a potential "twindemic" of Covid-19 and flu, and it's important for people with any respiratory symptoms this season to see their doctor immediately for testing.

She said when young people -- up to age 26 -- come into her office with symptoms, such as a cough, fever or runny nose, the only way to determine whether they have the flu, Covid-19 or a common cold is through testing.

"I think that that's an important point that needs to be made, especially right now while we are still in the midst of this pandemic," Johns said.

"It is difficult to tell the difference without a test. There are some trends. Typically for influenza, the clinical hallmark is high fever, and that occurs less so in the common cold and is not always a feature of Covid-19 infection," Johns said. "But none of that is 100%, and there's enough overlap in all three of these that, really, the only way to know the difference is through testing."

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A group of mostly Democratic House members is urging the Biden administration to take steps to avert a looming economic catastrophe in Afghanistan.

The lawmakers, led by Democratic Reps. Jason Crow of Colorado and Tom Malinowski of New Jersey and Republican Rep. Peter Meijer of Michigan, proposed measures to help provide relief in a letter Wednesday to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.

They wrote: "We have no desire to help the Taliban government and believe that there is an approach that the U.S. can take to help prevent a catastrophic collapse of Afghanistan's aid-dependent economy while not providing legitimacy to the Taliban."

The lawmakers advised the administration to release frozen Afghan funds "to an appropriate United Nations agency to pay teacher salaries and provide meals to children in schools, so long as girls can continue to attend," to clarify sanctions exemptions for humanitarian aid, to "assist multilateral organizations attempting to pay Afghan civil servants," to allow financial institutions to inject capital into the Afghan economy and to "prepare to rally donors to contribute their fair share" to the upcoming UN appeal for Afghanistan.

"We request that the Treasury and State Department brief us regularly on the strategy regarding Afghanistan and to include oversight mechanisms so we can ensure that the Afghan people are the sole recipients of international aid, not the Taliban," wrote the roughly three dozen lawmakers.

International humanitarian organizations are sounding the alarm that Afghanistan is on the brink of disaster as its economic and medical systems collapse and millions face starvation in the wake of the Taliban takeover of and US withdrawal from the country about four months ago. Billions of dollars from Afghanistan's central bank reserves, much of which is held in the US, have been frozen since August.

On Wednesday, the International Rescue Committee ranked Afghanistan No. 1, followed by Ethiopia and Yemen, on its annual Emergency Watchlist of countries whose humanitarian crises are expected to deteriorate in 2022.

"On Afghanistan, I would say very clearly, there needs to be much more urgency not just from the United States, but from the global community," International Rescue Committee President and CEO David Miliband told reporters this week.

"We've been party to discussions, both public and private, since late August about the impending economic challenges, and they're still not properly addressed," he said.

"I think it's very important to say that just as a matter of principle, trading off the needs of the Afghan people against the popularity or otherwise of the government is wrong, but in this case, it's going to be the donor nations who get the blame for what happens," he added. "And so there's an instrumental reason as well as a moral reason for far more urgency."

The US State Department has expressed concern about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. According to State Department spokesperson Ned Price, the US provided $474 million in humanitarian assistance to the country in fiscal year 2021.

"We've taken other steps that would help facilitate the provision of services and aid to the Afghan people," Price said this month. "As you know, the Treasury Department has issued licenses to make clear that the United States is not standing in the way of humanitarian assistance and humanitarian aid for the Afghan people. It sends a signal -- a very explicit signal -- to countries around the world, to NGOs and others that the United States is supportive of aid and services to the Afghan people, who have long been suffering, even prior to the Taliban takeover."

"We have demonstrated our commitment not only through word but also in deed, and we will continue to call upon the international community to raise its ambition when it comes to the level and scale of humanitarian assistance for the Afghan people," Price said.

The-CNN-Wire

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TIGARD, Oregon  With overwhelming support from the UFCW Local 555 Retail Negotiating Committee and the representatives Fred Meyer & QFC, both parties have reached a Fully Recommended Comprehensive Tentative Agreement for Local 555 members working under the Grocery, Meat, CCK, and Non-Food contracts in Oregon and SW Washington.

As a result of the Tentative Agreement, UFCW Local 555 is calling off the strike for Fred Meyer and QFC that was scheduled to run through Christmas Eve.

UFCW Local 555 members said they were pleased that Fred Meyer and QFC recognized the ongoing hazard to its workers, with a settlement agreement that provides significant wage increases, added workplace protections, a secure retirement, and quality healthcare.

Details of the Tentative Agreement will be made public after members have had a chance to review the agreement and vote on it. Dates and times for ratification meetings will be forthcoming.
RACINE  The Build Back Better agenda and the associated Green New Deal promoted by Democrats promise to modernize Americas infrastructure, fight climate change and create more than 2 million jobs. But many Republicans have pointed out that there are millions of job openings right now. What good would more jobs, even if theyre high-paying, do?

We have a manufacturing climate that needs more workers. We have jobs that are ready and able in every field. And we have almost 100,000 people who are unemployed and collecting benefits. There is a mismatch there, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said during a legislative panel hosted by Racine Area Manufacturers and Commerce at the DeKoven Center on Wednesday morning.

Republicans and Democrats disagree about whats causing the Were Hiring signs being up just about everywhere, even as Wisconsins unemployment rate has reached a three-year low of 3%.

Republicans have largely blamed the increased unemployment benefits and suspended work search requirements related to the COVID-19 pandemic, although both of those changes are pretty much gone. The work search requirement was reinstated by Wisconsin Republicans in May  although Vos accused Gov. Tony Evers of failing to enforce it  and increased unemployment compensation was cut off in September.

There is a challenge getting people to go back to work. Part of that is the entitlements that were put out there continue to be put out there by government, paying people to not go to work, said state Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine.

Democrats have argued there are not enough people to fill all the open jobs, partially because the U.S. has provided relatively little child care support compared to other developed countries  making it more challenging for parents to both work and raise their children.

Child care

In 2019, UNICEF analyzed 31 of the worlds wealthiest countries paid leave for new parents programs. The United States is the only country included in the analysis with no national paid leave policy for mothers or fathers, according to the UNICEF report.

Without child care, which costs on average about $950 per month per child in Wisconsin, many parents remain out of the workforce.

You cannot divorce the child care issue and the pandemic, AnnElizabeth Konkel, an economist at Indeed.coms Hiring Lab, told the New York Times in August, noting how COVID-19 fears and other effects of the pandemic are keeping many parents from working. Its important that we dont forget about the workers who are wrestling with this day in and day out.

State Sen. Bob Wirch, D-Somers, alluded to those phenomena.

We have a lot of poverty in our area, and a lot of people are afraid to go to work because of COVID, and a lot of people had problems with child care out there. I think we have to put it in context, Wirch said Wednesday.

Vos said this is a false equivalency: If you pay people more to stay home than to work, people will choose to stay home. That is not rocket science. You dont need a new program to change that. We need to reward people who are going back to work. We already have in Wisconsin one of the best child care subsidies in the country.

The Wisconsin Department of Children and Families offers the Wisconsin Shares child care subsidy program, which supports eligible families by funding a portion of the cost of child care while the parents are working or participating in an approved activity. Eligible families must be determined to be of low income and have at least one child under the age of 13.

Vos said that he believes the Build Back Better agenda would actually make child care more unaffordable. The Build Back Better plan under Joe Biden, do you know what theyre going to raise the wage to for the child care in our country? Its somewhere between $25 and $30 an hour, is what the new required subsidy is going to be (if the proposal passes Congress) in order to get somebody to work in a child care facility.

What do you think is going to be the result of dramatically increasing the cost of child care to every  working mom and dad in the entire country? Theyre going to say to themselves: its cheaper for us to have one person work because child care is now so expensive its cost-prohibitive, so were going to have even fewer in the workforce even with the subsidies that we offer.

The White House says that it would limit child care costs for families to no more than 7% of income, for families earning up to 250% of state median income, with much of the difference being covered by tax increases on the rich  a proposal moderate Democrats such as Sens. Krysten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia have not supported.

Immigration and jobs

Democrats have pointed to how the immigrant percentage of the U.S. population has stagnated; it neared 15% in the late 1800s and early 1900s, fell down to around 5% in 1970, and has only recently neared 15% again, according to data compiled by the Migration Policy Institute. This has led to vacancies in jobs normally held by immigrants.

A dramatic change to immigration policy, which would allow more legal immigrants or put undocumented immigrants on a path to citizenship, is not something Republicans have largely shown support for.

Immigration issues are a national issue, but they should also be enforced at the local levels, too, Wanggaard said. We shouldnt enable illegal immigration coming into our state and the United States. My grandparents immigrated here legally, through Ellis Island, went through the whole situation, and it was a whole process that you went through. Were a country that abides by the rule of law  we should be, anyway. As soon as you violate our laws, what respect is that for our country and for what our country stands for and the ability for everybody to have the same opportunity?

How do we get people to be here legally? Providing them drivers licenses, in my view, is not the way to do it, Wanggaard continued, responding to proposals supported by activists and many Democrats to allow undocumented immigrants to get drivers licenses and thus make it easier for them to get jobs. I think that enables more illegal opportunities as opposed to helping those people be successful in the application process to being a citizen.

To Wanggaard, Wirch replied: Get people in. We need immigrants. We have an aging problem in Wisconsin. We have fewer workers. Thats part of the answer. But for years Ive heard the lectures from the Republicans: Let the free market work. Let the free market work. Get government hands off it. Well, you know what? Now the workers have the free market. They can compare this job with this job and (Republicans say) Its terrible. OK, workers have the free market (presently). Things have changed now.

Business groups such as the Wisconsin Restaurant Association and Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce support immigration reform to boost the state economy by allowing more legal immigrants.

Immigration reform is not only the right thing to do, but it is also something that will support folks in this community both to feel safe when theyre driving to work if theyre able to have access to a drivers license, said state Rep. Greta Neubauer, D-Racine, and it will bring more people to this community to help alleviate some of the workforce shortages that you all are facing in your companies.

Of the billions in infrastructure investments promised by Build Back Better  such as replacing all of the remaining lead pipes in the country, cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 50% in the next decade and eliminating Americas reliance on nonrenewable fuel  Neubauer said these are really important long-term investments, fixing up the infrastructure that we have and preparing us for the future with EV (electric vehicle) charging stations, with increased access to everyone for this transition  it is going to help Racines economy, and it is going to help us being an attractive place for young people to live, to move, to work, to send their kids to school.

She continued its critical that we transition to green energy as soon as possible.

We are feeling directly in Racine the impacts of increased weather events, she said. It is impacting people in our community, particularly low-income people, people of color. Weve got a shoreline thats eroding right in front of us.

So, for our long-term viability, I absolutely think that (Build Back Better) is critical. And I think there is a lot we can do right now to support folks in Racine to get to work.

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During my 30 years in medicine, and especially as I began leading medical missions in 2005 to the poorest countries in the world, I have seen much need, tragedy, and heartbreak. It is overwhelming. Despite our best efforts medically to help, we fail. What do you do when all else fails? What do you do when someone has lost all hope and feels you have nothing else to offer?

In his book, Unspeakable: Facing Up to the Challenge of Evil, noted author and speaker Os Guinness relates a powerfully moving story of incredible faith in the face of unimaginable horror. He tells of Baroness Caroline Cox, known as the Mother Teresa of the war-torn poor. She is to many of the worlds helpless, love in action in human form, and a powerful voice on behalf of the forgotten. Regardless of the color, creed, or race of the victims of war  those who have been maimed and raped, their families robbed, killed, or taken into slavery  she reaches out with food, clothes, and medicine. Often when she arrives, the people greet her with the words: Thank God youve come. We thought the world had forgotten us.

She was once asked to relate both her worst moments and her best during all her journeys of mercy. The worst? She thought for a moment, then described with brutal simplicity what it was like to enter a Dinka village after Sudanese government-backed soldiers had left:

The stench of death was overpowering. More than a hundred corpses lay where they had been savagely butchered. Men, women, children, even cattle, had been cut down or herded into captivity to be carried north as slaves. Straw huts were ablaze, crops had been razed, and devastation and death confronted the eyes everywhere. Worst of all was the knowledge that the militia would return with their gunships and Kalashnikov rifles, and the areas villages would once again lie naked before the ferocity and bloodlust of their attackers from the North. Genocide is an overworked word and one I never use without meaning it. But I mean it. And the best moment? It came right after the worst. With the raiders gone and the results of their cruelty all around, the few women still alive  husbands slain, children kidnapped into slavery, homes ruined, and they themselves brutally raped  were pulling themselves together. Their first instinctive act was to make tiny crosses out of sticks lying on the ground and to push them into the earth. What were they doing? Fashioning instant memorials to those they had lost? No, the crudely formed crossed sticks, pressed into the ground at the moment when their bodies reeled and their hearts bled, were acts of faith. They served a God who they believed knew pain as they knew pain. Blinded by pain and grief themselves, horribly aware that the world would neither know nor care about their plight, they still staked their lives on the conviction that there was One who knew and cared. They were not alone.

Hopefully, none of us will ever face such horror. But what each of you do face each day are patients and families who often are going through an illness or personal tragedy that, at the time, is truly overwhelming for them, just as devastating, just as heart-breaking, just as life-changing. And when faced with these patients and families, sometimes even our best efforts medically fail. Sometimes even our best attempts to give hope, to be hope-givers, are not enough. What do you do then? Medical training does not teach what to do when there is nothing left medically to do and all hope seems gone, at least I wasnt. This is when, I believe, there is only one thing left to do  to give what I call the warmth of love that comes through loving touch, holding a hand, giving a hug, and more powerfully, shedding tears as you share their pain, hurt and hopelessness. Have you ever done this with someone? It is a frightening thing to be so transparent. This is especially true for those in health care who have learned to compartmentalize their emotions. I believe, and I have experienced this many times, that the true art of medicine, the human side of medicine, comes through brightest and most powerfully at just such moments when we allow ourselves to be tears for them. Are you willing to be tears for your patients and their families? If you are, you will find a renewed joy as you experience real medicine once again, and your patients will know that they are not alone.

Andy Lamb is an internal medicine physician. He can be reached at Bugle Notes.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
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Medicine is not a business

You fools.

Healing is your blueprint, activated

to complete itself.

A doctor does not broker it,

The best anyone can do is align you

With what you should be,

And stay out of the way.

(Like a teenager setting off an illegal firecracker.)

Mostly, you pay the doctor for the alignment,

And the nurse

To keep the doctor out of the way.

If youre not ready,

to get on with the business of what you should be,

You come back later.

Or, maybe, next lifetime.

Its not complicated.

And its not a business.

You fools.

The doctor knows what you should be,

when they know what they are,

And if they dont

And the nurse cant tell them,

You come back later,

Or, maybe, next lifetime.

Its simple, but

Its not easy,

And its not a business you fools.

Ive seen it, GNP and recurring revenue and prayers so many pairs of high-intervention end-of-life care.

Its cosmic law

That you cannot profit from someone elses suffering.

You only appear to,

When you do not know what you are.

When you are blind

to the part of yourself that suffers with them.

Which is why medicine is not a business

its a relief,

A chance to make yourself right,

Whole.

When you are whole, you come back later if you want or next lifetime,

To heal.

Drea Burbank is a physician-entrepreneur.

She shares her story and discusses her series of poems, When you die: a poem, Medicine is not a business: a poem, and A physicians pain poem.

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Hosted by Kevin Pho, MD, The Podcast by KevinMD shares the stories of the many who intersect with our health care system but are rarely heard from.
Physicians prioritize patient needs above all other considerations. To advance that mission, the AMA works tirelessly to improve access to quality, affordable health coverage for everyone, which includes protecting patients from the financial harm posed by unanticipated medical bills that can be generated through out-of-network care.

That is why the AMA has joined the American Hospital Association in asking the courts to ensure that the dispute-resolution provisions of the No Surprises Act reflect the basis for its bipartisan passage through Congress: a balanced and equitable process for settling payment disputes.

Let me be clear: The AMAs support for the patient protections in the No Surprises Act against unanticipated medical bills remains in place. We supported the intent of this landmark law protecting patients from billing disputes between providers and commercial health insurers. The AMA-AHA lawsuit seeks to change only one aspect of the laws implementing regulations put forward by federal regulators this fall, which we believe thwarts the intent of Congress and will result in reduced access to care for patients.

Reduced access to care

In essence, the implementation of No Surprises Act dispute-resolution process under rulemaking by the Biden administration skews the outcome in favor of insurance providers by artificially deflating payment rates for physicians caring for their patients.

Instead of the careful compromise Congress worked over two years to achieve for settling billing differences that end up in the independent dispute resolution process, federal regulators would unlawfully force arbiters to assume the median in-network rate is the appropriate out-of-network ratewhile limiting when and how other factors may be considered. This is equivalent to placing a thumb on the scale of the dispute-resolution process and tipping the result in favor of insurers.

Unless this aspect of implementation is changed, the harm thus inflicted will extend to patients when insurers further narrow their networks of physicians, hospitals, and other providers. Commercial insurers can be expected to exploit the fact they have little or no incentive to fairly negotiate with providers to bring them into or keep them in their provider networks.

Insurers, many of whom already have inadequate networks of in-network providers, will be incentivized to further slice these rosters by dropping providers who dont agree to accept the significantly lower rates that emerge under the new rule. This is not a hypothetical threat; it has already happened in North Carolina.

Physician practices already stressed

The timing of this provision of the No Surprises Act is especially damaging to physician practices across our nation, as sharp reductions in patient volume and revenue driven by the pandemic combine with higher practice costs to threaten their continued financial viability.

The impact is persistent; more than 80% of physicians surveyed by the AMA in July and August 2021 noted that revenue remained below pre-pandemic levels. Allowing powerful commercial insurers to routinely undercompensate these providers will have predictable results going forwardand further restrict patient access to care.

The legal action we have undertaken to correct the imbalances created by regulators in implementing the No Surprises Act in no way affects the core patient protections the law affords, but seeks only to realign its implementation with the balanced, patient-friendly goals outlined by Congress in its passage.

As things now stand, the flawed dispute resolution process set to take effect January 1, 2022 is in direct opposition to those goals. We are confident that, if sustained, the challenge we have put forth will protect patients in precisely the manner the architects of the No Surprises Act intended.

Gerald E. Harmon is president, American Medical Association.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
EUGENE, Ore. -- One man was injured and transported to the hospital after a shooting near the Space Age Fuel on Commerce Street in Eugene, police said.

A road rage incident led up to the man being shot, according to police. The report came in around 8:53 a.m. Sunday near 11th Avenue and Commerce Street in Eugene.

There are currently no suspects in custody, police said. A suspect vehicle was last seen heading eastbound on 11th Avenue. It was described as a silver sedan, possibly a Volkswagen, with two occupants.

According to police, they say the driver is male, possibly Latino. He was last seen wearing a baseball hat and glasses. Police also said the suspect's car had a female passenger, Caucasian or Latina, with dyed red hair.

A vehicle matching the description with two occupants was stopped with the assistance of Oregon State Police and Lane County Sheriffs Office but turned out not to be the suspects, police said.

RELATED: MAN MISTAKEN FOR SHOOTING SUSPECT SPEAKS OUT AFTER BEING HANDCUFFED BY POLICE

Police are urging people not to confront the occupants if they spot the vehicle. Instead, they are asking people with any information to call the EPD non-emergency line at (541) 682-5111.

Samantha Nunez is a worker at the gas station who saw what happened and spoke with the wife of the man who was shot.

She told KEZI the wife said they were driving eastbound on 11th Avenue to a nearby Walmart to see family members when someone cut them off. The wife said they flashed their lights at the car and that's when shots were fired. The victim then pulled into the gas station to seek help.

"The gentleman came in and he lifted his shirt up, he did have a gunshot wound on his side. It seemed like it was clear in and out type thing. He did have a small graze on his arm as well," Nunez said.

Thankfully police said his injuries were non-life-threatening.

Another gas station worker, Andrew Holman, told KEZI he was helping out a customer when the victim pulled up and heard the commotion.

Holman said at first, he thought it was just two customers complaining, so he walked over to them. That's when the victim's wife reportedly told him her husband had been shot.

Holman said his first reaction was fear. He said when he looked at the man he saw a lot of blood gushing out of his body. He said he immediately got the attention of his co-workers and called the cops.

"Given the fact that I'm in a workplace and I had to think, you know, yes this guy needs medical attention and I need to hurry because if we don't get pressure to it, he could bleed out. I didn't know exactly how bad the wound was, I just saw a bunch of blood. And once I figured that out, I just had to stay calm," Holman said.
SALEM, Ore. (AP)  Oregons treasurer is exploring legal options with the state attorney general in the states large investment in a smartphone spyware company  a firm that has been denounced by human rights groups, the U.S. government and tech giants.

In 2017, the Oregon Investment Council unanimously committed $233 million in the state employee retirement fund to a new private equity fund called Novalpina Capital, which later acquired a majority share of NSO Group, an Israeli company that produces smartphone spyware.

The companys Pegasus spyware, which can turn a smartphone into an eavesdropping device and rummage through emails, documents, texts and photos, has been used by repressive regimes against dissidents, human rights workers and journalists.

NSO Group has been hit by numerous lawsuits, including by Facebook and Apple. Last month it was blacklisted by the U.S. government along with another company for developing and supplying spyware to foreign governments that used these tools to maliciously target government officials, journalists, businesspeople, activists, academics, and embassy workers.

Earlier this year, London-based Novalpina Capital became so dysfunctional because of a bitter dispute between its partners that investors, including Oregon, stripped them of control of the fund and handed it to an outfit called Berkeley Research Group.

Oregon State Treasurer Tobias Read supports sanctioning global technology companies that facilitate human rights violations and the oppression of journalists by selling technology to authoritarian regimes, Reads spokeswoman, Amy Bates, said in a statement Thursday to The Associated Press.

The Oregon Treasury has been working with Berkeley Research Group and counsel to obtain a full accounting of the prior fund managers investment activities over the past several years, said Bates, who declined to elaborate.

As of two months ago, Berkeley Research Group had not been granted clearance by the Israeli government to receive any sensitive information about NSO Group, the Guardian newspaper reported. Berkeley Research Group did not immediately respond to questions on whether they have since gained access to the information.

Earlier this month, the Treasurer also reached out to Oregons Attorney General on various legal options available to Oregons retirement fund, Bates said.

Some observers took the consultations to mean that Oregon is seeking a legal way of dropping the investment.

NSOs big investor, the State of Oregon retirement fund ... has developed cold feet, tweeted John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher of Citizen Lab, which is based at the University of Toronto and has investigated deployment of the Pegasus spyware and whom it targeted.

He said it appears that Oregon is looking for the exit.

Read and fellow members of the Oregon Investment Council recently told leaders of the Legislature that state law specifies investments must make the moneys as productive as possible.

When we exit investments, we do so for performance reasons, not political or personal ones, Read and four other members of the OIC wrote in their Oct. 25 letter.

Bates pointed out that Oregon is a limited partner in private equity fund investments and consequently doesnt participate in how such a fund does its business once an investment is made, but is deeply disturbed by reports about developments concerning NSO Group.

For its part, NSO Group said in a statement Wednesday that it has chosen ethics upon revenues, and we strongly believe that our contribution to the global security including US national interests should have the opportunity to be presented.

We only sell to governments authorized by the State of Israel, for the sole purpose of preventing terror and crime. Once the software is sold, the company does not operate the system, the company added.
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A Yemeni man is captured in this photo taken by Lim Ji-hoon in 2009 at Central Souq al-Mil. A brief poem that is paired with the photo reads: "I am one of the 15 percent of Yemeni men who don't chew khat." Courtesy of Noonbit Publishing













By Kang Hyun-kyung







Lim Ji-hoon spent 33 years as an executive in charge of sales and marketing for a mid-sized Korean company involved in oil and natural gas projects in the Middle East. That job gave him rare access to the region that few Koreans had explored because of travel restrictions.







Until three years ago when he retired from his life-time job, Lim traveled back and forth between Korea and countries like Libya, Algeria, Yemen and Iran, to name a few, and worked with staff from partner companies for weeks at a time.







Intrigued by the exotic landscape and local culture, Lim, now 60, said he found himself longing to chronicle the locals and their war-struck living conditions through photography.







His dream of capturing images of the locals and their lifestyles met an obstacle as some Middle Eastern countries prohibit foreigners from taking photographs. Photojournalists were an exception, only allowed once they obtained a permit that had been issued by the host government.







The clash between his desire to visually record the Middle East and the repressive local laws, however, didn't stop him from moving forward. Driven by curiosity, then the adventurous business executive secretly took photos in some of the countries. His brave actions, however, went futile. In some countries like Iran, his cameras were seized or film rolls were destroyed by local officials after they were discovered.







But Lim's photos taken in Yemen in 2009 managed to evade the watchful eyes of local officials and he was able to bring them home.







"Yemen: A Country Built on Winds from the Arabian Peninsula" by Lim Ji-hoon

His decade-old photos were finally brought to light following years of his energetic pitches made to the Seoul-based Noonbit Publishing Co.







His poetry-photography book titled, "Yemen: A Country Built on Winds from the Arabian Peninsula," was published earlier this month and is available for sale online and in local bookstores.







The 179-page book contains his photos taken in Yemen's capital Sanaa amid heightened terror alerts issued after a suicide bombing attack took place targeting foreign tourists, including four South Koreans, and are paired with his brief thoughts of the images in the form of poems.







Lim Ji-hoon, center, wearing a pink T-shirt, poses with Libyan staff who worked with him while he was in African country for business in 2005. Lim is a business executive-turned-author of the poetry-photography book, "Yemen: A Country Built on Winds from the Arabian Peninsula." Courtesy of Lim Ji-hoon





For Lim, "Yemen" is reminiscent of the nerve-racking last day of his trip to the Middle Eastern country. He confessed that he had been uneasy all day when he went to Central Souq al-Mil, a bustling market area of the Yemeni capital Sanaa, for the photo project.







"Back in 2009, Yemen was still chaotic and at civil war with intermittent armed conflicts between the North and South. And terrorist group al-Qaeda was still there, too," he said.









On top of the political instability, Lim hit the market a day after

occurred on a highway en route to the airport. It was the second suicide bombing attack on South Koreans by al-Qaeda members. The first one that killed four South Korean tourists in Sanaa happened on March 16.







"I thought the photo project could cost me my life because I was a non-Muslim foreigner and what I was trying to do was illegal in that country," he said.







But he said he felt the urge to go ahead with it because he knew it could be his last opportunity to capture images of the country and its people living in constant danger of war and terrorism.







"Between 2006 and 2009, I had been to Yemen many times on business trips because then my company was involved in a natural gas project there in collaboration with a French company," he said.







"But I was unable to find time to take photos of the locals, partly because doing so was banned for foreigners like me and partly because I signed a contract with the French company which required me not to leave the designated areas on my own will. If breached, I would take full responsibility for my actions."







In the event that he breached the contract, and his safety was endangered as a result, Lim said, he was required to compensate any and all financial damage incurred by the French company. He eventually came to have a few hours of free time on his last day there because his company's joint project was over and the contract had ended.







Three children pose while eating bread on a step in Central Souq al-Mil in Sanaa, Yemen. Courtesy of Noonbit Publishing





He embarked on his photography project like a covert agent on a secret operation code-named "Escape from Sanna" as he had to get things done within three hours, enduring immense pressure as he tried to evade detection. The nail-biting moments continued until he left Yemen.







Waking up early in the morning, he grabbed a cab and was dropped off at Central Souq al-Mil.







The local vendors' and passengers' reactions to the stranger were mixed: Some brushed him off and gave the stranger the cold shoulder, while some welcomed him and shared hot tea.







Feeling pressured as time was running out, he said he kept pressing the shutter of his camera to take photos of his subjects. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., he hurriedly captured nearly 300 images of the poor but lively market, including children with innocent smiles, locals sharing meals, and men intoxicated with khat, a local plant that is used as a stimulant.







Heaving a sigh of relief as he was able to get all the photos he wanted during such a limited time, he headed back to his hotel, grabbed his prepacked luggage and headed directly to the airport. His plane was scheduled to leave at 2 p.m. Nerve-racking moments continued during the departure process as he feared he could lose his camera and film reels if caught. A real relief came to him when he found himself aboard the airplane heading to Oman, from where he would board a transfer flight to South Korea.







Under this photo featuring a Yemeni man walking outside a poor housing area, poet-photographer Lim Ji-hoon wrote: "I never step back, even though my enemy is light." Courtesy of Noonbit Publishing





Discussing his book, Lim said he was intrigued by the "odd calmness and serenity" among some locals he found on his way to the airport.







"I saw two women selling eggs near the airport. They looked like sisters and were giggling while chatting. Their carefree, happy chatter came as a surprise to me, because it was a day after the devastating suicide bombing attack right there. It seemed to them like nothing had happened," he said.







Lim's lingering question of the unknown source of their optimism is reflected in his poetry that is paired with the photo featuring the two women selling eggs. It reads, "What on earth made them have such smiling faces despite the tragic bombing attack? Is it the Quran that helped them clear the horrific memories of the suicide bombing attack from their heads? Or were they born optimists?"







Lim had his own interpretation of poetry-photography. Some poems he wrote underneath their respective photos taken in Yemen tell the stories of Korea, Koreans and wisdom he learned from his life experiences. In one photo, for example, a Yemeni boy plays a handmade instrument made of a string and cardboard box in the corner of a store. Under the photo, Lim writes a poem of an unnamed opportunistic woman who uses men as a stepping stone for her own success.







Asked about the alleged mismatch of his photography and poetry, Lim explained that the pair is an example showing his definition of what a poetry photography should be.







"The poem is about one thing and the photo captures a subject that has nothing to do with the poem. But once they are put together, they make sense and create a whole new meaning. This is my definition of poetry photography," he said.







Lim retired from his life-time career at the company in 2018. He has written poetry and essays since he was a university student and some of them were published.







"Yemen" is his second poetry-photography work published years after his first one called "Mount Bukhan."






Kyungnam University President Park Jae Kyu speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at his office in Seoul, Wednesday. / Korea Times photo by Kang Seung-woo



Korea-Japan relations unlikely to improve overnight



By Kang Seung-woo



At the United Nations General Assembly last September, President Moon Jae-in repeated his proposal to declare an end to the Korean War as part of efforts to normalize inter-Korean ties and jump-start stalled nuclear talks, and since then his administration has strongly pushed to bring about a peace settlement before his term ends in May 2022.



South Korean and U.S. diplomats have frequently met with each other to discuss the proposal and Director of National Security Suh Hoon also drew support from China following a meeting with top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi earlier this month, prompting Moon to say, Dec. 13, that the U.S., North Korea and China have agreed "in principle" to an end-of-war declaration.



However, Kyungnam University President Park Jae Kyu, a former South Korean unification minister, advises the Moon government not to race against the clock regarding the issue, and to focus on ironing out the details of a complete cessation of hostilities.



"President Moon's proposal shows his own strategic will to break the long-term stalemate in inter-Korean relations and U.S.-North Korea relations," Park said during an interview with The Korea Times at his office in Seoul, Wednesday.



"However, he must not be impatient. Even if such a declaration cannot be implemented within his term of office, it is desirable to prepare calmly from the standpoint of creating the conditions for establishing a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, and laying the groundwork for continuous and consistent discussions."



The proposal immediately sparked concerns over possible negative aftereffects from the declaration such as the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the Korean Peninsula and the abolition of the United Nations Command (UNC), leading the government to hurriedly explain that it would be a political and symbolic measure to build confidence with North Korea.



But Park said there are two points that should be contained in the declaration.



"First, there needs to be a confirmation and determination of the relevant parties  that is, South Korea, North Korea, the U.S. and China  to completely end the Korean War," he said.



"Second, it must include the responsibilities and measures to be taken by the relevant parties to form a new peace system on the Korean Peninsula."



He added, "The contents must contain measures on the implementation of the resumption of inter-Korean dialogue and U.S.-North Korea dialogue, denuclearization, system guarantees, economic cooperation and improvement of relations."



The 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice between the North Korean and Chinese forces and the U.S.-led UNC. Despite Moon's remarks on a relevant parties' agreement, realizing such an agreement must first factor in how to overcome an apparent stumbling block: the growing U.S.-China rivalry.



"The key is that the U.S. and China, the signatories of the armistice agreement, must participate to promote the end of the war; but it is not easy in the context of the current free fall in U.S.-China relations," Park said.



"With the recent U.S. decision to diplomatically boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics, and China's stern response to that decision, the future of U.S.-China relations seems even more uncertain."



He also suggested that the government seek to come up with more creative and active approaches such as starting a discussion between the two Koreas, and then leading the U.S. and China in a positive direction, rather than first having the U.S. and China come together.





South Korea's top nuclear envoy Noh Kyu-duk, left, and his U.S. counterpart Sung Kim hold a press conference after their meeting in Indonesia, Sept. 30. Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs



On Dec. 13, President Moon said South Korea was not considering joining the diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Games, citing the need for China's help in his push to end the war; and Park also concurred that Beijing could play a certain role in this process.



"Even looking at the results of the recent meeting between Suh and Yang, there is no justification for China to reject a declaration to end the Korean War," he said.



"If China actively supports the end-of-war declaration, North Korea will have little choice but to consider China's position."



North Korea has remained quiet on Moon's proposal since it made two statements on the matter, one by its leader Kim Jong-un who said he did not oppose the declaration itself although he urged South Korea to drop its "double-dealing" attitude first.



"The reason that North Korea cannot refuse to pursue an end-of-war declaration proposed by South Korea is that it is necessary for North Korea to clarify its position in preparing an opportunity to convert the armistice system into a peace regime, along with the withdrawing of hostile policies, through the process of discussing an end-of-war declaration," Park said.



"Also observable and at work here in this situation is the burden of responsibility for the refusal to talk."



Since the Hanoi summit between the U.S. and North Korea ended without a deal in February 2019, inter-Korean ties have been stalled. Park said another summit between South and North Korea could offer an opportunity for a change in the situation on the peninsula, including the end-of-war declaration.



"Since an end-of-war declaration should contain a declaration and contents on its implementation, dialogue and consultations between the two Koreas must take place in the process of promoting such a declaration," he said.



"To do this, it is necessary to ensure that the U.S.-China relationship does not deteriorate nor have a negative impact on the Korean Peninsula. As well, there needs to be close consultations between South Korea and the U.S., accompanied by consultations between South Korea and China, and at the same time, efforts should be made to ensure North Korea responds with trust."



When Joe Biden was elected as the 46th president of the U.S. in November 2020, concerns were rampant in Korea that his policy toward North Korea may follow in the footsteps of the Barack Obama administration's "strategic patience"  its failed diplomatic approach to Pyongyang.



Strategic patience means no engagement with the North Korean regime as long as its leadership persists with nuclear weapons development and ballistic missile testing. But many critics say this policy actually failed to address the North's ever-growing nuclear and missile programs.



With Biden being in office for nearly a year now, some concerns are being realized as there has been no progress between the U.S. and North Korea regarding nuclear talks. Park advised Washington to do something more to get the negotiations back on track.



"Traditionally in the U.S., the Democratic Party has conducted value-based diplomacy based on the alliance, solidarity, democracy and human rights. If dialogue is being refused, the possibility of presenting a hasty carrot policy to North Korea is very low," he said.



Since Biden took office in January, the U.S. government has repeatedly offered to meet the North Korean regime "anywhere, anytime" amid a continued impasse in negotiations between the two, with the reclusive state remaining unresponsive.



"The U.S. needs to show a willingness to build new trust with North Korea and break the status quo by mobilizing official and unofficial channels, rather than simply say it has 'no hostile policy toward North Korea' or it is willing to 'resume dialogue without preconditions,'" he added.



According to him, the U.S. has a midterm election next year, so there is a demand to manage the North Korean issue stably.



"The U.S. is proposing a resumption of dialogue without conditions and it will be difficult to expect new changes and progress if Washington is satisfied with simply managing the situation in a way that does not give North Korea an excuse for provocation," he said.



"We need to get rid of the complacency that time is on the U.S. side."?





President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida / Courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae
In this September 2018 file photo, senior military officials watch a parade as portraits of late North Korean leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il are seen in the background at the main Kim Il Sung square in Pyongyang, North Korea. Reuters-Yonhap



In the 10 years since Kim Jong-un came to power, North Korea has cracked down on people trying to get out of the country, leaving many defectors without hope of seeing their families and homeland again.



Even before the coronavirus pandemic slowed the number of defectors to a trickle, Kim oversaw increased controls and pressed China to tighten measures on its side of the border as well.



Only two North Korean defectors entered South Korea from April to June this year, the fewest ever in a single quarter, according to the South Korea's unification ministry, which handles relations with the North. Activists say several hundred might arrive in a typical quarter.



"He has unconditionally blocked all North Koreans defecting from the country," said Ha Jin-woo, who worked as a "broker" in North Korea to help defectors leave, before fleeing himself in 2013.



Among those who sought a new life in South Korea after Kim became leader in 2011 upon the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, some say the new leader did little to improve their lives.



"People say living is too difficult these days because the government is taking more and more things from people, and there are more people dying from starvation," Ha said.



But Kim has introduced some changes.



According to a report issued by the unification ministry on Thursday, Kim has allowed the private sector to overtake state-led agents to become North Korea's biggest economic actor over the past decade.



An initial rise in gross domestic product and improved livelihoods have been undercut by international sanctions imposed over Kim's pursuit of nuclear weapons, the ministry said, while a U.N. rights investigator says self-imposed anti-pandemic border controls risk causing starvation among vulnerable North Koreans.



Changes in style  such as Kim showing apparent emotion last year during a speech about people's hardships  have not translated into systemic reforms, and Kim has overseen crackdowns in other areas, such as on foreign media.



"(Under Kim Jong-un) I felt more discipline at school," said Park, a 23-year-old defector who left North Korea in 2014 and asked to be identified only by his last name.



"For example, the school cracked down more on school uniforms and hair. They more strictly prohibited South Korean movies or music."





In this April 2016 file photo, a group of defectors fly balloons containing anti-North Korea leaflets at a border village of Paju, Gyeonggi Province. Yonhap
Deputy President of KOICA Im Jeong-hee, left, poses with Sherzod Shermatov, center, Uzbekistan's Minister for the Development of Information Technologies and Communications and IT Park CEO Farkhod Ibragimov in Seoul, Thursday, after signing a record of discussion on the ICT project. Courtesy of KOICA



By Kang Seung-woo



Starting next year, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) will help Uzbekistan in several areas, including digitalization, education and infectious disease control.



KOICA President Sohn Hyuk-sang and Uzbekistan's Deputy Prime Minister Sardor Umurzakov signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the 2022-24 cooperation program, Friday, on the sidelines of a summit between President Moon Jae-in and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Seoul.



Uzbekistan is one of Korea's key partners in Central Asia, as evidenced by the promotion of bilateral relations to a Special Strategic Partnership in April 2019.



The MOU stipulates that Korea will provide the Central Asian country with $88 million (99.2 billion won) to implement 14 projects.



For the next three years, the two countries will cooperate mainly in the areas of infectious disease control, education, and digitalization in response to demand in Uzbekistan and on the basis of Korea's strengths in those fields.






Migrant workers and civic activists hold up placards during a rally held in front of Bosingak Pavilion in Jongno District, Seoul, Sunday, demanding better working and living conditions and the eradication of discrimination. The event was organized to mark International Migrants Day which falls on Dec. 18. Yonhap



By Lee Hyo-jin



Hundreds of migrant workers and local activists marched down the streets of central Seoul, Sunday, staging a rally calling for better working and living conditions and the eradication of discrimination.



The event, co-organized by over 20 migrant workers' support groups including the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, Social and Labor Affairs Committee of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism and Hope Center along with migrant workers, began at 2 p.m. in front of Bosingak Pavilion in Jongno District.



Undeterred by freezing temperatures, about 200 foreign workers and members of civic groups gathered, holding placards reading, "Guarantee freedom to switch jobs" and "Stop discrimination in COVID-19 relief funds."



According to its organizers, the rally was held to mark International Migrants Day which falls on Dec. 18. But it took place on Sunday as most migrant workers do not get a day off on Saturdays.



The organizers also noted that the rally was held with a limited number of attendees, adhering to the government's COVID-19 social distancing measures.



Memorial ceremony of deceased Cambodian worker



A memorial ceremony was held during the rally to mark the first anniversary of the death of Cambodian migrant worker Nuon Sokkheng.



On Dec. 20, 2020, the 31-year-old worker was found dead inside a vinyl greenhouse at a farm in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, where she had been living. The heating system was not working in the facility that day as the region was gripped by a cold spell.





Migrant workers and civic activists bow to pay tribute to deceased Cambodian farm worker Nuon Sokkheng during a memorial ceremony held in front of Bosingak Pavilion in Jongno District, Seoul, Sunday, marking the one-year anniversary of her death. Yonhap



Her death shed light on the dire living conditions of foreign workers, prompting civic groups to call on the government to implement measures to ensure basic living standards for the workers in order to prevent further tragedy.



In his commemorative speech, Ven. Jimong, head of the Social and Labor Affairs Committee of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, said, "One year has passed since Sokkheng's tragic death in a vinyl greenhouse which occurred during the last few days before she was to return to her home country."



After her death, a flight ticket to Cambodia scheduled for Jan. 10 was found in her room, he said.



"But due to a lack of effective policies, many migrant workers are still deprived of basic rights to housing and suffer from poor access to healthcare. The central and local governments should come up with comprehensive measures based on the understanding that the Employment Permit System (EPS) is criticized as being modern day slavery."



'We are essential, not disposable'



"In Korea, it's hard to find something produced without foreign manpower, ranging from groceries, daily necessities, automobiles, ships and buildings," said Udaya Rai, head of a migrant workers' union under the KCTU, explaining that some 1.2 million foreign nationals are employed in the agricultural, fishery and manufacturing sectors and construction sites.



"However, we, migrant workers, are still being treated like disposable goods. We face continuous discrimination, mistreatment, verbal and physical abuse by employers. Also, many workers suffer from excessively long working hours and low pay."





Udaya Rai, head of the migrant worker union under the Korean Confederation for Trade Union speaks during a rally organized by a coalition of migrants' rights groups in Jongno District of Seoul, Sunday. Korea Times photo by Lee Hyo-jin



The activist called for an overhaul of the EPS program and improvement of the current labor system that has created such working conditions.



A female worker who serves as an interpreter at a support center for multicultural families run by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, whose identity was not disclosed, urged the fair payment of wages and improved labor rights.



According to the woman, the wage guidelines set by the ministry only state that interpreters and counselors should be paid "over the minimum wage." Due to an absence of specific manuals on pay raises or additional payments, many workers are being paid less than their actual working hours.



"The standard wage of an employee with one year of job experience and those who have worked for 10 consecutive years are the same. There are many cases in which interpreters are denied payment for additional working hours and maternity leave," she said.



Carlo Oliver, head of Kassama-ko, a migrant workers group based in the Philippines, said, "Our call today is to replace the Employment Permit System into a Working Permit System, provision of humane dormitory residence for all migrants and to ensure them the freedom to switch jobs."



The statements were followed by a music performance by Padma, a rock band formed by a Japanese-Korean international couple, who sang a song they wrote themselves called "Free Job Change."



The participants then marched through the streets to Cheong Wa Dae, chanting slogans such as "Freedom to change jobs" and "No discrimination."




By Sarah Holewinski



Democracies are fragile, and human rights aren't a given. That was the message human rights advocates delivered at the early December Summit for Democracy hosted by the United States and attended virtually by 110 countries.



The summit, convened by President Joe Biden, was meant to energize nations around the idea of democracy, but it was the human rights activists on the front lines who stole the show. Nathan Law, a democracy activist from Hong Kong who was jailed by the authorities, said, "My experience embodies a prime example of how a city once believed to be the freest in Asia can deteriorate into an authoritarian police state right before our eyes. I've lived through it. For me, democratic backsliding isn't an abstract theory but a personal and painful story."



Zeid Raad al Hussein, former U.N. high commissioner for human rights, spoke of the risks that come from dissent: "It's all fun and games until they knock on the door, until you are hit and dragged away in front of your children without a word of explanation."



Democratic governments would be smart to heed those warnings.



The U.S. strategy around the summit was to urge attending nations to make "commitments," including on human rights. Biden set the level of ambition by announcing the Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal, most notable for new funding to support investigative journalists and human rights defenders.



Just before the summit began, the White House issued an opening salvo against authoritarians by calling for the release of three political prisoners, from Belarus, China and Nicaragua. It also put on stage dissidents from nations both uninvited (Egypt, Venezuela, Myanmar) and invited (Uganda, Ukraine). The summit hammered home the point that dissidents should be given a platform, not a prison cell.



But the theatrics will only be credible if the U.S. government is self-reflective about its own policies that enable human rights abuses around the world. Consider, for example, that U.S. security assistance and arms sales continue to benefit rights-abusing countries including the Philippines, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.



The Biden administration's prioritization of strategic interests over human rights was clear at the U.S.-Egypt Strategic Dialogue that took place in November. Whereas the nations invited to the Summit for Democracy shared a screen with Secretary of State Antony Blinken for a few minutes, Egypt  notorious for torture and extrajudicial killings  was invited to Washington, D.C., for in-person meetings with Blinken and other senior U.S. officials.



Similarly, the White House will host a summit in February with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), whose raft of human rights-abusing governments includes Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Singapore and Brunei.



Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, the unrepentant architect of mass murder in the name of a "war on drugs," last year proudly said, "I don't care about human rights."



Hosting a Summit for Democracy and funding new initiatives won't close the gap between Biden's rhetoric about prioritizing human rights and the reality of policies that embolden human rights abusers. Only a cold hard look in the mirror can do that, accompanied by not rolling out the red carpet to authoritarians, or remaining silent about their abuses against their people.



As summit invitees head into the so-called year of action  during which they will be implored by the White House to make commitments to shore up democracy  they should look to the people who know the most about what it means to fight for it, the defenders of human rights.





Sarah Holewinski is the Washington director at Human Rights Watch. This column was produced for The Progressive magazine and distributed by Tribune News Service.


North Korea faces deeper isolation, economic woes



North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is taking advantage of the 10th anniversary of the death of his father Kim Jong-il to tighten his grip on power. The North held a memorial event for the late Kim in Pyongyang, Friday; and also marked the current leader's first decade of rule, calling for the people's "absolute trust" in him.



Nothing could better reflect Kim's real intention than the Rodong Sinmun, the mouthpiece of the ruling Workers' Party. "All people and soldiers should have absolute trust in the general secretary, have their fate and future completely entrusted to him and guard his safety and authority," the newspaper said in a front page editorial which occupied the whole page with a large picture of Kim Jong-il who died Dec. 17, 2011.



There is no doubt that the commemoration was aimed at justifying the hereditary succession and urging devoted loyalty to Kim Jong-un. In a word, the anniversary was nothing but the North's attempt to perpetuate the Kim dynasty. The Kim regime has been marked by a reign of terror that included the relentless purging of his political enemies such as his uncle, Jang Song-thaek, who was abruptly executed for being a counter-revolutionary in December 2013. It also reportedly played a certain role in the assassination of Kim's half-brother, Kim Jong-nam, in Malaysia in 2017.



On Thursday, the United Nations adopted a resolution on North Korean human rights, accusing Pyongyang of systematic and gross human rights violations for the 17th consecutive year. Also, the same day, the United States decided to keep North Korea on its list of state sponsors of terrorism. The decision came after the Biden administration imposed its first sanctions on the North for its human rights abuses Dec. 10, blacklisting North Korean Minster of the People's Armed Forces Ri Yong-gil and its Central Public Prosecutors Office.



More worrisome is the North's continued development of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles. The Kim regime conducted four of the country's six nuclear tests, possibly including one for its first hydrogen bomb. Kim's pursuit of a nuclear arsenal may have strengthened deterrence against the U.S., but it has deepened his country's isolation from the international community. It has also resulted in economic woes, coupled with the devastating fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.



Responding to peace overtures by President Moon Jae-in during and after the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Kim seemed to make efforts for national reconciliation by having inter-Korean summits. Kim also held two summits with then U.S. President Donald Trump, which were brokered by Moon, to discuss denuclearization. However, negotiations have remained stalled since a no deal summit in Hanoi in February 2019.



To the dismay of the international community, Pyongyang has still refused to return to talks with Washington, repeating its demand for sanctions relief and the withdrawal of a U.S. policy of "hostility" toward the North. It has only rebuffed Moon's peace initiative and U.S. President Joe Biden's outreach to solve the nuclear issue through dialogue and diplomacy.



Kim should keep in mind that he could face unpredictable consequences unless he gives up his nuclear ambitions. He cannot guarantee his regime's security with his nuclear arsenal. The North Korean economy shrank 4.5 percent last year due to crippling sanctions and the pandemic. The isolated country may face an economic collapse if it keeps wasting money on the nuclear program. The Kim regime should return to dialogue and take the path of denuclearization before it is too late.






Hankook Tire & Technology, the world's sixth-largest tiremaker by sales, said it resumed operations at its two plants in South Korea on Sunday, 26 days after a strike began over this year's wage deal.







The deal reached Friday includes a 6 percent increase in basic monthly pay, 5 million won ($4,200) in performance-based pay and a bonus of 2 million won per worker.







The agreement ended the strike that began Nov. 24. It marked the first strike since the foundation of the company's labor union in 1962.







A Hankook Tire official said the company plans to normalize the production at its two plants in South Korea, which have a combined daily production capacity of 100,000 units.







From January to September, Hankook Tire's net profit more than doubled to 525.4 billion won from 235.2 billion won a year earlier.







Hankook Tire earns over 80 percent of its total revenue from abroad.







It has eight plants  two in South Korea, one in Hungary, one in the United States, three in China and one in Indonesia  whose combined capacity reaches 102 million tires per year. (Yonhap)


Interest in studying in Australia has exploded among Hongkongers, education consultants have reported, after the country became the latest to ease immigration rules for residents from the financial hub.



An Australian and United Kingdom education expo held in a hotel ballroom in Hong Kong on Saturday was filled with students, parents and prospective middle-aged learners seeking information about study and emigration plans.



The Australian government amended its visa regulations in October to allow Hongkongers to obtain permanent residency in the country in as little as three to four years provided they meet the requirements. The program will open for applications in March next year.



Several Western countries, including Canada and Britain, have created specialized visa schemes for Hongkongers following the imposition of the national security law in June last year that bans acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces.



Willy Kwong, general manager of expo organizer AAS Education Consultancy, said daily inquiries about Australia's permanent residency visa streams for the city's residents had increased by nearly a third since details of the scheme were announced.



"We held two webinars to illustrate the pathway in November each with a quota of 150, and they were full after a few hours," Kwong said.



Residents in their 30s and 40s were showing an interest in pursuing advanced studies in Australia, which was previously not a popular option for master's degrees, with the goal of settling down there, he noted.



"We have helped a 47-year-old applicant secure a study permit to take a public health course and a 42-year-old mother who was originally applying for a guardian visa to accompany her nine-year-old daughter switch to a student visa leading up to permanent residency after the policy was announced in October," Kwong said.



Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane require graduates to stay at least four years before becoming eligible for permanent residency, while cities such as Perth and Adelaide require three years.



Kwong said Perth was now especially popular among middle-aged Hongkongers interested in postgraduate studies as their children could go to school for free, while the cost in Sydney and Melbourne ranged from HKD$6,000 ($770) to HK$10,000 a year.



Residents were also choosing Australia over Britain due to the better weather, closer proximity and less drastic time zone differences, he added.



Kwong said he noticed most of the students heading overseas had studied in schools operating under the direct subsidy scheme, which ties the funding to the number of pupils. As the Post previously reported, many of those schools have suffered a drop in enrolment.



Dion Chen, chairman of the Direct Subsidy Scheme Schools Council, expected more students to leave the city after this term ended, especially given Australia this week reopened its borders to vaccinated skilled workers and foreign students following a nearly two-year ban on their entry.



Stella Lau Kun Lai-kuen, headmistress of the Diocesan Girls' School, said more students had gone overseas this year compared with the numbers in the past but stressed doing so was common.



A representative for the University of Sydney said the impact of the new visa streams on the number of enrolment applications by Hongkongers would take time to determine.


Pune, December 19: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday offered prayers at Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati Temple in Pune, Maharashtra.

The Union Minister will attend various public events in Pune on December 19. He will also attend a conference of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Pune city workers today.

Also Read | Bhopal Shocker: Doctor Refers Dead Woman To Another Hospital For 'Treatment' To Avoid Unpleasant Situation.

Earlier on Saturday, the Home Minister offered prayers at Sai Baba temple in Shirdi.

Shah, who is on a two-day visit to Maharashtra, which commenced on Saturday, earlier attended Dr Vitthalrao Vikhe Patil Literary Award distribution programme and Cooperation Council Conference in Ahmednagar.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Srinagar, Dec 19: An unidentified militant was killed in an encounter with security forces in Harwan area of the city, police said on Sunday. The encounter took place in the night, they said.

The police said the encounter broke out after security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Harwan area of the city following specific input about the presence of militants in the area.

Also Read | Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi Condemns Sacrilege Attempt of Guru Granth Sahib at Golden Temple in Amritsar.

They said the identity and group affiliation of the slain militant was being ascertained.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Jammu, Dec 19 (PTI) Angry residents of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday staged protests over total blackout in several parts of the region, as the strike by power development department employees against privatisation and other issues entered second day despite the administration's request to resume work, officials said.

Over 20,000 power sector employees had boycotted work around midnight on Friday in support of their various demands, including shelving of a proposed joint venture between the Jammu and Kashmir Power Transmission Corporation Limited and the Power Grid Corporation of India Limited.

Also Read | LIC IPO: Valuation Delay May Push IPO Plan Beyond Financial Year 2022; Govt Confident of Issue This Fiscal.

The employees, from all unions and associations, from linemen to senior engineers, decided to go on indefinite strike after failure of talks with the government, and staged demonstrations in the twin capital cities besides in district headquarters for the second day on Sunday, a spokesperson of the coordination committee of power supply employees said.

Officials said many parts of the Union Territory witnessed total blackout due to the ongoing strike, as a result of which people are facing tremendous hardships due to non-availability of electricity and water supply, leading to protests by angry residents in Jammu city and other districts who are reeling under severe cold wave conditions.

Also Read | Gurugram: Brother-in-Law Booked for Killing Woman After Fight; Accused at Large.

The spokesperson said they had presented a four-point formula to the government, but it failed to accept their demands, including a white paper on non-fulfillment of the recommendations of the unbundling report and the failure to create positions as mandated by the committee at gazetted and non-gazetted levels, regularisation of daily wagers and all power development department engineers.

They are also demanding delinking their salary from grant-in-aid and releasing a regular budget for all PDD employees on deputation to different corporations and a white paper of service condition of PDD employees on deputation to the Chenab Valley Power Projects Private Limited (CVPPL) and similarly situated employees deputed from the NHPC.

An official spokesman said the government of J&K, taking a sympathetic view of the issues raised, has engaged in several rounds of talks with the coordination committee of the power employees.

During each round of talks, the government representatives have appealed to the power employees to call off their strike as people in both Jammu and Kashmir divisions are suffering. In the wake of COVID-19 contagion and nail-biting cold in both the divisions, the coordination committee of the power employees is requested to end its strike, the spokesman said.

Reacting to the situation, Union minister Jitendra Singh expressed hope of a peaceful resolution to the issue at the earliest.

The administration is on the job the time cannot be stopped as we have to keep pace with development in the rest of the country. The employees are part of the society and if they feel insecure, it is the responsibility of the rulers to address their concerns and move forward along with them, he told reporters here.

National Conference vice president and former chief minister Omar Abdullah asked the government to leave privatisation decisions to an elected government.

The J&K administration may be able to claim the constitutional authority to privatise the assets of J&K, but it completely lacks the political authority. Decisions of this nature with far reaching consequences should be left to an elected government, he wrote on Twitter.

The striking employees have made it clear that the repairs and restoration work would not be undertaken at all unless the feeder is supplied to any hospital.

Senior BJP leader and former legislator Devender Singh Rana also expressed concern over many parts of the Jammu city as also peripheries plunging into darkness and urged the administration to take earnest measures in resolving the issues with the striking employees, especially during these chilly days.

He hoped that all concerned will act responsibly as the stakes are very high, not only in terms of restoring electricity in the affected areas, but also to ensure that students do not suffer as they are solely dependent on online classes and examinations.

Failure in power supply is impacting the internet services, he added.

Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party president Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari also expressed serious concerns over the indefinite strike in opposition to a government decision that intends to privatise grid stations.

Over 20,000 electrical employees are currently on a strike due to which numerous areas across J&K are facing prolonged power blackouts and lingering of essential repair works. All of this is happening in the harsh cold winter season which is exponentially adding to the existing woes of the general public, he observed.

Bukhari demanded that the government should review its decision at an earliest to resolve this deadlock with the concerned employee's association in order to avoid further inconvenience to the people.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Belagavi (Karnataka) [India], December 19 (ANI): Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday said that the security of Kannadigas who are settled in Maharashtra is the MVA government's responsibility.

Reacting to the recent incident of Belagavi vandalism of Friday night, Bommai said, "Maintaining law and order in Karnataka is our responsibility. Similarly, it is the responsibility of the Maharashtra government to maintain law and order there."

Also Read | Pune: Three Booked For Sexually Exploiting, Threatening Model After Promising Her Film Role.

Referring to vandalism incidents and of stone-pelting buses and private vehicles, the Chief Minister said, "Our Director General of Police will speak to his counterpart in Maharashtra about the security of Kannadigas there and the attack on buses and private vehicles from Karnataka. Our Home Minister will take up the issue with his Maharashtra counterpart. Then, if necessary, I will speak to the Maharashtra Chief Minister."

Notably, Section 144 CrPC has been imposed in Belagavi for two days beginning Sunday morning following protests after reports of vandalisation of statues of Chhatrapati Shivaji and freedom fighter Sangolli Rayanna.

Also Read | KMC Elections 2021: Voting Begins in 144 Wards of Kolkata Municipal Corporation.

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut gave a call for Marathas to unite, to which Bommai said, "Responsible people should never incite anyone under any circumstances."

"Chatrapati Shivaji, Sangolli Rayanna and Kitturu Rani Chennamma fought against the British for freedom. They fought to unite the country. We will be doing a disservice to them if we fight to divide society. Nobody should incite the people to take law into their own hands," he added.

Tension erupted in Belagavi after a purported video that showed some people pouring black ink on the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Sankey Tank Road in Bengaluru went viral.

Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) followers gathered in Belagavi and protested against the Karnataka government at Dharmaveer Sambhaji Maharaj Chowk.

The miscreants smashed around 26 vehicles of the Karnataka government and police at Belagavi.

The protestors alleged that Kannada goons have defaced a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Bangalore. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], December 19 (ANI): Amid continuous ruckus by the opposition, the productivity of Rajya Sabha hit a low of 37.60 per cent during the third week of the ongoing winter session pulling down the functionality of the House for the first three weeks to 46.70.

According to Rajya Sabha Secretariat, the productivity of Rajya Sabha was 49.70 per cent and 52.50 per cent for the first and second weeks respectively.

Also Read | Dr Kafeel Khans Book on Gorakhpur Tragedy, His Journey.

During the third week, the House could function for only 10 hours 14 minutes of the total scheduled sitting time of 27 hours 11 minutes, losing 62.40 per cent of available time on account of disruptions and forced adjournments on the issue of suspension of 12 members of the House.

During the third week, Question Hour which is meant for seeking the accountability of the Government has suffered the most with only four of the 75 listed Starred Questions orally answered by the concerned ministers, said the RS Secretariat

Also Read | Amit Shah Offers Prayers at Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati Temple in Pune.

Only 11.40 per cent of the time available for Question Hour was utilized during the week. On the other hand, 62.70 per cent of the functional time has been spent on the government's legislative business. Three Bills were passed and returned during the week after discussing for a total time of 6 hours and 25 minutes in which 33 members participated.

A short duration discussion on 'Situation arising out of the cases of Omicron variant of COVID-19' taken up during the week remained inconclusive. This discussion is listed for resumption on Monday.

RS Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu adjourned the House on Friday last after 17 minutes of Zero Hour urging the government and the opposition parties to resolve the stalemate on the suspension issue.

During the 15 sittings of the first three weeks of the ongoing monsoon session, the House functioned for less than an hour per day for six sittings. The productivity of the House has been 75 per cent or more on six days. About 42 per cent of the functional time of the House has been spent on the Government's legislative business passing a total of eight Bills so far. Only about 18 per cent of the time has been spent on the Question Hour with only 56 of the 217 listed questions orally answered, said the RS Secretariat statement.

So far, 81 Zero Hour and 47 Special Mentions were made in the House during the three weeks of winter session.

The Mediation Bill, 2021 seeking to promote resolution of disputes including commercial is listed for the introduction on Monday in the Rajya Sabha.

The Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Amendment) Bill, 2021 as passed by Lok Sabha has been listed for consideration and passing on Monday.

The winter session of the Parliament is likely to conclude on December 23. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Thane, Dec 19 (PTI) Police have arrested two men and a woman after seizing drugs worth Rs 4.65 lakh from their possession in Maharashtra's Thane district, an official said on Sunday.

Also Read | Uttar Pradesh: Khaps Oppose Centres Decision to Raise Eligibility Age of Women For Marriage to 21 Years, To Hold Panchayat Soon.

Acting on a tip-off, the police's anti-narcotics cell laid a trap on Friday in Shil-Daighar area and nabbed the three persons when they arrived there, senior police inspector Vijay Powar said.

Also Read | Earthquake in Andaman and Nicobar: Quake of Magnitude 4.9 Hits Diglipur.

The police seized from them 17 gm of mephedrone (MD) powder and 170 gm of ketamine, collectively valued at Rs 4,65,300, he said.

The accused were identified as Sajid Ali Maniar, Niyaz Khan and Shagufta Shaikh, he said, adding that the police were trying to find out from where they got the drugs and to whom they were planning to sell them.

A case was registered against them under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

They were on Saturday produced before a local magistrate who remanded them in police custody till December 23, the police added.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Kolkata, Dec 19 (PTI) The jute sector has suffered a notional loss of Rs 1,500 crore due to dilution of 4.81 lakh bales of hessian bag orders in favour of plastic materials for foodgrain packaging during the ongoing season, industry sources said on Sunday.

Also Read | LIC IPO: Valuation Delay May Push IPO Plan Beyond Financial Year 2022; Govt Confident of Issue This Fiscal.

The dilution was witnessed despite the support of the Centre and the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal, a major jute producing state, they said.

Also Read | Weather Forecast: Cold Wave Conditions Likely Over Parts of UP, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh Till December 21, Says IMD.

"In November and December, there was a dilution of 4.8 lakh bales of jute bags as millers were not able to supply that quantity of packaging material. This resulted in an estimated loss of Rs 1,500 crore," an industry source told PTI.

The Narendra Modi government had, in November, approved reservation norms for mandatory use of hessian sacks in packaging for the jute year 2021-22.

The norms provide for 100 per cent reservation of foodgrains and 20 per cent of sugar to be compulsorily packed in jute bags.

The Centre decided to protect the interest of domestic raw jute producers, after the West Bengal government had requested it not to dilute the mandatory packaging order, another industry source said.

However, the Standing Advisory Committee on packaging of foodgrains in jute bags had recommended dilution of the order.

"The PM and the CM have extended full support but the problem is with the ceiling price of raw jute which is the major bottleneck to increase production of the packaging material," a miller said on condition of anonymity.

Elaborating on the problem that mills are facing, he said, the prevailing market price of raw jute is around Rs 7,200 per quintal, while the Jute Commissioner's Office had imposed a ceiling price of Rs 6,500 per quintal for sourcing the raw material for mills.

"We are unable to procure the raw material at the fixed price, and thus production and supply of the hessian bags got hampered," he said.

Jute mills were supposed to supply 2.50 lakh bales of bags in November and 2.31 lakh bales in December but they failed to do so as there was chaos in the market over fixing of raw jute price, the sources said.

The total annual purchase of jute bags by the Centre and the state agencies is around Rs 12,000 crore.

Currently, the running price of one bale of gunny bags (1 bale is equal to 500 jute bags) is around Rs 31,000.

Indian Jute Mills Association revised its supply commitment from 16.25 lakh bales to 13.5 lakh bales for Rabi marketing season 2022-23, as the raw material issues may further affect production of mills, the sources said.

The Jute Commissioner's Office, however, has allayed fear of any crisis and pointed out that there is no shortfall in the production.

The government has already started buying jute bags for Rabi crops but there was a backlog of 3 lakh bales, which was supposed to be supplied for the Kharif season before November 1, an IJMA official said.

During the 2022-23 season, millers can supply up to 28.5 lakh bales, while the total annual jute bag requirement of the government will be around 45.88 lakh bales, of which 26.8 lakh bales are meant for rice and 19.08 lakh bales for wheat, they said.

According to an expert committee, the raw jute production is pegged at 85-90 lakh bales during the year. Jute mills are expected to consume 70 lakh bales, while industrial consumption would be around 10 lakh bales and exports are likely to be two lakh bales.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], December 19 (ANI): Kazakhstan Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi on Sunday said the country is looking forward to organize a high-level visit by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to India next year.

At the opening remarks at the 3rd meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue here, Tileuberdi said, "We are eager to maintain a trustworthy political dialogue and look forward to organizing a high-level visit by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to India next year. That could coincide with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries. During the events that we have scheduled for the next year will certainly help to boost bilateral political, economic, cultural and humanitarian ties."

Also Read | Afghanistan: Government Employees Take to Streets in Kabul Over Unpaid Salaries.

Jaishankar is hosting the third meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue that is aimed to further strengthen ties between the member countries, with a particular focus on trade, connectivity and development cooperation.

This event, which will last till December 20, will see participation from Foreign Ministers of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

Also Read | Earthquake in China: Quake of Magnitude 5.3 Strikes Qinghai.

During his opening remarks, Tileuberdi said that strategic partnership with India is growing dynamically and are committed to fostering constructive cooperation in all its dimensions including economic and political spheres.

He continued by saying that "I'm confident that this forum serves as yet another milestone even to reaffirm our shared priorities and commitment to elevate our partnership to the quality of new level."

It's very symbolic that our meeting is taking place at a time when Central Asia nations are celebrating their 30th anniversary of independence, he added. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New York [US], December 19 (ANI/Xinhua): United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Saturday that showing solidarity with migrants is more important than ever in his message on International Migrants Day, celebrated each year on Dec. 18.

"Solidarity with migrants has never been more urgent," said the UN chief, adding that "we need more effective international cooperation and a more compassionate approach to migration."

Also Read | More Than 35,000 Java Packages Impacted by Log4j Vulnerabilities, Says Google.

Guterres said that "on this International Migrants Day, we recognize the contributions of migrants across the world in the face of many struggles including the COVID-19 pandemic."

However, he said that "migrants continue to face widespread stigmatization, inequalities, xenophobia, and racism. Migrant women and girls face heightened risk of gender-based violence and have fewer options to seek support."

Also Read | Typhoon Rai: Death Toll Due to Typhoon in Philippines Increases to 65.

"With borders closed, many migrants are stranded without income or shelter, unable to return home, separated from their families, and with uncertain futures," Guterres noted.

According to the UN, approximately 281 million people were international migrants in 2020, representing 3.6 percent of the global population. The year 2021's theme for the International Migrants Day is "harnessing the potential of human mobility."

For the UN chief, the world needs more effective international cooperation and a more compassionate approach to accomplish that goal.

"This means managing borders humanely, fully respecting the human rights and humanitarian needs of everyone and ensuring that migrants are included in national COVID-19 vaccination plans," he said.It also means recognizing pathways for regular entry and addressing the drivers of migration, such as deep inequalities and human trafficking.

Next year, the International Migration Review Forum will take stock of progress in implementing the milestone Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.

For the UN chief, this "is an opportunity to advance efforts to ensure the full inclusion of migrants as we seek to build more resilient, just and sustainable societies."

On Dec. 18, 1990, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.

Each year on Dec. 18, the United Nations, through the UN-related agency International Organization for Migration, uses the day to highlight the contributions made by migrants and the challenges they face. (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)
Pune, December 19: A 25-year-old model aspiring to be an actress, from Hadapsar in Maharashtras Pune has lodged a complaint against three persons on Friday, accusing them of sexually exploiting her. Following her complaint, the Warje police booked the three accused, including a man who is into film production, for rape under relevant provisions. Kerala: Priest Arrested for Sexually Abusing Minor Girl in Ernakulam

According to a report published in The Times of India, the alleged sexual exploitation took place between July 2017 and July this year, according to the police. The accused, who did a photoshoot with the complainant, even attempted to extort a sum of Rs 10 lakh from her by threatening to circulate her pictures on social media. They had already received Rs 6.41 from the complainant under the pretext of providing her work in films.

The complainant, a model by profession, aspired to be an actress. She has worked in short films. One of the accused works in film productions and the model met him during a short films shooting. He allegedly sexually exploited her after promising her a film role. Odisha: 37-Year-Old Railway Station Master Arrested for Sexually Harassing Minor in Ariyalur

Police said "He then promised her a role in the film, and sexually exploited her on the pretext of giving her the role. The two used to meet in isolated venues and take photographs together.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 19, 2021 09:09 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
The government refuted speculation around the initial public offer (IPO) of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) on Sunday and said that the plan is on course for the IPO in the last quarter of this fiscal. Reportedly, LIC's IPO is unlikely to take place in the current financial year ending March 2022.

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Some media speculation doubting the feasibility of LIC IPO this fiscal year is not correct. It is reiterated that plan is on course for the IPO in the last quarter of this fiscal. pic.twitter.com/E01nDZjnSu  Secretary, DIPAM (@SecyDIPAM) December 19, 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.)
iQoo is set to expand its Neo Series by adding a new handset to its lineup. The Chinese phone maker will launch iQoo Neo 5 SE in China on December 20. The company made this announcement through its official account on Weibo. The Vivo subsidiary also dropped a first teaser of the handset confirming its design and some of its key features ahead of the launch. Moreover, the iQoo Neo 5S will also be launched on the same day. Vivo V23 Pro Reportedly Spotted on Geekbench, Launch Expected on January 4, 2022.

As per the teaser, the upcoming iQoo Neo 5 SE will come in three shades - dark blue, blue gradient, and white. It will sport a triple rear camera module, centrally placed hole-punch for selfie shooter, USB Type-C port, a SIM card slot, and more.

iQoo Neo 5 SE (Photo Credits: Weibo)

The iQoo Neo 5 SE is likely to be powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 1200 chipset. It will be equipped with a 50MP rear camera setup with LED flash. It is expected to get a fingerprint sensor-embedded power button. Previous reports suggested that it could get 66W fast charging support.

The iQoo Neo 5 S, on the other hand, will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC. It is said to feature a secondary chipset called the 'Display Chip Pro' that will reduce the rendering load on the GPU. For photos and videos, there will be a triple rear camera module with OIS support.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 20, 2021 12:12 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
New Delhi, Dec 19: As the world scrambles to plug serious security bugs that can derail the Internet for millions, Google has said that more than 35,000 Java packages, amounting to over 8 per cent of the Maven Central repository (the most significant Java package repository), have been impacted by the recently disclosed vulnerabilities with widespread fallout across the software industry. Apache Log4j2 Vulnerability: Hackers Making Over 100 Attempts To Exploit a Critical Security, Warn Cyber Researchers

Cyber criminals are making thousands of attempts to exploit a second vulnerability involving a Java logging system called 'Apache log4j2'.

According to Google, this vulnerability has captivated the information security ecosystem since its disclosure on December 9 because of both its severity and widespread impact.

"As a popular logging tool, 'log4j' is used by tens of thousands of software packages (known as 'artifacts' in the Java ecosystem) and projects across the software industry," Google said in a blog post.

User's lack of visibility into their dependencies and transitive dependencies has made patching difficult; it has also made it "difficult to determine the full blast radius of this vulnerability".

As of December 16, Google found that 35,863 of the available Java 'artifacts' from Maven Central depend on the affected log4j code.

This means that more than 8 per cent of all packages on Maven Central have at least one version that is impacted by this vulnerability.

"As far as ecosystem impact goes, 8% is enormous. The average ecosystem impact of advisories affecting Maven Central is 2%, with the median less than 0.1%," said Google.

So far, nearly 5,000 'artifacts' have been patched, leaving more than 30,000 more.

Meanwhile, Apache has released version 2.17.0 of the patch for Log4j after discovering issues with their previous release, which came out last week.

On Friday, security researchers tweeted about potential issues with 2.16.0, with some identifying the "denial of service vulnerability".

Cybersecurity firms have found that major ransomware groups like Conti are exploring ways to take advantage of the vulnerability.

They warned that hackers were making over 100 attempts every minute to exploit a critical security vulnerability in the widely-used Java logging system called 'Apache log4j2', leaving millions of companies globally at cyber theft risk.

Several popular services, including Apple iCloud, Amazon, Twitter, Cloudflare and Minecraft, are vulnerable to this 'ubiquitous' zero-day exploit, now dubbed as one of the most serious vulnerabilities on the Internet in recent years. Global Ransomware Attacks Fueled by Unregulated Cryptocurrencies, Says Report

'Apache Log4j' is used in many forms of enterprise and open-source software, including cloud platforms, web applications and email services.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 19, 2021 12:14 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
The sun had yet to rise over the northern Syrian village of Al Tokhar on July 19 when a U.S. airstrike obliterated much of the town, leveling adobe buildings and killing families as they slept.

Soon grisly photos of bloody corpses and grieving survivors began appearing on social media, alerting the world to the carnage.

A Pentagon statement issued Thursday said the bombing of Al Tokhar killed about 100 Islamic State fighters. But it also mistakenly killed up to 24 civilians who, it said, were believed to have fled the area.

The total is far fewer than the 100 or so civilian casualties that independent Syrian monitoring groups blamed on the airstrike. But its still the worst civilian death toll from a single U.S. raid since the war against Islamic State began in mid-2014.

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The case, days after the Pentagon acknowledged a coalition air raid in September had killed dozens of Syrian-backed troops in error, highlights the limits of an air war that relies on highly trained crews and the most high-tech aircraft, targeting and munitions in history.

Six additional botched airstrikes have killed 30 civilians in Iraq and Syria this year, according to the Pentagon, bringing the official civilian death toll from U.S. mistakes to 173 since mid-2014.

Several hundred civilians also have been reported killed in U.S. airstrikes in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia in recent years, though exact figures are difficult to pin down.

In all, the Pentagon has received 257 allegations of civilian casualties since mid-2014. It has ruled 181 were not credible. Several officers and crew members have been disciplined, but none has been prosecuted for violating the laws of war.

U.S. officials say the death toll, while regrettable, is still remarkably low given the relentless pace of bombing by coalition aircraft: more than 60,000 munitions have been dropped in Iraq and Syria over the last 30 months.

They also note that Russian and Syrian airstrikes against rebel positions in Syria have killed many more civilians, partly because they have hit hospitals, schools and other targets in the countrys bitter civil war.

Do we make mistakes? Sure, we do, but it isnt deliberate, said retired Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula, now dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies in Arlington, Va. I can promise you: there isnt a military in the world that takes the time and care to avoid civilian casualties like the United States.

The Obama administrations efforts to limit risk to U.S. pilots and ground forces has increased reliance on local forces and surveillance aircraft to accurately identify targets. That has sometimes led to faulty intelligence and inaccurate targeting.

Even though the U.S. military is unparalleled in their targeting processes, bad things happen, said Micah Zenko, a senior fellow at the nonpartisan Council on Foreign Relations. The errors come from both the ground and the sky. Advances in technology may improve processes but they can never be made perfect.

On Sept. 10, for instance, U.S. warplanes targeted an Islamic State tactical unit in the militants Syrian stronghold of Raqqah. It instead killed five civilians, according to a Pentagon investigation.

A week later, an hourlong air raid on a garrison in the eastern Syrian town of Dair Alzour mistakenly killed about 60 Syrian government-backed troops, rather than Islamic State fighters.

Pentagon investigators later determined that an analysts warning that surveillance did not indicate that Islamic State was at the camp was not forwarded to the commanders who authorized the attack.

On Sept. 28, an American drone had a group of Al Qaeda-linked Shabab fighters in its sights in the north-central Somalian city of Galkayo. It instead mistakenly killed 10 members of an allied militia.

The following day, the United Nations condemned a U.S. airstrike that it said had killed at least 15 civilians in Afghanistans Nangarhar province. The attack was supposed to be aimed at Islamic State.

Norton Schwartz, former Air Force chief of staff, said the Obama administration is clearly uncomfortable with the loss of American lives in combat and has tried to thread the needle by carrying out complex operations primarily from the sky.

Without eyes on the target, you open yourself up to false information and run a higher risk of causing a deadly mistake, he said. The Air Force will hit whatever we aim at. The question is whether its the right target.

The military was convinced it had identified the right target in Al Tokhar.

U.S. reconnaissance drones had prowled above the Syrian town for weeks, hunting for Islamic State positions. U.S. aircraft were supporting advancing Syrian Democratic Forces, a loose alliance dominated by Syrian Kurdish militiamen working alongside Arab and Turkmen.

The village was near Manbij, a strategic border town then held by Islamic State but under siege from the rebel forces. Early on July 19, the alliance radioed they were being shelled and feared an Islamic State counterattack.

U.S. and coalition commanders at the air operation center in Qatar responded by scrambling two A-10 attack jets and a B-52 bomber while a drone circled above the town.

Their attack was brief but deadly, said Mohammad, who was reached in Al Tokhar on Facebook but did not want his last name used out of concern for his safety.

You could say there were 11 or 12 missiles, he said. On our house, two missiles fell. On the one beside us there were six and the rest on the third house.

Five or six families lived in each house, he said.

Once the strike occurred, those who were still alive ran out to see what was going on, but once they would get out, they saw the body parts and their neighbors wounded, they would run back inside, he said. It was horrific.

Jamaily, who also declined to use his last name, said Kurdish and Islamic State fighters had clashed all day. So, he said, his family and others fled north to a refugee camp by a high school.

They told me they literally flew up in the air from the shaking of the ground back in Al Tokhar, he said via Facebook.

Photographs of bloody corpses soon began to appear on Facebook and Twitter. One showed a man carrying a limp child coated in dust; another showed a body in a shallow grave.

A U.S. military investigation later found some of the photos were fakes that had been posted online after previous attacks. But some were new and the Pentagon ordered a review of the attack.

Investigators did not visit the village but they reviewed surveillance video almost frame by frame to find out what happened, said a U.S. military official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the process.

It turned out, unbeknownst to us, that there were civilians interspersed with the forces we hit, he added.

The Syrian Network for Human Rights, an independent group that tracks casualties in Syria, said up to 98 civilians were killed. It provided names and images of dead bodies, all appearing to be civilian and including children.

We have a list composed by several sources of evidence: names, photos, videos, testimonies, Fadel Abdul Ghany, director of the group, said. Like all of our reports, this is not estimation, this is reality.

Special correspondent Nabih Bulos in Amman, Jordan, contributed to this report.

william.hennigan@latimes.com

Twitter: @wjhenn

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Laois Paralympian Bronze medalist Gary O'Reilly is to lead the 2022 Timahoe New Year's Day walk that has been renamed this year in honour of its organiser.

The walk which raises money for the Laois branch of the Irish Wheelchair Association was organised for 20 years by the late John Dalton.

Johnny died on January 3 this year, just four months after his son John also died.

The Dalton family are going to keep the walk going in Johnny's memory and have enlisted Portlaoise wheelchair cyclist Gary O'Reilly, who won for Ireland in Tokyo this year, to lead it out.

David Dalton told the Leinster Express that they wanted to do it in their dad's honour.

"Daddy was very popular and well known but he never got to have the funeral he deserved and wanted. He kept the walk going for 20 years, the only thing that stopped it this year was Covid restrictions, not his health or the will to do it.

"We decided it wasn't right to let it go, but we could use it to recognise what this walk meant to him and what he did with his life. Covid may play a part again this year but we hope it can stay going, with social distancing," David said.

"Gary O'Reilly is our paralympic hero. Daddy always managed to get an up to the minute local celebrity so we said we couldn't break that tradition, and because of Gary's ties to the Irish Wheelchair Association it is quite fitting," he said.

The money stays in Laois for Laois wheelchair users.

"It really changes people's lives. It pays to bring them shopping or maybe give them a few days away. That doesn't sound a lot but when you don't have a lot it makes a fierce impact. It is important that fund keeps going," David said.

There are two walks to choose from, a 6km and a 10km, leaving Timahoe village at 1pm on New Year's Day and heading into scenic Fossey Mountain, returning for hot beverages and soup, made by Johnny's son Pat who is a chef.

Walkers can choose to donate on the day to a bucket collection, with proceeds divided between the Fatima Invalid Fund and the IWA Laois branch.

There is also a Gofundme page for online donations, or David can be contacted on 087 1305448 for a sponsorship card.
The guests have been revealed for tonight's Late Late Show on RTE One.

This Friday night marks the final Late Late Show of 2021 at the end of an extraordinary year which began in January with the live vaccinations of health care workers. Throughout the year The Late Late brought the Irish Diaspora together in a global session on St. Patricks night, gave a much-needed leg-up to Irish business on the Taking Care of Business special, put the children in charge for a record-breaking Toy Show and raised another 6.6 million for childrens charities through the Toy Show Appeal  bringing the total of monies raised for Irish charities on The Late Late Show in 2020/2021 to an incredible 26 million!

And to wrap up 2021, this tonights show will highlight the remarkable work of the St. Vincent de Paul Annual Appeal, as the charity prepares to help thousands of families across Ireland to have a brighter Christmas.

Writer, producer, actor, comedian Brendan OCarroll will be joined on the couch by his wife, business partner and co-star Jenny Gibney to talk to Ryan about their special connection to the St. Vincent de Paul charity and their plans for a proper family Christmas at home in Ireland.

Hollywood actor, proud Dubliner, Colin Farrell will be lending his support to the call for St. Vincent de Paul as will the irrepressible Majella O'Donnell. TikTok sensation magician Joel M, also supporting the SVP, will demonstrate some of the festive magic that has helped him amass almost 2 billion views and 18 million followers across social media. And its a family affair as father Pat Shortt and daughter Faye will be on the show to talk about their plans for Christmas and an update on their comedy duo act.

And in a very special moment for The Late Late Show, The Corrs frontwoman Andrea Corr and The Rolling Stones rock and roll legend Ronnie Wood will perform the Elvis classic Blue Christmas in-studio - their charity single in support of Our Ladys Hospice & Care Services.

The duo will also join Ryan on the couch to chat about their collaboration. Theres more music from the outstanding Irish musical talent, Susan ONeill, with a beautiful performance of Joni Mitchells River'.

Catch The Late Late Show on RTE One, Friday, December 17th at 9:35pm.
Ireland is in the midst of a Decade of Commemorations to mark momentuous events in the history of the State which took place almost on a weekly basis 100 years ago.

One such anniversary related to Kildare took place last week.

The signing of Anglo-Irish Treaty in London on December 6 led to the release of IRA prisoners from internment camps in Ireland and the UK.

Three County Kildare men were being held at Ballykinlar camp in Co Down and they were freed 100 years ago last week  on December 9, 1921.

Old IRA members Richard Murphy, Joe May and John Bapty Maher were met with a hostile reaction when they made their long journey home.

Richard later died in 1950 but many family members are still alive and his son, also Richard, contacted the Leader last week to inform us of the centenary of his release.

Following Bloody Sunday in November 1920, hundreds of people were arrested by British authorities which opened several internment camps throughout Ireland.

In total, there were around 26 Kildare men in Ballykinlar at the time.

Ballykinlar Internment Camp was the first mass internment camp to be established by the British in Ireland during the War of Independence.

It became home to hundreds of Irish men arrested by the British  including several Kildare natives.

According to historian James Durney, three special trains brought the men to Dublin, from where the internees made their own way to their home counties.

The trains were attacked by loyalist mobs with gunfire, bricks and stones at several locations.

John Bapty Maher was paraded shoulder-high through the streets by an enthusiastic crowd of supporters to his home in Leinster Street in Athy.

Richard said: My father was never in good health after being released. Many people compared Ballykinlar to the concentration camps in terms of the harsh conditions. He talked very little about his experiences.

He went back to work in Murphys Garage which was where Petitts supermarket is today.

Tracing his family roots, he added: My father was a native of Kilcrowe near Castlemitchell.

He was married to my mother, Molly Dooley of Dooleys Bakery in the town and there were five of us in the family - two boys and three girls. We lived in William Street in Athy.

I joined the Air Corps and now live in Dublin. My brother Billy or Bill went into An Garda Siochana in 1954 and is still with us.

My sister Bernadette or Berry Bowden still lives in Athy.

Kildare County Council is currently considering a reecommendation from the Decade of Commemoration Committee about a memorial in Athy to commemorate local people and local events.
Kildare local historian and author Mario Corrigan is currently researching the seven men from Kildare, Milltown and the Rathbride area who died by firing squad on December 19, 1922, in what was the single largest execution during the Irish Civil War.

The men, who ranged in age from 18 to 37, had operated as an Active Service Unit in the Kildare/Curragh area and had been mostly responsible for attacks on the railway lines from Newbridge to Cherryville. They did so under the threat of facing the death penalty if found under arms.

National Army troops had been searching for them and on the night of December 12 and 13, 1922, they found 10 men and a quantity of arms, ammunition, and explosives in a dug-out at the Moore family farmhouse at Rathbride Bridge (Mooresbridge). Ten men and one woman (Annie Moore) were arrested, and the men transported to the Curragh Camp.

It was reported that Thomas Behan of Rathangan was shot and killed while trying to escape that very night and after trial by military court seven of the renaming men were executed on the morning of December 19. Behans body was returned to his family for burial, but the bodies of the seven were buried in the prison yard at the Curragh Military Prison (the Glasshouse), until they were eventually repatriated in 1924.

Six of the men were re-interred at Grey Abbey graveyard in Kildare Town where a monument was later erected by the National Graves Association. A Celtic cross was unveiled in 1935 by republican priest Fr Michael OFlanagan on the Market Square in Kildare town.

This story needs to be told: the story of the men and the heart-breaking story of Annie Moore whose brother and fiance were both executed while she was in prison in Dublin. But also, the story of the families who were left behind.

Mario is looking for any information or anecdotes people may have on the executions and the Rathbride Column, as they were termed by historian James Durney; any photographs, memorial cards, medals or other ephemera that could be copied or photographed so that the story of the Curragh executions can be told in full.

Over the years descendants of these men and women have been in touch from as far away as the UK and Canada but there may be other relatives and local families who would have heard accounts of what happened which would be useful. There is a need to talk of the tragedy and to bring the events to light in time for the centenary of the executions in 2022; this December we will mark the 99th anniversary of the executions but it is still a mystery to many people.

Mario grew up in Kildare town where, he says, the event was not spoken of. The first time it was publicly discussed was in 2003 when AJ Mullowney delivered a lecture to Cill Dara Historical Society.

Recently Mario Corrigan and James Durney published a booklet on Thomas Behan which is free to download or collect through Kildare Library Service, the Decade of Commemorations Committee and the County Kildare Federation of Local History Groups.

Those men from the Rathbride Column who were executed were officially recorded as:

Stephen White (18) from Abbey St., Kildare; Joseph Johnston (18) from Station Rd., Kildare; Patrick Mangan (22) from Fair Green, Kildare; Patrick Nolan (34) from Rathbride, Kildare; Brian Moore (37) from Rathbride, Kildare; James OConnor (24) from Bansha, Co. Tipperary; Patrick Bagnall (19) Fair Green, Kildare.

Annie Moore, Rathbride, was arrested on the night of the mens capture and Thomas Behan was killed that night.

If anyone has information on these men and this woman or information or ephemera relating to the executions please contact Mario Corrigan at mariocorrigan@gmail.com or 086 8913274.
Lord Frosts replacement as Brexit minister will need to find solutions to make the Northern Ireland Protocol work, Stormonts deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill has said.

She said businesses have been left high and dry by Brexit uncertainty and stability is required.

Lord Frost announced he had resigned with immediate effect on Saturday as he told Boris Johnson that building a new relationship with the EU would be a long-term task.

He had been leading negotiations with the EU over the Northern Ireland Protocol, the part of the Brexit divorce deal which ensures a free flowing border on the island of Ireland but which has created a series of new checks and processes on Irish Sea trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

London and Brussels are trying to reach agreement that would reduce customs paperwork and the numbers of checks and inspections required on goods.

Ms ONeill told the BBC Sunday Politics programme: This is the same David Frost who negotiated Brexit and he has worked to undermine it every day since.

I am less concerned about what is going on in the Tory Party and the dismay and the disruption.

What I am more concerned about is that the protocol is made to work, that pragmatic solutions are found, that certainty and stability is achieved for all of our business community here who have been left high and dry in terms of uncertainty because of the Brexit mess.

David Frost will be replaced by another minister and whoever that minister is, they need to find solutions, work with the EU, make the protocol work and provide that certainty and stability that is desperately required.

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, who has repeatedly threatened to pull down the Stormont powersharing institutions over the protocol, said the resignation of Lord Frost is a bad sign for the Prime Ministers commitment to removing the Irish Sea border.





Sir Jeffrey said: This Government is distracted by internal strife, and Lord Frost was being frustrated on a number of fronts.

We wish David well. We enjoyed a strong relationship with him and his team, but this raises more serious questions for the Prime Minister and his approach to the NI Protocol.

Whether on Northern Irelands access to medicines, our economic prosperity and trade with the rest of the United Kingdom, or on the growing divergence between NI and GB, this protocol has been a deeply damaging deal for the people we represent.

The Prime Minister must now urgently decide which is more important  the protocol or the stability of the political institutions.

Ulster Unionist Party leader Doug Beattie said a new Brexit minister need to be appointed quickly.

He said: The negotiations on the Northern Ireland Protocol are moving in a sequential manner, first with medicines, then trade, the democratic deficit and the role of the ECJ.

Following the resignation of Lord Frost, it is important that a new lead negotiator is put in place quickly who understands the issues that need to be dealt with.

The protocol negotiations are at a critical juncture and what we need to see are solutions that remove the Irish Sea border and fully respect Northern Irelands place within the United Kingdom.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said the protocol negotiations cannot become a victim to the chaos at the heart of Government in London.

He added: Frosts resignation is an opportunity to reset the approach to the dialogue with the European Commission, to refresh the relationship with the EU and to return to the solutions that are presented to these challenges in the Good Friday Agreement.

My clear view is that Boris Johnsons days as British Prime Minister are numbered.

He has lost control of his parliamentary party, ministers are beginning to desert his Government, and his moral authority, if it ever existed, is in tatters.

The next phase of politics between and across these islands must be marked by a commitment to co-operation in the best interests of the people we represent.
More than 300 Leitrim national school children are joining a campaign thats planting more than a million trees in Ireland and Africa, this year.

In the lead up to Christmas, close to 20 class groups from five national schools will hold tree planting ceremonies on school grounds and public land, and will lend their backing to communities who will be planting tens of thousands of new trees in Uganda, Kenya, Senegal and Malawi before the end of the year.

The schools initiative is part of the One Million Trees campaign, which will see Self Help Africa plant over a million trees this year.

Supported by the INTO teachers union, the campaign will see native Irish seedlings being distributed for planting by each participating class group. Workshops, collections and other activities are also being held in hundreds of schools to support tree planting activities in Africa.

INTO President Joe McKeown said that the campaign was a great opportunity for schoolchildren to learn more about trees, and climate issues, and also play their part in the worldwide effort to combat climate change.

The local schools that are taking part in the effort are Annaduff NS, Carrick-on-Shannon, Kiltyclougher NS, St Patricks NS, Drumshambo, Gealscoil Chluainin, Manorhamilton and Scoil Mhuire, Carrick-on-Shannon.

Young people are very aware of the challenges of global warming. A campaign like this gives them the change to engage directly with the issue, and also learn about the impact in parts of the world that are extremely vulnerable to climate change, he said.

To find out more visit: selfhelpafrica.org/ onemilliontrees

Please send in any photos of your school's tree planting ceremony to editor@leitrimobserver.ie
LIDL Ireland has announced that its annual festive fundraiser Trolley Dash has raised over 280,000 in support of charity partner JIGSAW, the national centre for youth mental health.

In Limerick, more than 7,375 was raised for the charity.

The fundraising initiative, now in its 7th year, has received phenomenal widespread support from customers across Lidls stores.

Over the past week, winning customers took to the aisles of their local store to scoop their Christmas shopping as part of the festive fundraiser.

Since its inauguration in 2014 the festive fundraiser has raised over 2million for the supermarket's charity partners and given away trolley loads of Christmas groceries to the lucky winners.

Commenting on the success of this years Trolley Dash, Lidl Ireland Head of CSR, Owen Keogh said: Its an incredible milestone to have raised over 280,000 in this years Trolley Dash, its a fun and festive way to mobilise efforts in support of a super charity."

He added that with restrictions over the past two years, looking after local communitys big and small has been more important than ever.

"The whole team at Lidl Ireland are heartened by the generosity and that so many customers wanted to contribute to a cause that has a real impact for those looking for support in times of need, he added.

Joseph Duffy, CEO of Jigsaw, has welcomed the donation.

We continue to see a significant increase in the demand for our services and supports across Ireland and it is so important that young people, their families, teachers and communities know that we are here to support them. Thank you so much to Lidl Ireland for this incredible donation from Trolley Dash, made possible by your generous customers - Thank you to everyone who bought a ticket and contributed in raising these vital funds."

Trolley Dash is just one of many initiatives by Lidl Ireland to fundraise for Jigsaw  the National Centre for Youth Mental Health and engage customers and local communities with various activities.

To find out more information about Lidl Ireland and their charity commitments see Lidl.ie.
AT its best, the newly constructed labyrinth in Dromcollogher could bring spiritual ease and a quietening of the mind. But even if these gifts elude you, there is something good to be taken away from this latest addition to the town.

The Dromcollogher Labyrinth is a replica of the Medieval Pathway labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral in France and is built on the site of the former parochial house which was burned down in September 2008, just a stones throw from the church.

The big question, parish priest Fr Frank ODea explained, was what to do with the derelict site left behind.

That question was answered following a number of visits to the Glencomeragh House, a hermitage and house of prayer in Co Waterford once run by the Rosminians but now by the Waterford Lismore Diocese.

There is a replica of the Chartres labyrinth in the grounds of Glencomeragh House and Fr ODea found it impressive.

With the idea of a labyrinth now in mind, a delegation from the Pastoral Council and from the Community Council went to inspect and, according to Fr ODea, were all of the same opinion.

Generous funding from a Covid Resilience fund through Limerick City and County Council helped transform the idea into reality.

Built of limestone and granite, the labyrinth is 42 feet in diameter but to complete the walk is almost one kilometre. A number of features make it uniquely Dromcollogher.

The starting slab, for example, is a hearth stone from the Costello family home, a family that gave long service to the local church and some terracotta tiles from the porch of the now-gone parochial house are inset nearby.

Labyrinths go back a long way. Some date from Neolithic Times and have existed in legend as well as in most religious traditions. In medieval times, the labyrinth in Chartres was designated a final stage in a pilgrimage. But as Fr ODea explained about the Dromcollogher one, it is Celtic. It is religious but it can be neutral. It is about mindfulness and reflecting.

For those who want to get the most out of the labyrinth or sacred path, Fr ODea explained the three stages of walking. the purgation or releasing as you walk to the centre, opening your heart, asking yourself what do I need to let go of. This is followed by illumination or receiving, as you enter the centre where you are advised to spend as much time as your want or need. This is the time to quiet your mind and just listen.

The third stage is union or returning where the journey out of the labyrinth is the time to reflect on your experience and to integrate what you have taken from it and bring it with you as you walk back into your life again.

Take a trip to Dromcollogher to experience it for yourself.
THE EAST Limerick branch of the Irish Red Cross will host a special fundraising Light Up event in Limerick this Sunday evening.

Light Up Limerick 2021 has been organised by the group to raise funds for a new ambulance base in the area.

The run will feature a number of vehicles decked out in their festive gear with tractors, trucks, cars and much more taking part.

Santa Claus will be leading the way as emergency vehicles along with motorbikes and trucks make their way to the city centre.

Speaking ahead of the event, Ambulance Officer David Ryan said that they are hoping the event will lift people's spirits across the county.

We are encouraging people to sign up and decorate their vehicles with lights and join us. We have had lots of sign ups so far, it has been busy but if anyone else wants to sign up they can contact us on our Facebook page.

Bucket collections will also take part on the night for people on the streets who have come out to see the event.

As part of the run there will also be a Blue Lights Appreciation section where crews from emergency services will spread some joy.

David said the event will be fully compliant with government guidelines given the Covid-19 situation.

The first Limerick branch of the Irish Red Cross was founded in 1940 and they now have over 600 members volunteering in the city and county.

The organisation offers a range of services including first aid and ambulance cover at events, first aid training, health and social care support and a Red Cross Youth section.

The Light Up Limerick run will be making its way through Limerick City centre at 7pm this Sunday.
THE grounds of Curragh Chase have become familiar and well-loved territory to countless Limerick families over the decades since it became a forest park and open to the public.

But one question which immediately stirs the curiosity of virtually all-comers on seeing the big roofless ruin with its commanding views over the lake, is: What happened here?

For 300 hundred years, Curragh Chase had been the home of the de Vere family, a family with an eventful history and a cast of unusual characters.

The original Joan Vere, whose son was granted the estate, had an ancestor who was an executor of the Magna Carta while another was a courtier in the time of Elizabeth I.

Then there was a Brigadier General who fought on the loyalist side in the American War of Independence. A new-minted Baronet, who had no handle on money, spent time in a debtors prison but later bought Lundy Island off the coast of Devon where no taxes or tithes applied and which had its own constitution.

And of course, there was Aubrey de Vere, poet and friend of Alfred Lord Tennyson who stayed at Curragh Chase for several weeks.

But then, having survived wars, famine, uprisings, makeovers, and the threat of being set on fire by the IRA, came the fire of December 21, 1941. The Limerick Leader reported the incident in dramatic terms. Rivulets of flames...aided by a a strong wind quickly shot up tongues of fire were soon licking at the roof and smoke was billowing through the windows, the whole conflagration throwing a blood-red glare across the night sky.

The roof, alight from end to end, collapsed with a rending of timbers amidst showers of sparks and falling debris.

Limerick Fire Brigade arrived at 4am, possibly having lost its way en route and a Sergeant T Murphy and Garda McDermott, Pallaskenry, also attended.

Among the treasures lost, the paper reported, was a massive statue of Moses, said to be one of just two in the world. But according to the Leader, The steward Mr Quin and his son, and Mr Parkinson, Mr Peppard and the other members of the staff did splendid work in saving art treasures and preventing the spread of flames.

Joan Wynne Jones, daughter of Mrs Isabel de Vere, later wrote a memoir about Curragh Chase in which she said that, because there was no telephone nearby, by the time the fire brigade arrived, the roof was practically falling in. An inadequate water supply was also part of the trouble, she noted. It was really a chapter of disasters, she wrote in The Abiding Enchantment of Curragh Chase.

I think I have already mentioned that it was held by some that there was a curse on the house, for what reason, I do not know and someone seeing the house finally disintegrating, remarked: Now, the curse is gone.

In a later memoir, Joan Wynne Jones wrote that the lady whom some visitors claimed to have seen in the Green Room was seen gliding beside the lake, ousted at last from her place of haunting.

The fire marked a turning point. In the following years, Mrs de Vere continued living in a cottage on the estate but In 1957 the estate was sold to the State. Coillte took over in 1982 when it opened as a Forest Park.

A booklet, written by Pat Fitzgerald, an engineer with Limerick City and County Council, gives a concise history of Curragh Chase and can be bought at The De Vere Cafe at Curragh Chase for 5.
A TEAM of Iarnrod Eireann workers at Limerick's Colbert station finished third in a Wellbeing Charity Challenge which was run by the company to raise money for charity.

The Team - Loco About Fitness - were pipped to the top spot but finished ahead of more than 100 teams from around the Iarnrod Eireann network.

The challenge saw teams compete to clock up as many minutes of activity as possible over a four-week period.

Competing in teams of between three and six people, the challenge saw more than 500 employees walking, running, hiking, swimming and much more in a bid to be crowned champions and, more importantly, raise money for their chosen charities.

The Limerick team, led by Gareth Howard, raised an amazing 2,000 for Clionas Foundation - a charity that provides financial assistance to families with critically and terminally ill children.

Other members of the team were Pat Roche, Derek Cremin, Ross Flanagan, and Richard Dempsey - all from Colbert Station.

The challenge was part of a wellbeing initiative created by Iarnrod Eireanns Wellbeing Programme Manager, Sharon Daly, who is aiming to get employees heart healthy and happy.

Commenting on the initiative, she said: It was fantastic to see such huge interest in the first year of the Team Wellbeing Charity Challenge with over 500 employees across the organisation taking part. The level of enthusiasm has been great, but more than that is the commitment from people to look after their health and wellbeing and really push themselves out of their comfort zone. And to know that four great charities are going to benefit from this initiative is fantastic.

The total amount of money donated to charities through the initiative was 10,000.
GoFirst is offering free seats & meals on select flights from Bengaluru, Well, if you have some travel plans, you can check out the offer on thecompany's website.

What's better? An awesome trip or free seats & meals? Well, BOTH! Irresistible offers on select flights from #Bengaluru," GoFirst tweeted.

What's better? An awesome trip or free seats & meals? Well, BOTH! Irresistible offers on select flights from #Bengaluru

Book now - https://t.co/lA0BEDHdzI pic.twitter.com/WwkjF1cjUs  GO FIRST (@GoFirstairways) December 16, 2021

Introducing special offers for travellers flying from Bengaluru to different destinations across the country! Now experience the ultimate ease of travel when flying from Bengaluru. Fly to any of these cities (Mumbai, Delhi, Ranchi, Varanasi, Kolkata, Lucknow & Pune) from Bengaluru and get exciting benefits such as Free web check-in, Free Seat selection* and a Complimentary Meal (includes one sandwich and one beverage) * on-board," the budget carrier mentioned on its site.

GoFirst free meals & seats offer

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GoFirst latest offer is valid for booking and travel till 10th January 2022 only!

The complimentary meal and seat will be non-transferable. There will be no refund against the complimentary meal and seats. The complimentary meal and seat is non-transferable in the event of cancellation or rescheduling of the flight either by the passenger or by the airline," the carrier mentioned on its website.

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Separate night patrol teams have been set up for all 11 districts in Delhi to monitor the compliance to pollution control norms related to construction-related activities , said state environment minister Gopal Rai on Saturday.

"Besides regular teams doing the inspection, separate district-wise teams for night patrolling have been set up for all 11 districts to check compliance to pollution control norms in connection with construction-related activities," said Rai.

"Each team will have three-four members drawn from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), and action will be taken if the violation is found," he added.

Further, the minister stated that the Delhi government has received applications from multiple agencies seeking the resumption of construction and demolition activities in the national capital.

Applications have been received by the transport department also for plying of trucks, he said. "Only after approval by Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), phase-wise resumption of activities will be considered."

"We have received applications from many construction agencies. These applications have been sent to the commission. According to the decision of the commission, we will start phase-wise construction activities," Rai said.

Meanwhile, the physical classes in Delhi school resumed for class 6 and above from Saturday after being shut for nearly a month because of air pollution.

This comes even as the air quality in Delhi continued to remain in the 'very poor' category, with the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) at 319 on Saturday.

Some construction activities allowed

The CAQM had on Friday said the ban on construction and demolition activities in Delhi-NCR will continue, with some exceptions, till further orders.

Railway and metro services, airports, interstate bus terminals, national security-related activities, projects of national importance, healthcare facilities, linear public projects such as highways, roads, flyovers, power transmission, pipelines, and sanitation and public utility projects have been exempted.

The committee had said the exemptions are subject to strict compliance with dust control norms.

Construction ban

The construction activities in Delhi were banned after air quality raised to alarming levels in the city and its adjoining areas.

On 22 November, the Delhi government resumed the construction activities in view of the improved air quality, but the Supreme Court revived the ban on 24 November in Delhi and NCR.

The CAQM filed an affidavit before the apex court apprising about the measures taken by it on 2 December, saying it has constituted an enforcement task force to monitor compliance with its directions to control air pollution.

The commission said an enforcement task force of five members has been constituted in the exercise of its statutory power and 17 flying squads are constituted to act against violators. The number of flying squads would be increased to 40 in the next 24 hours, it said.

Following this, on 3 December, the apex court had allowed the Delhi government to go ahead with construction activities of hospitals in the city and expressed satisfaction over fresh steps taken by the CAQM.

With inputs from agencies.

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As many as 55 Tamil Nadu fishermen were arrested and 8 boats seized by Sri Lankan Naval personnel on Sunday following which Chief Minister M K Stalin took up the matter with the Centre to secure their release and all the 73 boats captured so far by the neighbouring country. Stalin spoke to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar over phone and requested him to take immediate steps to get the over 50 fishermen and their 8 boats released from Sri Lanka.

"The Union Minister assured immediate action," an official release said. Stalin, writing to Jaishankar, took up the issue of continuing harassment of fishermen at the hands of Lankan Naval personnel. A total of 73 boats, including the 8 seized now, is being held by Lankan authorities, the CM said, urging action.

The official here said that soon after the apprehension of 43 fishermen and seizure of 6 boats from Rameswaram, 12 other fishers of Mandapam area were also subsequently taken into custody.

Two boats of Mandapam fishermen were also seized, he said. Demanding their immediate release, the fishermen association here said it would stage a protest on Monday and announced launch of an 'indefinite strike' as well.

Stalin, in a letter to Jaishankar said he was saddened over the continuing arrest and harassment of Tamil Nadu fishermen by Lankan Navy at an 'alarming frequency' despite the state government taking up the issue with the central government.

"I would also like to point out that, in the year 2021 itself there were 19 incidents of apprehension and attack of Tamil Nadu fishermen," the CM said. Though the fishermen were released, fishing boats, the source of livelihood for them, are still detained by authorities of the island nation.

"Further, during the same period, there were two instances of attacks and five fishermen were killed," Stalin noted. The repeated attempts by the Lankan Navy to prevent Indian fishermen from exercising their traditional fishing rights through 'intimidatory tactics' must not be allowed to continue further, he added.

Urging concerted action by the Centre to address this 'festering' issue, he sought the External Affairs Minister's intervention to secure the immediate release of 55 fishermen and 73 fishing boats (including boats seized in previous incidents) from Sri Lanka.

Fishermen departed on December 18 from here in over 500 boats and were fishing off Katchatheevu island when 43 of them were arrested and six boats seized early on Sunday, the Fisheries department official said. Following their arrest, they were taken to Kangesanthurai camp, a fishermen association leader and authorities said. Ramanathapuram MP, K Navas Kani spoke to union ministers and urged them to take immediate steps for the release of the fishermen and their boats.

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India seeks to work with Central Asian nations to help provide aid to Afghanistan and ensure a more representative government is in place there, India Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Sunday.

Our concerns and objectives in that country are similar," Jaishankar told his counterparts from Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyz Republic and Uzbekistan at the India-Central Asia Dialog in New Delhi. We must find ways of helping the people of Afghanistan."

The Indian minister listed the needs for an inclusive government in Afghanistan, fighting terrorism and drug trafficking, providing unhindered humanitarian assistance and preserving the rights of women, children and minorities as priorities for the Asian neighbors. New Delhi has so far held only one formal meeting with the Taliban group since its takeover of Afghanistan earlier this year.

The Indian government is concerned about how Taliban rule could impact security in the region, especially in Indias restive northern state of Jammu and Kashmir. New Delhi, which invested $3 billion in Afghanistan, has been expanding its ties with energy-rich Central Asian nations. New Delhi has also backed regional infrastructure projects including the North-South corridor that includes highways and railways connecting Chabahar port in Iran with Russia to reduce the time of shipments between Europe and central Asian markets.

National security advisers of all the five Central Asian countries along with Iran and Russia last month attended regional talks on Afghanistan hosted by India. Of the central Asian nations, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan share borders with Afghanistan.

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Peter Kerekess 107 Mothers, a Slovak drama about women living and working in a Ukrainian prison, won the Crystal Arrow Award at the 13th edition of Les Arcs European Film Festival.

The festival, which wrapped on Dec. 18, took place as an in-person event with The Artist director Michel Hazanavicius presiding over the jury which also included actors Laetitia Dosch and Sidse Babett Knudsen, author Tania de Montaigne and actor-director Eric Judor. The selection was curated by Frederic Boyer, the artistic director of both Les Arcs and Tribeca.

Represented in international markets by Films Boutique, 107 Mothers world premiered at Venice in the horizons section and revolves around the relationship between Leysa (Maryna Klimova), a new inmate who gives birth in prison, and Iryna (Iryna Kiryazeva), the prisons ward.

The grand jury prize was awarded to Captain Volkonogov Escaped, a Russian historical thriller directed by Natasha Merkulova and Aleksey Chupov. The movie, sold by Memento Film International, follows a faithful enforcer of the National Security Service (NKVD) who flees during political persecutions perpetrated by the Soviet regime in 1938.

Jonas Carpignanos A Chiara won best actor for Swamy Rotolo, as well as the press award. The movie, repped by MK2 Films, world premiered in the directors fortnight section of Cannes, where it won the Europa Cinemas Cannes Label award. Set in Calabria, A Chiara focuses on a 16-year-old girl who realizes that her beloved father may be part of the local criminal organization.

The best actress nod was awarded to Laure Calamy (Call My Agent!) for her performance in Eric Gravels A plein temps, another film which world premiered at Venice in the horizons section. The movie, sold by Be for Films, is a drama about a single mother who goes to great lengths to raise her two children in the countryside while keeping her job in a Parisian luxury hotel. A plein temps also won the Cineuropa prize.

Blerta Bashollis Hive, a drama set against the backdrop of the war in Kossovo, won both the audience prize and the high school award. The film follows a woman who sets up a small business to provide for her kids after her husband goes missing. Repped by LevelK, Hive previously won the audience and directing awards at Sundance.

Best original music and cinematography were awarded to Alex Baranowski for True Things and Renato Berta for Il Buco, respectively.

The festival and its Industry Village gathered more than 500 professionals from across Europe and screened over 120 films, mostly French premieres. Special tributes were given to French director Laurent Cantet (Arthur Rambo), actor Matthias Schoenearts (Bullhead) and Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic, the Croatian director of Murina who won this years Golden Camera award and picked up the Sisley/les Arcs Woman of Cinema Prize at Les Arcs.

Les Arcs also welcomed Swedish actor Noomi Rapace who introduced her film Lamb on opening night, as well as Berenice Bejo, Alex Lutz, Deborah Luklumena, Reda Kateb, Lyna Khoudri and Calamy.

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In an age of television where nothing is more attractive to networks than established I.P., its not enough to build a solidly performing drama on a humble plot of land. Its all about the hydra-headed franchise these days, with even a series like Law & Order clawing back its territory following a decade of austerity measures. So it was only a matter of time before Yellowstone, Paramount Networks superlatively popular nouveau Western, began manifest destiny.

The first such expansion comes in the form of 1883, a far-flung prequel series focused on the forebears of John Dutton (Kevin Costner), the beleaguered cattle rancher at the center of Yellowstone. Decades before defending their massive Montana ranch from rapacious developers, they were settlers hoping for just enough luck and fortitude to survive the long journey west. The titular time period means hot-streak creator Taylor Sheridan going from a neo-Western to a proto-Western, complete with pistol duels and frontier justice.

Sam Elliott and Tim McGraw co-headline 1883, with Elliott as Shea Brennan, a hard-charging wagon master trying to outrun his grief, and McGraw as John Dutton, the trunk of the Dutton family tree. Shea and John forge a tenuous partnership as they aim to lead a wagon train and a herd of cattle from Fort Worth, Texas, to somewhere in Oregon. (Subsequent seasons would presumably explain how the Duttons wound up in Montana instead.) Faith Hill  McGraws real-life better half  co-stars as Johns wife Margaret, whose primary focus is their children, moppet John Jr. (Audie Rick), and his fierce older sister Elsa (the magnetic Isabel May).

Elsa provides the voiceover for 1883, which opens with a vignette from an especially devastating setback to the Duttons trek west before flashing back to the trips auspicious beginnings. Relatively auspicious, anyway, since the series revels in exploring the litany of mortal threats its characters face. Besides smallpox, which is spreading unabated, the Duttons and their travel companions run up against such indignities as stultifying heat, brazen bandit gangs, and rattlers as poisonous as they are well-camouflaged. In other words, turns of fate that will ring familiar to anyone who played the iconic classroom computer game The Oregon Trail.

But get all the You have died of dysentery jokes out of the way before heading back to 1883, because theyre certain not to jibe with the shows appropriately dire tone and brutal set pieces. While 1883 aims to explore what motivated men like John and Shea to undertake such a treacherous journey, its pretty obvious from the earliest scenes. The Fort Worth of the era was a hellmouth in its own right for Civil War veterans plotting a course forward while carrying the psychic scars of war. Even before the wagon train sets off in earnest, theres enough pestilence and desperation to evoke survival horror, as if 1883 had spun off from The Walking Dead, cable televisions phenomenon emeritus.

Sheridan reportedly developed the series after being urged to do so by studio executives, so its to his credit that 1883 never feels like a perfunctory franchise expansion. Of the three episodes made available, Sheridan directed two and wrote all three, a larger foundational investment than most dramas get. Along with cinematographer Christina Voros, he takes full advantage of the panhandle Texas shooting locations to render gorgeous shots that communicate the promise and peril the landscape holds. The production design never looks less than luxe, as is the case with Yellowstone.

The cast is uniformly great, with Elliott lending natural authenticity and gravitas with his weathered mien and marble-mouthed delivery. McGraw holds up well against Elliott, and that goes double for the excellent LaMonica Garrett, who plays Sheas closest ally, Thomas. Hill also turns in a solid performance, thereby helping to dispel the old canard that real-world acting couples struggle to recreate their chemistry on screen. Hill and McGraws marriage adds a layer of charm to moments of swoon-worthy fan service. (Im gonna build you a house so big youll get lost in it, says John to Margaret, a winking reference to the sprawling main lodge that houses the present-day Duttons.)

Despite the presence of two country music legends, the most pleasant surprise in the cast is May, who carries the voiceover and quickly cements Elsa as 1883s most alluring character. Mays star turn is made all the more interesting by her slight acting resume, which was previously anchored by a starring role in Netflixs low-profile kid-com Alexa & Katie. Elsa serves a crucial role as the child on the cusp of adulthood whose still-forming identity is colored by the outsize responsibilities such a journey necessitates. May is the perfect blend of tough and tender, and its no wonder Sheridan felt confident centering her character.

The scripts suggest Sheridan is even more at ease writing for the old-school Duttons, who face more organic challenges that make 1883 feel less soapy than the series that inspired it. But the writing isnt without its snags. The voiceover dialogue swings between poignancy and puerility in prose as purple as a prairie clover. Theres also a blinkered approach to racial difference in the show, which always feels uncomfortable for a story set as a torrent of Jim Crow laws are taking effect. If the rest of the wagon train takes issue with Thomas being African-American, theyre doing an anachronistically admirable job of concealing it. (Thats to say nothing of the raft of thorny issues at play when telling a story about settler colonialism.)

Still, 1883 has the characters, the scope, and the vision to become an exciting new chapter of the Yellowstone franchise, as well as a rare example of a spin-off that never feels beholden to its source material.

1883 premieres Sunday, Dec. 19, on Paramount Plus.

Paramount Plus. Ten episodes (three screened for review).

Production

Executive Producers: Taylor Sheridan, John Linson, Art Linson, David Glasser, Ron Burkle, and Bob Yari.

With

Sam Elliott, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill

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Personal and political life in Haiti are brought sharply into focus in Freda, a powerful and resolutely unsentimental drama about a determined young university student who must decide whether to stay in her deeply troubled country or seek a future elsewhere. Weaving documentary footage of civil unrest into an intelligent and compassionate screenplay that examines what it means to be a Haitian woman in a society stacked heavily in favor of men, Freda marks an outstanding feature debut for actress-singer-filmmaker Gessica Geneus. This vital and vibrant drama is Haitis submission in the Oscar international feature category.

Freda is only the second Haitian feature entered for Oscar consideration, following Ayiti Mon Amour by Guetty Felinin in 2017. Its also just the second Haitian production ever selected for Cannes, after Raoul Pecks The Man on the Shore in 1993. Freda received a major profile boost in early December with the announcement that Francis Ford Coppola, a longstanding supporter of Haitis creative community, would be boarding the film as executive producer. Coppolas involvement will doubtless assist the awards campaign and boost the films international distribution prospects.

Freda is set in 2018 and features footage of violent protests against President Jovenal Moise, under whose leadership vast sums of public money related to the PetroCaribe oil deal with Venezuela went missing. Moises assassination on July 7, 2021, is the latest in a long line of traumatic events in the Caribbean republic since it declared independence from France in 1804 and became the first sovereign nation to unconditionally abolish slavery. Viewers unfamiliar with Haitian history can easily catch up with the basics during discussions in Fredas anthropology class, where national identity, civil disobedience, political corruption and perceived class distinctions between Creole and French speakers are just some of the hotly debated topics.

Geneus adroitly balances the fiery talk on Fredas campus with an intimate and affecting study of her family life. Freda and her deeply religious mother Jeanette (Fabiola Remy), promiscuous sister Esther (Djanaina Frabcois) and directionless brother Moses (Cantave Kerven) are hardly well-off but are certainly not the poverty-stricken characters we so often see in films set in poor and developing countries. The fatherless family manage to make a modest living selling food and drinks at their small shop in a busy Port-au-Prince neighborhood.

Among those who have fled Haiti is Fredas boyfriend, Yeshua (Jean Jean), an artist who relocated to Santo Domingo after being shot in his sleep by a stray bullet from the street. Theres a lovely tenderness between the couple when he returns for an exhibition of his work in Port-au-Prince. Fredas emotional agony is palpable when Yeshua urges her to give up on Haiti and start a new and safer life with him in the Dominican Republic.

The heart-wrenching dilemma facing Freda sits in stark contrast with Esthers pragmatism. Succumbing to everything Freda regards as demeaning to women and limiting their independence, Esther lightens her skin with chemical cream, sleeps with a sleazy foreign church minister and drops nice-guy artist boyfriend D-Fi (Rolapthon Mercure) to aggressively pursue a rich senator. Standing by in silent approval is Jeanette, whose shocking secret relating to violence, oppression and sexual abuse makes a devastating impact late in proceedings.

Geneus richly detailed screenplay has plenty to say about social and political ills but never wallows in misery and makes Haitis dynamic cultural and creative environment integral to Fredas story. Footage of a stunning street dance during Day of the Dead celebrations, D-Fis soulful poetry, Yeshuas beautiful works of art and Fredas joyful singing and dancing to Haitian rhythms in a packed nightclub show the vibrant soul of Haiti, underscoring why Freda cannot easily turn her back on the homeland she cares about so passionately. When watching Freda immerse herself in Haitian culture and speak her mind about national history and identity, it is easy to form the impression that Haiti could turn its fortunes around if people of Fredas caliber are given the opportunity to help shape its future.

Although editing of some documentary footage into the drama is a little abrasive at times, as the courageous and proudly defiant heroine. Fellow debutant Remy is excellent as the mother seeking solace in religion, and Francois nails it as the ambitious sister who mistakenly believes shes in control of her destiny. Supporting performances by a largely inexperienced cast are uniformly good.

Very well photographed by experienced documentary DP Karine Aulnette, Freda concludes with a shot that will linger long in viewers memories. Running for almost three minutes, this incredibly powerful image serves as both a deeply moving lament for the suffering of women in this troubled nation, and a statement of hope for the future.

Reviewed online, Dec. 14, 2021. (In Cannes Film Festival.) Running time: 93 MIN.

Running Time: Running time: 93 MIN.

Production

(Haiti-France-Benin) A SaNoSi Prods., Merveilles Prod., Ayizan Prod. production, with the support of TV5 Monde, Ciclic  Region Centre-Val de Loire, Hubert Bals Fund of Intl Film Festival Rotterdam, Fonds jeune creation Francophone, LAide aux Cinemas du Monde, CNC, Institut Francais, Region Ile-de-France, Doha Film Institute, Fonds Images de la Francophone, Embassy of Switzerland in Haiti, La Fondation FOKAL. (World sales: SaNoSi Productions, Paris.) Producers: Jean-Marie Gigon, Gessica Geneus, Faissol Gnonlonfin. Executive producer: Francis Ford Coppola.

Crew

Director, writer: Gessica Geneus. Camera: Karine Aulnette. Editor: Rodolphe Molla.

With

Nehemie Bastien, Djanaina Francois, Fabiola Remy, Jean Jean, Cantave Kerven, Gaelle Bien-Amie, Rolapthon Mercure, Paula Clermont Pean. (Haitian Creole, French dialogue)

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Holy Beasts doesnt work on every level, but it hits the bullseye where it matters most: as a cinematic reclamation project in honor of the late Dominican director Jean-Louis Jorge. Murdered in 2000 at age 53, Jorge only completed three feature films, but his predilection for kitsch and blurring the line between dreams and reality could have eventually made him the homegrown answer to Pedro Almodovar and Alejandro Jodorowsky.

In Holy Beasts, a commanding Geraldine Chaplin plays Jorges fictional friend, Vera, who has arrived in Santo Domingo to helm the late directors never-filmed screenplay. To its detriment, the resulting tribute-within-a-tribute often plays like a private, alienating conversation between the filmmakers and anyone who knows more about Jorges work than you do. But this languid yet engrossing homage is alive with tasty characters and tantalizing, if underdeveloped, ideas and its polished production values bode well for future crossover arthouse success for the Dominican film industry.

Co-directed by Israel Cardenas and Laura Amelia Guzman, Holy Beasts is the first collaboration between the duo and Chaplin since her touching and vulnerable performance in the drama Sand Dollars (the Dominican Republics 2015 Oscar submission). Here we meet the prickly and arrogant Vera at the local airport, tightly clutching Jorges unproduced script for the vampire-saga Water Follies as if trying to channel the director himself. Appropriately vampire-chic with her jet-black hair, black-rimmed eyes and black leather jacket, she exudes an age-defying energy that makes one character advise another, Dont mess with Vera. Upon arrival, shes shuttled to her luxe accommodations by the films fast-talking producer, Victor, played by the terrific Jaime Pina, an actual friend of Jorges. As the pair reminisce about the Quaalude- and Valium-enlivened parties they enjoyed during the 70s, the mingling of imagined characters and Jorges real confidantes emerges as the most intriguing aspect of Guzman and Cardenas screenplay.

As much as money, insurance and weather can plague any production, the septuagenarian Vera is also fighting against time which adds a layer of melancholy. Vera strongly intimates that Water Follies will be her final film. The scene where she and Victor struggle to name one member of their 70s social circle who hasnt died is handled gently but nevertheless increases the pressure to create an homage that Jorge himself would approve of. To that end, she convinces the reluctant Henry (German-born wild card Udo Kier, effectively toning down his Teutonic menace for most of the film) to serve as choreographer.

Upon learning that her preferred cinematographer has passed away, Vera is forced to accept Martin, played by the late Luis Ospina, another real-life friend of Jorges. The DP carries with him faded copies of Jorges work including his first feature, 1973s Serpents of the Pirates Moon, his campy UCLA thesis film that would mark the professional starting point for his distinctive style. Were also treated to glimpses of Jorges second feature, Melodrama, which played Critics Week at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival and is a fictional take on the relationship between silent film icon Rudolph Valentino and actress Pola Negri.

Such remembrances teasingly suggest that Jorges spirit hovers over both the film Vera is making and the film were watching. But if Vera believes the dearly departed director has somehow blessed her film, shell soon wonder if hes cursed it instead. When Vera strongly disapproves of the set designs that Victor commissioned without her input (Kitsch is in! he argues), she wonders with head bowed, What would Jean-Louis think of this? Soon enough, the shoot goes downhill as performers turn up dead with bite marks on their necks and a climactic scene shot during a tropical storm ends in disaster.

Considering the storys intimate scale, Cardenas, doubling as DP, delivers an impressive amount of eye candy by shooting a good portion of the film at the gorgeous Casa de Campo Resort. His clean, unfussy lensing and the palpable tropical-gothic atmosphere are mixed with beautiful aerial shots that expand the films visual scope. Leandro de Loredos score, which includes a theremin interpretation of Debussys Clare du Lune, is used sparsely but reenforces the melancholy and the mystery.

While Holy Beasts swirls with thematic possibility and Chaplin, speaking fluent English, French and Spanish, is a transfixing presence, Guzman and Cardenas struggle to make all the pieces fit together. Taking inspiration from Jorges unfinished works introduces elements that even Jorge completists might be unfamiliar with leaving the uninitiated completely out in the cold. Whether Veras long-lost grandson (Jackie Luduena), who tells stories of the Caribbeans indigenous Taino people, is based on a project or a passion of Jorges remains stubbornly unknown and the subplot fails to engage on its own.

The concept of vampirism is the most intriguing through line here, as the outgoing generation of artists represented by Vera and Henry feed on the energy of a dismissive and disrespectful younger generation in an attempt to gain immortality. But the best way for any artist to achieve immortality is through their art. Toward the end of Holy Beasts, Vera says her version of Water Follies is not the one Jorge would have made but he should accept it as her gift to him. One can say the same for Holy Beasts. Guzman and Cardenas film often speaks in a code too indecipherable for the Jorge-unenlightened to understand but its a heartfelt gift to the late director and a small step toward a well-deserved reconsideration of his place in Dominican film history.

Reviewed online, Dec. 8, 2021. (In Berlin Film Festival.) Running time: 92 MIN. (Original title: La Fiera y la Fiesta)

Running Time: Running time: 92 MIN.

Production

(Dominican Republic-Argentina-Mexico) An Aurora Dominicana, Lantica Media, Batu Films, Rei Cine, Pimienta Films production. Producers: Gabriel Tineo, Rafael Elias Munoz, Israel Cardenas, Laura Amelia Guzman. Co-Producers: Benjamin Domenech, Santigo, Gallelli, Matias Roveda, Nicolas Celis, Dino Saravia Vinay. Executive producers: Alberto Martinez Martin, Gabriel Tineo.

Crew

Directors, writers: Israel Cardenas, Laura Amelia Guzman. Camera: Israel Cardenas. Editors: Andrea Kleinman, Israel Cardenas, Pablo Chea. Music: Leandro de Loredo.

With

Geraldine Chaplin, Udo Kier, Luis Ospina, Jaime Pina, Jackie Luduena, Pau Bertolini, Yeraldin Asencio, Fifi Poulakidas. (Spanish, English, French dialogue)

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Longtime Spider-Man series producer Amy Pascal and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige have an offbeat filmmaking partnership, as they demonstrated in a new interview.

In a conversation with the New York Times Brooks Barnes about Spider-Man: No Way Home and the future of the franchise, the pair addressed Pascals previous comments that Tom Holland would star in another Spider-Man trilogy. (She also addressed the comments when speaking to Varietys Marc Malkin on the red carpet on Monday.)

Were producers, so we always believe everything will work out, Pascal said. I love working with Kevin. We have a great partnership, along with Tom Rothman, who runs Sony and has been instrumental, a great leader with great ideas. I hope it lasts forever.

Amy and I and Disney and Sony are talking about  yes, were actively beginning to develop where the story heads next, which I only say outright because I dont want fans to go through any separation trauma like what happened after Far From Home [the second film in Marvels Spider-Man trilogy]. That will not be occurring this time, Feige added, referring to the 2019 financing dispute between Disney and Sony that called the possibility of No Way Home into question.

Pascal and Feige also explained how they first began working together. Pascal was Sonys top movie executive in 2014 when The Amazing Spider-Man 2 debuted to widespread poor reviews. She went to Feige for advice on how to continue forward with the character. When he suggested that Marvel Studios make the next Spider-Man film, she didnt take it well.

I threw a sandwich at him, she said.

She said, I really want you to help on this next movie. We have these great ideas for the next one. Its amazing stuff, Feige recalled. And I said, Im not good at that  giving advice and leaving. The only way I know how to help is if we just make the movie for you.

Despite Pascals initial disdain for the idea, she became open to it after Feige made more specific suggestions about how to bring Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe: [He] said, I have an idea. What if Tony Stark makes Peters suit? And as soon as he said that, I understood the possibilities of what we could do together. To have Iron Man and Spidey in the same world, one rooted more in technological innovation  the new suit  and less in medical experimentation, which is where we were confined before, felt so much more modern.

Since then, each of Marvels Holland-led Spider-Man films, which Pascal produces, have been critical and commercial successes. Part of the franchises prevalence in pop culture is driven by the secrecy Marvel Studios has become notorious for. Plot and casting details are often kept completely concealed from audiences, and even key cast and crew members.

Pascal emphasized that her producing strategy is about more than celebrity cameos, so she isnt concerned about outdoing No Way Homes roster of guests when it comes to planning for potential Spider-Man sequels.

You cant think about topping yourself in terms of spectacle. Otherwise movies just get larger and larger for no reason, and its not a good result, she said. But we do want to always try and top ourselves in terms of quality and emotion. Kevin and I never want to lose sight of one thing: Peter Parker. That hes a normal kid. That he is orphaned over and over again. That hes a teenager, so everything in his life is at a heightened pitch and everything matters more than anything. That hes fueled by goodness and guilt. That hes striving for a greater cause, and hes vilified by the press.

On a lighter note, Feige commented on Hollands budding romance with co-star Zendaya. They arent the first couple to take their Spider-Man romance off-screen: Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst dated while making the original Spider-Man movies, and Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone dated while making the Amazing Spider-Man movies.

I took Tom and Zendaya aside, separately, when we first cast them and gave them a lecture, Pascal said. Dont go there  just dont. Try not to. I gave the same advice to Andrew and Emma. It can just complicate things, you know? And they all ignored me.

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WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Poles flocked to city centers across the country Sunday to defend a U.S.-owned television network that is being targeted by the country's right-wing government and to protect media freedom in a European Union nation where democratic norms are eroding.

Among the protesters were older Poles who decades ago resisted the country's communist regime and who fear that the democracy that they helped usher in is now being lost. Many Poles believe Poland's populist right-wing government is turning the country away from the West and adopting an authoritarian model closer to that of Turkey or Russia with attempts to exert political control over the courts and silence critical media.

Donald Tusk, the leader of the main opposition party, called on Poles to show solidarity and change their leadership.

"Lets sweep this power away!" Tusk, a former Polish prime minister and a former EU president, told the crowd in Warsaw.

The protests were called after the parliament on Friday unexpectedly passed a bill that would force Discovery Inc. to sell its controlling share of TVN, Polands largest television network.

The lower house of parliament had voted for it in the summer but it was vetoed by the Senate. Without any notice, the parliament suddenly brought the bill back and the lower house overrode the Senate's veto.

The fate of the bill now lies with President Andrzej Duda. The main protest on Sunday took place in front of the presidential palace in Warsaw, with demonstrators demanding that Duda veto the bill.

Government leaders have defended the legislation by arguing that it is important for national security to ensure that no company outside of Europe can control companies that help form public opinion.

TVN operates an all-news channel TVN24 and its main channel, TVN, has a nightly evening news program viewed by millions that offers critical reporting of the government. Critics believe Poland's right-wing government is merely moving to silence an outlet that seeks to hold power to account.

A string of speakers on Sunday accused authorities of attacking Poland's democratic foundations, and the crowds chanted Free media!

Jarosaw Kurski, deputy editor of Gazeta Wyborcza, a liberal newspaper that has uncovered a string of government scandals and been sued many times by government allies, accused the ruling party of seeking to silence the media in order to steal Poland's next elections, which are scheduled in 2023.

The mafia has taken over the country. They want to master all elements of public life, Kurski said.

The United States, a close ally of Warsaw, had urged lawmakers not to pass the law. The U.S. charge d'affaires, Bix Aliu, said the U.S. was extremely disappointed by the passage of the bill and urged Duda to use his leadership to protect free speech and business.

Duda, who is allied with the ruling party, in the summer indicated that he would not support it, but on Friday he said he still needed to analyze it.

A protester in Warsaw, Joanna Glowczyk Zobek, said the authorities probably wouldnt care about the protests, but let the world see that in Poland there are not only supporters of Law and Justice, supporters of dull propaganda, there are also normal people who want to be citizens of Europe and who want to have good relations with the whole world.

TVN launched an online petition Sunday calling on Duda to veto the bill, which by the evening was signed by 2 million people in the country of 38 million.

The attack on media freedom has far-reaching consequences for the future of Poland, the appeal reads. Mutual relations with the USA, the greatest ally and guarantor of our countrys security, are being destroyed. We cannot allow it!

Discovery also vowed in a statement to relentlessly fight for our business.
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If youre sick of finding pandemic parallels in everything, no need to worry about Peter Bergendys period horror Post Mortem, the Hungarian Oscar entry. It manages to avoid saying anything about our current moment despite being set during the Spanish Flu outbreak of 1918, when that virus was well on its way to killing 50 million people globally. Worry instead that, as good as it looks with its fun special effects and promisingly creepy premise, this oddly un-scary ghost story is going to devolve into a hopeless muddle: Can a horror-movie village ever just be too haunted? It would seem it can.

There is a clever idea nestled in the films bleak setting, however. At the end of the then-unprecedented loss of life occasioned by the Great War, with a pandemic raging, its quite believable that unquiet spirit activity might be at an all-time high. The constant death rate is certainly enough to keep ex-soldier Tomas (Viktor Klem) in business as a post-mortem photographer, who takes painstakingly primped and posed shots of the recently deceased, so their relatives can have a keepsake.

That unflappable Tomas is not squeamish about touching, and in some cases prying, the rigor mortis-ed limbs of his dead sitters into position, is perhaps because he himself has had a brush with the beyond. Hed been left for dead on the battlefield, when a vision of a young girl brought him back and he was plucked from the heap of corpses by an older soldier (Gabor Reviczky).

Six months later, Tomas and the soldier are part of a traveling carnival, in which the old man embellishes Tomas afterlife experience to tell to rapt audiences, while next door, the younger man plies his ghoulish trade. Then Anna (Fruzsina Hais) shows up, and suddenly Tomas is being asked to come to her hamlet by the town elders, in order to photograph the many corpses that are still awaiting burial there, given the ground is frozen solid. Tomas agrees, but mainly because Anna is, of course, the girl from his vision.

Its frankly a weird relationship. The strapping foreign photographer and the 10-year-old orphan girl interact in unsettling ways that do not seem intentional but are perhaps a by-product of clunky, misjudged storytelling and some rather wooden performances. As if to try to dismiss any potential inappropriateness, a sort of love interest is hastily ginned up in Marcsa (Judit Schell), the widow with whom Tomas stays while in the village, but its undernourished and barely convincing, especially when so many of Tomas and Annas scenes have a peculiar undercurrent that can only really be described as romantic. Thankfully, though, there isnt too much dwelling on such matters as pretty soon Tomas photos are picking up ghostly shadows skimming across the walls, weird noises ring out at night and the fingers on the towns many corpses begin to twitch.

This place has been beset by ghosts for some time to the point that some townspeople wear scarecrow sacks over their heads as protection. And the supernatural activity only increases with Tomas arrival. Soon he and Anna, like the Ghostbusters of WWI-era Hungary, are investigating the many strange somethings in the neighborhood: levitations, reanimations, mysterious water sluicing down walls, scorchmarks on the chests of the dead and the actual murder-by-ghost of an elderly neighbor who is for some reason stuffed up her own chimney.

DP Andras Nagys crisply composed photography goes some way toward classing up the silliness, more so anyway than the generic descending string drones of Atti Pacsays horror-by-numbers score. And the special effects, especially those on the lo-fi end, work well: Theres a nice line in finding new ways for a body to bend, so that people turn briefly into ragdolls to be grotesquely flung around by malevolent whatsits. But after a while, even the best-rendered poltergeist sequence becomes humdrum if theres no sense that were ever going to understand why these spirits are acting this way  except because it looks cool.

At times, the overkill provides unintentional comedy, as when four characters have simultaneous separate violent hauntings in different parts of the same house. Or when some poor background unfortunate is staggering around on fire between houses from which unseen forces drag people out like theyre the excessive runtime of this ultimately wearisome movie.

It all comes down to a lack of atmosphere, despite the evident investment in scrupulous production design. Perhaps that scrupulousness is part of the problem: Along with Tomas distractingly modern haircut, its the very precision of the period detailing that makes Post Mortem feel like a tourist-theme-park vision of the past. And even a town overrun by the dead should feel more alive than this one.

Reviewed online, Dec. 13, 2021. Running time: 115 MIN.

Running Time: Running time: 115 MIN.

Production

(Hungary) A Post Mortem Film production, in co-production with Szupermodern Studio, with the support of Hungarian National Film Institute. (World sales: Hungarian National Film Institute, Budapest). Producers: Tamas Lajos, Abel Koves.

Crew

Director: Peter Bergendy. Screenplay: Piros Zankay; story: Peter Bergendy, Gabor Hellebrandt. Camera: Andras Nagy. Editor: Istvan Kiraly. Music: Atti Pacsay.

With

Viktor Klem, Fruzsina Hais, Judit Schell, Andrea Ladanyi, Diana Magdolna Kiss, Erik Gyarmati, Zsolt Anger, Gabor Reviczky. (Hungarian dialogue)

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The surge in Omicron variant infections in New York has sent Saturday Night Live into an eleventh-hour scramble to contain the health threat posed by the latest highly contagious iteration of COVID.

IATSE crew members on the show are said to have became vocal on Thursday and Friday amid the increasingly dire reports of infection rates and hospitalizations from the variant. Sources close to the situation said executive producer Lorne Michaels and NBC were in constant contact with crew members and local health officials to determine the best course for delivering SNLs final installment of 2021.

On Saturday, NBC said tonights show would be produced with no live audience and a limited crew, with the strictest COVID protocols in place. Its understood that numerous cast and crew members have tested positive for COVID in recent days, another factor that has made producing tonights show difficult.

There was widespread speculation on social media on Friday about whether Colin Jost would be seen in his usual role as co-anchor with Michael Che of the Weekend Update segment. The New York Post reported that Tina Fey was being recruited to appear on Weekend Update, the segment she anchored from 2000-2006. A knowledgeable source said Fey had been approached to pop in on tonights show but not in the Weekend Update segment. A source close to Fey noted that she was already on board for a cameo appearance to tonight to salute host Paul Rudd on his fifth time out as SNL frontman, joining a short list of stars who have hosted five times.

A source close to the situation noted that NBC already has mandated daily testing protocols for all SNL cast, crew and production staff members as well as guests, and that rigor allowed them to identify the outbreak early on. Michaels and NBC were quick to make accommodations for tonights show given the chance that cast, crew or audience members might become exposed and have to quarantine right before the holidays.

Why take the risk? Its not fair to people, the source close to the show said.

At about 7 p.m. ET, the SNL team went into regular dress rehearsal mode, but so much of tonights production was up in the air. Its been a nightmare at 30 Rock, quipped one source with first-hand knowledge of the situation.

The live elements of the show originating from Studio 8H at 30 Rock are expected to be largely be limited to Rudds monologue. Musical guest Charli XCX was compelled to cancel her appearance on the show earlier in the day on Saturday, citing the lack of crew needed to properly producer her musical segments. A source said that Charli XCXs departure came at NBCs behest given the need to limit the number of crew members in the building.

SNL is also known for its famously raucous after-parties. Those gatherings have been tabled for most of this season in a nod to the pandemic, although a few hosts have thrown their own post-show events, as Kim Kardashian did at Manhattans Zero Bond in early October.

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In a first for "Saturday Night Live," hours before an episode was set to air, producers scrapped the planned show and sent most of the cast home.

"Due to the recent spike in the Omicron variant and out of an abundance of caution, there will be no live audience for tonight's taping of 'Saturday Night Live' and the show will have limited casts and crew," read a statement posted to the show's Twitter account on Saturday afternoon. Charli XCX, the musical guest, tweeted that she was told she would no longer be able to perform due to coronavirus pandemic precautions.

Instead, as the show kicked off at 11:30 p.m., none other than Tom Hanks strolled out in front of a mostly empty, eerily quiet studio. "Thank you, surviving crew members," Hanks said, as a few people applauded.

He noted that "SNL" planned to do its big Christmas show and induct host Paul Rudd into the "five timer's club" - celebrities who have hosted the show five times - but thanks to the surge of coronavirus cases and in the interest of safety, that was not meant to be. (Before the show, the New York Post and Variety reported that multiple cast members tested positive for the coronavirus, though this did not come up on the air.)

"But I came here from California," Hanks continued. "And if you think I'm going to fly 3,000 miles and not be on TV, well, you got another thing coming. And I am not alone! Isn't that right, Tina?"

With that, former "SNL" star and head writer Tina Fey joined him. "Yes, I am here," she announced. "And this is not the smallest audience I have ever performed before, because I have done improv in a Macy's."

Hanks noted that Fey was also a five-timer. "Thank you for joining me," he said. "As you know, I started the five-timers club."

"Oh, like you started covid!" Fey shot back.

They declared that no matter what, they were going to welcome Rudd to the stage. The actor bounded out wearing a suit. "Thanks for coming!" he said to both stars. "I'm extremely disappointed."

Still, they enlisted Kenan Thompson, the longest-tenured cast member, to still honor Rudd with his five-timer jacket. Steve Martin and Martin Short were beamed in with a simultaneous congratulatory and insulting message.

Thompson assured that they were still going to air a great show, though it would be composed of pretaped sketches, while Fey added they would show their personal favorites from earlier episodes.

"It's going to be a little bit like that new Beatles documentary," Rudd explained. "A lot of old footage but enough new stuff that you're like, 'OK, I'll watch that.'"

The stars stuck around to introduce various sketches, including one taped Thursday night with Rudd, Kate McKinnon and Aidy Bryant, about how all moms want for Christmas is grandchildren; another about the life of Pete Davidson; an Andy Samberg-Justin Timberlake classic; one featuring Eddie Murphy playing an elf amid a Santa scandal; Steve Martin's "Holiday Wish" sketch; and another from when Hanks hosted in 1991 and played Dean Martin in a spoof of a Christmas special hosted by Carl Sagan (Mike Myers).

However, "Weekend Update" persisted: Michael Che arrived to host with Fey subbing in for Colin Jost ("It's not what you think ... he's having work done") before an audience of only Hanks, Rudd and Thompson, who did seem to enjoy jokes such as:

"Time Magazine has made Elon Musk person of the year: You can read more about it on your phone while your Tesla is self-driving you into a lake."

"It was revealed that on Jan. 6, three Fox News hosts all texted Mark Meadows to urge him to get Trump to call off his supporters. And you know you've gone too far when Fox News is like, 'Somebody better calm these White people down.'"

"German police have broken up a plot by anti-vaxxers to kill a local official over vaccine mandates. It's a classic conflict between Germany's two favorite things: Violence and rules." (Fey pointed out that Hanks really cracked up at that one.)

Hanks, Fey, Thompson, Che and Rudd gathered together at the end, all wearing masks, to bid viewers farewell. Rudd also gave a shout-out to Charli XCX for rehearsing so much for a performance that never happened.

"I know it wasn't the Christmas show that you expected, but that's the beauty of this place. Like life, it's unpredictable," Rudd said. "As my good friend Tom Hanks once said in a movie: 'Life's like a big weird chocolate bar. Sometimes it's delicious. Other times, it's got that orange cream filling in it and it's like, OK, it's not what I would have chosen - but it's better than nothing."
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While Saturday Night Live canceled Charli XCXs musical performance due to a lighter crew as a result of the Omicron surge, XCX made an appearance in a pre-recorded musical segment alongside Paul Rudd titled The Christmas Socks. Also joining Rudd and Mooney for the saccharine music video were Kenan Thompson, Aidy Bryant, Heidi Gardner and Alex Moffat.

A somewhat parody of the Christian country-pop song The Christmas Shoes by NewSong, Rudd sings the track while helping a six-year-old boy (played by Kyle Mooney) buy a pair of Christmas socks at a department store. The song features both Rudd and Mooney forging a connection about birds as the latter wistfully reveals hes had a real tough year because the bird has flown away.

Eventually the bird, TJ Rocks (XCX), returns and has started a band. XCX, sporting a parrot suit, launches into a brief surf-rock track about meeting her band The Junkyard Boys in Los Angeles and returning to the boy for Christmas.
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The White House said it was shocked by Sen. Joe Manchins public refusal to support Build Back Better after recent conversations between the president and the senator.

Senator Manchins comments this morning on Fox are at odds with his discussions this week with the President, with White House staff, and with his own public utterances, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement issued Saturday after Manchin announced on Fox News Sunday his opposition to Bidens social spending package.

According to Psaki, Manchin met with Biden at the presidents Wilmington, Del., home weeks ago, where he committed  to support the Build Back Better framework that the president then subsequently announced. Manchin then pledged repeatedly to negotiate on finalizing that framework in good faith.'

The president and Manchin then spoke again this week on Tuesday. The White House said Manchin submittedto the president, in person, directlya written outline for a Build Back Better bill that was the same size and scope as the presidents framework, and covered many of the same priorities.

It seems increasingly like Democrats got played by Manchin, as they kept chipping away at provisions in the bill in order to earn his support support that possibly was never coming. House progressives tried to save the party from itself by insisting that Build Back Better pass before the bipartisan infrastructure bill, but Biden, believing himself a dealmaker, forged ahead with the infrastructure vote with only the slimmest of promises from Manchin that he would support BBB after a CBO score came out.

In November, the CBO released a $1.7 trillion estimate for the bills cost, close to the $1.5 trillion limit Manchin frequently cited as the maximum spending he would support. But Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.) requested a second CBO score, asking the budget office to estimate the bills cost if all of the programs in it were made permanent (even though that is not what is laid out in the actual bill). That report, issued Dec. 10, estimated Grahams imaginary bill would add $3 trillion to the deficit over the next decade.

What youre talking about here is a fake CBO score that is not based on the actual bill that anybody is voting on, Psaki told reporters of Grahams requested report.

But Manchin called the estimate very sobering.

Although Democrats were reportedly prepared to drop major provisions from the bill just to get Manchins support, such as paid family leave, it appears that Manchin wont support it regardless. Psaki said that Biden will not give up on the bill. Just as Senator Manchin reversed his position on Build Back Better this morning, we will continue to press him to see if he will reverse his position yet again, to honor his prior commitments and be true to his word, she said.
Over the past year, Laredo has seen numerous shooting threats at its schools. It turns out, this trend is not exclusive to Laredo.

School districts around the state have seen a rise in shooting hoaxes. Whether its due to following social media or for other undetermined reasons, districts are working with law enforcement agencies to quell this unfortunate trend.

According to the FBI, the suspects in these cases have historically been high school students or older. However, there has been a rise in students around the ages of 11-12 getting involved.

Michelle Lee, FBI spokeswoman, told the San Antonio Express-News that the reason for this uptick is unclear, but that increase in shooting threats was seen even before the Nov. 30 shooting in Oxford, Michigan  four students were killed and seven people were injured by a 15-year-old suspect in the deadliest school shooting at a K-12 campus in the US since May 2018.

We regularly work with our law enforcement partners to determine the credibility of any threats, the FBI said. As always, we would like to remind members of the public that if they observe anything suspicious to report it to law enforcement immediately.

Within the current school year, UISD has faced shooting threats at both middle and high schools. Threats were found in the form of bathroom writings and shared online through social media sites. KGNS reported Thursday that 10 similar cases had occurred at different schools since August.

Just this past week, a shooting threat was found at Antonio Gonzalez Middle School in which the student was detained and transported to the Webb County Juvenile Village on Terroristic Threats C/B charges, UISD stated.

Unfortunately, whether it be mental anguish or a form of social media pressure, it has not stopped.

This week, an anonymous threat on TikTok sent shockwaves through the nation, calling for a National Shoot Up Your School Day on Dec. 17. This prompted the social media platform to issue a statement regarding threats on their platform.

We handle even rumored threats with utmost seriousness, which is why we're working with law enforcement to look into warnings about potential violence at schools even though we have not found evidence of such threats originating or spreading via TikTok, said TikTok in a statement.

Furthermore, TikTok provided an update stating that searches for violence against school posts were not found, and the social media giant has partnered with local authorities, the FBI and DHS to ensure that any credible threat is found and acted on.

The San Antonio Express-News and Houston Chronicle contributed to this report.

cocampo@lmtonline.com
CAIRO (AP)  Sudanese took to the streets in the capital of Khartoum and elsewhere across the country for mass protests Sunday against an October military takeover and a subsequent deal that reinstated Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok but sidelined the movement.

The demonstrations mark the third anniversary of the uprising that eventually forced the military removal of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir and his Islamist government in April 2019.

Sudan then followed a fragile path toward democracy and ruled by a joint military-civilian government. The October 25 coup has rattled the transition and led to relentless street protests.

Video footage circulated online purported to show tens of thousands protesters marching in the streets of Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman on Sunday. Protesters were seen waving the Sudanese flag and white ones with printed images of those killed in the uprising and ensuing protests.

Ahead of the demonstrations, Sudans authorities tightened security across the capital, barricading government and military buildings to prevent protesters from reaching the militarys headquarters and the presidential palace. They also blocked major roads and bridges linking Khartoum and Omdurman across the Nile River.

Security forces used tear gas to disperse protesters headed toward the palace on the bank of the Blue Nile in the heart of Khartoum, according to activist Nazim Sirag. The Sudan Doctors Committee said some protesters were injured, but didn't provide a tally.

Activists described chaotic scenes, with many protesters rushing to side streets from the tear gas. Later, footage showed protesters at one of the palace's gates chanting: "The people want the downfall of the regime  a slogan heard in the Arab Spring uprisings that began in late 2010. Those movements forced the removal of leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen.

The Sudanese Professionals Association, which spearheaded the uprising against al-Bashir, called on protesters to gather outside the palace and block roads with make-shift barricades.

There were also protests in elsewhere in the country, such as the coastal city of Port Sudan and the northern city of Atbara, the birthplace of the uprising against al-Bashir.

The protests were called by the pro-democracy movement that led the uprising against al-Bashir and stuck a power-sharing deal with the generals in the months that followed his ouster.

Relations between the generals and the civilians in the transitional government were shaky and capped by the militarys Oct. 25 takeover that removed Hamdoks government.

Hamdok was reinstated last month amid international pressure in a deal that calls for an independent technocratic Cabinet under military oversight led by him. The agreement included the release of government officials and politicians detained since the coup.

Talks are underway to agree on what Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, head of the ruling Sovereign Council, described as a new political charter focused on establishing a broader consensus among all political forces and movements.

Addressing Sudanese late Saturday ahead of the protests, Hamdok said he stuck the Nov. 21 deal with the military mainly to prevent bloodshed. He warned that the country could slide further into chaos amid uphill economic and security challenges.

Today, we are facing a retreat in the path of our revolution that threatens the countrys security and integrity, Hamdok said, adding that the agreement was meant to preserve achievements his government made in the past two years, and to "protect our nation from sliding to a new international isolation.

The deal, in my view, is the most effective and inexpensive means to return to the course of civic and democratic transition, he said.

Hamdok urged political parties and movements to agree on a national charter to complete the democratic transition and achieve peace with rebel groups.

The pro-democracy movement has meanwhile insisted that power be handed over to a civilian government to lead the transition. Their relentless protests follow the slogan: No negotiations, no compromise, no power-sharing with the military.

The list of demands also includes restructuring the military and other security agencies under civilian oversight and disbanding militias. One is the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary force that grew out of janjaweed militias and is accused of atrocities during the Darfur conflict and most recently against pro-democracy protesters.

Sundays protests have unified all revolutionary forces behind a single demand: handing over power to civilians, said Mohammed Yousef al-Mustafa, a spokesman for the Sudanese Professionals Association.

Prime Minister Hamdok must declare a clear position and choose whether to join the people or continue siding with the generals, he told The Associated Press.

The continued protests since the coup have increased pressure on the military and Hamdok, who has yet to announce his Cabinet.

Security forces used violence, including firing live ammunition at protesters, in the past round of demonstrations, according to activists. At least 45 people were killed and hundreds wounded in protests triggered by the coup, according to a tally by a Sudanese medical group.
DENVER (AP)  The 110-year prison sentence meted out Dec. 13 to the truck driver who killed four people when he lost his brakes on Interstate 70 put a renewed spotlight on Colorados mandatory-minimum sentencing laws and on district attorneys ability to use such laws to ensure convictions lead to prison time.

Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, 26, was sentenced to a prison term twice as long as some Colorado murderers after his convictions triggered provisions in state law that forced District Court Judge Bruce Jones to lay down a minimum 110-year sentence.

The judge said during the sentencing hearing that he had no discretion to set a lesser prison term, though he would have liked to. One family member of a man who died in the fiery 28-car pileup in Lakewood said he did not want a life sentence for the truck driver.

And the day after the sentencing, First Judicial District Attorney Alexis King  who pursued the convictions that led to the 110-year sentence  said in a statement she would welcome a reconsideration of the prison term.

Aguilera-Mederos sentence stretched to more than a century because under Colorado law, first-degree assault and attempted first-degree assault are so-called crimes of violence in which prison sentences must run consecutively, and not concurrently, when they spring from the same incident.

This is a grossly excessive sentence, said Mark Silverstein, legal director for the ACLU of Colorado. It cries out for the reform of sentencing laws. But I think calls for change also need to be directed at the seldom-criticized but largely unchecked power of prosecutors. They have the power to decide who goes to prison and for how long. Prosecutors decide on the charges to file, and they decide what plea bargains to offer.

King refused to talk to The Denver Post about the case, which was initially charged under her predecessor, Pete Weir, and instead sent statements through a spokesman.

The facts and consequences of Mr. Aguilera-Mederos decisions that day were extraordinary enough to support pursuing first-degree assault charges, she said. Aguilera-Mederos refused to accept any plea offer other than a traffic ticket, King said, and the convictions recognize the harm caused to victims of the crash.

My administration contemplated a significantly different outcome in this case, but Mr. Aguilera-Mederos wasnt interested in pursuing those negotiations, she said.

Aguilera-Mederos attorney, James Colgan, would not discuss what sort of plea bargain was considered, except to say that the discussions were not fruitful.

Silverstein said Kings statement suggests the district attorneys office overcharged the case to try to pressure Aguilera-Mederos into pleading guilty rather than taking the case to trial.

Its out of line for the prosecutor to blame the defendant for exercising his constitutional rights, Silverstein said.

George Brauchler, former district attorney for the 18th Judicial District, disagreed.

I have little sympathy for someone who turns down a reasonable plea bargain offer, and then goes to trial and bemoans the fact that the worst thing that could happen to them happened, he said.

Colorados mandatory minimums largely were established in the 1990s as a tough-on-crime response to rising crime rates and a perception among conservative politicians that the states judges were handing out light sentences, said Stan Garnett, former Boulder County district attorney.

There were concerns that sentences for the same crimes varied dramatically depending on the judge and perhaps on the defendant, Brauchler said.

The laws give tremendous power to district attorneys, Garnett said.

You can, in the way you charge the case, predetermine what the sentence is going to be, and put an extreme amount of pressure on the defendant to plea, he said. It makes it impossible for a judge to fashion a sentence that fits the particular crime and particular defendant.

Brauchler said the laws ensure that perpetrators of violent crime who harm multiple victims are held responsible with prison sentences for each victim, since the terms must run consecutively.

This guy killed four people, Brauchler said. How much time are four lives worth?

He added that people convicted of vehicular homicide in Colorado, which carries a recommended sentence of between two and six years in prison, are eligible to be sentenced to probation instead of prison.

If that was the only charge, vehicular homicide, that guy might have walked out of the courtroom, he said. Theres no outcome, using those weak charges, that comes even close to justice. That cant be justice when you kill four people.

A jury in October found Aguilera-Mederos guilty of four counts of vehicular homicide, six counts of first-degree assault, 10 counts of attempted first-degree assault, four counts of careless driving causing death, two counts of vehicular assault and one count of reckless driving.

The states mandatory-minimum laws have faced criticism in recent years, and some of the states minimums have been reduced or removed.

State Sen. Bob Gardner, a Colorado Springs Republican who sits on the states year-old Sentencing Reform Task Force, said Tuesday that hes looking into Aguilera-Mederos case.

When I saw the story this morning, I thought it was worth making some inquiries of both prosecutors and defense counsel alike as to whether this is an anomaly, whether this is something we ought to deal with and, frankly, to see whether it is something as were doing our sentencing reform that could be addressed, he said.

The task force, formed by Gov. Jared Polis last year to review and suggest changes to the states sentencing laws, began its work with misdemeanor cases and has not yet considered reforms to felony sentencing, said Maureen Cain, a task force member and director of legislative policy and external communications for the Colorado Public Defenders Office. That work should start next year.

Aguilera-Mederos intends to appeal the jurys verdict, Colgan said, and is also considering a variety of challenges to the sentence, though those challenges will have to wait until the appeal process concludes. An online petition calling for Polis to commute Aguilera-Mederos sentence had more than 1 million signatures Wednesday night.

The law is just so frustrating because it ends up in miscarriages of justice like this, Colgan said Tuesday. The law is poorly written.

The states mandatory sentencing law allows for the trial judge to reduce the sentence within 91 days of Aguilera-Mederos commitment to the Department of Corrections, after the department evaluates Aguilera-Mederos and submits a report to the judge. The judge must find unusual and extenuating circumstances to modify the sentence, the law says  a step Jones implied hed be willing to take.

Aguilera-Mederos could also ask the court to reconsider the sentence through other legal avenues, Colgan said.

Colgan expects Augilera-Mederos will not be eligible for parole until he is in his 70s or 80s  state law says he must serve 75% of his sentence (thatd be about 82 years) before he can be paroled.

That percentage often ends up being closer to 50% of the total sentence once the Department of Corrections applies credits for time served, good time and other measures, Brauchler said.

Nobody on planet Earth can tell you how many days this guy will serve before he is parole-eligible, Brauchler said.

Colgan said the states mandatory minimum sentencing laws should be changed to give more discretion to judges.

(If) you dont allow the judge to put some humanity into the law, it becomes a rubber stamp, he said, and everybody gets sucked in.
Tens of thousands of people in Ireland are likely to lose their jobs due to new restrictions brought in to curb the spread of the Omicron variant, a Government minister has warned.

Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath said that no Government wanted to be in the position of making decisions which would cost jobs, but said the first duty was to protect the health of the population.

On Friday, the cabinet agreed that restaurants and bars, excluding takeaways and delivery services, must close at 8pm.

It also said that there should be no indoor events after 8pm and attendance at indoor and outdoor events earlier in the day would also be restricted.

The new regulations come into force from midnight on Sunday.

Mr McGrath told the RTE This Week programme that he was involved in ongoing discussions with groups affected about support measures.

He said: There is ongoing contact with a number of bodies who are directly impacted by the changes that the Government has introduced.

I spoke directly to a number of the representative bodies yesterday so the work is ongoing and we expect to conclude it shortly.

He added: No Government ever wants to be in a position where it has to impose restrictions that result in people losing their job.

We all find that incredibly difficult, it is never a place that you want to be.

But as a Government we have been presented with modelling and a scenario whereby the Omicron variant is now dominant in Ireland, that has happened in a very short period of time.

In the next number of weeks we will see a significant increase in the incidents of this disease, and the first duty of any government is to protect the health of its people and to safeguard our public health system.

We acknowledge the enormous difficult this causes for sectors and for people who will lose their job and that is why the Government will be there to support them, as we have been to date throughout the pandemic.

Asked about an estimate from the hospitality industry that 60,000 people in Ireland could lose their jobs, Mr McGrath said: The numbers will be significant, certainly in the tens of thousands.

It is difficult to be precise because we are asking employers to, where possible, keep the employees on the books.

There have been reports of long queues at vaccine centres across the country on the first day over-40s are eligible for a booster.

The HSE said there were long waiting times at a number of centres and many walk-ins were turned away.
As friendly faces go, few, if any can compete with the sincerity and professionalism of Longford Credit Union manager Helen Whitney.

The Newtownforbes native has been front and centre of an institution which pales in comparison to the one she joined back in 1977.

Now, forty-four years later and with an energetic spring in her step, Helen is preparing to call time on an organisation she has dedicated more than two thirds of her adult life to.

When I started off, Longford Credit Union was in Dublin Street, she reminisced, even managing to recall its exact location, number 36.

I was always interested in dealing with money and finance, the job came up, I applied and I was lucky enough to get it, she added.

Whatever about her own feelings of self fulfilment, Helen was quickly tasked with building up the organisation's repute as its inaugural employee.

Add in the glaring reality of a society which, in the 1970s, was mired in economic, industrial and political unrest, starting a career was anything but straightforward.

Helen's decision to pursue a livelihood in finance would coincide with a momentous decision taken in 1979 which would ultimately go a long way towards breaking the country's one-to-one link with sterling which had existed since independence.

To most, its impact was much more psychological than it was financial. For Helen, all that concerned her was trying to ensure Longford Credit Union established a foothold in a predominantly mainstream banking marketplace.

Dublin Street back then was a very different street to what it is now, she recalled. Private houses surrounded the office at the time.

I would have worked on my own at the time and I was part of the neighbourhood I suppose you could say. If the ESB happened to go off, there would always be someone who would call in with a cup of tea. The Credit Union was different as well.

Everybody knew everybody. It would often be the case that one member of the family would come in with five or six books with them.

As is customary with the passage of time, society is often asked to keep pace with technological advancements.

The same could also be said of the broader credit union sector as it attempted to diversify its own network of services to a much changed consumer marketplace.

In the age of contactless payments, online banking and digital disrupters, the pressure began to mount on credit unions to prove that they could remain relevant and thrive in an era of fast finance.

By the mid naughties and following in the footsteps of Bishopstown Credit Union, which became the first financial institution of its kind to do so, credit unions joined Ireland's ultra competitive mortgage lending market.

And according to Helen, it was a move which was as fundamental as it was unambiguous.

It's been change for the better, she contended.

People are busier now, they are also more people that are working from home and now we have full online banking, agri facilities, mortgage lending and a person can send in an application for a loan and have it back in minutes.

Soon, people will be able to open an account in one transaction.

It's all positive and is the way forward.

That same sense of positivity was one Helen alluded to when switching her focus to Ireland's decision to join the euro over two decades ago.

That was a big change too but like everything else that came after it, it's been change for the better.

It's hard to knock this innately proud Longford native's assured and rose-coloured outlook on the county's fiscal expansion over the past four and half decades.

An optimist and a figure who perennially adopted a door always open policy throughout her distinguished career, those virtues by Helen's own admission came in for particular scrutiny when Ireland's banking sector teetered on the brink of collapse in 2008.

Suddenly, scores of previously financially stable members found themselves caught up in a growing post bailout mortgage arrears crisis.

By 2013, almost 13 per cent of owner-occupier mortgages were at least 90 days behind in repayments, a figure which would have been much higher but for the savvy and tactful intervention of key financial officials like Helen.

It was a tough period, she remarked with sobering honesty. Seeing loyal members get into difficulty was hard, but we were able to reach new agreements with them.

They (members) were able to come in and talk to us.

We weren't just a faceless institution and that facility is still there.

In more recent times, Helen has been front and centre in overseeing the smooth transition of Longford Credit Union's merger with that of Mullingar.

The move saw the coming together of over 300m worth of assets, coinciding in the new look amalgamtion becoming the largest credit union across the midlands and one of the largest in the country, serving over 50,000 members from five offices - Mullingar, Longford, Castlepollard, Kinnegad and Rochfortbridge.

The merger with Mullingar Credit Union two years ago was a big decision, but it was definitely the right one, Helen insisted without delay.

I saw all the preparation and work that went into that.

The board of directors and members were all behind us and it was certainly right in that it gave us access to full online banking services, agriculture loans and mortgage facilities which we couldn't have had on our own.

It was arguably the single most critical decision Helen was involved in as 86 per cent of members at its 50th annual general meeting in December 2019 voted in favour of the proposed plan.

Not that the woman who helped administer that transformational change was keen to take any credit for it this week as she prepares to vacate her desk and begin the next chapter in her life.

Rather, and in a more jovial context, Helen quipped over how her beloved husband Paddy will also have to adapt over the weeks and months ahead.

He is going to see a lot more of me now, but that's another day's work, she chuckled.

We are looking forward to doing things together, things we mightn't have had the chance to do in the past. That's what I am looking forward to, to do things I didn't have the time to do before.

I am lucky in that I am blessed with good health and to be able now to go places spontaneously.

I live in the countryside too beside a lake and there is a long walk only down the road from me.

And I am leaving a job in very capable hands.

While that may be the case, the challenge facing Mullingar Credit Union's board of directors in replacing the name of Helen Whitney might well be easier said than done.

Forty-four years of unstinting service would certainly appear to validate that task as Longford's financial sector bids farewell to one of its most dedicated and accomplished servants.
(Alliance News) - Brexit minister David Frost has resigned "with immediate effect" as he told UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson that building a new relationship with the EU would be a "long-term task".

Frost, who has led negotiations with the EU, is reported to have handed in his resignation letter to Johnson last week with an agreement to leave in January.

But in a letter to the PM released on Saturday evening, he said that he was "disappointed that this plan has become public this evening and in the circumstances I think it is right for me to write to step down with immediate effect".

Frost thanked Johnson and said "Brexit is now secure", but he said: "The challenge for the government now is to deliver on the opportunities it gives us.

"You know my concerns about the current direction of travel."

He also said he was sad the unlocking from Covid restrictions had not proved "irreversible" as promised, and added: "I hope we can get back on track soon and not be tempted by the kind of coercive measures we have seen elsewhere."

And he expressed his wish that the UK would become a "lightly regulated, low-tax" country.

In his reply, Johnson he was "very sorry" to have received his resignation.

Frost's departure was described as a "watershed moment" by prominent Brexiteer Tory Andrew Bridgen.

He told Times Radio it was a "devastating blow for the government and the prime minister" and suggested that many Conservative colleagues would be considering the PM's future over Christmas.

In a tweet, he added Johnson was "running out of time and out of friends to deliver on the promises and discipline of a true Conservative Government".

He said: "Lord Frost has made it clear, 100 Conservative backbenchers have made it clear, but most importantly so did the people of North Shropshire."

Frost's quitting piles more pressure on the PM, who has already suffered potentially his worst week politically since becoming prime minister with the rebellion, the loss of a former Tory safe seat in the North Shropshire by election, and continued allegations over parties in Whitehall during lockdown restrictions.

In Northern Ireland, DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson said Frost's departure was a bad sign for Johnson's commitment to removing the Irish Sea border.

Donaldson said: "This government is distracted by internal strife, and Lord Frost was being frustrated on a number of fronts.

"We wish David well. We enjoyed a strong relationship with him and his team, but this raises more serious questions for the prime minister and his approach to the NI Protocol."

While Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner said the news showed "a government in total chaos right when the country faces an uncertain few weeks".

She tweeted: "@BorisJohnson isn't up to the job. We deserve better than this buffoonery."

Jenny Chapman, Frost's opposite number for Labour, added: "The government is in chaos.

"The country needs leadership not a lame duck PM who has lost the faith of his MPs and Cabinet.

"Boris Johnson needs to get a grip, tell us his plan for the next few weeks and bring certainty for the people of Northern Ireland by unblocking the stalemate over the Protocol."

One of Frost's most difficult challenges had been attempting to find a way to resolve issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol, which aims to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland.

But the implementation of the protocol has caused issues with customs, agrifood, trade, and medicines a among other things.

Movement was found this week on medicines, but red lines remain for both sides, including for the UK the oversight role of the European Court of Justice.

Frost said this week he expected negotiations with the EU to now run into 2022.

Stormont deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said Northern Ireland would not become "collateral damage in the Tory chaos".

She tweeted: "David Frost negotiated Brexit of which a majority here rejected. He has undermined the Protocol since, which limits the damage of Brexit on our people and economy.

"We now need momentum in the talks to make it work better.

"The North will not be collateral damage in the Tory chaos."

And Northern Ireland's former first minister Arlene Foster described Frost's resignation as "enormous".

In a tweet, she said: "The resignation of Lord Frost from the Cabinet is a big moment for the government but enormous for those of us who believed he would deliver for NI."

Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson Layla Moran said: "This shock resignation is a sign of the chaos and confusion at the heart of this Conservative government.

"The rats are fleeing Boris Johnson's sinking ship as he lurches from crisis to crisis.

"Even the prime minister's once-loyal supporters are now abandoning him, just as lifelong Conservative voters are switching in their droves to the Liberal Democrats.

"At a time we need strong leadership to get us through the pandemic, we instead have a weak prime minister who has lost the support of his allies and the trust of the British people."

source: PA

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
A friend posted this in the morning You know who is going through a lot right now? Literally everyone.

I had to push the stop button last week after coming back from Madrid. Its been too much for a long time. The Madrid trip was the birthday gift to my 16-year-old who loves to travel and had not left the island for 2 years. I would love to see the capital of Spain mum, if there is any possibility it would be the best gift ever, she said some months ago. As she was researching Prado Museum, the Retiro park and more, I thought it was a fantastic idea too. After several weeks of convincing, I even got the 12-year-old, who is terrified to fly, to agree it would be fantastic to go to Madrid for a couple of days. We still have pandemic, but people travel all the time, so why not YOLO  you only live once!

Madrid with Christmas lights was beautiful, the hotel was amazing, but the streets were packed. Even the 16-year-old said mum its so packed I cant even see my feet, when we were walking to the most famous Churros bar, San Gines. The line to get in was very long and most of the people waiting was from the Barcelona area as I could hear from their accents. Forty-five minutes later we got through the door. The reporter from the local TV channel TeleMadrid was there having a cup of chocolate and churros and asked if they could interview me as I was the only blond person with a touristy look, so I said yes and had to agree to the reporter that the churros was really good. Once we got out, we were meet with more chaos. To avoid people gathering, the police closed off the streets and made them one way even for pedestrians. We ended up walking for hours and hours to get back to the hotel and when we finally made it came back, the kids had enough and asked for room service instead of going out to the super cool Sushi restaurant I wanted to try.

The flight back was not a dream at all, and after a very stressful rebooking via Barcelona we were all exhausted. It is not the same to travel in 2020 at all. I made a sudden decision that this was enough traveling for me this year and I decided to cancel a dream trip.

In 2019 I won a trip to Switzerland in the area of Montreux together with a team of amazing travel agents from the Nordic countries. I am not a fan of snow to be honest. I dont even drive my kids up to Lluc when the snow starts falling in Mallorca. We were invited to enjoy a snowy hike in the Alps, visit a Swiss Christmas market, have cheese fondue at a restaurant and the highlight of the trip was to relax in one of these amazing Alp Spa hotels where you have a heated pool outdoor and can sit in hot water and see the snowy mountains in the distance. It sounded amazing and just to be able to spend time with the travel agent gang was something I had been looking forward to for a long time. The trip to Switzerland was postponed 3 times due to the pandemic. Now this week it took place.

I felt so sad when I called in my cancellation but its just too much right now. Another 4 colleagues cancelled too. One of the participants said he had got the 3 vaccines, 2 normal and a booster and he did to get to Switzerland but had to do 4 PCR tests in 7 days. Its just crazy.

Christmas in Mallorca was better this year. We did get to celebrate Santa Lucia in the Cathedral and the bakery goods from Fika Farina was just according to the traditional recipes, lovely. Here we are still one week to go and I think we have everything we need to make this a memorable one.
A senior member of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Cabinet resigned Saturday night, adding to a sense of disarray within a government that has faced rebellion from his own lawmakers and voters this week.

Brexit Minister David Frost said in a letter to Johnson that he was stepping down immediately after a newspaper reported that he had planned to leave the post next month.

Frost said the process of leaving the EU would be a long-term job. "That is why we agreed earlier this month that I would move on in January and hand over the baton to others to manage our future relationship with the EU,'' he said in his resignation letter.

However, the Mail on Sunday said earlier that he resigned because of growing disillusionment with Johnson's policies. The newspaper said Frost's decision was triggered by last week's introduction of new pandemic restrictions, including a requirement that people show proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test to enter nightclubs and other crowded venues.

And in his resignation letter, Frost said the UK needed to "learn to live with Covid. ... You took a brave decision in July, against considerable opposition, to open up the country again. Sadly it did not prove to be irreversible, as I wished, and believe you did too. I hope we can get back on track soon and not be tempted by the kind of coercive measures we have seen elsewhere."

The news follows a stunning defeat for Johnson's Conservative Party in a by-election Thursday in North Shropshire, a long-time party stronghold. Earlier this week, 99 Conservative lawmakers voted against so-called vaccine passports in the House of Commons, the biggest rebellion in Johnson's 2 1/2 years as prime minister.

Angela Rayner, deputy leader of the opposition Labour Party, said Johnson isn't up to the job as the omicron variant drives a spike in coronavirus infections.

"A government in total chaos right when the country faces an uncertain few weeks Rayner tweeted. "We deserve better than this buffoonery.

Even some of Johnson's own party members piled on.

"The prime minister is running out of time and out of friends to deliver on the promises and discipline of a true Conservative government, tweeted Conservative lawmaker Andrew Bridgen. "Lord Frost has made it clear, 100 Conservative lawmakers have made it clear, but most importantly, so did the people of North Shropshire.

Frost led talks with the European Union as Johnson's government sought to re-negotiate terms of Britain's withdrawal from the bloc.

His resignation comes after the UK recently softened its stance in the talks with the EU over post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland. The change of tone from Britain came as a surprise to many because it seemed at odds with the hardline position of the Brexit minister, who was nicknamed "Frosty the No Man."

Johnson's government is also under fire over reports that officials held Christmas parties last year when pandemic rules barred such gatherings.

Adding to his problems with the so-called partygate scandal, Johnson's choice to investigate the claims had to step aside after he also was tied to such parties.

Simon Case, the head of the civil service, stepped aside from from the investigation after the Guido Fawkes website reported Friday that his department held two parties in December 2020.

The scandal erupted when a video surfaced showing a mock news conference at which some of Johnson's staff appeared to make light of a party that violated the pandemic rules. Until that time, the prime minister had steadfastly denied government officials had broken any lockdown rules.

The Times of London newspaper reported Saturday that one of the events held by Case's department, the Cabinet Office, was listed in digital calendars as "Christmas party!" and was organized by a member of Case's team.

The Cabinet Office said Friday that the event was a virtual quiz in which a small number of people who had been working together in the same office took part from their desks.

"The Cabinet Secretary played no part in the event but walked through the team's office on the way to his own office,'' the office said in a statement. "No outside guests or other staff were invited or present. This lasted for an hour and drinks and snacks were bought by those attending. He also spoke briefly to staff in the office before leaving."
With 2021 just days away, many people in the United States are wondering what changes are on the way regarding Social Security, COLA, and more.

Heading into 2022, here are some things to keep in mind about the changes to Social Security.

The cost-of-living adjustment (COLA)

October saw the Social Security Administration (SSA) announce that the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will rise by 5.9% in January, which means that there will be a $92 increase when it comes to the average 2022 check for a retired worker, as it rises from $1,565 to $1,657 a month. For a typical couple, they will see their benefits rise by $154, so they will see a jump from $2,599 to $2,753 per month.

The average monthly benefit for disabled workers going up by $76

The 5.9% increase when it comes to COLA is also applicable for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), with the average monthly benefit for disabled workers going up by $76 - from $1,282 to $1,358 a month.

Earnings limit to increase

If you are in employment while collecting Social Security benefits, you may see your benefits reduced depending on how much you are bringing in. The SSA withheld $1 for every $2 you earn over $18,960 in 2021 if you are below the full retirement age, but the threshold will rise to $19,560 in 2022.

For those who have reached full retirement age in 2022, you will be able to make $51,960 next year, which is a rise from the 2021 annual limit of $50,520. In this case, $1 is withheld for every $3 earned over $51,960.

Credit-earning threshold increases

Anyone born in 1929 or later must earn at least 40 credits over the course of your working life in order to qualify for Social Security benefits, with the maximum set at four per year.

The amount required to earn a single credit increases slightly each year, with 2022 seeing a hike of $40 as it goes from $1,470 in 2021 to $1,510 in January.

Earners to pay more tax

The SSA have confirmed that the maximum amount someone can earn subject to Social Security tax will rise in January, going from $142,800 to $147,000. This means the highest earners will pay more tax.
A public hearing to consider the possible commutation of sentence for Rudi Gammo, #312403

A public hearing to consider the possible commutation of sentence for Rudi Gammo, #312403

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Chris Gautz, Public Information Officer

517-335-2316

The Michigan Parole Board will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, January 18, 2022 at 9:00 a.m. to consider the possible commutation of sentence for Rudi Gammo, #312403. The hearing will be conducted via video through Microsoft Teams and can be accessed by clicking HERE.

Those planning to access the hearing must call 517-335-1736 no later than January 14, 2022 to confirm attendance.

Rudi Gammo was sentenced to two terms of 5 years, 6 months to 30 years for the crimes of Criminal Enterprise-Conducting-Conspiracy and Criminal Enterprise-Conducting. Rudi Gammo was sentenced on February 27, 2018 out of Oakland County.

Sandra Wilson, Member of the Michigan Parole Board, will conduct the hearing under the provisions of the MCLA 791.244 prior to any recommendation for executive clemency by the Parole Board.

When logging into the hearing, your video must be turned off and audio muted to eliminate distraction during the hearing.

Please be advised that recordings, photography, or screenshots of the proceeding are prohibited.
Secretary of State making substantial gains in online and in-person service

Secretary of State making substantial gains in online and in-person service

DECEMBER 14, 2021

Office visits averaging 20 minutes, online services doubled

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson today said a dramatic expansion of online services coupled with an improved system for office visits has made for vastly better service at the Department of State this year.

"Now, Michiganders can access our services more efficiently and conveniently than ever before. They can walk up to an office or schedule their visit ahead of time, or use one of our self-service stations or online options," said Benson. "I am proud of the hundreds of state workers who have stepped up to ensure that even in challenging times we can make government work for everyone."

Benson noted that now Michiganders conduct 60 percent of all transactions without visiting an office, up from just 28 percent in 2018. Her administration prompted the shift by carrying out technology upgrades in 2019 and 2021, and also installing more than 150 new self-service stations - many at grocery stores open nights and weekends - through a public-private partnership that cost zero taxpayer dollars.

Additionally, Benson did away with the "take-a-ticket-and-wait" system at offices that had resulted in hours-long wait times at many offices. Now, the average office visit takes just 20 minutes or less.

"The 'take-a-ticket-and-wait' system we inherited was clearly failing the people of Michigan," said Benson. "Now, the resident feedback speaks for itself, and Michiganders regularly tell us they are able to access our offices when it's convenient for them, be seen right away and get multiple transactions done so they are out the door in under ten minutes."

The new system and technology upgrades are so effective that now, even when residents visit an office without scheduling ahead, most - about 2,500 people each day - are served immediately. The few who arrive when offices are busy are assisted in scheduling a return visit convenient for them, usually for the same day or next day. Resident feedback reflects the ease of these experiences, with reviews averaging four out of five stars, more than ever before.

Benson also announced that the department is in the process of filling more than 50 vacancies and urged residents with strong customer service skills to apply. She is also seeking a state appropriation to fund six additional mobile offices that will bring Secretary of State services directly to seniors, rural residents, and other people who have internet and mobility limitations.

Online services, a self-service-station locator, and more information is available at Michigan.gov/SOS. Office visits can be scheduled at the same site or by calling 888-SOS-MICH during business hours.



# # #

For media questions, contact

Tracy Wimmer at 517-281-1876.

We welcome questions and comments at the Contact the Secretary of State page.

Customers may call the Department of State Information Center to

speak to a customer-service representative at 888-SOS-MICH (767-6424).
HOUSTON (AP)  A group of attorneys and advocates have pledged to seek clemency for 110 Black soldiers who were convicted in a mutiny and riots at a military camp in Houston in 1917.

The South Texas College of Law Houston and the NAACPs local branch have signed an agreement to continue fighting for clemency for the soldiers of the all-Black Third Battalion of the U.S. Armys 24th Infantry Regiment, the Houston Chronicle reported.

They plan to ask the Secretary of the Army to posthumously grant honorable discharges and urge the Army Board for Correction of Military Records to recommend pardons to President Joe Biden.

The soldiers were either executed or given long prison sentences.

We are on a quest to obtain justice for the 24th Infantry Regiment  that organized group of men who died with shameful reputations at the hands of those who had the power of the government, the courts and the power of the media, said Bishop James Dixon, board president of the NAACP Houston Branch.

On Aug. 23, 1917, four months after the U.S. had entered World War I, the regiment mutinied in Houston. It resulted in the largest murder trial in U.S. history in which 110 out of 118 soldiers were found guilty. Nineteen were hanged.

Law enforcement immediately recorded the events as a deadly and premeditated assault by Black Army soldiers on a white population. Historians and advocates now recognize the riot as part of the regiments response to what it believed was a white mob heading for them.

For the Camp Logan soldiers who were convicted in the absence of due process, and particularly for those who then were executed as the result of those wrongful convictions, the denial of justice can never fully be undone, said Michael F. Barry, the law schools president and dean.

The all-Black regiment had been dispatched to Houston to guard Camp Logan, which was under construction for the training of white soldiers who would be sent to France during World War I.

In Houston, a city governed by Jim Crow laws at the time, tensions boiled over.

The riot was fueled by a confrontation between white Houston police officers and a Black woman whom they accused of hiding a wanted man. A soldier from the 3rd Battalion came to her defense and the officers beat him. The beaten soldier was released from custody, but rumors swirled that he had been killed. Some soldiers urged the unit to march on the police station, and others heard of an angry, white mob heading for the camp.

During the riot, 19 people died, including four Black soldiers and 15 white civilians, according to Prairie View A&M University. Five local police officers died.

While advocates note many of the Black soldiers disobeyed orders and left camp fully armed, they add there was a lack of due process, a rushed court-martial process and an inability of local civilians who witnessed the killings to identify which soldiers were responsible.
MOORHEAD, Minn. (AP)  Authorities said Sunday that the bodies of seven people were discovered inside a twin home in a northwestern Minnesota city but did not say how they died.

Police said the victims included four adults and three children. They were found just before 8 p.m. Saturday by family members conducting a welfare check at the home in Moorhead. Those family members called police.
Photo Provided

On Friday, the Midland County Sheriffs Office responded to an East Bradford Road residence in Mount Haley Township to assist the Midland Township Fire Department in investigating a fatal house fire that took the life of the 72-year-old male resident. The man was the only resident.

The fire was reported at 4:33 a.m. Dec. 17 and the initial caller advised that the single story brick residence was fully engulfed in flames.
MANILA, Philippines (AP)  The death toll in the strongest typhoon to batter the Philippines this year has reached at least 146, and the governor of an island province especially hard-hit by Typhoon Rai said there may be even greater devastation that has yet to be reported.

Gov. Arthur Yap of Bohol province in the central Philippines said 72 people died there, 10 others were missing and 13 injured, and suggested the fatalities may still considerably increase because only 33 of 48 mayors were able to report back to him due to downed communications. Officials were trying to confirm a sizable number of deaths caused by landslides and extensive flooding elsewhere.

In statements posted on Facebook, Yap ordered mayors in his province of more than 1.2 million people to invoke their emergency powers to secure food packs for large numbers of people along with drinking water. Both have been urgently sought in several hard-hit towns.

After joining a military aerial survey of typhoon-ravaged towns, Yap said it is very clear that the damage sustained by Bohol is great and all-encompassing.

He said the initial inspection did not cover four towns where the typhoon blew in as it rampaged through central island provinces on Thursday and Friday. The government said about 780,000 people were affected, including more than 300,000 residents who had to evacuate their homes.

At least 64 other typhoon deaths were reported by the disaster-response agency, the national police and local officials. Most were hit by falling trees and collapsed walls, drowned in flash floods or were buried in landslides. Officials on Dinagat Islands, one of the southeastern provinces first pounded by the typhoon, separately reported 10 deaths just from a few towns, bringing the overall fatalities so far to 146.

President Rodrigo Duterte flew to the region Saturday and promised 2 billion pesos ($40 million) in aid. He met officials in Maasin City in Southern Leyte province where he was born. Duterte's family later relocated to the southern city of Davao, where he served as a longtime mayor before rising to the presidency.

The moment I was born into this world, I told my mother, `Lets not stay here because this place is really prone to typhoons, Duterte told officials.

At its strongest, the typhoon packed sustained winds of 195 kilometers (121 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 270 kph (168 mph), making it one of the most powerful in recent years to hit the disaster-prone archipelago, which lies between the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea.

Floodwaters rose rapidly in Bohols riverside town of Loboc, where residents were trapped on their roofs and in trees. They were rescued by the coast guard the following day. On Dinagat Islands, an official said the roofs of nearly all the houses, including emergency shelters, were either damaged or blown away entirely.

At least 227 cities and towns lost electricity, which has since been restored in only 21 areas, officials said, adding that three regional airports were damaged, including two that remain closed.

The deaths and widespread damage left by the typhoon ahead of Christmas in the largely Roman Catholic nation brought back memories of the catastrophe inflicted by another typhoon, Haiyan, one of the most powerful on record. It hit many of the central provinces that were pummeled last week, leaving more than 6,300 people dead in November 2013.

At the Vatican, Pope Francis expressed his closeness Sunday to the people of the Philippines, referencing the typhoon that destroyed many homes.

About 20 storms and typhoons batter the Philippines each year. The archipelago also lies along the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire region, making it one of the countries most susceptible to natural calamities.
JERUSALEM (AP)  The Israeli military said Sunday that its forces arrested four Palestinian suspects believed to have taken part in a deadly shooting in the occupied West Bank.

In Thursdays incident, at least one Palestinian gunman opened fire on a car filled with Jewish seminary students next to a West Bank settlement outpost. Yehuda Dimentman, 25, was killed and two others were wounded near Homesh, which is considered illegal by the Israeli government.

The army said the suspects were arrested in the northern West Bank village of Silat al-Haaretia, near Jenin, and were transferred to the security forces for further investigation and the weapon of the suspect who carried out the shooting was captured.

Israeli authorities did not immediately identify the suspects. The Israeli border police released a photo of a cache of assault rifles and ammunition it said belonged to the suspects.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett congratulated the security forces for the arrest, adding that every terrorist should know that the state of Israel will settle the score with him.

Homesh, in the northern West Bank, was dismantled as part of Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005. But in recent years, Israeli settlers have returned to pray and established an unauthorized outpost at the site. The car Dimentman was traveling in was riddled with bullets after leaving a Jewish seminary in the outpost where he had been studying.

The Israeli military said that early Sunday, hundreds of setters entered the outpost, trying to establish illegal structures at the site. It said Israeli forces attempted to block the crowd, and settlers vandalized military property and blocked the movement of troops. It said one soldier was lightly wounded after being hit by a resident's vehicle.

The developments come after weeks of spiking Israeli-Palestinian violence. Earlier this month, a Palestinian attacker stabbed and seriously wounded an ultra-Orthodox Jew outside Jerusalems Old City. And just over a week before that, a Hamas militant opened fire in the Old City, killing an Israeli man.

At the same time, settler violence against Palestinians has risen, particularly in the northern West Bank.

Israel captured east Jerusalem and the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war, and the territories are now home to over 700,000 Israel settlers. Most of the international community considers Israeli settlements illegal obstacles to peace.

The Palestinians seek east Jerusalem and the West Bank as parts of a future independent state.
How to use the mindat.org media viewer

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Welcome to the mindat.org media viewer. Here is a quick guide to some of the options available to you. Different controls are available depending on the type of media being shown (photo, video, animation, 3d image)

Controls - all media types

Zoom in and out of media using your mousewheel or with a two-finger 'resize' action on a touch device.

Use the mouse or your finger to drag the image or the view area of the image around the screen.

< and > at the left and right hand side of the screen move forwards and backwards for the other images associated with the media you selected. Usually this is used for previous/next photo in a gallery, in an article or in search results. Keyboard shortcuts: use shift + the left and right arrow keys.

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The button, or the P key will start playing the animation directly, you can interrupt this by using the mouse or finger on the image to regain manual movement control.

Controls - 3D Stereoscopic images

If a stereoscopic 3D image is opened in the viewer, the 3D button appears in the bottom right corner giving access to "3D settings" menu. The 3D images can be viewed in several ways:

- without any special equipment using cross-eyed or parallel-eyed method

- with stereoscope

- with anaglyph glasses.

- on a suitable 3D TV or monitor (passive 3D system)

For details about 3D refer to: Mindat manuals: Mindat Media Viewer: 3D

To enable/disable 3D stereo display of a compatible stereo pair image press the 3 key. If the left/right images are reversed on your display (this often happens in full-screen mode) press the 4 key to reverse them.

Controls - photo comparison mode

If a photo with activated comparison mode is opened in the viewer, the button appears in the bottom right corner giving access to "Comparison mode settings" menu.

Several layouts are supported: slider and side by-side comparison with up to 6 photos shown synchronously on the screen. On each of the compared photos a view selector is placed, e.g.: Longwave UV . It shows the name of currently selected view and allows to select a view for each placeholder.

Summary of all keyboard shortcuts
18.12.2021 LISTEN

The Nasara Coordinator for Kumasi-Suame branch of the New Patriotic Party Alhaji Eliasu Ipala (aka Kasanipaho) has called on delegates of the party to show extreme maturity in the ongoing national delegates conference in Kumasi.

Speaking to this correspondent in an interview, Ipala expressed displeasure about the way some party members have been causing division in the party with their comments.

He describes the move as dangerous which if care is not taken could likely push the NPP into opposition In the next elections.

The Nasara Coordinator condemned the factionalism that has in recent times taken dominance in the party.

Alhaji Ipala indicated that the NPP is a big political party full of ideas and for that matter, there is no need to allow petty internal differences to divide members.

The Nasara Coordinator urged the party to stay focused and avoid tendencies that could pave way for infiltrators to destroy the party.

"It is now time we bury our differences, promote peace and unity to move the party forward to the dreamland in 2024," Kasanipaho stated.

He stressed that party supporters should embrace and rally behind any aspirant to help the party break the eight year political cycle.
French police are stepping up arrests over the use fraudulent health passes, Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin said  adding that 400 investigations that have been opened since the passes were first introduced over the summer.

Speaking on France 2 during the week, Darmanin said more than 110,000 fake health passes were in circulation, with some 100 people  both users and those involved in trafficking networks  arrested so far.

"The problem with fake health passes is that it is often in complicity with real doctors or nurses," explained the minister, adding it was difficult to prove a pass had been faked.

Jail time

Some prison sentences have already been handed down, "particularly for pass users", said Darmanin, who stressed that penalties for using or manufacturing false passes included up to five years in prison.

At the end of November, a doctor in Val-de-Marne suspected of selling at least 220 fake health passes was indicted and placed in pre-trial detention.

Darmanin also said he was in favour of dropping charges against people with a fake pass who wanted to get it right.

According to the French health latest figures, nearly 3,000 patients are in intensive care, a figure that is expected to rise to 4,000 by the end of the year.
Parliament has approved GHS170.5 million for the Office of Special Prosecutor (OSP) to implement its programme of activities for the 2022 fiscal year.

The breakdown of the total amount of GHS170,504,000.00 in respect of programmes include GHS116,818,925.00 for Management and Administration, whereas GHS53,685,075.00 was for Anti-Corruption Management.

With regards to budgetary allocations by economic classification of the total sum: GHS65,000,000.00 be expended on compensation of employees, GHS40,504,000.00 on goods and service, while GHS65,000,000.00 would be spent on capital expenditure (Capex).

Mr Kwame Anyimadu Antwi, Chairman, Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, who presented the Committee's report to the House, said the Committee observed that all the budgetary allocation of GHS124,103,085.00 for the 2021 financial year, had been released to the OSP, but only GHC58,461,165.53, representing about 47 per cent had been utilized as at November 2021.

He said the OSP explained that the low utilization was largely occasioned by the resignation of the former Special Prosecutor which stalled the operations of the Office during the year under review.

He (The Special Prosecutor) however, informed the Committee that the remaining budget had already been committed for their intended purposes and would be expended before the year ends, the Chairman stated.

Mr Antwi noted that the Special Prosecutor expressed serious concerns about the inadequacy of the 2022 budgetary allocation of GHS170,504,000.00 to the OSP.

He said the Special Prosecutor explained that the Office was a new establishment which was yet to operationalize its functions.

The Chairman said according to the OPS, procurement of security, surveillance, counter-surveillance and intelligence equipment; retrofitting of its newly acquired building to accommodate installation of relevant information and communication facilities; forensic laboratory; cyber detection devices; and procurement of computers and vehicles were the basic capital projects required to be able to commence operations.

He said the OSP estimated GHS1.2 billion would be required to fully operationalize and effectively carry out the mandate of the Office.

Mr Antwi said in view of the various difficulties in securing all the required funding in the 2022 financial year, the Committee recommended to the OSP to prioritize the expenditure such that aspects of the functions of the Office could be fully operationalized, while gradually bringing the other functional areas on stream.

With regards to staffing Mr Antwi noted that Section 19 of the OSP Act, 2017 (Act 959) empowered the Governing Board to establish four main divisions namely Finance and Administration Division; Investigations Division; Prosecutions Division and Asset Recovery and Management Division in addition to other divisions that the Board might consider necessary to effectively carry out the functions of the Office.

He said the OSP indicated that the target for 2022 was to operationalize the four mandatory Divisions and create additional two Divisions by mid-year.

He said accordingly, the Office plans to recruit and train 249 staff to work in the six Divisions.

The Chairman said the Special Prosecutor informed the Committee that at the moment there was only one Staff who was on the Government payroll  the one Prosecutor and the Investigator were all retirees who were on contract terms, adding that the supporting staff were all seconded.

Touching on the lack of a Governing Board for the OSP, Mr Antwi said in furtherance of Article 190 (3) of the Constitution, Section 5 of the OSP Act, 2017 (Act 959) provides for the establishment of the Governing Board, to among other things, formulate policies necessary for the effective performance of the mandate of the Office, which includes procurement and recruitment of competent Staff.

He said the Committee was informed that the Governing Board was yet to be constituted pursuant to Article 70 (1) (d) (iii) of the Constitution.

He said the Committee recommended to the President to, as a matter of urgency, constitute the Governing Board to facilitate the operationalization process of the Office.

The Committee, having examined the budget estimates of the OSP for the 2022 fiscal year, is of the view that the programmes of activities outlined for the year would go a long way to facilitate the operationalization of efforts of the Office and its quest to earnestly prevent corruption, investigate and prosecute specific cases of alleged or suspected corruption and corruption-related offences, and recover the proceeds of corruption and corruption-related offences.

GNA
Opposition activists in Sudan were set for new protests Sunday to mark the third anniversary of mass demonstrations that ended the dictatorship of president Omar al-Bashir as fears mount for the democratic transition.

Political parties and neighbourhood committees said they were mobilising thousands of supporters to demonstrate against General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the bloody crackdown he has led since his October 25 coup.

"No negotiation, no partnership and no legitimacy," is the slogan adopted by the organisers, who are bitterly opposed to a new partnership deal that civilian Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok struck with the military while still under effective house arrest last month.

Hamdok was reinstated under the November 21 agreement, which also set July 2023 as the date for Sudan's first free elections since 1986.

But it alienated many of Hamdok's pro-democracy supporters who dismissed it as a gift to the generals that provided a cloak of legitimacy for Burhan's coup.

Previous protests against the military takeover have been forcibly dispersed by the security forces. Nationwide, at least 45 people have been killed and scores wounded, according to the independent Doctors' Committee.

December 19 has a particular resonance in Sudanese history.

Not only was it the day in 2018 that thousands launched mass protests that ended Bashir's three decades in power, it was also the day in 1955 when Sudanese lawmakers declared independence from British colonial rule.

Military in 'complete control'

Critics say a new partnership agreement civilian Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok reached with General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan last month provided a cloak of legitimacy for his coup. By Ebrahim HAMID (AFP/File)

Following Bashir's ousting, a joint military-civilian transitional government took power but the troubled alliance was shattered by Burhan's coup.

"The coup has put obstacles in the way of the democratic transition and has given the military complete control over politics and the economy," Ashraf Abdel-Aziz, chief editor of the independent Al-Jarida newspaper, told AFP.

Sudan's military dominates lucrative companies specialising in everything from agriculture to infrastructure projects.

The prime minister said last year that 80 percent of the state's resources were "outside the finance ministry's control".

"The security apparatus has won out over political institutions. The success of a democratic transition rests on political action being the driving force," Abdel-Aziz said.

For Khaled Omer, a minister in the ousted government, the coup was a "catastrophe" but also "an opportunity to rectify the deficiencies" of the previous political arrangement with the army.

He warned that anything could happen over the next few months with the military still firmly in power.

"If the main political actors don't get their act together and the miliary establishment doesn't distance itself from politics... then all scenarios are on the table," Omer said.

Gains unravelling

One branch of the Beja minority of eastern Sudan has rejected the 2020 peace deal between Khartoum and Sudan's regions, launching protests that crippled the country's Red Sea ports in October. By ASHRAF SHAZLY (AFP/File)

Hamdok said he partnered with the military to "stop the bloodshed" that resulted from its crackdown on protests against the coup, and so as not to "squander the gains of the last two years".

But those achievements have been unravelling as the political turbulence in Khartoum rekindles conflicts in Sudan's far-flung regions that Hamdok's government had made a priority to resolve.

A peace deal it signed with key rebel groups in South Sudan's capital Juba last year saw the main conflict in Darfur subside, but the region remains awash with weapons and nearly 250 people have been killed in ethnic and tribal clashes over the past two months.

Some of the Arab militias that Bashir's government used as a counter-insurgency force in its infamous campaign against ethnic minority rebels in the early 2000s have been integrated into the security apparatus and critics say the deal did nothing to bring them to account.

"The Juba agreement did not solve Darfur's problems and that's why we're seeing this conflict flaring again," Abdel-Aziz said.

"What's more dangerous is that tribes have drawn on their foot soldiers among militias and the paramilitary forces" which has increased "the spread of weapons among civilians," he said.
France's Ministry of Education has confirmed the immersive teaching of regional languages has been authorised in public schools, after concerns were raised following a decision from the Constitutional Council in May.

The National Education Ministry this week published a circular assuring the immersive teaching of regional languages was possible, despite concerns that were raised when the Constiutional Council censured part of a law protecting the heritage of regional languages.

The so-called Molac Law was passed on 8 April, providing for the extension of optional regional language teaching in public education, in particular through immersive teaching in regional languages such as Basque, Breton, Occitan, Catalan and Alsatian.

The council  also known as the "Wise Men"  ruled that this article contravened Article 2 of the constitution, which stipulates that "the language of the Republic is French".

Widespread protests

Schools offering immersive teaching  such as Diwan in Breton, Ikastola in Basque or ABCM in Alsatian  provide most of their courses in the region's language.

They have the statute of "associations", mostly under contract with the state, and follow France's National Education curriculum.

Constitutional Council censure in May worried many defenders and proponents of regional languages, who feared for the survival of bilingual schools.

Several thousand people demonstrated on 29 May in Brittany, French Catalonia and the Basque Country to defend the schools.

On Thursday the Education Ministry stepped back, conceding that "immersion teaching" was a bilingual learning strategy that it supported and one that did not contradict "learning French".

This learning is assessed throughout the pupils' schooling, in particular during the ongoing assessments through primary school, which take into account the specificities of bilingual sections.

The text states that if the "level of mastery of French is insufficient, remedial solutions and support will be offered" to the pupils.

Protecting regional heritage

Peio Jorajuria, president of the Seaska federation of Basque schools, France Bleu Pays Basque: "As long as this circular exists, we are protected."

Under France's constitution, French must be the language of communication used by the staff of bilingual schools for parents and institutional partners.
Thousands of Sudanese protesters rallied Sunday to mark three years since the start of mass demonstrations that led to the ouster of strongman Omar al-Bashir, as fears mount for the democratic transition.

Authorities shut off bridges linking the capital Khartoum with its twin city Omdurman in anticipation of a large turnout.

Political parties and neighbourhood committees had said they were mobilising people to demonstrate against military chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who launched an October 25 coup followed by a bloody crackdown.

Thousands turned out in both Khartoum and Omdurman Sunday, shouting slogans against Burhan and his deputy Mohamed Daglo, also known as Hemeti, witnesses said.

The generals had initially detained civilian leader Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, but reinstated him on November 21.

The move alienated many of Hamdok's pro-democracy supporters, who dismissed it as providing a cloak of legitimacy for Burhan's coup.

Hamdok, who has argued he wants to avoid further bloodshed, warned in a late Saturday statement of "the country's slide toward the abyss," urging restraint from the protesters.

"We're facing today a sizeable regression in the path of our revolution that threatens the security of the nation, its unity and its stability," he said.

Protest organisers have however vowed, in a key slogan, "No negotiation, no partnership and no legitimacy".

Previous protests against the military takeover have been forcibly dispersed by the security forces. Nationwide, at least 45 people have been killed and scores more wounded, according to the independent Doctors' Committee.

Military in 'complete control'

Critics say a new partnership agreement civilian Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok reached with General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan last month provided a cloak of legitimacy for his coup. By Ebrahim HAMID (AFP/File)

December 19 has a particular resonance in Sudanese history.

Not only was it the day in 2018 when thousands launched mass protests that ended Bashir's three decades in power, it was also the day in 1955 when Sudanese lawmakers declared independence from British colonial rule.

Following Bashir's ouster, a joint military-civilian transitional government took power but the troubled alliance was shattered by Burhan's coup.

"The coup has put obstacles in the way of the democratic transition and has given the military complete control over politics and the economy," Ashraf Abdel-Aziz, chief editor of the independent Al-Jarida newspaper, told AFP.

Sudan's military dominates lucrative companies specialising in everything from agriculture to infrastructure projects.

The prime minister said last year that 80 percent of the state's resources were "outside the finance ministry's control".

"The security apparatus has won out over political institutions. The success of a democratic transition rests on political action being the driving force," Abdel-Aziz said.

Khaled Omer, a minister in the ousted government, said the coup was a "catastrophe" but also "an opportunity to rectify the deficiencies" of the previous political arrangement with the army.

He warned that anything could happen over the next few months with the military still firmly in power.

"If the main political actors don't get their act together and the miliary establishment doesn't distance itself from politics... then all scenarios are on the table," Omer said.

Gains unravelling

One branch of the Beja minority of eastern Sudan has rejected the 2020 peace deal between Khartoum and Sudan's regions, launching protests that crippled the country's Red Sea ports in October. By ASHRAF SHAZLY (AFP/File)

The November 21 agreement also set July 2023 as the date for Sudan's first free elections since 1986.

Hamdok said he partnered with the military to "stop the bloodshed" that resulted from its crackdown on protests, and so as not to "squander the gains of the last two years".

But those achievements have been unravelling, as the political turbulence in Khartoum rekindles conflicts in Sudan's far-flung regions that Hamdok's government had made a priority to resolve.

A peace deal it signed with key rebel groups in South Sudan's capital Juba last year saw the main conflict in Darfur subside, but the region remains awash with weapons and nearly 250 people have been killed in ethnic clashes over the past two months.

Some of the Arab militias -- that Bashir's government used as a counter-insurgency force in its infamous campaign in the early 2000s against ethnic minority rebels -- have been integrated into the security apparatus.

Critics say the deal did nothing to bring them to account.
In the final week of hearings before the winter break, the special criminal court in Paris heard from the relatives of some of the dead terrorists involved in the November 2015 attacks. A senior police investigator, meanwhile, warned that similar attacks could happen again at any time.

The father of the man who made the suicide vests used in the Paris attacks had no answers.

Driss Laachraoui told the court that he had watched, powerless, as his son lost interest in school and embarked on the tragic road that would lead from a local mosque to the Syrian war zone. Najim Laachraoui blew himself up in the suicide attack at Brussels airport in 2016.

The case of the Clain family was even more mysterious.

They were converts from Catholicism, the entire group including mother, two brothers, two sisters and their children, embracing a rigorous vision of Islam and then becoming active missionaries for the Salafist project that demands a return to the lifestyle lived in the early days of the Muslim tradition.

The Clains moved from the Norman city of Alencon to Toulouse in the search for new converts and a place to live their austere version of the faith. When even their Muslim neighbours found them excessive, some family members moved to Egypt.

The nightmare of daily life

The emergence of the Islamic State caliphate made the Syria-Iraq war zone seem like the promised land.

It was in that troubled territory that Fabien and Jean-Michel Clain became influential in the propaganda effort of Islamic State.

The brothers, who are among the absent accused in this Paris trial, are believed to have been killed by international coalition air attacks.

At least seven other Clain members lost their lives fighting for the caliphate. Many of the surviving family remain in the limbo of international refugee camps in Syria. Others are imprisoned in Iraq.

Dope and IS propaganda

The niece who testified this week spoke of her disappointment with the realities of daily life under a Sharia regime. She found the conditions totalitarian, many of the leaders motivated by greed rather than religion.

Her mother, who was arrested and returned to France before she could reach the realm of IS, claims to have left the excesses of Salafism behind her.

Other witnesses this week described the atmosphere in Les Beguines, the cafe in the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek run by the Abdeslam brothers, Salah and Brahim.

Brahim Abdeslam killed himself in an explosion in Paris on 13 November 2015. Salah Abdeslam is one of the accused in this trial.

Les Beguines offered coffee, narcotics and a safe haven for locals interested in Islamic State propaganda videos.

A terrible possibility

The evidence for the week, indeed for this year, was brought to a close by two police specialists.

One explained how to falsify a passport. A colour photocopier and slight dexterity are the only essentials, provided you can find an otherwise authentic passport.

The other police witness, Patrick Calvar, head of French interior intelligence at the time of the 2015 attacks, explained that the technical means are available to reduce the threat of terrorist attack to close to zero.

But he warned that the price for such security would be a loss of individual freedom for all of us.

Since we have not made that difficult political choice, the Paris attacks could happen again, Calvar warned, and they could happen tomorrow.

The trial will resume in January.
President Nana Akufo-Addo has told the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and its delegates that whoever they choose as his successor will become the next president of Ghana after he leaves office.

The party is holding its National Annual Delegates Conference in Kumasi today, Sunday, 19 December 2021.

Speaking at Juaben in the Ashanti Region after inaugurating the partys constituency office complex, Mr Akufo-Addo said: The party is having its national delegates conference.

Some people want to tempt us but they cannot match us. We have what it takes to make us achieve what we want, he noted.

He added: The person you choose to succeed me will become President after I leave office.

According to him, all Ghanaians are observing the conference and, therefore, I am pleading with you all to be disciplined. I also want you all to show unity among ourselves.

Lets comport ourselves to ensure everything goes on smoothly, the president urged, noting: No party has been able to do what we have been able to do by organising constituency, and national delegates conferences.

We are also proving to Ghanaians that we are pioneers of democracy. I am, therefore, appealing to you all to be disciplined especially as it is happening in our stronghold.

President Akufo-Addo also expressed reservations about the two-time rejection of his Chief Executive nominee for Juaben, Mr Alex Sarfo Kantanka.

The nominee is currently being investigated by the Office of the Special Prosecutor for allegedly demanding a refund of the bribe he paid to the assembly members to buy their vote.

President Akufo-Addo said: Anyone who opposes my nominee next time will incur my wrath.

I am here to congratulate the residents of Juaben for having this beautiful edifice. If it can be replicated in all 275 constituencies across the country, it will help the NPP a lot.

Speaking about national issues, the president said: I admit that Ghanaians are going through difficult times; some people are trying to say that it is my fault but you know that is not the case.

I am hopeful that if you all support the vision of this government, we will be able to turn things around.

classfmonline.com
In the last 10 years or so that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu brought the plight of the Igbo in Nigeria to international limelight and thus intensified the Igbo struggle for self actualization, I had taken great interest in studying why even in the face of their acknowledged resilience and hard work, the Igbo seem helplessly trapped in the contraption of a union which their youths find most difficult to accept as their ideal vision of a country.

The truth we must accept is that when two cultures clash, the weaker culture gives way to the stronger culture which invariably assimilates it. Before the civil war, the Igbo were highly revered because the other tribes saw them as very enterprising, very successful and very unassuming. The other Nigerian tribes had a level of respect for the Igbo that almost bordered on fear. Some Nigerians who were not of Igbo extract loved them and wanted to be like them. But our Igbo cultural heritage fell apart when our people were forced to surrender to Nigeria on 15 January 1970 in order to forestall the massive suffering of Igbo women and children, many of who were dying daily from starvation and kwashiorkor.

The then Finance Minister, Chief Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo added his own punishment on the Igbo by decreeing that every Igbo who participated in the civil war on the side of Biafra would be entitled to only 20 of his money, no matter how many millions he had in his bank account. That was deliberate wickedness and one that set the ball rolling for Igbo downfall. All Nigeria knew that the Igbo were hard working and that no matter what the conditions were, they would always find a way to survive and excel. And perhaps, Awolowo knew the collective damage his decree would do to the psyche of the Igbo race. It is difficult to think he didnt plan the downfall of the Igbo race in an attempt to please his masters who made him the finance minister. But even at that, the Igbo survived and resurfaced. So, what is it that has kept them down, still agitating to be set free, still struggling for self actualization more than 50 years after the civil war?

When Igbo was Igbo, they had laws that defined their culture which every Igbo man, every Igbo boy, every Igbo woman and every Igbo girls obeyed to the letter. I think that the children of nowadays were not taught those lessons by their parents or they were deceived by their peers not to take those laws seriously any more. Whatever it was, there is a need to revisit some of these laws for the sake of those who did not know about their existence and those who do not understand how little drops of water can make a mighty ocean. And I think that what everyone who loves the Igbo should do is to circulate this message to get to as many people as possible.

In my days, a lot of premium was placed on trust. The Igbo should recognize that for them to make sense of their struggle, they had to trust each other absolutely  and I mean absolutely. That would pave the way for them to be trusted as a people. Just before the former Vice President of Nigeria, Dr. Alex Ekwueme joined his ancestors at 10 pm on Sunday 19 November 2017, he very eloquently echoed this problem with the new generation Igbo. Dr. Ekwueme noted that one of the most important attributes of Igbo people which anchored on their trust for each other had gone with the winds since the end of the Nigerian civil war of more than 50 years ago. He warned that once the Igbo lacked trust among themselves, it would be difficult to make progress. Dr. Ekwueme recalled that Igbo people prided themselves on their level of unity before independence and immediately after independence. He extolled the Igbo man as the most important of Gods creation after the white man and explained that God had a very soft spot in His heart for Igbo people and endowed them with great intellect.

Agitated Igbo youths take to the streets

Dr. Ekwueme said that when Igbo was Igbo, there was so much unity, such that once Igbo leaders met and took a decision, every Igbo person would abide by it. The trust among the Igbo was the reason apprenticeship became popular with them. The result was that parents would allow their children to stay with an established Igbo man to learn a trade for periods ranging from two to five years after which the apprentice would then be settled to start his own business. But even after the settlement, the newly settled young trader would continue to get goods on credit from his former master and return the money after sales because of the trust that existed.

Today, lack of trust has diminished that age-long cooperation between the master and his former apprentice, which is worrisome. Towards the end of the apprenticeship period, it is either the apprentice absconds with huge sums of money belonging to his master, or his master trumps up lies against the apprentice that he stole his money. He would then send the young man home with empty hands in order to avoid settling him. The main problem of the Igbo today is lack of trust. If we can rebuild trust among ourselves, our people will be better for it, Dr. Ekwueme said. He wondered at what point the Igbo went wrong.

It is easy to trace at what point the Igbo went wrong when we articulate what defines Igbo people in the first place. One of the fundamental laws that distinguished the Igbo and their tradition and culture was respect for an older person. It had nothing to do with money. It was a general law that affected every Igbo because everyone is normally older that someone. So, even if that person was older with one week or one month or one year, he or she had to be accorded due respect by anyone younger than him or her. It was a culture our people valued so much because it tallied with the republican nature of the Igbo peoples social life.

That culture was jettisoned immediately after the civil war after Chief Awolowo decided to impoverish the Igbo. The psychological result of Awolowos decree was that today, Igbo people tend to respect anyone who has money more than anyone who is older but poorer than them. So, unless that culture of respect for older people is revived and invigorated that every Igbo man or woman, boy or girl must show due respect to his or her older Igbo, believe me the Igbo will find themselves still glued to the ground fifty something years after their fall, especially as the North and the West generally show a lot of respect to those who are older than them.

Another area the Igbo have to look into is the role Igbo women play in all of this. Today, Igbo women seem to be the ones at the forefront of the quest for money, no matter how such money was made. In the process, they trade their pride for money. But let us not make any mistake about it. The success or progress of any people to a huge extent depends on how proud and reserved their female citizens can be. Before the Nigerian civil war, it was very difficult for people from other Nigerian tribes to have Igbo girlfriends, not to talk of marrying them. It was a status symbol for a non-Igbo to marry an Igbo girl, just as a black man marrying a white woman in those days was a status symbol. You had to be a top doctor, engineer, architect, military officer or a top lawyer to be even able to talk to an Igbo girl. But today, Igbo women have lost that pride that once defined the Igbo nation because of their inordinate ambition and quest for money they no longer care how it was made. And not until they come out of the woods and reverse this trend will the Igbo struggle have meaning.

The third an equally important area the Igbo have to look into is the stupid habit they learnt from other Nigerian tribes of spraying money during events. That is not Igbo culture by any stretch of the imagination and it portrays the Igbo in very bad light in the eyes of the international community. The international community knows that no one who suffered and genuinely made money can afford to dispense with it the way our people do these days. The very unsettling idea negates everything the Igbo man stands to be counted for  hard work, resilience, frugality and accountability. In civilized societies, if anyone wanted to make a gift of money to another, the one would simply draw up a cheque in the name of the recipient, or put the money in an envelope addressed to the recipient and hand it over privately. That is what civilized people do. They dont spray bundles of money in a nonchalant display of affluence that only gets minions applauding them hysterically.

Perhaps, those Igbo who indulge in this suspicious practice do so because of their egocentrism, because they want to be seen in public as the wealthy ones. It just doesnt make sense to any civilized person and the Igbo are known to be civilized. We need to stop this attitude of spraying money and adopt the more civilized attitude of writing cheques or enveloping the money we offer as gifts to our beloved friends and family. When we start with these three laws, we will notice changes in the struggle.

The Igbo should stop mourning and take their destiny in their own hands. And the leaderships of Ohanaeze and IPOB should take note of what to do. You dont fall and remain glued to the ground for more than 50 years. Ndigbo need to put their acts together.

Chief Sir Emeka Asinugo, KSC is a London-based Veteran Journalist, Author and Publisher of Imo State Business Link Magazine.
19.12.2021 LISTEN

The ruling New Patriotic Party's (NPP) National Annual Delegates Conference is underway at Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.

Topmost agenda for the conference is the proposals that have been tabled for possible amendment to the party's constitution.

The highest among them is a proposal to elect a Presidential Candidate two clear years before a major election.

Speaking ahead of the conference, President Akufo-Addo charged the delegates to ensure the highest level of discipline and uphold the reputation of the party.

He implored the party supporters to refrain from all forms of behaviours capable of bringing the name of the party into disrepute.

President Akufo-Addo made the appeal when he commissioned the party's constituency office complex at Juaben in the Ashanti Region.

The party is having its national delegates conference. Some people want to tempt us but they cannot match us. We have what it takes to make us achieve what we want. The person you choose to succeed me will become president after I leave office.

All Ghanaians are observing the conference. I am pleading with you all to be disciplined. I also want you all to show unity among ourselves. Let's comport ourselves to ensure everything goes on smoothly.

He further called on residents to support whoever he nominates as the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for the area.

The President's nominee for the area, Alex Sarfo Kantanka had been rejected twice by the assembly members as the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Adjebeng is investigating him for allegedly demanding a refund of bribes he paid to assembly members to facilitate his approval

A total of 17 executives from each constituency will be present at the conference in addition to 10 members of the Regional Council of Elders and patrons, including the regional executives, are expected to participate in the conference.

DGN online
President Akufo-Addo has called on members of his political party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) who are attending the party's National Annual Delegates Conference in the Ashanti Regional Capital, Kumasi to be disciplined.

He appealed to the supporters to refrain from all forms of indiscipline which can bring the name of the party into disrepute.

The party is having its national delegates conference. Some people want to tempt us but they cannot match us. We have what it takes to make us achieve what we want. The person you choose to succeed me will become President after I leave office. All Ghanaians are observing the conference. I am pleading with you all to be disciplined. I also want you all to show unity among ourselves.

Let's comport ourselves to ensure everything goes on smoothly. No party has been able to do what we have been able to do by organizing constituency, and national delegates conferences. We are also proving to Ghanaians that we are pioneers of democracy. I am therefore appealing to you all to be disciplined especially as it is happening in our strongholds, President Akufo-Addo charged the supporters when he commissioned the party's constituency office complex in Juaben.

He seized the opportunity to call on the locals to support whoever he nominates as the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for the area since Juaben has been without an MCE.

President Akufo-Addo warned that anyone opposed his next nominee will incur his wrath.

Anyone who opposes my nominee next time will incur my wrath. I am here to congratulate the residents of Juaben for having this beautiful edifice. If it can be replicated in all 275 constituencies across the country, it will help the NPP a lot.

DGN online
A personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), name withheld on Sunday collapsed at the Heroes Park, Kumasi, Ashanti Regional capital, where the ruling New Patriotic Party is holding its National Delegates Conference.

He was immediately rushed to the Okomfo Anokye Teaching Hospital to receive treatment.

A Medical Health Personnel, who confirmed the incident to DGN Online, said a Fire Service Personnel collapsed in the morning so we rushed him to the hospital for treatment

According to him, due to that minor issue, the party has set up a medical team to check the health system of the delegates who are coming to the conference.

The Health Officer noted that they have set up about four health centers to check and screen the delegates who may experience minor health issues, adding that  in case the person-situation get out of hand, there is ambulance around which will convey them to the nearby hospital for further treatment.

As part of the conference, all delegates are to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination before being allowed entry to the conference grounds.

The party has also made arrangements for vaccination officials of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to mount stands to vaccinate and issue certificates to those yet to be vaccinated.

DGN online
Majority Leader Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu has lamented the actions of some leaders of the ruG New Patriotic Party (NPP) that cost the party more parliamentary seats during the 2020 elections.

He said bitterness, division and the failure to unite the supporters after internal elections were some of the issues that affected the party.

He also raised issues against the way primaries are conducted to elect parliamentary candidates for the party.

The Suame Lawmaker noted that currently, defending the government in Parliament has become the work for a few lawmakers because the experienced ones who would have done that were dropped in the primaries.

The history of 2008 should guide us, he said.

He added I want to sound this caution because we have enough time to correct them.

The lies, the hatred will not advance the interest of the Dankwa-Busia-Dombo great tradition, he further stated.

For his part, the National Chairman of the NPP Freddie Blay noted that his party is in a contest with a formidable opposition party that is ready to take advantage of their weakness.

He has therefore asked the NPP to remain united, eschew arrogance and keep its base stronger in order to withstand the opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Speaking at the national delegates conference in Kumasi on Sunday December 19, he said if we are united, if we eschew arrogance, if we work with our people, if we keep base, come 2024 we shall still retain power.

Ashanti regional chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako (Chairman Wontumi) assured the party that they will win the 2024 elections.

He said during the national delegates conference that the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) cannot stop the governing party from wining the next elections.

It is a movement and no one can stop us, he said.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) Joseph Boahen Aidoo also said the NPP has learned its lessons out of government and in government.

Speaking to TV3'sa Roland Walker in Kumasi in the ongoing national delegates conference of the NPP, he said We have gone out of government before and we have come to power so we have learned lessons.

3news.com
The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MGCSP) has welcomed the sentencing of Anthony Sumo to 6 years imprisonment for human trafficking by the sixteenth Judicial Circuit Court in Bopolu City, Gbarpolu County.

In January of 2021, the convict trafficked 22 children from Gbarpolu County but was nabbed by the Liberia Immigration Service Margibi Detachment on January 29, 2021 in Margibi County. The children were immediately turned over to the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.

With support from partners, the childrens welfare, to include their physical and psychosocial needs were provided by MGCSP.

Working with the Gbarpolu Legislative Caucus, the Ministry along with the Child Protection Network (CPN) of Liberia which is a body of civil society organizations on Saturday, July 3rd 2021 with permit from the Ministry of Justice reunited the 22 children with their families. Additionally, the Ministry presented cash, food and non food items to the families.

The Ministry believes that the December 14, 2021 ruling from the sixteenth Judicial Circuit Court is a victory for the fight against human trafficking which will serve as a deterrent to would be traffickers.

Gender, Children and Social Protection Minister Williametta E. Saydee-Tarr has confirmed that the routine monitoring of the children by the Ministry will remain active. She further reaffirmed Gender's commitment in achieving PILLAR 1 of the Pro Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development, (Power to the People) 2. 4.2, which highlights Children protection as a key priority of the Government of Liberia.

In observance of this years celebration of World Day Against Trafficking In Persons (TIP), H. E. Dr. George Manneh Weah, President of the Republic of Liberia emphasized the compelling responsibility of not only the Government, but every citizen and

resident within our borders to exert meaningful efforts, leaving no stone unturned, in ensuring the minimization and subsequent total eradication of all forms of Human Trafficking in Liberia.

The Liberian Leader recounted his government's concerted and unrelenting efforts to eradicating human trafficking.

According to President Weah, the government of Liberia has passed the 2005 Act, which banned and criminalized the trafficking of humans in Liberia.

His government has also established the National Anti-human Trafficking Taskforce coupled with a number of key policy documents such as: A Situational Analysis of Human Trafficking; The First and Second National Action Plans to fight Human Trafficking; The Standard Operating Procedures to assist victims of Human Trafficking; The National Referral Mechanism, which stipulates not only the roles and responsibilities of actors, but also referral programs and procedures for trafficked survivors.

The Ministry is thankful to the National Anti-Human Trafficking Taskforce Chaired by the Ministry of Labour and Co-chaired by Justice and Gender for the unending coordination and collaboration in addressing trafficking issues. The Ministry also applauds Justice Ministry for successfully prosecuting convict Anthony Sumo.

MGCSP informs all that it will remain engaged with the court proceedings' as Elizabeth McCree a co-defendant is scheduled for separate trial in January of 2022.
On Aviation This Week today, the focus is placed on some of the topical aviation industry stories between December 13 and 18, 2021 relevant to Ghanas aviation space. Here are the highlights:

KIA, Kumasi and Tamale Airports Undergo Disinfection

The Kotoka International Airport (KIA), Kumasi and Tamale Airports were disinfected earlier this week. The exercise which is carried out monthly by the Vector Control Services of Zoomlion Ghana is to help control the spread of the COVID-19 virus at the countrys airports.

RwandAir Advises Passengers on new COVID-19 Protocols for Arrivals in Rwanda

As of December 16, 2021, all persons arriving in Rwanda as their final destination will now be subjected to compulsory three-day hotel quarantine in addition to a PCR test on arrival and a PCR test on the third and seventh days.

Airlines to Pay $3, 500 per Unvaccinated Passenger Flown into Ghana

Ghanas airport authorities will now charge airlines $3,500 per unvaccinated passenger flown into the country. Similar charges also apply to each passenger flown into the country without a negative PCR test conducted within 72 hours before travel.

British Airways gives Customers a Feel of Christmas

Some customers of British Airways who travelled through Heathrow Terminal 5 this week, received special packages from the airline to mark the beginning of Christmas celebrations. Some of the packages were complimentary coffee vouchers, chocolates, business class upgrades and Harvey Nichols Christmas hampers.

Air France Opens Beauty Treatment Centre at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport

Air France has unveiled a new beauty treatment centre in its La Premiere Lounge at the Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport. The centre which is operated in collaboration with Sisley offers La Premiere customers a complimentary 30 minutes beauty treatment and up to 1 hour 30 minutes complimentary offer for lounge guests, among others.

Emirates Receives Final A380 from Airbus

Emirates this week received its 123rd Airbus A380 aircraft to mark the end of new A380 purchases. The airline was the first to have ordered the A380 at the 2000 Farnborough Air Show.

PassionAir Releases November 2021 Operational Results

PassionAirs operational data suggests that the airline completed 476 flights for November 2021. 436 flights departed on time and 40 were delayed. Total flight cancellations over the period were 5.

President of Bono House of Chiefs Frustrated over Slow Work Pace at Sunyani Airport

The President of the Bono Regional House of Chiefs, Osagyefo Oseadeyo Agyeman Badu has expressed his frustration over the slow pace of rehabilitation works at the Sunyani Airport.

The chief has also pledged his support to provide lands to help relocate people who have encroached on the airports land.

Authored

Mark Ofosu || Twitter: M__ofosu
Are you distracted by all the preparations that have to be made for Christmas? As exemplified by the Bible passage quoted below, we may not be giving the right attention or the correct priority to our activities as we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lords feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made . She came to him and asked, Lord, dont you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me! 41 Martha, Martha, the Lord answered, you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her. (Luke 10:38-42 NIV, emphasis mine).

Consider the irony in the story. Jesus and his disciples were on their way to a certain place and they came to a village where Martha opened her home to them. This was not a pre-arranged visit; they were just passing through. There were no telephones for Jesus to have given advance notice of his visit. Imagine welcoming about thirteen people (Jesus and perhaps his 12 disciples) to your home without prior notice, planning or preparation. Martha must have been frantically trying to do all she could at the last-minute to entertain the most important visitors to enter her home.

Meanwhile, her sister Mary sat at Jesus feet listening to him. From Marthas perspective, Mary was chilling or wasting time instead of doing something productive, such as helping to prepare the meals, drinks, and other activities to entertain Jesus and the disciples. Martha did what many of us would have done. She complained to Jesus and asked him to tell Mary to come and help her.

However, Jesus refused. Jesus expressed his concern about Martha worrying too much and pointed out that Mary had chosen the better approach and that he was not going to deny her that choice. Instead of praising Martha for her wonderful preparations and encouraging Mary to help her so that he and his disciples would be more comfortable, Jesus was displeased with Martha for attempting to use him to deprive Mary of the better choice she had made. In other words, all the hard work Martha was doing at that particular time to impress Jesus and make his visit comfortable was not as impressive to him as Marys choice of sitting at his feet and listening to him. Jesus might have been tired from the journey, but he ranked his teaching and listening session over his personal comfort.

This seems to go against our natural way of thinking in terms of the urgency of the circumstances. One would have thought that it was Mary who was distracted because she was idling about sitting and listening to Jesus instead of helping to entertain the visitors. And if Jesus had not been involved and we were to put this to a vote today  even among Christians  the majority of us would most likely side wrongly with Martha. One reason is that our thoughts or ways are not the Lords thoughts or ways (see Isaiah 55:8-9). Therefore, it is important that we seek to have the mindset of Christ and follow his lead (see Philippians 2:5).

Jesus knew the only thing that was needed  a focused, bonding relationship with our Lord and Savior that enabled Mary to listen and learn about his powerful and enduring words. It teaches us that the Word of God and the words of Jesus are paramount. That was why later in his ministry Jesus said that heaven and earth will pass away, but his words will never pass away (Mathew 24:35). For these reasons, the Word of God and the words of Jesus, whenever and wherever they are proclaimed, must be given the highest priority. The unique opportunity Mary had to listen directly to the words of Jesus was so important that Jesus was not going to take it away from her, even if it displeased Martha. It is not how busy we are, or how good our deeds are, but how pleasing our deeds are to the Lord.

My friends, time spent sitting and listening at the feet of Jesus is not wasted. Time spent reading and studying the Bible, worshipping the Lord, seeking His face, and listening to Spirit-inspired Sermons in Church, is not wasted. It is time well-spent.

It is that time of the year. Many of us are busy running up and down doing things in preparation for Christmas. Christmas is about Jesus Christ. We need to pause a little and consider how much of what we are doing is pleasing to Jesus whose birthday we are preparing to celebrate. Are we doing things at the expense of spending time at the feet of Jesus and listening to him?

Lets not be distracted as Martha was, even though she thought she was busy for the Lord. We should not let our good intentions and good deeds distract us from Jesus. What matters are things that please Jesus, our Savior and Judge. Jesus should be the center of our attention. When we devote our attention to other people and things and away from Jesus, we are being distracted. It does not matter how good our intentions may be. We need to reprioritize and refocus our attention on Jesus.

Christmas is coming and Christ is seeking all those who will invite him to their homes and hearts for the celebration. Jesus was born for all people, lived for all people, died for all people, and rose from the dead for all people. Martha thought that the Savior of the world and Great Provider who could give living water (John 4:10), turn water into wine (John 2:7-9), and feed multitudes with five loaves of bread and two fish (John 6:11), was only in her home to receive refreshments and rest from his journey, but Jesus was also there to give them something more important  divine words of salvation. Anything apart from that was a distraction. Therefore, if you want to have the best Christmas, dont be distracted about what to buy or wear or eat or give or where to go. Instead, focus on Jesus Christ. Draw as close to him as possible. Sit at the feet of Jesus and listen attentively to his wonderful words of salvation. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Prayer is the key. May God grant us the grace to seek Him daily through our prayers.

Dr. Daniel Gyebi, Attorney-at-Law, Texas, U.S.A., and Founder, PrayerHouse Ministry, Kumasi, Ghana.

PrayerHouse Ministry is dedicated to providing a quiet facility for Christians to pray individually by themselves without any intermediary priest, pastor or any other person. This is a free service. No money is demanded or accepted. One facility is located at Kyerekrom / Fumesua, near Building and Road Research Institute Offices, one mile off the Kumasi-Accra Road and next to a house called Grace Castle. If you are interested, please contact Agnes at 054-7498653. Another is located at Kantinkyiren, at the junction of Kantinkyiren and Konkori, off the Kumasi-Obuasi Road, branching left at Trede junction. Contact Kwadwo at 020-8768461 / 0246-989413.
19.12.2021 LISTEN

The Member of Parliament for Suame constituency, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu has warned members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) against the lies and dislike for one another.

The Majority Leader said this attitude will not help the party going forward as they seek to remain in office beyond eight years.

He said these while speaking at the NPPs national delegates conference in Kumasi on Sunday December 19.

He further said the experience of the 2008 elections in which the NPP lost power, denying them the opportunity to break the 8 after the Kufuor administration, should guide the NPP ahead of the 2024 general elections.

Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu further lamented the actions of some leaders of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) that cost the party more parliamentary seats during the 2020 elections.

He said bitterness, division and the failure to united the supporters after internal elections were some of the issues that affected the party.

The history of 2008 should guide us, he said.

He however noted that the party has enough time ahead of the next elections to right the wrongs.

He added I want to sound this caution because we have enough time to correct them.

The lies, the hatred will not advance the interest of the Dankwa-Busia-Dombo great tradition, he further stated.

3news.com
On my working desk, I got a cup of coffee! A cup of hot coffee, but not one made from coffee seed nor one brewed in a coffee house or brewed in an African pot! I got a coffee, but certainly not one bought from the coffee shop nor one that can be sipped or drunk! I got a coffee, not one that may taste so sour or feel hot in a cold winter!

My coffee comes with knowledge not wisdom, a cocktail coffee brewed from an African and an European house! It's one blended with science and nationalism; research and better society. I do not lack it, but I search for it more than wisdom! I search for it; I look for it deliberately and I chase for it! For if I lack it, I may grow weak and become weary, I may perish, and many feeble souls will concomitantly and equally do perish! There's truth in it and if found it will liberate many and set many held in bondage free! In there lies the truth, for many shall know it and they will be set free! For it's power, and it's mightier! The power of the brain and knowledge economy can be employed to build economies and lift people out of poverty! For instance, if we can't have the cocoa, we will build a cocoa museum! If we can't have the money, we will build a money museum! If we can't have the minerals, we will build a mineralogy museum!

It's like a resource, in fact it may arguably be the greatest of all resources! They are not, but they become! Just as it's likened to resources, they're hidden, and until one discovers it, he/she will live in abundance/plenty and yet remains hungry. Many live in freedom but may not be free! Many a society will live in abundance yet consequently linger in poverty! I got a cup of coffee, it's not your usual winter coffee! Resources, they say, are not, they become! All resources are already created and hidden, until man discovers and exploits it for the benefits of mankind, for it shall not be called a resource! We can liken this to scarcity of water. We can have what we may refer to as physical scarcity or economic scarcity of water.

A water resource (e.g., in this scenario) may be physically scarce- when it's not in reach or unavailable; or economically scarce- when it's available but society has not allocated financial strength to exploit its abstraction for the benefit of humankind and society! Thus, you can have plenty of water, yet you will be water scarce country because you don't even have the sense of exploiting the water for the benefits of your citizens! When you relegate knowledge economy to the background, you will retrogress! You will be cheated because you're not applying knowledge! You will be looked down upon! And you will be poor amid plenty! I got a cup of coffee, it's not your usual morning coffee!

That's why we have resource curse conundrum! A resource curse is a situation where societies that are very much rich in natural resources experience underdevelopment. Such curses are further deepened in societies and economies where there's central management. Additionally, it exists in societies where resources exploited in the host communities and local communities go to the central government and where little of the resources and financial gains are rather sent to the very communities where the exploitation and production take place! In Ghana, for instance, resource curse is more evident in gold mining communities. In Ghanaian gold mining dominant communities like Obuasi, Tarkwa, Prestea, Akwatia, Konongo, many southwestern regions, evidence of resource curse abounds!

These communities live in dilapidated structures, joblessness abound, they live in filth, highly polluted environments, degraded lands, they farm on highly contaminated and polluted soils, and they consume highly contaminated foods grown in such contaminated lands. Moreover, they are subject to bad roads, there is excessive generation of dusts in those communities, many mine lands are left un-reclaimed and are abandoned, health of women and children are consequently at risk, and many are exposed to many heinous diseases! More dangerously and worryingly, many of these diseases become genetic and are capable of being transferred to generations born in such communities! Interestingly, they don't see, and they have normalized poverty!

I have a coffee, it's one brewed in school, one brewed in books, brewed in written science not influenced by biases and manipulations! It is one brewed in findings generated by highly rigorous science! It is one brewed in simple engineering and application of scientific findings that work to solving societal problems! And by commonly implementing scientific research findings and cogent recommendations to solving daily problems confronting the people and the society! It is one brewed in right leadership, mixed with good politics, blended in good democracy, and sipped by good citizens purposely engineered to think right! I have a cup of coffee, it's not your usual coffee!

Thus, the piece talks about a newly published book by AK Mensah, titled, #I_Speak_of_A_Better_Society. The book talks about the realities in Africa and Ghana in particular, highlights the deficits in current and past leadership and suggests alternative best-alternatives for creating a better society fair and just for all citizens. Political tribalism, these two societies, anthropogenic inequalities and consequent repercussions, corruption, Chinese loans to Africa and repayments, probational democracy, selfless leadership, research, and development for a better society, are some of the chapters of discussion captured in the book. Full copy, both kindle and paperback, are available on amazon: https://www.amazon.de/-/en/gp/aw/d/9988323638/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?ie=UTF8&qid=&sr= . below are some pictures of the book
19.12.2021 LISTEN

The Ashanti Regional Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Kwame Zu, wants the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) to reconsider the 1.75% tax on electronic transactions proposed in the 2022 budget.

Mr. Zu said the levy will worsen the difficulties many Ghanaians find themselves in already.

Your excellency, currently, teachers are suffering and students are suffering. Doctors and suffering and Nurses are suffering. Farmers are suffering and drivers are suffering. Market women are suffering and Ghanaians are suffering. Yet, we are aware that you are planning to impose on the suffering masses of Ghanaians another set of draconian set of taxes.

Your excellency, we plead that you will again reconsider your decision to impose the 1.75 percent e-levy on the already burdened people of this country that are already crying because it is not going well he said at the NPPs Delegates Congress at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi.

Mr. Zu believes the conference presents a chance for party delegates to soberly reflect on various economic challenges.

Even as you gather today to take steps that seek to entrench and deepen your internal democracy, we request that you set aside some time to soberly reflect and consider the main economic issues that plague, afflict and agonize the good people of this country presently.

Ghanaians experiencing hardship

Ahead of the conference, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo also admitted that Ghanaians were going through hard times.

He however failed to take responsibility for the hardship faced by Ghanaians.

I admit that Ghanaians are going through difficult times, some people are trying to say that it is my fault but you know that is not the case.

citinewsroom
Tens of thousands of Sudanese protesters rallied Sunday for a civilian-led transition to democracy, three years since the start of mass demonstrations that led to the ouster of veteran strongman Omar al-Bashir.

Security forces fired tear gas canisters -- leaving several wounded, witnesses said -- as activists at the presidential palace in Khartoum chanted slogans against military chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who led a coup on October 25.

"The people want the downfall of Burhan," the protesters shouted as additional security forces were deployed to surround the swelling crowd.

Sudan's generals in the post-Bashir transition government launched their coup almost two months ago and held civilian leader Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok under effective house arrest for weeks but reinstated him on November 21.

Sudanese protesters rush to the aid of a wounded protester after security forces fired tear gas canisters. By - (AFP)

The move alienated many of Hamdok's pro-democracy supporters, who dismissed it as providing a cloak of legitimacy for Burhan's coup.

"Any coup, even after the reinstatement of Hamdok, is unacceptable," a protester aged in his twenties told AFP as thousands waving Sudanese flags marched past him.

"Our glorious December revolution is seeking civil institutions, not particular individuals."

'Slide toward abyss'

Critics say a new partnership agreement civilian Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok reached with General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan last month provided a cloak of legitimacy for his coup. By Ebrahim HAMID (AFP/File)

Hamdok, who has argued he wants to avoid further bloodshed, warned late Saturday of "the country's slide toward the abyss," urging restraint from the protesters.

"We're facing today a sizeable regression in the path of our revolution that threatens the security of the nation, its unity and its stability," the premier said.

Protest organisers have however vowed, in a key slogan, that they want "no negotiation, no partnership and no legitimacy" for the current leadership.

Another demonstrator, in his early thirties and also draped in a Sudanese flag, said "I came out today in complete refusal of the political agreement!

"This deal doesn't represent the people. We have one demand and that's a civilian government, not one that ends up being under military control."

Previous protests against the military takeover have been forcibly dispersed.

Map of Sudan. By (AFP)

Nationwide, at least 45 people have been killed and scores more wounded, according to the independent Doctors' Committee.

On Sunday, authorities shut off bridges linking the capital with its twin city Omdurman, but large crowds still gathered.

"The numbers are huge and security forces can't control them," said one man who witnessed the protests in Omdurman.

'All scenarios on the table'

The date December 19 has a particular resonance in Sudanese history.

Rallies on Sunday were the latest in a string of protests in recent weeks. By - (AFP)

Not only was it the day in 2018 when thousands launched mass protests that months later ended Bashir's three decades in power, it was also the day in 1955 when Sudanese lawmakers declared independence from British colonial rule.

Following Bashir's ouster, a joint military-civilian transitional government took power but the troubled alliance was shattered by Burhan's power grab.

"The coup has put obstacles in the way of the democratic transition and has given the military complete control over politics and the economy," Ashraf Abdel-Aziz, chief editor of the independent Al-Jarida newspaper, told AFP.

Sudan's military dominates lucrative companies in sectors from agriculture to infrastructure.

The prime minister said last year that 80 percent of the state's resources were "outside the finance ministry's control".

"The security apparatus has won out over political institutions," Abdel-Aziz said.

Khaled Omer, a minister in the ousted government, said the coup was a "catastrophe" but also "an opportunity to rectify the deficiencies" of the previous political arrangement with the army.

He warned that anything could happen over the next few months with the military still firmly in power.

Sudanese protesters in Khartoum on December 19; previous rallies against the military takeover have been forcibly dispersed by the security forces. By - (AFP)

"If the main political actors don't get their act together and the miliary establishment doesn't distance itself from politics... then all scenarios are on the table," Omer said.

The November 21 agreement also set July 2023 as the date for new elections.

Hamdok said he partnered with the military to "stop the bloodshed" that resulted from its crackdown on protests, and so as not to "squander the gains of the last two years".
The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Bosiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi claims the Akufo-Addo government has made Ghana better than the United States of America and the United Kingdom.

This he said is because of the development the current government under President Akufo-Addo has brought to Ghanaians.

Ghana is now better than United States, Ghana is better than UK because of the development Akufo-Addo is bringing to Ghanaians, everyone can see it, Chairman Wontumi made the claim at the partys ongoing National Delegates Conference in Kumasi.

Meanwhile, President H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has admitted that Ghanaians are going through some challenges.

He however insists that it is not due to his doing as the President of the country.

I admit that Ghanaians are going through difficult times, some people are trying to say that it is my fault but you know that is not the case, the President said at the Conference.

He said he is confident that very soon things will turn around for the better for the citizenry to enjoy.

I am hopeful that if you all support the vision of this government, we will be able to turn things around, H.E Akufo-Addo stressed.
The Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has charged supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to present a united front in the quest to break the 8-year cycle in government.

In the history of the 4th Republic, no political party has stayed in government successively for more than two terms.

With President Akufo-Addos two terms in government on the ticket of the NPP set to expire in 2024, supporters of the Elephant party are aiming to be the first party to stay in power beyond 8 years.

Speaking at the 2021 NPP National Delegates Conference in Kumasi on Sunday, Vice President Dr. Bawumia admitted that the task ahead wont be easy.

In a message of inspiration to supporters of the party, he called for unity ahead of the 2024 polls.

Breaking the 8 will not be easy, it has not been done before in our history but if we stand together it is possible and it will be done, Vice President Dr. Bawumia said at the delegates conference.

Meanwhile, President H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has admitted that Ghanaians are going through some challenges.

He however insists that it is not due to his doing as the President of the country.

I admit that Ghanaians are going through difficult times, some people are trying to say that it is my fault but you know that is not the case, the President said at the Conference.

He said he is confident that very soon things will turn around for the better for the citizenry to enjoy.

I am hopeful that if you all support the vision of this government, we will be able to turn things around, H.E Akufo-Addo stressed.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Augustin Kingsley Oppong, the Bono Regional Police Public Relations Officer has advised the public to desist from possessing huge sums of money in the yuletide.

He said people who kept huge sums of money on them for Christmas shopping, and related activities exposed themselves to robbers.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani, ASP Oppong advised the populace to secure their monies by using their mobile wallet for business transactions.

Criminals are always wide-awake during Christmas festivities and we must be wary of their activities in order not to expose ourselves to unnecessary dangers, ASP Oppong said.

ASP Oppong said the Police was collaborating with other security service operatives to patrol major towns, neighbourhoods, markets, and other public places to clamp down on criminal activities in the yuletide.

He also warned drivers against reckless driving, saying the Police would increase visibility, and arrest drivers who flouted traffic regulations.

The Police PRO reminded the public, particularly drivers, that security cameras had been mounted in the Sunyani Municipality to monitor criminal activities and road traffic offences.

ASP Oppong advised mobile phone vendors to operate in public places, avoid obscure areas and close early in order not to expose themselves to criminals.

Churches that will organize Christmas conventions and retreats must also seek Police protection as well, he said.

He said modern policing remained a shared and collective responsibility and appealed to the public to inform the Police about people with strange movements and questionable characters.

GNA
Mr Kofi Benteh, a Chartered Tax Advisor, has advised the government to take a second look at the proposed electronic transaction levy (E-levy), taking into critical consideration all shades of public opinion.

He said efforts so far made by the government to digitalize the economy were very much appreciated but cautioned that the introduction and implementation of any E-levy must be critically assessed to serve its rightful purpose.

Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, in presenting the 2022 economic policy of the government to parliament last month said 1.75 per cent proposed E-levy was a revenue generation strategy to rope in the vast informal sector into the formal sector.

Government has decided to place a levy on all electronic transactions to widen the tax net and rope in the informal sector. This shall be known as Electronic Levy or e-levy, the Finance Minister had said.

Electronic transactions cover mobile money payments, bank transfers, merchant payments, and inward remittances.

This, the Minister said, would be charged at an applicable rate of 1.75 per cent and shall be borne by the sender, except inward remittances which would be borne by the recipient.

However, speaking with the Ghana News Agency (GNA)in an interview, Mr Benteh said the agenda to promote a cash-light economy was largely fuelled by the electronic payment system, known as Momo, especially in areas without banking services.

After critically analysing this proposal, he said there were a lot of questions that needed to be considered by the government before implementing the budget.

He said in 2020, the Bank of Ghana reported that the total float balance on all Mobile Money (MoMo) wallets were GH6.98billion while the total value of transactions was Gh564.16 billion.

This money, according to him, will be taxed severally due to its movement and no value if the e-levy was to be implemented in its current form without being critically analysed.

E-levy should help solve economic development challenges rather than force out Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), he said.

He added: Because there is no surety that the informal sector players dominate the electronic transaction space.

He quizzed: Are electronic transactions dominant among informal sector players? Have we juxtaposed the values of transactions to the volume of transactions since e-levy is proportional to the value of transactions and not the volume of transactions?

Again, are informal sector players largely the recipient or the senders in electronic transactions?

Mr Benteh observed that the purpose of e-levy was to widen the tax net and rope in the informal sector, however, the target audience might be missed since some companies pay their workers through electronic transactions.

Those companies might be overly charged because they might already be paying requisite taxes, he added.

According to Mr Benteh, SME operators make as low as 3% profit margin on sales and they are sustained in business only by the frequency of transactions.

He cautioned that businesses would suffer when the conditions of the e-levy were not carefully addressed before its implementation.

He said: Generally, goods and services are taxed and if payment transactions are also taxed then e-levy is not serving its other purpose of safeguarding economic inclusion and protecting the vulnerable.

Mr Benteh projected that the total percentage charged when e-levy is being implemented would be 2.75% comprising 1% from Communication Service Tax to Telcos and 1.75% charge as e-levy.

He pointed out that the vulnerable would be at the losing end, saying, Imagine a rich man transfers GH100 every day per month totalling GH3,000 and will not pay any levy but a poor person who transfers GH101 in one transaction per month is levied 1.75%.

GNA
Mr. Freddie Blay, National Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), has called for Ghanaians to be patient and continue to have faith in the Akufo-Addo government, as it takes steps to tackle the economic difficulties the country is struggling with, to make things better for everybody.

He said, the NPP had proven to be better managers of the economy than any other political party in the country and remained the best option for Ghanaians, in terms of good governance.

Mr. Blay was addressing the party's 2021 Annual Delegates Conference, held in Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital, which has traditionally been loyal to the NPP.

The party's delegates have gathered to take stock of the activities and performance of the party. "NPP, Our Resolve, Our Determination and Commitment to the Development of Ghana", is the theme chosen for the event.

Key issues on the table include the amendment of some sections of the Party's Constitution, creation of another organ to be known as National Disability and Aged Wing and the appointment of a National Coordinator, who shall be a member of the National Executive Committee.

Ninety-one (91) constitutional amendment proposals are being considered and these include expanding the electoral college for special wing elections at the national level to include all delegates.

About 6,000 delegates from all the 16 regions are attending the conference which is the biggest political event on the party's calendar.

Mr. Blay told the party members and supporters to refuse to be distracted by the criticisms of their political opponents but to focus on the mandate given to the party to build a resilient economy that worked for everybody. Their political opponents would always criticise the party's performance, and make things look gloomy, but they must focus on the mandate of improving the livelihoods of Ghanaians.

He rallied them to stay united and work with the single-minded goal of retaining the party in power, come the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections, to sustain the country on the path of progress.

"Make no mistake, ours is not to take them for granted, our political foes will do everything to make us look bad, but if we remain united and focused on prosecuting our mandate, we shall retain power."

They should overcome complacency, accept to work hard and to tell the government's success story, to ensure a resounding election victory in 2024.

GNA
A traditional initiation rite in South Africa's Eastern Cape province has left 23 Xhosa teenagers dead. Provincial premier Oscar Mabuyane has called for those responsible to be charged with murder.

The dead succumbed to dehydration or sepsis from circumcision at the start of the ceremony, which lasts between two and six months.

Almost a thousand young men have died from the initiation rite since 1995, with at least twice that number forced to undergo penile amputation.

It was hoped the Customary Initiation Act of 2021 might reduce the number of dead and injured. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu was among those demanding official intervention.

The summer initiation season still has a month to run.

The winter season in June and July was cut short this year because of the Covid, with 19 initiates dying during the process.

Transition to manhood

Initiation prepares young men for the transition to manhood through cultural teaching. There is also initiation for women that begins after their first menstrual period.

The process, known as Ulwaluko, is enthusiastically embraced by the Xhosa people, although it occurs throughout South Africa.

The circumcision is performed by a traditional surgeon known as incibi. The initiate is expected to show no pain and cry out I am a man when the process is completed.

He undergoes a month of solitary healing before being sequestered in a hut with a group of others. They are taught values, principles, hardships, respect and accountability within cultural tradition.

The late Nelson Mandela wrote in some detail about his initiation in his autobiography A Long Walk To Freedom.

Having completed initiation a man is called Umkhwetha. The hut (bhoma) that he and fellow initiates occupied is burned along with their boyhood clothing

Uninitiated shunned

An uninitiated man is called Inkwenkwe and may not attend tribal councils and other adult events.

A film entitled The Wound, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2017, portrays the hardships of homosexuals who did not undergo initiation.

Initiates are strongly discouraged from talking about happens during the process, applying the maxim that what happens in the bush, stays in the bush.

Parents, too, are reluctant to give evidence, which allows inexperienced or dangerous incibi surgeons to continue the practice.
19.12.2021 LISTEN

Leader of the majority group in Parliament, Mr Kyei Mensah Bonsu has advised leadership of the New Patriotic Party to learn lessons from the outcome of the 2020 elections which made some incumbent Members of Parliament(MP) lose seats to the National Democratic Congress.

Speaking at the Annual National delegates conference in Kumasi, Mr Kyei Mensah-Bonsu said the party was not built on polarization but on democratic credentials which they hold in high esteem and therefore one direction leadership must not be encouraged.

Making reference to the 2020 elections he admonished the party to be guided by the just ended elections which saw some of our key MPs losing their seats not only in the Ashanti region but some other regions too.

Sighting polarization as one of the cankers holding down the party he said:

As a party, we should confront the reality and not pretend that everything is right with us. The conduct of elections at all levels of the party is increasingly polarizing the party. It appears those who should lead are looking elsewhere. We should do serious introspection into the things that are holding us down. If we are able to unleash the full potentials of our party, the other parties will find it extremely difficult to create space for themselves in contemporary Ghanaian politics.

Mr Kyei Mensah-Bonsu called on the party to stick to the democratic principles on which the NPP was birth to make way for others to lead.

As I have been insisting in our previous conferences, further interrogation into article 55 (9) of the 1992 constitution should lead to a conclusion that the selection of party officers doesn't need to be solely by election. We must explore other means which the parties in the more established democracies resort to including consensus, acclamation, persuasion and even rotation.

He warned against inducement of delegates and said the partys constitution frowns it.
Hundreds of thousands of Sudanese protesters rallied Sunday for a civilian-led transition to democracy, three years since the start of mass demonstrations that led to the ouster of veteran strongman Omar al-Bashir.

Security forces fired tear gas canisters and live rounds into the air to try to disperse protesters near the presidential palace in Khartoum, leaving several wounded, witnesses told AFP.

Demonstrators approaching the palace gates had chanted slogans against military chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who led a coup on October 25.

"The people want the downfall of Burhan," the protesters shouted as additional security forces were deployed to surround the swelling crowd.

In the evening, demonstrators declared they would hold a sit-in similar to the one that eventually toppled Bashir.

A barrage of tear gas rained down on the crowd of several thousand after the announcement, an AFP journalist said.

Sudan's generals in the post-Bashir transition government launched their coup almost two months ago and held civilian leader Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok under effective house arrest for weeks but reinstated him on November 21.

Sudanese protesters rush to the aid of a wounded protester after security forces fired tear gas canisters. By - (AFP)

The move alienated many of Hamdok's pro-democracy supporters, who dismissed it as providing a cloak of legitimacy for Burhan's coup.

"Any coup, even after the reinstatement of Hamdok, is unacceptable," a protester in his twenties told AFP as thousands waving Sudanese flags marched past him.

"Our glorious December revolution is seeking civil institutions, not particular individuals."

'Slide toward abyss'

Critics say a new partnership agreement civilian Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok reached with General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan last month provided a cloak of legitimacy for his coup. By Ebrahim HAMID (AFP/File)

Hamdok, who has argued he wants to avoid further bloodshed, warned late Saturday of "the country's slide toward the abyss", urging restraint from the protesters.

"We're facing today a sizeable regression in the path of our revolution that threatens the security of the nation, its unity and its stability," the premier said.

However, protest organisers have vowed, in a key slogan, that they want "no negotiation, no partnership and no legitimacy" for the current leadership.

Another demonstrator, in his early thirties and also draped in a Sudanese flag, said: "I came out today in complete refusal of the political agreement!

"This deal doesn't represent the people. We have one demand and that's a civilian government, not one that ends up being under military control."

Previous protests against the military takeover have been forcibly dispersed.

Map of Sudan. By (AFP)

Nationwide, at least 45 people have been killed and scores wounded in the past two months, according to the independent Doctors' Committee.

Authorities on Sunday shut off bridges linking the capital with its twin city Omdurman, but large crowds still gathered and crossed despite heavy tear gas.

"The numbers are huge and security forces can't control them," said one man who witnessed the protests in Omdurman.

'All scenarios on the table'

The date December 19 has a particular resonance in Sudanese history.

Rallies on Sunday were the latest in a string of protests in recent weeks. By - (AFP)

Not only was it the day in 2018 when thousands launched mass protests that months later ended Bashir's three decades in power, it was also the day in 1955 when Sudanese lawmakers declared independence from British colonial rule.

Following Bashir's ouster a joint military-civilian transitional government took power, but the troubled alliance was shattered by Burhan's power grab.

"The coup has put obstacles in the way of the democratic transition and has given the military complete control over politics and the economy," Ashraf Abdel-Aziz, chief editor of the independent Al-Jarida newspaper, told AFP.

Sudan's military dominates lucrative companies in sectors from agriculture to infrastructure.

The prime minister said last year that 80 percent of the state's resources were "outside the finance ministry's control".

"The security apparatus has won out over political institutions," Abdel-Aziz said.

Khaled Omer, a minister in the ousted government, said the coup was a "catastrophe" but also "an opportunity to rectify the deficiencies" of the previous political arrangement with the army.

He warned that anything could happen over the next few months with the military still firmly in power.

Sudanese protesters in Khartoum on December 19; previous rallies against the military takeover have been forcibly dispersed by the security forces. By - (AFP)

"If the main political actors don't get their act together and the miliary establishment doesn't distance itself from politics... then all scenarios are on the table," Omer said.

The November 21 agreement also set July 2023 as the date for new elections.

Hamdok said he partnered with the military to "stop the bloodshed" that resulted from its crackdown on protests, and so as not to "squander the gains of the last two years".
NASHVILLE - The first cars bearing the needy pulled into the parking lot as the lights went on in the squat brick Social Security office, three miles north of the luxury condos and boutique hotels rising in booming Music City.

It was 9 a.m., and a flier taped to the glass double doors announced business hours until 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. An American flag fluttered at the curb.

But the office did not open for business, except for a lucky few who gained special entry, for what was then the 605th day since it had been sealed shut to protect its employees and customers from the coronavirus.

It was closed to a man named Kevin, 41, who has seizures from a gunshot wound to his head and now clutched a letter that asked him for documents to help him qualify for disability benefits. "I can't get into Social Security!" he said, declining to give his last name as he stood outside. "They got it locked up!"

It was closed to Jennifer Hustedt, 52, a Walmart clerk hoping to drop off her son's birth certificate to qualify him to receive his late father's disability check.

"Just to update his info, they told me I had to physically come in person," she said.

It was closed to Dwight Chambers, 65, who came with a letter he wrote disputing the amount in taxes the government was taking out of the $1,200 a month he receives in disability, so he could help support his granddaughters.

"I really need a face-to-face [meeting] because my case is complicated," Chambers said, shaking his head. A young woman pulled on the locked front doors. "Excuse me, babe!" he yelled to warn her. "You will not get into that building!"

Even as courthouses, motor vehicle and veterans' benefits offices, and most other parts of the government that directly serve the public have reopened 21 months into the covid crisis, the Social Security Administration remains mostly closed to in-person service, its workers at home, denying vital assistance to most of the disabled, poor and elderly who have long relied on their local office to navigate one of the government's most complex benefits systems. The unintended consequence: The federal government's lengthy effort to protect the health of its workers and the public has instead wounded many of those in greatest need of its services.

For middle-class or wealthy people applying for retirement benefits online, the sudden shift to remote work posed little disruption. But for those without computers or needing specialized help available only in person, the workarounds the agency put in place have only made a convoluted process worse.

With 1,230 field offices normally visited by 43 million people a year largely shut, applying for disability or getting a Social Security card to secure a new job or other services requires finding a way to get online, waiting on hold on the phone for lengthy periods or relying on spotty mail service. Often, statistics show, Americans in need are simply giving up.

Applications and benefit awards under the antipoverty disability program called Supplemental Security Income have plummeted to the lowest level in 22 years, down 29% from July 2020 to April 2021 compared with the same period a year earlier, according to internal agency data and outside research.

Another group - disabled people who at one point were able to work but who now have turned to the federal disability system - saw a 17 % drop in awards, according to an analysis of agency data by David Weaver, a former associate commissioner in the agency's Office of Research, Demonstration and Employment Support.

The number applying for SSI benefits for disabled children, disabled adults and the elderly plummeted 51%, 32% and 55%, respectively, just one month after field offices closed, internal agency data shows, a decline that continued through August 2020, the most recent month for which numbers were available. The drop-off was most pronounced for those with limited English and the elderly.

Thousands already in the system have had benefits suspended after Social Security claimed they had been overpaid - but, with offices closed, the agency provided no easy way they could contest the claim. This month the agency acknowledged it had wrongly disqualified as many as 144,000 applicants by erroneously counting pandemic benefits as income. Those denied were asked to call a toll-free number. The maximum SSI benefit is $9,528 a year, three-quarters of the federal poverty level.

The system that determines disability when benefits are denied - normally 2 of every 3 cases - also is jammed. State offices that handle medical reviews for Social Security to determine if someone is eligible for benefits have dramatically slowed the pace of that work.

The Nashville office was closed to the public from March 2020 until October of this year, when managers previously limited to opening mail, collecting faxes and assigning inquiries to someone working at home began conducting a smattering of 15-minute in-person meetings, often with foreign nationals needing Social Security cards to work or for other limited issues. Those without food or shelter also qualify for appointments - but few get them, either because they don't ask or the staff falls short, advocates say.

"It's window-dressing, ministerial actions, not the 80% of issues poor people need help with," said Jonathan Stein, general counsel at Philadelphia-based Community Legal Services.

For everyone else who needs to drop off forms or documents like birth certificates to verify their eligibility for benefits, the only option is to leave them in a wooden box, which is placed inside the front doors to accept paperwork just one hour a day, from 3 to 4 p.m. Guards watching the box point anyone asking questions to a sign with an 800 number taped to the glass.

Most other agency business these days is done by phone. But while phone service has improved from before the pandemic, the Social Security inspector general reported this month that just 51% of calls from the public were answered in fiscal 2020.

After months of criticism from disability advocates and Republicans in Congress who contend that the Biden administration is kowtowing to its unions in allowing the closures - and delaying reopenings across the government - the agency released tentative plans last month to begin returning its staff of 60,000 to their offices in January. But employees in some offices will be given wide berth to continue working from home permanently up to five days a week, with two days allowed for the field office staff.

Nicole Tiggemann, a Social Security spokeswoman, acknowledged the decline in disability applications during the pandemic.

"We agree it is particularly important to ensure people who face barriers can access our services, and our proposed reentry plan helps address this problem," she wrote in a statement.

But she noted that "the pandemic has not ended and we have a duty to protect both our employees and also the public. . . . We respect our unions and want them to help us with the best plan to safely return to our new normal."

Advocates said the agency's response is inadequate, given the needs that have amassed during the covid crisis.

"Social Security is disappearing from public view," Weaver said, pointing to the number of people who receive benefits: "It's going to eventually reach a point where, do you want a problem with the unions or do you want a problem with 70 million people?"

In a letter this month 15 Senate Republicans told acting commissioner Kilolo Kijakazi that her delay in reopening field offices is hurting taxpayers in rural areas in particular. The lawmakers cited a mountain of unopened mail identified by the inspector general in July.

They also raised alarm that the agency "lacks comprehensive policies and procedures" to track and return original documents it required be sent through the mail through most of the pandemic, until it set up drop boxes. Among field offices, 1 in 5 lack a drop box and still require documents to be mailed.

Tiggemann said the agency is "revisiting" the drop boxes' limited hours.

The American Federation of Government Employees local representing 27,000 Social Security employees says its members have been more productive at home - although neither the union nor the agency has produced evidence of that. Union officials, who have pushed to delay office reopenings until March, are still bargaining with management over limiting service permanently, for the first time, to pre-scheduled appointments four days a week.

"It's not like we're hostile to the public," said Ralph de Juliis, the union president. "But they're not going to be waiting in a lobby that's chock-a-block full of people."

By noon, the parking lot in Nashville was filling quickly.

Bobby Smith, wearing a gray sweatshirt, his keys hanging from the belt loop of his jeans, needed a statement verifying his income from disability so he could continue to qualify for Section 8 public housing.

"This is gonna cause me to lose my apartment if I don't get this paperwork by December!" Smith, 71, called out to no one in particular. He had already been threatened with eviction if he didn't get the document, he said as he stood in the parking lot and dialed the 800 number. "Everything else is open and I'm getting elevator music." Eventually he gave up and walked away to wait for the bus home.

Emily Clark, 42 and deaf, needed the same form to apply for food stamps and Section 8 housing.

"I'm hearing impaired, please help me!" she begged the guard. He brought her a whiteboard, on which she wrote her Social Security number and what she needed. The guard brought it to a manager, who printed out the statement for her. It would be the day's only victory.

Before the pandemic, 15 million mostly poor, mostly Black and Hispanic Americans, including children, received disability benefits. (No current comparative numbers were available.) The programs are heavily scrutinized for fraud; applicants are required to produce a dizzying array of official documents, from work and medical history to rent and family arrangements. The application form is 23 pages long.

One missing document can result in a denied claim.

Lawyers and advocates are able to help only a minority of claimants. In Nashville, Ann-Douglas Tycer, a 76-year-old grandmother of five in three-inch heels and nylons, works the phones with Southern manners that belie 30 years of battles for her clients.

They struggle with degenerative back injuries from years of manual labor, mental health issues and chronic illness. Many have long suffered from patchy health care. Tycer helps them through the initial application, but she's more essential once they have been turned down and are trying again. It can take years to win a case on appeal, and that's when Tycer is paid - at most a few thousand dollars from her client's retroactive benefits.

Her biggest worry right now is Mariann Clouse, 21 and diagnosed with Juvenile Huntington's, a degenerative neurological disease that runs in families and will eventually kill her.

Tycer filed an application for disability benefits in May, hoping that Clouse would qualify for a rare compassionate allowance. She lives in a small apartment, subsidized by a Section 8 voucher, with her husband, William, and their 21-month-old son, born three months before her diagnosis. She suffers from tremors and cognitive lapses and has trouble speaking.

Huntington's is on a list of conditions that Social Security flags for quick decisions, according to its website. After seven months, Tycer has heard nothing.

She was informed this fall that the case had been transferred to an office of teleworking employees based in Jamaica, N.Y., where she has left multiple unreturned voice mails seeking a bar code to file Clouse's updated medical records.

"It's a long time for somebody so sick," Tycer said. "Cases can just sit in a computer. Even cases like this."

Now, in desperation, she was dialing the Nashville office, where she filed the case. The call went to voice mail. After 21 minutes of waiting on her third try, a human being picked up.

"This is Ann Tycer. I'm trying to get a status check on my client's case." The claims representative confirmed what the attorney already knew, that Clouse's application was pending in New York. There was no further information.

"I don't have a problem with the individuals in the field office," Tycer said. "But I feel like they're using the pandemic as an excuse to not get back into the office. It must be very comfortable for them not being at their desks."

William Clouse has not been able to work as a landscaper while he cares for his wife and their son. Social Security called him once last spring. "They just said it was a long process, and be prepared to wait a little while," he recalled.

"Honestly, I don't see why they would shut down as bad as they did," he said. "These are more important offices than McDonald's and Burger King. And they're open."

Two hours west in Jackson, an old cotton city where almost 1 in 4 people live in poverty, Beth Bates, a legal services attorney, reviewed 4,000 pages of medical records she needed to know cold for an upcoming appeal for a client with degenerative disc disease, breathing problems and borderline intellectual function who had twice been turned down for benefits. The third effort had stalled because the state could not find a psychiatrist to conduct the required exam, she said.

More than 31,000 similar medical reviews of applications and initial appeals were awaiting a decision in August, the most recent month for which data is available, from Tennessee Disability Determination Services. That represented a 28% jump from before the pandemic, according to an analysis of federal data by Stacy Cloyd of the National Organization of Social Security Claimants' Representatives. State officials blamed the setbacks on slow mail delivery, power and Internet challenges after a tornado in March 2020, a bombing in Nashville in December 2020, and a new case processing system causing delays nationwide.

A judge in Memphis offered Bates and her client a phone hearing, held this month. Bates worried that the judge would miss important information about her client's condition without seeing her in person. They're awaiting a written decision.

In October, Bates, now 62, celebrated 34 years representing the disabled for West Tennessee Legal Services, headquartered in a dated one-story building on Jackson's dying main street and serving 17 rural counties.

Even with all of her knowledge of arcane disability law, the pandemic still confounds her: There's the client with multiple health problems who won an appeal of Social Security's claim that he was overpaid, but whose $1,281 monthly check continued to be garnished $75 for more than a year because of a mistake by the payment center in Birmingham, Ala. The error was finally corrected, but the man has yet to receive a refund for the money he lost.

"It's pending," Bates said dryly.

By afternoon in Nashville, the lunchtime surge ebbing, the security guard circled the field office on his hourly perimeter check. A landscaper came to water the patch of grass between the building and the parking lot, maintaining the appearance that the government was fully open for business.

Huey Larkins, who keeps a torn, 30-year-old photo of himself as a bodybuilder in his glove compartment, maneuvered his car into a parking space. He hoisted his walker out of his trunk and headed for the front doors. He was about to turn 65 and lose a $380 disability check from the company he worked for when he was disabled in a car accident. He also collects benefits from Social Security, but wanted to know whether they would grow if he filed for retirement. But he does not have a computer, leaving the office as his only option for information. And it was locked.

A woman nearby, who had driven 46 miles to drop off her adopted daughter's birth certificate from China so an error in her Social Security card could be corrected, had finally had enough.

"Why aren't they open?" the woman yelled. "These people work for us! This whole country is backwards right now."

She approached the security guard. "I was just wondering if there is a reason why your drop box is closed right now?" she asked, then returned to her car to wait more than an hour until 3 p.m., when she could finally leave the birth certificate in it.

At 3:54 p.m., the guard took away the drop box, slid shut the top and bottom locks on the front doors and turned out the fluorescent lights. Three more taxpayers sat in their cars, cellphones to their ears, waiting for a Social Security employee somewhere to pick up.
Overnight reports from Jacksonville-area police:

Disturbance arrest:

 Kiara O. Barnes, 24, of 207 Allen Ave. was arrested at 1:30 a.m. Sunday on a battery charge. She is accused of using Mace on someone during a disturbance in the 200 block of East State Street.

Accident citation:

 Danny P. Matthews, 60, of Jacksonville was cited on a charge of improper backing after the car he was driving and one being driven by Collin D. McEvers, 30, of Jacksonville collided in the 500 block of East Chambers Street at 3:39 p.m. Saturday.
JERSEYVILLE  Police are investigating an officer-involved shooting and whether it was behind the death of a man who held a Jerseyville resident hostage for several hours.

Jersey County sheriff's deputies were called to a house in the 18000 block of U.S. 67 in Jerseyville after a man entered and took the resident hostage. The unidentified resident was eventually able to escape and call police.
You might be thinking of adding a furry friend to the family during the holidays.

And you'll be in good company: 70% of U.S. households have a pet, according to the 2021-2022 American Pet Products Association National Pet Owners Survey.

As cute as pets are, they're a financial commitment. Americans spent $103.6 billion on their pets in 2020 alone, American Pet Products Association says.

Some expenses, like food and shelter, are predictable. But if your new puppy or kitten gets sick or injured, an unexpected medical bill can derail your budget. For a growing number of Americans, pet insurance provides peace of mind.

Medical issues are almost inevitable for pets, and costs are likely to rise, says Kristen Lynch, executive director of the North American Pet Health Insurance Association.

"The fact that there's continued innovation in the medical care of pets  just like there is for humans  means that the cost of those innovations will continue to go up."

Dog owners spend an average of $242 on routine visits and $458 on surgical visits each year, according to American Pet Products Association. The cost for cat owners is slightly lower, at $178 for routine visits and $201 for surgical visits.

"I'd say at least half of the clients I come in contact with have money concerns," Dr. TB Thompson, a Phoenix-based veterinarian at Natural Pets HQ, said in an email. "When pets get into complicated, life-threatening medical trouble, costs add up fast."

Pet insurance won't reimburse you for every penny you spend at the vet, but it can help prevent you from being slapped with an expensive bill.

A policy will typically pay 70% to 90% of your costs after you pay a deductible, which can range from zero to $1,000 or more.

"Consider buying pet insurance unless you can easily fund treating a pet emergency that costs $2,500 and up," Thompson says.

There are a few types of pet insurance plans. Comprehensive plans, the most robust, help cover the cost of care due to accidents, illnesses and surgeries, as well as vaccinations and diagnostic tests. Accident and illness coverage helps pay for emergency care, surgeries, hospitalizations and prescription medications, while accident-only policies help cover expenses after an accident. Some insurers also offer wellness plans, which take care of certain tests, exams, vaccinations and preventive treatments.

While pet insurance can stop you from dipping into your savings to pay a vet bill, it is an added cost.

The average cost of an accident and illness policy is $594 per year for dogs and $342 for cats, according to NAPHIA. For an accident-only policy, you could pay $218 for dogs and $134 for cats.

Premiums are based on a range of factors, including:

Where you live. The cost of veterinary care varies by region.

Species. Dogs are more expensive to insure than cats, for example. Coverage for other types of animals is rare.

Breed. Some breeds are predisposed to medical conditions, which can increase the cost of coverage.

Age. As pets age, they're more likely to be ill or become injured, Lynch says. Keep this in mind if you plan to adopt an older pet from a shelter this holiday season.

As a new pet owner, many of these factors are out of your control. But there are a few things you can do to score a lower premium.

LOOK AT THE FINE PRINT

Consider choosing a higher deductible and lower reimbursement level.

CHECK FOR DISCOUNTS

Some companies offer discounts for insuring multiple pets or for military service.

SHOP AROUND

There are around 20 pet insurers in the U.S. competing for your business, so let them. Compare quotes from three insurers for the same amount of coverage, and go with the best pet insurance company for your budget.

In Lynch's view, some pet insurance is better than none.

"People avoid taking their pets to the vet because they're afraid of what those costs will be," she says. "I like to think pet insurance gives us the ability to say 'yes' to those decisions at a time when we're emotional, stressed and financially strapped about other things."
SEATTLE (AP)  Washington state Sen. Doug Ericksen, a staunch conservative, has died at age 52.

Ericksen's death Friday came weeks after he said he had tested positive for the coronavirus while in El Salvador, though his cause of death wasn't immediately released. The state Senate Republican Caucus confirmed his passing Saturday but did not say where he died.

Ericksen, a Ferndale Republican, reached out to Republican colleagues last month saying he had taken a trip to El Salvador and tested positive for COVID-19 shortly after he arrived. Reasons for his visit were unclear.

In a message to state House and Senate members, Ericksen asked for advice on how to receive monoclonal antibodies, which were not available in the Latin American nation.

He soon arranged a medevac flight from El Salvador, former state Rep. Luanne Van Werven said. Van Werven said the next week that the senator was recovering at a Florida hospital. No information about his location or condition had since been released.

Ericksen represented the 42nd District in Whatcom County and had been in the Legislature since 1998, the Seattle Times reported. He served six terms in the state House before being elected to the Senate in 2010.

Ericksen was a former leader of Donald Trumps campaign in Washington. He also was an outspoken critic of Democratic Gov. Jay Inslees COVID-19 emergency orders, and had introduced legislation aimed at protecting the rights of people who do not wish to get vaccinated.

It was unclear if Ericksen had been inoculated against the coronavirus. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says people should be fully vaccinated before visiting El Salvador, where current levels of COVID-19 are high.
Mass anti-coup protests in Sudan mark uprising anniversary View Photo

CAIRO (AP)  Sudanese took to the streets in the capital of Khartoum and elsewhere across the country for mass protests Sunday against an October military takeover and a subsequent deal that reinstated Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok but sidelined the movement.

The demonstrations mark the third anniversary of the uprising that eventually forced the military removal of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir and his Islamist government in April 2019.

Sudan then followed a fragile path toward democracy and ruled by a joint military-civilian government. The October 25 coup has rattled the transition and led to relentless street protests.

Video footage circulated online purported to show tens of thousands protesters marching in the streets of Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman on Sunday. Protesters were seen waving the Sudanese flag and white ones with printed images of those killed in the uprising and ensuing protests.

Ahead of the demonstrations, Sudans authorities tightened security across the capital, barricading government and military buildings to prevent protesters from reaching the militarys headquarters and the presidential palace. They also blocked major roads and bridges linking Khartoum and Omdurman across the Nile River.

Security forces used tear gas to disperse protesters headed toward the palace on the bank of the Blue Nile in the heart of Khartoum, according to activist Nazim Sirag. The Sudan Doctors Committee said some protesters were injured, but didnt provide a tally.

Activists described chaotic scenes, with many protesters rushing to side streets from the tear gas. Later, footage showed protesters at one of the palaces gates chanting: The people want the downfall of the regime  a slogan heard in the Arab Spring uprisings that began in late 2010. Those movements forced the removal of leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen.

The Sudanese Professionals Association, which spearheaded the uprising against al-Bashir, called on protesters to gather outside the palace and block roads with make-shift barricades.

There were also protests in elsewhere in the country, such as the coastal city of Port Sudan and the northern city of Atbara, the birthplace of the uprising against al-Bashir.

The protests were called by the pro-democracy movement that led the uprising against al-Bashir and stuck a power-sharing deal with the generals in the months that followed his ouster.

Relations between the generals and the civilians in the transitional government were shaky and capped by the militarys Oct. 25 takeover that removed Hamdoks government.

Hamdok was reinstated last month amid international pressure in a deal that calls for an independent technocratic Cabinet under military oversight led by him. The agreement included the release of government officials and politicians detained since the coup.

Talks are underway to agree on what Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, head of the ruling Sovereign Council, described as a new political charter focused on establishing a broader consensus among all political forces and movements.

Addressing Sudanese late Saturday ahead of the protests, Hamdok said he stuck the Nov. 21 deal with the military mainly to prevent bloodshed. He warned that the country could slide further into chaos amid uphill economic and security challenges.

Today, we are facing a retreat in the path of our revolution that threatens the countrys security and integrity, Hamdok said, adding that the agreement was meant to preserve achievements his government made in the past two years, and to protect our nation from sliding to a new international isolation.

The deal, in my view, is the most effective and inexpensive means to return to the course of civic and democratic transition, he said.

Hamdok urged political parties and movements to agree on a national charter to complete the democratic transition and achieve peace with rebel groups.

The pro-democracy movement has meanwhile insisted that power be handed over to a civilian government to lead the transition. Their relentless protests follow the slogan: No negotiations, no compromise, no power-sharing with the military.

The list of demands also includes restructuring the military and other security agencies under civilian oversight and disbanding militias. One is the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary force that grew out of janjaweed militias and is accused of atrocities during the Darfur conflict and most recently against pro-democracy protesters.

Sundays protests have unified all revolutionary forces behind a single demand: handing over power to civilians, said Mohammed Yousef al-Mustafa, a spokesman for the Sudanese Professionals Association.

Prime Minister Hamdok must declare a clear position and choose whether to join the people or continue siding with the generals, he told The Associated Press.

The continued protests since the coup have increased pressure on the military and Hamdok, who has yet to announce his Cabinet.

Security forces used violence, including firing live ammunition at protesters, in the past round of demonstrations, according to activists. At least 45 people were killed and hundreds wounded in protests triggered by the coup, according to a tally by a Sudanese medical group.

By SAMY MAGDY

Associated Press
German experts urge stricter virus measures, more boosters View Photo

VIENNA (AP)  Germany should implement stricter measures this week to slow the spread of the omicron variant, the German governments new expert council said Sunday, a day after the government announced it would impose travel restrictions on people coming from Britain.

The council  comprised of Germanys top virologists and health officials  said omicron brings a new dimension to the pandemic developments.

Omicron cases are doubling in Germany around every 2 to 4 days, the council said, making it slightly slower than the spread in the U.K. but faster than any previous variant.

To combat the next wave of infections and keep Germanys already stretched hospitals from being overwhelmed, the council recommended stricter government policies to reduce Germans contacts.

Effective, nationally coordinated countermeasures to control the infection process need to be drawn up, in particular well-planned and well-communicated contact restrictions, it said in a statement.

The council also recommended speeding up Germanys booster vaccination program. Germany has fully inoculated 70.2% of its population, and 30.3% have received a booster shot.

A massive expansion of the booster campaign can slow down this dynamic and reduce the impact, but not prevent it, the council wrote, adding residents need to reduce their own contacts, consistently wear face masks and test regularly for the virus.

The countrys national disease control center, the Robert Koch Institute, added Britain to its list of virus variant areas late Saturday. This means anyone traveling from the U.K. to Germany must enter a mandatory quarantine for 14 days, regardless of their vaccination status.

The new restrictions, which take effect at midnight Sunday, come as the U.K. is reporting record-high numbers of new coronavirus infections. On Saturday, Britain saw 90,418 new COVID-19 cases, on Sunday it reported 82,886 more.

The U.K. joins eight African countries, including South Africa, on Germanys list of virus variant areas.

Starting Sunday, Germany considers France and Denmark high risk areas, meaning those who are not vaccinated or recovered from the virus must quarantine for 10 days after entering the country. Dozens of countries, including nearly all of Germanys direct neighbors, have now been added to this category.

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Follow all AP stories on the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.

By EMILY SCHULTHEIS

Associated Press
Road work with flaggers View Photo

Tuolumne County, CA  Caltrans will perform various operations that will slow traffic next week on the Highway 108 Bypass.

Beginning Monday, Dec. 20th, and running through Wednesday, Dec. 22 crews will be working on bridge repairs. From 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., flaggers will be directing one-way traffic in both directions from the Hess Avenue Under-Crossing to Peaceful Oak Road.

Also on Wednesday, crews will be doing utility work on the right shoulder of the highway from the eastbound off-ramp to Mono Way from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

For both projects, motorists should expect up to five-minute delays. Caltrans asks travelers to take alternate routes whenever possible.
California Policy Lab logo View Photo

Sonora, CA  California has seen its second straight year of population loss.

The state lost 173,000 people in the year ending July 1. It is the first time that Los Angeles County and all nine counties surrounding the San Francisco Bay have lost population in the same year. Together, those two areas account for more than 44% of the states nearly 40 million people. Additionally, populations declined in seven of Californias ten counties that have at least 1 million people, according to new data released Friday.

The states population is calculated twice a year. The first report comes out in May for the estimated numbers of the previous calendar year. The second report, in December, estimates the population for the previous fiscal year, which ends June 30. California reported its first-ever annual population decline back in May when the state said it lost 182,083 people in 2020. Fridays data shows that trend continuing with a loss of 173,000 people between July 1, 2020, and July 1, 2021.

Critics blame Californias high cost of living for the exodus. That includes Republican lawmakers who pointed to the declining numbers as proof people are fleeing the state, frustrated by the Democrats policies since they govern the state. The latter counter that the pandemic and a declining birth rate is to blame.

New research, out this week and found here, shows the number of people moving from other states fell 38% since the start of the pandemic. The number of people leaving California rose 12% over that same time period. Combined, researchers say Californias population loss because of domestic migration has more than doubled since the pandemic began in March 2020.
Salvation Army official: Theft of toys no victory for Grinch

Salvation Army official: Theft of toys no victory for Grinch View Photo

FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP)  Farmington-area residents of northern New Mexico donated gifts and money after somebody stole a Salvation Army van loaded with $6,000 worth of toys for children, according authorities.

The Grinch will not have this victory, Salvation Army Lt. Christopher Rockwell told The Associated Press on Saturday.

Business leaders and others began making donations after the marked van with gifts intended for more than 350 children was stolen Tuesday from outside a store, Rockwell said.

The donations included lots of toys, lots of clothing as well as hygiene items and cash, certainly adding up to more than enough to replace the stolen items intended for children who are signed up for a distribution event Monday, Rockwell said. We have like a waiting list  so we could see what we have left over.

The generosity showed the compassion and the hearts that people have for each other here, Rockwell said. Its a massive blessing beyond comprehension.

Farmington police said Saturday that an arrest warrant has been issued for a 37-year-old man who is considered a suspect in the theft.

The van and toys have not been recovered yet and no arrest had been made or a possible motive determined, according to police.

Rockwell said he suspected a pickpocket stole the vans keys from a Salvation Army worker who was in the store.

I think it was just some evil, unscrupulous person who just saw an opportunity, Rockwell said. Desperate, I understand that, but to do this is just beyond imagination.

The Salvation Army is a Christian organization founded in 1865 in London. It is active in more than 100 countries and is best known for its charity shops, homeless shelters and disaster relief.
ISLAMABAD (AP)  Islamic countries scrambled on Sunday to find ways to help Afghanistan avert an imminent economic collapse they say would have a horrendous global impact.

The hastily called meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Islamabad ended with a promise to set up a fund to provide humanitarian aid through the Islamic Development Bank, which would provide a cover for countries to donate without dealing directly with the country's Taliban rulers.

In a press conference at the end of the summit, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also described what he called good news from the United States, whose special representative on Afghanistan, Tom West, attended the summit.

He said West met with the Taliban delegation led by the interim foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on the sidelines. Qureshi said West also said he was mandated to engage  with the Taliban, that U.S. humanitarian aid to Afghanistan would not carry preconditions and there could be as much as $1.2 billion available through the World Bank in money that could be released to Afghanistan.

There was no immediate response from the U.S. to Qureshi's statements.

There has been a growing call for the U.S. and other countries to release upward of $10 billion in frozen Afghan assets. However, previously the U.S. has said at least some of that money is tied up in litigation involving the survivors and the families of victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks carried out by al Qaida while being harbored in Afghanistan by the Taliban during their previous rule.

Sunday's summit brought together dozens of foreign ministers as well as the special representatives on Afghanistan of major powers, including China, the U.S. and Russia. It also included the U.N. undersecretary general on humanitarian affairs, and the president of the Islamic Development Bank Muhammad Sulaiman Al Jasser, who offered several concrete financing proposals. He said the IDB can manage trusts that could be used to move money into Afghanistan, jumpstart businesses and help salvage the deeply troubled economy.

At the outset of the summit, several participating nations called for a quick opening of the country's banking system and collectively, with the United Nations and international banking institutions, to provide assistance to Afghanistan. Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan directed his remarks to the U.S., urging Washington to drop preconditions for releasing desperately needed funds and restarting Afghanistan's banking systems.

Khan seemed to offer Taliban a pass on their limits on education for girls, urging the world to understand cultural sensitivities and saying human rights and women's rights meant different things in different countries. Still other speakers, including the OIC chairman Hussain Ibrahim Taha, emphasized the need for the protection of human rights, particularly those of women and girls.

This gathering is about the Afghan people, said Qureshi, who warned that without immediate aid, Afghanistan was certain to collapse. The consequences would be horrendous," he said, not just in Afghan lives lost to starvation and disease  but also what would most certainly create a mass exodus of Afghans. He predicted chaos would spread, allowing terrorism and the drug trade to flourish.

Martin Griffiths, the U.N. undersecretary for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, warned that Afghanistan cannot survive on donations alone. He urged donor countries to show flexibility, allowing their money to pay salaries of public sector workers and support basic services such as health, education, electricity, livelihoods, to allow the people of Afghanistan some chance to get through this winter and some encouragement to remain home with their families."

Beyond that, Griffiths said, we need constructive engagement with the de facto authorities to clarify what we expect from each other.

Afghanistans teetering economy, he added, requires decisive and compassionate action, or "I fear that this fall will pull down the entire population."

Griffiths said families simply do not have the cash for everyday purchases like food and fuel, as prices soar. The cost of fuel is up by around 40%, and most families spend 80% of their money just to buy food.

He rattled off a number of stark statistics.

Universal poverty may reach 97% of the population of Afghanistan. That could be the next grim milestone, he warned. Within a year, 30% of Afghanistans GDP (gross domestic product) could be lost altogether, while male unemployment may double to 29%."

Next year the U.N. would be asking for $4.5 billion in aid for Afghanistan  it's single largest humanitarian aid request, he said.

In what appeared to be a message to the Taliban delegation, Qureshi and subsequent speakers, including Taha, emphasized the protection of human rights, particularly those of women and girls.

In an interview with The Associated Press last week, Muttaqi said that Afghanistans new rulers were committed to the education of girls and women in the workforce.

Yet four months into Taliban rule, girls are not allowed to attend high school in most provinces, and though women have returned to their jobs in much of the health care sector, many female civil servants have been barred from coming to work.

At the summit's conclusion Qureshi said the OIC agreed to appoint a special representative on Afghanistan. The 20 foreign ministers and 10 deputy foreign ministers in attendance also agreed to establish a greater partnership with the United Nations to get help to desperate Afghans.

They participants also emphasized the critical need to open Afghanistans banking facilities, which have been largely closed since the Taliban takeover on Aug. 15. The Taliban has limited withdrawals from the countrys banks to $200 a month.

We collectively feel that we have to unlock the financial and banking channels because the economy cannot function and people cannot be held without banking services, Qureshi said.
Muhammad Mubarak Bala was held incommunicado in police custody for so long  eight months  that his wife was sure he was dead.

I couldnt eat. I couldnt sleep. The emotional torture was too much for me, Amina Ahmed told The Associated Press from her home in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria.

More than a year passed before Bala, an ex-Muslim and president of the Humanist Association of Nigeria, would be charged. Bala is an outspoken atheist in a deeply religious country. His alleged crime: Posting blasphemous statements online.

Balas lengthy detention and its traumatic effect on his young family illustrate the risks of being openly faithless in African countries where religious belief pervades social life and challenging such norms is taboo.

It is generally accepted that to be African is to be religious, said David Ngong, a Cameroon-born professor of religion who researches African theology and culture at Stillman College in Alabama. It requires a lot of courage to opt out.

Atheists are among a growing global group who have no religious affiliation. Also known as nones, they include agnostics and those who don't profess any religion. By 2050, the Pew Research Center estimates, there could be 1.3 billion nones worldwide  about the size of the global Roman Catholic population today.

According to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, 25 African nations  nearly half the continent's sovereign states  have statutes outlawing blasphemy, or offensive behavior against a deity or idea considered sacred.

Punishment can be severe. In Mauritania, for example, Muslims convicted of ridiculing or insulting God face a mandatory death sentence and those renouncing Islam have a three-day window to repent or face capital punishment.

The stiffest penalty in Nigeria's secular courts is a two-year prison sentence; in the country's Islamic courts, active in the majority Muslim north, it is death. Shariah law doesn't apply to non-Muslims without their consent.

Bala grew up Muslim but came out as an atheist in 2014. His family soon checked him into a psychiatric hospital, according to James Ibor, his attorney. Reemerging into public life, he became president of the Humanist Association of Nigeria two years ago and championed the nonreligious on social media.

Prosecutors in the northern state of Kano cited posts on Balas popular Facebook account as evidence for charging him in June 2021 in secular court. He faces 10 charges, including alleged insults to Prophet Muhammad and insulting the religion of Islam, its followers in Kano State, calculated to cause a breach of public peace, according to court documents provided to AP by Balas legal team.

Muslims are about to start fasting to the God that refused to eradicate their poverty despite the fact that they prayed 17 times every day, reads one of the posts cited in the complaint. "How I wish Allah exist (sic).

Denied access to health care and kept in solitary confinement, Bala has been forced to worship the Islamic way, according to Ibor, and faces a possible sentence of two years. Prosecutors allege Bala confessed to the charges while in custody; Ibor said Bala had no attorney present at the time.

Mubarak has been honest with his statements," Ibor said. "We dont consider Mubaraks posts as inflammatory, as offensive or illegal.

Kano's attorney general, Musa Lawan, told the AP his agency couldnt be blamed for Bala's lengthy detention because it didn't take over prosecution of his case until a year after his arrest.

Nigeria's patchwork criminal justice and legal systems are notorious for lengthy pre-conviction detentions. Only 28% of prison inmates have been tried and convicted of a crime, according to the Nigerian Correctional Service.

Bala has already spent almost two-years in pre-trial detention - the maximum secular court sentence for blasphemy charges. Still, Lawan told the AP, we will look for maximum sentence."

The faithless often keep a low profile even in African countries where laws against blasphemy and renouncing religion are not on the books or are rarely enforced, such as Malawi in southeast Africa.

Most of them, they hold their views in hiding simply because they are afraid of social consequences such as losing jobs or financial support from their parents, said Wonderful Mkhutche, president of the support group Humanists Malawi.

A former church deacon, Mkhutche began to question his Christian faith while pursuing a theology and religious studies degree. He continued to attend worship services for two years to keep up appearances, but stopped in 2013.

Earlier this year he self-published a book on humanism and politics in Malawi, arguing for the abandonment of government-sanctioned religious acts such as national prayers for good rains to help farmers. While his book attracted media attention, he said he is now forced to distribute it himself because many stores won't stock it.

Leo Igwe, who founded the Humanist Association of Nigeria and researches religion at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, agreed that nones pretending to be believers is common.

Life is miserable, Igwe said. They have to live always looking over their shoulders, and they are forced to live in a very dishonest way.

To counter the social isolation, Africa's nones have begun connecting on social media and building support communities, with active online humanist groups in Ghana, Liberia, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia, among others.

In Nairobi, a 21-year-old ex-Muslim woman found the Atheists in Kenya Society on Twitter. The government suspended the group's legal registration in 2016, saying its activities generated great public concern which is prejudicial and incompatible with the peace, stability and good order of the republic. A judge reversed the suspension in 2018.

The woman, who spoke on condition she not be named due to fears she could be targeted for harassment, said the group, which meets online and in-person, provides her with a safe space to speak and feel less lonely.

But she remains closeted, fearful of violence from her conservative Kenyan-Somali family, trapped in what she called a double life where she maintains a semblance of adherence to the faith at home while removing her hijab when she goes to school.

If I pray, I am faking it, the woman said.

In Nigeria, where Bala remains behind bars, there was widespread condemnation last year led by UNICEF and the head of the Auschwitz museum, after an Islamic court sentenced a 13-year-old boy to 10 years in prison for disparaging language on Allah." The sentence was eventually overturned by the secular court.

After 600 days in detention, Ahmed hopes her husband of two years can come home soon, but thinks Nigeria could be a dangerous place to build their lives. She worries about the emotional effect on their son, who was born six weeks before Balas arrest.

He has a lovely son that barely knows him, she said during a recent visit to Bala's prison. My neighbors are home, they are with their husbands and their children. I feel like, Why is mine not like them?

___

AP journalist Chinedu Asadu in Lagos, Nigeria, contributed to this report.

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support from the Lilly Endowment through The Conversation U.S. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
MIAMI  Forty-eight passengers and crew members tested positive for COVID-19 on Royal Caribbeans Symphony of the Seas ship, which docked at PortMiami on Saturday, the cruise company said.

Miami-based Royal Caribbean said in a statement Sunday that each person who tested positive immediately went into quarantine. Six people who had tested positive disembarked the ship mid-voyage and were transported home.

The passengers who tested positive were either asymptomatic or had mild symptoms.

The voyage that resulted in 48 positive cases of COVID-19 was a seven-night Caribbean itinerary leaving from Miami and visiting St. Maarten; St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands; and CocoCay, the cruise lines private island in the Bahamas.

The new cases come as the omicron variant is quickly spreading across the United States, potentially throwing a wrench in holiday travel plans. Royal Caribbean said that Symphony of Seas future trips would not be affected. The ship has left Miami for a new trip to Mexico, according to vesselfinder.com.

The ship that pulled into Miami on Saturday left port Dec. 11 with 6,091 passengers and crew on board, 95% of whom were fully vaccinated. Of the 48 who tested positive for COVID-19, 98% were fully vaccinated.

Royal Caribbean requires that all passengers on the Symphony of the Seas who are 12 or older be fully vaccinated. All passengers must take a COVID test before boarding. Crew members are required to be fully vaccinated and are tested weekly.

The 48 confirmed cases may be a setback for the cruise industry, which has slowly restarted over the past six months.

Cruise industry leaders say that being on a cruise ship is the safest kind of vacation travelers can take at the moment because of the controlled environment where they can mandate vaccines. But breakthrough infections have the potential to put the industry in a bad spot again.

Cruises were COVID-19 hot spots at the onset of the pandemic, causing the industry to completely shut down for over a year. Many cruise lines had to take on massive debts while they were unable to make any revenue for the better part of a year.


(Natural News) Big Tech and social media platforms censored conservatives in 2021 with a ruthlessness and standardization never seen before.

(Article by Brian Bradley republished from NewsBusters.org)

Silicon Valley Big Tech giants like Twitter and Facebook appear to have adopted an explicit policy to suppress conservative views and encourage the spread of leftist dogma, as several media reports have revealed.

In the early part of the year, anything related to the election was a major target for Big Tech censorship. Views that strayed from the accepted COVID-19 narrative fell squarely in Big Techs bullseye the whole year, as alternative treatments for the virus and questioning of mask mandates incurred a great deal of scrutiny from the heads of Silicon Valley. And the tech overlords did all they could to promote social wokeness, furiously attacking critiques of transgenderism as well as pro-life content.

Facebook bowed to its insufferably woke employees and decided to develop algorithms that allowed hatred for whites and conservatives while protecting favored left-wing groups from ridicule on the platform.

Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey resigned in November, clearing the way for anti-conservative radical Parag Agrawal to take the helm, a move that conservatives immediately criticized. Before banning former President Donald Trump following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, Twitter had censored Trump and his campaign 625 times, without censoring Joe Biden at all. Twitter also censored New York Post stories in the lead-up to the 2020 election that focused on the alleged corrupt business dealings of President Joe Biden and his son Hunter in Ukraine.

During the past year, a split dynamic has emerged in Washington, with Democrats insisting that Facebook must do more to control the flow of offensive content, and some Republicans asserting that Facebook is chilling free speech on its platform. In that vein, 24 congressional lawmakers recently urged Google to stop censoring pro-life voices.

Here are the worst cases of Big Tech censorship in 2021:

1. Facebook, YouTube and Twitter permanently ban Trump

The first notable examples of prominent censorship in 2021 are also, distinctly, the worst.

Facebook, YouTube and Twitter acted in chorus to censor the former president in January, days after the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill Riot.

The collective action to silence the head of the worlds leading republic stands apart as a show of force by the Big Tech overlords, apparently to present themselves as a dominant societal force and to use the Jan. 6 event as a scapegoat for their agenda.

We believe the risks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post. [W]e are extending the block we have placed on his Facebook and Instagram accounts indefinitely.

Twitter also purged Trump in the days after the riot, even as the site still continues to host foreign dictators and pro-genocide propaganda.

Trump had 88.7 million Twitter followers before his suspension, CNBC reported.

Finally, YouTube followed suit and banned Trump starting Jan. 12. That was after the platform removed over 300 ads from his reelection campaign during the summer of 2019, and after it censored OAN, both moves that conceivably affected the 2020 presidential election.

2. Twitter implements policy to ban COVID Wrongthink

In December, Twitters terms of service adopted new totalitarian language, including claims that certain speech about COVID-19 may lead to harm and that persistent conspiracy theories and alarmist rhetoric unfounded in research can threaten people and communities.

In addition to this Orwellian virtue-signaling, the platform informed users that they can expect to be permanently banned from the platform if they get five strikes for spreading purported COVID-19 misinformation.

Penalties extend to factual claims, tweets that are demonstrably false or misleading, based on widely available, authoritative sources; as well as language deemed likely to affect public safety or cause serious harm.

Twitters new policy follows its promotion of vehement anti-conservative Parag Agrawal to the position of CEO in November, and its censorship of an American Heart Association link to a study abstract warning that COVID-19 vaccines dramatically increase the risk of heart inflammation.

3. Amazon bans books that represent transgenderism as a mental illness

In the modern-day equivalent of a book-burning, Amazon decided to ban books that frame transgender and other LGBT issues as mental illness in March.

Amazon Public Policy Vice President Brian Huseman said in a March letter to Republican senators that the companys blanket policy against selling such books includes Ethics and Public Policy Center President Ryan T. Andersons book, When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment.

In the book, Anderson criticized the radical, progressive lefts perspective on sex and gender. The book had been available on Amazon for the three years preceding the ban.

The books removal coincided with other attempts to suppress literature discussing sex and gender. Abigail Shrier, a Wall Street Journal contributor and sex and gender researcher dealt with attempts to cancel and suppress her book about the impacts of transgenderism on Americas youth. While Amazon has not refused to sell her book, it has reportedly refused to run ads for it.

While Amazons stance on the subject matter was never a secret, the letter to senators made clear the platforms bias and authoritarian tendencies.

4. Twitter, YouTube and Facebook censor videos questioning the 2020 election

The three Big Tech platforms quickly acted to suffocate any breath questioning the legitimacy of the November 2020 election.

On Feb. 1, Twitter banned the account of My Pillow, a week after the platform banned company CEO Mike Lindells account. Both accounts had been tweeting claims of election fraud. Shortly thereafter, on Feb. 5, YouTube deleted Lindells documentary Absolute Proof about election fraud amid fears Dominion Voting Systems would sue for defamation. Dominion had already sent Lindell a cease-and-desist letter.

On Feb. 5, Twitter censored a quote-tweet by journalist Tim Pool of Gateway Pundit journalist Cassandra MacDonald (formerly Cassandra Fairbanks), who had tweeted a video showing a van arriving at a Detroit voting location several times in the morning and apparently unloading dozens of boxes each trip. Twitter labeled Fairbanks tweet with its most restrictive label, which reads: This claim of election fraud is disputed, and this Tweet cant be replied to, Retweeted, or liked due to a risk of violence. Twitter on Feb. 7 then banned Gateway Pundit owner and operator Jim Hoft, who had also questioned the integrity of the election on the platform, including claiming that certain ballots were illegal. Facebook also erroneously flagged an article by the publication on election fraud as sensitive content for possible nudity or sexual content. The story was slapped with an interstitial tagging the post as possibly sexually suggestive and containing partial nudity. Studies show posts with such filters are viewed far less than those without.

5. Wells Fargo terminates the account of former GOP Senate candidate Lauren Witzke

While plain censorship has striking real-world impacts, terminating someones access to finance has uniquely practical and invasive effects.

Wells Fargo shut down the account of former Republican Senate candidate Lauren Witzke of Delaware in June, telling her only that the action was a business decision, and that the bank can close her account at any time, giving apparently no further explanation.

The current weaponization of corporations and banks against conservatives and Christians is terrifying, Witzke reportedly told conservative commentator Michelle Malkin for a Creators Syndicate commentary also published on CNSNews.com.

When MRC Free Speech America reached out to Wells Fargo, the bank refused to say why it terminated Witzkes account, but paid a lot of lip service. Wells Fargo does not consider political views or affiliations in making account decisions. An account may be closed for a number of reasons based on individual facts and circumstances. While we cannot discuss customer accounts because they involve confidential customer information, we can report that we have reviewed this situation, gave ample notice of our decision and it was handled appropriately.

6. Washington Post report reveals Facebook implemented algorithm that segregates people

Facebook buckled to leftist pressure calling for the platform to explicitly favor minority groups using the social media site.

Executives programmed algorithms to stop automatically taking down content directed at white people, Americans and men, even though an internal Facebook document showed that 90 percent of hate speech subject to content takedowns in April 2020 were statements of contempt, inferiority and disgust directed at White people and men, The Washington Post reported in November.

An internal initiative resulted in overhauling Facebooks hate speech algorithm to remove hate speech only against people who are Black, Jewish, LGBTQ, Muslim, Arab and LGBTQIA, and essentially disregard hate speech against whites, according to The Post.

7. Google bans Live Actions pro-life ads

Google banned ads from pro-life advocacy organization Live Action, as Lila Rose, the companys founder and president, announced in September. Rose said that abortion activists requested the ban of ads, including those promoting the abortion pill reversal treatment, which she said had saved 2,500 children as of September. Abortion activists knew the ads were making a difference, so they had Google shut them down, Rose said.

The ad is aimed at women who regret taking an abortion pill.

Rose also posted purported screenshots on Twitter showing Google had flagged the ads for so-called medical misinformation and restricted medical content.

8. Facebook Papers show suppression of The Washington Times and other conservative news outlets

The Wall Street Journal released a trove of internal Facebook files showing the companys internal debates about how far it can go in censoring conservatives in October. The Journal called attention to two censorship tools used to suppress content. One tool, called Sparing Sharing, allegedly reduced the reach of frequent posters who disproportionately shared false and incendiary information, The Journal wrote.

A second tool, called Informed Engagement, reduced the reach of posts that people were more likely to share if they hadnt read them, reported The Journal. When combined, the two censorship tools greatly impacted the reach of conservative news content shared on Facebook. Facebooks own political ideology analysis indicated that multiple conservative outlets would do far better if strict moderation tools were removed, with Breitbarts traffic increasing an estimated 20%, Washington Times 18%, Western Journals 16% and Epoch Times by 11%.

9. Twitter permanently bans Project Veritas founder James OKeefe for exposing CNN

There was a time when the national establishment regarded undercover journalism as a periodically useful tool to expose corruption and uncover the hidden dealings of power brokers.

But the last few years have seen societys leftist establishment clamp down on undercover news that reveals information that elites apparently dont want to spread.

The most egregious example of Big Tech censorship of conservative undercover journalism in 2021 came when Twitter permanently suspended Project Veritas founder James OKeefe in April. The ban came after Project Veritas released undercover video of a CNN staffer bragging about helping Joe Biden win the presidency. That staffer even admitted on the video that CNN coverage questioning Trumps mental health was propaganda.

10. YouTube censors videos from Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro apparently over COVID

YouTube removed videos from the channel of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in July, after he provided his opinions on COVID-19. Bolsonaro had been publishing weekly addresses on his channel where he talks about issues important to Brazil, but YouTube removed 15 of his videos for so-called misinformation regarding COVID-19, according to the BBC.

The platform appeared to target the Brazilian president for mentioning alternative treatments to combat COVID-19. Our policies dont allow content that claims hydroxychloroquine and/or Ivermectin are effective to treat or prevent Covid-19, claims that there is a guaranteed cure for Covid-19, and claims that masks dont work to prevent the spread of the virus, YouTube reportedly told the New York Times in a statement.

11. Twitter permanently suspends former New York Times reporter Alex Berenson

Continuing social medias trend of censoring views straying from COVID-19 orthodoxy, Twitter permanently suspended former New York Times journalist and author Alex Berenson in August, alleging repeated violations of [the platforms] COVID-19 misinformation rules.

In the tweet that did it, as Berenson described it, he claimed that the controversial COVID-19 vaccines should not be thought of as vaccines but rather as therapeutic[s]. Berenson posted a purported picture of the tweet in his online Substack newsletter, Unreported Truths: Dont think of [the COVID-19 vaccine] as a vaccine. Think of it  at best  as a therapeutic with a limited window of efficacy and terrible side effect profile that must be dosed IN ADVANCE OF ILLNESS. And we want to mandate it?

12. Apple accused of firing book author after woke employees complain

In a blatant instance of retroactive censorship and career ambush, woke employees called for the expulsion of former Apple employee Antonio Garcia Martinez in May, when they became aware of a book he had written before his hire date. In the bestselling book, Chaos Monkeys, Martinez called out Bay Area women as soft and weak, cosseted and naive despite their claims of worldliness, and generally full of shit.

Though Martinez claimed Apple was well aware of what he wrote in the book before hiring him, the company apparently fired him around the same time an ouster petition signed by over 2,000 employees went public.

Read more at: NewsBusters.org
(Natural News) A good rule of thumb in the political world is to always assume that Democrats are guilty of doing whatever it is they accuse Republicans of doing  like claiming that former President Donald Trump is a Russian stooge.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, like the rest of his party, spent years accusing Trump of that very thing. It turns out he is the one on Moscows payroll.

A single, ominous question now hangs over the White House: What could possibly cause President Trump to put the interests of Russia over those of the United States? Schumer asked in 2018.

Daniel Greenfield, writing for Frontpage Magazine, asked: Why is Schumer putting Russias interests ahead of those of the United States by blocking Nord Stream 2 sanctions on Putins pet pipeline into Europe?

Greenfield continued: Schumer, along with a number of other top Democrats, is a beneficiary of campaign contributions from top Democrat fundraiser Vincent Roberti whose lobbying firm was paid over $8.5 million by Nord Stream 2 which is owned by Putins state-run Gazprom energy monopoly.

Roberti, a former Dem politician, has maxed out his donations to Schumer and to Rep. Eric Swalwell, who may have been cheating on Fang Fang with Vladimir, and threw in a generous $171,000 to the DCCC, as part of the over $545,000 donated to the Democrat political machine.

This top Democrat donation bundler is reportedly lobbying on issues related to the U.S. position toward the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, including potential financial sanctions affecting the project.

Schumer, who was accusing the GOP and Trump of being in bed with Putin, and demanding that they vote on sanctions, was suddenly refusing to hold a floor vote on Russia sanctions, Greenfield added.

Schumers accusations boomeranged on him

Millions of Americans will continue to wonder if the only possible explanation for this dangerous behavior is the possibility that President Putin holds damaging information over President Trump, Schumer smeared Trump back then.

But now the question he must be forced to answer is this: What kind of damaging info does Putin have on Sen. Smear?

Back then, Trump  who was new to politics but is nonetheless very shrewd  suggested that we should start an immediate investigation into his New York nemesiss potential ties to Russia, going on to paint Schumer as a total hypocrite. Seems the former president was onto something.

Three years ago, Greenfield reminds us, Schumer was yammering that delaying sanctions on Russia is an extreme dereliction of duty by President Trump, who seems more intent on undermining the rule of law of this country than standing up to Putin.

So if that was true then, why isnt it true now? Of course, it is true now. The difference is money.

Corrupt Democrats

Schumer wasnt alone in this, by the way. The Houses top Democrat, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, also ranted about Trump (with zero proof): With him, all roads lead to Putin. I dont know what the Russians have on the president, politically, personally or financially, she said.

Greenfield noted: Roberti plowed $46,100 into Pelosis Victory Fund. He also appears to have maxed out his contributions to the House Majority Leader and gave $5,000 to her PAC to the Future. Thats not too shocking since Pelosi toasted Roberti and his wife at their wedding.

Other Democrats are just as culpable, including Sen. Richard Dick Da Nang Blumenthal, the Vietnam War hoaxer from Connecticut. (Related: If your city is run by corrupt, controlling, terrorist-sympathizing democrats, abandon it ASAP.)

Trump denial of Russian collusion rotten at core and doomed to unravel, Blumenthal tweeted. Expect more serious convictions and indictments early in 2018 as the Special Counsel climbs the ladder of criminal culpability.

Those never came, but Robertis money to the Connecticut Democrat did. Ditto for other Democrats Greenfield outed.

But wait, as they say, theres more.

Greenfield wrote: But the real lobbying effort to stop the Nord Stream 2 sanctions is coming out of the Biden White House with top associates of the notoriously corrupt politician pushing Senate Dems to let Putin have his pipeline. And thats after Biden shut down the Keystone XL pipeline for America. Biden falsely claimed that waiving sanctions on Putins pipeline was in U.S. national interests.

Roberti is a longtime Biden pal who boasts of having advised him on his 2008 presidential bid and reportedly flew him out to his hometown during the campaign.

Our government is thoroughly corrupt and that corruption is most pronounced on the left.

Corruption.news has more stories about the corrupt Democrats.

Sources include:

FrontPageMag.com

WhiteHouse.gov
(Natural News) Over the last two weeks, CNN has been hit with two major, headline-grabbing scandals.

(Article by Isa Cox republished from WesternJournal.com)

First, there was the culmination of the growing controversy over the extent to which the networks top anchor, Chris Cuomo, helped his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, respond to allegations of sexual harassment.

In light of new information that Cuomo was, in his capacity as a journalist, reaching out to other news outlets to try to determine what kind of dirt they may have had on his then-governor brother, the network placed him in indefinite suspension only to fire him a few days later, after it was revealed that an anonymous former coworker had issued allegations of sexual harassment on his part.

Interestingly, just a year ago, the two Cuomo brothers were at the peak of their respective careers, as the younger led CNNs prime time lineup and the elder was made the face of the Democratic Party response to the pandemic as New York became one of the hardest-hit localities in the nation.

CNN turned this into a ratings-magnet schtick where Chris would interview older brother Andrew  but it wouldnt be long before Chris was helping Andrews PR team craft responses to the growing number of allegations that the governor got way too grabby with his female staff.

Andrew Cuomo resigned as governor in August, and it would be less than four months before Chris Cuomo was out at CNN.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

This brings us to our second major CNN scandal of the last two weeks.

On Friday, a producer was arrested over allegations that he enticed a minor into illegal sex acts, the full details of which are abhorrent and nauseating.

John Griffin is accused of directing the purported mothers of underage girls into online training sessions to teach their daughters to be sexually subservient to men, as well as flying a mother and her 9-year-old daughter out to his Vermont ski lodge where he allegedly engaged in illegal sex acts with the child.

Since Griffin once worked as a producer on the show New Day at the same time as Chris Cuomo, it wasnt long before concerned members of the public began to wonder just how close the now-disgraced and sex-scandal-embroiled anchor and this allegedly sickeningly perverted former producer really were.

Now, just because two men from the same network are accused of sexual impropriety in a span of two weeks and once worked together doesnt necessarily mean they have anything to do with each other, of course.

In this case, however, theres ample digital evidence that the two had quite a lot to do with each other and appear to have been very chummy, as it happens. In fact, according to Griffin, Chris Cuomo was his boy.

Ruh-roe.

It didnt take long for clever netizens to dig through Griffins Twitter account, which is still active as of this writing.

It appears that while Griffin and Cuomo worked together on CNNs New Day, which Cuomo left in 2018 to star in his own prime time slot, the two were quite good friends.

They exchanged considerate, personalized gifts:

.@JGriffNYC well deserved. U r solid as sears. Enjoy!  Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) July 29, 2013

They joshed around:

.@ChrisCuomo says he can get me blessed by #PopeFrancis thanks to my "giant baby head." Let's try it, shall we?? pic.twitter.com/2Eed5dlySF  John Griffin (@JGriffNYC) September 26, 2015

They talked about how amazing and modest Chris Cuomo was:

He's just being modest, @pasadoply. @ChrisCuomo is the best boss a producer could ask for, certainly the best I've ever had  John Griffin (@JGriffNYC) April 21, 2014

And on Griffins part, according to the U.K.s Daily Mail, he issued a heartfelt, deeply personal message of support for Cuomo when the latter tested positive for COVID-19 in 2020, in which he referred to his former boss as his boy.

Interestingly, Griffins most recent tweet is from 2019, suggesting that perhaps there has been deleting going on.

But the Mail reported that on March 31, 2020, Griffin wrote, Praying for my boy Chris Cuomo even if, purely technically at least, he isnt my boy anymore. But as he said on tonights broadcast, please dont worry for him. Watch him closely when he says, with a positive Corona diagnosis dont forget, what HES worried about: his kids  and he nearly starts crying. I saw that time and time again.

He has never, and wont ever, give a flying crap about himself if someone near him is more vulnerable and in need, period, the adoring producer continued, going on to brag that he had spent five years traveling the world, shoulder-to-shoulder, squeezed in, both physically and emotionally, with this tree-trunk of a man.

He once picked up all 200, flabby daddy pounds of me like I was a feather and THREW me to safety the MILLISECOND he THOUGHT I might get hit by a tree in a hurricane, Griffin reportedly added, making this, oddly, the second indication that Chris Cuomo had once picked up the producer.

Griffin finished by declaring Cuomo would issue an uppercut to the then-novel virus which would then run away squealing like a little you-know-what, BELIEVE ME, its him.

This would be a bit nauseating even if it didnt involve these two skin-crawling men. *Shudder*

As you can imagine, Twitter users were quick to note that none of this looked good for Cuomo, as indeed it does not.

OOF. This didnt age well.  Not Your Ally (@1234_abcdef1234) December 11, 2021

Well this didnt age well ..  J Anderson (@jerriea37390528) December 11, 2021

Whoever has been deleting tweets from Griffins profile doesnt seem to have done a very thorough job.

Theres no getting around it  CNN has a sex abuser problem, and John Griffin just became a major problem both for the network and its recently-ousted top anchor.

Yikes.

Read more at: WesternJournal.com
(Natural News) New research published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal reveals that Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccines have a minimal impact on preventing transmission of the disease.

It turns out that the so-called delta variant, which the mainstream media claims represents 99 percent of all new cases of the Chinese Virus in the United States, easily outsmarts the jabs.

A fully vaccinated person can still catch and spread Chinese Germs, the paper found. And yet the Biden regime is still insistent that everyone take the injections at warp speed.

Local officials like New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio are also demanding that people roll up their sleeves for the shots. Those who refuse are being threatened with job losses and other punishment.

Governors and mayors from Maine to Los Angeles are demanding that public employees, and even nurses and doctors, hailed just months ago as heroes, get vaxxed or go without a job, writes Betsy McCaughey for Real Clear Politics.

Just as politicians dont read the bills before voting on them, they dont keep up with science but still want to tell the rest of us what to do.

America is no longer the land of the free

The new research paper found that fully jabbed people who later tested positive for the Fauci Flu infected other people within their households at the higher rate (about 25 percent) than unvaccinated people did (about 23 percent).

Those who took the jabs had the same amount of viral load in their upper respiratory tract as those who did not take the jabs, making them just as contagious.

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Our findings show that vaccination alone is not enough to prevent people from being infected with the delta variant and spreading it, announced study co-author Ajit Lalvani.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) claim that fully jabbed people are far less likely to contract the Chinese Flu was also challenged in the study.

It turns out that infection rates are roughly the same in both vaccinated and unvaccinated people, rendering the jabs medically useless.

One thing is for sure: The science is uncertain on this, McCaughey added. So, government should not be using a heavy hand to impose mandates claiming to make workplaces safer.

Meanwhile, Beijing Bidens Build Back Better (6uild 6ack 6etter) initiative is threatening to penalize violators of the federal governments new vaccine mandates up to $700,000 per incident.

Once China Joes edict gets published in the Federal Register in the coming days, roughly two-thirds of the private sector workforce in America will be affected by it.

Whether or not people comply remains to be seen, but the rules will be in place to mass inject most of the country by force with these experimental drug cocktails from Big Pharma.

Thus far, Bidens workplace mandates have been challenged at least 39 times in federal courts, with little success. This new study, however, could potentially change that.

It stresses the urgency of improving current vaccines to actually protect against asymptomatic infections and onward transmission, as opposed to just minimizing symptoms (or so we are told).

The vaccine targets the spike protein and puts pressure on the virus, but does not kill it, wrote one commenter at Real Clear Politics.

How does this differ from natural immunity? Natural immunity targets all 28 proteins in the virus making a mutation resistant to natural immunity extraordinarily more difficult since mutations in most or all 28 proteins would be required. Heres the kicker. All of this is taught in freshman microbiology so it should be nothing new to the CDC.

Chinese Virus tyranny is everywhere. To keep up with the latest, visit Fascism.news.

Sources for this article include:

RealClearPolitics.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Thanks to a lawsuit, executives at Facebook (Meta) have been forced to admit that the social media platforms so-called fact checking program is nothing more than opinion-based censorship.

The admission came in response to litigation filed by John Stossel, who sued the Big Tech behemoth for defamation over its decision to add fact check labels to content he posted about climate change.

Page two of Facebooks court statement responding to Stossels suit contains the bombshell revelation, which the company was basically forced to make in defense of itself against the allegations made.

Beyond this threshold Section 230 problem, the complaint also fails to state a claim for defamation, it reads. For one, Stossel fails to plead facts establishing that Meta acted with actual malice  which, as a public figure, he must.

For another, Stossels claims focus on the fact-check articles written by Climate Feedback, not the labels affixed through the Facebook platform. The labels themselves are neither false nor defamatory; to the contrary, they constitute protected opinion.

It is this admission about protected opinion that proves Facebooks fact checks to be a deception-based censorship tactic.

And even if Stossel could attribute Climate Feedbacks separate webpages to Meta, the challenged statements on those pages are likewise neither false nor defamatory, the response goes on to state.

Any of these failures would doom Stossels complaint, but the combination makes any amendment futile.

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Big Tech censorship continues because of Section 230 loopholes

Facebook says that Stossel needs to attribute Climate Feedbacks separate webpages to Meta since the tech giant has outsources its censorship process to various third-party fact checking companies.

These companies, it turns out, are all far-left activist groups. Some of them are also disguised as non-profits, though all of them push the faux global warming narrative.

According to Breitbart News, Facebook uses this corrupt system to distance itself from all responsibility concerning how fact checks are conducted and applied to peoples social media posts.

By arguing that third parties rather than itself are making these decisions, Facebook can apparently now get away with pushing left-wing opinions as fact and somehow avoid violating Section 230 restrictions as outlined in the Communications Decency Act (CDA).

However, the company still acts on those decisions by affixing labels to posts that have been fact checked, and suppressing their reach on the platform, reported Newspunch.

Unless something is done to clarify the blurred line that now exists between content providing and content publishing, Big Tech platforms like Facebook will continue to get away with murder when it comes to steering the narrative and pushing an ulterior agenda.

By calling it fact checking, they are publicly advertising that their opinions are fact,' wrote a commenter at Natural News. They are trying to have it both ways.

A judge should bar them from using the word fact when giving their opinion, or at least publicly state that their fact checking is opinion only. They are defrauding the public when trying to put out opinion as fact when it is not. Its like having a car dealership called The New Car Haven but having all used cars, then trying to hide the fact that they are selling used cars from all the buyers.

Another responded that this has been widely known for some time now, and that Facebooks fact checks, or opinions, have always been worthless.

Facebook, Google, Amazon, Twitter, Instagram, and all governmental departments are funded by the central banks, wrote another at Newspunch. And you idiots that have accounts with them run deep in retardation. No hope for you.

More related news about Facebooks fake fact checks can be found at Censorship.news.

Sources for this article include:

Newspunch.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Imagine you and your family locked away as political prisoners for nearly a year and a half, without due process for crimes you havent committed. Imagine facing charges of conspiracy and criminal intent. But in fact, the true criminals are fake government agencies such as the DOJ, FDA, and CDC, that are complacent in this Plandemic and have violated your familys legal rights as well as the Constitution. Your transgression, selling chlorine dioxide, which even the U.S Army has used against Ebola and anthrax. Its B.S. when they say its dangerous!

(Article by Maryam Hanein republished from ActivistPost.com)

This is the reality for the Grenons. Until last year, none of the Grenons had ever been arrested in their lives and had served God as missionaries in three continents. Meanwhile, Anthony Fauci, the Plandemic Impresario with blood on his hands, roams free.

Were creating criminals out of innocent people while glorifying evil crooks.

Chief Judge Cecile M. Altonaga upheld the prosecutions desire to hold the Grenons at FDC Miami as a danger to society, even though the Grenons have not caused hurt to anyone whatsoever. In fact, clinical studies show that the recommended protocols of the Genesis II Church couldnt even cause damage to mice! Is the judge part of the conspiracy when she is by law required to have the prosecutors provide indisputable evidence for their accusations?

This constitutes a deprivation of rights under color of law. According to section Section 242 of Title 18, it is a crime for a person acting under color of any law to willfully deprive a person of a right or privilege protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States. For the purpose of Section 242, acts under color of law include acts not only done by federal, state, or local officials within their lawful authority but also acts done beyond the bounds of that officials lawful authority, if the acts are done while the official is purporting to or pretending to act in the performance of his/her official duties.

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This statute applies to police officers, prison guards, and other law enforcement officials. It extends to judges, care providers in public health facilities, and others who are acting as public officials. It is not necessary that the crime be motivated by animus toward the race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin of the victim.? The offense is punishable by a range of imprisonment up to a life term, or the death penalty, depending upon the circumstances of the crime, and the resulting injury, if any.

TITLE 18, U.S.C., SECTION 242Whoever, under color of any law, statute, ordinance, regulation, or custom, willfully subjects any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States,  shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both; and if bodily injury results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include the use, attempted use, or threatened use of a dangerous weapon, explosives, or fire, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and if death results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill, shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both, or may be sentenced to death.

Lets take a look at Section 241 of Title 18, the civil rights conspiracy statute. Section 241 makes it unlawful for two or more persons to agree together to injure, threaten, or intimidate a person in any state, territory, or district in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him/her by the Constitution or the laws of the United States, (or because of his/her having exercised the same). Unlike most conspiracy statutes, Section 241 does not require that one of the conspirators commit an overt act prior to the conspiracy becoming a crime. The offense is punishable by a range of imprisonment up to a life term or the death penalty, depending upon the circumstances of the crime, and the resulting injury, if any.

TITLE 18, U.S.C., SECTION 241If two or more persons conspire to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him by the Constitution or laws of the United States, or because of his having so exercised the same; ?They shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years or both; and if death results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill, they shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both, or maybe sentenced to death.

Enough Is Enough!

Please share this info about our upcoming protest where my two sons Jonathan, 36, and Jordan, 27, have been held now for 500 days without a trial, without bail, and without evidence, says Mark Grenon, 64, who is also in the slammer but in Colombia, with his other son, 34-year-old Joseph.

Jordan and Jonathan are holed up in a windowless building. They have not seen the sun in more than a year, drink contaminated tap water from the sink, live in a moldy cell, and are fed highly processed faux food.

Listen to my chilling call with Jonathan Grenon from jail, where he is only granted seven minutes per hour to make a call.

Any person in authority such as a judge, attorney, police officer who uses a color of law to deny any Constitutional God-given right as free exercise of their religious beliefs is violating the Constitution.

MMS

The Grenons and thousands of others call chlorine dioxide a miracle cure while the government calls it toxic bleach. They want you to think the Grenons are advising people to guzzle commercial Clorox, which is actually sodium hypochlorite. MMS is chlorine dioxide (ClO2) and has a different mechanism of action on the body.

Chlorine dioxide has far different mechanisms of action, explains influencer Jordan Sather, who has written and defended MMS, only to be censored.

Sather writes,

ClO2 kills bacteria, viruses, cancer cellsit will selectively target anaerobic pathogens and kill them through oxidation, an electrical reaction where one chemical steals the electrons of another. Some in the health community may be familiar with the oxidative capacity of food-grade hydrogen peroxide and ozone therapy; chlorine dioxide oxidizes similarly.

Incidentally, in April 2020, when Trump mentioned a disinfectant to help people against COVID-19, which he was later ridiculed for, many surmised he was referring to chlorine dioxide.

BACKGROUND On Operation Quack Hack

On July 8th, 2020, The Genesis II Church was raided in Bradenton, Florida, and Jonathan and Jordan were arrested in a highly publicized event.

To up the ante on the drama, a news chopper hovered above the house, while television crews filmed dozens of masked law enforcement personnel confiscating barrels of sodium chlorite used to produce chlorine dioxide. The Church house was ransacked, and computers, cell phones, and files and documents were taken. Meanwhile, the mainstream media interviewed neighbors who were clueless that a church was making their neighborhood unsafe, which was completely untrue!

Jordan Grenon was taken from his house soon thereafter. What was their crime  trying to help people restore their health with documented testimonies over a span of a decade? How about the right of religious freedom to use chlorine dioxide?

This attack occurred when they started to help people recover from the Coronavirus, and was part of an FDA Operation called Quack Hack.

Bishop Mark S. Grenon and his son, Joseph, were arrested the following month in South America. They had been living there for nine years, helping people and broadcasting a weekly podcast since 2016, called the G2Voice, interviewing freedom fighters including Mike Adams of Natural News and Scientist Dr.Judy Mikovits.

As Mark explained to us through private communication, Jonathan wrote Sheriff Charles R. Ricky Wells of Manatee County, Florida one week before his arrest, kidnapping, and told him that his Constitutional rights on the 1st Amendment were being violated. There was no response from Sheriff Wells or his office! On the day of the arrest, July 8th, 2021, two deputy Sheriffs from his office were present and did nothing!

This was pure hypocrisy. Sheriff Wells took an oath to uphold and defend the U.S. Constitution and has full authority to arrest ANYONE that is violating it no matter whom they are, even Federal officials. Jonathan talked to a deputy and told him that they needed to stop this violation of the Genesis II Church and its Bishops. His response was, The Feds do what they want. Are they part of the conspiracy to silence the G2Church? They will answer for their dereliction of duty one day soon!

What did I have to say about all this? The hypocrisy and irony are unnerving, describing not only the Grenon family arrests but also my own censorship and persecution under Operation Quack Hack. Meanwhile, BIG PHARMA is making billions while killing people with their experimental gene therapy. They accuse others of what they do themselves.

Read more at: ActivistPost.com
(Natural News) In the event you are unaware that insanity now encompasses the US Supreme Court, the Court ruled in 2020 with only three dissents that a persons gender is self-declared and unrelated to biological fact. The consequences of the Supreme Courts elevation of fiction over fact are now showing themselves.

(Article republished from PaulCraigRoberts.org)

A female middle school child declared herself to be male, but the school prevented her from using the boys locker room. A naked girl showering with naked males was not the schools idea of family values. However, a local court in Blue Springs, Missouri (57,000 population) ruled that as the girl said she was a boy, she had to be believed. The school had singled her out on the basis of her female genitalia and ruled that she was female and not eligible for the boys locker room. This decision based on biological fact the jury decided was discrimination and awarded the girl $4 million dollars. https://www.rt.com/usa/543444-missouri-school-transgender-bathroom/

This is a good example of what I mean when I say that in the US facts no longer matter. A country in which counterfactual claims take precedence over fact is a country soon to be bereft of scientific and technological capability.

Facts no longer matter across the spectrum from history to law, from language to mathematics. In America, law is whatever a prosecutor decides. For example, a federal prosecutor has decided that it is espionage for a non-citizen outside the country to publish leaked documents, as journalists have been doing for decades. The law being applied to Julian Assange does not exist on the US law books. But it doesnt matter as law is whatever a prosecutor says, just as a persons gender is whatever the person declares. Glenn Greenwald Explains How Truth, Law, and Justice are Overwhelmed by Deliberate Disinformation: https://greenwald.substack.com/p/the-real-disinformation-agents-watch

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The English language has the largest vocabulary and is the most expressive. But according to the Woke imbeciles, this makes it oppressive. The Woke program is to shrink the language until all oppressive elements, such as gender pronouns, are eliminated. Once we no longer can know if it is a he or a she, a mother or a father, a grandmother or grandfather, aunt or uncle we will no longer be oppressed.

The new history is also free of factual basis. Wars are about whatever issue an organized interest group finds serves its interests. Critical Race Theory is a theory that specifies the facts, not a theory based in facts.

Mathematics is racist. That 2+2=4 is a white racist construct. This reduces mathematics to systemic racism.

Disrespect for facts is the hallmark of tyranny. Educational systems are the institutions that enculturate people into society and pass on its values. It is how a society and a culture survive as a country lives and develops in time. Today enculturation has been replaced with alienating youth from the society and culture that is their birthright. Instead, they are taught that their culture is evil and has a long history of crimes against humanity. Indeed, the New York Times 1619 Project teaches that the United States was founded on racism. The so-called Civil War is explained as the Norths attempt to cleanse itself of its own racist sins by projecting them upon the South.

When a countrys universities are against the country, sooner or later the people will be so also. Universities train leaders and educators who take the training to children. It is entirely possible to completely revolutionize and destroy a society through its educational system. That is what is happening in the US and UK. The two societies are erasing themselves. There is very little left.

Read more at: PaulCraigRoberts.org
(Natural News) The husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi used call options to purchase millions of dollars worth of Microsoft stock last month ahead of a big new government contract.

According to an April 9 filing with the House clerk, Paul Pelosi exercised call options and paid $1.95 million to buy 15,000 shares of Microsoft at a strike price of $130. The same day, he also paid $1.4 million for 10,000 shares, valued at $140 apiece.

Since he made the purchase, Microsofts share price has risen by about 11 percent, from about $130 per share to roughly $255. This was in part due to the company securing a lucrative contract worth nearly $22 billion to supply the U.S. Army with augmented reality headsets for its troops.

The purchases are raising ethical questions, especially of whether Pelosi used insider knowledge to make the purchases.

New contract a big deal for Microsoft

On March 31, the U.S. Army announced that Microsoft had won a contract to build more than 120,000 custom HoloLens augmented reality headsets for its Integrated Visual Augmented System (IVAS). According to a Microsoft spokesperson, the contract could be worth up to $21.88 billion over 10 years.

Prior to this, the company had already entered into a $480 million contract with the Army to develop prototypes for IVAS.

A standard-issue HoloLens, which costs $3,500, gives wearers the ability to see holograms overlaid over real-world environments and interact with them using hand and voice gestures. Existing IVAS prototypes use similar technology to display things such as a map and compass to soldiers. It can even overlay thermal imaging to reveal people in the dark.

The IVAS headset, based on HoloLens and augmented by Microsoft Azure cloud services, delivers a platform that will keep soldiers safer and make them more effective, wrote Alex Kipman, a technical fellow at Microsoft and the person who introduced the HoloLens in 2015, in a blog post. The program delivers enhanced situational awareness, enabling information sharing and decision-making in a variety of scenarios.

The IVAS deal is seen as making Microsoft a more prominent technology supplier for the U.S. military. Before it, the company had also secured a contract to provide cloud services to the Department of Defense, beating out Amazon, the public-cloud market leader.

The deals importance has raised questions of whether Paul Pelosi used insider information from his wife to make his stock purchases. As noted by The Hills Krystal Ball, as House Speaker, his wife may have had access to special information that could have informed Pelosis decision to purchase the stock.

Pelosi, other Congressmen may have used insider knowledge for trades in the past

Paul isnt the only Pelosi who seems to have benefitted from insider knowledge. In December, the House Speaker herself purchased 25 call options of Tesla stocks, alongside other stock purchases. While seemingly innocuous at the time, the Biden administrations new agenda, focusing on environmental protection and combating climate change, could see Pelosi benefit financially from those purchases.

Indeed, while Pelosi purchased the call options at a stake price of $500 in December, Teslas share price had risen from $640.34 to over $890 by the end of January. The call options, which were purchased for between $500,000 and 1 million, are now valued at $1.12 million. (Related: Pelosis Capitol Police bill gaslights America.)

The Pelosis trades are just the latest in a long string of cases where sitting members of Congress may have used inside knowledge to profit from the stock market. Last year, then Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler was accused of insider trading and profiting off the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic after selling between $1.275 million and $3.1 million in stocks right after she was briefed on the viruss seriousness. The accusations against Loeffler were eventually dismissed in June 2020 by a Senate ethics panel.

Incidents like this and the Pelosis trades have raised questions about the effectiveness of existing legislation meant to prevent this. The STOCK Act, which was passed after the 2008 financial crisis, attempted to prevent insider trading by making it illegal for government officials to trade stocks after receiving nonpublic information during the course of their jobs. But in light of the trades, some officials argue that the act did not go far enough.

Indeed, members of Pelosis own Democratic party, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Jeff Merkley, have proposed legislation that seeks to ban members of Congress from making individual stock purchases.

Follow Corruption.news for more on possible insider trading being committed by the Pelosis and other members of Congress.

Sources include:

TheStreet.com

FoxBusiness.com

CNBC.com

Blogs.Microsoft.com

Refinery29.com

Congress.gov

BusinessInsider.com
(Natural News) Oops, he did it again. After leaking fake Donald Trump, Jr. emails, fabricating the transcript of a 2019 phone call between former President Donald Trump and Ukraines president, and lying about his interactions with the so-called whistleblower behind House Democrats first impeachment of Trump, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., is now running the same con against a fellow lawmaker. During a hearing Monday night on the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Adam Schiff claimed to have proof that a member of Congress texted former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to instruct former Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.

(Article by Sean Davis republished from TheFederalist.com)

Not only did Schiff misrepresent the substance of the text message and its source, he even doctored original text messages, which were obtained and reviewed by The Federalist in their entirety.

I want to display just a few of the message[s] he received from people in Congress, Schiff said, referring to Meadows. The committee is not naming these lawmakers at this time as our investigation is ongoing. If we could cue the first graphic.

The following graphic, purportedly of the text message between a member of Congress and Meadows, then appeared on screen at Schiffs direction:

This one reads, On January 6, 2021, Vice President Mike Pence, as President of the Senate, should call out all electoral votes that he believes are unconstitutional as no electoral votes at all, Schiff continued. You can see why this is so critical to ask Mr. Meadows about. About a lawmaker suggesting that the former vice president simply throw out votes that he unilaterally deems unconstitutional in order to overturn a presidential election and subvert the will of the American people.

Not only did Schiff lie about the substance of the text message and its source, he even doctored the message and graphic that he displayed on screen during his statement. The full text message, which was forwarded to Meadows from Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, on the evening of Monday, Jan. 5, was significantly longer than what Schiff read and put on screen, but Schiff erased significant portions of the text and added punctuation where there was none to give the impression that Jordan himself was tersely directing Meadows to give orders to Pence on how to handle the electoral vote certification.

The original text was written by Washington attorney and former Department of Defense Inspector General Joseph Schmitz and included an attachment of a four-page draft Word document drafted by Schmitz that detailed Schmitzs legal reasoning for suggesting that Pence had the constitutional authority to object to the certification of electoral votes submitted by a handful of states. The piece that Schmitz had sent to Jordan was published at the website everylegal.vote the next day and even included the same DISCUSSION DRAFT heading and timestamp on the document that Schmitz sent to Jordan.

Good luck tomorrow! Schmitz texted Jordan on the evening of Jan. 5, including the Word document as an attachment. Schmitz then texted to Jordan a three-paragraph summary of his Word document, which Schiff sliced and diced and then attributed to Jordan:

On January 6, 2021, Vice President Mike Pence, as President of the Senate, should call out all the electoral votes that he believes are unconstitutional as no electoral votes at all  in accordance with guidance from founding father Alexander Hamilton and judicial precedence, Schmitz texted. In his graphic, Schiff erased the final clause and the em dash preceding it and added a period to the first clause without disclosing that he or his staff had chopped up the text and created a fake graphic misrepresenting the actual contents of the text message.

Schmitz continued: No legislative act, wrote Alexander Hamilton in Federalist No. 78, contrary to the Constitution, can be valid. The court in Hubbard v. Lowe reinforced this truth: That an unconstitutional statute is not a law at all is a proposition no longer open to discussion. 226 F. 135, 137 (SDNY 1915), appeal dismissed, 242 U.S. 654 (1916).

Following this rationale, an unconstitutionally appointed elector, like an unconstitutionally enacted statute, is no elector at all, Schmitz wrote.

In his statement and on-screen graphic, Schiff erased the final two paragraphs and the final clause of the first paragraph of the text message before inserting punctuation that was never there, all without disclosing what he was doing. The graphic displayed by Schiff, which was doctored to look like an exact screenshot, was similarly doctored, as it contained content that was never in the original message and eliminated content that was.

Is anyone surprised that Adam Schiff is again rifling through private text messages and cherry-picking information to fit his partisan narrative and sow misinformation? asked Jordan spokesman Russell Dye.

According to a source familiar with the matter, Schiff never approached Jordan to discuss the text messages prior to chopping them up and misrepresenting them during Monday nights hearing. Had he done so or bothered asking Jordan about the text message, Schiff would have known that Jordan was merely relaying to Meadows, without comment, an attorneys summary of that attorneys own legal argument as to what Pence should or shouldnt do.

Multiple sources who regularly communicate with Jordan also scoffed at the idea that Jordan, whos known for writing only brief, one- or two-word texts, if at all, would sit down and type out a multi-paragraph narrative with precise, legal citations akin to a lengthy court brief.

The idea that Jordan would sit down and punch out a long-winded legal argument via text is absurd, one individual who regularly talks to Jordan told The Federalist. Thats just not how he works.

One Republican colleague of Jordan laughed out loud when asked by The Federalist if Jordan was known for sending lengthy texts.

If he texts at all, its usually something like yes or call me, that colleague said.

Another GOP lawmaker echoed those sentiments about Jordans tech habits.

Thats just not Jims style, one lawmaker close to Jordan told The Federalist. Long, nerdy paragraphs might be my style, but thats not Jims style at all.

Plus, you have to remember what was going on at that time, the lawmaker noted. People were sending around these law review articles and debates left and right because we had an interest in learning the facts and getting them right. And if its somehow seditious in this country to debate or share a law review article on Alexander Hamiltons view on things, thats not really a country I want to be a part of anymore.

Schiff and his team have a long history of doctoring and fabricating evidence to show their political enemies in the worst possible light. While Trump, Jr. was testifying during a 2017 congressional hearing on the Russian collusion hoax, Schiffs committee leaked to CNN and NBC emails purportedly from Trump, Jr. that showed he had communicated with someone about hacked WikiLeaks documents prior to their public release.

In reality, despite each network claiming that it had verified the claims about the emails (CNN even falsely claimed that Trump, Jr.s own attorney had verified the networks reporting), each network botched the dates on the document. Rather than prove that the presidents oldest son had been privately colluding with WikiLeaks about documents the organization had illegally obtained, the real emails  not those doctored by Schiff or his committee  showed only that a random person with no connection to Trump, Jr. had found his email address and sent the information to him after the documents were already publicly available.

During 2019 impeachment hearings against Trump, Schiff went back to that same playbook and doctored a transcript of a telephone call between Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. After getting skewered for fabricating the transcript of a phone conversation between two world leaders, Schiff later claimed, without evidence, that his version of the call was only meant to be a parody, rather than a verbatim account of the phone call.

In opening statement, Rep. Schiff makes up dialogue to represent what Trump said to Zelensky. A rough transcript of the president's words exists, and is available, but Schiff's version is more dramatic. pic.twitter.com/f7gS4KIPge  Byron York (@ByronYork) September 26, 2019

Rep. Schiff re-writes the call transcript for added drama: "Im going to say this only seven times, so you better listen good, I want you to make up dirt on my political opponent, understand, lots of it, on this and on that, Im going to put you in touch with people" pic.twitter.com/1rV7BpEN6o  Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) September 26, 2019

Schiff also lied about his interactions with the so-called whistleblower whose leak of the phone call between Trump and Zelensky was used by House Democrats as a pretext for impeaching Trump and overturning the 2016 election results.

Coincidentally, Schiffs lie came in response to a question during a November 2019 hearing from Jordan about interactions between Schiff and his staff and the so-called whistleblower.

First, as the gentleman knows, Schiff lectured, thats a false statement. I do not know the identity of the whistleblower. However, according to a report from The New York Times, the so-called whistleblower personally contacted Schiffs office before the so-called whistleblower ever even filed his complaint against Trump with the inspector general that is supposed to oversee the countrys federal spy agencies.

Schiff, House Intel Chairman, Got Early Account of Whistle-Blowers Accusations, The New York Times headline noted.

Schiffs office did not respond to multiple requests for comment about the doctored text messages from Jordan.

Read more at: TheFederalist.com
(Natural News) Unidentified flying objects (UFO) pose a serious threat to national security. Though they are popularly associated with the supposed little green men of space, UFOs can also be actual technologies developed by U.S. enemies to spy on or conduct stealth attacks against the country.

Yet the government remains willfully ignorant of these dangers due to the stigma surrounding UFOs. In an article for Clean Technica, tech writer and photographer Jennifer Sensiba discussed Americas lack of adequate legal and security measures to clear American airspace of combat drones. She opined that this lack was a result of the UFO stigma plaguing the military.

Law enforcement could not track or take down adversary drones

As someone who uses drones to take photos, Sensiba had several near-encounters with law enforcement officers. In one occasion, the photographer was flying her commercial drone near the U.S.-Mexico border when her drone appeared to have attracted the attention of Border Patrol agents.

Officers swarmed the area where she was staying in an apparent attempt to look for the drones pilot. But Sensiba did not alert them since it would have been a waste of time to discuss that her work was legal, she explained. She packed her things up and managed to flee the area without being interrogated. As a former volunteer in police service, she was aware that most police officers and federal agents were not knowledgeable of the law unless its something they specialize in.

They dont know what the laws are, how to spot real suspicious activity or how to find the pilot in most cases, she wrote. Whats even worse is that I always operate according to FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) rules, and that requires that I keep the drone fairly close to myself.

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That begged the following question: What if bad actors were the ones manning a drone? If authorities found it difficult to track down amateur drone flyers like Sensiba, it would be virtually impossible for them to catch a criminal user. The photographer also noted that shooting down a drone is not an option because it is dangerous and difficult to do. On top of that, drones are protected by the same law that forbids anyone to shoot down passenger airplanes. (Related: Americas most powerful nuclear plant was swarmed by mystery drones  but why?)

UFO stigma is a real threat to national security

Law enforcers inability to address drone threats stems from the stigma surrounding UFOs, Sensiba opined, citing a recent report published in The War Zone. The report suggested that many of the UFOs seen over the last few decades might be lower-end unmanned aerial vehicles such as drones. These were likely flown by foreign adversaries to gather intelligence on Americas most sensitive war-fighting capabilities, the report stated.

While the article acknowledged that there were some well-documented cases of unexplained UFO sightings, these cases made up only a portion of all reported sightings. Those that could be identified as UAVs merit urgent attention, yet the military routinely failed to take action because of the UFO stigma.

As Sensiba puts it, people who talk about UFOs are largely regarded as conspiracy theorists, nutjobs or fraudsters of some kind, so everyones afraid to take unidentified objects very seriously. This poses a huge threat to national security since bad actors could exploit this blind spot, according to the article.

The stigma surrounding UFOs led Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to urge the government to get serious about these airborne mysteries. In an interview last month with Fox Business Networks Maria Bartiromo, Rubio noted that some aircraft spotted in American airspace were not registered with the FAA. He said that even if some of these exhibited extraordinary behavior, there could be a logical explanation, such as a foreign adversary that made a technological leap.

The problem with this issue is that every time you raise it, people get all nervous. Does this mean UFOs and aliens and extraterrestrial? We dont have to go that far; its very simple, the senator said. There are things flying over national security installations. We dont know who they are. We dont know what it is. We need to find out.

Failure to address these potential threats has very steep costs. Surveillance activities could provide foreign enemies with crucial information about how the U.S. military operates, which could cripple its tactical abilities. On top of this, the country could become vulnerable to drone strikes, Sensiba noted. She said that drones could be outfitted with missiles and other weapons to destroy or disable American military equipment. (Related: China ramping up production of military drones to rival US drone fleet, leaked defense ministry document shows.)

While there is a military entity specially tasked with probing UFO reports  the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force which was formed last year under former President Donald Trump  the task force is underfunded and undervalued, Sensiba said.

Even when they undertake a serious investigation, other military and intelligence entities dont take the UFO guys seriously and often dont give them access to the information they need to find and analyze very real threats, she wrote.

NationalSecurity.news has more about what America needs to do to strengthen its military capabilities.

Sources include:

CleanTechnica.com

TheDrive.com

FloridaPolitics.com
Significant rainfall is good news for the southeastern United States, which has been experiencing extremely dry or even drought conditions in recent weeks.

Severe Weather in Florida

As a storm moves through, AccuWeather experts warn that it may prompt severe weather in Florida.

According to the United States Drought Monitor, areas from northern and western Georgia through most of the Carolinas and southern Virginia are in the greatest need of rain.

Approximately 42% of North Carolina and 23% of South Carolina are now experiencing extreme drought conditions, according to the USDA. North Carolina's city of Asheville has gotten about one-eighth the amount of rain it normally receives in the six weeks since Nov. 1.

The first half of December has seen little to no rain in certain portions of Florida. It's normally the driest time of year in Florida in the autumn, winter, and early spring. There is an average of 1-3 inches of rain every month between November and March in Orlando, according to Accuweather.

Thunderstorms in the system's warm sector are influenced by how quickly the storm builds power as well as the path it takes as it moves through the area.

Also Read: Major Cooldown and Severe Weather Conditions to Hit Central US

Southeastern States to Experience Rainfall

Some areas of the Southeastern states will get drenched from Monday through Tuesday, but AccuWeather Meteorologist Tony Zartman says there is some uncertainty as to how far north the rain shield will extend.

In addition, there is a possibility that soaking rain and wet travel conditions would spread further northwest with the storm from middle Alabama and northern Georgia to central North Carolina and southeastern Virginia.

North Carolina's Pilot Mountain State Park was evacuated in late November due to a wildfire that burned for many days. More than 1,100 acres of land were destroyed by the fire, which is thought to have started as a campfire.

This area and most of the southern Appalachians and foothills are still experiencing dry soil conditions, with dry brush and recently fallen leaves providing potential fuel.

This time of year, even a little bit of rain may go a long way since evaporation rates are lower than in the summer.

The recent record-breaking heat and regular above-average temperatures have resulted in much greater evaporation rates than is typical. There has been a 4-8 degree Fahrenheit increase in average temperatures in the first half of December.

Potential Thunderstorms in Central and Southern Florida

In early to mid-December, temperatures in most of the area are typically in the upper 50s, but there have been many days this month when those temperatures have soared into the 60s and 70s.

Zartman said that the more north and west the rain falls, the greater the storm and the faster it increases.

It's possible that rain won't make it all the way to Interstate 85 if the storm weakens before it leaves the beaches of Georgia and Florida. It's possible that if the storm intensifies fast, it will reach as far north as the southern Appalachians, and even farther west.

From late Monday to early Tuesday, central and southern Florida could possibly see heavy, gusty, severe thunderstorms, even with a moderate storm system.

It's possible that light rain may fall throughout the afternoon and evening of Tuesday, even if severe thunderstorms don't form in the region. People who want to go fishing, boating, or to the beach this week may want to think about their travel plans.

Related Article: Flood Hits Southwest France After Torrential Rain, Prompting Evacuation

For more news, updates about torrential rain and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News!
Opinion



Looking beyond the Nativity story

Andrew Frere Smith reminds us of the hardships that were faced by the family of baby Jesus at that first Christmas.

When I was a primary school head teacher, the build up to Christmas seemed to go on for ever. Preparations usually began in October, immediately after half-term, when the children started learning carols and auditioning for parts in the play. By the end of term, I had sung endless carols, attended numerous plays, and met Father Christmas at least half a dozen times!



The story we present in school rightly centres around the nativity scene. We all love to see Mary and Joseph, the angels and the wise men, the shepherds, and the sheep. However, we tend to gloss over the more difficult episodes in the story.



I imagine there must have been a fair amount of anxiety as Joseph and Mary journeyed to Bethlehem. The baby could have been born at any moment, they had no idea where they would stay, and they must have been tired, hungry, and cold. I guess there would have been moments when they wondered if it might have been wiser to have stayed in Nazareth, at least until the baby was born.



Once Jesus was born, they had to flee to Egypt, another taxing journey, and this time to an unknown country. As refugees, they had to find somewhere to call home and Joseph needed to get a job. They had to settle into a community and get used to the customs and culture. They had to stay for an unknown period, until Herod died, before they were safe to return to Nazareth. How long would that be?



On that first Christmas, Mary and Joseph triumphed over adversity, but it wasn't without stress, anxiety, and no doubt a fair bit of worry. Unfortunately, Christmas remains a stressful time for many families today. It is the time when marriages break, domestic abuse rises, financial debts increase, and the lonely feel their sadness more acutely than ever.



Thankfully, there are some tremendous people and organisations across Norfolk who work selflessly to help those in adversity. To you, in particular, I wish a very blessed and happy Christmas.



The picture above is of a walking nativity organised by Cawston Parish Church in 2019.



This article first appeared in the Imagine Norfolk Together: King's Lynn Newsletter .

Andrew Frere-Smith is Development Worker for Imagine Norfolk Together, based in Kings Lynn.





The views carried here are those of the author, not of Network Norfolk, and are intended to stimulate constructive and good-natured debate between website users.





We welcome your thoughts and comments, posted below, upon the ideas expressed here.
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.
Kristen Allen Wilson is the coordinator of the Illinois Distributed Museum at the University of Illinois Archives in the UI Library. She can be reached at klallen3@illinois.edu.
AP

Bensenville police Officer Steve Kotlewski has returned home six weeks after he was shot nine times in the line of duty
Sexual health is an area of physical and emotional health, related to overall well-being, but also key to some devastating consequences of irresponsible sexual behavior. This area of human experience has proved to shape many aspects of adolescent and adult behavior, both normal and abnormal. It is, therefore, key to the health of individuals and couples as well as families, underlying the development of countries and communities.

Image Credit: SNegG17/Shutterstock.com

Today, ironically, the wheel is coming full-circle, with the former oppressed becoming the oppressors, as sexual and reproductive rights threaten to dominate more fundamental debates about sexual health, reproduction, and human rights.

Introduction

The World Health Organization (WHO) has been working in the area of sexual health since at least 1974, a year marked by the publication of a report entitled Education and treatment in human sexuality (WHO, 1975). Later debates have compassed the terms and programs involved in the conceptualization and optimization of sexual health.

Further discussions have centered on terms and definitions of body integrity, safe sex, erotic concepts and reality, sexual orientations and gender, as well as reproductive health. Overall, there is a strong consensus that sexual health mandates a respectful and affirmative view of sexuality and safe sex, with partners being free to involve or stay out without fear, discrimination, or force.

Sexual health has been determined to comprise having access to reliable and current information about sex and sexuality, as well as the risks of unsafe sex; being able to have healthcare for sex-related matters, and being in a supportive environment. The risks of unsafe sex include sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as infections with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), syphilis, and gonorrhea, as well as reproductive tract infections (RTIs).

The consequences of these events are not limited to the immediate infection but may cause infertility via tubal blockage, cancers of the reproductive tract, and pain. Another frequent sequel to the act of intercourse is unintended pregnancy.

Cultures around the world, but often in Islamic countries, have practiced forms of female genital mutilation (FGM) that have led to painful sexual intercourse, endometriosis, infertility, and perineal trauma with further injury to the uterine supports. Sexual abuse and sexual dysfunction are other areas of concern.

Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are now commonly recognized as human rights internationally. However, this change has come as part of larger social and political changes. After the release of the 1975 document, researchers have traced four distinct stages in the acceptance of SRHR as human rights.

The reproductive health phase

Initially, concerns with sexual health were intimately linked to the goals of population control, following the first Population Conference (1954) in Rome, and the second at Belgrade in 1965. Both were focused on population growth and the experts present were mostly demographic or population specialists.

The impetus for population control programs was mostly ill-founded, based on the beliefs that 1) population growth is the chief cause of poverty, 2) population growth hampers development, and 3) with a higher population in a given area, the resources available for each individual are restricted. The feeling was supported by blaring headlines of accelerating world population which was inevitably linked to mass starvation, creating a security threat to the country involved.

The result was the application of financial and social pressures, as well as outright force, to bring down the rate of population growth and reduce the rate of conception. This was explicitly stated at the 1968 International Conference on Human Rights at Teheran, which linked human rights to population control for the first time.

The irony of the situation, whereby a supposed advancement in human rights was to be ushered in by coercive and discriminatory practices, is exquisite. This ushered in the Bucharest World Conference on Population (1974) where a World Population Plan of Action (WPPA) was adopted.

This brought back respect and freedom for human rights against a background of population control by insisting on education and responsibility for individuals involved in the conception and birth of progeny. Importantly, this brought individuals and not just couples the freedom to use contraception. It also elevated the status of women within a family to the rightful one of equality.

In 1984, in Mexico City, two important controversies came to the fore, which continue to create a stir today  that of pro-life or anti-abortion, championed by the USA and the Vatican, and the fact that China was actively using coercion to accomplish its population control goals, thereby rendering the Bucharest resolution defunct.

The objections to this model are two-fold, namely, the perception of the female body as a tool for population goals, rather than considering the woman as a full citizen in this area; and secondly, the failure to address structural inequalities in the social system that hampered development, instead of shifting the load on to female fertility control. This triggered the next phase.

International conference on population and development, Cairo (ICPD, 1994):

The World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna (1993) emphasized the need to guarantee full rights to female citizens as well as abolish discrimination of all sorts against women, focusing in particular on SRHR. This led to the unveiling of a new paradigm: Reproductive Rights Are Human Rights.

This led to a viewpoint in which population issues were extended beyond fertility control to the free enjoyment of unforced safe sex and pregnancy. This instantaneously shifted the tone of coercive governmental population control from an accepted voice to that of an illegal effort.

The ICPDs approach has been defined as horizontal, holistic, and human rights-based, contrary to the technical/vertical view of the population control paradigm.

The consensus here was that governments can only act to achieve population control based on human rights. New definitions emerged including reproductive rights, incorporating not only contraceptive rights but the right to abort ones fetus as a basic human right.

This conference saw the term family being applied to those who were not part of a traditional heterosexual monogamous marriage, a forerunner of todays wild variety of lifestyles that are given this title. Another trend first recognized here was the fierce defense of the term right to life as applied to the pregnant woman as against the equally valid right to life of the fetus in her womb.

Using unsafe abortion as a talking point, the United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) cleverly obtained the consent of the member states for all abortions, framing it as a threat to the womans right to life. This overlooks the fact that while unsafe abortion may, most, unfortunately, compromise the womans life in several instances, legalizing universal abortion deprives the fetus of the right to life in every single case.

Equality and anti-discrimination rights have also been leveraged to obtain wider acceptance for legal abortions, irrespective of any medical indication for the same. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) explained in 1999 that it is discriminatory for a State Party to refuse to provide legally for the performance of certain reproductive health services for women.

Three international treaties, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), and CEDAW thus built a legal framework where SRHR was accorded a full-blown status.

This right of women to control their own reproduction was recognized again in the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (PfA). The dissenting voice of the Vatican City was heard in this and previous conferences, as it expressed the Judeo-Christian viewpoint that womens rights could be advanced only by recognizing the human truths about both sexes and rejecting the SRHR as individualistic.

The post-IPCD stage

The following years were marked by fragmentation, where SRHR was recognized as being key to gender equality, and measurable markers were described. Though the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) led to the establishment of a target, that of reducing maternal mortality by 75%. The term maternal health was introduced instead of reproductive health, leading to harsh criticism for excluding female sexuality and reproduction in favor of maternal health.

The latest 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2015) does mention universal access to both sexual and reproductive healthcare services, thus winning the approval of pro-choice organizations for their life-cycle approach.

In 2016, the CESCR took this further, commenting that SRHR are indivisible from and interdependent with other human rights, and especially focusing on womens SRHR as part of their full human rights. While establishing a legal obligation to protect and fulfill SRHR, including the requirement that members states provide access to health services and information including legal federally-funded abortion services, this document prevents individuals and states with pro-life convictions from exercising their rights to live by their beliefs.

States must take steps to ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive healthcare, including emergency contraception and access to safe abortion services. States are required to provide comprehensive education about sexual and reproductive health for all and to take measures to eradicate social barriers that prevent individuals from exercising their right to sexual and reproductive health.

Conclusion

The future doubtless holds further development of this concept, despite the hounding of all opponents as religious fundamentalists and oppressors. It seems necessary to recognize all citizens of Planet Earth as equal and to respect their views, irrespective of whether they fit in with currently popular perspectives. Perhaps a more sincere effort to understand one another, and to dialogue rather than calling each other names or rejecting opposing views, would produce a final outcome that might serve the world better.

References:

Pizzarossa, L. B. (2018). Here to Stay: The Evolution of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in International Human Rights Law. Laws 2018, 7, 29; doi:10.3390/laws7030029.

Douglas, J. M. et al. (2021). Understanding Sexual Health and Its Role in More Effective Prevention Programs. Public Health Reports. https://dx.doi.org/10.1177%2F00333549131282S101. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3562741/

Galati, A. J. 2015. Onward to 2030: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in The Context of the Sustainable Development Goals. Guttmacher Policy Review 18. Available online: https://www.guttmacher.org/gpr/2015/10/onward-2030-sexual-and-reproductive-health-and-rights-context-sustainable-development. Accessed on 18 October 2021.

Garcia-Moreno, C. et al. (1994). Challenges From the Womens Health Movement: Womens Rights Versus Population Control. In Population Policies Reconsidered: Health, Empowerment, and Rights. Boston: Harvard University Press, pp. 4772.

Sexual Health (2021). https://www.who.int/health-topics/sexual-health#tab=tab_1. Accessed on 18 October 2021.

Defining Sexual Health (2021). https://www.who.int/teams/sexual-and-reproductive-health-and-research/key-areas-of-work/sexual-health/defining-sexual-health. Accessed on 18 October 2021.

Southern, S. (2018). Recent Perspectives on Sexual Health. Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity. https://doi.org/10.1080/10720162.2018.1475704. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10720162.2018.1475704

Hart, G. et al. (2021). Sexual Behaviour and Its Medicalisation: In Sickness and In Health. BMJ. https://dx.doi.org/10.1136%2Fbmj.324.7342.896. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1122837/

Further Reading
Biomedical scientists at the University of California, Riverside, propose a way for drugs to be more effective against inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, in which the intestine undergoes inflammation.

IBD, a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestine, includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. It is commonly treated with one of several available biological drugs that block an inflammatory molecule called Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha, or TNF-alpha, from binding to two receptors, TNFR1 and TNFR2. Only about 50% of patients are helped long term by this treatment.

"TNF-alpha does drive much of the inflammation and tissue destruction in IBD," said Dr. David D. Lo, a distinguished professor of biomedical sciences in the School of Medicine, who led the study appearing in the Journal of Crohn's and Colitis. "It's why it is targeted by drugs. Our interest in this study was to look for a more targeted therapy that might have better impact than the existing approach, which is to block all TNF-alpha."

Lo explained that people have two different receptors, TNFR1 and TNFR2, in each of their cells that bind TNF-alpha. Currently, TNF-alpha-targeted drugs block both TNFR1 and TNFR2. Lo's experiments were done in mice, which have the same two receptors. The pattern of inflammation in mice is similar to that seen in humans.

TNF-alpha, produced by the body's cells, also induces specialized immune and other cells, which both promote inflammation and suppress it. Thus, TNF-alpha plays a role in the destruction and the healing of tissues -; a double-edged sword. Lo said evidence exists that TNFR1 may be driving most of the destructive effects of IBD, whereas TNFR2 may drive the healing and restorative effects.

"If you block both the receptors, you block the destructive effects and the recovery," he said. "To circumvent this, in our work we opted to do selective targeting of TNFR1."

Lo's group was encouraged by two pieces of evidence suggesting that targeting TNFR1 may be a more beneficial strategy. The researchers used a reagent from INmune Bio, a biotechnology company, that was selective for blocking TNFR1. Mice treated with this reagent were found to benefit from it. The researchers also did genetic targeting of TNFR1 to reduce its signaling. The impact, they found, was dramatic.

When we reduced TNFR1 signaling, the mice showed a significant benefit relative to mice who had the full level of TNFR1 signaling. This approach may offer more opportunity to TNFR2 to contribute to the healing." Dr. David D. Lo, Professor, University of California - Riverside

According to Lo, mice that have a genetic deficiency in TNFR2 get much more severe disease, suggesting that TNFR2 does indeed have beneficial effects.

"Without TNFR2, IBD is a lot worse," he said.

Several diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and psoriasis, are related to the action of TNF-alpha. Indeed, different tissues in the body are differently sensitive to the effects of TNF-alpha. The role of the receptors TNFR1 and TNFR2 varies in the different tissues.

"TNF-alpha is a very common way in which your body reacts to inflammatory triggers, such as infection," Lo said. "This protein can mediate several processes in the body to promote inflammation. The inflammation arises to clear an infection or kill a tumor. But in autoimmune diseases, the same inflammation and tissue damage that TNF-alpha provokes are what drive the disease. In other words, you want TNF-alpha at the right time to knock off a certain infection but once that is accomplished, you don't want this protein to be around any longer. Many diseases are linked to TNF-alpha lingering in tissues."

Lo said the current research was a combination of testing approved drugs that are used in the clinic as well as examining more detailed questions related to the mechanisms of disease and protection.

"It's about continuously finding better cutting-edge drugs and better targets to treat diseases," he said.

Lo was joined in the study by Rajrupa Chakraborty, Mia R. Maltz, Diana Del Castillo, Purvi N. Tandel, Nathalie Messih, and Martha Anguiano.

The study was supported by Pfizer, Inc.
The use of smartphones, tablets and laptops has become commonplace throughout the world and has been especially prevalent among college students. Recent studies have found that college students have higher levels of screen time, and they utilize multiple devices at higher rates compared to previous generations.

With the increased use of these devices, especially smartphones, students tend to use a less-traditional workplace such as a couch or chair with no desk, leading to an increase in musculoskeletal disorders in that age group. A team of Texas A&M researchers led by Mark E. Benden conducted a study looking at the technology students use, the postures they adapt when they use their devices, and the amount of pain the students were currently experiencing.

Benden and his co-authors found that smartphones have become the most common link to educational materials though they have the least favorable control and display scenario from an ergonomic perspective. Additionally, the team concluded that regardless of device, ergonomic interventions focused on improving posture and facilitating stress management may reduce the likelihood of pain.

The results of the team's study were published recently in the open-access, peer reviewed journal BMC Public Health.

When we started this study a few years ago it was because we had determined that college students were the heavy users of smartphones. Now those same levels we were concerned about in college students are seen in 40-year-olds and college students have increased to new levels." Mark E. Benden, professor and head, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health (EOH), Texas A&M University School of Public Health

Benden, professor and head of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health (EOH) at the Texas A&M University School of Public Health and director of the Ergo Center, co-authored the study with EOH associate professors Adam Pickens, S. Camille Peres, and Matthew Lee Smith, Ranjana Mehta, associate professor in the Wm Michael Barnes '64 Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering, Brett Harp, a recent EOH graduate, and Samuel Towne Jr., adjunct assistant professor at the School of Public Health.

The research team used a 35-minute online survey that asked participants about their technology use, posture when using the technology, current level of pain or discomfort, and their activity and stress levels.

Among the respondents, 64 percent indicated that their smartphone was the electronic device they used most frequently, followed by laptops, tablets and desktop computers. On average, the students used their smartphone 4.4 hours per day, and they indicated that when doing so, they were more likely to do so on the couch or at a chair with no desk.

"It is amazing to consider how quickly smartphones have become the dominant tech device in our daily lives with little research into how that level of use would impact our health," Benden said.

The researchers found that posture components and stress more consistently contributed to the pain reported by the students, not the variables associated with the devices they were using.

Still, the researchers point out that in our ever-increasing technology-focused society, efforts are needed to ensure that pain is deferred or delayed until an individual's later years to preserve the productivity of the workforce.

"Now that we are moving toward hybrid and/or remote workspaces for our jobs, college students are taking habits formed in dorm and apartment rooms during college into young adulthood as employees in home offices," Benden said. "We need to get this right or it could have adverse impacts on an entire generation."
A team of scientists at the University of Oslo, Oslo University Hospital (OUH) Radiumhospitalet and Karolinska Institutet, led by Professor Johanna Olweus, has developed a new type of immunotherapy for cancer. The new treatment makes the patient's immune cells "believe" that cancer is a transplanted organ that should be rejected. The immune cells then attack and fight the cancer cells, thereby curing the cancer. This is made possible thanks to a new technology, developed by the research group, and genetic modification of the immune cells.

The scientists have demonstrated the efficacy of the new treatment on patient leukemia cells in cell cultures and in mouse models, and are planning a clinical trial in patients with acute leukemia.

Our results indicate that the new therapy would be efficacious and safe in treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common cancer in children and young adults. This therapy could mean new hope for children and adults with an otherwise deadly disease when standard therapies fail, and thus potentially give a new future for young people who should have their whole life in front of them." Professor Johanna Olweus

The immune system "rejected" the cancer developed in transplanted organs

Professor Olweus got the idea behind the technology while she worked as a medical doctor with transplantation immunology at OUH Rikshospitalet. When an organ is transplanted from a donor to a patient, the patient must receive life-long immunosuppressive medication to avoid rejection of the organ. If medication is stopped, the patient's immune cells, so-called T cells, will reject the transplanted organ in a short time.

Cancer can occasionally develop in the transplanted organ. Professor Olweus took notice of the fact that stopping immunosuppression in such cases usually suffices to "reject" also the cancer, even if it has metastasized outside of the organ.

- The same mechanism that is responsible for transplant rejection, thus also seemed capable of curing cancer, she says.

If T cells could be "instructed" to attack only one type of cell instead of a whole organ containing a large number of different cell types, this might provide a basis for development of a new type of immunotherapy. The research group embarked on the task. After many years, the scientists succeeded in identifying killer T cells that efficiently recognize one single target in a cell.

Genetic modification gave immune cells "eyes" to detect cancer cells

- Another challenge was to identify targets in cancer cells that separate them from other, normal, cells, Professor Olweus explains.

The T cells needed to know which cells to reject. Molecules called T cell receptors (TCR) function as "eyes" for the T cells, enabling them to "see" potential targets inside the cancer cells. This opened up for new possibilities.

- Many, many more candidate targets are available in the cell interior, as compared with the cell membrane. If we choose the right target inside the cancer cell and find a TCR capable of recognizing it, we can use this TCR to give patient T cells new "eyes" that allow them to detect cancer cells, says Dr. Muhammad Ali, first author on the study.

By exploiting the technology that he took part in developing in the group, he was able to identify TCRs recognizing an enzyme that is present at high levels in the nucleus of leukemia cancer cells.

- We genetically modified the T cells in the laboratory to equip them with the therapeutic TCR, and then infused the cells back into the blood stream of the mice. This allowed the T cells to find the leukemia cells spread in different organs of the mice, and eliminate them, explains scientist Eirini Giannakopoulou, who is shared first author with Ali on the study.

Crucial contributions from Karolinska Institutet

The present study was conducted in an international collaboration, and Olweus emphasises instrumental contributions from Assistant Professor Petter S. Woll and Professor Sten Eirik Jacobsen and their teams at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, in particular doctoral students Madeleine Lehander and Stina Virding Culleton. They tested efficacy of the treatment in mice transplanted with leukemia cells from patients, and safety in a mouse model with normal human blood cell formation.

- In addition to the dramatic efficacy, we also saw no negative effect on healthy B and T cells or on the development of new blood cells, which suggests that the treatment can be safe, Petter S. Woll adds.

The researchers in Oslo and at Karolinska Institutet are now planning to conduct laboratory and animal studies to test the method on more cancer types.

Will test the treatment in patients with leukemia

- Together with clinicians at the Department of Pediatrics and Oncology and the Department of Hematology at OUH we are currently planning for a clinical trial to test the treatment in patients with acute leukemia. The patient T cells will be genetically modified in the recently established Center for Advanced Cell and Gene therapy (ACT Center) at OUH. The trial will include patients for whom there is currently no curative therapy, says Professor Olweus.

In addition, the research group will use the same technology to develop therapeutic TCRs also for other cancer types.
A recent, substantial decline in lung cancer deaths is associated with earlier diagnosis of lung cancer than in the past, supporting the need for increased use of screening to save lives, according to a Mount Sinai study published in JAMA Network Open in December.

The earlier detection of lung cancer came about both due to increased screening via computed tomography (CT) and to follow-up on potential cancers found on scans meant to study other organs or disease. Once these precancerous and early-cancer nodules are found, they can be removed with surgery, which can often be curative, according to the study.

This is the first time a large population-based study has demonstrated decreased lung cancer mortality with early detection-;finding cancer in earlier stages-;when tumors are smaller and more curable. This study emphasizes the impact of screening followed by surgical intervention to save lives in people at high risk for lung cancer." Raja M. Flores, MD, Chair of Thoracic Surgery at Mount Sinai Health System, Steven and Ann Ames Professor in Thoracic Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Study's Lead Author

Lung cancer is diagnosed in more than 200,000 people annually and remains one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in the United States. Smoking cessation programs after the landmark 1964 Surgeon General's report on smoking and tobacco use have historically contributed to some decline of lung cancer incidence, but experts know that more needs to be done to quell the deadly disease. While prior studies have explored the association of smoking cessation, earlier interventions, and targeted therapies with non-small cell lung cancer mortality, the role of diagnosis at earlier stages due to early detection has not been adequately studied until now.

The findings were based on a retrospective analysis of 312,382 patients with non-small cell lung cancer, which accounts for the vast majority of lung cancer cases, from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program, an authoritative source for cancer statistics. Using data from 2006 to 2016, researchers found that on average, lung cancer deaths decreased by about 4 percent each year.

During the same time period, early-stage diagnoses rose from 26.5 percent to 31.2 percent while late-stage diagnoses decreased from 70.8 to 66.1. Both are considered significant shifts, underlined by their resulting survival rates: the median length of survival for patients with early-stage lung cancer was 57 months while the median for late-stage cancer was seven months.

In 2013, during the study period, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended that at-risk individuals be screened annually for lung cancer via CT. CT scans find cancer in 24.2 percent of scans while the previous modality of screening, chest X-rays, only found cancer 6.9 percent of the time.

"These findings in context with prior studies seem to suggest that awareness of CT lung cancer screening is associated with an earlier detection of non-small cell lung cancer, but unfortunately, patient adherence to the USPSTF guidance on lung cancer screening with low-dose CT remains low, at around 5 percent of those people who meet the criteria," said study author Emanuela Taioli, MD, PhD, Director of the Institute for Translational Epidemiology and Associate Director for Population Science at The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai. "That means that we cannot only attribute CT screening to decreased mortality, but our findings reinforce the importance of screening in the early detection, intervention, and effective treatment of cancer."

Claudia Henschke, MD, PhD, Professor of Diagnostic, Molecular and Interventional Radiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, leads one of the largest lung cancer screening programs in the United States and oversees an international registry of more than 80,000 lung cancer screening patients. Dr. Henschke said this study underscores the need to ensure that people who are eligible for screening receive it and that research is conducted to investigate our ability to expand who may be eligible given the increase in nonsmoking lung cancer patients whose cancer is largely found in later stages.

"If all people who were eligible to be screened received the low-dose CT scan, which has a dose of radiation comparable to an annual mammogram, we could save up to 80 percent of those people," Dr. Henschke said. "Our lung cancer screening program is open to all people at risk of lung cancer, anyone who is 40 and older whether they are never-smokers, current smokers or former smokers."
(Newser)  Professors share a syllabus each semester in order to ensure students understand all that's expected of them. That's why it's such a drag for them when, without fail, college student after college student neglects to read it. It's also why Kenyon Wilson, associate head of performing arts at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, decided to play a little game. Per CNN, this past semester, Wilson offered $50 in his syllabus to the first student who went to a designated locker and used the combination he included to open it. One guess what happened when Wilson went to the locker once school let out for the semester.

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"At the start of the term, I placed $50 in one of our lockers and included the locker number & combination in my syllabus for a class with over 70 enrolled," he wrote on Facebook this month. "Today I retrieved the unclaimed treasure." You may not blame the students, though. As CBC notes, Wilson slipped the instructions into the end of the syllabus where class-specific content had ended and mostly COVID protocols and other legal ramblings had begun. While he doesn't plan to try the gag again next year, Wilson told CBC he believes other professors might--and even if they don't, students might wonder if they did. "I really think that spring of 2022 is going to be the most well-read syllabi of all time," he said. (Read more professor stories.)
(Newser)  UK researchers say they see no indication that omicron will be milder than the delta variant of the coronavirus. In fact, they found the new strain's reinfection rate to be more than five times as high as delta's, Reuters reports. The Imperial College London study, which has not been peer reviewed yet, used government data on people who tested positive in England from Nov. 29 to Dec. 11. And a past infection might provide protection from reinfection as low as 19%, the college said. While noting that there's little data on hospitalizations so far to work with, the study's authors wrote, "We find no evidence of Omicron having different severity from Delta."

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Compared to delta, omicron brings a substantially higher risk of a symptomatic illness, the researchers said, for anyone at least two weeks past their last vaccine dose or booster shot. AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines were used in the study. "This level of immune evasion means that omicron poses a major, imminent threat to public health," the lead professor said. A former chair of the UK Vaccine Taskforce cautioned about the findings, though, saying they're based on assumptions when adequate data are lacking. "For example, we have no data on the cellular immune response, which is now probably driving effectiveness of vaccines," Dr. Clive Dix said.

Despite signs in South Africa that fewer people infected with omicron are being hospitalized than those with delta, experts are cautioning about that data, too. The new variant could act differently in the US than it does there, per NPR. For one thing, vaccination rates in South Africa are so lowaround 25%that most people probably had already been infected with another strain. "Thus, omicron enters a South African population with considerably more immunity than any prior SARS-CoV-2 variant," two experts wrote in a study posted online this week. It's tough to measure vulnerability in the US, but one estimate is that 66 million people have not been infected and have not been vaccinated. (Read more omicron variant stories.)
(Newser)  Trevor Noah has filed suit against a New York City medical group over claims doctors there left him injured both physically and mentally. Per People, the host of The Daily Show suffered from "severe emotional distress and great physical pain" in the wake of a 2020 procedure he underwent at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan in 2020. While also naming Dr. Riley J. Williams, Noah's suit claims his caregivers "were negligent and careless in failing to treat and care for [him] in a careful and skillful manner," which left the 37-year-old with "serious personal injury" the suit describes as "permanent, severe, and grievous."

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Per Page Six , Noah's suit accuses the doctor and facility of failing to prescribe proper medications and also failing to discontinue certain prescription medications." The documents do not state exactly what surgery Noah underwent. The Hospital for Special Surgery bills itself as a top orthopedic center, where a profile of Dr. Williams states that he "specializes in knee, shoulder and elbow" surgeries.

(Read more Trevor Noah stories.)
(Newser)  Update: Inside the base of a Robert E. Lee statue recently taken down in Richmond, Virginia, were books and other texts, a coin, and an envelope. Conservators chipped the time capsule out of the granite box Tuesday, and preservationists unsealed it Wednesday, NPR reports. Inside, they found just a fraction of the 60 objects they estimated would be inside the box, which was made of lead, rather than the copper they had predicted. It's not yet clear what is inside the envelope. Our original story from Sunday follows:

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Crews working to remove the pedestal where a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee towered over Richmond for more than a century believe they've found a time capsule that was buried there in 1887. The massive bronze equestrian statue of Lee, erected in 1890, was taken down in September, more than a year after Gov. Ralph Northam ordered its removal after protests over racism and police brutality erupted across the country following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The day after the statue was removed, work crews spent more than 12 hours searching for the time capsule in the 40-foot-tall pedestal, but were unable to locate it. On Friday, Northam announced that crews found the top of a square box embedded in a 2,000-pound granite block, per the AP.

The box was located about 20 feet off the ground in the main section of the pedestal, not in its base. Workers who searched for it in September believed it was tucked inside or under a cornerstone of the pedestal. By late Friday afternoon, workers had lowered a large piece of granite containing the box to the ground and were planning to bring it to the state Department of Historic Resources to be opened sometime next week. Mercer said the box was still encased in granite and needs to be dislodged and X-rayed before officials can be certain it is the time capsule. A newspaper article from 1887 suggests the capsule contains Civil War memorabilia and a picture of Lincoln lying in his coffin, although historians believe its doubtful the picture is an actual photograph, which would be rare and valuable.

Records from the Library of Virginia suggest that 37 Richmond residents, organizations and businesses contributed about 60 objects to the capsule, many of which are believed to be related to the Confederacy. The Lee statue, which became a symbol of racial injustice, was one of five Confederate tributes along Richmonds Monument Avenue and the only one that belonged to the state. The four city-owned statues were taken down in 2020, but the Lee statue removal was blocked by two lawsuits until a ruling from the Supreme Court of Virginia in September cleared the way for it to be taken down. Northam announced earlier this month that the enormous pedestal would be removed, a reversal from September, when the governor said the pedestal would stay in place so its future could be determined by a community-driven effort to reimagine Monument Avenue.

(Read more Robert E. Lee stories.)
(Newser)  When Westminster United Methodist Church in Houston resumed in-person services late last year, after a seven-month pandemic halt, there were Sundays when only three worshippers showed up, said the pastor, Meredith Mills. Since then, attendance has inched back up, but it's still only about half the pre-pandemic turnout of 160 or 170, Mills estimates. "It's frustrating," she said, per the AP. "People just seem to want to leave home less these days." Polls by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research show how dramatically church attendance fell during the worst of the pandemic, even as many say they are now returning to regular service attendance. By denomination, the polls found:

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Mainline Protestants : Just 1% said in May 2020 poll that they were attending in-person services at least once a week. That rose to 14% in the new poll, compared to 16% in 2019.

: Just 1% said in May 2020 poll that they were attending in-person services at least once a week. That rose to 14% in the new poll, compared to 16% in 2019. Evangelical Protestants : Now, 37% say they are attending services in person at least weekly, while 42% said so in 2019. Only 11% said they were attending services in person that often in May 2020.

: Now, 37% say they are attending services in person at least weekly, while 42% said so in 2019. Only 11% said they were attending services in person that often in May 2020. Catholics: In the latest poll, 26% say they attend in person at least weekly, compared with 30% in 2019. In the 2020 poll, conducted as many bishops temporarily waived the obligation for weekly Mass attendance, just 5% were worshipping in person at least weekly.

At First Church of God in Columbus, Ohio, there was a near-total halt to in-person worship between March 2020 and September of this year. On two Sundays in September 2020, worshippers were invited back to the church to test the feasibility of in-person services. "But it was obvious they were still uncomfortablethey came dressed like they were working at Chernobyl," said Bishop Timothy Clarke, evoking hazmat suits appropriate for confronting a nuclear disaster. The poll, conducted in late October, reports a margin of sampling error for all respondents at plus or minus 4 percentage points.

(Read more churches stories.)
(Newser)  When the Pentagon announced in August that all service members would have to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, it said they can seek religious exemptions. More than 12,000 military service members have done that, the AP reports, but so far, not one exemption on religious grounds has been granted. "We did not expect the surge of requests," said Air Force Col. Paul Sutter, chief chaplain for Space Force. The Air Force, which includes Space Force, had said the requests would be decided in 30 days. But there's a review process that made that promise unrealistic once the Air Force, for example, received 4,700 requests.

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Other branches have received far fewer requests. Service members are frustrated, per the AP. Some requests that were turned down have been appealed, but numbers weren't available. The requests are assessed by military chaplains. "I don't really dig into how long they've been in church and all of that kind of stuff because it's really about their current reality of what they really believe," said Maj. A'Shellarien Lang, an Army chaplain for the National Guard. "And in that momentlet's suppose it's a political decision, but they wrap it in religiositythat's still what they believe in that moment."

The number of vaccine holdouts is low, but military leaders last week said they'll be dismissed from the service soon, per the New York Times. The defense authorization bill just passed by Congress will prohibit giving anyone refusing a vaccine a discharge that's anything other than honorable, per the Military Times. The separations have begun: The Marine Corps said Thursday that 103 personnel were removed after missing its Nov. 28 vaccination deadline, per the BBC. The branch said it has denied 2,800 of the 3,000 religious exemption applications it has received so far. The Air Force last week announced 27 discharges. (Read more vaccine mandate stories.)
(Newser)  A few Democrats are saying there's still a chance, but the White House went ahead and let loose on Sen. Joe Manchin on Sunday, Politico reports, after he announced he'll vote against President Biden's climate and social spending bill. If the West Virginia Democrat has broken off negotiations on the bill, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement, that indicates "a sudden and inexplicable reversal in his position, and a breach of his commitments to the President and the Senator's colleagues in the House and Senate."

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Democrats in Congress shared the administration's fury. "We were concerned that Manchin and others weren't negotiating in good faith," Rep. Jamaal Bowman said, per the Washington Post. "And that's exactly what's playing out in real time." With the vote on the Build Back Better Act delayed, Biden left talks with Manchin last week believing they'd cut a deal after the first of the year. The senator had even brought Biden a rough bill that "could lead to a compromise acceptable to all," Psaki said. The White House will nevertheless push Manchin "to honor his prior commitments and be true to his word," she said.

Calling the $1.7 trillion packagewhich began as a $3.5 trillion bill, per the New York Times"too important to give up," Psaki said, "We will find a way to move forward next year." The measure needs Manchin's vote to pass, and CBS News was told he still wants to work to approve parts of the package. One ally said that even after months of picking it apart, Manchin might still find a way to vote for another version of the bill, adding that Build Back Better might not yet be "dead dead." Rep. Ayanna Pressley told CNN, "We cannot allow one lone senator from West Virginia to obstruct the president's agenda, to obstruct the people's agenda." (Read more Build Back Better Act stories.)
(Newser)  Thanks to quick-thinking and calm, a teen in eastern Maine was able to save his mom. Kristen Iarrobino just wanted to step outside in her slippers for a moment, and considered the possibility that the ground was more treacherous than it looked and she might need better footwear. I thought well, I want my feet to be warm, she told WABI. She tripped, fell, and landed with one hand on her coffee cup, which broke. A shard from the cup sliced her wrist so deeply that the hand surgeon said I was a quarter of an inch going through my entire wrist, Kristen told CNN. Kristen saw the wound and immediately told her son, Cyrus, 16, to call 911. Cyrus thought she might be overreacting, until he saw the wound.

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The 911 dispatcher told them it would be at least 15 minutes before an ambulance could get to them, and, once Cyrus explained just how much blood there was, told him to make a tourniquet. Cyrus went hunting for a string and a piece of wood, and landed on his brand new shoes as a source of string. I had these new shoes that I had just bought, like brand new, and I just ripped the strings right off them like some subconscious Hulk strength, Cyrus said. He grabbed a small piece of plywood from beside the house and twisted the string tight. Kristen said it was the most painful thing shed ever experiencedmore painful than having a baby. Two surgeries later, Kristen has a noticeable scar, and a lot of gratitude for EMTs, hospital staff, and Cyrus ability to stay calm in a crisis. (Read more uplifting news stories.)
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Since the late 1970s, the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute has provided this column free in cooperation with the UAF research community. Ned Rozell is a science writer for the Geophysical Institute.
From left, Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and Rep. Don Young prioritized Alaska military projects and programs in the 2022 national defense bill headed to President Biden for his signature. News-Miner
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Three jailed for a year in Bahrain for forging PCR test

Three jailed for a year in Bahrain for forging PCR test

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The High Criminal Court sentenced three people to a year in jail for forging dates on Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test certificates.

The defendants, all nationals of GCC countries, got arrested while attempting to enter Saudi Arabia through King Fahd Causeway using the certificates.

The trio, police found, headed to Saudi with forged PCR test certificates after spending time in Bahrain. Court files say the suspects changed the test dates on the certificates to gain their entry.

Customs officials who scanned the barcodes of the test results at the causeway identified the mismatch in dates. Officials also alerted the Bahraini authorities on the issue.

The trio was soon taken into custody by a Bahraini police patrol. The certificates, the trio told police, were forged by another person for them. However, they told prosecutors that they had no information about this person.
They bought three women for BD130 each and forced them into prostitution

They bought three women for BD130 each and forced them into prostitution

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

An internationally wanted woman and her three accomplices found their way into Bahraini jail for buying and forcing several women into prostitution. The woman told police that they bought three women for BD130 each, locked them up, and sold them to clients for having sex.

The court also jailed three of her accomplices, a man and two women, for the same offence. Thailand police had earlier issued an international arrest warrant through Interpol for the woman. Bahrain police had pressed human trafficking charges against all of them.

The shocking turn of incidents begins with police receiving an arrest warrant for the main suspect. Based on this, they initiated a man-hunt and soon spotted the suspect with a Bahraini man in Juffair. Officer took both of them into custody for further investigation. Police said she immediately confessed her involvement in the sex racket. She also shocked officers by saying they bought women for BD130 each.

They bought three women recently and locked them up in an apartment, where the suspects brought customers who paid to have sex with the unfortunate women.

The suspect also confessed that she was running the crime for two other women. Based on the information, police later managed to arrest them too. The Bahrain man said he had known the suspect for the past ten years, and he was helping her in the business.

The pair also led police officers to an apartment, where they locked up several women and forced them into prostitution.
As COVID cases rise and concerns grow over the omicron variant, at least two more Connecticut colleges will require students to get booster shots before returning to campus in January.

In a message to the university community this weekend, Yale canceled all in-person final exams and said students can go home for the semester if they were concerned about COVID.

Yale and Sacred Heart University will begin requiring booster shots when students return to campus in January, officials said. Wesleyan University was among the first colleges to require COVID booster shots. The Middletown school is requiring boosters for all students, staff and faculty as part of the universitys vaccine mandate policy, according to its website.

In a message on Saturday, Marvin Chun, dean of Yale College, and deans Tamar Szabo Gendler and Lynn Cooley, said instructors will either offer remote exams at the scheduled time or give students make-up exams.

While Yale has not experienced the same increase in COVID rates as some other universities, we know that many of you are concerned about remaining on campus during the finals period, officials wrote in the message, posted on Yales website and circulated to students. Although the risk of transmission during in-person examinations is small, we want you to be able to go home now.

Officials said students are not required to leave campus early, but said they encourage students to go home if they are concerned about COVID.

Campus will close at noon Thursday, and students are asked to maintain testing, masking and social distancing.

Classes are still expected to resume on Jan. 18, but officials asked students to prepare for the possibility of remote activities and classes when they return, citing rapidly changing public health measures.

Boosters will also be required before returning to campus in January, officials said.

Like Yale, Sacred Heart University in Fairfield is requiring booster shots for all students, faculty and staff who are taking classes or working on campus. According to the schools website, students are required to receive a booster shot before returning to campus after the holiday break if they are eligible or no later than March 15.

Sacred Heart will also require students to have a PCR test within 72 hours before returning to campus after the holiday break.

All full-time undergraduate students will be tested when they return to campus the week of Jan. 17 and will be required to bring their negative pre-semester PCR results to the schools on-campus testing.

Faculty and staff will also be required to receive a booster and be tested.

Several other Connecticut colleges are encouraging booster shots, but are not yet requiring them.

Quinnipiac University is not mandating boosters, but the Hamden school officials said they are monitoring guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The university will hold an on-campus booster clinic at the beginning of the spring semester.

Fairfield University recommends a COVID-19 vaccine, but does not require it.

The University of Connecticut requires students who attend classes in-person to be fully vaccinated, but the school is not mandating boosters.

Sandra Diamond Fox has contributed to this story.
Eleven airports in the state have been awarded nearly $12.5 million in federal infrastructure funding that is expected to help them increase flights and invest in infrastructure improvements.

Connecticut leaders announced the funding from the Federal Aviation Administration on Friday. This is the first of a series of grants the airports will receive over the next five years as part of the federal infrastructure package passed in November.

Bradley International Airport will get the biggest chunk, with more than $9 million.

Gov. Ned Lamont said this will turbo-charge Connecticuts comeback.

The allocations announced [Friday] by the Federal Aviation Administration to Bradley and our general aviation airports will accelerate much-needed safety, capacity, and airfield improvements, he said in a statement. New federal funding will complement state and private investments and make Connecticut even more competitive.

Over the next five years, $45 million will go toward Bradley, said U.S. Rep. John Larson, D-Conn.

Bradley has been recognized as one of the top airports in the country and this funding will continue to help the airport and region thrive, he said in a statement.

The money will partially fund two projects at Bradley.

The first will streamline the baggage detection system, which forces passengers to carry their own checked luggage and constrains available ticket counter space, officials said. This project will also add additional gate and concession space. The airports federal inspection services may also eventually be moved to create a seamless terminal facility for all travelers.

The second project will reimagine passenger circulation, replacing the centrally located exit lane with vertical circulation cores on each end of the terminal, officials said. This will alleviate terminal congestion by providing space to expand the footprint of the main TSA security checkpoint and route passengers more directly from their concourse to baggage claim.

These funds will be put to good use at Bradley Airport building capacity for airline growth so we can continue offering service to new nonstop destinations across the country and globe, said Kevin A. Dillon, executive director of the Connecticut Airport Authority, in a statement. These funds will also provide for important safety and airfield investments in airports across the state. We are committed to providing the safest and most convenient airport experience possible, and [Fridays] announcement will ensure that we are able to meet that goal now and in the future.

At the the Connecticut Airport Authoritys general aviation airports, the money will be used generally to enhance airfield infrastructure and undertake other necessary safety projects.

Other airports

In this round, Tweed New Haven Airport will get more than $1 million.

Improving our transportation infrastructure is vital to growing Connecticuts economy and, thanks to the great work of our federal delegation, we will now be able to undertake additional and incredibly important projects that will help create jobs, enhance safety, protect our environment and improve the overall passenger experience here at Tweed Airport, Sean Scanlon, executive director, said in a statement.

Igor I Sikorsky Memorial in Bridgeport will receive $763,000. Airport Director Michelle Muoio said the grant will be used to evaluate and pursue coastal flooding resiliency efforts as well as opportunities to expand safety measures and optimize airport services for new and existing users.

Danbury, Groton-New London, and Waterbury-Oxford airports will each get $295,000. Another $159,000 each will go toward Danielson, Hartford-Brainard, Meriden Markham Municipal, Robertson Field and Windham airports.

Danbury Municipal Airport plans to use the funds to toward rehabilitating a vital taxiway, said Michael Safranek, Danbury Municipal Airport administrator.

The bipartisan infrastructure package is already proving to be a game-changer for Connecticut, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said in a statement. This first round of funding for our states airports will help to increase flights to destinations around the world while improving safety and security and enhancing the overall customer experience. The people and businesses of Connecticut will continue to see their lives dramatically improved as a result of these historic investments in our states infrastructure.

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., noted travelers are experiencing long lines, canceled flights and crowded airports.

This federal funding will help Connecticut airports increase their capacity, making travel much more convenient, he said in a statement.
ATLANTA (AP)  Johnny Isakson, an affable Georgia Republican politician who rose from the ranks of the state legislature to become a U.S. senator known as an effective, behind-the-scenes consensus builder, died Sunday. He was 76.

Isakson died in his sleep before dawn at his home in Atlanta, his son John Isakson told The Associated Press. He said that although his father had Parkinson's disease, the cause of death was not immediately apparent.

He was a great man and I will miss him, John Isakson said.

Johnny Isakson, whose real estate business made him a millionaire, spent more than four decades in Georgia political life. In the Senate, he was the architect of a popular tax credit for first-time home buyers that he said would help invigorate the struggling housing market. As chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, he worked to expand programs offering more private health care choices for veterans.

Isaksons famous motto was, "There are two types of people in this world: friends and future friends. That approach made him exceedingly popular among colleagues.

President Joe Biden, who served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee with Isakson, said in a statement Sunday that he and the late senator found common ground built on mutual respect for each other and the institutions that govern our nation.

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, on Sunday referred to Isakson as one of my very best friends in the Senate.

"His infectious warmth and charisma, his generosity, and his integrity made Johnny one of the most admired and beloved people in the Capitol, McConnell said in a statement.

In 2015, while gearing up to seek a third term in the Senate, Isakson disclosed that he had been diagnosed with Parkinsons, a chronic and progressive movement disorder that had left him with a noticeably slower, shuffling gait. Soon after winning reelection in 2016, he underwent a scheduled surgery on his back to address spinal deterioration. He frequently depended on a cane or wheelchair in later years.

In August 2019, not long after fracturing four ribs in a fall at his Washington apartment, Isakson announced he would retire at years end with two years remaining in his term.

In a farewell Senate speech, he pleaded for bipartisanship at a time of bitter divisions between Republicans and Democrats. He cited his long friendship with U.S. Rep. John Lewis, an Atlanta Democrat and civil rights hero, as an example of two men willing to put party aside to work on common problems.

Lets solve the problem and then see what happens, Isakson said. Most people who call people names and point fingers are people who dont have a solution themselves.

In his statement Sunday, Biden said, In Johnnys memory, let us heed the wisdom he offered upon retiring from the Senate."

Lewis, who died last year, saluted Isakson on the House floor in 2019, saying, We always found a way to get along and do the work the people deserve."

An Atlanta native, Isakson failed in his first bid for elected office: a seat on the Cobb County Commission in 1974. Two years later, he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives, becoming the only Republican to beat a Democratic incumbent in Georgia the same year Jimmy Carter was elected president. Isakson served 17 years in the state House and Senate. Always in the minority in Georgia's General Assembly, he helped blaze the path toward the GOP ascendancy of the 2000s, fueled by Atlanta's suburban boom. By the end of Isakson's career, some of those same suburbs were swinging back toward Democrats.

As a businessman and a gifted retail politician, Johnny paved the way for the modern Republican Party in Georgia, but he never let partisan politics get in the way of doing what was right," Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said in a statement.

Isakson suffered humbling setbacks before ascending to the Senate. In 1990, he lost the race for governor to Democrat Zell Miller. In 1996, Guy Millner defeated him in a Republican primary for Senate before Millner lost to Democrat Max Cleland.

Many observers chalked up the loss to Isakson not being tough enough on abortion. In the primary race, Isakson ran a television advertisement in which he said that while he was against the government funding or promoting abortion, he would not vote to amend the Constitution to make criminals of women and their doctors.

"I trust my wife, my daughter and the women of Georgia to make the right choice, he said.

He later changed his mind on the contentious issue.

Isaksons jump to Congress came about in 1998, when U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich decided not to seek reelection. Isakson won a 1999 special election to fill the suburban Atlanta seat.

He finally made it to the U.S. Senate in 2004 when he defeated Democrat Denise Majette with 58% of the vote. He served with Georgia senior Sen. Saxby Chambliss, a close friend and classmate from the University of Georgia.

Isakson was viewed as a prohibitive early favorite to succeed Republican Sonny Perdue in the governors mansion in 2010. But he opted instead to seek a second term in the Senate. While there, he developed a reputation as a moderate, although he rarely split with his party on key votes.

He was a lead negotiator in 2007 on immigration legislation that President George W. Bush backed but ultimately abandoned after it met strong resistance from the right. Isakson supported limited school vouchers and played a major role in crafting Bushs signature education plan, the No Child Left Behind Act. He also pushed an unsuccessful compromise bill on the politically charged issue of stem cell research that would have expanded research funding while also ensuring that human embryos weren't harmed.

That deal-making approach has fallen out of favor for many voters, but Isakson's lineage remains a presence in Georgia politics. State Attorney General Chris Carr was the former senators chief of staff. "When I was a young man just getting started in politics, I wanted to be like Johnny Isakson, Carr said Sunday.

Democratic Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock said all of Georgia grieves Isaksons death. Warnock, who took over Isaksons old seat after defeating Republican Kelly Loeffler in a January runoff, had a special connection to Isakson, who attended an annual service in honor of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. The church's pulpit was King's and later became Warnock's.

Isakson's "model of public service is an example to future generations of leaders on how to stand on principle and make progress while also governing with compassion and a heart for compromise, Warnock said Sunday.

Isakson graduated from the University of Georgia in 1966 and joined his family-owned company, Northside Realty in Cobb County, a year later. It grew to one of the largest independent residential real estate brokerage companies in the country during his more than 20 years at the helm. Isakson also served in the Georgia Air National Guard from 1966 to 1972.

He is survived by his wife, Diane, whom he married in 1968; three children and nine grandchildren.

___

Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia.
DANBURY  Mayor Dean Esposito spent his inauguration night in a new home.

Esposito and his wife have been renting an apartment by Osborne Street and Hospital Avenue since the end of November.

We live right in the heart of Danbury, he said.

Esposito had lived in Brookfield until shortly before announcing his run for mayor, when he moved into a family friends home on Candlewood Lake. He did not pay rent there, but helped with utilities and still owns his Brookfield home.

Democrats had criticized Esposito for this, running a campaign ad that called him Brookfield Dean, prompting questions of whether he actually lived in the city or would move there permanently. Mayors are required to live in Danbury. He narrowly beat Democrat Roberto Alves for the mayors seat last month.

Esposito was born in Danbury, lived there most of his life, worked for the city and had said before the election that he planned to move to the city regardless of whether he won the race.

Esposito and his wife are selling the Brookfield house through a private deal after sprucing it up with new painting and carpeting, he said.

Its going very well, he said. We actually have a buyer, a personal relationships that theyre in process of getting a loan for a house.

His Brookfield home is designated as affordable housing through the state statute 8-30g, which means state authorities are involved in the sale.

That was listed under that as affordable housing back 13, 14 years ago when we were able to buy it, Esposito said. We were given the opportunity to purchase that home at that time. It was a blessing for us.

The state oversees and governs the price of the house, so a mediator is conducting an evaluation of the single-family home, he said.

The development on Carlins Way has five homes, two of which are affordable at 80 percent of the area median income, according to Brookfields application for a moratorium on 8-30g. The Espositos purchased the home for $242,000 in 2008, according to property records in the application.

Brookfield earns 3.75 housing unit-equivalent points toward this moratorium thanks to the Carlins Way homes. In total, 2 percent of the towns housing stock is considered affordable, with the town earning 131.24 points, according to the application.

The new apartment is a two-bedroom, with a nice little yard surrounding the building, Esposito said.

Its nice, he said. Were happy. Weve got some good neighbors.

The Espositos signed their lease in the last week of November, spent the first night in the apartment on Nov. 30 and have been living there ever since, he said.

Weve been in the process of moving everything over, slowly but surely when the opportunity has afforded us, said Esposito, adding its been a busy time.

The couples adult children live outside of Connecticut, and the Espositos wanted to downsize. He said hes glad he doesnt have to rake the yard anymore.

The hardest part for my wife and I now is selling the furniture, said Esposito, adding theyre dispersing it between nieces and nephews and selling on Facebook Marketplace.
On Saturday, a man was beaten to death by angry devotees after he allegedly attempted to commit sacrilege at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, police said.

Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Saturday condemned an alleged sacrilege attempt at the Sri Harimandir Sahib or the Golden Temple in Amritsar and directed state authorities to thoroughly probe the matter and find the real conspirators.

CM @CharanjitChanni strongly condemned the most unfortunate and heinous act to attempt sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib in the sanctum sanctorum of Sri Harimandir Sahib during the path of Sri Rehras Sahib, CMO Punjab tweeted. CM directed state police authorities to thoroughly probe into entire matter to zero in at the underlying motive and real conspirators behind this dastardly act, said another tweet from CMO Punjab.

The Chief Minister also called up the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) President and assured his governments full support and cooperation to get to the bottom of the case.

On Saturday, a man was beaten to death by angry devotees after he allegedly attempted to commit sacrilege at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, police said.

The incident took place during evening prayers today when the man jumped over the metal railing around the Guru Granth Sahib and allegedly attempted to desecrate the Holy Book of the Sikhs with a sword.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) of Amritsar City, Parminder Singh Bhandal told ANI: Today, one 24-25-year-old man barged inside Golden Temple where the holy book (Guru Granth Sahib) is kept. He tried desecrating it with a sword and was escorted out by the Sangat people. He later died in an altercation.

The man was later declared dead by officials.
Health Minister Satyendar Jain, NITI Aayog member VK Paul and Delhi Chief Secretary Vijay Dev and all-important officers of the Health Department of the Delhi Government will be present in the meeting.

In view of increasing cases of COVID-19s Omicron variant in the city, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority along with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other important officials of the government will hold a review meeting on Monday at 11.30 am, said an official notification by DDMA.

This meeting will be held through video conferencing, Lt Governor Anil Baijal will preside over the meeting, added the notification. The discussion will be held in the meeting regarding the increasing cases of Omicron in Delhi and the current situation of COVID-19 will be reviewed in the meeting, as per the notification.

Health Minister Satyendar Jain, NITI Aayog member VK Paul and Delhi Chief Secretary Vijay Dev and all-important officers of the Health Department of the Delhi Government will be present in the meeting. The Delhi government on Saturday converted four private hospitals into dedicated centres for the treatment of the new COVID-19 variant Omicron.

These four hospitals are Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Max Hospital in Saket, Fortis Hospital in Vasant Kunj and Batra Hospital in the Tughlakabad area of the national capital.

India has so far reported over 100 cases of the Omicron. The new variant of COVID-19 was first reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO) from South Africa on November 25. As per the WHO, the first known confirmed B.1.1.529 infection was from a specimen collected on November 9 this year.

On November 26, the WHO named the new COVID-19 variant B.1.1.529, which has been detected in South Africa, as Omicron. The WHO has classified Omicron as a variant of concern.
The last test of the missile was done on June 28 this year and the missile is nearing complete development and it is expected to be soon ready for operational induction into the strategic forces.

In a significant development, India successfully testfired the nuclear-capable strategic Agni Prime missile off the coast of Odisha with the capability to hit targets between 1,000 to 2,000 kms on Saturday. India today successfully testfired the Agni Prime missile off the coast of Odisha in Balasore. Agni Prime is a new generation advanced variant of the Agni class of missiles. It is a canisterised missile with a range capability between 1,000 and 2,000 kms, government officials told ANI.

A lot of new features have been added to the nuclear-capable strategic missile Agni Prime during this test. The missile test met all its mission objectives with a high level of accuracy, they said.

The last test of the Agni Prime missile was done on June 28 this year and the missile is nearing complete development and it is expected to be soon ready for operational induction into the strategic forces.

Congratulating the DRDO for the successful test-fire, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted, The Agni P Missile has been successfully tested off the coast of Odisha. The flight test has proven the reliable performance of all the advanced technologies integrated into the system. Congratulations to Team @DRDO_India. The nation is proud of their achievements.

The Agni P Missile has been successfully tested off the coast of Odisha. The flight test has proven the reliable performance of all the advanced technologies integrated into the system. Congratulations to Team @DRDO_India. The nation is proud of their achievements. pic.twitter.com/14CCwT6sG8  Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) December 18, 2021

Later in the day, the Defence Minister said that the government is keen to make the country self-reliant in terms of defence equipment and is urging countries to come here and make for India and and make for world. Addressing the 94th Annual General Body meeting of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) today, Singh said that India wants to produce its defence equipment within the country and is keen that friendly countries like the US, Russia and France use India as the base for their manufacturing units.

Rajnath Singh also said that the size of Indias defence and aerospace manufacturing sector will increase to Rs. 1 lakh crore in 2022 and surge further to Rs.5 lakh crore by 2047, when the country will celebrate 100 years of independence, from around Rs.85,000 crore in the current year. He further said that by 2024-25, India would become a net exporter of defence products.
Referring to vandalism incidents and of stone-pelting buses and private vehicles, the Chief Minister said, "Our Director General of Police will speak to his counterpart in Maharashtra about the security of Kannadigas there and the attack on buses and private vehicles from Karnataka.

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday said that the security of Kannadigas who are settled in Maharashtra is the MVA governments responsibility. Reacting to the recent incident of Belagavi vandalism of Friday night, Bommai said, Maintaining law and order in Karnataka is our responsibility. Similarly, it is the responsibility of the Maharashtra government to maintain law and order there.

Referring to vandalism incidents and of stone-pelting buses and private vehicles, the Chief Minister said, Our Director General of Police will speak to his counterpart in Maharashtra about the security of Kannadigas there and the attack on buses and private vehicles from Karnataka. Our Home Minister will take up the issue with his Maharashtra counterpart. Then, if necessary, I will speak to the Maharashtra Chief Minister.

Notably, Section 144 CrPC has been imposed in Belagavi for two days beginning Sunday morning following protests after reports of vandalisation of statues of Chhatrapati Shivaji and freedom fighter Sangolli Rayanna. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut gave a call for Marathas to unite, to which Bommai said, Responsible people should never incite anyone under any circumstances.

Chatrapati Shivaji, Sangolli Rayanna and Kitturu Rani Chennamma fought against the British for freedom. They fought to unite the country. We will be doing a disservice to them if we fight to divide society. Nobody should incite the people to take law into their own hands, he added.

Tension erupted in Belagavi after a purported video that showed some people pouring black ink on the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Sankey Tank Road in Bengaluru went viral.

Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) followers gathered in Belagavi and protested against the Karnataka government at Dharmaveer Sambhaji Maharaj Chowk.

The miscreants smashed around 26 vehicles of the Karnataka government and police at Belagavi. The protestors alleged that Kannada goons have defaced a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Bangalore.
Under the garb of humanitarian agenda, experts believe that Pakistan is attempting to push the interim Afghanistan government towards international recognition.

The 17th Extraordinary Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) started in Islamabad on Sunday to discuss the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, reported local media. Convened by Saudi Arabia as OIC chair and being hosted by Pakistan, 70 delegates are participating in the historic session, reported The Express Tribune. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who is chairing the session, made an inaugural address at the meeting.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is also taking part in the meeting. He will make a keynote address to highlight the situation and draw the world attention towards the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan.

Under the garb of humanitarian agenda, experts believe that Pakistan is attempting to push the interim Afghanistan government towards international recognition despite little progress on the human rights front by the outfit. More than 100 days have passed since the Taliban seized control over Afghanistan but the outfit is yet to be recognized by any country in the world.

Respect for women and human rights, establishing inclusive government, not allowing Afghanistan to become a safe haven of terrorism are the preconditions for the recognition set by the international community.

Moreover, Afghanistan is facing a looming economic meltdown and humanitarian catastrophe in the aftermath of the Taliban takeover. Billions of dollars worth of the countrys assets abroad, mostly in the US, have been frozen and international funding to the country has ceased.
VIENNA (AP)  Germany should implement stricter measures this week to slow the spread of the omicron variant, the German government's new expert council said Sunday, a day after the government announced it would impose travel restrictions on people coming from Britain.

The council  comprised of Germany's top virologists and health officials  said omicron brings a new dimension to the pandemic developments."

Omicron cases are doubling in Germany around every 2 to 4 days, the council said, making it slightly slower than the spread in the U.K. but faster than any previous variant.

To combat the next wave of infections and keep Germany's already stretched hospitals from being overwhelmed, the council recommended stricter government policies to reduce Germans' contacts.

Effective, nationally coordinated countermeasures to control the infection process need to be drawn up, in particular well-planned and well-communicated contact restrictions, it said in a statement.

The council also recommended speeding up Germany's booster vaccination program. Germany has fully inoculated 70.2% of its population, and 30.3% have received a booster shot.

A massive expansion of the booster campaign can slow down this dynamic and reduce the impact, but not prevent it, the council wrote, adding residents need to reduce their own contacts, consistently wear face masks and test regularly for the virus.

The countrys national disease control center, the Robert Koch Institute, added Britain to its list of virus variant areas late Saturday. This means anyone traveling from the U.K. to Germany must enter a mandatory quarantine for 14 days, regardless of their vaccination status.

The new restrictions, which take effect at midnight Sunday, come as the U.K. is reporting record-high numbers of new coronavirus infections. On Saturday, Britain saw 90,418 new COVID-19 cases, on Sunday it reported 82,886 more.

The U.K. joins eight African countries, including South Africa, on Germanys list of virus variant areas.

Starting Sunday, Germany considers France and Denmark high risk areas, meaning those who are not vaccinated or recovered from the virus must quarantine for 10 days after entering the country. Dozens of countries, including nearly all of Germanys direct neighbors, have now been added to this category.

___

Follow all AP stories on the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
BAGHDAD (AP)  Two rockets struck Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, home to the U.S. embassy, causing property damage but no casualties, Iraq's military said early Sunday.

One rocket was destroyed by the embassy's C-RAM defense system. Another fell near a national monument, causing damage to two civilian vehicles, the statement said. An investigation was launched by Iraqi security forces.
SHELTON  The city-run bus company will transport students next year for the same cost as this year  $3.15 million  according to Mayor Mark Lauretti.

This is the third year of the three-year contract between the city and Board of Education for student transportation. In a court-ordered settlement, the Board of Education pays the city $3.15 million annually, with the city covering any costs over that amount.

Lauretti told Hearst Connecticut Media Thursday that the price will remain the same next year.

There is no negotiation, Lauretti said. I plan to hold the price.

This announcement comes one day after the Board of Education voted to authorize Superintendent Ken Saranich to begin negotiations with the mayors office and Shelton Student Transportation Service (SSTS) officials to extend the present deal, which expires in mid-2022.

Lauretti said he would consider a longer-term deal if the Board of Education broached the subject.

That would be up for discussion, Lauretti added.

Board Chair Kathy Yolish called Laurettis statement a win-win.

The mayors proposal would be welcomed by the Board of Education, in my opinion, Yolish said. Any cost savings can and should go into the funding and support of the students and programs. We could even have a possibility to reduce or eliminate pay-to-participate if we had the extra cost savings to do so.

Saranich told board members at their meeting Wednesday it is important to receive costs for extending the deal with the 2022-23 budget cycle getting underway next month. If the board chooses not to extend, Saranich said it would need to start the bid process.

Board member Diana Meyer noted the recent improvement in the bus services performance.

While I have historically been critical of Shelton Student Transportation Services, I recognize the need to do what is fiscally prudent for our school system, Meyer said. The bus data log shows the number of incidents have decreased from a high 37 in October to eight in November and five so far in December. Based on the improvement in service, I am in favor of the board entering into discussions with the city to extend the transportation contract for another year.

Yolish agreed the extension was in the best interest of the schools for several reasons.

First, she said, the board has established a good rapport with the SSTS Director Ken Nappi, who has daily contact with the schools central office and bus liaison.

There have been much less concerns or incidents reported on the daily logs that are kept, Yolish said. Both the city and school personnel have been trained in the Transversa/Versatrans program which will benefit the students and families with added information and assist the bus drivers in supporting routes and traffic delays.

Yolish also said another important reason for a deal is that the district is locked into a firm fuel rate for two more years and that is a great savings since costs are rapidly rising.

Lauretti praised the bus company, which had come under fire from board members and parents over the past two years. He said the schools have seen savings of more than $2 million over the two years of the city running student transportation.

The city and schools have both invested money in updating the bus technology. Yolish said the district has already spent $12,650 on updating the bus transportation routing system and $49,000 to hire Alyssa DiTullio as the new bus liaison.

brian.gioiele@hearstmediact.com
The Presidency has said that it will not allow any business entity operating within its domain to undermine its relationship with the Repu...

The Presidency has said that it will not allow any business entity operating within its domain to undermine its relationship with the Republic of Turkey.

This is according to a piece published on Sunday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, titled Takeaways from President Buharis epic visit to Turkey.

The Presidency was referring to some Turkish investments, schools and hospitals associated with an opposition figure linked to the abortive coup and attempted assassination of President Erdogan.

According to a report published on October 21, 2021, the Turkish President, Recep Erdogan, during a joint press conference with the President, Muhammadu Buhari, in Abuja, said that the terrorists who tried to remove him through a coup in 2016 are still active in Nigeria.

Erdogan who was on a two-day official visit to Nigeria had in 2016 accused allies of a renowned cleric, Fethullah Gulen, who own Turkish schools and hospitals across Nigeria, of sponsoring the coup.

Turkish envoy in Nigeria, Mr Hakan Cakil, had at the time called on Buhari to close these Turkish schools and hospitals in Nigeria belonging to a group of private Turkish investors who are inspired by the philosophy of the Hizmet movement.

The Nigerian government, however, rejected the proposal, straining relations between both countries.

In what appears to be a reconciliatory move, Erdogan in October told Buhari that his administration would continuously share intelligence with Nigerian authorities.

On Sunday, shortly after Buharis return from Turkey, the Presidency said As we go into January next year, a team from the Turkish defence establishment is expected to be in Nigeria in the effort to advance the discussions on the issue of military procurement.

The national security component equally has a Turkish angle to it and one that turned to be one of the gains, in the sense that both countries have a common view of what Turkey perceives as a security threat to their nation and its leaders present in Nigeria.

This is about some Turkish investments, schools and hospitals associated with an opposition figure linked to the abortive coup and attempted assassination of President Erdogan.

This had existed as a critical but unspoken issue, with the potential to undermine the relationship despite the strong bond of friendship based on trust between the leaders of the two nations. It appears however that a strong common ground and understanding is reached.

The government of Nigeria will not allow any part of our territory to be used to undermine a friendly state such as Turkey. Under our strict Central Bank and Financial Intelligence Units governance structure and management, money from the investments in issue cannot be moved anywhere to finance subversive activities.

It added that While protection of foreign investment is sacrosanct, the government clearly will not allow interest, individual or group, to undermine the very warm and cordial relationship between the two nations.

Referencing Turkeys interest in Africa, the Presidency opined that the embrace of Turkey by Africa is a logical path to follow, given that the country had gone through the big economies in search of economic and national development, abandoned that process and became, on their own, the fastest growing economy in Europe.

Turkey is serious about working with Africa in a win-win relationship. Though not yet accepted as a member of the EU, it is a major player in the continent in many ways and is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Turkey also has strong links in the Middle East.

In Asia, the competition is stiff, with China, Japan, South Korea and the rest. But see what discipline, national mobilization and determination have brought Turkey to where it is today. So, Africa may seem for them, a good bet for solidarity and market.

For us on the continent, it is not in doubt that the big countries are not outrightly helpful at all times. In some instances, as with the COVID-19 vaccine, we have seen how it might become right.

According to Shehu, in going to Turkey, the position of the Presidents team was: If the partnership through the multilateral process works for us, it will help.

All six ministers on the delegation held meetings with their respective counterparts to deepen the good bilateral relations between us. We went there in search of partnerships, partnerships that Nigeria stands to gain from.

When he came here in October, President Erdogan and President Buhari had the two countries sign three Memoranda of Understanding, MoUs, and four agreements on a variety of subjects that included political consultation, energy, hydrocarbons, mining, youth, double taxation and the reform and development of the Defence Industries Corporation, DIC in Kaduna.

The starting point of this engagement was the meeting between the two leaders-President Muhammadu Buhari and the Turkish counterpart, Recep Erdogan. The tone of this meeting was itself set by the officials who accompanied the President: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Defence, National Security Adviser and the Director-General, National Intelligence Agency. And from all accounts, the meeting met all expectations: Turkish leader Erdogan agreed to work with President Buhari in tackling insurgents and other security challenges facing this country, the Presidency said.

On Infrastructure, the Presidency said Turkey has achieved so much in something very close to the heart of Buhari.

As it is now, we are reliant on just one country for infrastructure and Turkey should help us to diversify.

From these bilateral meetings, the ground has been laid for the setting up of education, health and leisure projects including the proposal for a big hotel and conference centre project in Abuja.

In the not-too-distant future, the administration of the Federal Capital Territory will be receiving a team of investors including the world-famous Maarif Foundation to be shown exact locations for the setting up of a five-star hotel and conference centre, schools and a world-class hospital.

It added that President Buhari was in Turkey on a special request by the Turkish President saying By an earlier agreement, the number of African leaders at the four-yearly summit was rationalised to just 15, and leaders were chosen to attend as representatives of either the African Union or the elected leaders of sub-regional groups such as ECOWAS, the South African Development Community, and the rest.

 Each sub-regional leader presented a representative statement, and in the case of ECOWAS, it was President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana, its Chairman. No national statements were planned for, except for Nigeria where our President was given a special speaking opportunity.
Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State yesterday joined members of the Adoration Ministry Enugu Nigeria (AMEN) in their last Crusade for...

Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State yesterday joined members of the Adoration Ministry Enugu Nigeria (AMEN) in their last Crusade for 2021, to the admiration of the Eucharist Adorers who cheered the governor for his humility, commitment to God as well as uncommon disposition to peace and good governance.

Welcoming Gov. Ugwuanyi on arrival amid loud ovation and cheers from the large crowd, the Spiritual Director of the Adoration Ministry, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, applauded the governor for his commitment to peace and good governance, as well as his solidarity, brotherly love, friendship and paternal support to the Ministry.

Fr. Mbaka, who described Gov. Ugwuanyi as a good man, a member of the Adoration Ministry, a father and friend to this Ministry disclosed that under Ugwuanyis leadership, the Ministry has enjoyed peace, love and quality access road, stressing: Otherwise we would have been in a forest that will be difficult to locate, just to mention a few among other great things His Excellency has been doing for this Ministry.

The Spiritual Director said the Adorers are happy with the governor, saying: We are happy you are here to witness the end of the Crusade; our prayers will continue to go for you.

Fr. Mbaka prayed for Gov. Ugwuanyi and beseeched that the hand of God would never depart from you in Jesus Name.

Addressing the Adorers, Gov. Ugwuanyi who praised and worshipped God with the Adorers wished them a Happy Christmas and prosperous New Year.

In another development, Ukpo community in Anambra State, also yesterday, conferred on Gov. Ugwuanyi, the Chieftaincy title of Ifezulumba, in recognition of his contributions towards the development of Ukpo and mankind.

The Chieftaincy title was conferred on Gov. Ugwuanyi by His Majesty Igwe Dr. Robert C. Eze (Okofia VI) the Igwe Ukpo and Clan Head of Dunukofia Ancient Kingdom, Anambra State, during the 30th Ukpo Ofala Celebration.

The event was witnessed by the illustrious son of Ukpo community, an international business mogul and a renowned philanthropist, Prince Engr. Arthur Eze (Ebube Ukpo, Ozoigbondu); the Senator Representing Anambra Central Senatorial District, Iyom Senator Uche Ekwunife (who was also conferred with the Chieftaincy title of Ifekaolaedo); the National Vice Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), South East Zone, Chief Ali Odefa, among others.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Periods of snow. High 29F. Winds WSW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of snow 100%. Snow accumulating 3 to 5 inches..

Tonight

Snow this evening will give way to lingering snow showers late. Low 19F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 60%. 1 to 3 inches of snow expected.
Tujagues, one of the French Quarters iconic restaurants, is celebrating its 165th anniversary this year. As the second-oldest restaurant in New Orleans (only Antoines is older), Tujagues rightfully holds a place in culinary history.

According to Poppy Tooker, who wrote a cookbook about the restaurant, Guillaume and Marie Abadie Tujague established the restaurant in 1856. The restaurant, then located at 811 Decatur St., changed hands over the years, with various family members later taking the helm. In 1914, Guillaumes sister Alice and her husband Emile Anouilh moved the restaurant to 823 Decatur. Later, members of the Guichet and Castet families purchased the restaurant and ran it for decades.

The restaurant became well-known for its brand of French Creole cooking, including brunch, which it claims to have popularized by catering to the early morning schedules of workers at the nearby French Market. Other favorite dishes on its five-course table d'hote menu included the shrimp remoulade, boiled beef brisket and Chicken Bonne Femme. Tujagues bar is also known for the signature cocktails it introduced, including the Grasshopper and Whiskey Punch.

In 1982, the Guichets sold the business to brothers Steven and Stanford Latter. When Steven Latter died in 2013, his son Mark and his wife Candace took over ownership.

Late last year, the restaurant moved to 429 Decatur St. Throughout the month of December, Tujagues is offering food and drink specials to celebrate its anniversary. For more information, visit tujaguesrestaurant.com.

Blake Pontchartrain: The Hotel Monteleone's Swan Room was a place to see and be seen The Swan Room was adjacent to the Carousel Bar and its accompanying lounge, in the space which is now the hotel restaurant Criollo.
New Orleans

Elizabeth Libby Favrot has been named managing director of the NO/LA Angel Network.

She replaces Louisa Smith, who is moving to New York City but will remain manager of NO/LAANs sidecar investing fund, The Pelican Angel Fund.

Favrot has been on the staff at Delgado Community College since 2009, most recently serving as operations manager of the Adult Education Program.

She earned a bachelor's degree from Grinnell College and a masters degree from Tulane University.

Three new directors have been named to the NO/LAAN board:

Max Cox, who serves as vice president, deputy general counsel of corporate governance and transactions at Lumen Technologies.

Dr. Aleicia Donald, an anesthesiologist who served as faculty in the Department of Anesthesiology at Tulane University.

David Waller, who recently retired from IBM, after 42 years as a sales executive with international level assignments.

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Gregory A. Nielsen has been named chief operating officer of LCMC Health.

Nielsen comes to LCMC Health from American Physician Partners, an emergency and hospital medicine management company with over 2,000 providers at 142 programs in 18 states. Previously he was a division president for RegionalCare Hospital Partners, an 18-hospital system that is now part of LifePoint Health.

He earned a his master's degree in health care administration from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

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Regina Wilkins has joined the Pontchartrain Conversancy as director of communications and development.

The Pontchartrain Conversancy is nonprofit organization dedicated to driving environmental sustainability and stewardship through scientific research, education and advocacy.

Wilkins spent the past seven years as the director of development for a New Orleans charter school, where she grew the schools philanthropic revenue by 724% and raised over $3 million for scholarships.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Western Michigan University.

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Kellie Chavez Green has been named vice president for programs with the Greater New Orleans Foundation.

Chavez Green has been at the foundation since 2013 and most recently served as the director of nonprofit leadership and effectiveness. Prior to joining the foundation, she served as vice president of Programs for the Louisiana Association of Nonprofit Organizations.

Chavez Green earned a bachelor's degree from St. Edward's University and a master's degree in fine arts from LSU.

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Pamela Kennett-Hensel has been named dean of the College of Business Administration at the University of New Orleans.

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Kennett-Hensel, who had served as interim dean since July 2020, has been a faculty member at the university for more than two decades. A New Orleans native, she is the first woman to lead the college.

Kennett-Hensel was the chair of the newly created Department of Management and Marketing for six years. She was previously chair of the Department of Marketing and Logistics for four years.

She earned a doctorate in marketing from Georgia State University.

Baton Rouge

Lauren Chauvin has been named executive director of LCTA  the Internet and Television Association.

Chauvin replaces Cheryl McCormick, who is retiring as chief executive officer of the organization, which represents Louisianas cable and telecommunications industry.

Chauvin most recently served as the director of energy, civil justice reform and environmental quality and director of the judicial program for the Louisiana Association of Business & Industry. She has advocated for business interests as the Louisiana Oil and Gas Associations in-house counsel and government affairs director.

A native of Lafayette, she earned a bachelors degree in mass communications with a concentration in broadcast journalism from LSU and a law degree from LSUs Paul M. Hebert Law Center.

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Darica Simon has been named president-elect of the Southwest Association of Student Assistance Programs.

Simon is director of TRIO programs at Baton Rouge Community College. TRIO is a set of federally funded programs such as Educational Opportunity Centers, Talent Search and Upward Bound that support students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are earning a college degree.

Simon will work to provide educational opportunities to students from nontraditional backgrounds who attend higher education institutions in Louisiana, Arkansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.

She has more than 21 years experience working with the programs and has worked at BRCC since 2007.

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April Chaisson has been promoted to chief financial officer of Woman's Hospital.

Chaisson has more than 20 years of financial leadership experience in health care. She started her career with Womans in 1995 as a financial analyst. She held leadership positions at Medical Management Options and The NeuroMedical Center Clinic before returning to Womans in 2010 as the controller over finance and patient financial services. Chaisson has been Womans vice president of finance since 2018.

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Kevin Ringelman, associate professor in the LSU School of Renewable and Natural Resources, has been named recipient of the H. Dale Hall Ducks Unlimited Endowed Professorship in Wetlands and Waterfowl Conservation.

Named after LSU College of Agriculture alumnus and former director of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service under President George W. Bush, the endowment seeks to perpetuate a faculty position in the LSU School of Renewable Natural Resources, supporting excellence in teaching, research and public service in waterfowl ecology, waterfowl habitat management or wetlands conservation, in cooperation with Ducks Unlimited and other partners.

Ringelman has pursued waterfowl science since 2007 when he attended graduate school at the University of California, Davis. Since starting at the LSU AgCenter in 2014, his grants in support of waterfowl research exceed $1.6 million.

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Coleman Partners Architects has promoted two staff architects to the position of senior associate.

John Lackett in the Baton Rouge office and Marcelle Walter in the New Orleans office will now serve as part of the firm's leadership team.
A Black man from New Orleans, whose murder conviction was overturned when prosecutors agreed there was racial bias during his jury selection, walked free this week after pleading guilty to a lesser count.

Jabari Williams, 30, pleaded Tuesday to an amended count of accessory after the fact to second-degree murder, six months after his conviction was tossed by joint agreement with Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams office, and more than a decade after a Honduran day laborer was killed in Mid-City.

Judge Rhonda Goode-Douglas resentenced Williams to time served, allowing him to leave jail the next day.

+3 New Orleans judge tosses murder conviction after prosecutors concede racial bias at trial A state judge tossed a Black mans murder conviction this week, after Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams agreed with defense lawy

The plea agreement came about quickly, after months of efforts to test shell casings collected from the scene where a gunman shot and killed Selvin Gonzales, 28.

In the past, it has been exceedingly rare for shell casings to produce useful DNA evidence, but with recent advances, prosecutors hoped to find a hit that could exonerate or implicate Williams. Those efforts proved a bust after labs reported that they couldn't run the tests because of potential contamination, Emily Maw, chief of the district attorneys civil rights division, said in court.

Meanwhile, Maw said, her office recently found a witness who said hed seen the killing happen, was acquainted with Williams and that he was not the shooter.

In support of Williams guilty plea to the reduced charge, prosecutors pointed to his presence at an encounter with Gonzales shortly before the shooting.

'God gave me the biggest Christmas present,' mother says after man freed from life sentence The judge said life, but the Lord said otherwise, Kendall Gordons mother Wanda exclaimed, as her son walked out of court a free man for the

Williams wore an orange jail jumpsuit and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with his defense attorney, Mike Admirand of the Southern Center for Human Rights, as Goode-Douglas resentenced him and wished him luck. Williams is looking forward to his first holidays back home with his family in over a decade, Admirand said.

Williams was originally convicted of the killing of Gonzales early on April 10, 2011, which prosecutors at the time said started with an encounter at a gas station where Williams tried to sell the other man cocaine.

The deal fell apart, and Gonzales roommate would later testify that Williams shot Gonzales a few blocks away.

Prosecutors under former District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro also cited a confession Williams gave, where he claimed that he fired a handgun in self-defense.

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Defense attorneys said the confession was tainted because Williams suffers from intellectual disability. As for the roommates testimony, they noted that he admitted having difficulty telling Black people apart.

After Williams conviction and life sentence, appellate attorneys raised concerns about a jury selection process they said was tilted against Black people.

Sweeping project to undo split-jury convictions in New Orleans hits speed bump Newly installed Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams launched his project to undo split jury verdicts with a flourish: a speech on 

Williams appeal traveled up to the U.S. Supreme Court, back to the state Supreme Court and then to district court for further hearings.

In June, prosecutors under new District Attorney Jason Williams short-circuited testimony on the racial bias issue, saying that they agreed that prosecutors impermissibly struck Black jurors. But they still could have pursued a retrial of Jabari Williams until this week when he pleaded to the lesser charge.

Cannizzaro took issue with the decision to toss out the conviction, saying that Jason Williams had manipulate(d) a U.S. Supreme Court ruling to further his personal agenda.

Williams ran for office last year castigating Cannizzaro and promising to address racial inequities in the state's legal system.

The concerns about racial bias raised by Jabari Williams attorneys, and cited by Williams' office when it agreed to vacate his conviction, went well beyond his case. They said that in a review of 45 trials in the six months before Williams, which drew in 1,754 prospective jurors, prosecutors used 78% of their discretionary strikes to kick Black citizens out of the jury pool.

That translated into a rate 3.2 times higher than White jurors, according to the analysis, which was conducted by Michael Lacey, a professor of mathematics at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

The jury strike data for all six months could only occur by random chance with probabilities that are astronomically small, Lacey said. "One would be 100 times more likely to win the Powerball lottery twice, on two tickets."

District Attorney Jason Williams, who is no relation to Jabari Williams, has launched a wide-reaching review for convictions obtained by non-unanimous jury verdicts, citing their disproportionate impact on Black defendants.

But it doesnt appear that he will conduct a similar, systematic look at bias in the jury selection process. In a statement this week, Maw said the office will look at such issues on a case-by-case basis.

However, Maw said the bigger challenge was to expand jury participation going forward and ensure that minority voices and perspectives are not excluded from our juries by structural and systemic forces that operate to exclude Black people, poor people, and those with responsibility to care for others from jury panels before either side uses a peremptory strike.

Gonzales nephew, the only relative of his to testify at trial, could not be located before the case was resolved despite exhaustive efforts to find him, Maw said. She said that included trips to four potential addresses, canvassing the neighborhood in which he used to live and searching Immigrations and Customs Enforcement databases and other records.
A teenage boy was shot while riding his bike in the Seventh Ward early Saturday afternoon, the New Orleans Police Department said.

The 16-year-old was in the 900 block of North Galvez Street (map) at about 12:21 p.m. when someone shot him twice and drove away in a white car, the NOPD said.

On Sunday, police reported at 1:10 p.m. that a woman had been shot in the leg in the 7600 block of Forum Boulevard and was taken to the hospital by paramedics.

The shootings were among a handful of crimes reported by the NOPD Sunday, crimes that included a stabbing and three carjackings Saturday night and early Sunday morning.

In the French Quarter on Saturday, a 39-year-old man was stabbed in the 900 block of Decatur Street (map) at about 9:38 p.m. and was found lying in the street, police said. Paramedics brought the man to University Medical Center.

At 11:37 p.m. Saturday, a 27-year-old man was carjacked in the 2400 block of Dauphine Street (map) in the Marigny.

The man was parked when another man opened his door and told him to get out of his car. The victim ran away, and the subject got in his car and drove away toward Franklin Avenue.

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At about 1 a.m. Sunday, a 30-year-old woman was carjacked in the 13600 block of Dwyer Boulevard (map) close to Little Woods.

The woman got out of her car, and a man demanded her keys while she walked up to her house. She tried to push him away, but the man pushed her down, took her keys and drove away in her car with another man.

At about 3 a.m., a 29-year-old woman was carjacked in the 900 block of Gallier Street (map) in the Bywater.

The woman was getting her things from her car when some men pulled up next to her in a black sedan. One of the men got out of the car and demanded her keys and car. She gave them up, and both cars drove away.

No other details on the crimes were immediately available. Anyone with information regarding these crimes is asked to call Crimestoppers at (504) 822-1111. Tipsters may be eligible for a cash reward.
Louisianas two most populous cities lost ground this year in an annual ranking of the country's most energy-efficient cities.

New Orleans plummeted 16 spots to 67th place and Baton Rouge slipped three spots to the 100th position, last out of the 100 cities evaluated by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy in its 2021 City Clean Energy Scorecard.

First place went to San Francisco, which made the top spot for the first time since the nonprofit research council began ranking cities in 2013. Rounding out the top 5 cities were Seattle, Washington D.C. and Minneapolis, with Boston and New York tying for fifth place. The top cities in the South were Austin, Texas, at 14th and Atlanta at 15th.

High-scoring cities tended to have a strong focus on transportation, an area where New Orleans and Baton Rouge received low marks.

A lot of the lead cities put a bigger focus on electric vehicles and getting people out of cars and walking and biking, said Stefen Samarripas, the councils local policy manager.

New Orleans performed best in the councils community-wide initiatives category, which focuses on broad-based efforts such as New Orleans support for increasing the use of solar power and its incentives for green infrastructure projects. But New Orleans notched only a few points on the scorecards other categories: building and transportation policy, energy and water utility management and municipal operations. New Orleans overall score of 20.5 points put it on par with Stockton, Calif. and just above Mesa, Ariz.

The council said New Orleans has not kept up with other cities in drafting building codes that boost energy efficiency. High-scoring cities have established solar ordinances, required electric vehicle charging ports and offered incentives to retrofit buildings for energy efficiency. New Orleans also received low marks for focusing few of its energy-efficiency efforts toward low-income, minority and other marginalized groups.

The city does not have an initiative to encourage or require the construction of affordable housing close to transit or subsidy programs to increase marginalized residents access to energy-efficient and low-carbon transportation, the council said of New Orleans.

Only about 21% of New Orleans' low-income households have access to high quality transit, which the council defines as buses, ferries and trains that offer frequent, dependable and attractive service. The council said Chicago, Portland, Ore., and Atlanta, which scored high in the transit category, are reducing their overall fossil fuel emissions because they provide a practical substitute for automobile trips.

New Orleans' rate of 4.9 electric vehicle charging ports per 100,000 people also harmed its transportation ranking.

But New Orleans received its lowest score, 1 out of 10 points, in the local government operations category. City Hall has shown little progress retrofitting its own buildings to reduce energy use or switching its fleet of vehicles to electric or hybrid models, according to the council.

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The council considers Entergy New Orleans goal of cutting its fossil fuel reliance in half by 2030 a moderate effort compared to the 100 other cities.

Energy-efficiency goals ranked much lower than actual programs supported with money, an area where New Orleans lagged, according to the council. Lofty goals are good, but where the rubber meets the road is policy and programs, Samarripas said.

New Orleans officials were provided details about the councils ratings this week but did not respond when asked for comment.

Baton Rouge managed to score zero points on the community-wide initiatives and city operations categories. Its best showing was a paltry 1.5 points in the transportation policies category. The citys overall score was 3.5 out of 100.

Baton Rouge has few community-wide initiatives aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the council said. It has not adopted citywide climate and energy goals or taken an equity-driven approach to clean energy planning.

The council judged Baton Rouges transit offerings worse than New Orleans, saying the annual funding of less than $64 per person for public transportation was unusually low. Baton Rouges 16.3 electric vehicle ports per 100,000 people was better than New Orleans but far worse than comparable cities.

Baton Rouge officials also did not respond to a request for comment.
Retired Army Col. Phil Waldron was warmly received and granted star-witness status at last weeks meeting of Louisiana Voting System Commission, which is tasked with choosing new voting machines to replace the states badly outdated ones.

He probably wont get that sort of reception from the next government panel he faces.

Waldron has now been subpoenaed to provide documents and sit for a deposition by the U.S. House committee investigating the factors leading to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Although the subpoena came later in the week, his involvement in Donald Trumps effort to deprive Joe Biden of his legitimate, endlessly verified victory was already public when Waldron testified about election integrity in Baton Rouge Tuesday.

The man that Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin turned to for about 90 minutes of expert advice, it turns out, worked closely with the Trump legal team that was looking for ways to have Congress and then-Vice President Mike Pence overrule the voters will in key swing states.

Waldron circulated an instantly infamous PowerPoint presentation, a version of which Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows turned over to the committee before he stopped cooperating, that outlined various ideas to reverse the elections result. He also met with Meadows repeatedly, he told The Washington Post, and briefed members of Congress.

The PowerPoint featured one plan for Pence to reject electors from the "states where fraud occurred," even though multiple courts found no evidence of irregularities that would have changed any of the state results. It also suggested declaring a national emergency and having U.S. Marshals and National Guard troops "secure" paper ballots in key states, according to the Post.

"Mr. Waldron reportedly played a role in promoting claims of election fraud and circulating potential strategies for challenging results of the 2020 election," according to U.S. Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, D-Miss., the 1/6 committees chairman. "He was also apparently in communication with officials in the Trump White House and in Congress discussing his theories in the weeks leading up to the January 6th attack. The document he reportedly provided to Administration officials and Members of Congress is an alarming blueprint for overturning a nationwide election."

But sure, lets ask this guy for advice about how Louisiana should run its elections, and how  in his words  the state can ensure that all voters can be confident that their votes count exactly as cast, and that "we truly are a government of the people, by the people, and for the people."

With news reports having already outlined Waldrons attempt to subvert those things for the presidential election before the Louisiana hearing, youd think the subject might have come up. Nope.

Ardoin, a Republican who has struggled to appease conspiracy-minded fellow partisans while running clean elections, welcomed Waldron warmly and noted that he had a "fan club" in the room (an aide later told NBC News that the invitation to speak had been issued upon the request of "a group of citizens"). When it was her turn to ask questions, state Sen. Sharon Hewitt, R-Slidell, who chairs the committee that oversees elections, said the two had spoken "many times" and that she loves the "fresh ideas" he brings to the table.

So about those ideas. In wide-ranging testimony, Waldron said his overall interest in the subject of ballot vulnerability stemmed from concerns over Black Lives Matter and Antifa, not over worry about any effort to seize the election led from the White House itself. He claimed Louisianas system is vulnerable to fake votes and fake counts and suggested some sort of manual verification of votes, which several Republicans on the panel questioned, citing the difficulty of implementing. Ardoin also pointed out, correctly, that any system that takes too long to provide results might undermine confidence rather than enhance it.

The irony here is that the voting machines Louisiana needs to replace are old, but the secretary of states office has a historically strong track record of running elections. While he sometimes indulges proponents of the Big Lie that the presidential election was stolen, a neutral observer might even conclude that Ardoins been a pretty good defender of election integrity.

If he wants to keep it that way, he really should send Waldron and his ilk packing, for good.
Thousands marched in the streets of Paris and other cities throughout France on Saturday to protest against new government restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The demonstration saw a higher-than-usual number of participants on this first school holiday weekend with many chanting against the vaccine pass that the government was planning.

Prime Minister Jean Castex said Friday that, with the Omicron variant spreading like lightning, the government proposed requiring proof of vaccination for those entering restaurants, cafes, and other public establishments.

Under the bill to be put forward in January, one would be required to show proof of vaccination, not just a negative COVID-19 test.

The measure is pending approval by Parliament.

French Health Minister Olivier Veran announced that the government would start giving the vaccine to children in the 5 to 11 age group beginning Wednesday.

Veran also said that health care workers and firemen would have to get a third dose by Jan. 30.

Previously, while vaccination has been mandatory since Sept. 15 for health care workers and firemen, there was no set deadline for getting the third vaccination.

Nearly 3,000 people are in intensive care with COVID-19 in Francestill with only a minority suffering from the new variant.
About 34% more Indiana and Illinois residents are expected to travel for the holidays this year than last year as pent-up demand is released.

AAAThe Auto Club Group estimates 109 million people nationwide will travel at least 50 miles between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2. That's about 27.7 million more travelers than during Christmas last year.

Holiday travel is expected to be in line with 2017 this year and just 8% short of the record of 119.5 million in 2019.

Americans who canceled their vacations in 2020 want to gather with family and friends for the holidays this year, although they will still need to be mindful of the pandemic, said Debbie Haas, AAA vice president. With vaccines widely available, conditions are much different and many people feel a greater level of comfort with travel this year."

An estimated 91% plan to drive despite gas costing about $1.25 more per gallon than it did at this time in 2020. Air travel is expected to soar by 184% with more than 6 million people flying. Another 3 million people will board buses, trains or cruises during the holidays.
"As far as the real estate side, CVS is similar to Walgreens in the fact they like to be located at hard corners which are ideal for retailers. Once they announce store closings, we will potentially see the stores go 'dark' for a little while," McDermott said. "If CVS doesnt own the particular location, they typically will still be bound to a long-term lease depending on how long theyve been located there. CVS works with developers where they build the store, sign a long-term lease on it, and then sell to an investor. Due to this, many of the locations will probably still have some length on the term. The investor isnt going to let CVS off the hook, so CVS will more than likely look to sublease their store. Weve seen many closed Walgreens do this and have worked with tenants such as dollar stores, medical use or, for instance, Jump Zone, who took over a former Walgreens in Hobart. This allows for CVS to recoup some of their lease payments, but they still stay on the hook as a guarantor."
Palomo said Johnson was a registered sex offender for a 2009 rape of an underage girl.

But on Facebook, Johnson posed as a sexually adventurous young woman with a taste for sexually explicit photos of children and lots of money to spend.

Johnson shared photos of naked children to normalize his demands that women send him photos of their own prepubescent childrens genitals, promising thousands of dollars in return.

Palomo states Johnson pressed his demands on one homeless woman for photos of a nine-month-olds genital.

That woman is now set to plead guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago to delivering pornographic images to Johnson.

Another woman pleaded guilty Aug. 4 in Chicago to sending a photo of her 2-year-olds genitals in return for $40.

A third woman, the mother of two children, was charged with sending Johnson sexually explicit photos of her two young sons. She committed suicide March 15 before she could be tried with Johnson.

And after receiving their childrens photos, Johnson refused to pay the women.
VALPARAISO  Wreaths Across America day was celebrated across Northwest Indiana and across the nation Saturday.

Its a day thats been set aside to lay wreaths at the places where we remember, honor and teach about our veterans  cemeteries, monuments, parks, anywhere we can pay tribute to their sacrifices, said Chuck Harris of Bartholomew Funeral Home.

The William Henry Harrison Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution held the ceremony at Luther Cemetery, close enough to the Porter County Regional Airport to see a flyover from a corporate jet and hear the roar of the engines before the ceremony began.

Luther Cemetery is one of the oldest cemeteries in our country and has been referred to by a couple of different names, Harris said. It is a pioneer cemetery. Many veterans of our wars have found their resting place here at Luther Cemetery.

Harris, the DAR, Washington Township Trustee Kim Brys and others have been instrumental in spiffing up the cemetery in recent years.
"We are honored to be here," Aldrich said.

Aldrich spoke of the freedoms enjoyed by all due to the sacrifices of veterans.

"We are here to say thank you ... We honor them and their families," Aldrich said.

Those freedoms, said Aldrich, include the right to vote, to worship and to travel throughout the country.

"We also have the right to succeed and the right to fail," Aldrich said.

Rose Ann Dzieglowicz, president of the Indiana American Legion Auxiliary, said she was deeply honored to be part of the Wreaths Across America.

"The mission of Wreaths Across America, which is to remember our fallen U.S. veterans, honor those who serve and teach your children the values of freedom, mirror some of the principles the American Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary believe in. They are the reasons programs such as this are so important to our society and our great country," Dzieglowicz said.
I went to see my doctor the other day for a Covid-delayed physical. Instead of talking about what ails me, he wanted to talk about what ails us. A dystopian country. The Babel of misinformation. The lack of trust in everybody and everything.

And how did Dr. Fauci become the enemy? he said. My doctor is politically moderate and ambidextrously smart. After much steam had been let off, I wanted to say, Enough with American vitals  what about my own?

Trust in institutions  government, the press, religion, big business  is at or near record lows. My own profession, journalism, has been kicked to the cellar of disdain. Almost 40 percent of Americans have little or no confidence in newspapers, according to Gallups annual surveys  up from 24 percent in 2000.

But the press, where free speech and all its cacophonous chaos reside, has been a punching bag for some time. More shocking is that about 50 percent distrust our electoral system, according to a Morning Consult survey. Diminished confidence in elections is among the worst of the many awful legacies of Donald Trump.
This article originally appeared in the Opinion Today newsletter. You can sign up here to receive it in your inbox each weekday morning.

America used to be a young country. And in its youth, it changed as it grew, the idea of what was American as malleable as the idea of what was America. The country expanded its borders, abolished slavery, broadened the franchise; waves of immigrants reshaped and revised Americas character; the government added and dropped functions, amending the Constitution to fit the times. It was a restless experiment.

That restless spirit was reflected in the countrys pomp and pageantry, too. For more than 150 years, the United States had no official national anthem. The Star-Spangled Banner shuffled among Hail, Columbia and America (My Country, Tis of Thee); the design of the flag shifted with the states and with fashion.

But America is not young anymore. Whereas it was once spry and excitable, it is now creaky and soft. The country that passed Prohibition and created Social Security now spends decades dithering over how large a role the government should play in health care. The country that went to the moon shrinks at the challenges presented by climate change. Its bold and expansive political imagination has atrophied.
This economic success obviously does not mean immigrant groups do not face hardship, bias and exploitation. Almost every immigrant group in American history has faced that. It just means that education and mobility can help overcome some of the effects of this bias. According to that same study, immigrant groups are largely doing well because they come to places where opportunity is plentiful. They are not so much earning more than those around them, but earning more along with those around them.

Economic progress is one thing. What about cultural integration?

A landmark 2015 report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine found that the lives of immigrants and their children are converging with those of their native-born neighbors, in good ways and bad. This pattern applies to how well educated they are, where they live, what language they speak, how their health is and how they organize their families. A study by a Brown University sociologist, for example, found that Mexican immigrants are learning English at increasingly higher rates and growing less isolated from non-Mexican Americans.

Rising intermarriage rates are one product of this integration. According to a 2017 Pew Research Center report, about 29 percent of Asian American newlyweds are married to someone of a different race or ethnicity, along with 27 percent of Hispanic newlyweds. The intermarriage rates for white and Black people have roughly tripled since 1980. More than 35 percent of Americans say that one of their close kin is of a different race.

Blending identities is another sign of this integration. There was an idea going around a few years ago that America was about to become a majority-minority country. This would be true only if you rigidly divided Americans into white and (with one drop of nonwhite blood) nonwhite categories.

But real humans are very quick to adopt multiple and shifting racial identities. The researchers Richard Alba, Morris Levy and Dowell Myers suggest 52 percent of the people who self-categorize as nonwhite in the Census Bureaus projections for Americas 2060 racial makeup will also think of themselves as white. Forty percent of those who self-categorized as white will also claim minority racial identity.

In an essay for The Atlantic, they conclude: Speculating about whether America will have a white majority by the mid-21st century makes little sense, because the social meanings of white and nonwhite are rapidly shifting. The sharp distinction between these categories will apply to many fewer Americans.

When you look at the data across groups, a few points stand out.

First, you can see why some people have issues with the phrase people of color. How could a category that covers a vast majority of all human beings have much meaning? The groups that the phrase attempts to bring together have different experiences and even face different kinds of bias. Perhaps this phrase covers over real identities instead of illuminating them.
As regular readers know, I am a little (OK, more than a little) obsessed with the Early Republic period of American history and spend a lot of my time reading about the Revolution, the Articles of Confederation, the Philadelphia constitutional convention, and the Washington and Adams administrations. One of my takeaways from all of this reading is that for all of our modern-day worship of the founding fathers, we lack of a sense of how foreign their world was as compared to ours.

I was reminded of this by Matt Glassman, a senior fellow at Georgetowns Government Affairs Institute, who made a similar point on Twitter, apropos of a political advertisement in which the candidate, a conservative Republican, extols the founders for getting it right the first time.

Heres Glassman:

People really dont get how many (understandable) errors the Founders made, even on their own terms and, more importantly, how different the early Republic was from the antebellum mass republic most people (mis)associate with the Founding.

There are the obvious differences. The United States of 1790  the year of the first census  was a predominantly rural country with an extensive system of slave labor. Its largest city, New York, was home to 33,131 people. To a visitor from Paris (population: 524,186), the busiest metropolis of the young Republic would have looked like a provincial capital. The borders of the new nation were in flux and under threat from foreign powers and domestic adversaries, from the British in Canada and the Spanish in Florida to those Native Americans in western territories who fought to keep settlers and speculators off their land.

The politics were vastly different too. Its not just that there werent parties, but that there was no concept of the loyal opposition. When, in 1791, James Madison and Thomas Jefferson began to inch their way into conflict with Alexander Hamilton over the latters financial policies and broad influence within the Washington administration, they had to more or less develop a theory of partisan opposition. And even then, as the historians Stanley Elkins and Eric McKitrick note in The Age of Federalism: The Early American Republic, 1788-1800:

The key fact may well be that at this indistinct stage of party formation there were as yet no rules at all, and no sense of limits within which suspicion and even hate were to be graded and controlled. Parties could not yet be conceived as other than alliances for warfare in which the stakes were no less than survival or extinction  and certainly not as alternating associative structures through which to manage the affairs of government.

For the most part, in the present, Americans of different perspectives and beliefs see each other as legitimate political actors. Or at least, they know they are supposed to view each other that way. But this is not a natural idea. It had to be developed. And in the meantime, political conflict between Americans could take on existential stakes.
Not long before that, Mr. Ledesma had started a blog called the Gay Catholic, hosted by Medium, for which he wrote about reconciling his sexuality with his faith. He said he created the blog for a younger version of himself: a 12-year-old Catholic boy who knew he was gay, but was too afraid to tell anyone.

A student of Catholic schools from pre-K through college, Mr. Ledesma, 29, came out in his junior year of college. He said that hearing Pope Francis in 2013 say Who am I to judge? of the L.G.B.T.Q. community signaled what Mr. Ledesma saw as a new openness to those who identify as both gay and Catholic. But the next year, after he moved to Richmond, Mr. Ledesma said he stopped attending church for no specific reason.

Mr. Earley, 32, had stopped attending by that time, too. He did not go to Catholic schools, but said that the church was a big part of his life growing up. I felt excluded, that I wasnt fully accepted there, said Mr. Earley, who started to come out to some people when he was in college, but did not come out to his parents until after meeting Mr. Ledesma.

When Mr. Ledesma heard that Pope Francis was coming to Washington, though, he wrote to the Obama White House through its website. I would be honored to be in the presence of two leaders who acknowledge and accept who I am, Mr. Ledesmas message read.

The church is evolving, said Mr. Ledesma, who resumed attending services in 2015. Not at the speed I would like, but I cant give up on it.
Kenyon Wilson, a professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, wanted to test whether any of his students fully read the syllabus for his music seminar.

Of the more than 70 students enrolled in the class, none apparently did.

Professor Wilson said he knows this because on the second page of the three-page syllabus he included the location and combination to a locker, inside of which was a $50 cash prize.

Free to the first who claims; locker one hundred forty-seven; combination fifteen, twenty-five, thirty-five, read the passage in the syllabus. But when the semester ended on Dec. 8, students went home and the cash was unclaimed.

My semester-long experiment has come to an end, Mr. Wilson wrote on Facebook, adding: Today I retrieved the unclaimed treasure.
TOKYO  Surveillance footage showed the man entering a psychiatric clinic in a busy office building in Osaka, Japans third-largest city, and setting two large paper bags on the floor of the waiting area.

Within an instant, a fire ignited, ripping through the 270-square-foot clinic on Friday morning. By the time firefighters brought it under control, less than 30 minutes later, 28 people had been taken to a hospital. By the afternoon, 24 were confirmed to be dead.

On Sunday, the police put a name to the man, who they said was being investigated on suspicion of arson and murder. The suspect, Morio Tanimoto, 61, is in critical condition and has not been arrested, the police said. Two other survivors of the fire were also in critical condition on Sunday.

The fire, in a crowded district just steps from Osakas largest train station, rattled a country well known for its sense of security. It came just six weeks after another violent attack, in which the police said a man dressed as the Joker wounded 17 people with a knife on a Tokyo train and tried to set a fire onboard.
LONDON  Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday suffered a serious new blow at the end of a week of turmoil in British politics when his close ally and negotiator on Brexit, David Frost, announced his resignation, citing differences over the direction of government policy.

Mr. Frost, a member of the cabinet, was a leading architect of the countrys Brexit agreement and was engaged in difficult negotiations with the European Union over how the countrys exit terms applied to Northern Ireland.

In his letter of resignation, Mr. Frost, who is a member of the House of Lords, said that Brexit was secure but that the prime minister was aware of his concerns about the current direction of travel, hinting at differences over policy since Britain quit the European Union.

He added: I hope we will move as fast as possible to where we need to get to: a lightly regulated, low-tax, entrepreneurial economy at the cutting edge of modern science and economic change.
Drakeo the Ruler, a West Coast rapper known for his offbeat cadence and jerky rhythm, was fatally stabbed on Saturday night during an altercation at a Los Angeles festival where several artists were scheduled to perform. He was 28.

A publicist for the rapper, Scott Jawson, confirmed his death on Sunday.

Drakeo the Ruler, whose real name was Darrell Caldwell, was to perform at the festival, Once Upon a Time in L.A., at 8:30 p.m. local time.

At about 8:40 p.m., paramedics responded to a call about a stabbing near the Banc of California Stadium in Exposition Park, where the festival was being held, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The altercation happened in the roadway backstage, according to a statement from Once Upon a Time in L.A. Festival organizers ended the show early on Saturday night. Other artists scheduled to perform included 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg.
Omicron outstrips many vaccines

A growing body of preliminary research suggests most Covid vaccines offer almost no defense against infection from the highly contagious Omicron variant. The only vaccines that appear to be effective against infections are those made by Pfizer and Moderna, reinforced by a booster, which are not widely available around the world.

Other vaccines  including those from AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and vaccines manufactured in China and Russia  do little to nothing to stop the spread of Omicron, early research shows. Because most countries have built their inoculation programs around these vaccines, the gap could have a profound impact on the course of the pandemic.

Still, most vaccines used worldwide do seem to offer significant protection against severe illness. And early Omicron data suggests South Africas hospitalizations are significantly lower in this wave.

U.S.: A fourth wave has arrived, just days before Christmas. More than 125,000 Americans are testing positive every day, and hospitalizations have increased nearly 20 percent in two weeks. Only one in six Americans has received a booster shot.
Ermenegildo Zegna is bringing a new luxury product to the New York Stock Exchange: itself. And it is doing it in the most financially trendy way.

On Monday, the Italian company known for its master of the universe suits became, it says, the first Italian fashion brand to list on the exchange. It went public by merging with a shell corporation known as a special purpose acquisition company, the Wall Street fad product better known as a SPAC. Zegnas SPAC, which was created by Investindustrial, is led by Sergio Ermotti, the former chief executive of UBS.

The offering may be the zenith of the luxury industrys rebound in 2021 after the pandemic closed stores across the globe in 2020, causing revenues to plummet  so much so that Ermenegildo Zegna, Zegnas chief executive, who goes by Gildo, compared it to his World War III.

But the arrival of vaccines set off consumer optimism that helped drive growth in the luxury market to nearly 30 percent over 2020, according to Bain & Company, and Mr. Zegna said he and Investindustrial felt it was time to take advantage of the moment. And their move may, he said, start a new trend in the industry for 2022 as well as signaling Italys comeback to the world.
However vital the social programs in the Build Back Better bill, the climate crisis is an existential threat that demands immediate action, said Michael Oppenheimer, a professor of geosciences and international affairs at Princeton University. We cant change the basic physics of the problem, he said. So there is a special urgency to this  we cant miss it.

The bill rejected by Mr. Manchin would have made the single largest expenditure in the nations history to address the warming planet. About $555 billion of the $2.2 trillion bill would be aimed at moving the American economy away from its 150-year-old reliance on fossil fuels and toward clean energy sources.

Instead of penalties to punish polluters, the bill largely relies on incentives for industries, utilities and consumers to shift from burning oil, gas and coal for energy and transportation to tapping into wind, solar and other forms of power that do not emit carbon dioxide, the most plentiful of the greenhouse gases that are warming the world.

The Build Back Better bill would get the United States about halfway to Mr. Bidens goal of cutting its emissions roughly in half from 2005 levels by the end of this decade, according to the Rhodium Group, a nonpartisan analysis firm.

It would provide about $320 billion in tax incentives for producers and buyers of wind, solar and nuclear power. Buyers of electric vehicles would receive up to $12,500 in tax credits. It included $6 billion to make buildings more energy efficient and another roughly $6 billion for replacing gas-powered furnaces and appliances with electric versions. And it provided billions of dollars for research and development of new technologies to capture carbon dioxide from the air.

The version of the bill that passed the House would extend existing tax credits to lower the costs for homeowners of installing solar panels, geothermal pumps and small wind turbines, covering up to 30 percent of the costs.

For months, Mr. Manchin opposed various provisions of the bill that advocates say are vital to reducing the burning of coal, oil and gas.
Without a doubt Omicron is going to flood through India, he said. But hopefully India is protected to some extent because of vaccination and exposure.

China does not have this layer of protection to back up its weak vaccines. Because of Chinas aggressive efforts to stop spread of the virus within its borders, relatively few people have previous exposure. Only an estimated 7 percent of people in Wuhan, where the pandemic began, were infected.

Much of Latin America has relied on the Chinese and Russian vaccines, and on AstraZeneca. Mario Rosemblatt, a professor of immunology at the University of Chile, said that more than 90 percent of Chileans had had two doses of one vaccine, but the great majority of these were Coronavac, the Sinovac shot. High vaccination coverage combined with early reports that Omicron does not cause serious illness is leading to a false sense of security in the country, he said.

We have to get people to understand that it doesnt work like that: If you get high transmissibility youre going to have the health system saturated because the number of people getting ill will be higher, he said.

Brazil has recommended that all vaccinated people get a third dose, and it started using Pfizers vaccine for all boosters, but only 40 percent of the vaccinated have turned up to get the extra shot. Dr. Amilcar Tanuri, a virologist at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, said with cautious optimism that the high levels of previous Covid exposure might blunt Omicrons impact but noted that the most vulnerable Brazilians, vaccinated first, got Coronavac, and tens of millions more were given AstraZeneca.
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Carol Rosenberg has reported from the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba since 2002, first for The Miami Herald and, since 2019, for The New York Times. She is often the only journalist on the base. She estimates she has spent 1,500 nights there  many of them in a tent for journalists on a broken tarmac next to the court compound.

Ms. Rosenberg has written hundreds of articles about the military commissions and wartime prison where 39 men are being held under the auspices of the U.S. governments war on terror.

Though she spends much of her time reporting on detention operations, she knows there is more than that: a 45-square-mile base with 6,000 residents that the United States has leased from Cuba since 1903. Walking around, she passes the military vehicles idling in the McDonalds drive-through, and the leisurely pontoon boats available for rent, and knows these scenes are not what most Americans envision when they think of Guantanamo Bay.

Its almost impossible to convey how it feels like this little small town anywhere, Ms. Rosenberg said.
At the premiere of his new drama Nightmare Alley this month, the director Guillermo del Toro told the audience he had read the 1946 novel by William Lindsay Gresham  the films official source material  before seeing the classic 1947 adaptation with Tyrone Power. But theres no question the first movie was a significant influence on del Toro and Kim Morgan, who wrote the screenplay together. Their parting line comes straight from the original script, by Jules Furthman.

Like the update, the 1947 version (available to stream on the Criterion Channel), follows a carnival worker, Stan, eager for higher stakes. Stan (Power, in the role now played by Bradley Cooper) picks up some tricks from a washed-up vaudeville couple, Zeena and Pete, whose former ambitions have been reduced to a small-time fairground routine. Eventually Stan runs off with a co-worker, Molly, and they start a mentalist act targeting Chicago high society.

The movie has long been a favorite of repertory programmers and noir festivals. But its enduring appeal is not easy to pin down.

You cant chalk it up to auteurism. The director was the British-born Edmund Goulding (Grand Hotel), whom Andrew Sarris, in his pioneering survey of Hollywood filmmakers, The American Cinema, placed in the lightly likable category: talented but uneven directors with the saving grace of unpretentiousness. Sarris noted that even Gouldings best films, Nightmare Alley included, were seldom thought of as his, and pointed out that Grand Hotel won best picture without a nomination for direction.
This article is part of Times Opinions Holiday Giving Guide 2021. For other ideas on where to donate this year, please see the rest of our guide here.

I confess that to me, Christmas shopping can feel mostly like another chore in a busy December. But I love to give gifts that make the world a better place. Years ago, I took up a practice of donating to worthy organizations in peoples names as a small addition to their material gift. Though I dont do it every year, I really enjoy this kind of gift giving.

This year in particular, as the planet continues to be convulsed by the pandemic, the world needs an outpouring of generosity. New York Times Opinion invited its writers to celebrate nonprofits, NGOs or philanthropic efforts that they appreciate. This can help provide some direction and let you know about organizations that need support.

For most of my 20s, I worked with nonprofits among those who suffer from addiction, poverty or homelessness. What I learned from that time now subtly informs the organizations to which I give time or money. I saw that more than material things or even programs, people need community. Those who are in deep need dont need handouts. They (like all of us) require holistic support, even love, that addresses physical, spiritual, mental and social needs. I am drawn to organizations that offer this kind of care.
To the Editor:

Re Im Furious at the Unvaccinated, by Charles M. Blow (column, nytimes.com, Dec. 8):

Mr. Blow eloquently voiced my sentiment regarding the unvaccinated. Its difficult to fathom how all these people, many of whom vaccinate their children for mild and practically eradicated diseases, choose to be anti-vax now? I share Mr. Blows fury.

I am angry on behalf of the more than 5.3 million dead worldwide and the 1,200-plus we lose in the United States daily. I am furious on behalf of my young students, some of whom have been too ill to speak and others who have lost parents and dear ones. I mourn for my devastated community, hard-working, essential workers who never had the luxury of staying home.

So much of this catastrophe could have been prevented were it not for my compatriots exercising their misguided idea of personal freedom to the detriment of all. Because of their folly, we, the richest nation of all, are No. 1 in terms of lives lost. Thank you, Mr. Blow, for giving voice to my rage and sorrow.

Karin Flores Reininger

Woodstock, N.Y.

The writer is an elementary school dual-language teacher.

To the Editor:

I loved Charles M. Blows opinion piece on his frustrations with the unvaccinated; he expressed my sentiments exactly. Like him, Ive heard all of the arguments from the vaccine naysayers and Im fed up. The only way out of this mess of successive variants that we face is for folks to get vaccinated  enough of the plethora of excuses and baseless arguments.
Yet nine months later, the results of that pledge are hard to find. In interviews, nearly two dozen activists, historians and community leaders around the country said that for the most part, no major efforts have been made to build bridges between the Black and Asian communities, and talks of solidarity have petered out.

In the spring, there was a lot of support for Black and Asian people to achieve change together, said JaMae Rooks, 29, a co-director of Atlantas Black Lives Matter chapter. But when things died down, support, in essence, died down.

The reasons for the lack of unity were varied, activists said, including that the Black and Asian communities often view each other with suspicion. But the tensions boiled down to one main disagreement: policing. While Black Lives Matter activists have called for reducing police budgets and decreasing cities reliance on law enforcement officers, Asian leaders say that police are crucial to preventing attacks.

The contrasting attitudes underline how drastically the relationship with law enforcement can differ depending on race. Black Americans have been disproportionately killed by the police, while Asian Americans are among the least likely to be harmed in police encounters, according to multiple studies.

Hate crimes against Asian people rose 73 percent in 2020, according to the F.B.I. The police killed 192 Black people in the United States this year, compared with 249 last year, according to data from the Mapping Police Violence research and advocacy project.
Two prominent Democratic senators, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Cory Booker of New Jersey, announced separately on Sunday that they had tested positive with a breakthrough case of the coronavirus.

Both senators disclosed their cases on Sunday, and said they were experiencing mild symptoms after being vaccinated and receiving a booster shot. Ms. Warren said she received the positive result Sunday, while Mr. Booker said his test result came back after he began experiencing symptoms Saturday.

News of the cases came barely a day after the Senate left Washington for the year and ahead of a planned address by President Biden to the nation on Tuesday to respond to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.
As Omicron cases began to surge in several U.S. states, state leaders were calculating their approaches for a fatigued public.

Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland, whose state is facing a surge that has led him to expand hospital capacity and limit elective surgeries, wont enforce any lockdowns or mandates. Mr. Hogan, a Republican, said on the program Fox News Sunday that the state is trying to do everything we can to get the remainder of its state vaccinated  except for more mandates. We are not anticipating any lockdowns at all, he said. We are not considering them.

But the states uptick is troubling, Mr. Hogan said: I would say, in the next couple of days, Omicron is going to be the dominant variant in our state.
As many as 4,000 Afghans are moved from the camps and resettled each week, and this is an effort that will continue, Mr. Markell said.

He acknowledged Afghans frustration, and said officials have tried to answer more of their questions in recent weeks. If we were in their shoes, wed want the same thing, Mr. Markell said. Wed all want to know, as quickly as possible, where were going to be building our new lives.

Refugee agencies have been overwhelmed with caring for Afghan families who are moved into American communities. A family of 10, including a newborn baby, had no money and no benefits when they were settled outside Washington D.C. and depended on grocery deliveries from the Muslim Association of Virginia. In Houston, some Afghans have been placed in crime-ridden neighborhoods and are living in apartments with dilapidated toilets or black mold in bathrooms, and are salvaging supplies from rubbish heaps or borrowing from neighbors.

There are pregnant women who have slept on hard floors with no blankets, no mattress, said Shekeba Morrad, an Afghan-American community organizer in Washington D.C. and Northern Virginia, who works with a nationwide group trying to monitor the situation of the newly arrived Afghans.

Hamid Wahidy, 34, and his family made it to the camp at Quantico via a route that first took them to Qatar, Germany and Dulles International Airport outside Washington. They stayed at the camp for 40 days before moving into a small Airbnb in San Diego. The first month there was a blur of bureaucratic shuffling to receive his Social Security card, which he needed to open a bank account, obtain a drivers license, apply for a job and enroll his kids in school.

A few weeks later, he moved into a larger home. It cost him $3,400  for one months rent and a security deposit  of the $5,000 the family received from a resettlement agency. He did not immediately receive food stamps and other benefits that he had expected under a spending bill that Congress passed in September that included $6.3 billion in expanded assistance to the arriving Afghans.

The legislation also did not include an expedited process for legal residency for Mr. Wahidy and other Afghans. Without it, immigration advocates say, they could eventually be deported.
Johnny Isakson, a Georgia Republican who succeeded Newt Gingrich in the House of Representatives, and in 15 years in the Senate was a moderate conservative, often championing bipartisan cooperation, until his resignation for health reasons in 2019, died on Sunday at his home in Atlanta. He was 76.

His death was confirmed by the Isakson Initiative, which he founded to raise money for research into neurocognitive diseases. It did not specify a cause, but when he resigned, Senator Isakson had cited progressive Parkinsons disease and surgery to remove a growth on a kidney.

Mr. Isakson made a fortune as a real estate executive before going into politics at 32. He served 17 years in the Georgia Legislature, lost a race for governor and another to succeed Senator Sam Nunn, a retiring Democrat who had been in office for 25 years. As a consolation, the governor named Mr. Isakson to head the state Board of Education. It seemed his political career was over.

But Mr. Gingrich, the mercurial House speaker from Georgia, was facing a revolt in his caucus over midterm election losses. He resigned as speaker and announced that he would not take his seat for an 11th term starting in January 1999. A month later, Mr. Isakson, well-liked in the state for his legislative and education work, won a special election and took Mr. Gingrichs seat.
Despite Mr. Bidens apprehension, the invasion went forward and the Haitian military junta surrendered within hours. Mr. Aristide was soon restored to power, and the Clinton administration began deporting thousands of Haitians.

Nearly a decade later, Haitis constitutional order would collapse again, prompting another U.S. military intervention, more migrants and more deportations. As rebels threatened to invade the capital in 2004, Mr. Aristide resigned under pressure from U.S. officials. A provisional government was formed with American backing. The violence and unrest continued.

That cycle of crisis and U.S. intervention in Haiti  punctuated by periods of relative calm but little improvement in the lives of most people  has persisted to this day. Since July, a presidential assassination, an earthquake and a tropical storm have deepened the turmoil.

Mr. Biden, now president, is overseeing yet another intervention in Haitis political affairs, one that his critics say is following an old Washington playbook: backing Haitian leaders accused of authoritarian rule, either because they advance American interests or because U.S. officials fear the instability of a transition of power.

Making sense of American policy in Haiti over the decades  driven at times by economic interests, Cold War strategy and migration concerns  is vital to understanding Haitis political instability, and why it remains the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, even after an infusion of more than $5 billion in U.S. aid in the last decade alone.
For about four years, there has been talk in Richmond, Va., that a time capsule from 1887  rumored to contain a rare photo of Abraham Lincoln in his coffin  was hidden beneath a towering statue of Robert E. Lee.

After a failed attempt to find the time capsule in September, when the statue was taken down, historians are almost certain they discovered it on Friday. What they are less certain about is how to recover the artifact from the 1,500-pound block of granite it is nestled in.

Julie Langan, director of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, said that the agencys conservation lab was used to dealing with tiny pieces of pottery or bone or glass, but that it had never had to handle a rock like this.

It wasnt difficult to get it to the building and to get it into the conservation lab and set it down, but there it sits, Ms. Langan said. And its not like you can pick it up and move it easily, so thats the dilemma.
SANTIAGO, Chile  Chileans on Sunday elected Gabriel Boric as their next president, entrusting the young leftist lawmaker with helping to shape the future of a nation that has been roiled by protests and is now drafting a new Constitution.

At 35, Mr. Boric will be the nations youngest leader and by far its most liberal since President Salvador Allende, who died by suicide during the 1973 military coup that ushered in a brutal 17-year dictatorship.

He will assume office at the final stage of a yearslong initiative to draft a new Constitution, an effort that is likely to bring about profound legal and political changes on issues including gender equality, Indigenous rights and environmental protections.

Capitalizing on widespread discontent with the political factions that have traded power in recent decades, Mr. Boric attracted voters by pledging to reduce inequality and promising to raise taxes on the rich to fund a substantial expansion of the social safety net, more generous pensions and a greener economy.
Ms. Katsuras victory was a milestone not only because of her gender, but also because she performed a traditional story featuring all-male characters. Some earlier female performers, in an effort to woo audiences unsettled by women acting as men, converted male protagonists in classical stories into women.

But Ms. Katsura was determined to tell the old stories the way they were originally conceived. I wanted to perform rakugo the exact same way that men do, said Ms. Katsura, who received a perfect score from all five judges on the competition panel, sponsored by NHK, the public broadcaster. I feel that history has been changed.

Rakugo is an oral tradition in which stories  about 600 of which are in circulation among performers today  are passed down by masters to apprentices. The art form has strict rules: Performers remain seated on a cushion in the center of a largely bare stage, and they use very few props, such as a folding fan or a cotton hand towel.

Stories range from about 10 to 30 minutes and feature dozens of characters, all of whom are conveyed by changes in facial expression, voice and movements of the body above the waist.
MANILA  The death toll from a powerful typhoon that struck the Philippines last week is continuing to rise as rescuers reach more devastated areas, with more than 200 people now believed to have been killed, officials said on Monday.

About half of the deaths reported so far from Super Typhoon Rai were in the island province of Bohol in the central Visayas region, a tourist destination known for its diving spots and coral reefs. Some 230 people are missing as well, the Philippine National Police said.

The central province of Cebu and Cagayan de Oro city on the island of Mindanao were also among the worst-hit areas.

The typhoon made landfall on the island on Thursday, with gusts of up to 168 miles per hour, before tearing west across the country. Rai was classified as a super typhoon after reaching land, a designation comparable to a Category 5 hurricane in the United States.
Two people were lynched over the weekend in the northern Indian state of Punjab after they attempted to carry out acts of sacrilege inside Sikh temples, including one at the religions holiest site, the authorities said.

Similar episodes of sacrilege have been reported in recent weeks across Punjab, a Sikh-majority state in India where tensions were already running high amid the backdrop of elections early next year.

The first mob attack took place on Saturday when an unidentified man stepped inside the sanctum sanctorum of the Golden Temple, the holiest shrine for Sikhs, in Amritsar.

Videos of the episode, which have circulated widely, showed a man with a yellow cloth tied to his head jumping over a golden railing into the enclosure where the Guru Granth Sahib, the holiest book of Sikhism, is kept.
Follow our coverage of Kim Potter found guilty on manslaughter in death of Daunte Wright.

As Daunte Wright lay mortally wounded in the drivers seat of his car, the police officer who had fired a single bullet into his chest collapsed on the side of the road, sobbing as she explained that she had thought she was holding her Taser. Im going to go to prison, she said, on video captured at the scene in April.

Jurors are now deliberating over the fate of the officer, Kimberly Potter, after hearing testimony from 33 witnesses and closing arguments over nearly two weeks in a Minneapolis courtroom. Ms. Potter faces charges of first-degree and second-degree manslaughter, and a conviction on either count would probably send her to prison for several years.

Ms. Potter, 49, who is white, resigned from the police force in Brooklyn Center, a Minneapolis suburb, two days after the fatal shooting of Mr. Wright, a 20-year-old Black man who was driving to get his car washed.

Here are key moments from the trial.

A prosecutor and Ms. Potters lawyer clashed over whether her mistake was a crime.

In closing arguments on Monday, a prosecutor and the lead lawyer for Ms. Potter made their final pitches to the jurors about whether Ms. Potter was criminally culpable in Mr. Wrights death.
SECRETIRELTO USA, EVEY Ahmed AlJarba [Arabic] [Archived], Iraqyoon (2) [Arabic] [Archived], Tweet by Al Jazeera [Arabic] [Archived], Coalition monthly civcas report (March 2017), Quality of reporting: Contested - both Coalition and Iraqi airstrikes were reported. Coalition denies responsibility Analysis 1. Is this allegation a self-report? If yes, add details of corroborating strike below and task a CCAR. If no, move to 2. NO 2. Does the allegation include a) video/photo evidence of CIVCAS? YES, but unable to access b) a general location, e.g., Tabaqah, Manbij, Tel Afar; YES, Mosul AND c) a way to identify the date or a 48 hour date range? YES If yes to all three, move to 6. If any are no, then move to number 3. Related 3. Does the allegation contain a a) General Day, AND b) Specific location, e.g., MGRS or specific building? If yes to the two, then move to 6. If any are no, move to number 4. 4.a. Is the allegation from a single source (even if there are multiple sources, look at whether the sources lack independence, i.e., al derived from one source)? If yes, move to 4.b. If no, move to 5. 4.b. Is the single source a high quality source (well known/credible news source) OR does it provide specific facts that may warrant a ECAR, i.e., a way to narrow down a reasonable list of strikes to assess. If yes, move to 6. If no, then move to 4.c. 4.c. Has media interviewed witnesses and/or victims? If yes, then contact journalist and reassess. If no, then close the allegation. 5.a. Are any of the sources high quality? If yes, move to 6. If no, move to 5.b. 5.b. Are there at least two corroborating sources (total of 3) that independently reported the allegation, OR does it provide specific facts that may warrant a CCAR? If yes, move to 6. If no, close the allegation. AA 6. Does the allegation contain sufficient information on the time, location and details to make an assessment of credibility? I.e., does it provide enough information to determine the date within 48 hour; does it provide enough information to determine a neighborhood, landmark, or other way to where the alleged incident occurred within a .5km radius? If yes, move to 7. If no, close the allegation. YES 7. Are there any potentially corroborating strikes? If yes, answer the below questions and task CCAR. If no, close allegation. NO 1. Assessed date of incident: SECRETHREL TO USA, EVEY USCENTCOM FOIA 18-0296L 5284 - 01/09/2020
A VILLAGE and rural parish in Offaly are planning for the future.

Offaly Local Development Company are assisting the Pullough Planning Group to carry out a survey which will guide Pullough in the coming years.

The group is a joint initiative of over ten local organisations in Pullough.

Over the past month each household has received the confidential questionnaire and have submitted their answers.

These answers will be analysed by staff from OLDC and the results will be presented to the local groups in early Spring.

Then a five year plan will be put together to guide Pullough when taking on projects and requesting funding.

Authorities such as Leader, Waterways Ireland and Offaly County Council can then assist the community to fulfil their ambitions.

Pullough Planning Group would like to thank Siobhan, Declan and all the team at OLDC for their continued support to Pullough, said a spokesperson for Pullough Planning Group.

Locals can still complete the survey dropped or online at https://tinyurl.com/pulloughsurvey until this weekend.

Meanwhile, Cllr John Clendennen told the recent meeting of Birr Municipal District that it's important to get Village Renewal Funding for Pullough.

"When should we make an application for the funding?" he asked. "I don't want us to miss the boat." There was no answer immediately forthcoming to his question.
Fears over hundreds of students being packed tightly together in exam halls while people with COVID-19 symptoms could show up to write finals has prompted a call for the cancellation of in-person exams at the University of British Columbia.
All the candidates are vetted by Beijing, but authorities are threatening to arrest anyone who boycotts the vote.
If it turns out that Tottenham v Liverpool was indeed the last Premier League game that will be watched in the flesh for a while it..

talkSPORT 20 Dec 2021
From the end of this year, foreigners working in Russia must be tested every three months for diseases like syphilis and leprosy, and for drugs. Foreign business associations are appealing to Moscow to revise the rules.
The shutdown was initiated over fears of the rapid spread of the omicron variant. Meanwhile, Germany's health minister has ruled out a lockdown before Christmas. Follow DW for the latest.
People travelling from Britain to Germany will have to quarantine from midnight on Monday - and also provide a negative COVID test.
The SNP had pledged to make free school meals available to all pupils in P1-P7 by August 2022 but that timetable was quietly..

Daily Record 10 Dec 2021
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Former Brexit negotiator David Frost has resigned from the government with immediate effect, topping a torrid week for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson after a party rebellion on new coronavirus curbs and by-election humiliation.
VIENNA (AP)  Germany is tightening travel restrictions for people coming from Britain in response to the rapid spread of the..

SeattlePI.com 19 Dec 2021
A top NATO general has suggested building up NATO's presence in Romania and Bulgaria, according to a German media report. Russia previously called on NATO to limit their operations in eastern Europe.
The passing of baton of limited-overs captaincy from Virat Kohli to Rohit Sharma has not been treated well by BCCI, feels the fans..

Zee News 11 Dec 2021
David Frost quit his post as Brexit minister while PM Boris Johnson and his Conservative Party faces a major crisis in confidence from both lawmakers and voters alike.
Omicron might be less efficient at attacking the lungs than earlier COVID variants, UK research has found.
The Israeli army says it has caught men suspected of a car attack in the occupied West Bank.
German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said Russa cannot "dictate" terms to NATO, after Moscow presented a list of demands to the alliance. She is in Lithuania visiting German troops on her first foreign trip.
Canada and other countries were hoping a U.S. senator might kill a controversial electric-vehicle tax credit that has angered America's trading partners. Sen. Joe Manchin may be planning to torpedo the entire Build Back Better legislation that contains that provision.
A popular tourist destination on the edge of the Polar circle welcomes guests as Christmas festivities approach. The owners, however, fear that the spread of Omicron might prove to be costly.
BMC has imposed a fresh set of COVID-19 guidelines in Mumbai due to the rise in Omicron cases across Maharashtra over the past week.
Germany is tightening travel restrictions for people coming from Britain in response to the rapid spread of the omicron variant there
Last year, Racicot said he planned to vote for President Biden in the 2020 election because of personal differences with former President Trump.
Brexit minister Lord Frost has resigned with immediate effect as he told Boris Johnson that building a new relationship with the EU would be a long-term task.
People travelling from Britain to Germany will have to quarantine from midnight on Monday - and also provide a negative COVID test.

Sky News 18 Dec 2021
Germany is tightening restrictions on travel from the UK in an attempt to curb the spread of the Omicron variant, the countrys public health authority said on Saturday.
Andrew Marr has signed off from his long-running BBC politics show with a line from his mentor  Anchorman character Ron Burgundy.
An announcement of extra cash to help the devolved administrations deal with Covid has been branded Treasury smoke and..

Belfast Telegraph 14 Dec 2021
In the months since President Joe Biden warned Russia's Vladimir Putin that he needed to crack down on ransomware gangs in his country, there hasnt been a massive
The mayor of London has declared a major incident in the capital over the "huge surge" of Omicron cases and an increase in hospital..

Sky News 18 Dec 2021
An investigation by Canada's spy service concluded that money, ego and career frustrations were the likely reasons a veteran RCMP officer passed highly sensitive secrets to Russian intelligence for years, newly disclosed records reveal.
The Occupational Health and Safety Administration said Saturday that it would not issue citations tied to its coronavirus vaccination mandate before Jan. 10, so that companies have time to adjust to and implement the requirements.

The federal agency separately said there would be no citations of companies regarding its testing requirements before Feb. 9.

The announcement came after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth District in Cincinnati decided on Friday that the mandate for large employers could go forward, reversing a previous court decision made after 27 Republican-led states, conservative groups, business associations and some individual companies challenged the mandate.

U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Midland, issued a statement following the court ruling.

"The judges who approved of the Biden Administration's vaccine mandate have blown open a massive loophole for President Biden and future presidents to prescribe their preferred medicines through 'emergency' executive rule on millions of Americans," Moolenaar stated. "I believe Americans should have the right to decide if they want the vaccine and that implementing this mandate on employers is unconstitutional. If this mandate goes forward employers will be forced to find new workers and pay for millions of tests, and those costs will be passed on to Michigan families who are already facing rising prices for everything they buy. I will continue to fight this executive overreach in Congress and push for my legislation, the No Vaccine Mandate Act."

Moolenaar's legislation would prohibit the Department of Labor from spending taxpayer funding on enforcing the Occupational Safety and Hazard Administration's vaccine mandate.

OSHA said in a statement Saturday that it would not issue citations before the listed dates so long as an employer is exercising reasonable, good faith efforts to come into compliance with the standard.

The mandate was previously slated to take effect Jan. 4.

The Biden administration's vaccine requirement applies to companies with 100 or more employees and covers about 84 million U.S. workers. Employees who are not fully vaccinated have to wear face masks and be subject to weekly COVID-19 tests. There are exceptions, including for those who work outdoors or only at home.

Administration officials estimate that the mandate will save 6,500 lives and prevent 250,000 hospitalizations over six months.

The Midland Daily News contributed to this report.
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP)  A special rapporteur of the United Nations said Sunday that the international community should build a better partnership with Bangladesh and cut off Myanmar military in dealing with the Rohingya refugee crisis by putting pressure on Myanmar from where they have fled.

Tom Andrews, U.N.s Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, said in Dhaka that he would encourage the international community going back in Geneva to follow stronger and coordinated efforts.

Bangladesh cannot and should not bear this responsibility alone, he told a news conference. The cause of this crisis, and the ultimate resolution of this crisis is not here in Bangladesh, but in Myanmar.

Bangladeshi officials say the crowded nation of more than 160 million people is overburdened because of the Rohingya crisis.

Andrews is visiting Bangladesh where he met the Rohingya refugees, officials of the international agencies and the government to review the refugee crisis in the country.

He urged the international community to do more.

I will do everything in my capacity to push for a stronger, more coordinated international response to this crisis, including the imposition of pressure on the Myanmar military and for concrete measures to hold the military junta fully accountable for this crisis, he said.

He said the international community should rethink the ways they would respond to the crisis in the future.

I believe that there must be a fundamental reassessment of how we, as an international community, have responded to this crisis. This means consideration of options to increase pressure on the military regime. It also means consideration of how we support its victims, including the Rohingya community, he said.

He said the international community, if necessary, should block sources of revenue flowing into Myanmars military.

Its a large military (in Myanmar) and its very formidable, but large militaries take significant resources to supply and sustain. I think that the international community can do a much better job of identifying sources of revenue that are flowing into the coffers of this military junta and perpetuating these atrocities, he said.

During his mission, the U.N. envoy met with the refugees in Coxs Bazar refugee camps in Bangladesh as well as some of those relocated to a remote island  Bhasan Char.

In October this year, the United Nations and Bangladeshs government signed an agreement to work together to help relocate Rohingya refugees to Bhasan Char island.

More than 19,000 Rohingya have already been moved to the Bhasan Char island from crammed camps near the Myanmar border.

The Rohingya are a Muslim ethnic group, over 700,000 of whom fled persecution and violence in neighboring Myanmar in August 2017. Bangladesh has been sheltering 1.1 million of refugees in crowded camps near its coast.

The government began sending Rohingya refugees to the island a year back, and says it can now accommodate up to 100,000.

Nearly every Rohingya person I spoke with on this mission, whether in the Kutupalong camps or on Bashan Char, wants to return home as soon as they can do so voluntarily, safely, sustainably, and with dignity. They want to go back home, Andrews said.

He, however, said the relentless assault by the Myanmar military junta against its own people as well as systematic clearance in the Rakhine State continued till today.

This means that the conditions for the safe and sustainable, dignified return of Rohingya to their homeland currently do not exist. Itll take considerable time and significant efforts to create such conditions in Myanmar, he said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina pledged that her administration would not force the refugees to go back, and a repatriation agreement between Bangladesh and Myanmar and brokered by China envisaged voluntary return of the refugees to their homeland.

The Rohingya are a Muslim ethnic group, over 700,000 of whom fled persecution and violence in neighboring Myanmar in August 2017. Bangladesh has been sheltering 1.1 million of the refugees in crowded camps near its coast.

A U.N.-sponsored investigation in 2018 recommended the prosecution of Myanmars top military commanders on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity for the violence against the Rohingya.
VIENNA (AP)  The omicron variant of the coronavirus has been detected in 89 countries, and COVID-19 cases involving the variant are doubling every 1.5 to 3 days in places with community transmission and not just infections acquired abroad, the World Health Organization said Saturday.

Omicron's substantial growth advantage over the delta variant means it is likely to soon overtake delta as the dominant form of the virus in countries where the new variant is spreading locally, the U.N. health agency said.
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (PANA) - The G5 Sahel countries celebrated on Sunday to mark the anniversary of the signing of the Convention creating the group, amidst security crisis
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - A delegation of the House of Representatives in Libya (Parliament) agreed with the Turkish National Assembly to form a parliamentary friendship committee, in addition to working to alleviate the suffering of Libyan citizens in Turkey
Vatican City (PANA) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres received the Lamp of Peace award on Saturday, a major honour from the Catholic Church, which, he said, recognises the work of UN personnel striving for peace around the world
Cotonou, Benin (PANA)  The World Bank will says it will soon release US$100 million to help Cotonou to empower women and girls, and expand access to reliable and sustainable energy
Photo: (Photo : JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Images)

A mother from Tennessee is now facing charges of abuse of a corpse for hiding the body of her newborn in a freezer for 27 years. The deed was discovered as the storage unit rental that has the freezer had to go under the hammer in November.

Melissa Sims McCann, 62, was indicted on December 10 for what she did nearly three decades ago. According to the press release from the Tennessee District Attorney's office, McCann rented the unit since March 1994 specifically for storing her newborn's body.

The police said that they were called into the Watts N Storage facility on November 13 following reports of unusual content in one of the units. At first, the authorities were unsure if the corpse was human but further tests from the medical examiner proved that it was an infant's body.

Read Also: Husband's Dying Wish: Mom Gives Birth to Baby via C-section So Husband Can See, Touch Baby Before He Dies

'Give the Baby a Voice'

The Tullahoma Police Department discovered McCann's name of facility's records and she was continuously renting the unit for the last three decades. The cops believe that the baby, whose gender was not revealed, was just days old though they have yet to determine the exact cause of death. McCann gave birth to the baby in her early 30s.

The authorities are also not sure if they could still do a DNA test on the decomposing body. Lawyers for McCann, on the other hand, have not yet talked to the press.

Following McCann's arraignment on December 17, the police said they will file additional charges depending on other evidence that they may discover during the investigation. The authorities are appealing for any information about this case to help with its resolution.

Craig Northcott of the 14th Judicial District said that this was an unusual case but they are determined to resolve what happened to "give the baby a voice." However, investigations could be further stalled since it's the Christmas season.

In Tennessee, abuse of a corpse is considered a Class E felony, which may be punishable by up to six years in prison with a fine of up to $30,000.

Ohio Mom Convicted of Abuse of Corpse Released

Meanwhile in Ohio, a mother who was convicted of abuse of corpse in 2019 has been released from probation and turned over to community control. Brooke Skylar Richardson spent 14 months in jail and was then under probation for three years but the judge believes that she has done her part and did not break any rules during her probation.

In 2017, Richardson was 18 years old when she had her baby in secret and buried the baby girl in their backyard days after the birth. The baby's paternal grandmother Tracy Johnson, however, asked the judge not to release Richardson because she has not been remorseful of her actions. She said her son, the baby's father, has lost his faith in the justice system.

Richardson, however, testified in court that she is sorry for "everything I have put everyone through." She also said that she will continue with her mental health treatment. Her lawyers also said that Richardson worked hard to earn a college degree during her probation and will pursue law.

Related Article: Police Arrest Woman Who Lives With Mom's Corpse To Continue Receiving her Social Security Checks
Photo: (Photo : Emily Elconin/Getty Images)

School districts in the U.S. have been on high alert a week before Christmas following reports of potential threats from a viral school shooting TikTok challenge.

After the deadly Michigan school shooting in late November, a crackdown on potential gun attacks has been on the rise. Some schools have even canceled classes or shut down for the day as a matter of precaution.

Officials in states like New York, Illinois, Connecticut, Montana, Arizona and Pennsylvania have increased their police presence on campus as talks of another deadly attack have sparked on TikTok. Schools have also warned parents of concerning information disseminated on the internet though the authorities believe there is no credibility to the threats.

Read Also: Firefighter Makes Bulletproof Vests for Children Amid Rampant School Shooting Incidents

TikTok Working with Authorities

In a statement, TikTok said that they are taking care of the rumors with "utmost seriousness" and have taken down videos related to the school shooting TikTok challenge. The social media platform also said that it will keep cooperating with the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, as well as the school districts, to stop those promoting violence against the schools.

We handle even rumored threats with utmost seriousness, which is why we're working with law enforcement to look into warnings about potential violence at schools even though we have not found evidence of such threats originating or spreading via TikTok.  TikTokComms (@TikTokComms) December 16, 2021

TikTok is a popular platform among school-aged kids, especially teenagers. The social media giant has come under fire in many incidents this year as kids use the platform to promote various mischief verging on misdemeanor and felony.

Mom of five Trisha Masterson told USA Today that it makes her anxious that schools are no longer safe spaces for her kids. On the day of the school shooting TikTok challenge, she said that her kids, who are between the ages of 10 to 14, decided to still report for class, which was very unsettling for the mom.

Some parents, on the other hand, questioned why other schools closed or canceled classes if the officials were told that the threats are not credible. One father said that apart from the school shooting, "rumors, misinformation, fear and anxiety" are also becoming a big problem in the country. However, officials said that they need to put the safety of the kids as their highest concern thus the call to temporarily close the schools.

What Parents Should Do

Kenneth Trump of the National School Safety and Security Services said parents must have conversations with their children about these potential threats and the alerts they hear online versus the notices from school officials or the police. Moms and dads should put emphasis on the misinformation on social media and insist on their kids to find more credible sources.

The parents must also advise their children not to spread unconfirmed information so they won't contribute to the stress and anxiety of others. Trump said that kids may have a good intention when they share information but this also increases the "distribution of threats," especially if it's unverified.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy in Michigan also urged parents to talk to their kids. They should be aware that threats like this will have serious fallouts even if they think it's a joke or a prank.

Schools need to be proactive in assessing the threats as well. As much as possible, they should have a crisis communication plan to avert the rumors on the internet.

Related Article: Fathers of School Shooting Victims Blast Rep. Thomas Massie for 'Nasty' Christmas Family Photo
Every December, Yahoo! Finance selects a Company of the Year, based on its market performance and its achievements that particular year. However, we can learn just as much from the bad as the good by airing our grievances. Thats why Yahoo! Finance also selects a Worst Company of the Year, polling their audience as to which company upset them the most.

The survey consisted of 1,541 respondents who were mad about a lot this year, from the Robinhood trading freezes last winter to electric truck startup Nikola still not having its act together. But one company irked them the most  was Facebook. The surveys results shed more light on why the company decided to rebrand this year to a new name: Meta Platforms.

The open-ended survey was posted on Yahoo! Finance on Dec. 4 and Dec. 5, and dozens of names were submitted.

Facebook has had its share of controversies this year. Its been under the antitrust microscope and faced a flurry of allegations from a whistleblower claiming Facebook ignored safety issues for the sake of growth. Congress is constantly demanding answers from the company on both fronts.

At the same time, some critics, including conservatives, say Facebook over-policed the platforms speech and stifled their voices. Other critics, including those on the left side of the aisle, claimed that Facebook allowed the spread of misinformation.

What is especially interesting about the Company Formerly Known as Facebook is just how many and varied the reasons people dislike it. It received 50% more votes than the second-place finisher, Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, not for one singular offense but for a litany of grievances from groups of people that may have little else to agree about.

There were significant complaints of censorship, mainly of the right and conservative voices that felt that the "free-speech police" was being unfair and they were owed the right to say whatever they wanted to on the platform.

On the other side, people hectored the platform for failing to police significant misinformation that in the view of critics contributed to people not taking the pandemics potential for death seriously.

Outside of the political conversation, many respondents were upset with the companys effects on children and young people, citing its photo-sharing site Instagram and its effects on mental health, after internal documents revealed the company knew Instagram made teenage girls feel worse about body image issues but didnt address the problem.

For more on this, including the other major "dishonorables" listed, read the full Yahoo! Finance report.
In October, Swedish telecom giant Ericsson Inc has filed a suit against Apple Inc in a federal court in Texas. Ericsson is seeking a declaration that the rates it offered Apple to license its 5G wireless patents are both fair and reasonable.

Ericsson claims Apple is using improper methods to lower the royalty rates it has to pay. Apple is also accused of refusing to license the patents under anything besides its proposed terms.

According to Ericsson, the lawsuit comes as the two tech giants are deadlocked in negotiations over a new license.

Lawyer Monthly reported that "Ericsson claimed that it began negotiating a new license with Apple towards the end of 2020. It said that Apple has maintained its position that Ericssons rates arent FRAND and that the only way for them to become FRAND is by adhering to "Apples self-declared methodology."

Ericsson claims that Apple demanded that standard-essential patents owners grant it permission to examine, value, and license each patent in its portfolio at Apples discretion. Ericsson also claimed that Apple had asked them to prove that every patent is essential, valid, and infringed."

Flash-forward to Friday and we're learning that "Apple Inc. filed a lawsuit accusing Ericsson AB of using 'strong-arm tactics' in negotiations to renew a 2015 license for technology critical to industrywide telecommunications standards, particularly for 5G mobile networks.

The lawsuit alleges Ericsson is violating its obligations to license patents essential to industry standards on fair rates and is making unreasonable demands.

The 2015 agreement, which covered 2G, 3G and 4G technology that expires this month, was signed only after protracted litigation." You could read more about this case at Bloomberg Law (behind a paywall).

This case contains sensitive confidential material that Apple wanted to seal. Patently Apple obtained a copy of Apple's motion and the court granting their motion as presented below.

(Click on image to Enlarge)

Florian Mueller, an award-winning intellectual property activist who blogs under 'Foss Patents,' believes that short of an 11th-hour agreement, Ericsson and Apple are patent ligation-bound.

Mueller added that "It's obviously not inconceivable that Apple and Ericsson may be close to an agreement on renewal terms including Ericsson's 5G patents. It was high time that Apple somehow responded to the complaint, so they might have made the filing now even if the operating assumption was that the issues in that Texas case would never come to judgment.

However, in light of the Holiday Season and the impending expiration of the current license agreement, the likelihood of infringement litigation flaring up again between these two parties has increased.

The clock is ticking. 13 days left [now 12] and then we'll probably--though not necessarily--see a slew of infringement filings. Also, it won't take long now until Apple's license agreement with Nokia expires."

Apple is certainly preparing for a battle with Ericsson as they've reportedly hired two "rock-star" attorneys Ruffin Cordell and Joseph Mueller, according to Foss Patents.

For more, read the full report by Foss Patents.
A private legal practitioner, Martin Kpebu, has asked the government to get an Executive Instrument (E.I) to back the mandatory vaccination exercise in the country.



Mr Kpebu expressed shock that the government commenced enforcement of the mandatory vaccination when there was no E.I to support the directive.



I am surprised that the government is not putting in place the EI. It doesnt take much to put out such an EI, he said on the Key Points on TV3/3FM Saturday, December 18.



As part of measures to control the spread of the coronavirus in the country, the government through the Ghana Health Service (GHS) introduced a number of measures at the Kotoka International Airport.



Among the measures, Airlines who board passengers without proof of payment for the COVID-19 test and would/ could not pay for the test in Ghana will be fined US$3500 per passenger.



Also, non-Ghanaian passengers may be refused entry and be returned to the point of embarkation at a cost to the Airline."



The month of December has been declared by the GHS had as the vaccination month.



Addressing a press conference in Accra on Sunday, November 28, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Patrick Kumah-Aboagye said vaccination was the surest way to deal with the virus.



He further assured that the authorities are going to scale up surveillance measures at the Kotoka International Airport during the Christmas season to ensure that Covid infections do not increase.



He further said that the mistakes that were made in December last year which occasioned the escalation of infections in January this year, will not be repeated.



There is going to be strict enforcement of the protocols at the KIA. We are going to increase surveillance. We are expecting an increased number of people to arrive in the country".



We are going to ensure that our logistics are prepared, we will continue our surveillance to be able to look at that, we are going to look at isolation centers, he said.



He added, Our contact tracing will be strengthened".



We are going to engage with religious organizations to ensure that activities done in Christmas are in accordance with Covid protocols.



Presidential Advisor on Health, Dr Anthony Nsia Asare, allayed fears of persons who are worried about the potential reaction from taking the covid vaccine.



He stated that it is normal to experience headaches, body pains and other reactions. These are indications that the vaccine is functioning properly in the body, he said.



If you are vaccinated and you feel slight headache it means the vaccine is working very well, he said on the Key Points on TV3 Saturday, December 4 with Dzifa Bampoh.



Dr Nsia Asare further urged all persons who are yet to receive their vaccines to do so in order to save their lives and the lives of others.



In his view, Ghana cannot afford to go through the fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic hence the government, through the Ghana Health Service (GHS), has taken the vaccination exercise a step higher in order to get as many as possible inoculated.



Vaccination centers, he stated, are being created closed to the people in the communities including market areas to make it easier for them to go through the exercise.



We cannot afford a fourth wave, he said, adding that we can all do this together if you are vaccinated, he said.



The GHS) this week issued new guidelines to deal with the coronavirus pandemic in Ghana ahead of the Christmas season.



The guidelines include measures to vaccinate as many as possible before Christmas on December 25.



In a press release issued on Thursday, December 9, the GHS said All persons, 18 years and above arriving in Ghana will be required to provide evidence of full vaccination for Covid-19 vaccines.



All unvaccinated Ghanaians and residents of Ghana who are currently outside the country and intend to return within 14 days from the midnight of 12 December 2021 are exempted. However, they would be vaccinated on arrival at the airport.



It added, all Ghanaians traveling out of the country are to be fully vaccinated effectively 12th midnight 2021.

Source: 3news









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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More than one million COVID-19 vaccines have arrived in Accra from the United Kingdom to be shipped across the country as part of Ghanas December vaccine campaign to ensure 20 million people are vaccinated by the end of the year.



A statement issued by the British High Commission in Accra, copied to the Ghana News Agency, said the vaccines arrived safely in Ghana through the UK-Ghana partnership and COVIX.



It said Madam Beth Cadman, the Development Director to the British High Commissioner to Ghana, welcomed the vaccines.



It said standing on the runway at Kotoka International Airport to see the arrival Madam Cadman said: I am immensely proud of this latest arrival of Astra Zeneca vaccines, but we must remember that our work does not end at the airport.



"I am thankful to Ghana Health Service, Ministry of Information, all our partners and teams on the ground who will work tirelessly to make sure these jabs reach those most in need up and down the country



None of us will be safe until everyone is safe - vaccines have protected thousands of lives both here in Ghana and around the world.



"Alongside the vaccines, we must continue to socially distance, wear face-coverings and wash our hands frequently, particularly over the festive period when we will all be spending time with friends and family.



The statement said the UK continues to support Ghanas COVID-19 response: putting UK experts in WHO to work with Ghanas Health Service and the Ministry of health, supporting academia on genome sequencing and Ghana Health Service to expand quality COVID-19 treatment and testing in 40 underserved districts whilst ensuring continuation of essential health services for women and children.



It said the UK was committed to global public health and equal access to vaccines for all. Over the course of the pandemic, the UK has worked hard with partners around the world to lead the public health response.



It noted that this latest donation of vaccines to Ghana comes on top of the UKs 548 million contributions to the global COVAX initiative that, had delivered 250 million doses to 44 low and lower-middle-income countries, including 10.57million delivered to Ghana.





Source: GNA









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Minister for Education, Yaw Osei Adutwum has hailed the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for his efforts in strengthening the education sector, with particular emphasis on his free SHS policy, TVET among others.



Hon. Yaw Adutwum, in a one on one interview with Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FMs Kokrokoo on Thursday, outlined some developmental projects by the President to enhancing the sector.



He touched on the governments efforts to help students acquire technical skills and other practical skills that will better integrate them into the society ensuring they become great future leaders.



He stated that education is the backbone of every economy, therefore the President and the Education Ministry are committed to equipping students with the requisite tools to access quality education.



If your education system is transformed, your country will be transformed in a blink of an eye. Education is the centerpiece. If you dont get education right, everything else you do will be wrong, he said.



He urged Ghanaians to vote for the New Patriotic Party to stay in power, so the Presidents vision wont be messed up by a different government.



Ghana is going to change beyond 2024 with NPP in government. NPP will be in power. Ghanaians dont want a bad thing. They like good things, he assured.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The Minister for National Security, Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah says he is unable to tell Parliament about the cost of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's travels to France, Belgium, and South Africa because it has national security implications.



According to Mr Kan Dapaah, any such disclosure has the potential to compromise the security of the entire state.



"Mr Speaker... the Planning, cost, logistics and execution of Presidential travels has national security implications such that any disclosure prior to, during, and after such travels have the potential of compromising the security of the entire state.



"I must request Parliament to bear with my inability to make such disclosures on the cost of Presidential travels for reasons of national security considerations"



The Minister made this known when he appeared before Parliament to respond to a question by Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu about how much the President's recent official travels to France, Belgium, and South Africa in May this year cost the Ghanaian taxpayer.



Mr Kan-Dapaah said the President's recent official travels to France, Belgium, and South Africa were paid for out of the operational funds of the Ministry of National Security, and payments from these funds are clothed with confidentiality and state secrecy.



He added that it was not a practice in the intelligence community to make details about a President's travels public.



Mr Kan-Dapaah said by convention and public policy considerations the utilization of operational funds are not subject to the oversight of any institution and are not normally disclosed.



However, Mr Ablakwa challenged his response, arguing that the details of the cost of travels for the UK Prime Minister and the American President were made public each year to the House of Commons and the US Congress.



In response, Mr Kan-Dapaah suggested that if Presidential travels in other jurisdictions are disclosed, it may be because they were not paid out of operational funds.



He said payments that were made out of operational funds were always guided by proper financial management practices to ensure that there was value for money.



Mr Kan-Dapaah has also informed Parliament that the cost of air travels of former President John Mahama when he used chartered flights between 2013 to 2016 cannot be disclosed because those travels were covered under the operational funds of the national security and clothed with confidentiality and state secrecy.



It would be recalled that the question on the cost of the President's travel to France, Belgium, and South Africa was initially directed to the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta who declined to respond to the query and asked Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa to forward the question to the National Security Minister who was best placed to answer the question on the Presidential trips.

Source: graphic.com.gh









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Nigerian actress, Tonto Dikeh has disclosed her most feared Nigerian celebrity.



Tonto Dikeh, in an Instagram post, said she will dare not pick a bone with Jim Iyke adding that he might end up teaching her a brutal lesson.



This was after she was asked during an interactive session with fans whether she (Tonto Dikeh) will blog about Jim Iyke if ever she had an opportunity to be a blogger.



In her response, she said: Lmaooo someone said if I be blogger, will I blog about Jim Iyke? E be like say una no like me. Jim go create violence before court date. Una never know Jim. Abeg crase pass crase Biko. Abeg make una leave me o. Na malaria I get. No be die I wan die.



Her reaction has sparked mixed reactions from fans on social media.



Nigerian actor, Jim Iyke has been captured in a series of banters (physical and verbal) with anyone who crosses his path.





Source: mynigeria.com









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This undated electron microscope image made available by the U.S. National Institutes of Health in February 2020 shows the Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus causes COVID-19. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, NIAID-RML
Get Ready for the 2022 888poker LIVE London Festival

December 19, 2021 Calum Grant

888poker are kicking 2022 off with a massive bang as the 888poker LIVE London Festival returns to the Grosvenor Victoria Casino for 12 days of non-stop poker action. The return of the series marks the company's first live event since the 2020 888poker LIVE Festival Madrid and first 888poker event taking place in London since 2019.

The festival runs from January 6-17 and is hosted by one of the most prestigious casino's in the city, commonly referred to as The Vic.

The series has a variety of events with varying buy-ins so that those beginning their poker journey can get involved. Some big prizepools are sure to be generated and players can rejoice in the fact that all tournaments will feature the 888poker Shot Clock as well as Big Blind Antes.

In total, there are nine separate tournaments with the showstoppers being;

888poker LIVE London Festival - 444 Opening Event

888poker LIVE London Festival 888 Main Event

2,200 High Roller

Along with this trio of events, the schedule includes a 50 buy-in Ladies Event and a 200 buy-in Omaha PLO tournament. Further to this, those familiar with 888poker online tournaments will recognise events such as the The Voyage, The Turbo Deepstack, The Big Shot and The Dash Rumble.

A full schedule of the festival is available at the bottom of the article.

Qualify for 888poker LIVE London Festival Online

As well as having a plethora of live satellite events at the 888poker LIVE London Festival, there are plenty of opportunities to get your seat at the Main Event as well as other events on 888poker's online platform.

Players can enter step satellites that begin from just one cent and work their way up to the top or they can fast track themselves by entering a $55 qualifier for the 444 buy-in Opening Event. Players can also take advantage of the $109 qualifiers for the 888 buy-in Main Event. Online qualifiers are currently running and you can find them in the 888poker client.

All step satellites, satellites and qualifiers are open to UK players only.

888poker Strategy: 5 Tips for Spotting Online Poker Tells with Sofia Lovgren

888poker LIVE London Festival - Opening Event

2017 888poker LIVE London Festival winner Christopher Kyriacou

The first tournament on schedule is the 888poker LIVE London Festival - Opening Event and comes with a 444 buy-in, an increase from previous years. There are four starting flights running from January 6-8, with Day 1D operating under a turbo format, before the final day gets underway on January 9.

As well as the above online satellites, there are two turbo satellites to the Opening Event taking place at The Vic which will cost 50 to enter.

888poker LIVE London Festival - Opening Event Schedule

Date Time (GMT) Buy-in Event Thursday, January 6 6 p.m. 444 888Live London Festival - Opening Event Day 1A Friday, January 7 6 p.m. 444 888Live London Festival - Opening Event Day 1B Saturday, January 8 1 p.m. 444 888Live London Festival - Opening Event Day 1C Saturday, January 8 5 p.m. 444 888Live London Festival - Opening Event Day 1D Turbo Sunday, January 9 1 p.m. - 888Live London Festival - Opening Event Final

888poker LIVE London Festival - Opening Event Satellite Schedule

Date Time (GMT) Buy-in Event Friday, January 7 3 p.m. 50 Turbo Satellite to Opening Event Saturday, January 8 1 p.m. 50 Turbo Satellite to Opening Event

888poker LIVE London Festival - Opening Event Previous Winners

Year Buy-In Entries Winner Country Winner's Prize (GBP) Prizepool (GBP) 2018 220 533 Arvydas Budvitis Lithuania 17,000* 165,670 2017 220 771 Christopher Kyriacou United Kingdom 20,000* 142,758 2016 220 700 Svetlin Ivanov France 16,440* 138,600

*Indicates payout deal

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888poker LIVE London Festival Main Event

Adrian Constantin Wins 2019 888poker LIVE London Main Event

While the Opening Event comes with a slightly higher buy-in, the entry fee for the 888Live London Festival Main Event has been reduced from 1,100 to 888. There are five Day 1's with Day 1E being a turbo event and these run from January 13-15.

Day 2 will commence on January 16 at 2 p.m. GMT before the final day which starts at the same time on the following day.

There are several chances to get into the Main Event on the cheap with ten live satellites scheduled during the series.

888poker LIVE London Festival Main Event structure:

Starting Stack: 30,000

Day 1 Level Time: 40 minutes

Day 1E Turbo  15 minutes

Day 2 (& Onward) Level Times: 40 minutes (30 minutes once 5 handed on the final table)

Re-Entry: Unlimited

Registration is open until the draw is displayed for Day 2.

888poker Shot Clock and time bank cards will be in use for this event

888poker LIVE London Festival Main Event Schedule

Date Time (GMT) Buy-in Event Thursday, January 13 6 p.m. 888 888Live London Festival Main Event Day 1A Friday, January 14 1 p.m. 888 888Live London Festival Main Event Day 1B Friday, January 14 6 p.m. 888 888Live London Festival Main Event Day 1C Saturday, January 15 1 p.m. 888 888Live London Festival Main Event Day 1D Saturday, January 15 7 p.m. 888 888Live London Festival Main Event Day 1E Turbo Sunday, January 16 2 p.m. 888 888Live London Festival Main Event Day 2 Monday, January 17 2 p.m. - 888Live London Festival Main Event Final Day

888poker LIVE London Festival Main Event Satellite Schedule

Date Time (GMT) Buy-in Event Sunday, January 9 3 p.m. & 8 p.m. 110 Satellite to Main Event Monday, January 10 2 p.m. & 8 p.m. 110 Satellite to Main Event Tuesday, January 11 2 p.m. 110 Satellite to Main Event Wednesday, January 12 8 p.m. 110 Super Satellite to Main Event Cash Out Satellite Thursday, January 13 2 p.m. 110 Satellite to Main Event Thursday, January 13 8 p.m. 110 Super Satellite to Main Event Cash Out Satellite Friday, January 14 1 p.m. 110 Turbo Super Satellite to Main Event Saturday, January 15 1 p.m. 110 Turbo Super Satellite to Main Event

888poker LIVE London Festival Main Event Previous Winners

Year Buy-In Entries Winner Country Winner's Prize (GBP) Prizepool (GBP) 2019 1,100 518 Adrian Constantin Romania 100,000 512,820 2018 1,100 656 James Williams United Kingdom 121,000 649,440 2017 1,100 427 Tom Hall United Kingdom 78,888* 427,730 2016 880 288 Ka Him Li United Kingdom 45,300 228,096

*Indicates payout deal

888poker Strategy: 5 Tips for 3-Betting in Position from Chris Moorman

888poker LIVE London Festival High Roller

2019 888poker LIVE London Festival High Roller Champion Chris Moorman

The biggest buy-in of the 888poker LIVE London Festival is the 2,200 buy-in High Roller and occurs towards the tail end of the series. Again, there are opportunities to get your seat for the event for a fraction of the price as there are two 240 satellite tournaments for the high stakes event.

There have been some esteemed winners in previous years with WSOP bracelet holder Chris Moorman and WPT Main Event Winner Matas Cimbolas taking the crown on the last two occasions.

888poker LIVE London Festival High Roller Schedule

Date Time (GMT) Buy-in Event Wednesday, January 12 6 p.m. 2,200 High Roller Day 1 Thursday, January 13 5 p.m. 2,200 High Roller Final Day

888poker LIVE London Festival High Roller Satellite Schedule

Date Time (GMT) Buy-in Event Tuesday, January 11 8 p.m. 240 Satellite to High Roller Wednesday, January 12 2 p.m. 240 Satellite to High Roller

888poker LIVE London Festival High Roller Previous Winners

Year Buy-In Entries Winner Country Winner's Prize (GBP) Prizepool (GBP) 2019 2,200 39 Chris Moorman United Kingdom 27,000 77,200 2018 2,200 74 Matas Cimbolas Lithuania 42,505 146,520 2017 2,200 69 Jamie Lunt United Kingdom 34,985* 136,626 2016 2,000 37 Eric Le Goff France 30,000 84,600

888poker LIVE London Festival Full Schedule

Date Time (GMT) Buy-in Event Thursday, January 6 3 p.m. 50 Turbo Satellite to Opening Event Thursday, January 6 6 p.m. 444 888Live London Festival - Opening Event Day 1A Friday, January 7 3 p.m. 50 Turbo Satellite to Opening Event Friday, January 7 6 p.m. 444 888Live London Festival - Opening Event Day 1B Saturday, January 8 1 p.m. 50 Turbo Satellite to Opening Event Saturday, January 8 1 p.m. 444 888Live London Festival - Opening Event Day 1C Saturday, January 8 5 p.m. 444 888Live London Festival - Opening Event Day 1D Turbo Sunday, January 9 1 p.m. - 888Live London Festival - Opening Event Final Sunday, January 9 3 p.m. & 8 p.m. 110 Satellite to Main Event Sunday, January 9 6 p.m. 150 The Voyage Monday, January 10 2 p.m. & 8 p.m. 110 Satellite to Main Event Monday, January 10 6 p.m. 100 The Turbo Deepstack Tuesday, January 11 2 p.m. 110 Satellite to Main Event Tuesday, January 11 6 p.m. 200 The Big Shot Tuesday, January 11 8 p.m. 240 Satellite to High Roller Wednesday, January 12 2 p.m. 240 Satellite to High Roller Wednesday, January 12 6 p.m. 2,200 High Roller Day 1 Wednesday, January 12 8 p.m. 110 Super Satellite to Main Event Cash Out Satellite Thursday, January 13 2 p.m. 110 Satellite to Main Event Thursday, January 13 5 p.m. 2,200 High Roller Final Day Thursday, January 13 6 p.m. 888 888Live London Festival Main Event Day 1A Thursday, January 13 8 p.m. 110 Super Satellite to Main Event Cash Out Satellite Friday, January 14 1 p.m. 110 Turbo Super Satellite to Main Event Friday, January 14 1 p.m. 888 888Live London Festival Main Event Day 1B Friday, January 14 6 p.m. 888 888Live London Festival Main Event Day 1C Saturday, January 15 1 p.m. 110 Turbo Super Satellite to Main Event Saturday, January 15 1 p.m. 888 888Live London Festival Main Event Day 1D Saturday, January 15 7 p.m. 888 888Live London Festival Main Event Day 1E Turbo Saturday, January 15 8 p.m. 200 Omaha PLO Sunday, January 16 2 p.m. 888 888Live London Festival Main Event Day 2 Sunday, January 16 5 p.m. 150 The Dash Rumble Sunday, January 16 8 p.m. 50 Ladies Event Monday, January 17 2 p.m. - 888Live London Festival Main Event Final Day

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Hard on the heels of a trip to Ukraine, one South Carolina congressman is pressing the Biden administration to take steps to preserve the countrys independence, as Russia masses thousands of troops and heavy weaponry along its common border.

Rep. Joe Wilson on Friday told the Aiken Standard the U.S. and its allies must stand firm in its support for Ukraines right to protect its territorial integrity, while leaving Russian President Vladimir Putin no question as to our firm objections to these actions and our willingness to impose crippling sanctions.

A Russian invasion of Ukraine  its smaller and less-equipped neighbor  will lead to a horrific loss of life, the South Carolina Republican warned.

Should a full-scale invasion occur, and help from the West is not secured, Ukrainian commanders expect to be overwhelmed, the New York Times reported Dec. 9. Nonetheless, Wilson said the Ukrainian military is determined to resist for independence.

President Joe Biden has said putting American troops in Ukraine to deter Moscows aggression is not on the table; severe economic sanctions are. But the administration has supplied Ukraine with antitank Javelin missiles  something the Trump administration did, too.

Wilson was one of several lawmakers to visit Ukraine last week. The bipartisan delegation was led by Rep. Ruben Gallego, the Arizona Democrat at the head of the Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations.

The timing of the fact-finding mission was tense, Wilson said, as Putin continues to act belligerent.

The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv on Dec. 13 tweeted a thank-you to the visiting congressmen, acknowledging their commitment to Ukrainian sovereignty.

Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, a move Wilson decried as illegal and bloody. The Group of Seven major industrial nations in a statement this month condemned Moscow for its ongoing military build-up and aggressive rhetoric towards Ukraine.

Any use of force to change borders is strictly prohibited under international law, reads the statement. Russia should be in no doubt that further military aggression against Ukraine would have massive consequences and severe cost in response.

The Kremlin has denied it plans to invade the country.
COLUMBIA  The redrawn election lines for South Carolina legislators give more power to the coast and also to the suburbs of Charlotte where population ballooned over the last decade, while further depleting the influence of rural communities.

The new maps signed into law Dec. 10 carve new seats into Charleston, Horry and York counties by expanding the geographical size of districts elsewhere  a by-product of the state's lopsided growth since 2010.

Republicans could add to their majorities in both chambers  almost certainly in the House, where the new seats are in Republican territory. Wins there would give the House GOP Caucus a supermajority advantage.

And in a state where most elections are already decided in the primaries, even fewer House seats become competitive in a Republican-versus-Democrat general election race. Just 6 percent of that chamber's 124 seats become winnable by the opposing party, except in extraordinary circumstances, according to the nonpartisan League of Women Voters.

The nonpartisan group's message to voters is simple: Vote. And make sure you do so in the primary because even if the November ballot has a choice between Republican and Democrat, the outcome is usually predetermined by district demographics.

"Most of these elections for the General Assembly are over in June," said Lynn Teague, the league's state director, denoting the traditional party primary month.

Why are the districts changing?

The 2020 census showed an increase of nearly 500,000 South Carolinians over the last decade, a 10.7 percent population hike.

The lines had to change so that each House member will represent roughly 41,000 people starting with next year's elections, and each senator will represent about 111,000 constituents. Uneven growth made simple tweaks statewide impossible.

Population exploded along the coastline and the Charlotte suburbs south of the North Carolina line, while rural areas posted either little growth or declining numbers. Basic math meant those high-growth districts had to shrink to shed population, and rural seats had to grow in size to pick up more people.

The details for accomplishing that were up to legislators. In South Carolina, the House and Senate oversee drawing their own lines in the decennial process.

The Upstate saw the least change in the redrawing. While the Greenville/Spartanburg population also surged, the growth was fairly consistent across the region, making big moves in the state's northwest corner unnecessary.

That's why, Teague said, the big geographic winners  where population added power  are limited to the coast and area just south of Charlotte. The big loser was the poor, rural corridor along Interstate 95.

Where are the new districts?

Charleston County is the only county to get a new seat in both the House and Senate.

The House carved a district into Mount Pleasant, sandwiched between the Wando River and U.S. Hwy. 17, guaranteeing that whoever wins District 80 will live in the state's fourth-largest city, which the map splits four ways.

The carve-out moves Rep. Joe Bustos' safely GOP district further up the coast, south of Hwy. 17, stretching to include all of Sullivan's Island into Bulls Bay. And William Cogswell's more-competitive seat shifts westward to include chunks of Mount Pleasant and James Island, as well as downtown Charleston south of Calhoun Street, where he lives.

The Senate created a new, Democrat-heavy district that includes much of West Ashley and James Island, using the Stono and Ashley rivers as natural boundaries, as well as a chunk of downtown Charleston between The Citadel and Broad Street. It takes areas from Republican Sen. Sandy Senn's district, which becomes more rural, extending past Ravenel into parts of Dorchester and Colleton counties.

The overall numbers of House and Senate seats haven't changed. Rather, both of those Charleston County pick-ups are coming from mergers in the Columbia area.

Horry County gets a new House seat that extends from the Intracoastal Waterway up U.S. 501, enveloping Conway, by enlarging districts in the rural Pee Dee.

And York County gets a new House district that forms a triangle  using the North Carolina border, Interstate 77 and the Catawba River as boundaries  and includes Lake Wylie's peninsula city of Tega Cay. That carve-out comes from mergers in Orangeburg County.

While there's no new Senate seat for the Charlotte suburbs, the district that includes areas of York and Lancaster counties just south of the North Carolina border had to shrink the most of any statewide. That seat, held by freshman GOP Sen. Michael Johnson of Fort Mill, shed all but the tip of Lancaster County, where population is exploding in the once-rural, unincorporated Indian Land.

That resulted in big shifts for districts held by Sens. Mike Fanning, a Chester County Democrat; and Penry Gustafson, a Kershaw County Republican who ousted a long-time Democrat last year. Her seat stays safely Republican, while Fanning  who ousted a fellow Democrat in 2016  faces a tougher re-election.

While changes there were unavoidable, Teague said, it means "all of that growth south of Charlotte is drowning out the voices of rural, small-town and longtime residents in areas right below that."

Who benefits?

Overall, Teague gives the Senate map a thumbs up and the House lines two thumbs down, based on how much choice they give voters in a general election.

The Senate keeps the same number of districts competitive, meaning they have a roughly equal number of Republican and Democrat voters, plus or minus 5 percent, giving candidates of either party a shot at winning, according to an analysis of precincts and voting history.

Still, that's just seven out of 46 Senate seats.

Two seats held by Democrats became newly competitive, after Sen. Kent Williams of Marion picked up part of Horry County and Sen. Vernon Stephens' district shrunk from parts of five counties to three: Orangeburg County, his home, and corners of Dorchester and Berkeley counties.

Meanwhile, districts held by GOP Sens. Senn and Chip Campsen of Isle of Palms shifted to solidly Republican.

Teague said that's largely a function of where the growth occurred, rather than gerrymandering.

In terms of keeping communities together, the new Senate map is actually a big improvement over the current one, she said.

It keeps seven more counties whole within a Senate district, splitting 27 instead of 34, and splits less than a dozen precincts, down from 151 statewide.

"In the Senate map, voters are generally winners," Teague said. "On the House side, they're losers."

She and others criticize the House map as extreme gerrymandering to help incumbents of both parties. When it comes to redistricting, bipartisanship is not necessarily a good thing, she said.

The new House map cuts in half the number of competitive districts, from 16 to eight, out of 124 seats, according to the league's analysis. It divides 33 counties, one less than the current map, but splits 365 precincts, compared to 82 splits in the league's own proposal.

"There is nothing at the Statehouse that happens to be more bipartisan than the drawing of district lines, because they work things out between themselves," Teague said. While the Senate map isn't perfect, "they didn't rig it. The House pushed it for sure. It's friendly to them personally."

Rep. Jay Jordan, who led the House's redistricting panel, said that's not the case. The Florence Republican contends the changes are simply due to a shifting toward the population growth. From a math perspective, he said, it's harder to keep communities together in House districts because they represent fewer people.

Teague acknowledged it's not possible in some places to craft seats that aren't shoo-ins for one party or the other. But she noted the league's proposed lines, which didn't consider where incumbents lived, had 19 competitive House seats.

The reconfiguration of House lines automatically ousts five incumbents. Six Democrats are drawn into three districts, and four Republicans are merged into two.

But re-election becomes easier for others. At least five House Democrats are in districts no longer competitive, including J.A. Moore of North Charleston, who flipped the seat in 2018. Perhaps the biggest beneficiary is Rep. Justin Bamberg, D-Bamberg, who squeaked out a win last year to keep a seat newly made deep blue.

What's next?

The new outlines for House and Senate seats are law. Gov. Henry McMaster signed the bill for both chambers Dec. 10, a day after a final vote in the House sent it his way.

Lawsuits challenging the new maps are possible, though more likely on the House side, where filing to run is just three months away. Senators aren't up for re-election until 2024.

Both chambers are in the process of drawing new lines for South Carolina's seven congressional seats. House and Senate panels have released widely divergent proposals on how to do that.

Unlike the Statehouse maps, where each chamber approves its own lines and doesn't mess with the other, the U.S. House lines will be a compromise between the House and Senate. Debate on their separate bills will pick up when the Legislature returns in January.
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. saw Christian ethics as a pathway toward radically transforming the nation into one of justice and the equal treatment of all people.

Among many other tenets, King homed in on the concepts of love, forgiveness and truth-telling.

The truth, particularly relating to America's racist practices and policies, was uncomfortable to many. Addressing the nation's troubling treatment of Black people was particularly hard for White people who felt, as King said in his "Letter from Birmingham Jail," that the activities of the civil rights movement were "untimely."

Such White moderates, King claimed, were more "devoted to order than justice."

Decades later, the YWCA of Greater Charleston is attempting to keep alive King's tradition that told difficult truths about the nation's ills. The organization will seek to do this particularly with its upcoming ecumenical worship service celebrating the birthday of the civil rights leader.

The keynote speaker for the program is the Rev. Anthony Thompson, a preacher who knows well the power of forgiveness and the importance of speaking about the plight African Americans confront regularly.

Thompson's wife, Myra Thompson, was one of the nine slain by a white supremacist at Emanuel AME Church in 2015. Thompson, pastor of Holy Trinity Reformed Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston, was among the first who expressed forgiveness to the murderer. Thompson has since embarked on a journey around the nation, speaking about forgiveness.

But Thompson also talks about racial equity and the need to address bigotry in the United States. The minister understands how that side of his message isn't always readily received, which is why he was surprised that he'd been asked to speak at the YWCA's upcoming worship service.

"When you talked about race relations today  using words like 'systemic racism' and 'anti-Semitism'  it seemingly offends some people, mainly White people," Thompson said. "It should not."

The YWCA feels it is uniquely positioned to talk about such subject matters. The organization's mission is to eradicate racism and empower women. It seeks to accomplish this through many activities  one being its racial equity institute that seeks to address institutional prejudices.

Seemingly echoing King's often-quoted sentiment that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, Executive Director LaVanda Brown said no one in society should rest until all communities are treated fairly.

"Were not afraid to ruffle some feathers if its going to change the system thats damaging our people," she said.

The YWCA is often focused on addressing racism through changes in policy. But Brown said Thompson's message gets at a different, but necessary, angle: seeking to inspire change in people's hearts and minds.

"Hes got such a great spirit," Brown said. "He has a powerful story of forgiveness. It resonates with our mission and Dr. King's mission, dream and lifes legacy."

Thompson, whose book "Called to Forgive" discusses his decision to publicly forgive the man who killed his wife, feels his ministry aligns with that of the Rev. King in how it pulls on Christ as the model for reconciliation.

Forgiveness doesn't look beyond a person's wrongdoing, Thompson said. It must be coupled with educating people on the issues that divide society.

For instance, it's important to talk about slavery and, particularly, Charleston's prominent role in the slave trade because modern-day racism can't be addressed without first examining the past, Thompson said.

You can't move on until you talk about it," he said.

He plans to do just that at the upcoming worship service.

The program will be at 4 p.m. Jan. 16 at Greater St. Luke AME in downtown Charleston.
GREENVILLE  An Upstate diagnostic testing company with a national footprint is opening a training lab facility in One City Plaza, adding to the many announcements this year related to one of tallest buildings in the city's central business district.

ARCpoint Labs will open a 2,000-square-foot lab on the ground floor of the 101 North Main building in the former iStore space next to the downtown location of Methodical Coffee. iStore relocated to 106 N. Main Street.

The lab is set to be complete by the first quarter of 2022.

A looping video on a television in the window of the building is advertising the impending move. The lab aims to encourage new franchises and provide a swath of medical tests.

The 101 North Main building, known previously as the Bank of America building, sat largely vacant after the banking behemoth moved its regional offices to the Camperdown development along the Reedy River.

Furman University then announced it would open a learning space in the ground floor location parallel to the incoming lab. On an even larger scale, Greenville-based Canal Insurance Company announced it would move its offices on Stone Avenue to occupy one-third of 101 North Main, becoming the new anchoring tenant.

We have had a phenomenal growth curve, CEO of ARCpoint Franchise Group John Constantine told The Post and Courier. Weve been able to serve Greenville here locally, but also 130 other markets across the country by pivoting in COVID.

When the pandemic hit, the company transitioned to offer COVID tests.

Because of that, we grew like crazy, and so we just needed more space, Constantine said.

ARCpoint brings interested franchisees to Greenville each month to learn about its business model and to be trained on operating a lab. These services will now be done in the lab.

When new franchisees jumped into ARCpoint, we wanted them to be proud of the brand that they were going to be representing in their market, Constantine said. How better to do that than to have a shiny all-glass lab right in the heart of downtown Main Street?

The community can get COVID-19 tested, flu or COVID vaccines and a wide variety of other tests at the lab. Patients do not need prescriptions from a doctor to be tested.

ARCpoint signed leases simultaneously to have the bottom floor storefront and a 3,000 square-foot space on the third floor. The company moved its corporate offices from the Nelson Galbreath building on Falls Street in August 2021.

Corporate has about 40 employees and is in the process of hiring five more. The lab currently has one employee in Greenville, three remote workers and a few contract employees. The company plans on hiring three to four new people once the lab opens.

Constantine shared that ARCpoint is in the early stages of shifting some of its services. Next to the television advertising the move, a small suitcase-like device sits on a pedestal.

Constantine said he took that device to Rwanda where the company could use it to serve remote patients with a practice called augmented healthcare, which allows them to serve patients remotely with a live medical assistant on site and the doctors brain being able to be remote, Constantine said.

This is not the same practice as telemedicine. More information will be available about the augmented healthcare service over time, Constantine said.
A prominent local attorney was released from jail Dec. 18 on a personal recognizance bond while awaiting trial on allegations he stole money from a client of his Charleston law firm.

Charleston County Magistrate Judge John C. Kenney determined attorney John K. Blincow Jr. was neither a flight risk nor a risk to the community in ordering the $50,000 personal recognizance bond.

The judge warned Blincow that he must abide by conditions of his release, including appearing for all future court hearings.

It was a reminder the 62-year-old attorney likely did not need.

Blincow began his career 37 years ago as a prosecutor for the 5th Circuit Solicitor's Office in Columbia before moving into private practice. A longtime resident of West Ashley and married father of four grown children, Blincow worked for several prominent local law firms before starting his own practice, Blincow Griffin, in 2015 with fellow attorney John Griffin.

On Dec. 18, Blincow was arrested on one count of felony breach of trust with fraudulent intent on allegations he misappropriated $75,000 entrusted to him by a woman who hired him to represent her in a federal lawsuit.

The woman told Charleston police investigators she wrote two checks to Blincow, one for $50,000 to retain his services and a second for $25,000 to pay for expert witnesses and other expenses, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

The checks were deposited Dec. 9, 2020, in the law firm's bank accounts, but records obtained by police showed Blincow transferred the money into a personal bank account, a few thousand dollars at a time, over the next several months, the affidavit states.

By Aug. 31, the entire $75,000 had been transferred into Blincow's account, the affidavit states, even though the federal lawsuit had been dismissed by June 29.

Blincow allegedly admitted to the client in a phone call she secretly recorded that he spent her money on personal uses, records state.

Frank Cornely, Blincow's defense attorney, said before the bond hearing it was an unusual case  Blincow was a well-respected attorney with no criminal history.

Cornely said he had not seen evidence in the case as of Saturday. He was focused first on getting his client out of jail.

Blincow was released from the county jail shortly before 4 p.m.

A future court date has not yet been scheduled.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified a man as a representative of the prosecutor's office. He was representing the Charleston Police Department.
Aiken County stands to gain a state park just outside of North Augusta thanks to the legal settlement reached this summer between Dominion Energy and the South Carolina Department of Revenue. It has been 15 years since South Carolina last opened a state park.

The 190 acres at Misty Lake off Ascauga Lake Road in Aiken County had been used as a recreational retreat for Dominion employees and their guests and boasts a 6,200-square-foot clubhouse. The site is one of three properties that are expected to come into the state park service over the next year, the others being Pine Island Club on Lake Murray near Columbia and the Ramsey Grove plantation in Georgetown County.

Plans for an additional land offer from Dominion, the 94-acre Bundrick Island, also on Lake Murray, have not yet been finalized.

Paul McCormack, director of the South Carolina Park Service, called the land transfers a hopeful case and said the final approval process would take place next week, with the formal deed transfer from Dominion occurring sometime next year.

The property at Misty Lake, valued at $2.48 million, would require little work following the transfer before it would be ready for public use. McCormack said that Dominion had maintained the property, including its infrastructure, despite not having used the clubhouse since the pandemic began.

There are no hiking trails at the site currently, but the land is associated with another site that McCormack said was suitable for a longer-term campground.

The state had most recently opened a new park in 2006 when the 7,000-acre H. Cooper Black recreation area in northeastern South Carolina was transferred to the park service from the state Forestry Commission.

Separate from the deal with Dominion, McCormack said the park service is also working with the state Department of Natural Resources to turn a site at Charlestons Fort Johnson into a park.

Its an incredibly exciting time for the Park Service, to be growing more parks than weve done in a very long time  in my 26-year career weve only added a handful of parks in that entire span, so to potentially (add) four or five in a year is pretty exciting.

The land deal with Dominion totals some 2,900 acres, and is part of the larger $165 million settlement arrived at in June between Dominion and the states revenue department. The settlement resolved the question of how much Dominion owed in taxes tied to the abandoned V.C. Summer nuclear plant expansion project in Jenkinsville.

The V.C. Summer project had begun under South Carolina Electric & Gas Co. in 2008 and ended abruptly in July 2017. Dominion bought out SCE&G two years later, in 2019, and took on its liabilities, including the unpaid taxes owed on parts and materials purchased for the V.C. Summer project, reported the Post and Courier earlier this month.

That project had involved a deal between SCE&G and the state that the utility would not have to pay the state sales tax on nuclear materials purchased for the project, and instead would have most of those taxes forgiven when the new reactors went online, an event that never transpired.

Because of both parties willingness to achieve a reasonable compromise, we can now get much closer to [a] final resolution to this issue, said Dominions Rhonda OBanion, in a statement to the Aiken Standard on Monday. We are hopeful that the property transactions that are part of the settlement will receive all necessary approvals so the state can acquire the property, and we can move forward in the best interest of our customers and the communities we serve.
North Augusta planning commissioners on Thursday approved three development requests, including the general development plan for a now vacant pocket of land between East Martintown Drive and East Buena Vista Avenue.

The 43.5 acres owned by the limited liability company SC North Augusta East Martintown, an outfit of Greenville-based RealtyLink, have been proposed for a total of 537 new homes, including 300 market rate apartment units, 100 senior living residences and 137 single-family homes. About 8 acres of commercial office space and retail is also planned for the area as well as a centrally located park with walking trails that could connect to the Greeneway in the future. Planning commissioners had reviewed the sketch plan for this development in August and on Thursday gave it the stamp to go before city council.

HAMRICK FARMS

Commissioners also approved a modification to the existing development plan for the Hamrick Farms apartments on West Martintown Road, eliminating an earlier requirement from 2006 that one-third of its planned 385 units be reserved for senior housing. Luke Boatwright of Stanley Martin Homes cited market changes over the past 15 years as the reason behind his request.

THE HAMMONDS

A tabled residential project also gained ground Thursday evening when commissioners OKd an Augusta developers request for a major subdivision preliminary plat to build 64 townhomes on 4.8 acres along West Five Notch Road.

Commissioners had first received the request by The Hammonds at Five Notch in April of last year, prior to all of the affected parcels being brought into the city limits. Commissioners had, at the time, withheld making any recommendation to city council, requesting instead additional information about potential traffic patterns in the area that might result from the planned development.

The recent proposal from The Hammonds is an extension of an earlier subdivision approved in July 2008 for 33 townhomes at 209 W Five Notch Road.
Writings on the Wall

Unsatisfied with the Articles of Confederation, James Madison pushed for a constitutional convention. He wrote most of the constitution but so Read more
Kamala Harris has told the Los Angeles Times that the Biden administration failed to anticipate the coronavirus variants that plague America and the rest of the world. She stated:

We didnt see Delta coming. I think most scientists did not  upon whose advice and direction we have relied  didnt see Delta coming. We didnt see Omicron coming. And thats the nature of what this, this awful virus has been, which as it turns out, has mutations and variants.

Is it really surprising that the Wuhan coronavirus has mutations and variants? As I understand it, viruses that cause flu mutate and vary. I think thats why the flu shot is somewhat different from year to year.

Thus, it seems hard to believe that most scientists discounted the possibility that variants of the virus would appear. Perhaps they didnt consider this likely, but thats different from failing to anticipate mutations and variants. Its the job of the president and public health officials to anticipate not just probable deadly outbreaks, but also deadly outbreaks that are reasonably possible.

Moreover, the delta variant emerged before Joe Biden and Kamala Harris took office. It was first identified in India in late 2020. By January 21, 2021, it was unreasonable to discount the real possibility that this variant would plague the U.S. And given the emergence of the delta variant, the possibility of further variants emerging should have been anticipated. (Lets also remember that Biden declared independence from the virus on July 4 of this year. By then, the delta variant had been around for half a year.)

Given the nature of viruses and what was known about the delta variant by January 2001, if the Biden administration and the scientists on whom it relied did not anticipate variants, this was a major blunder. For Harris to admit that she and Biden committed the blunder is a second blunder.

If the administration did anticipate the variants, then it would seem that Harris is (1) lying and (2) doing so against Team Bidens interests.

Theres a third possibility. Maybe the administration anticipated the very real possibility of variants emerging, but Harris was so far out of the loop that she doesnt know this.

Regardless of which scenario one chooses, Harris comes off looking terrible.

During the same interview, Harris complained that misinformation has played a major role in prolonging the pandemic. She says she underestimated the role that such misinformation would play.

Harris was referring to misinformation that deters people from getting vaccinated. But, as the LA Times report on its interview with the vice president points out, Harris was one of the first to spread this sort of information:

Harris hedged when asked in September 2020 whether she would take a vaccine if it was approved before the election, saying it would be an issue for all of us because I would not trust Donald Trump.

Having helped create vaccine hesitancy, and knowing that many Blacks were already hesitant to take vaccines due to distrust of the government, Harris should have known that convincing significant segments of the population to get vaccinated would be a problem. But, as with the variants, she was clueless.

It seems like every time that Harris does an interview and much of the time that she appears in public, she makes a fool of herself and reduces her prospects of being elected president.
I didnt know that there is an election going on in Chile. But there is, and observers say that the Left is favored to retake control of that country, which has seen unprecedented prosperity since it adopted free enterprise policies beginning in the 1980s. Dan Mitchell has the story.

Most notable is this animation, which shows the opposite paths taken in recent decades by Chile and Venezuela, formerly one of the worlds richest countries. There couldnt be a clearer demonstration of the contrast between free enterprise and socialism as a source of human well-being:

Chile and Venezuela. Two countries with very different economic trajectories in recent decades. This animation shows per capita income from 1970 to 2017. Source: https://t.co/XzW3Xhtig4 pic.twitter.com/EWGhMIAMKB  Simon Kuestenmacher (@simongerman600) February 26, 2020



The idea that socialists may win in Chile is bad enough, but here in the U.S. the Democratic Party, which currently controls the presidency, the House and the Senate, also wants to take us down the Venezuelan path of socialism.

Dan Mitchells site features this quote from the late Walter Williams:

Capitalism is relatively new in human history. Prior to capitalism, the way people amassed great wealth was by looting, plundering, and enslaving their fellow man. Capitalism made it possible to become wealthy by serving your fellow man.

But most liberals lack the skills necessary to prosper by serving others, so they prefer the old-fashioned route of plunder. And, as in Venezuela, printing money and pretending that it represents wealth.
Referring to our hope for the defeat of the Democrats Bummer Beyond Belief bill, I wrote earlier this year that if youre relying on Joe Manchin, youre in a bad spot. As the Senate has adjourned for the year, I want to acknowledge that I was wrong. Manchin stood fast. Manchin didnt cave. Manchin was the man. If he caves in 2022, I wont be surprised, but I thought he would fold by now. To repeat, I was wrong.

What happened? Perhaps it was the minuscule size of the fig leaf Democrats served up for the folding. Perhaps he doesnt like being pushed around. Perhaps he likes being the focus of attention. Perhaps he believes in the substance of the objections he has raised. Its possible.

Reading the email newsletter summaries sent out several times a day by Politico, Axios, and others, I couldnt believe the pressure that they sought to exert on him in one way or another. Politico and Axios held out hope until the end. See, for example, the December 13 Playbook installment by Rachael Bade and Eugene Daniels, All eyes on the Joes. Keep hope alive!

Politicos Burgess Everett took a look back and a look ahead at the end of the week in Dems trudge toward 2022 with Bidens megabill reeling. Subhead: Senate Democrats are preparing to flee D.C. for the holiday break with their partys agenda concretely in limbo. Keep nope alive!

The Democrats media adjunct of course sought to contribute to Manchins folding. Manchins declaration to the HuffPost reporter last week  Youre bullshit  said it all, to all of them. It was a widely applicable observation, from the heart, and it will stand the test of time. It should make it into Bartletts.

The Democrats media adjunct of course not only joined in the campaign to pressure Manchin, it also blamed him for the Bidens failure to achieve passage of the bill (tweet below). This is classic. The Democrat press is not only stupid, it is the cause of stupidity in others. It isnt clear to me that Kyrsten Sinema has signed off on the shapeshifting Bummer Beyond Belief, but Manchin is one of at least 51 Senators who have found it wanting.

A single senator is about to seriously set back an entire presidential agenda. https://t.co/0pvzruT6mV  ABC News (@ABC) December 17, 2021

Senator Sinema was the first contributor featured in the favorite books of 2021 offered by political figures in the December 8 Wall Street Journal round-up here. Reading closely, I think its possible to discern a message between the lines:

Its uncool in American politics to change ones mind or opinion. In Think Again, Adam Grantdecidedly uncool in todays political scenemakes the compelling case that not knowing is okay, that unlearning and rethinking is not only an act of courage but an act of mental strength, and that its absolutely worth being wrong if you learn and grow from the change. I couldnt love this more. Guided by research and real-life examples, Mr. Grant helps us all see that the quest for new knowledge, the hunger for ideas, the willingness to challenge or question our own beliefs, creates space for the new ideas and growth we so desperately need for our future. I want to share this book with everyone.

Rachael Bade and Burgess Everett pick up on Sinema in the December 16 Playbook installment Manchinemas Christmas present to Dems: A blunt reality check (bolding and links omitted):

Its a fitting end to a year dominated by two Senate Democrats at the center of pretty much everything in 2021: JOE MANCHIN and KYRSTEN SINEMA have all but put the kibosh on two major proposals their own party was hoping to pass before the holiday break.  FIRST: Manchins talks with President JOE BIDEN over Build Back Better hit a brick wall. Earlier this week, Senate Democrats were looking to the president to bring the stubborn West Virginia Democrat around. Instead, Burgess Everett, Alex Thompson and Jonathan Lemire report that their discussions have gone so poorly that theyre straining their friendly relationship. Frustration among White House aides with Manchin is high and growing. And while Biden likes Manchin personally, he too has grown tired of the elongated talks and will soon push him to make a decision and support the legislation, according to two White House sources, the trio write. Thats why Senate Democrats are now bracing for BBB talks to drag into next year, when theyll need to move quickly before election season kicks into high gear and makes passage impossible. As Bloombergs Laura Litvan, Erik Wasson and Steve Dennis noted in their write-up of the latest Biden-Manchin drama, Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER didnt reiterate his Christmas deadline Wednesday for the first time in a while.  SECOND: Realizing the BBB challenges with Manchin, Senate Democrats this week did an about-face on their topic du jour. Instead of narrowing in on their $1.7 trillion social spending bill, they started eyeing a Senate rule change to enable passage of a long-stalled voting rights bill. But just when it seemed like Manchin might be softening on this issue, Sinema (Ariz.) popped the balloon. In a statement to Burgess on Wednesday night, she reiterated that shes against any change to Senate rules that effectively weaken the filibuster. When Republicans eventually take power, her office said, they could replace the Democrats changes with a nationwide voter-ID law, nationwide restrictions on vote-by-mail, or other voting restrictions currently passing in some states extended nationwide.

Sinemas rationale for standing by the filibuster doesnt represent an example of thinking again, but it also warrants a close reading. She has arrived at a formulation of her rationale that Democrats and their media adjunct should find difficult to challenge.

UPDATE: Minutes after I posted these observations, Senator Manchin appeared on FOX News Sunday. Interviewed by Bret Baier, Manchin held out no prospect for a change of mind on the Bummer Beyond Belief next year. He can only be understood as saying that he will remain a no on the bill in anything like its present form.

I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation, he said. I cant get there.

Quotable quote (inviting a vote on the bill): I dont know how many ways I can say it.

UPDATE BY PAUL: Manchin found another new way to say it. He stated: My Democratic colleagues in Washington are determined to dramatically reshape our society in a way that leaves our country even more vulnerable to the threats we face.

That sums it up nicely.
Love is in the air! After years of denial, popular Nigerian actors Abdulateef Adedimeji and Bimpe Oyebade, held their traditional wedding in Ado Ekiti on Saturday.

Their colleagues Adeniyi Johnson and Jide Awobona, who attended the wedding, also shared photos from the event on Instagram.

Several celebrities like Mercy Aigbe, Femi Adebayo, Yetunde Bakare, Bolanle Ninalowo, Yul Edochie, Kunle Remi and Bidemi Kosoko also felicitated with the couple on Instagram.

Adedimeji confirmed his love affair with the actress on his instagram page with captions and pre-wedding pictures earlier in the month.

This was after the pictures of their wedding invitation card leaked on social media.

The Ayinla star also shared adorable photos from their pre-wedding shoot, saying: We have brought between them love.

Two souls with but a single thought;

Two hearts that beat as one

All on God

Prior to the wedding , their fans suspected that they were lovers because they were in the habit of rocking matching outfits and posting the photos on Instagram

However, the celebrity couple had their introduction at Ijero-Ekiti on Friday.

Love story

They met a number of times without any interaction before they met to work on the same set in 2018.

The bride said it wasnt love at first sight for both parties because they were dating other people.

Movie after movie, project after project, the bond got stronger and they became bloggers delight.

It was after they both met on the set of Toyin Abrahams 2021 movie, IGE, that they realised they only had eyes for each other.

The groom popped the question on August 9,2021, and his bride gave him a resounding yes.

Here are some of their wedding pictures:
When Folu Olamiti clocked 70 on November 30, his peers and junior colleagues dropped lines on social media and in newspapers in honour of a man who strayed into journalism but became one of its titans in his country during 32 eventful years at one of Nigerias oldest newspapers.

Mr Olamiti left the Nigerian Tribune as an executive director. Before then, he had held all the top editorial positions in the newspaper. He had also been a star reporter, famously covering the unsuccessful presidential campaigns of the founder of the newspaper, Obafemi Awolowo, in 1979 and 1983 under the short-lived Nigerian Second Republic.

But he also made good friends outside the loop of his professional fraternity, as he reflected when he sat with this reporter for this interview at his Abuja home a day after a quiet celebration of his birthday. Some of those friends offered the hands that helped him back to his feet after an unhappy end to his service at his beloved Imalefalafia station.

Perhaps a bigger irony of his life, however, was that Mr Olamiti never really planned to be a journalist. He did not know what it meant to be one and was surprised when he found himself as one. I had no inkling of the profession until after I joined it, he said.

Strayed into journalism

After writing his higher school exams at Ilesha Grammar School, Mr Olamiti had gone to Ibadan to look for a job. At the secretariat, he ran into his former school principal who told him they were recruiting young teachers. But after two years he decided to quit teaching and got another job as a sorter of mails at the post office.

His childhood friend, Eric Teniola, who would become an editor at The Punch before retiring in the civil service as a director at the presidency, was at that time a reporter at the Tribune. He invited him to their office in Adeoyo.

It was a ramshackle one-storey building with wooden staircase and ceilings, Mr Olamiti recalled. The editor was Ikhan Yakubu, who is now late. He said I should write an application. The next day Eric came with my appointment letter. I said is this how to be a journalist? It was an attractive job, people rated journalists very highly then. So I was very excited.

But he was quick to experience the less glamorous side of his new profession. They put me on the police beat and I was going to police stations every day to see their diaries of petty crimes.

One day I wrote a story that burglars were terrorising Ibadan. That even people living very close to the police station were being robbed. That was how they came and picked me up. They locked me up for three days. When I came out, people started shouting, Journalist from detention, journalist from detention.

Not quite long after, they asked me to go for training at NIJ (Nigerian Institute of Journalism in Lagos), a three months training in news writing. It was there that I knew what journalism is, that you have to keep yourself informed and know the rules. Not like now that everybody is floating online newspapers and publishing all kinds of things. They have polluted the profession, and it is going to be very difficult for us to get it right again.

Covering Awos campaigns

Mr Olamiti went on to cover many beats, reporting from across Nigeria and travelling to many countries for professional training and to cover events. One of his most interesting assignments, however, was covering the electioneering campaigns of Mr Awolowo for the presidential elections of 1979 and 1983.

It was an exciting experience. There is no place in Nigeria that I did not tour with Baba Awo. Most of the time I flew with him in the same helicopter, covering the campaign everywhere he went. There are no more politicians like Baba in Nigeria. Baba structured his campaign so that he could speak to the people in every part of the country. His rallies were well attended. Everywhere we went in the north people were shouting Haske, haske, haske. That is light (the symbol of the UPN). And we were all hopeful that Baba would win the election.

Awo and electoral setbacks

Mr Awolowo did not win either of the elections. His Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) returned second behind the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) of President Shehu Shagari both years. However, the UPN, and most stridently the partys mouth organ, the Nigerian Tribune, bitterly protested that the polls were rigged.

Mr Awolowo challenged the result of the 1979 poll, which was conducted by the retreating military regime of Olusegun Obasanjo, up to the Supreme Court. The major ground for the challenge was that Mr Shagari did not satisfy the constitutional provision of receiving at least a quarter of the votes cast in at least two-thirds of all the states. Mr Shagari had met that benchmark in 12 of the then 19 states but was controversially declared the winner because he recorded over a quarter of the votes in two-thirds of another state, Kano.

In 1983, the NPN even more controversially swept the polls and Mr Shagari was overwhelmingly reelected president, again beating Mr Awolowo to the second position. This time, Mr Awolowo declined to challenge the outcome of the election in court. Instead, he maintained what the media called a loud and ominous silence.

Three months into Mr Shagaris second term in the last days of December 1983, a military coup overthrew his government and the entire Second Republic edifice collapsed. The soldiers would keep civil rule at bay for the next 16 years.

Mr Olamiti had a ringside view of events in the Awolowo camp in those giddy days and recalled the politicians personal attitude to what turned out to be his final electoral setback.

He did not take it lightly. That was when Baba started having that heart problem, he said. You see, I pitied Baba over all those events because he used his resources and energy to fight for the leadership of this county. But Baba was too trusting and some of his subordinates betrayed him. I wont mention names. While he was working hard they were pulling him down.

Mr Olamiti cited a major event in the 1983 election to buttress his analysis.

We were in Maiduguri for a campaign schedule when they called Baba to come to Kaduna. They said a group of the Northern establishment that the media then called the Kaduna Mafia wanted to discuss with him.

Later, they called us that Baba wanted us to join him in Kaduna. When we got there, myself and Segun Babatope, who was then at Lagos Radio, Baba said things had changed o. That they had endorsed his candidature and they would announce it publicly on Monday.

It was on a Saturday. He said go to Ibadan and write that story for the Sunday Tribune. It was on the front page that Sunday and it flew all over.

But the endorsement was not the Open Sesame that Mr Awolowo anticipated as the UPN did not do better at the poll in the north than it had managed four years earlier in 1979. Mr Olamiti said he believes the Kaduna Mafia endorsement was a ruse and had led the UPN to lower its guards, leaving the NPN to have a field day in allegedly manipulating the elections.

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Mr Olamiti cited another incident that grated even more with the Awolowo camp  the perception that then head of state, Mr Obasanjo, unfairly helped Mr Shagari across the line in 1979. This was aside from the controversial position of the then Federal Electoral Commission (FEDECO) on the two-thirds saga that finally decided the winner.

We were in Sokoto during the 1979 campaigns. I was listening to the network news on the radio very early in the morning when I heard Obasanjo saying something about the best candidate not necessarily winning an election. I said what kind of statement is this? He was the best candidate. Nobody campaigned like Awolowo.

I went to him and said Baba, this is what I heard o. He said Are you sure? I said Yes, sir. He said okay, lets wait for the 9 p.m. news. Baba said, I assure you that if they do not allow us to win this election that may be the end of democracy in Nigeria. But he then said: We must have faith in God, dont let us be discouraged. Man proposes, God disposes. But if they rig the election, fine. That was what Baba said. I think he did not believe that it would happen.

Close view of Awo

Mr Olamitis job enabled him to have a close personal relationship with Mr Awolowo, his publisher. Baba loved people around him. If you are honest and sincere, Baba would love you. There was a time we were on the table eating with Baba and we were discussing. I said Baba, I never knew I would meet you in life. When I was very young, people would be shouting Awo, Awo, Awo. They would put a bowl of water on the ground and say they could see your image in it. Baba just laughed it off.

Baba was bold. That is why his political foes feared him. They feared him because they didnt know the source of his power. He had faith in God. Baba said we should have a clean heart, that there is nothing you will ask with a clean heart that you will not get. Baba served God till the end.

Another side of Mr Awolowo that impressed Mr Olamiti was his concern for the welfare of people.

One day, we were going somewhere and Baba just called me and said You must be thinking of owning a house. My father served the Anglican Church for 40 years and he did not own a house. My father retired into a mud house. So I told Baba that I didnt have that dream of owning a house yet because of that background.

But Baba rebuked me: Dont talk like that, young man. Your ambition should be tall. You should be thinking already about how to own a house. On Friday, go and look for land in Ibadan, I will pay for it.

On Sunday he called me and said: I sent you and you did not get back to me. That was how I went to meet my in-law, Ade. I said I needed a parcel of land immediately. He said he would give me two plots for a nominal fee of N100. When I got to Baba and said I had found land, he said how much? I said N100. Baba gave me N250. That was how I got the land. By the time I was 41, I had a house.

Exit from Tribune

After Mr Awolowos death in 1987, Mr Olamiti remained close to the family and continued to work at its newspaper in Ibadan. He edited the Sunday Tribune and then Nigerian Tribune in the last stages of military rule in Nigeria under the Ibrahim Babangida and Sani Abacha regimes, during which the newspaper managed to keep out of trouble when the two dictators shut down many national newspapers after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election.

However, Mr Olamiti was shown the door after over three decades of service to the newspaper. I left amid so many intrigues and crises, he said.

But that was when he also began to see the values of the contacts and friends he made during those many years of journalism.

I went on a course. When I came back they sent me on terminal leave. I had just sent my first child to the university in America then. The boy was 19. He was on a scholarship but I had to be paying about six thousand dollars to balance up. When I left Tribune, there was just N100,000 in my account. They calculated my emoluments for 32 years and it was about N700,000. But they paid me only N200,000 because they said I stood in for some credit adverts.

Friends and post-retirement recovery.

And that is why I can never forget Chief Bode George. He has been a pillar of support for me. He paid some of the school fees of my child abroad and through him I was able to get into the civil service. President Obasanjo appointed me as a member of the Presidential Action Committee on Firearms (Lights weapons). After two years, I was appointed to the ICPC to work with Justice Ayoola who was also our chairman at the Presidential Action Committee. That was how we met. There were all kinds of intrigues too at ICPC but Baba Ayoola stood by me.

Other people also played key roles in my life. Brigadier-General David Mark who I first met when he was military governor of Niger State. We have maintained a close relationship and he was one of those who first sent me birthday wishes.

General Buba Marwa too has also taken me as a brother, he also called me yesterday. He is always with his friend, come rain or sunshine. When I went to see my son who was at the air training school in South Africa, General Marwa was the High Commissioner there and he treated me like a top diplomat.

Another person who played a key role in my life and is still there is the former governor of Ogun State, Segun Osoba. He loves people of the pen profession, he can sacrifice his life for the journalists that he believes have integrity and are hardworking. I remember when we went to cover the case against the deportation of Shugaban Darman in Maiduguri in the Second Republic, he booked my flight and accommodation. Knowing our challenges then at the Tribune, he also allowed me to use the communication gadgets of Sketch.

Faith

Mr Olamiti is serious on the issue of faith. Maybe that should be expected, given that his father was a cleric.

That is the key thing in my life. You see, when you have God, hold on to Him. Dont waver, dont move sideways. Just call on God. He listens to us. Even as we are sitting here now, the spirit of God is with us. He is looking at us now. When you have faith in God nothing can move you. Have confidence in yourself too. But when you commit sin, that is when your faith cannot work. I dont have money but I have integrity and I have friends around me.

Celebration

The celebration of his birthday in Abuja was low-key. His wife, a university don, was on sabbatical outside the country while his children also live abroad. But Mr Olamiti was no less happy. It was awesome to find two leaderships of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, present at the thanksgiving and Holy Communion service, he said of the event at the Anglican Church in Life Camp, Abuja.

The current leadership of the church, the Archbishop Metropolitan and Primate of Nigeria, Henry Ndukuba, was in charge of the service and the immediate past Primate, Most Rev Nicholas Okoh and the wife, were present. That is to show how glad I was. I dont remember ever seeing those two key people in the Church of Nigeria present at an occasion like that. I was so excited. It was a workday, but the quality of the people that came, and those who have even called me, make me so happy.

Early years

Maybe his experience as the son of a cleric could also have chased him in a different direction. He recalled his tough early life. My father was a catechist. We suffered poverty. No money. Then, when I sat with my father, I would not talk. He would ask me why I was quiet? I would say, Baba I am quiet because I am thinking of the future, a future where I can take care of you my parents. Baba would say lets keep praying.

We depended on church members for our upkeep. There were seven children in the family, but there was never enough food to eat. But my father loved children because his fathers children had died one after the other. My father didnt want anything to happen to us.

But something happened before my Papa died. That is why we should have faith in God. My father used to move around, they were in Ondo and he retired into a mud house. In that house, we just put a mat on the floor to sleep, there was no furniture. In the kitchen we used firewood.

My elder brother and I would hawk for our mother early in the morning from around 5 a.m. We would go round the community to sell before preparing for school.

House for father

Mr Olamiti said he always thought of taking his father out of the mud house.

We later built a family house for our father, a bungalow. We put everything inside, bed and all. When I told my father that we were moving him out of the mud house, he said he would not go to anybodys house. I said let us go Baba, the house is yours. Mama said let us start packing everything, but I said no need, lets leave everything here. When we got to the house, my father stood outside and stared at the house. You mean this is my house or somebody elses house? He shook his head when he entered and saw the bed, light and fan. He laid on the bed and started praying for us, his children.
At least 32 persons were killed in various attacks by non-state actors across the country last week.

A review of the figure shows a decline of less than 50 per cent when compared to the previous week when 69 persons were reported killed.

Out of the 32 persons, two were police officers while one was a serving member of the Kaduna State House of Assembly.

Unlike previous weeks where most of the killings were recorded in the North-west region where bandits are terrorising innocent persons, more killings were recorded in the North-central zone.

PREMIUM TIMES compiled the incidents from media reports. Thus, unreported cases are not included.

Below are the recorded incidents:

Nine killed in Plateau

The Police Command in Plateau State said gunmen killed nine persons and injured four others in an attack on Pinau community in Wase Local Government Area of the state.

Ubah Ogaba, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the command said in a statement on Monday in Jos that the incident occurred on Sunday evening.

Four in Kogi

A policeman and three others lost their lives on Thursday in Odo Ere, the headquarters of Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State during the confusion that ensued after the reported arrest of some hoodlums suspected to be members of a robbery gang that invaded banks on Tuesday in the surrounding communities.

Three in Benue

Gunmen on Thursday killed a man and his two sons in an ambush at Ore community along the Ore Egbeba Road, Apa-Agila Council Ward, in the Ado Local Government Area of Benue State.

The victims, identified as Mr Enogu, Chigbo Enogu and Sunday Enogu, were said to have been attacked while returning from their farm.

13 in Kaduna

Armed gunmen on Sunday night opened fire on travellers along Abuja-Kaduna highway, killing two passengers aboard a J5 bus.

It was gathered that the incident occurred between 10:30 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. but there was no response from security operatives despite the proximity to a security check post.

Still on the deadly highway, bandits killed Shila Ojebola, a Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) staffer despite the payment of N7 million ransom to secure his release from his abductors.

Mr Ojebola was kidnapped along Abuja-Kaduna highway about three weeks ago.

Still in Kaduna, a member of the State House of Assembly representing Giwa West, Rilwanu Gadagau, was killed by bandits who abducted him at a point called Dindin Rauga along Kaduna-Zaria Road on Monday night.

Also in Kaduna, the state government said at least nine people were reported killed and two others injured in separate attacks in Chikun, Zaria, and Zangon Kataf local government areas of the state.

One in Abia

Gunmen in military camouflage early Monday attacked policemen beside the Abia State Command Headquarters, killing one Inspector Friday Adama.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Geoffrey Obonna, confirmed the death of Mr Adama.

Two in Imo

The traditional ruler of Ihitte Ihube autonomous community in the Okigwe Local Government Area of Imo State, Paul Ogbu, who was kidnapped on Sunday after his palace and vehicle were razed, was found dead.

A youth leader in the community who was also kidnapped alongside the slain monarch was also found dead.
Nigeria on Saturday recorded 828 new COVID-19 infections, just about half of the figure recorded on Friday.

The latest statistics released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Sunday morning, shows that the new confirmed cases were reported across 13 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

As the new confirmed cases raised Nigerias infection toll to 223,483 cases, the fatality toll still stands at 2,984, as no fatality was recorded on Saturday.

The statistics also show that Lagos State, which has contributed more to the surge in COVID-19 cases in the past few days, experienced a significant decline in the number of infections, as Rivers State ranked first on the log with 188 cases.

According to the data, while a total of 211,522 people have been discharged in Nigeria, 8,977 people are still down with the virus.

Breakdown

The breakdown of the NCDC data revealed that Lagos State, the epicentre of the disease, ranked second on the log with 183 cases, followed by Delta State with a backlog of 97 cases from December 7 to 17, 2021.

The FCT also reported 82 cases; Oyo, 67; Edo, 54; while Ekiti and Plateau States reported 34 cases each.

Kano State reported 27 new cases, followed closely by Anambra and Kaduna states with 22 and 19 cases respectively.

While Enugu State confirmed 12 infections, Ogun and Kwara States reported five and four cases respectively.

The NCDC also noted that four states: Bauchi, Ondo, Osun, and Sokoto reported that no cases were recorded on Saturday.
The death toll from Sundays attack on communities in Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State has risen to 38.

PREMIUM TIMES reported the attacks on villages in the local government with a Kaduna official saying at least 20 people were killed by the gunmen who attacked the villages.

The Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, released a second statement Sunday confirming the death toll increase.

Following the report of attacks by bandits across villages in Idasu, Giwa LGA, contained in an earlier update, security agencies have confirmed to the Kaduna State Government that 38 people were killed across the locations attacked, Mr Aruwan said

Twenty-nine of the victims have been identified, with nine remaining unidentified as of the time of this update.

Mr Aruwan named the 29 victims as:

1. Rabi`u Wada

2. Salisu Boka

3. Alh Nura Nuhu

4. Alh Bashari Sabiu

5 Alh Lawal Dahiru

6. Abbas Saidu

7 Inusa Kano

8 Malam Lawal Nagargari

9. Malam Aminu

10. Lawal Maigyad

11. Alh Mustapha

12 Lawal Aliyu

13 Sale Makeri

14 Sani Lawal

15 Auwal Umar

16 Jamilu Hassan

17 Badamasi Mukhtar

18 Malam Jibril

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19 Lawal Tsawa

20 Sule Hamisu

21 Sadi Bala

22 Kabiru Gesha

23 Abubakar Sanusi

24 Saiph Alh Abdu

25 Haruna Musa

26 Lawal Hudu

27 Malam Shuaibu Habibu

28 Malam Yahaya Habibu

29 Abubakar Yusuf.

In his earlier statement on Sunday, the commissioner said houses, trucks, and cars were also burnt by the attackers along with agricultural produce at various farms.

Governor Nasir El-Rufai received the reports with sadness and sent condolences to the families of the victims of the brutal attacks while praying for the repose of their souls, Mr Aruwan said.

He said the governor also commiserated with the affected communities and directed the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency to conduct an urgent assessment of the area towards providing relief.

The latest incident occurred two days after a similar series of attacks on separate Kaduna communities.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the Kaduna Government confirmed on December 17 that at least nine people were reported killed and two others injured in separate attacks in Chikun, Zaria, and Zangon Kataf local government areas of the state.

Kaduna is one of the North-west states most affected by banditry where terror groups kill and kidnap residents at will.

Other states affected by such attacks are Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara as well as Niger in the North-central region.

The attacks have continued despite repeated pledges by President Muhammadu Buhari and the deployment of more security personnel to the area.
Two experts who have studied the activities of the bandits in North-west Nigeria for many years say they believe banditry kingpin Bello Turji wrote the now infamous letter.

The experts also said that Mr Turji may have written the letter, calling for a ceasefire, following the backlash he received from his fellow outlaws after his group burnt unarmed travellers alive in Sokoto.

The controversial letter

Mr Turji addressed his three-page open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State and the Emir of Shinkafi.

The wanted crime lord is originally from Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara State and the letter was reportedly delivered to the emir of the area.

In the letter, written in the Hausa language with a salutation in Arabic, Mr Turji promised to embrace peace if the federal and state governments, as well as the Shinkafi emirate, promise to accept him.

In the letter, he said he was ready to surrender all his arms if the five conditions in the letter are met.

He listed the conditions as dissolution of unofficial vigilante groups in the North-west, a meeting with traditional rulers and religious leaders, a stop to the marginalisation of Fulanis; honest discussions between bandits, traditional rulers and politicians, and the participation of first-class emirs in a security meeting.

Unnecessary Killing of people will be over, he said. Because unofficial vigilante members would just see innocent person and kill  We need to be seen as people with equal rights like any other person else. Were being killed unnecessarily. Were being relegated to the background. We should be allowed to return to our houses and live normal lives. We also want to have a meeting with our traditional rulers and religious leaders to iron out issues.

 were not fighting the government or trying to form our government. No! Were just tired of the marginalisation of the Fulanis; especially in the markets. So, if you people need peace to reign, we should do it for the sake of God. And for normalcy to return, we want a situation whereby no one will be cheated, he said.

In the letter he signed off with his full name, Muhammadu Bello Turji Kachalla Fakai, Mr Turji also said that an Islamic cleric, Ahmed Gumi, first-class emirs and notable Islamic scholars should be invited for a summit with the bandits.

 especially Sheikh Ahmed Abubakar Gumi; we know him because he came here and preached to us and weve witnessed the importance of peace due to his counsel, hence, the need for us to do our best for peace to return to our land.

Reasons behind the letter

Murtala Rufai, a social historian at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, told PREMIUM TIMES that he believes Mr Turji wrote the letter for two reasons.

Mr Rufai, who wrote the book, Im a Bandit, said Mr Turjis decision to burn commuters in a bus in the Sabon Birni area did not go down well with some bandits leaders.

You know the backlash it generated. They were not happy with him (Turji) because he just did what was off the book for them. A meeting was convened on the 13 of December by the bandits kingpins and Turji was told point-blank that he was wrong. Even some of his top commanders were not in support of his actions, the academic said.

Mr Rufai, a researcher on banditry, kidnapping and cattle rustling in the North-west, has access to many bandits leaders; especially in Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina and Kebbi States.

He said it did not take long before Mr Turji agreed that he was wrong.

That letter was a sort of a soft landing for him. He wanted to appease his friends and commanders and also express regrets over what he did. The letter was released on the 14 December and delivered, he added.

According to the university don, Mr Turji also wrote the letter possibly after getting information of impending attacks by soldiers.

Another source, Basharu Guyawa, the coordinator of Rundunar Adalci, a human rights group in Sokoto, also confirmed the authenticity of the letter.

You know that Turji is used to writing letters especially during the ban on telecommunications service in the area. He wrote several letters to village and district heads on ransom payment. So, we believe this is also from him, Mr Guyawa said.

When asked whether he believes the letter was written out of fear of impending attacks by soldiers, Mr Guyawa answered in the affirmative.

It could be true because the letter was delivered a day before the attacks on Turjis and other bandits camps began. He might have some information on the impending attacks and wanted to use it as a way of deceiving government.

PRNigeria, a news agency with close ties to security agencies, later reported an attack on Mr Turjis camp on Saturday.

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The notorious bandit leader, Bello Turji, is incapacitated after sustaining severe injuries when military fighter jets raided his hideouts and bandits camps in the North West, PRNigeria reported on Sunday.

The attack jets of the Air Task Force, ATF, Operation Hadin Kai, also killed several bandits, in the raid carried out at some forests in Zamfara and Sokoto States, early Saturday.

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According to the intelligence source, the actual number of bandits who were eliminated by the airstrikes could not be ascertained, the agency reported.

Although Mr Turji is believed to have survived the air raids, his whereabouts is currently unknown.

The police spokesman in Sokoto State, Sanusi Abubakar, did not respond to calls and SMS sent to him on the fate of Mr Turji following his letter and the airstrikes.

Zamfara no longer interested in dialogue

Efforts to speak with the Zamfara State Commissioner for Information, Ibrahim Dosara, were unsuccessful as his known telephone lines were not connecting. The SMS sent to his lines were also not responded to.

But Governor Bello Matawalle had in September said the state government was no longer interested in dialogue with bandits.

Mr Matawalle initiated a peace accord with bandits in the state after he was sworn in as governor in 2019. The peace efforts failed as many bandits returned to their terror acts after claiming to have accepted to be peaceful.

My administration will no longer grant amnesty to bandits as they have failed to embrace the peace initiative earlier extended to them, the governor said.
At least four persons died while eight others sustained varying degrees of injuries in an accident involving a Mazda bus and a truck at Lufwape on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway on Sunday.

Ahmed Umar, the sector commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Ogun, confirmed the incident to newsmen in Abeokuta.

Mr Umar noted that the incident occurred at 3:40 p.m. and was caused by the driver of the truck, who was over speeding and driving dangerously.

He stated that 20 people were involved in the accident, comprising 12 male and eight female passengers, saying that eight men and six women sustained injuries while two men and two female passengers died in the accident.

The truck driver drove dangerously, forcing the Mazda bus driver to lose control and crashed on the highway.

Unfortunately, the truck driver escaped, he said.

He stated that the injured victims were taken to Idera hospital, Sagamu, for treatment while the deceased were deposited at the same hospital mortuary.

Mr Umar cautioned motorists on dangerous driving, warning them to drive defensively, maintaining safe speed and obeying traffic rules and regulations.

The sector commander commiserated with the family of the crash victims and enjoined them to contact FRSC Mowe division for more information on the crash. (NAN)
The Nigerian Army says it is punishing a female soldier who got engaged in an Orientation Camp of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for flouting its rules and code of conduct.

Army spokesperson, Onyema Nwachukwu, disclosed this in a response to an enquiry by PREMIUM TIMES on Sunday.

A video of a male corps member proposing to a female soldier at the Yikpata Orientation Camp of the NYSC in Kwara State recently surfaced online and went viral.

In one of the video clips, some corps members are seen having a discussion at a venue believed to be the parade ground of the orientation camp.

The discussion is still on when the yet-to-be-identified corps member, who is seen holding a ring, goes down on one knee and pops the question to the soldier with the lady accepting the proposal.

The corps member goes on to insert the ring in the finger of the visibly excited soldier amid cheers from others at the scene.

In another clip, the pair are seen sharing lovey-dovey moments. The corps member is seen wearing the ladys military cap as she stands directly behind him.

They thereafter share a kiss to the delight of other corps members filming the incident.

There were reports after the incident that the soldier had been detained by the Army, an action that has since received wide condemnation on social media.

Fraternisation

In his reaction, Mr Nwachukwu said it is an act of indiscipline for a trainer to engage in an affair with her trainee.

He described the act as fraternisation in military terms.

He further said it is an act of gross misconduct for a personnel to engage in romance while in uniform.

The Nigerian Army has Codes of conduct, Rules and regulations guiding our personnel whenever and wherever they are deployed for duty.

We have ethics, customs and traditions, which have the force of law and are enforceable as such. These are meant to guide service personnel and better position them to efficiently execute the critical, onerous and consistently hazardous profession of the arms.

The female soldier in question violated the following rules of the NA. Firstly, fraternization while on official duty at the NYSC camp. That is, indulging in amorous relationship with a trainee.

Secondly, a personnel must have served for three years, before he/she can qualify for marriage.

Thirdly, she disobeyed the Armed Forces of Nigeria standing guidelines and directives for the use of Social Media.

Fourthly, indulging in romance while in uniform, and fifthly, her conduct was prejudicial to good order and military discipline. All the above, if proven are in violation of extant laws with attendant disciplinary and penal implications.

As a personnel, her task was to train the youth corps members and not to indulge in amorous relationship with any of them, he said.

Mr Nwachukwu said the public perception would have been different if a male soldier had proposed to a female trainee, adding that it (public) would have seen it as taking advantage.

These rules were put in place for the purpose of proper administration and discipline in the Army. If I may ask, what if the soldier was a male? How would the public have perceived his action? Definitely, it would have been perceived as taking advantage of a female corper, a trainee, put in his care for training.

The same applies here. The Nigerian military like all others, has its disciplinary codes, distinct from that of the general society. Every personnel has voluntarily undertaken to be bound by this code, he added.
The Ijaw Diaspora Congress (IDC) is seeking the intervention of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management in the recent oil spill at Oil Mining Lease (OML) 29 at Nembe, Bayelsa.

The diaspora group with headquarters in Newark, New Jersey, U.S., requested the intervention in a letter dated December 17 and made available on Saturday to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yenagoa.

In the letter signed by Monday Gold, president and Antonia Garner, vice president, Europe and director of humanitarian and disaster affairs, IDC noted that the leak which was first noticed on November 1 continued unabated until December 8, 2021.

OML29 is operated by Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Company, with 51 per cent of the equity belonging to the Federal Government.

The IDC said the spill has far-reaching ecological challenges on the economic health and wellbeing of the impacted areas and the people, pointing out that it spanned from Nembe and its connecting creeks down to the Atlantic Ocean.

The group said while the Bayelsa government and the community attributed the spill to equipment failure, it was awaiting the official position of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA).

The agency is saddled with the mandate to detect, monitor, and manage oil spills in Nigeria.

We await an evidence-based investigation to ascertain the cause of the spill and its volume.

The Ijaw Diaspora Councils Technical Advisor, Rick Steiner, estimates that with 1-2 cubic feet of discharge per second, the blowout would have released a total of 532,000 barrels to 1,064,000 barrels of oil equivalent in the 38 days that the leak lasted.

The group demanded that the failed wellhead be preserved for independent engineering forensic analysis to determine the cause of the failure, in accordance with the advice given by its Technical Advisor, Rick Steiner, a professor.

The IDC insisted that the preservation of the wellhead as evidence should be in conformity with criminal evidentiary procedures in order to prevent any further alteration or adulteration.

The group also sought an engineering analysis of the cause of equipment failure.

The IDC suggested that the investigation be carried out by an independent organisation such as the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) or Det Norsk Veritas (DNV) in Norway.

The group is also seeking an update on the measures taken so far, in terms of humanitarian aid by the federal government to the impacted people and areas.

IDC also urged the federal government to declare the spillage a humanitarian disaster in Ijawland and act accordingly.

According to the group, Aiteos slow response time exacerbated the catastrophic damage that the failed oil and gas wellhead caused to the physical, economic, psychological, and general welfare of the affected communities.

The lethargic response pace forced the victims into an immediate humanitarian crisis of epic proportions.

Failure to treat this as a national emergency with global repercussions would be akin to the commission of crimes against humanity under the Human Rights Act and other applicable laws and treaties, the group said.

The IDC called for the immediate provision of alternative sources of income, necessitated by the loss of sources of livelihood in the over 40 communities.

The immediate provision of alternative sources of income should span the projected amount of time, potentially decades, that it would take for all the affected communities to economically recover from the extremely calamitous disaster that has befallen Nigeria, the group said.

(NAN)
While rounding off his submission, he said: Inspector General sir, facts of circumstantial evidence tell me that we have a good case if we charge the hotel owner and the other accused to court for conspiracy and murder. We should not allow the image of the Police Force to be further dented by pussy-footing in walking to the justice chambers.

(A factionalised  fact and fiction  account of murder in a hotel)

Media frenzy over the death of Tim Goke, a 37-year old man whose remains were found in a hotel, had been very huge and unsettling. As police detective and head of its legal division, Muhammadu Kura sat on the swivel chair in his office at Kam Salem Police headquarters on that Wednesday afternoon, he reflected on his encounter with the Inspector General of Police about 40 hours before. The media had literally dragged the IG off his fanny to begin to take drastic actions on the case. The social media had already given its own judgment, and hung the accused persons on the crucifix. It alleged a cover up in the offing by the top echelon of the police, in cahoots with the accused, and about seven others. A section of the media even claimed that the owner of the hotel, one Chief Adetayo Ola, was a political godson of one of the bigwigs in Nigerias ruling party. In an apparent move to deflect the arrows being daily shot at the police, the IG had summoned Kura to his office and literally threw the huge file that contained all the investigated details of the death at him.

As Kura wondered what this whole drama was all about, the Inspector General had thundered in a baritone: The President of the Republic has been inundated with calls about this case. There are allegations that we want to cover up evil doers. Pathologists have said that Tim Goke probably died of natural causes and we wont have a case against the accused in court. Kura, you are a wizard in criminal law, apart from being one of the best detectives police in Nigeria today. I am interested in charging the accused to court. Go through the file and give me your recommendation in 48 hours. Thank you and have a good day.

Muhammadu Kura was indeed the polices best investigator and lawyer. With a Masters degree in Criminology from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, the 42-year old Kanuri-born Superintendent of Police is also a lawyer, his turf being Criminal Law. He had spent the last 40 hours literally fasting, while smoking like a chimney. He pored through the huge file of documents, acquainting himself with the facts of the case and made notes. As he sat on the swivel chair, beads of sweat stubbornly glided from his bushy head, making a puddle on his table, even as the air conditioner whooshed like a silent accomplice. At a point, Kura stood up, headed for his pack of Marlboro cigarettes, selected one and with an unruly hand, gummed it to his flabby lips and lit up. He took an urgent drag, puffed a huge pall of smoke, which hit the ceiling as if in a rebellious slap.

From his jukebox sang Jamaican reggae music idol, Bob Marleys Small Axe track. Kura intensified his smoking as he listened to the song, which seemed to instigate him to want to get to the bottom of the investigation. Marleys voice, as if specifically ministering to him, wafted into his ears: Why boasteth thyself, Oh, evil men/Playing smart And not being clever?/Oh no, I said, youre working iniquity/To achieve vanity/But the goodness of Jah, Jah I-dureth forever/If you are the big tree/We are the small axe/Sharpened to cut you downReady to cut you down/These are the words/Of my master, keep on tellin me/No weak heart/Shall prosper/And whosoever diggeth a pit, Lord/Shall fall in it, shall fall in it/Whosoever diggeth a pit/Shall bury in it, shall bury in it

The facts of Tims death were already in the public domain. A postgraduate student of a university in the town where he was allegedly killed, he had lodged in the hotel named Valley. In a very curious twist, the hotel management had made all attempts to hide the fact of his lodgment with it. It was only when police investigations found this out that the receptionist, the first suspect in the case, and other accomplices, led police officers to the bush where Tim was buried. This led to the arrest of the alleged accomplices and owner of the hotel, Chief Adetayo, with huge allegations made that Tim might have been used for rituals. The alibi of the receptionist-suspect and other alleged accomplices was that, they had found Tim dead early in the morning of the second day of his lodgment and had spirited his corpse to the outskirts of the city to hide linkage of his death to the hotel.

Kura then brought out a copy of the autopsy report conducted on Tims body and began to examine it. Three pathologists and four other medical experts had participated in the four-hour autopsy that took place in the Department of Morbid Anatomy of the University Teaching Hospital of the state where the death took place. The report claimed that Tim died of severe trauma but that medicine could not ascertain the cause of death because his remains were at an advanced stage of decomposition. However, Tims internal and external organs were said to be untouched. The reports however said that the femur of the deceased was found to have had a sub-capital fracture.

For almost an hour, the top police officer ruminated on the autopsy report. While medicine doubted the cause of Tims death, Kura wondered if law could doubt why he died. The first point of attraction for him was the broken femur of Tims body. What could have led to the fracture? Granted that pathologists claimed that the internal and external organs of the deceased were untouched, were they aware that in the occultic world, the blood of the victim was more germane to rituals than other body parts? He remembered he had read about rituals involving blood, which have been in existence for many centuries and still lingered into the 21st century. Five hundred years ago, the Aztecs, a Mesoamerican people who flourished in central Mexico during the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521 were involved in blood rituals between 1376 and 1521 AD. They sacrificed blood as offering to the Sun God. To them, death was part of life, just like birth. By spilling blood in rituals, they believed that the gods would compensate them by giving them bountiful crop yields, healthy and long lives. In India, it is believed that the individuals receiving shed blood are given more time to live by the gods. Thus, in Africa too, many engage in rituals so that they could have long life, prosperity and wellbeing. With these in mind, Kura wondered why the pathologists failed to see a probable nexus between the broken femur where blood could have been drained and the cause of the killing of Tim.

Circumstantial evidence, from what Kura read, is observed where no direct evidence of an eyewitness to the commission of an offence is available. The court then may infer from the facts proved, the existence of other facts which logically and conclusively establish the guilt of the accused person beyond reasonable doubt. Accordingly, when strong circumstantial evidence is led against an accused in a criminal trial

He instantly remembered a murder case that the police handled in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State in August, 2017. A 73-year-old pensioner, Mrs Adetutu Ajayi was killed in her residence, No 10, Moferere, Ajilosun area by unknown assailants. Upon killing her, while they made away with her fingers, her blood was drained and taken away in her own bucket. Ajayi was daughter of a former Accountant General of the Old Western Region, Mr Samuel Sotoowa.,

Still puffing crazily at his cigarette, Kura walked to the bookshelf in his office and brought out one of his text books on Criminal Law. He flipped the pages to a section called Circumstantial Evidence and began to read like one preparing for an examination. The case that came to his attention was Adepetu v The State, which lawyers always cite in justifying circumstantial evidence. It was the case of one Olusola Adepetu, a renowned traditional herbal practitioner in Oyo State in the 1990s, whose herbal enterprise went by the name, Olusola Naturalist Hospital. He was a major precursor of the trade, with high public awareness on the radio arm of the Oyo State Broadcasting Corporation.

Adepetu had been befriending one Miss Ranti Moradeyo and on the night of November 20, 1990, he went to the ladys house, and picked her up to go to God-knows-where. She was never seen alive thereafter. The next day, her corpse was found in the Sanyo area on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. Whoever placed it there wanted vehicles to mutilate the body into pieces, so that the fact of the severance of her body parts for rituals would be hidden forever. Adepetu was subsequently charged to the Oyo State High Court and the trial judge, piecing together circumstantial evidence, including the doctrine of the last seen, had convicted Adepetu according to Section 319(1) of the Criminal Code Cap 30 Laws of Oyo State 1978. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. The prosecution had called 19 witnesses. Following an overruling of the defences no-case submission, Adepetu gave evidence and called a single witness. The Appellate Court and the Supreme Court affirmed the judgment, leading to Adepetu spending about 25 years in the Kirikiri Prison.

Circumstantial evidence, from what Kura read, is observed where no direct evidence of an eyewitness to the commission of an offence is available. The court then may infer from the facts proved, the existence of other facts which logically and conclusively establish the guilt of the accused person beyond reasonable doubt. Accordingly, when strong circumstantial evidence is led against an accused in a criminal trial and this gives rise to an inference irresistibly warranted by such evidence, the criminal court will not hesitate to make such inference as long as it is so cogent and compelling as to convince the jury that on no rational hypothesis other than the inference can the facts be accounted for. Reading further, Kura learnt that the criminal liability of an appellant was based on the natural consequence of his act or omission. Intent may also be proved positively by proof of the declaration of the accused as to his intent or inferentially.

With all that Kura had gathered in the last 47 hours, he stood up like a drunk tottering on drunken feet. He had literally known no sleep in the last two days or so. He momentarily peered into his strapless wrist watch and discovered he had less than an hour to address the Inspector General. In a sprint-like dash, he hopped into the elevator of the Police headquarters and with a fidgety hand, pressed the last floor button that would take him to the zenith of the high rise building.

The IG was expecting him. He sat cupped in a chair by his conference table, his cap removed, showing an acute baldness with shards of grey hairs that looked like icing surrounding a black cake.

Waffling initially but quickly picking himself up, SP Kura began: Circumstantial evidence says its murder, sir, and we can sustain the charge. The circumstances are indubitable and they all point at conspiracy to murder and murder. The chain of circumstances is this, sir: Immediately Tim Goke entered Valley Hotel and paid N37,000 to the receptionist, the plot began. Oblivious of the power of technology and fate that made him call his wife as he was entering the hotel, the conspirators assumed that the fact of where he lodged would be concealed from investigators. Unfortunately, his account details revealed the payment. When detectives came to the hotel, the receptionist denied that Tim ever lodged there. It was upon interrogation that she spilled the beans and revealed other suspects.

The disappearance of a major suspect in the alleged crime, said to be Chief Adetayo, the hotel owners son and one who allegedly participated in the process of taking Tims body into the forest, is a circumstantial thread that may link his father to the committal of the crime. We must ensure we bring him to book. We must get mobile phone service providers to give us Chief Adetayos call logs and all Chiefs call and discussions

While the suspects alibi was that they found his dead body the next morning and shoveled it into the bush to disconnect the hotel from his death, this doesnt add up and feeds into the line of a perfectly orchestrated conspiracy. If the fear of the dis-advertisement or bad publicity that a dead lodger would give the hotel were to be the major reason for their abstruse action, they should have known that in this modern age, since they purportedly didnt have a hand in the death, an autopsy would have exonerated the hotel. Going to the length and the risk of taking Tims body to the bush is suspiciously incriminating enough and the circumstance pointing at murder and conspiracy. Again, as James Hadley Chase says that criminals always leave traces, no matter how small, these ones buried their victim with the bed sheet of the hotel and like the Ranti Moradeyo ladys corpse in Adepetu v The State, they apparently believed Tims body would never be found.

Kura picked a bottle of water on the Inspector Generals table and without prompting, poured it into his dry throat.

I interviewed a pathologist who told me that the severe trauma in the pathologists report is ambivalent and could as well mean that the deceased was hit with an object leading to his death. According to him, the decomposition of the internal organ could be as a result of a corrosive acid intentionally poured into the deceaseds mouth at death. The mark found by pathologists on his neck cannot be accidental as well. It could mean that he was strangled. If we had the carbon dating technology in Nigeria, it would have been easier to determine whether the wound on the remains neck was pre or after death. Tim was healthy, from evidence we gathered and not suffering from any illness. He was said to have attended a meeting in Akure, hale and hearty.

The disappearance of a major suspect in the alleged crime, said to be Chief Adetayo, the hotel owners son and one who allegedly participated in the process of taking Tims body into the forest, is a circumstantial thread that may link his father to the committal of the crime. We must ensure we bring him to book. We must get mobile phone service providers to give us Chief Adetayos call logs and all Chiefs call and discussions between the time Tim arrived the hotel and the time of the disposal of his corpse. How frequently did he speak with his son or any of the accused? What did they discuss? It is arrant nonsense to say that just because somebody was a typical Nigerian big man who established universities and big hotels, he cannot be steeped in occultic practices. Indeed, more than half of Nigerian big men are ritualists  from politicians, to judges, to you-name-them, Kura said.

While rounding off his submission, he said: Inspector General sir, facts of circumstantial evidence tell me that we have a good case if we charge the hotel owner and the other accused to court for conspiracy and murder. We should not allow the image of the Police Force to be further dented by pussy-footing in walking to the justice chambers.

As he did this, in a queer manner that suggested his belief in his submission from the evidence, Kura stood up from his seat, made the traditional police salute in obeisance to the Inspector General, headed for the door and slammed it shut behind him.

Bisi Akandes Ila Orangun Secretarial house

Like Eweje, Chief Akandes Secretarial house is causing him a lot of public troubles. If Baba hadnt written the autobiography, he perhaps could have gone down in history as one of the most incorruptible men to administer Nigeria. My Participation put paid to all that mis-representation.

While the gale of deconstruction of My Participations, an autobiography of Chief Bisi Akande, former governor of Osun State and pioneer National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was going on last week, the photograph of another skyscraper property of his, built during his governorship of Osun and located in his hometown, Ila Oranguns central market, went viral. It is different from the one that Baba Ayo Adebanjo queried where he got the money to build, which one of my friends likened to a General Hospital in its humongous architectural arrogance. The Ila Central Market property, a four-storey building of five floors, bears the paterfamilias of power and majesty. Apparently, those who began weaving the narrative on the social media meant to show that in Akande, who claimed to be incorruptible in the book, and who, pre-My Participations, was held to be saintly, there was an Ayi Kwei Armahs the beaufyful ones who are not yet born.

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On seeing the photograph, it reminded me of two almost similar incidents like this, which took their roots from musical lines of late Apala music legend, Ayinla Omowuras panegyrics to his patrons. One was a tribute he did in 1973 in one of his vinyl to Akanni Tijani, also known as Mufutau Baba Owo, alias Muhammadu. According to Omowura in the song, when he saw the house Tijani had just built, he assumed that it was a secretarial  secretariat, he meant.

Apparently after Tijani built the house, allegations started making the rounds that he was an armed robber and he enlisted Omowrura to do an image clean-up for him. So, while singing to launder the butcher, Ayinla sang that Akanni was a butcher who killed two cows for sale on a daily basis. Akanni ki se robbery, malu meji lo nsubu lOdo eran Ayinla took his incredulity to high heavens, because it was only secretariat buildings that were built in that byzantine fashion.

Another patron of Omowurras whose praises he sang but which boomeranged the way Akandes book is doing today is Captain Eweje. Said to be of the pay office of the Nigerian Army, Omowura got him into trouble in a vinyl where he asserted that Ewejes wealth was out of this world and that whenever he desired to build a house, he took contractors abroad to see the architectural designs of his hearts desire. Being a time when public officers were expected to maintain decorum in perception and reality, that song allegedly got Eweje out of the Army.

Like Eweje, Chief Akandes Secretarial house is causing him a lot of public troubles. If Baba hadnt written the autobiography, he perhaps could have gone down in history as one of the most incorruptible men to administer Nigeria. My Participation put paid to all that mis-representation.

Festus Adedayo is an Ibadan-based journalist.
Every state in Nigeria should have its own Amotekun. That ought to be clear now to anyone desirous of ending the carnage by an assortment of violent gangs in the northern states. Before the creation of Amotekun, bandits and kidnappers were running riot in the Southwest, killing people at will and collecting ransom from the families of those abducted. They moved from state to state through the forests. When the security agencies chased them in Ekiti, they showed up in Ondo or Osun; if Kwara became too hot for them, they relocated to Oyo or escaped to Benin Republic only to re-emerge in Ogun.

The only way to defeat them was to mount a concerted operation involving all the southwestern states so that there would no longer be any safe haven for the beasts. That was what the governors of the zone did  and for which they were vilified by the myopic, some of who alleged that the creation of the security outfit was a secessionist ploy

Today, with the horrors playing out in the North which came to a head on December 6, 2021, with the roasting of 43 passengers in a bus by armed bandits who stood guard over the bus to ensure the complete incineration of the human cargo of men, women, children and babies. That was the limit.

Governor Aminu Tambuwal was inconsolable. He blamed the anomie in his state on the dislodgement of bandits from neighbouring Zamfara State. He lamented that the military decided to take on bandits in Zamfara without simultaneous operations in surrounding states, leaving room for the criminals to migrate to Sokoto with vengeance. The timing and way the operation was carried out left Sokoto very vulnerable, noted Tambuwal.

We are going through the greatest security challenge facing Nigeria since its flag independence from Britain in 1960. The civil war of 1967-1970 was largely localised to the southeast of the country. The current war being waged directly against Nigerians by bandits, Boko Haram, regular highway robbers and a coterie of other armed groups, is not just unprecedented in terms of brutality but also in scope. Every local government in Nigeria has felt the evil vibration of terror. A pandemic of insecurity has broken out. Nowhere is safe anymore. And nowhere is more unsafe in Nigeria right now than the North.

Had the National Assembly lived up to its billing, an emergency amendment to the constitution to create state police would have been a fait accompli by now. But we operate a system where the legislature first studies the body language of the Executive before making any move.

In November alone, six people were killed in an attack on Gwarjo community in Matazu Local Government Area of Katsina State while two of the 66 worshipers abducted from Emmanuel Baptist Church, Kakau Daji, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State were shot dead .A retired Air Vice-Marshal, Muhammad Maisaka, was killed by gunmen at his residence in Ragasi, Igabi LGA of Kaduna. Armed bandits killed at least seven Mobile Police officers during an ambush on the Magami  Gusau Road in Zamfara State. In the same state, bandits killed 13 people, wounded eight and abducted at least 17 others in an attack on Batsari town while another group of bandits killed six persons and abducted many others during an attack on Rijiya village in Gusau LGA. A village head and eight others were killed in Tungar Ruwa in Anka LGA. Southern Kaduna and Zaria highways have become killing fields.

Other parts of the country are groaning too, even if their problem is not as serious as the Norths.

In the Southeast, at least five people were killed in Anara, Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State when unknown gunmen attacked the community. In Taraba State, at least 15 people, including three housewives, were killed at Binnari and Jab villages in Karim Lamido Local Government Area. In Benue State, gunmen killed at least four mourners during a funeral ceremony in a rural village at Mbayatyo Mbater council ward of Logo Local Government Area. The Southwest has been relatively quiet since the Amotekun corps started full operations.

Frustrated northern women, famed for stoic taciturnity, have taken to social media to vent their anger at the government for its inability to stem the tide of insecurity. Breaking historic cultural barriers which had hitherto consigned certain discussions to the realm of taboo, the several women have tearfully come out to confess that they had been raped by the terrorist beasts. One of the victims, a grandmother, said she was raped by eight teenagers, the youngest among whom couldnt have been more than 13 years old! Some wounds will never heal!

The terror unleashed by Boko Haram and its ISWAP allies over the years is just about to take second place to the Stone Age massacre perpetrated by the mindless bandits in the North. This is quite a remarkable thing to say, considering that ISWAP recently killed Nigerian Armys Brigadier-General Dzarma Zirkusu and three of his soldiers in a fierce encounter in Borno.

In terms of making life unsafe in both urban and rural areas; preventing farming activities, thereby exacerbating the food supply problem in the country; collecting taxes and protection fees from anyone engaged in economic activities; and making commuting from place to place a life-and-death affair, the bandits are peerless.

The Zamfara State government in a 2019 report, stated that between 2011 and 2019, bandits killed at least 6,319 people, kidnapped 3,672 victims and set more than 500 villages ablaze in Zamfara State alone. They have also displaced more than 200,000 people, also forcing more than 35,000 indigenes to emigrate to the Niger Republic. Data analysts monitoring the destruction of lives and property going on in the North have now reached one alarming conclusion: Bandits were responsible for and were reportedly responsible for 47.5 per cent of all violent deaths in 2019, killing more Nigerians than Boko Haram, ISWAP, kidnappers, highway robbers, unknown gunmen and cultists put together. And that is saying something!

Welcome to Reality Street. It used to be fashionable to tar anyone highlighting the insecurity in the country and proffering solutions to the problem. That is now a luxury we cannot afford. We now have to reason together so that we can survive together instead of perishing together. The government is overwhelmed. The security forces need new ideas. I have said before that war is too important to be left to soldiers alone. We know that we, the people, can out-think the bandits and Boko Haram/ISWAP and all the other non-state armed groups put together.

Protesters against insecurity in the land who were brutalised in Abuja last week are not the problem with Nigeria. If defenceless citizens cannot protest their pain, what kind of country exactly are we building? If we drive protests underground, that is where revolutions are waiting to be born.

As a first step to resetting our compass and lifting the dark clouds, perhaps we should be asking a few questions and making suggestions on the way out of the present morass?

National Assignment

Whatever happened to the case of the 15 containers of arms and armaments illegally imported by an Iranian in 2010? (Remember, the107mm artillery rockets can accurately hit targets more than 8.5 kilometres away with a 40-foot killing radius).

What happened to the list of Nigerian sponsors of terrorism handed over to our government by the UAE authorities?

Do we expect the international community to treat us with respect with the way we bury cases of corruption and shield prominent suspects wanted by US investigators?

We should carry out a comprehensive audit of all monies spent on arms and armaments in the last decade.

The President should take another peep at the file of Executive Outcomes or any other such body on his radar.

States should immediately set up security outfits incorporating local hunters and traditional institutions. The so-called community policing of the federal police is useless in the fight against terror.

Going forward, we should replace the Almajiri system with responsible parenting and compulsory free primary education. All the states of the North must set up skill acquisition centres to train the youths. When security returns to the land, cottage industries will follow in tow.

For Sam

One year after, the crowd still gathered, the testimonies re-echoed with love and adulation, tears still flowed; but all in all, to the glory of God, it was clear that the house that Sam Nda-Isaiah built has endured and will continue to stand. God rest his valiant soul!

Wole Olaoye is a public relations consultant and veteran journalist. He can be reached on wole.olaoye@gmail.com, Twitter: @wole_olaoye; Instagram: woleola2021.
The Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (BSPHCDA) says it recorded 153 suspected cases of Lassa fever between January and December 2021.

The Executive Secretary of the Agency, Rilwanu Mohammed, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Bauchi that the cases were recorded in five local government areas of the state.

Mr Mohammed listed the affected councils to include Bauchi, Bogoro, Ganjuwa, Kirfi, Tafawa Balewa and Toro.

He said that the state had recorded 21 confirmed cases of the disease while six suspected cases were currently on admission.

According to him, the agency has embarked on contact tracing to curtail the spread of the disease, adding that surveillance teams had been deployed to enhance rapid response across the state.

He urged the people to keep a clean environment, good sanitation and personal hygiene to protect themselves against the disease.

(NAN)
Armed persons on Sunday killed at least 20 people in an attack in Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State, the state government has said.

The states Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, said in a Sunday statement that the bandits attacked Kauran Fawa, Marke and Riheya villages in the Idasu area of Giwa local government.

Mr Aruwan said the attacks left more than 20 residents dead.

The Nigerian military and police authorities have reported to the Kaduna State Government that over 20 people were killed during the attacks by bandits on several villages in Giwa LGA, Mr Aruwan said.

He said houses, trucks, and cars were also burnt, along with agricultural produce at various farms by the rampaging killers.

Governor Nasir El-Rufai received the reports with sadness and sent condolences to the families of the victims of the brutal attacks while praying for the repose of their souls, Mr Aruwan said.

He said the governor also commiserated with the affected communities and directed the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency to conduct an urgent assessment of the area towards providing relief.

The identities of the victims will be published once further details are confirmed by the Kaduna State Government. In the meantime, security agencies have sustained patrols in the general area, the commissioner added.

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The latest incident occurred two days after a similar series of attacks on separate Kaduna communities.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the Kaduna Government confirmed on December 17 that at least nine people were reported killed and two others injured in separate attacks in Chikun, Zaria, and Zangon Kataf local government areas of the state.

Kaduna is one of the North-west states most affected by banditry where terror groups kill and kidnap residents at will.

Other states affected by such attacks are Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara as well as Niger in the North-central region.

The attacks have continued despite repeated pledges by President Muhammadu Buhari and the deployment of more security personnel to the area.
The residents of Oworonshoki, a suburb of Lagos, have decried lack of access to potable water despite their proximity to the lagoon.

At a press conference in Lagos on Friday, the Oworonshoki Youths Forum (OYF) said the stoppage of the supply of water by the Lagos Water Corporation compounded the water challenge in the community.

Seun Gbogboade, the secretary of the forum, said due to closeness to the lagoon, it is difficult to get quality water in most parts of the community, especially areas close to the lagoon.

Unavailability of potable water has led to increased household expenditure both in buying sachet water for drinking and borehole water in gallons for other domestic use adding extra financial burden on residents that are struggling already and posing environmental challenges on all (plastic pollution).

The Lagos State Water Corporation has ceased supplying water to the community for over eight months despite charging residents exorbitant water bills monthly for the irregular and often interrupted public water supply, he said.

Mr Gbogboade said the water bills served on the community are unjustifiable, added to the irregular supply and long outage of public water.

An average house within this low-income populated community is billed between N22,000 to N35,000 monthly for the inconsistent supply of public water.

In the last five months (12th of January to 15th of May), the Lagos State Water Corporation has only supplied water for eight days but still charges households ridiculous fees monthly. Only about 50% of houses in Oworonshoki are connected to the Lagos state public water supply.

Water scarcity also challenges the ability of residents to keep up with sanitation and healthful living habits while predisposing them to water-borne diseases if the use of contaminated water continues,  he said.

The residents also lamented the deplorable road network in the community, saying that over 90 percent of the local roads are in a dilapidated state.

They added that bad drainage channels along the roads increase flood incidences in the community and there have been minimal attempts from the state to address the issue.

Action Plan

The forum said it collaborated with town planning organisations to proffer solutions to the myriad of problems facing the community.

Mr Gbogboade said the problems and solutions are compiled in a book titled The Oworonshoki We Want: Action Plan which was published by Rethinking Cities and Heinrich BOll Stiftung, Abuja.

The group said there must be a corresponding infrastructural and socio-economic development to the significant population growth the community has experienced in the last few years. The priority areas in the action plan are infrastructure (water, road, health and education, electricity), youth and women development, security and safety, and the environment.

Speaking on the water challenge, Mr Gbogboade said the Lagos Water Corporation should restore uninterrupted water supply to the community and stop the crazy billing system.

The Kosofe Local Government should also undertake the construction of borehole facilities in the community, he said.

The residents also urged the government to construct more public primary and secondary schools in Oworonshoki, and upgrade the current ones, as they are in total shambles with decayed infrastructure.

Mr Gbogboade said the only secondary school in the community, Muslim College, is not sufficient for the population, and students mostly sit on the floor during lectures and are overpopulated in a class.

Efforts to reach Rasaq Anifowose, the spokesperson of the Lagos Water Corporation, over the water situation in the community were unsuccessful. He did not respond to phone calls and a text message sent to him.
At Arlington National Cemetery specifically, the Wreaths Across America program saw 66 tractor trailers deliver over 250,000 veterans' wreaths that were placed by nearly 38,000 volunteers. This was the 30 th year that veterans' wreaths have been placed there, a tradition started by Maine wreathmaker Morrill Worcester as a gift of thanks. Morrill once again made the trek to Arlington this year to place wreaths as he has each December since 1992. "When I brought down those 5,000 wreaths that first year, I just thought it was a way for me to say thank you, for what we have in this Country," said Worcester, Founder of Wreaths Across America. "I could have never imagined it would strike a chord like it has and make such an impact. Me and my family continued to be humbled by the support this program receives across the country."

Wreaths Across America would like to thank the communities, dedicated volunteers, generous sponsors, essential truck drivers, local officials, and our friends in the media for coming together in unity and support for those who have protected our freedom. Each person has played an important a part in the mission to Remember the fallen, Honor those that serve and their families, and Teach the next generation the value of freedom.

Each live, balsam veteran's wreath was a gift of respect and appreciation, sponsored by an individual or organization and placed on a headstone by volunteers as a small gesture of gratitude for the freedoms Americans enjoy. For centuries, fresh evergreens have been used as a symbol of honor and have served as a living tribute renewed annually. Wreaths Across America believes the tradition represents a living memorial that honors veterans, active-duty military, and their families. When each wreath is placed the servicemember's name is said out loud, ensuring their memory lives on.

For more information, visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org. Next year's National Wreaths Across America Day will be held on Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022.

About Wreaths Across America

Wreaths Across America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery begun by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester in 1992. The organization's mission  Remember, Honor, Teach  is carried out in part each year by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies in December at Arlington, as well as at thousands of veterans' cemeteries and other locations in all 50 states and beyond.

For more information or to sponsor a wreath please visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org .

Press contacts:

SOURCE Wreaths Across America

Related Links

http://www.WreathsAcrossAmerica.org


The terms of the deal were not disclosed, however the transaction results in a sale of 100% of Streem shares to Cision and will see the Streem brand and platform continue in Australia and New Zealand under its current leadership team and local staff.



Significant benefits will flow to Streem customers from the global reach of Cision, and clients will continue to receive the same local support, expertise and Streem platform they have experienced since the company's launch.

Streem came to market in 2017, led by CEO Elgar Welch, a former staffer in the prime minister's office, and CTO Antoine Sabourin with a mission to provide the market's first realtime media monitoring platform. Today, Streem is one of the fastest growing media intelligence companies in ANZ and services the majority of the market's major government departments, banks, airlines, telecommunications and energy companies.



Early financial backers included Quantium founding director Tony Davis, former ACCC chief Graeme Samuel and ex-Wallabies captain John Eales. The company's local Board of Directors are Samuel Marks, Karyn Munsie and David Wakeley.

The company's innovative technology and platform offering resulted in a major recasting of the ANZ media intelligence industry, with hundreds of major brands including Telstra, Qantas, the Commonwealth Bank and the Department of Prime Minister & Cabinet moving to Streem in the last four years.

"With more than 100 local staff servicing over 400 leading clients, Streem has grown faster than we ever could have imagined thanks to great tech, strong support from customers and an incredible local team," Streem CEO Elgar Welch said. "Backed by Cision, we'll continue to build upon that growth, delivering new tools and products to help communications teams work smarter."

Cision is the world's largest provider of communications intelligence, with nearly 5,000 staff across 24 countries. Already active in Australia and New Zealand with its PR Newswire, Brandwatch and Falcon.io brands, the acquisition of Streem adds a full-suite of media monitoring and analysis capabilities that gives both local and global customers interested in ANZ coverage access to a significantly enhanced service.



"Streem has quickly established itself as the customer preferred media intelligence platform in the ANZ market," Cision CEO Abel Clark said. "Streem's customers will benefit enormously from Cision's global reach and we're excited to be able to offer a full-suite of monitoring, distribution, insights and social media solutions in ANZ that both our local and global customers can benefit from."

Streem will continue to operate as an independent brand with its full-service media monitoring and insights services, and customers will quickly see the benefits of Cision's global footprint including integrations of Brandwatch's social data, PR Newswire's media database and global media content and analytics spanning millions of sources.

Streem CTO and co-founder Antoine Sabourin said the company's success was driven by a strong focus on solving real world problems for communications teams.

"Cision's investment means Streem can keep investing in great people, tech and innovation, resulting in major benefits for customers in the coming weeks and months," Sabourin said.



Streem's Management team will continue with the business, and original co-founders Elgar Welch (CEO) and Antoine Sabourin (CTO) will remain in their respective roles.

The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of calendar 2022 and is subject to clearance by Australia's Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) and the Department of Justice (DoJ) in the United States.

About Streem

Streem is the ANZ market's fastest growing media intelligence company, delivering comprehensive and realtime Print, Online, TV, Radio & Social media monitoring, insights and reporting to leading corporate and government organisations including Telstra, Qantas, Commonwealth Bank and the Department of Prime Minister & Cabinet. Through Desktop, Tablet and Mobile, Streem's customers can see, stream and analyse millions of news items in realtime, helping PR and Corporate Affairs teams to do their jobs.

About Cision

As a global leader in PR, marketing and social media management technology and intelligence, Cision helps brands and organizations to identify, connect and engage with customers and stakeholders to drive business results. PR Newswire, a network of over 1.1 billion influencers, in-depth monitoring, analytics and its Brandwatch and Falcon.io social media platforms headline a premier suite of solutions. Cision has offices in 24 countries throughout the Americas, EMEA and APAC. For more information about Cision's award-winning solutions, including its next-gen Cision Communications Cloud, visit www.cision.com and follow @Cision on Twitter.

SOURCE Cision Ltd
London, Dec 19 : British Brexit minister David Frost has resigned from the cabinet and will depart in the new year, local media has reported.

'The Mail on Sunday' said in an exclusive that "Frost has sensationally resigned from Boris Johnson's government," due to his "disillusionment" with Johnson's government, including the imposition of tax rises and additional Covid-19 restrictions, as well as the staggering cost of "net zero" environmental policies.

Frost quit in a letter to the prime minister last week, but won't officially leave until January, Xinhua news reported, citing the newspaper.

Labor's shadow Brexit minister, Jenny Chapman, tweeted: "As if we didn't already know, Lord Frost resigning shows the government's in chaos. The country needs leadership not a lame duck PM whose MPs and cabinet have lost faith in him. Boris Johnson needs to apologise to the public and explain what his plan is for the next few weeks." Frost's departure is yet another blow to Johnson whose leadership has come under attack even from his own rebellious backbench MPs (Members of Parliament).

Earlier this week, 99 Conservative MPs voted against stricter Covid-19 controls announced by Johnson. The legislation paving the way for stricter measures only got through the House of Commons (the lower house of the British Parliament) with support from the main opposition Labor Party. It was the biggest backbench rebellion of Johnson's premiership.

The Conservatives were also hit by revelations of party workers holding Downing Street parties around last December's festive period when the country was in a strict government-imposed Covid-19 lockdown.

Scandals and criticism of Johnson's handling of Covid-19 have sent the Conservatives' approval ratings to their lowest level since Johnson became prime minister. Latest polls have put the main opposition Labor Party ahead of the Conservatives.

The Conservative Party lost a parliamentary seat in the North Shropshire by-election on Friday, a "safe" seat that the party had held for nearly 200 years.
Dublin, Dec 19 : Ireland's confirmed cases of Covid-19 on Saturday more than doubled to 7,333 from the previous day's figure of 3,628 due to the rapid spread of the new variant Omicron, according to the health department of Ireland.

In a statement issued by the Irish Department of Health, Tony Holohan, chief medical officer with the department, warned that "Recent international experience and the rapid spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant here means we can expect to see a large number of cases over the next short period of time." The Saturday figure of the Covid-19 cases released by the Irish health authorities represented the third highest ever recorded in Ireland in a single day since the pandemic hit the country in February 2020, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the official tally.

On Friday, the Irish Department of Health said in a statement that "approximately 35 percent of reported cases (in the country) are now due to the Omicron variant." Ireland reported its confirmed Omicron case at the very beginning of this month. The case is associated with travel to a country in southern part of Africa, said the Irish health department.

The Irish government on Friday announced a number of new public health measures in order to control the rapid spread of the Omicron variant in the coming Christmas and New Year holidays.

The measures, which will take effect from next Monday and last till January 30 of next year, include that all local restaurants and bars, excluding their takeaway and delivery services, must close at 8 p.m. and that there should be no indoor events after 8 p.m. except wedding receptions which must limit attendance to 100 guests.

The government has also put a ceiling on the attendance at both indoor and outdoor events, demanding that attendance at indoor events in the day shall limit to 50 per cent of venue capacity or 1,000 people, whichever is lower, and that the number of people attending outdoor events shall not exceed 5,000 or 50 per cent of venue capacity, whichever is lower.

The new rules also require close contacts of a confirmed Covid-19 case to self-isolate for at least five days, depending on their vaccination status.

Starting from the midnight of Sunday(Irish time), passengers arriving into Ireland are also advised to take antigen testing on a daily basis for five consecutive days commencing on the day of their arrival.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Amman, Dec 19 : Jordan's Ministry of Health has announced that Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh would be home quarantined after one of his sons was confirmed to be infected with the Covid-19, state-run Petra news agency reported.

The quarantine will last five days, said Adel Bilbeisi, the Prime Minister's adviser on containing the Covid-19 pandemic, adding a PCR test will be conducted at the end of the quarantine. If the result is negative, Khasawneh will return to his office, Xinhua news agency reported.

He noted that the health protocol applies to everyone to contain the spread of the virus and protect society.

On Saturday, 40 Covid-19 deaths and 1,920 new cases were recorded in Jordan, increasing the caseload to 1,033,469 and the death toll to 12,191, the government said in a statement.

There are currently 62,068 active Covid-19 cases in Jordan.

Meanwhile, 4,555 recoveries were registered in hospitals and home quarantine on Saturday, bringing the total number of recoveries to 959,210.

The total number of people who received the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine has reached 4,266,786, while 3,854,574 have received their second shot.

--IANS

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Srinagar, Dec 19 : A Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant was killed on Sunday in a brief encounter with the security forces in the outskirts of Jammu & Kashmir's Srinagar city.

Police said an LeT militant was killed in a brief encounter with the security forces in Dharbagh Dhara area of Harwan in the outskirts of Srinagar city early Sunday morning.

"On specific information generated by police, a joint team of police and the CRPF launched a cordon and search operation in the Harwan area. The hiding militant fired at the security forces after which he was killed in a brief encounter." "Exact identity of the slain militant is being ascertained," police said.
Shimla, Dec 19 : After facing numerous legal battles and roadblocks owing to financial and environmental concerns for nearly three decades, a dam project that will generate revenue from electricity for Himachal Pradesh and quench the thirst of the people of Delhi may now see the light of day in five-six years. However, there will be a whopping cost escalation of over Rs 5,500 crore.

The Union government last week decided to execute it under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) during 2021-26 by outlining a budget of 90 per cent out of the estimated cost over Rs 7,000 crore.

The Renukaji Dam Multipurpose Project in the hill state's Sirmaur district envisages construction of a 148-metre high rockfill dam across the Giri river in the upper Yamuna basin with live storage of 498 million cubic metres (MCM).

It will ensure supply of 23 cumecs of water to the National Capital Territory of Delhi and generate 40 MW of electricity for Himachal Pradesh.

The stored water of Renukaji dam will be used by Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi from the Hathnikund barrage, by Delhi from the Wazirabad barrage and by Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan from the Okhla barrage.

The project, with storage of 0.404 million acre feet (MAF) and the total submergence of 1,508 hectares, comprising 909 hectares of forest area, has hit several roadblocks repeatedly since an initial agreement was signed on May 12, 1994.

This national status project, to be executed by Himachal Pradesh Power Corp Ltd (HPPCL), is located some 250 km from the national capital.

As per the norms of the national project scheme, 90 per cent cost for the works portion of the water component of the project is to be provided by the Centre.

The remaining cost of the water component is to be shared by all basin states in the ratio of allocation of water.

According to the agreement signed on January 11, 2019, the Delhi government has agreed to bear the 90 per cent cost of the power component of the project, while the balance of the power component is to be borne by Himachal Pradesh.

Besides Himachal Pradesh and Delhi, the beneficiary basin states are Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan. They had already signed a memorandum of understanding to construct the dam to provide water to them.

As per official estimates, the share of water component cost of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi is 47.82, 33.65, 3.15, 9.34 and 6.04 per cent, respectively.

Elated with the Centre approving the project, Himachal Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur told IANS that the detailed project report for Rs 4,596.76 crore was accepted in 2015, but as there was no agreement among the beneficiary states the project could not be taken forward.

Later, the revised cost estimate of Rs 6,946.99 crore (price level of October 2018) was accepted by the central government on December 9, 2019.

Officials told IANS that Himachal would get about 200 million units of electricity at the rate of Rs 0.30 per unit.

It would earn a net revenue of about Rs 60 crore per annum to the HPPCL and Rs 12 crore to the state government in its first year of operation.

These revenue benefits would further increase over a period of time. The economy of the state in general and Sirmaur, the most backward district, in particular would benefit immensely.

The project was included under the National Project Scheme of the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation in 2008. However, it could not move forward in the absence of agreement among the basin states.

Chief Minister Thakur said with the construction of the dam the flow of Giri river would increase about 110 per cent which will meet the drinking water needs of Delhi and other basin states up to some extent in the lean period.

As per design, the project will provide 49,800 ha m (0.498 billion cubic metre) of live storage in its reservoir and a firm water supply to the tune of 23 cumecs to Delhi during the lean season. In the monsoon, 15 per cent downstream discharge will be ensured.

For the investigation and land acquisition of the project, the Central government has so far released Rs 446.96 crore, while the Delhi government has released Rs 214.84 crore and the Haryana government Rs 25 crore.

Initial investigation work for the dam project was started in 1976. Nine years later the project was conceived and discussed in the Northern Zonal Council Meeting.

The cost of the project was estimated as Rs 1,224.64 crore at the May 1997 price level, which was revised to Rs 3,498.86 crore (price level March 2009).

All technical clearances for the Renukaji dam project, which is planned to store the monsoon flow and release it during the non-monsoon lean season in the river downstream, have been obtained.

Only the forest clearance (Stage II) is left, which would be obtained after release of funds from the government of India and subsequent depositing of Rs 577.62 crore in the state Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) account.

Officials say the project involves 49 hectares of the Renukaji wildlife sanctuary. A total of 141,944 trees are coming into the submergence area, which if not removed, will decay and generate greenhouse gases, including methane.

The axing of trees is necessary, an official told IANS. The loss of trees would be compensated by compensatory aforestation, green belt development and reservoir rim treatment, besides funding the implementation of Catchment Area Treatment (CAT) Plan.

The impact of the removal of the trees will be marginal as the district is self-sufficient in fuelwood and other forest produce. The district has over 49 per cent of its area under tree cover with scrub over 56 sq km.

The powerhouse (2x20 MW) is proposed to be located at the toe of the dam. The project is proposed to be completed in six years from the date of the start of the construction work.

The state government has already clarified that it is ready to pay to the landowners the enhanced compensation as per the decisions given by the various appellate courts.

Project-affected villagers united under the banner of the Renuka Bandh Jan Sangharsh Samiti claim that more than 700 families from 37 villages will be affected.

(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in)
Kanpur, Dec 19 : Lawyer Taru Agarwal has been arrested in connection with the murder of advocate Gautam Dutt, who was shot dead during the election of the Kanpur Bar Association (KBA) in the district court campus.

The firing took place on Fiiday evening outside the Shatabdi Gate on the district court campus after the cancellation of Bar association elections.

Advocate Dutt was shot in the stomach. He died during treatment later in the night in the Lala Lajpat Rai (LLR) hospital.

As the news of Dutt's death spread, the lawyers created a ruckus and the police had a tough time in pacifying the agitated mob.

A case of murder was registered on Saturday on the complaint of the victim's aunt Sangeeta Dwivedi, who named Agarwal in the FIR.

She alleged that Agarwal had killed Dutt owing to an old enmity.

Police Commissioner Asim Kumar Arun has appealed for full cooperation from the advocates in maintaining law and order.
Bengaluru, Dec 19 : Karnataka has become the first state in the country to implement the National Education Policy at the higher level amid the challenges of the Covid pandemic as well as infrastructural lacunae. Now the government has announced that NEP will be adopted at the pre-school level also by the next academic year.

When universities, professional courses and the higher education sector are already in the process of transformation, amid the challenges of Covid, educationists have raised concerns over the implementation of NEP in the state. The higher education ministry maintains that despite challenges, the policy has to be implemented in the interest of the student community. It says when everything is changing fast, the age-old education system will severely hamper the capabilities of students. The state has set a target to implement NEP thoroughly in the next 10 years.

With the aim to move India towards an 'Atmanirbhar Bharat', this year the focus was on rolling out the NEP and its elements across schools. We are excited that Karnataka is the first state to implement NEP. The New Education Policy has many steps in the positive direction and is expected to transform the Indian education system, said K. V. S. Seshasai, CEO of the Pre-K Division of EuroKids International and Kangaroo Kids.

Speaking to IANS, Higher Education Minister C. Ashwath Narayan said education is the solution to all problems that exist in the society. When everything around you is changing rapidly, you can't simply rely on an age-old education method. The NEP has been formulated keeping all these things in mind.

He explained that when the draft of the NEP came, its implementation was planned. There is sufficient time of 20 years to implement the NEP and it takes time for total implementation. "We have a target of implementing NEP within 10 years," he said.

"There is going to be a huge difference among the student fraternity. There is concept learning. Syllabus is under transformation, it will catch up with the current trend. Continuous evaluation system will come into place. The system of assessment of students in final exams will cease to exist. The student will be assessed every period, every day. Annual exams concept will go. The process of learning will be facilitated," he explained.

"If foreign universities come to India, our Indian education system would be at par with them. Everyone has to implement it. NEP is already being implemented in graduation, diploma, engineering, ITI and all other courses. Yes, infrastructure is needed. Earlier also infrastructure was lacking. We have to be forward looking and everything will catch up," he said.

"Draft stage preparation is planned before five years. The central government has sought feedback from the Gram Panchayat level upwards. People from various walks of life, from various fields are included in the consultation process. We are not hurrying," he explained.

Educationist Niranjan Aradhya, however, differed with the government's view and stated that the NEP is an impractical policy. It is being brought to dismantle the present education system and benefit private players. "Show me one paragraph in the NEP draft which addresses inequalities?" he said.

"Let there be a concept of neighbourhood schools. In the United States, a child will only go to neighbouring schools, he can't go anywhere else. There is a lot of ambiguity in the new policy on education and it is chaotic. It will not strengthen education, but it will dismantle the present education system and it will facilitate complete opening of the entire education structure to the open market," he maintained.

Kiran Prasad, Core Committee Member of the Associated Management of Schools in Karnataka, an educator and founder of Vidya Vaibhav Education Institutes, opined that, "Karnataka is in the forefront in the implementation of NEP. That is good news. The only problem is in terms of timing. The children have just returned to school after 17 months. So, right now, the attention of the education system is more on getting children back into schools and streamlining the education system." "The academic year is going to end in March. So, right now, it is more about ensuring that the children are able to cope with the academic calendar. So maybe the timing might be of concern. I am not contesting implementation of NEP. I only fear that it is a bad time to implement NEP. The pressure right now is to ensure that we complete the academic calendar keeping all the changes in mind," he explained.

B.C. Nagesh, Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, stated that the NEP will be introduced in pre-primary and primary schools from the next academic year. The government will take 18,000 primary and 5,078 high school students on a temporary basis. The NEP prescribes a teacher and student ratio of 30:1, which is very much there in the state. There are 276 Karnataka Public Schools in the state which have pre-nursery classes and children can get admitted at the age of three and study up to class 10. It is also being contemplated to shift Anganwadis close to government schools.

The National Education Policy has really tried to address the needs of the 21st century and create a student friendly environment for holistic development. The first year of the NEP was challenging as schools operated digitally owing to the pandemic. With an emphasis on digital first ideology, the NEP will ensure continuous and uninterrupted learning. The government should actively partner with all participants in the early learning sector as they implement the NEP, said K. V. S. Seshasai.
New Delhi, Dec 19 : The opposition unity in the country seems like a mirage for the Congress as many regional parties are flexing their muscles to lead the flock. The strongest desire is from Mamata Banerjee, who is trying to indirectly convey that she can lead the opposition in the next elections.

But the grand old party, which has been at the helm for decades, is not willing to concede and the party leaders say that without Congress there cannot be a united opposition. Sensing the overtures made by the Trinamool Congress, Sonia Gandhi called a meeting of the opposition leaders last week though it was said the meeting was called for discussing the joint strategy in Parliament, but the main motive was to show that the Congress is the principal opposition party and Sonia Gandhi the leader of the UPA.

In the meeting the discussion on Mamata Banerjee was a focal point and sources say that Congress doesn't want to upset the Trinamool leader at this juncture and wants to reach out. Sources say that NCP Chief Sharad Pawar is likely to talk to Mamata and after the Parliament session, Sonia may call another meeting in which Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Maharashta Chief Minister Uddhav Thackarey will be invited. All the three parties the DMK, JMM and Shiv Sena are in alliance with the Congress.

Sonia Gandhi had met the opposition leaders of the DMK, National Conference (NC), Shiv Sena, NCP, CPI-M and other like-minded parties soon after Trinamool leader Mamata Banerjee said 'there is no UPA'.

After the meeting, T.R. Balu said, "We discussed the suspension of the MPs in Rajya Sabha." Farooq Abdullah of the NC said that a consensus has been built to devise a strategy to move forward." But, Trinamool was quick to react and its MP Dola Sen said, "It was not a opposition meet, but of some parties as the entire opposition was not present." Congress wants to rope in TRS Chief K. Chandrashekhar Rao in the UPA fold as he was an ally in the past. The Congress will reach out to the leaders of TRS which has been upset with the BJP increasing its footprint in the state. Though TRS had been seen as a fence sitter in Parliament which has rescued the government on multiple occasions in the Upper House, but in this session it decided to boycott the remaining part of the Parliament session on the issue of paddy procurement in the state.

But the real reason for the TRS getting miffed with the BJP is former TRS leader Eatala Rajender, who was dropped from the state cabinet by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao in May. Rajender quit the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and also resigned from the state Assembly, but later won the bypolls on a BJP ticket.

The Congress is also trying to unite the opposition on the issue of suspended 12 Rajya Sabha MPs. Mallikarjun Kharge, the Leader of opposition, has held several meetings in the House, and even Rahul Gandhi participated in the march in solidarity with the suspended MPs. The suspended 12 MPs include those from Trinamool also, but the Trinamool kept itself at a distance from the rest of the opposition and raised the issue and participated in House proceedings a number of times.
Moscow, Dec 19 : Russia has officially withdrawn from the Treaty on Open Skies, the Foreign Ministry announced in a statement.

"Decades of fruitful implementation of the treaty showed that it has served well as a tool for strengthening confidence and security, creating additional opportunities for an objective and unbiased assessment of the military potential and military activities of the participating states," Xinhua news agency quoted the statement issued on Saturday as saying.

The Ministry mentioned that during Russia's participation in the Treaty, the country has conducted 646 flights, and allowed for 449 flights to be carried out over its territory among the 1,580 total flights made.

"Unfortunately, all our efforts did not allow us to preserve the treaty as it was intended by its authors," the Ministry statement said.

"The entire responsibility for the degradation of the agreement lies with the initiator of the collapse of the Treaty on Open Skies: the United States of America," it added.

After the formal US withdrawal in November 2020, the Foreign Ministry said this January that the country had started domestic legal procedures for the official pullout from the Treaty.

On June 7, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law to quit the Treaty.

The multilateral pact, which came into effect in 2002, allows its states-parties to conduct short-notice, unarmed reconnaissance flights over the others' territories to collect data on military forces and activities.
Bangladesh community in Washington protests for recognition of 1971 genocide.(Photo:@hrcbm/Twitter) Image Source: IANS News

Bangladesh community in Washington protests for recognition of 1971 genocide.(Photo:@hrcbm/Twitter) Image Source: IANS News

Washington, Dec 19 : To commemorate their 50th victory day, the Bangladesh community members in the Washington D.C. Metro Region held a demonstration in front of the White House demanding recognition of genocide perpetrated by the Pakistani Army in 1971.

The members on Saturday were led by US-based Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities (HRCBM) Executive Director Priya Saha and HRCBM Washington D.C. Metro Area Coordinator Pranesh Haldar.

Demonstrators carried placards and raised slogans demanding US Congress should hold Pakistan responsible for the 'Bengali genocide'.

Saha informed the gathering that Pakistan Army had killed three million bengalis and raped about 400,000 Bengali women and girls during the 1971 genocide.

This is the second biggest genocide after the Holocaust and needs to be recognised as such by the global community.

The US Administration also needs to sanction the Pakistan and its Army officers involved in 1971 genocide under the Magnitsky Act.

Haldar demanded that the Pakistan government should offer formal apology to Bangladesh government for the genocide perpetrated by its army.

The Afghan community in Washington DC also supported the protests.

Afghan activist Nisar Ahmed who attended the protests said that Afghan people stand shoulder to shoulder with their Bangladeshi brothers to condemn atrocities of Pakistan Army.

HRCBM is leading the efforts to educate the US Congress members on the atrocities perpetrated by the Pakistani Army and its radical supporters on helpless Bangladesh populace between March 25, 1971 and December 16, 1971.

It has been lobbying for the formal recognition of 1971 Bengali genocide by the US Congress.
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 19 : Alappuzha district police have declared prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPc in the district, which prevents assembling of people, after two leaders K.S. Shan of Islamist organisation SDPI and BJP's OBC Morcha state secretary Ranjith Sreenivasan were hacked to death in a spate of 12 hours in the district.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in a press statement condoled the murders and said the police would take stringent action against the culprits.

Meanwhile, the Director General of Police has issued an alert to all the district police superintendents in the 14 districts of Kerala following the killings.

State police have drawn flak after the back-to-back killings in the district of senior leaders of the respective political parties.

Ranjith Sreenivasan was killed at his residence in the early morning of Sunday in front of his mother and wife. Ranjith, according to his mother, was attacked by an eight-member gang at his residence, which is situated in the heart of Alappuzha town.

SDPI state president Muvattupuzha Ashraf Moulavi had threatened dire consequences in a press statement on Saturday after SDPI state secretary K.S. Shan was attacked by a group of men at Mannancherry in Alappuzha near his residence. The SDPI leader succumbed to his injuries at a private hospital in Ernakulam late Saturday night.

SDPI state general secretary P.K. Usman while speaking to mediapersons at Ernakulam said that senior leaders of the RSS were involved in the planning behind the murder of SDPI leader K.S. Shan. He called upon the police to take stringent action against the RSS leaders, including Hindu AIkya Vedi state secretary Valsan Thillankerin in the murder of Shan.
New Delhi, Dec 19 : As the world scrambles to plug serious security bugs that can derail the Internet for millions, Google has said that more than 35,000 Java packages, amounting to over 8 per cent of the Maven Central repository (the most significant Java package repository), have been impacted by the recently disclosed vulnerabilities with widespread fallout across the software industry.

Cyber criminals are making thousands of attempts to exploit a second vulnerability involving a Java logging system called 'Apache log4j2'.

According to Google, this vulnerability has captivated the information security ecosystem since its disclosure on December 9 because of both its severity and widespread impact.

"As a popular logging tool, 'log4j' is used by tens of thousands of software packages (known as 'artifacts' in the Java ecosystem) and projects across the software industry," Google said in a blog post.

User's lack of visibility into their dependencies and transitive dependencies has made patching difficult; it has also made it "difficult to determine the full blast radius of this vulnerability".

As of December 16, Google found that 35,863 of the available Java 'artifacts' from Maven Central depend on the affected log4j code.

This means that more than 8 per cent of all packages on Maven Central have at least one version that is impacted by this vulnerability.

"As far as ecosystem impact goes, 8% is enormous. The average ecosystem impact of advisories affecting Maven Central is 2%, with the median less than 0.1%," said Google.

So far, nearly 5,000 'artifacts' have been patched, leaving more than 30,000 more.

Meanwhile, Apache has released version 2.17.0 of the patch for Log4j after discovering issues with their previous release, which came out last week.

On Friday, security researchers tweeted about potential issues with 2.16.0, with some identifying the "denial of service vulnerability".

Cybersecurity firms have found that major ransomware groups like Conti are exploring ways to take advantage of the vulnerability.

They warned that hackers were making over 100 attempts every minute to exploit a critical security vulnerability in the widely-used Java logging system called 'Apache log4j2', leaving millions of companies globally at cyber theft risk.

Several popular services, including Apple iCloud, Amazon, Twitter, Cloudflare and Minecraft, are vulnerable to this 'ubiquitous' zero-day exploit, now dubbed as one of the most serious vulnerabilities on the Internet in recent years.

'Apache Log4j' is used in many forms of enterprise and open-source software, including cloud platforms, web applications and email services.
New Delhi/Srinagar, Dec 19 : Landmark decisions taken by the Jammu and Kashmir Government in the recent past have shaken leaders like Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti and National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah to the core. They are picking up holes with everything. Former J&K chief ministers are trying to tell the people that their rights are being snatched and they may end up losing everything in the near future. It's unfortunate that they are peddling blatant lies to become relevant again.

After August 5, 2019 -- when the Centre announced its decision to revoke J&K's special status and bifurcated into two union territories -- many things have changed in the erstwhile state. The new progressive laws that have been introduced during the past two and a half years have put the traditional Kashmiri politicians in a quandary as J&K has witnessed a new era of development and prosperity.

A common man in Kashmir has realised that their leaders only raised slogans and failed to deliver. Now, when things have started moving and a solid foundation is being laid for "Naya Jammu and Kashmir" these leaders are trying to reverse the clock by talking about getting everything back.

Addressing a youth convention in frontier Rajouri district recently Mehbooba Mufti, asked youth to fight for restoration of 'snatched' rights peacefully. She told the youth that if they don't show courage today the coming generations would raise questions as the land, jobs and even mining minerals were going to the outsiders.

Soon after the J&K administration announced the changes in the land use laws and approved the regulations framed by the Board of Revenue for conversion of agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes, Mehbooba cried foul by stating that it's an attempt to "change demography" of Jammu and Kashmir. Omar Abdullah too joined the chorus by saying that the changes in the land use rules would "undo the major reforms" undertaken in the erstwhile state. People are trying to gather what these leaders are trying to sell as their assertions and claims are in no way impressing them.

Only 7 plots purchased by outsiders in 2-years The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) last week informed the Rajya Sabha that "seven plots of land" have been purchased by persons from outside the union territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir since August 5, 2019, and all these plots have been brought in the Jammu region.

The Article 370 deprived J&K of witnessing an industrial boom as there were restrictions on land purchase due to the so-called special status enjoyed by the erstwhile princely state.

After J&K's reorganisation, the Ministry of Home Affairs in October 2020 issued a notification to amend the Land Revenue Act. It paved the way for anyone from other parts of the country to buy land in J&K, including agricultural land. And now the government has empowered the District Collectors to grant permission to the change in land use from agricultural to non-agricultural purposes in accordance with the procedure as to be notified by the Board of Revenue.

Infusing new life into moribund industrial sector All these steps are being taken to build a new industrial infrastructure in J&K. This sector remained in moribund condition since 1947. None of the erstwhile regimes either in the Centre or in the State made any attempt to infuse new life into J&K's industrial sector. Had the rulers focused on these issues, J&K would not have remained an area without industries.

When the Centre is trying to attract investors into J&K and is making an effort to end the sufferings of people of the Himalayan region, the Kashmir-based leaders, who ruled J&K for the past seven decades are feeling uneasy. They are trying to build a fake narrative about everything being sold to outsiders and natives being deprived of their rights. They are not realising that despite the J&K administration trying to open up new avenues, not many people are coming forward to invest as no businessman would like to get stuck in a place where there is uncertainty and chaos.

During the past two years the Central and J&K Governments have taken many steps to instill confidence among the investors. The Kashmiri leaders, who are trying to create a perception that J&K has lost everything and they are the Messiahs should understand that nothing can change till employment avenues are created and people's standard of living improves.

Govt cannot employ everyone One cannot expect the rulers to provide government jobs to everyone. In the past two years more than 20,000 posts have been announced in J&K and the process is on to fill the vacancies in various departments. But only 20 to 30,000 people getting employed won't end unemployment. More needs to be done and the present dispensation is trying to do the same.

After August 5, 2019, many big companies have shown interest to invest in J&K, but for that they need a secure environment and a guarantee that their investments would remain secure.

The so-called Messiahs (Kashmir-based leaders) need to be told that corporate or big business houses can invest in any part of the world. The present J&K regime is trying to convince these big business houses to come and invest in J&K so that denizens don't have to migrate to other places to find decent jobs.

J&K has an army of unemployed skilled and unskilled workers. The issue of unemployment cannot be addressed without throwing the union territory open to the investors. The Kashmir-based leaders should sit back and introspect. They need to ask themselves how keeping J&K out of bounds for the outsiders helped a common citizen in the Himalayan region? Since the day Article 370 has been abrogated the ground situation has changed and people have at least started thinking about investing in J&K. Kashmir-based leaders should stop selling the "old wine in a new bottle". They should become a part of change rather than acting as a stumbling block. Their attempts to instigate the people are not working and no one is taking them seriously. The common man has understood that the governance in J&K was at its lowest ebb when the political regimes ruled the erstwhile state. The Central rule has opened a plethora of opportunities for a common Kashmiri and he is no more interested in getting back what these leaders are talking about.
New Delhi, Dec 19 : Apart from the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur, the municipal elections in Delhi are also slated for the next year, and the political parties are leaving no stone unturned to get maximum seats in these elections.

Congress MP and the party's Delhi in-charge Shaktisinh Gohil shared some insights of how his party is preparing to reinstate itself in Delhi and the corporations.

He said, "The love for the Congress party has always been there among the people of Delhi; The Sheila Dikshit-led government remained in power for 15 years and people have not been able to forget the developmental works that were done by her. Under the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, people are feeling cheated.

"Congress is getting back its vote bank in Delhi and we are also working hard; we are taking out 'Poll-Khol' yatra in Delhi and considering the support of the people, it seems that the Congress will stand firmly." In the Delhi Municipal Corporation by-elections held earlier, in five wards, the AAP won four seats, while the Congress had captured one seat.

According to Gohil, the vote percentage of the Congress has increased in the by-elections, and thus the party will get the benefit in the civic elections.

Slamming the AAP for the promises being made by the Chief Minister in other states, Gohil said, "State Congress is exposing the truth of the promises being made by the Chief Minister in other states. The promises they (AAP) made in other states, they have not been able to deliver to the people in Delhi till now." He further said, "Delhi is a state where there is a surplus budget and during Sheila Dixit's time -- big flyovers were built, which ended the problem of traffic, but today we are again facing the same problem due to the lack of development." Municipal elections are slated to be held in April 2022 and the model code of conduct is likely to be imposed in March.

According to Gohil, based on the public interaction, there are a lot of issues, which the Congress will take up.

Recalling the Covid pandemic era, he said, "People had to face trouble without ICU beds in Delhi; the BJP and the AAP could not help the distressed people at the time of corona, we ran the 'Congress ki Rasoi' and our workers came forward to help the people." Congress and its leaders are constantly claiming that the party will get benefit in the civic and other elections, however many leaders have left the Delhi unit, due to which it is being believed that the party will have a big disadvantage in corporation elections.

Although Gohil believes that there is always some reason behind leaving the party, possibly, greed or anger. "But those who left the Congress party in Delhi or other states have regretted it and later they also came back," he said.

He said, "Good and bad times come for every party, but the voters and supporters do not go with those who compromise on their ideology. Those who are leaving the party will not cause long term loss to the party, but they themselves will repent." On a query regarding the benefits that the employees and people would have, if the Congress is voted to power, Gohil said, "During the Congress government, no matter whoever is in power in the corporation, the salaries of the employees were never stopped, but now the employees have to go on strike for salaries." "At present, the BJP and AAP are accusing each other, but what is the fault of common people in this? People are upset with the fight between the two parties. We will fix this in our government," he asserted.

When asked about who will be the challenger for the Congress in the corporation elections, Gohil said, "It is the public which decides, our job is to serve the people, our leaders are preparing a positive manifesto for the people of Delhi in which there will be no tall claims and when we will come to power, we will fulfill our promises.

The Delhi Congress would be depending on young faces in more than 130 wards in the upcoming municipal elections. At the same time, party leaders and workers are planning to highlight the developments done during the Sheila Dikshit government.
Srinagar, Dec 19 : A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) trooper shot himself dead on Sunday in Jammu and Kashmir's Ganderbal district.

Police sources said that trooper Deonath Yadav of 118 battalion who hailed from Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh, committed suicide by shooting himself with his service rifle in the Gund area of Ganderbal district.

An FIR was registered and an investigation has been launched to find out the reason behind this extreme step, police sources said.
New Delhi, Dec 19 : The BJP has demanded CBI investigation into the alleged sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib in the sanctum sanctorum of Golden Temple in Amritsar 'so that such instances are not used to disturb the peace in Punjab'.

The BJP has appealed to Union Minister Amit Shah to persuade Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Channi to handover the case to the CBI.

Condemning the incident, BJP national spokesperson Sardar R.P. Singh said, "I strongly condemn the attempt to desecrate Sri Guru Granth Sahib in Darbar Sahib. I also demand the Charanjit Singh Channi government to immediately handover the case to the CBI so that the truth should be known, unlike Bargari, culprits of which are still roaming free." Singh pointed out that the CBI investigation will find truth like who the person was, what was his intention and people behind him.

He appealed to the people to put pressure on the Channi government to handover the case to the CBI.

"I appeal to Home Minister Amit Shah to persuade Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi to handover the matter of 'beadbi' (sacrilege) at Darbar Sahib immediately to the CBI for fair investigation so that this instance shouldn't be used to disturb the peace in Punjab," Singh said.

On Saturday evening, a man was allegedly beaten to death after he tried to desecrate the sacred Guru Granth Sahib at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The youth, reportedly belonging to Uttar Pradesh, entered the restricted area and tried to pick up the sword kept in front of the Guru Granth Sahib. He was caught by security persons and was handed over to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) office, where he was beaten to death.
Chennai, Dec 19 : Director S.S. Rajamouli has disclosed that the soul of 'RRR', featuring actors Ram Charan, Jr NTR and Alia Bhatt in the lead, lies in the flashback episode of actor Ajay Devgn in the film.

Music has been a big asset in all of Rajamouli's films and music director Keeravani, who has scored the music for 'RRR', has a unique style when it comes to scoring music for films.

Like most other music directors, Keeravani does not start with the beginning of the film but watches the entire film and then picks a point that touches his soul to start his re-recording.

When IANS asked Rajamouli as to which point music director Keeravani chose in 'RRR' as the soul of this film, director Rajamouli replied, "He saw the entire film and said the flashback episode of Ajay (Devgn) sir is the heart and soul of the film and that is where the story starts and that is where I am going to start my re-recording from." "He first made a background score for a 12 to 15-minute sequence and then he started the background score for the rest of the film. But even in that 10-15-minute episode, there was one point -- the soul point of that episode, which he was not happy with.

"He said, 'We can go forward but I have to revisit this place as something is missing here. After struggling for almost two months, one day, he suddenly came up with a song, saying, we will play this song here. He wrote the lyrics himself. That is the 'Janani' song. That is why we call it the 'Soul of RRR'," the director disclosed.
Moradabad : , Dec 19 (IANS) A 30-year-old man, arrested by the police for beating his wife, died under mysterious circumstances at a local hospital in Bhojpur area of Moradabad district.

The incident took place on Saturday.

Additional Superintendent of Police (rural) Vidya Sagar Mishra said Bhupendra Pandey, who worked at a private clinic, was arrested after his wife's brother called 'Dial 112', a helpline that provides quick response.

Mishra added that Pandey's health deteriorated in police custody and he was rushed to the hospital, where he died during treatment.

The ASP said that the man had possibly poisoned himself, adding that his death has nothing to do with his arrest.

Meanwhile Pandey's kin blocked the Moradabad-Haridwar state highway and demanded action against police officials along with Pandey's wife and her brother.

It was only after police assured the protesters that an FIR would be registered and a fair probe would be conducted that the latter lifted the blockade.

Mishra told reporters, "The victim would often beat his wife and several complaints had been lodged against him. When police detained him for questioning, he said that he had consumed poison much before his arrest." "We have registered an FIR under the section of murder on the complaint of victim's father against victim's wife and brother-in-law. Arrests will be made once the probe is completed," Mishra added.
Cairo, Dec 19 : EgyptAir has announced the resumption of direct flights between Cairo and Toronto after the Canadian government lifted its travel ban on Egypt and several African countries.

"EgyptAir announced the resumption of the flights between Cairo and Toronto - Canada starting next Tuesday, December 21, 2021," Xinhua news agency quoted the flag carrier as saying in a statement.

The announcement came a day after Canada's federal government lifted its travel ban imposed in late November on 10 African countries including Egypt over concerns related to the new Omicron Covid-19 variant.

Canadian Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said on Friday that the ban announced last month aimed "to slow the arrival of Omicron in Canada and buy us some time".

"Given the current situation, this measure has served its purpose and is no longer needed," he added.
San Francisco, Dec 19 : Tech giant Amazon has addressed the issue that had left those with Android 12 phones unable to use apps they had downloaded from the company's Appstore.

According to Engadget, the marketplace had been malfunctioning for more than a month.

"We have released a fix for an issue impacting app launches for Amazon Appstore customers that have upgraded to Android 12 on their mobile devices," a spokesperson was quoted as saying by the website.

"We are contacting customers with steps to update their Appstore experience. We are sorry for any disruption this has caused," the spokesperson added.

Reports of applications from the Appstore not working on Android 12 started to surface online in late October.

Those with devices like the Google Pixel 6 and Samsung Galaxy S21 found they could not run any of the software they had previously downloaded from the Appstore, the report said.

There were also reports of no apps showing up in the marketplace. While the issue didn't affect many people, it took about a month for Amazon to acknowledge it officially, it added.
Seoul, Dec 19 : South Korean President Moon Jae-in will receive the government's annual policy briefings for the final time this week, his office said on Sunday.

The 2022 briefings will begin Monday under the slogan, "Changes made with the people, a government fulfilling its responsibilities until the end", the presidential office or Cheong Wa Dae said in a statement.

"Through the policy briefings, we plan to go through the achievements made during the five years of the Moon Jae-in administration and check the government's policy directions and main project plans up until May 2022," Yonhap News Agency quoted the statement as saying.

Moon's single, five-year term is set to end in May 2022, and by law, he cannot seek re-election.

This year, the briefings will be submitted by paper because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The government has chosen five top themes it will concentrate on until the end of the administration, and for each theme, scheduled a joint press briefing involving the relevant ministries to explain its achievements and future goals to the public.

On Wednesday, the Finance Ministry will be among the first to brief the nation on reviving people's livelihoods, along with the culture, labour, SMEs and agriculture ministries.

On Thursday, the Unification Ministry will be joined by the Foreign and Defence Ministries to give a press briefing on peace on the Korean Peninsula.

The Land Ministry will give a presentation on stabilising the real estate market on December 27, followed by the Environment Ministry on carbon neutrality on December 28, and the Health Ministry on the Covid-19 response on December 30.
Adelaide, Dec 19 : Australia declared its second innings at 230/9 on day four in the second Ashes Test at the Adelaide Oval. With the declaration, the hosts have set a daunting 468-run target for England with 4.5 sessions left in the match.

Resuming from 134/4 at dinner break, Travis Head began by smashing past Chris Woakes for four and then pulled for two through mid-wicket to bring up a half-century at his home ground. But in the next over, Head went for a pull against Ollie Robinson, only for a brilliant diving effort from Ben Stokes at deep mid-wicket to send the left-hander back to the pavilion.

Marnus Labuschagne continued to march as Australia's lead swelled beyond 400. He reached his half-century with a single through square leg off Robinson for the second time in the match. But in the next over, Labuschagne fell as he slog-swept straight to deep mid-wicket off Dawid Malan.

Joe Root's arm ball was chopped on the stumps by Alex Carey. Mitchell Starc and Jhye Richardson slammed a six each but when the duo got out in successive overs, Australia declared their innings for the second time in the match, ending England's agony on the field.

Earlier, in an action-packed first session, England had bossed the first half while Australia took charge in the second hour. Resuming from overnight score of 54/1, nightwatchman Michael Neser was nearly run out on the first ball of the day. In the next over, Neser was bowled through the gate by James Anderson getting one to jag back in.

England got their second wicket in just three balls as Stuart Broad extracted a thick outside edge from Marcus Harris' bat and keeper Jos Buttler took a flying one-handed screamer of a catch to his left. Broad almost had Steve Smith dismissed for a golden duck if not for Buttler dropping the catch to his right.

On the very next ball, Broad rapped Smith on the pads, which was adjudged not out by umpire Rod Tucker. England took the DRS but replays showed Smith survived due to impact as umpire's call. But the Australia captain couldn't make the most out of twin lives as he gloved behind to a diving Buttler off Robinson.

But Head and Labuschagne stitched a counter-attacking partnership of 79 runs off 93 balls for the fifth wicket to ensure Australia didn't lose any other wicket in a see-saw session. Head was the more aggressive of the two, striking boundaries while Labuschagne took his time to get going.

Root didn't take the field at the start due to an abdomen injury sustained during practice session. Root went for a scan and then came back on the field from 36th over. It also resulted in Robinson switching from right-arm pace to off-spin for three overs, highlighting the absence of a specialist spinner in England's line-up.

Brief Scores: Australia 473/9 dec in 150.4 overs and 230/9 dec in 61 overs (Travis Head 51, Marnus Labuschagne 51' Joe Root 2/27, Dawid Malan 2/33) vs England 236 all out in 84.1 overs (Dawid Malan 80, Mitchell Starc 4/37).
New Delhi, Dec 19 : An Uyghur woman, who was arrested in northern Chinas Xinjiang region, has recalled the physical torture she endured during her detention at a labour camp, saying that she was gang raped and her my "private parts were tortured with electricity", the New York Post reported.

"You're left with marks on your body that make you not want to look at yourself," the newspaper quoted Tursunay Ziyawudun as saying.

Her story is, tragically, not uncommon for members of the minority Uyghur community, with Turkish roots, in President XI Jinping's China, the report said.

"They gave me sterilisation pills," said Ziyawudun. "I am pretty sure that is why I cannot have a baby now." Since around 2016, the Uyghurs have been pulled off streets and sent to re-education camps, where reports have surfaced about people being tortured, raped and even killed. They are sent there under the auspices of learning a trade and having their patriotism reinforced, the New York Post said.

In 2017, Ziyawudun was arrested, forced by police officers to turn over her passport and taken to a prison camp about 30 minutes from her village.

There, she was made to sing communist songs of patriotism and repeatedly told that her Muslim religion does not exist, the report said. After a month, she developed stomach issues, fainted and was released.

"They sent me to the hospital," Ziyawudun, who came to the US as a political refugee in 2020, said. "If they hadn't I might have died." The year after she was arrested, she was summoned to a police station and told that she needed to complete her training.

She was sent back to the "re-education" camp, where her hair was shorn, likely to be sold as a wig, and her earrings were ripped out.

"They pulled it so hard that my ears were bleeding," Ziyawudun recalled. "I was being treating like an animal."
Hyderabad, Dec 19 : With the threat of a third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic looming over the country and amid fears that children may be affected the most this time, doctors have called for balancing safety and academics.

Since education in a classroom setting is crucial for emotional growth of children, the doctors have warned that if children continue to be kept away from in-person classes, this could lead to the next pandemic of obesity, oppositional defiant disorder, neurodevelopment issues, autism and ADHD.

While the aged sections of the global population were worst affected in the early days of this pandemic, it is speculated that the young might get infected in the coming days.

Few educational institutions are seeing Covid positive cases among students but they have not become hotspots for spreading thr infection.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has also stated all over the world no educational institution has been found to be a hotspot for Covid infection. An important thing in favour of kids is that most of them are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic and do not have long term impact as in the case of adults.

Doctors from across various healthcare institutions believe, while it is a fact that Covid-19 is likely to wash through the populations, especially those section which are not vaccinated against it, children cannot be kept away from academics and other social factors which ensure their emotional growth along with intellectual progress they would make through learning at a classroom or among the peer groups.

"For more than a year, children were kept away from full-time academics, and without they returning to the regular routine of attending to physical classes and interacting with peers, children might experience a certain void in their lives. It is highly critical young children spend quality time among peers, which will ensure they develop social skills, and experience an emotional growth. While safety is topmost priority, equally important is intellectual development of a child, and that cannot be attained by restricting children to their cocoons," said Dr Parag Shankarrao Dekate, Director of Paediatrics & Head of Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, KIMS Hospitals.

"Children with health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and asthma, might be at higher risk of serious illness with Covid-19 infection. Even those children who have congenital heart disease, genetic conditions or conditions affecting the nervous system or metabolism also might be at higher risk of serious illness due to this virus. Ensuring such children are protected more until the world passes through the risk of this pandemic is very important," said Dr Srinivas Chary, Consultant Physician, Aware Gleneagles Global Hospital.

Commenting on the risks of the virus among younger population, Dr Prayaga Jyothsna, Consultant Paediatrician, SLG Hospitals said that like their parents or grandparents, children too can fall ill due to Covid-19 infection, and there are a greater number of cases being reported daily now.

"Advent of the Omicron variant of novel coronavirus might only worsen the situation further for our population. However, it is noticed that younger generations, especially those who still attend schools and colleges, do not become as sick as adults. Many children might not show any severe symptoms of Covid-19, and this can be attributed to high immunity the former have," said Dr Jyothsna.

There are other respiratory viruses like Rhinovirus, adenovirus, influenza, parainfluenza, Respiratory syncytial virus that are endemic and spread in community as common cold and most of children also get affected by this, but they do come out of this within few days, without many complications.

Parents and school managements must ensure all safety protocols are followed if at all they are holding physical classes for school and college going wards.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Srinagar, Dec 19 : Three Pakistani terrorists have been killed within 33 days in different encounters in Srinagar city, officials said on Sunday.

"Three Pakistani terrorists killed in Srinagar City within 33 days," police said.

"They were involved in several terror crimes including attacks on Police/ Security forces and civilian killings. It shows that Pakistan is hell-bent to disturb peace in Valley especially in Srinagar City," the J&K Police quoting Inspector General Police Kashmir Vijay Kumar tweeted.

On Sunday, one Lashkat-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist, a Pakistani national, was killed at Harwan on the outskirts of Srinagar.

The killed terrorist has been identified as Saifulla alias Abu Khalid alias Shawaz, a resident of Karachi (Pakistan).

"He was affiliated with proscribed terror outfit LeT. He infiltrated in 2016 and was active in general area of Harwan and involved in several terror crimes," J&K Police quoting Inspector General Police Kashmir Vijay Kumar further tweeted.

On December 13, the police neutralised two LeT terrorists, including a Pakistani terrorist in a brief chance encounter at Rangreth area of Srinagar.

On November 16, police said four persons were killed in an encounter at Hyderpora in Srinagar. Among the four was a Pakistani terrorist named as Bilal Bhai.
Chennai, Dec 19 : The Sri Lankan Navy has arrested 43 Indian fishermen and seized six fishing boats. The arrested fishermen have been lodged in the Kangesanthurai camp in Sri Lanka, according to a fisheries department official in Tamil Nadu.

Upset over the reported arrests and the seizure of the boats, the fishermen associations will hold protests across the state on Monday.

A Tamil Nadu fisheries department official while speaking to IANS said, "Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu are regularly attacked by the Sri Lankan Naval personnel and recently a fisherman from Ramanathapuram, Rajkiran (30) lost his life after the Sri Lankan Navy attacked the Indian fishing vessel.

"In this case around 500 fishermen from Rameswaram had sailed to the sea and they were attacked by the Sri Lankan naval personnel near Katchatheevu. 43 Indian fishermen were arrested and are now in the custody of the Sri Lankan Navy. 6 fishing boats have also been seized by the Sri Lankans." Political parties of Tamil Nadu have already contacted the Union Government and have requested to immediately speak to the Sri Lankan authorities for the release of fishermen from Tamil Nadu. The Union minister of state for fisheries, L. Murugan, who hails from Tamil Nadu has already commenced discussions with the higher officials of the Government of India.
New Delhi, Dec 19 : Congress on Sunday demanded a time-bound SIT probe into an alleged land scam involving the Assam Chief Minister's family. It alleged that a company owned by Assam CM's wife and relatives has illegally grabbed government land.

Addressing a joint press conference, Congress leaders Gaurav Vallabh, Ripun Bora, Jitendra Singh and Gaurav Gogoi said: "Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, on one hand is showing hard-handedness in evicting poor and deprived families on the ground that no one has the right to illegally takeover the government land, but on the other hand he is handing over the government land worth crores of rupees to his family members on his own whims and fancies," they alleged.

The Congress alleged: "As per an investigation by leading media houses, a real estate company, RBS Realtors, Co-founded by the chief minister's wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma is allegedly occupying around 18 acres of government land intended for landless individuals and institutions." The party alleged that RBS Realtors Private Limited acquired most of the 18 acres in two stages, first in 2006-2007 and then in 2009.

Individuals, who are landless and needy, are granted ceiling surplus land by the Assam government and are prohibited from selling that land for a 10-year period.

"In 2009, a total of 11 bigha three katha and four lessa (i.e. 3,01,674 square feet or 6.92 acres) of ceiling surplus land in Bongora intended for and allotted to supposedly needy individuals by the government of Assam was bought by Himanta Biswa Sarma's wife's company, violating the 10-year lock-in period," it said.

"A total of seven plots in North Guwahati were allegedly allocated to RBS realtors between 2008 and 2009 Plot 1- 4.37 acre land: Assam government allotted 4.37 acre ceiling surplus land to Lalmoti Talukdar on condition that it couldn't be sold for ten years. Barely two months later, on January 28, 2009, Talukdar sold 3.19 acres of the 4.37 acre to RBS Realtors Plot 2- 1872 square feet land: Assam government allotted 1,872 square feet (0.042 acre) ceiling surplus land to Basanta Nath with a 10-year lock-in period for sale," it said.

"In 2017, 23.61 per cent of the Rs 100 face value shares of Vasistha Realtors were transferred to Meena Bhuyan, mother of Riniki Bhuyan Sarma and mother-in-law of the chief minister.

On September 16, 2019 -- barely 18 days after Himanta Biswa Sarma's son Nandil Biswa Sarma became an adult -- Meena Bhuyan transferred her shares to him. As of FY-20, the chief minister's son owns 23.61 per cent shares of the company," the Congress alleged.

Gaurav Vallabh said that a sitting CM, whose family is directly "involved in land grabbing", has no right to remain in power.

Himanta Biswa Sarma should be sacked from his Chief Minister's post immediately, Gaurav Vallabh added.

All unlawful land transfers to the aforementioned realtors must be immediately cancelled and provisions must be made to provide alternate land to the landless and needy people whose land was unscrupulously taken away, the Congress demanded.
New Delhi, Dec 19 : Condemning the murder of Kerala state secretary of OBC Morcha, Renjith Sreenivasan, BJP chief J.P. Nadda on Sunday said that Kerala is turning into an unlawful state under Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Nadda also said that such cowardly acts cannot be tolerated.

On Sunday morning, a popular BJP leader Sreenivasan, was killed after attackers barged into his residence at Alappuzha. His wife and mother were at present at the time of the killing of the advocate.

In a tweet, Nadda said, "The brutal murder of OBC Morcha State Secretary Advocate Renjith Sreenivasan by 'fundamentalist elements' is condemnable. Such cowardly acts cannot be tolerated. Kerala is turning into an unlawful state under Chief Minister Vijayan Pinarayi. They can't scare us with their cruelty." Ranjith, a practising advocate at Alappuzha bar, was the BJP candidate at Alappuzha Assembly constituency.

In-charge of BJP's national information and technology department, Amit Malviya alleged that Sreenivasan was hacked to death by the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) cadre in Alappuzha. "BJP Kerala's OBC Morcha state secretary Renjith Srinivasan hacked to death by SDPI cadre in Alappuzha this morning. Along with West Bengal, Kerala has become a minefield of political murders. The Kerala CM just like Mamata Banerjee turns a blind eye to such ghastly killings," tweeted Malviya, also BJP co-incharge of West Bengal.
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 19 : BJP leader and former Union minister Subramanian Swamy has called for dismissal of the LDF government in Kerala over the killing of BJP leader Ranjith Sreenivasan who was hacked to death on Sunday morning allegedly by SDPI workers.

He called upon Union Home Minister Amit Shah to immediately act and dismiss the Kerala government for the failure of law and order situation in the state.

Swamy, a Member of Parliament and a former Union minister, was speaking to media persons on the sidelines of the 51st Brahmin Sabha conference at Palakkad on Sunday.

He said that those who had butchered Ranjith Sreenivasan were terrorists and the state should not be allowed to be a safe haven for such terrorists.

Swami also called for a ban on the Popular Front of India which is the ideological arm of the SDPI and said that the idea of PFI is to convert India into an Islamic nation. He said that those who are trying for the Islamisation of the state must go to Pakistan.
Lucknow, Dec 19 : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday defended the Income Tax raids on Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav's aides, brushing aside accusations of political vendetta.

"I saw yesterday that the Samajwadi Party was getting troubled at Income Tax raids. So, I asked someone, why? The journalist replied 'chor ki dadhi mein tinka'. Can anyone imagine how someone's wealth grows 200 times in five years?" he asked.

The Chief Minister further asked, "Would there have been action against criminals and mafias if the Samajwadi Party was in power? Do these people deserve your vote?" Yogi Adityanath was speaking in Mathura at the launch of one of the six 'Jan Vishwas Yatra' rallies planned from six separate locations of the state as part of the BJP's election campaign.

The comments came a day after Akhilesh Yadav's personal aide and other associates were raided by Income Tax officials.

Yadav said that he expected visits by the CBI and Enforcement Directorate too.

"I have said this time and again that as elections approach, all this will start happening. Right now, the tax department has come, then the Enforcement Directorate will come, CBI will come but the cycle (the Samajwadi Party's poll symbol) will not stop. We will continue at the same pace and the BJP will be wiped out of UP. Why was the raid not conducted earlier? Why now? Because elections are near?" he said.

Akhilesh on Sunday also alleged that the phones of his house and office were being tapped.
Srinagar, Dec 19 : A terrorist associate has been arrested from South Kashmir's Anantnag district in a joint operation by the police and the army along with arms and ammunition including one Chinese pistol, police said on Sunday.

Police said Anantnag Police and army's 1 RR arrested a terrorist associate identified as Feroz Ahmad Zargar alias Kamraan, resident of Gratbal Quimoh Kulgam and recovered one Chinese Pistol along with magazine and other ammunition from his possession.

Police have registered a case and investigations have been initiated.

This comes on a say when one LeT terrorist who was a Pakistani national was killed at Harwan on the outskirts of Srinagar.

The killed terrorist was identified as Saifulla alias Abu Khalid alias Shawaz, resident of Karachi, Pakistan.
Adelaide, Dec 19 : Australia maintained their firm control on the second Ashes Test, taking out four England wickets before the fourth day of the second day ended at the Adelaide Oval. After half-centuries from Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne enabled the hosts to declare with a lead of 467 runs, Australia then took out England's top four, including captain Joe Root on the final ball of the day to leave the visitors at 82/4 in 43.2 overs.

With day five left, Australia now need six wickets to go 2-0 up in the five-match series while England need to bat three sessions to save the match. After setting a target of 468 for England, Australia took only 12 balls to take out the first wicket. Haseeb Hameed fell for a duck, gloving a ball behind to keeper Alex Carey that bounced off a length from Jhye Richardson.

Rory Burns and Dawid Malan survived till tea break and 40 minutes after the interval, Nathan Lyon got one to turn away and take the outer edge of Malan's bat, to be put down by Steve Smith at first slip. But in the next over, Malan couldn't make the most of the dropped chance, trapped lbw on the front pad by Michael Neser, and burnt a review as well, ending the 44-run stand for the second wicket.

Burns, looking comfortable for the first time in the series, was given out caught behind against Cameron Green but got to change the decision as the ball flicked his back leg on the way to keeper Alex Carey. But Richardson, who troubled the opener with cross-seam deliveries, came back to take out Burns for a fighting 34, nicking to Smith for a low catch at second slip.

Joe Root and Ben Stokes fought hard to survive till stumps but a blow to the abdomen, where he was hit during the practice session before the start of the day, caused Root a lot of discomfort. After the blow, Root wasn't moving well and nicked behind to Carey off Starc at the stroke of stumps.

Earlier, Head and Labuschagne notched up half-centuries to help Australia recover from 55/4 to reach 230/9 and swelling the lead beyond 450 in the process. The start of the day wasn't rosy for the hosts. In an action-packed first session, England bossed the first half while Australia took charge in the second hour.

Resuming from an overnight score of 54/1, nightwatchman Neser was nearly run out on the first ball of the day. In the next over, Neser was bowled through the gate by James Anderson getting one to jag back in.

England got their second wicket in just three balls as Stuart Broad extracted a thick outside edge from Marcus Harris' bat and keeper Jos Buttler took a flying one-handed screamer of a catch to his left. Broad almost had Smith dismissed for a golden duck if not for Buttler dropping the catch to his right.

On the very next ball, Broad rapped Smith on the pads, which was adjudged not out. England took the DRS but Smith survived as replays showed impact as umpire's call. But the Australia captain couldn't make the most of the twin lives as he gloved behind to a diving Buttler off Robinson.

Head and Labuschagne stitched a counter-attacking partnership for the fifth wicket to ensure Australia didn't lose any other wicket in a see-saw session. Head was the more aggressive of the two, striking boundaries while Labuschagne took his time to get going.

Post dinner, Head began by smashing past Chris Woakes for four and then pulled for two through mid-wicket to bring up a half-century at his home ground. But in the next over, Head went for a pull against Robinson, only for a brilliant diving effort from Stokes at deep mid-wicket to send the left-hander back to the pavilion.

Labuschagne continued to march and reached his half-century with a single through square-leg off Robinson for the second time in the match. But in the next over, Labuschagne fell as he slog-swept straight to deep mid-wicket off Malan.

An arm ball from Root saw Carey chop onto his stumps. Richardson and Starc slammed a six each but when the duo got out in successive overs, Australia declared their innings for the second time in t'e match, ending England's agony on the field, only to pile more pain by the time stumps arrived.

Brief Scores: Australia 473/9 dec in 150.4 overs and 230/9 dec in 61 overs (Travis Head 51, Marnus Labuschagne 51, Joe Root 2/27, Dawid Malan 2/33) against England 236 all out in 84.1 overs and 20/1 in eight overs (Rory Burns 34, Joe Root 24, Jhye Richardson 2/17), England need 386 runs to win
Panaji, Dec 19 : Goa would not have to wait for 14 more years to be liberated from Portuguese colonial rule after India's Independence, if former Home Minister of India late Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had lived longer, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday.

Modi was addressing a gathering in Goa on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the state's Liberation on December 19, 1961.

"At least 21 freedom fighters had to give up their lives which included Veer Karnail Singh Benipal from Punjab. They were restless because a part of India was still under foreign rule. Some countrymen still had not obtained freedom," Modi said in his speech.

"I will also say on this occasion that if Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had lived for some more years, then Goa would not have to wait for long for its freedom," Modi also said.

The subject of 'delay' in the Liberation of Goa, the assimilation of the former Portuguese colony has been mentioned on several occasions by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant. "I feel, the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was responsible for Goa getting its freedom 14 years after India's Independence. Because of him we got freedom 14 years later. If he had political will, if he really cared about Goans, he would have wanted Goa to be free of Portuguese rule," the Goa Chief Minister had said in January 2020.

"Despite 450 years of exploitative Portuguese rule, Goa managed to keep its culture intact. We had a period of 14-year vanvas (banishment). India was already independent and for 14 years we had continued in exploitative Portuguese rule," Sawant had also said in November last year.
Chennai, Dec 19 : Tamil Nadu Police have constituted four special teams to find out the identity of a five-year-old boy who was found dead in a pushcart on December 15. Post-mortem report has revealed that the child died of either dehydration or hunger.

The body was found on the Villupuram-Chennai highway in a pushcart near a pharmacy and police have registered a case of unnatural death.

A senior police officer quoting doctors who conducted the autopsy at Government Villupuram Medical College and Hospital (GVMCH) said that the child died due to natural causes, either due to dehydration or hunger. The stomach of the boy was empty, police officer said.

The photo of the boy is circulated in WhatsApp groups of teachers and Anganwadi workers, police said.

Villupuram District Police has constituted four special teams that have commenced combing operations.
New Delhi, Dec 19 : Since the beginning of winter this year, Xi'an in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, has recorded a litany of haemorrhagic fever cases, a natural epidemic disease with a high fatality rate.

Experts of the local Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said rodents are the main source of the infection and vaccination is the most effective way to prevent the disease from spreading, Global Times reported.

Haemorrhagic fever is said to be a common infectious disease in the north. From October every year, some areas of Shaanxi Province enter the high incidence season of haemorrhagic fever.

In recent years, the virus institute of Shaanxi CDC confirmed the local infection of the virus in Xi'an city through a large number of field investigations and laboratory neutralization antibody detection and identification, the report said.

Experts said that haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, also known as epidemic haemorrhagic fever, is caused by Hantavirus, with rodents as the main source of infection.

It can be transmitted by a mouse bite, by eating food or water that a mouse has crawled over, or by contact with infected mouse blood, urine or faeces. The population is generally susceptible to the disease, and the incidence is high in farmers who often work in the field, or workers engaged in agricultural industry and food processing.

Hemorrhagic fever is an acute infectious disease characterised by fever, bleeding and renal damage, and can lead to death in serious cases.

Inchoate symptoms of epidemic haemorrhagic fever and common flu are similar. As a result, many patients may think it is common cold by mistake. Local CDC experts in Xi'an urged patients to have treatment in a timely manner due to the onset of haemorrhagic fever and its rapid progress.
Hyderabad, Dec 19 : Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) Working President K. T. Rama Rao has taunted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over dining with construction workers of Kashi Vishwanath Dham Corridor.

"Wonder where this love & empathy was when millions of migrant workers were walking hundreds of kilometres," Rama Rao tweeted along with a picture of Modi dining with construction workers and six pictures of migrant workers walking during Covid-19 induced pandemic.

"In fact Govt of India coerced the states for train fares for shramik rails," added Rama Rao referring to the special trains operated to help workers reach their homes.

KTR, as Rama Rao is popularly known, also wrote in Telugu that whenever there are elections, the BJP dines with workers while at other times, migrant workers are left to fend for themselves.

During his visit to Varanasi on December 13, Prime Minister Modi had lunch with construction workers who worked on the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor project.

Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh are due in February-March next year.
Panaji, Dec 19 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that Pope Francis had said that his invitation to visit India is the "greatest gift" he had offered him, while stating that India was a shining beacon of unity in diversity to the world.

Addressing a gathering in Goa on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the state's Liberation on December 19, 1961, he said: "I was in Italy and Vatican City some time back. I got the opportunity to meet Pope Francis... I have invited him to India and I want to tell you what he said after my invitation. Pope Francis said, 'This is the greatest gift you have given me'. This is was his affection towards India's diversity and our vibrant democracy." The Prime Minister also said that the identity of India globally is that of a country which is in service of humanity and that the whole world acknowledges India's spirit of unity in diversity.

Goa too, Modi, said was an example of how people of all communities and religions have lived together furthering the belief of 'Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat'.

"Goa is that place which has preserved the holy relics of Georgia's Queen Ketevan for centuries. Some months back, St Queen Ketevan's relics were handed over to the Georgian government. St Queen Ketevan's sacred relics were tracked to the St. Augustine Church in 2005," Modi said.

The Georgian queen was martyred in Shiraz (in present day Iran) in 1624, after she refused to convert from Christianity to Islam. She was later canonised as a saint by the Georgian Orthodox Church.

Her stoic defiance of religious persecution is believed to have inspired the followers of the Georgian Church even as they secretly carried the relics of their slain queen to Portuguese-held Goa for safe-keeping.

"Friends, during the struggle for Goa's freedom, everyone fought together, struggled together against foreign rule. The Pintos revolt was led by the native Christians. This is the identity of India. Service of humanity. The whole world acknowledges India's spirit of unity in diversity," he also said.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, Dec 19 : Tom Holland-starrer 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' has had a glorious first weekend (Thursday to Saturday) in India, grossing Rs 100.84 crore (Rs 79.14 crore after tax).

With the Sunday collection figures yet to come in, Spidey seems to be sitting pretty on top of the box-office, having beaten the Akshay Kumar-starrer 'Sooryavanshi', which netted Rs 77.08 crore in its first three days.

Tweeting about this, senior trade analyst Taran Adarsh asked his followers to "expect another big day" on Sunday. The film, which is swinging past box-office records globally, has been released theatrically in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

Internationally, the film earned a record $121.5 million on Friday from 4,336 locations and it was projected to net $242 million in its opening weekend worldwide.

For the cinema exhibition business, this calls for celebrations, because for the first time since 'Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker' in December 2019, a movie will cross $100 million in its opening weekend in the US.

The big question now is whether Spidey will be able to cross the total collection figures of 'Avengers: Endgame' (2019), which has netted Rs 446 crore thus far, to become the most successful Hollywood film in India.

'Avengers: Endgame' is at No. 6 on the list of 50 top grossing films in India, which is topped by the multi-language 'Baahubali 2: The Conclusion' (Rs 1,429 crore), followed by Rajinikanth's '2.0', Aamir Khan-starrer 'Dangal', 'Baahubali: The Beginning' and 'PK', which also had Aamir playing the lead role.

Three other Hollywood films figure in the Top 50 -- 'Avengers: Infinity War' (No. 21), 'The Jungle Book' (No. 28) and 'Lion King' (No. 47).

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, Dec 19 : After taking the number of rural households in Rajasthan to get tap water supply from 11.74 lakh out of 1.01 crore (11.5 per cent) in August 2019 to 21.39 lakh (21.1 per cent), the Centre on Sunday said it approved allocation of Rs 10,180 crore for Jal Jeevan Mission in 2021-22 to assist the state achieve 'Har Ghar Jal'.

The Rs 10,180 crore assistance is a four-fold increase from Rs 2,522 crore allocated in 2020-21 with a mission mode approach adopted in Rajasthan, Union Jal Shakti Minister, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, said in a statement.

In 2021-22, the state plans to provide tap water connections to about 30 lakh rural households. "Regular review is taking place to expedite the implementation of the mission in the state so that the state can catch up with other good performing states," the Ministry statement said.

Stating that there is no dearth of funds for implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission, Shekhawat reiterated that the Centre is providing all out support to states to make provision of tap water supply to every rural household of the country by 2024.

Despite lockdown and disruptions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, in the last 27 months, more than 5.44 crore rural households in the country have been provided tap water connections. As on date, more than 8.67 crore (45.15 per cent) rural households have tap water supply in their homes, the release said.

Apart from the funds under Jal Jeevan Mission, in 2021-22, Rs 1,712 crore has been allocated to Rajasthan as 15th Finance Commission tied grant for water and sanitation to Rural Local Bodies/PRIs. There is an assured funding of Rs 9,032 crore for the next five years i.e. up to 2025-26.

"This huge investment in rural areas of Rajasthan will accelerate economic activities and boost the rural economy. It will create new employment opportunities in villages," the government claimed.
New Delhi, Dec 19 : The Confederation of All India Traders on Sunday urged the Centre to take immediate action against e-commerce giant Amazon by asking it to suspend its e-commerce portal.

The traders' body's letter to the Centre comes just two days after the Competition Commission of India (CCI) imposed a penalty of Rs 202 crore on Amazon and suspended its approval for its deal with Future Coupons.

"Since this act (by Amazon) violates FEMA and FDI policy, the Enforcement Directorate has nothing more to do - the evidence is right before it in the form of CCI order, therefore the ED should take immediate action against Amazon," it said in the letter.

"The order of the regulator CCI is more than enough for the government to act." The CAIT added that violations by Amazon has caused collateral damage to traders as more than two lakh shops, majorly of mobile trade, have been closed due to "vicious tripartite nexus comprising Amazon, brand owing companies and various banks including government banks".

"CCI order for imposing 202 crore penalty on Amazon exposes fraudulent and mischievous attempts by it to control e-commerce and retail trade. No more evidence needed after CCI order," CAIT General Secretary Praveen Khandelwal said in a tweet.
Hyderabad, May 8 (IANS) Depressed over the postponement of their marriage due to the ongoing lockdown, a couple in Telangana's Adilabad district committed suicide on Friday, police said. Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Dec 19 : The Narendra Modi government's decision to increase the age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 years has come in for sharp criticism from several quarters, and the CPI-M has assailed the measure on various counts.

CPI-M Politburo member Brinda Karat told IANS that the government's proposal is not going to help in the fight for empowerment of women.

"It is absolutely wrong to criminalise the personal choice of adults. If the government wants to ensure gender equality, it should reduce the marriage age of boys from 21 to 18 years. The government should pay more attention to education and nutrition of girls," she said.

The CPI-M has lodged strong protest against the marriage age bill.

Senior party leader Sitaram Yechury told IANS that the logic of the government for such a bill is not convincing at all. The Bill should be referred to the Standing Committee of Parliament for in-depth examination and consultations with all stakeholders, he demanded.

"A woman at the age of 18 is legally an adult. For the purpose of marriage, treating her as a juvenile is self-contradictory and the proposal violates an adult's right to make personal choices of her partner. This proposal deprives a woman of deciding the course of her life," he said.

Yechury said that even when the minimum age was 18, official figures show that the average age of marriage for women across India in 2017 was 22.1 years.

"Therefore such a law is unnecessary. If the bill is for health reasons, as the government claims, there is a need to ensure nutrition and food security to prevent maternal and infant mortality. Raising the marriageable age of women is not the solution," he added.

Samajwadi Party MP Shafiqur Rahman has also strongly objected to the government's bid to increase the marriage age for women, telling IANS that this will have a bad impact on the girls, and "they will become vagabonds".

However, BJP leaders support the move Uttar Pradesh's Child Development and Women Welfare Minister Swati Singh said that the Modi government wants to make a law in favour of women.

"He gave rights to Muslim women by bringing a law on triple talaq. So, increasing the age of marriage of girls from 18 to 21 years will give women a feeling of equality. The marriage age of boys is already 21 years. As recommended by the National Human Rights Commission, the minimum age of marriage for boys and girls should be the same," she said.

A task force headed by activist Jaya Jaitly had recommended to the Central government that the age of marriage of a girl should be increased from 18 to 21 years, as girls face problems in pregnancy at a young age. This recommendation was accepted by the government.

Jaitly told IANS: "This decision has been taken keeping in mind the issue of gender equality and gender empowerment. Because it sends a very strange message that a girl can be fit for marriage at the age of 18, and boy at 21.
Patna, Dec 19 : Bihar's Samastipur police said on Sunday that it arrested an Assistant Sub-Inspector for keeping liquor in his house.

A team headed by district SP Manavjeet Singh Dhillon conducted a raid in the house of ASI Arun Patel and seized a large number of bottles.

"We had received complaints about Patel selling liquor. Accordingly, we conducted a raid at his residence and seized a number of liquor bottles on Saturday night. We immediately arrested him and took him to the Vibhutipur police station," Dhillon said.

Patel was deployed at Vibhutipur police station. The district SP received information against Patel from an unknown source and decided to conduct raids on his own.

"During investigation, it was revealed that Patel used to drink liquor. Whenever he conducted raids and seized liquor bottles, he used to keep some in his own house," Dhillon said.
Amritsar, Dec 19 : Expressing anguish over the unfortunate incident to attempt sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib in the sanctum sanctorum of Sri Darbar Sahib here, popularly known as the Golden Temple, Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Channi on Sunday reiterated his government's firm commitment to thoroughly probe the entire matter to get into the bottom of the case.

Talking to the media here after paying obeisance at Sri Darbar Sahib, Channi, who accompanied by Deputy CM Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, described it as the most heinous act, which has not only hurt religious sentiments but also tormented all, and should be condemned with the harshest possible words by one and all.

He appealed to the people to take due care and caution to protect the religious places, including gurdwaras, temples and institutions related to any religion or faith in order to foil nefarious designs of any agency or anti-social element in wake of the forthcoming assembly elections in the state.

At the same, the Chief Minister exhorted the people to keep restraint during the prevailing sensitive situation by demonstrating their unflinching trust in the ethos of peace, harmony, brotherhood and religious tolerance.

Replying to a media query regarding recurrence of such incidents in coming days, Channi said the state intelligence agencies and the police force are pro-actively engaged to avert such acts of anti-social elements.

He also called upon the people to be vigilant and extend wholehearted support and cooperation to the state government in maintaining law and order.

Making firm resolve to preserve hard earned peace and harmony across the state, Channi said that no one would be allowed to disturb congenial atmosphere at any cost in the state.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Chennai, Dec 19 : Actress Sai Dhanshika, who played actor Rajinikanth's daughter in his film 'Kabali', says the superstar was shocked to see the transformation she has undergone for her upcoming Telugu film 'Shikaaru'.

Taking to social media on Sunday, the actress posted two pictures and said, "This was taken during 'Shikaaru' shoot! "We were on the same floor shooting in Hyderabad & he was shocked to see yogi turned into Devika & you can literally witness in this picture & I think it's a true success for any artist & that's my driving factor in my job!"

The actress has high hopes for 'Shikaaru' directed by Hari Kolagani.

Explaining about her role Devika in the film, Sai Dhanshika had earlier said, "I believe Devika is one with every woman. I myself feel insecure from time to time, but the sooner you realise, the better, because when you are not sure about what you want in life and have not got the courage to break out of all the social hurdles, that is when you lose yourself." "That is the case of Devika in 'Shikaaru' and how she finally breaks out of her shell is what makes her character so beautiful."
New Delhi, Dec 19 : The DRDO scientist, who was arrested by the Delhi Police's Special Cell in connection with the December 9 Rohini Court blast, on Sunday tried to commit suicide, sources said.

According to the sources, arrested scientist, Bharat Bhushan Kataria, tried to consume some poisonous substance while he was in police custody, and has been admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

However, there was no official confirmation of the incident yet.
New Delhi, Dec 19 : Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that the government will try to ensure that scientific evidence is sent electronically to courts and police stations at the earliest.

On the second day of his Maharashtra visit, Shah formally inaugurated the Camp Complex of the 5th Battalion of the NDRF in Pune, inspected the new campus of the CFSL and inaugurated its new building.

Speaking on the occasion, Shah said that the Government of India has developed many softwares, which are also being linked to the courts and Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), so that no person or prosecutor in the court will be able to say that the FSL report is yet to be received.

"The report will reach the court records directly and a copy will go to the police station and a copy will go to the Home Department of the state. The day this system is established, many delays will be eliminated and using science we will be able to increase proof of conviction," he said.

He pointed out that so far, there are seven Central Forensic Scientific Laboratories (CFSL) in the country and said, "If we have to strengthen the internal security and judicial system of a country like India in this area, then we still have to do a lot of work".

He mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, had planned intensively to make the Forensic Science Laboratory of Gujarat world class and today the Gujarat FSL is known as one of the best in the world.

He pointed out that the biggest drawback in the spread of FSL was the lack of a specialised human resource force, there was no such course designed for this field.

"In the field of forensic science, not a single college, university was established in the country. The country's first forensic science university was established in Gujarat. Our target is that in every state, the state government should establish one college each and with this university they should be associated with the college of forensic science," he said.

He stated that the day at least one forensic science college will be set up in all the states, then there will be no dearth of human resource force in this country and experts from different fields of forensic science will be produced by these colleges and universities and fulfil our needs.

"Thereafter, at least two mobile FSLs should be established in every district, which should cover every police station. If we can do this in the coming five to ten years, then a change can also be made in the country so that we can make the visit of the FSL team mandatory in the cases of punishment of six years or more," he said.

Expressing confidence that it will help in controlling crime and internal security, he said, "I am sure that the day we do this, the proof of conviction will increase tremendously and will be of great help in both internal security and crime control in the country. We will also enhance the manpower position of CFSL and along with this, efforts will also be made to ensure that scientific evidence is sent directly to courts and police stations electronically," the Home Minister said.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, Dec 19 : In a bid to end the logjam in the Rajya Sabha, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi has called a meeting on Monday of opposition parties whose MPs were suspended last month for the Winter Session.

Joshi has called a meeting with the Congress, the Trinamool Congress, the Shiv Sena, the Communist Party of India-Marxist, and the Communist Party of India in a bid to end stalemate in the house which has been continuing since day 1 of the session.

Chairman, M. Venkaiah Naidu had suggested that both the parties should resolve this issue as the Rajya Sabha could not function properly this week.

Leader of the House Piyush Goyal had sought an apology from the suspended MPs. Even after attacking marshals and misbehaving with the female marshals, senior Opposition members are unrepentant, he alleged.

"The government is ready to consider their request provided they apologise," he had added.

However, Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge said: "We have been repeatedly telling you that the crime which we have not committed is being put on us," and accused the government of misleading the House about the incident.

The Congress has also convened a meeting to devise a common strategy in both the the house and the strategy group met virtually.

The Winter session slated to end on December 23.
Hyderabad, Dec 19 : Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana on Sunday urged the youth to disassociate themselves from substance abuse as he noted that a vibrant nation is built upon the health and energy of its youth.

Addressing the 18th annual convocation of NALSAR University of Law here, he voiced concern over the growing number of youth falling prey to intoxicants.

"I am alarmed at the reports of an increased number of youth falling prey to intoxicants. I would urge the youth of today, to disassociate themselves from substance abuse. Your mental and physical health is in your hands," he said.

The CJI noted that students are known for their readiness to fight for all the right causes because their thoughts are pure and honest. He said they should be in the forefront to question injustice. "We need leaders for tomorrow to rise from these grounds." He pointed out that the Constitution of India was framed as a radical document which bridged the gap between the aspirations of the past and expectations of the future.

"But it shall thrive only when the young citizens honour its principles with conviction. Ethos of the democratic republic of India is based on the people's commitment to the welfarist constitution of India. This commitment must be nurtured at an early age by creating social consciousness and inculcating a culture of lawfulness." The CJI said a mark of a great lawyer is clarity of thoughts, command over the language and skills to communicate. A successful practitioner of law must also be well versed with literature, philosophy, history, economics and politics of the land. After all, the aim of law is to unravel the truth and to do justice, he said.

"There is nothing more difficult in the world than to discover the truth. Because it cannot be discovered by merely looking at one dimension. It has many facets. It requires trained minds to analyse all aspects of it and reach a logical conclusion. The greatness of a lawyer or judge lies in their ability to discover the ultimate truth, and thus secure justice accordingly." Chief Justice Ramana said students cannot afford to be disillusioned. "It is imperative for you to be a part of current debates. Do not stop at just raising questions. Also ask yourself what the remedy can be. Being the future of the nation, you must have a clear vision. Being the guardians of freedom, justice, equality and ethics, you cannot allow narrow and partisan views to dominate the nation's thought," he said.

He noted that very few students who graduate from National Law Schools are interested in joining litigation or taking up public causes, let alone practice at the district level.

"Further, it seems that there is a fascination to only practice before the Supreme Court and High Court while completely ignoring the importance of trial courts. To succeed at trial advocacy, one requires a separate skill-set, wherein the requirement of presence of mind and intellectual inputs is immense. Moreover, considering the highest pendency before the trial courts, there is both a demand and the need for specialised lawyers. I urge you all to consider gaining experience at trial court level before moving on to practice at higher forums such as High Courts and the Supreme Court." He told the graduates that it is only when they work at the grassroot level, can they understand the rigours of law on the common man.

"But, let me caution you, the path will not be filled with roses. The courtrooms are nothing like ones you see in a movie or a moot court hall. It will be cramped, dingy and the judge may not even have a fan. You might feel like an alien in this system. I know it is not easy, but I want all of you to remember that determination and persistence are the two mantras for success." The CJI was all praise for Vice Chancellor Prof. Faizan Mustafa saying he is an energetic leader who has continued the legacy of this University and has ensured the continuation of the good reputation this University has across the globe.

He noted that NALSAR is now known for its research centres and academic rigours which has produced many bright lawyers and academicians. He recalled this huge university started functioning from a small bungalow in Barkatpura and that he was part of a collective endeavour to set up a world class law university in Hyderabad along the lines of National Law School, Bangalore.
Los Angeles, Dec 19 : The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) has named Ryusuke Hamaguchi's breakout drama 'Drive My Car' as the best film of the year, with Jane Campion's 'The Power of the Dog' taking the runner-up slot.

LAFCA announced its list of best achievements in film in 2021 through its Twitter account. In the best director category, LAFCA flipped the ranking, placing Campion ahead of Hamaguchi, who was voted the runner-up, reports 'Variety'.

With its best film win, 'Drive My Car' has become one of 14 films to win the top prize from the LAFCA and New York Film Critics Circle. Each of these films has gone on to become a best picture nominee for the Oscars.

Other big winners included Simon Rex in 'Red Rocket' for best actor, PenAlope Cruz in 'Parallel Mothers' for best actress and Ariana DeBose in 'West Side Story' for best supporting actress.

The honour of being best supporting actor was shared by Vincent Lindon for 'Titane' and Australian actor Kodi Smit-McPhee for 'The Power of the Dog', who recently also won the same title at the 2021 New York Film Critics Circle Awards.

Mel Brooks received LAFCA's 2021 career achievement award. This year's winners will be honoured alongside Brooks at a ceremony in 2022.

Last year, LAFCA named director Steve McQueen's 'Small Axe' best picture, according to 'Variety'. Chloe Zhao won best director for 'Nomadland', which went on to earn her two Academy Awards, for best director and best picture.
New Delhi, Dec 19 : The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has called a virtual meeting on Monday for a discussion and presentation in wake of Omicron cases in the capital.

The meeting will witness a presentation by the Health and Family Welfare Department, review the Covid19 situation and also the vaccination drive in Delhi, the notice by the DDMA calling for the meeting by the CEO, Disaster Management, Kuldeep Singh Gangar said on Sunday.

Apart from the designated DDMA members, Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Health Minister Satyendar Jain, NITI Aayog's Member, Health, Dr V.K. Paul, I)ndian Council of Medical Research Director General, Prof Balram Bhargava, NDMA members Krishna Vatsa and Kamal Kishore, AIIMS Director, Dr Randeep Guleria, NCDC Director Dr Sujit Kumar Singh and Director Education (Delhi government) apart from ACS (Power, Health & Family Welfare and Home, Delhi government) are expected to attend the meeting.

Delhi recorded 107 fresh cases of novel coronavirus, highest in the past six months, while one person succumbed to the illness, according to the Delhi Health Department bulletin on Sunday.

The fatality, reported after a 10 day break, takes the death toll to 25,101, while the total infection tally has now climbed to 14,42,197.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
New Delhi, Dec 19 : Condemning the incident of sacrilege at Golden Temple, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Sunday said that it is a conspiracy to create unrest in society and asked for unmasking of conspirators behind the incident.

In a statement RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said that such incidents should not be allowed to shatter mutual harmony. "Yesterday's incident of an attempt to desecrate the Guru Granth Sahib in the golden temple in Amritsar is unfortunate. The RSS condemns this incident," Hosabale said.

He further stated that Guru Granth Sahib and Sri Guru tradition are subject of common heritage and faith, and also repository of India's wealth of knowledge.

"There are forces that are conspiring to create disharmony in the society and they continue to do it," he said.

Demanding strict punishment for conspirators behind attempt of sacrilege incidents, he said that the people should not let such incidents to disturb communal harmony.

On Saturday evening, a man was allegedly beaten to death after he tried to desecrate the sacred Guru Granth Sahib at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The youth, reportedly belonging to Uttar Pradesh, entered the restricted area and tried to pick the sword kept in front of the Guru Granth Sahib. He was caught by security persons and was handed over to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) office, where he was beaten to death.
Chennai, Dec 19 : AIADMK leader and former Minister Rajenthra Bhalaji who was denied anticipatory bail by the Madras High Court on Friday is on the run after the Tamil Nadu police department constituted six teams to arrest him.

Bhalaji who was addressing a public function against the 'misdeeds' of the DMK government on Friday suddenly disappeared from his hometown, Virudhunagar after the Madras High Court denied him anticipatory bail.

The AIADMK leadership however said that Rajenthra Bhalaji was being witch-hunted by the DMK government.

AIADMK leader and former Minister D. Jayakumar told media persons on Sunday that Rajenthra Bhalaji was not in hiding and was taking legal opinion regarding moving an appeal against the Madras High Court disapproving the anticipatory bail.

The prosecution has charged that the former minister had taken money from 23 people promising them jobs in 'Aavin' the state-run dairy cooperative. Bhalaji was the minister for dairy development during the period of the previous AIADMK regime from 2016-21.

The Madras High Court on Friday while dismissing the anticipatory bail plea of the former minister said, "This court consistently in the cases of job racketing, find innocents are being cheated, lured and their future becomes questionable and considering the fact that job aspirants lose their money, they also lose their future."
A Kenyan national lady passenger of age 33 who arrived from Sharjah by Air Arabia Flight No. G9 435 who were intercepted by Customs Officials at Delhi Airport on 13.11.2021 with 12.9 KG Heroin worth Rs.90 Crore. Image Source: IANS News

A Kenyan national lady passenger of age 33 who arrived from Sharjah by Air Arabia Flight No. G9 435 who were intercepted by Customs Officials at Delhi Airport on 13.11.2021 with 12.9 KG Heroin worth Rs.90 Crore. Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Dec 19 : A Kenyan national was held by custom officials at Jaipur International Airport with 2,150 gm heroin on Sunday.

The woman was later handed over to the local police.

A senior custom official said that the woman came to India by Air Arabia flight. She was intercepted by the custom officials on the basis of a Look Out Notice (LOC) received from the Immigration Department.

As per the LOC, the woman passenger had provided the same reference Mobile Number in Visa application as provided by two other Uganda women passengers who were intercepted by Customs Officials at the Delhi Airport on November 13 with 12.9 kg heroin worth Rs 90 crore.

The official said that on suspicion of being part of a syndicate involved in smuggling of Narcotic and Psychotropic drugs, the baggage of the woman passenger was thoroughly checked, by emptying the contents of the plastic suitcase after conducting its X-ray examination.

"The empty suitcase appeared to be heavier than usual. X-ray examination of the suitcase revealed the presence of some organic material in powder form," said a custom official.

The official said that thorough physical examination of the suitcase revealed the presence of false bottoms on the upper and lower sides of the suitcase which were cut open to reveal the presence of two big paper envelops, stuck on both sides using a strong adhesive.

"On examination, the paper envelops were found to contain whitish (off-white) coloured substance which was in the mixed form of small lumps/granules and powder. Preliminary testing using the Drug-Detection (DD) Kit revealed the substance was Heroin," said the custom official.

The heroin was seized and the woman was detained. The official said that further investigation is underway.
New Delhi, Dec 19 : India and the five Central Asian countries on Sunday discussed the current situation in Afghanistan and decided to continue to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to the people of the country.

At the third India-Central Asia Dialogue held here, the External Affairs Ministers of India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan discussed the current situation in Afghanistan and its impact on the region.

In a joint statement, the six countries reiterated strong support for a peaceful, secure and stable Afghanistan while emphasising the respect for sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, and non-interference in its internal affairs.

The ministers also discussed the current humanitarian situation and decided to continue to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.

They reaffirmed the importance of UNSC Resolution 2593 (2021) which unequivocally demands that Afghan territory not be used for sheltering, training, planning or financing terrorist acts and called for concerted action against all terrorist groups.

The Ministers also agreed to continue close consultations on the situation in Afghanistan.

"While taking note of the outcome document of the Delhi Regional Security Dialogue of November 10, 2021, Ministers noted that there is a broad 'regional consensus' on the issues related to Afghanistan, which includes formation of a truly representative and inclusive government, combating terrorism and drug trafficking, central role of the UN, providing immediate humanitarian assistance for the Afghan people and preserving the rights of women, children and other national ethnic groups," the joint statement said.

The Ministers also emphasised that interaction in the fields of defence and security constitutes an important element of India-Central Asia cooperation. In this regard, they noted the importance of holding regular consultations among the National Security Councils of India and the Central Asian countries in the fight against terrorism and other emerging challenges in the region.

"The Ministers condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and reiterated that providing safe haven, using terrorist proxies for cross-border terrorism, terror financing, arms and drugs trafficking, dissemination of a radical ideology and abuse of cyber space to spread disinformation and incite violence, goes against the basic principles of humanity and international relations," the statement said.

They stressed that perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of terrorist acts must be held accountable and brought to justice in accordance with principle of "extradite or prosecute". In this context, they called for early adoption of the UN Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.

"They called on the international community to strengthen UN-led global counter-terrorism cooperation and fully implement the relevant UNSC resolutions, Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and FATF standards," it said.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, Dec 19 : The DRDO scientist, who was arrested by the Delhi Police's Special Cell in connection with the December 9 Rohini Court blast, on Sunday tried to commit suicide, sources said.

According to the sources, arrested scientist, Bharat Bhushan Kataria, tried to consume some poisonous substance while he was in police custody, and has been admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. "His condition is said to be stable," sources said.

On December 9, a low-intensity blast ripped off inside courtroom number 102 of Rohini court complex at around 10.30 a.m. injuring one person present within the blast radius.

The police on Saturday said that Kataria, 47, planted the IED at a place where a lawyer was likely to sit inside the courtroom, as he was "highly frustrated due to the protracted legal battles which were causing problems in his career as well as prolonged mental harassment and monetary loss to him and his family".

The probe revealed that Kataria and Advocate Vashistha were living in the same building till about 3 years ago. They were having a long-standing dispute of over 10 years and had filed over a dozen civil and criminal cases against each other.

The Rohini Court has been in limelight for the past two months after two back-to-back attacks that have raised several questions on the security arrangements at the court premises.

Even local courts have several times come down heavily on the security scenario at the Court.

Earlier on September 24, in an incident that seemed ripped from a Bollywood potboiler, top Delhi gangster Jitender Singh Mann, alias Gogi, was shot dead in Rohini Court by two assailants dressed in lawyers' garb. In the retaliatory fire, the assailants were also shot dead.
New Delhi, Dec 19 : The National Test House (NTH), Ghaziabad added to its comprehensive quality testing facility for bottled water with the inauguration of two key equipments - Ultra High-Performance Liquid Chromatograph (UHPLC) and Ion Chromatograph (IC) - on Sunday.

The UHPLC will be helpful for quantification of different organic compounds, particularly residual pesticides, in water samples, whereas IC will be used for quantification of different anions, particularly bromate in packaged drinking water.

Union Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution Minister, Piyush Goyal, while addressing the senior scientists of NTH at the inauguration, lauded the facility for taking a leap of technology to usher in quality assessment and assurance.

"If India is to be known for its reliability in international markets, Quality Control, Quality Assessment and Quality Assurance have to be nothing less than world class. We will have to be world class in our laboratory testing facilities, our people will have to be well trained, our equipments will have to be the best available in the world," he said.

NTH is working in close coordination with Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) especially in formulation of various types of standards, a release from the Ministry said.

All the NTH Labs, including Ghaziabad, have been integrated with the Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) of BIS, which is a comprehensive online system developed for managing working of the BIS recognized labs via integrated and centralised workflow management system.

The activities of NTH, Ghaziabad cover six major disciplines namely chemical, civil, electrical, mechanical, non-destructive Testing (NDT) and rubber-paper-plastic and Textile (RPPT) with state-of-the-art machines to test the raw materials and products from manufacturing industries, small scale industries, government departments and vigilance & judicial authorities viz court cases, CVC, CBI, police department etc.

The laboratory is also open to common people to satisfy their requirements, the release added.
New Delhi, Dec 19 : Following a secret trial, a military court in Pakistan has convicted human rights activist Idris Khattak of espionage and leaking sensitive information to a foreign intelligence agency, sentencing him to 14 years in prison, his family and lawyer say. His whereabouts are still unknown, Radio Mashaal reported.

Rights activists suggest Khattak was arrested because he spoke out against the arbitrary detentions and forced disappearances committed by the military, which has an oversized role in domestic and foreign affairs, the report said.

Khattak spent years compiling a list of the victims of enforced disappearances in the tribal belt in northwestern Pakistan, home to the country's largest ethnic minority, the Pashtuns. Khattak himself is a Pashtun.

Criticism of the army has long been seen as a red line, with activists and journalists complaining of intimidation tactics including kidnappings, beatings, and even killings if they cross that line, it added.

Authorities have not made the December 4 verdict public, leaving Khattak's family in the dark over the exact status of his case and conviction.

"First they took my father and then they disappeared him," Talia Khattak, the 21-year-old daughter of the rights defender said. "Now they have found him guilty but haven't said what evidence they have against him", Radio Mashaal reported.

She added that the family had not been notified of Khattak's trial. His conviction was disclosed by a liaison army officer during a hasty phone call, she said, the report added.

"Without offering any details, they told me that my dad was found guilty of espionage," she said, adding that she also did not receive any information from her father's lawyer, the report said.

"We are very worried," she added. "Fourteen years in prison means that my father would be 72 years old when he completes his sentence, if he stays healthy. He is diabetic and needs regular medical attention."
Guwahati, Dec 19 : As per the Bodo Peace Accord, the Assam government on Sunday decided to take control of the 26 private colleges in Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), officials said.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday held a meeting with a delegation of All Bodo Students' Union (ABSU) and Bodo Sahitya Sabha and decided about the implementation of the remaining provisions of the Bodo Peace Accord, signed on January 27 last year in New Delhi in presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

An official said that during the meeting, it was decided to take up expeditious implementation of the accord and following the request of the delegation, it was decided that 26 venture (private) colleges would be taken up in BTR in western Assam comprising the four western districts of Chirang, Baksa, Udalguri and Kokrajhar, bordering Bhutan and West Bengal.

The meeting also decided to create adequate Bodo language teacher posts in schools in Bodo areas as per National Education Policy (NEP-2020). The Chief Minister also said that a campus of Bodoland University would be set up at Udalguri along with science and law colleges in BTR.

A decision was also taken for holding a special Teachers' Eligibility Test for Bodo medium.

Education Minister Ranuj Pegu, Urban Development Minister Ashok Singhal, CEM BTR Pramod Boro, President ABSU Dipen Boro and President of Bodo Sahitya Sabha Taren Boro were also present in the meeting.

In all 1,615 extremists had laid down their arms on January 30 last year, after the Centre signed the third Bodo Peace Accord with four factions of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB).
New Delhi, Dec 19 : Environmentalists have criticised the Environment, Forests and Climate Change Ministry for bringing about two amendment bills that are "detrimental" to the cause of environment in general, and wildlife in particular.

Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav had on Thursday introduced Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and another one to amend the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 on Friday in the Lok Sabha. Both the bills were introduced amid din created by the opposition parties over the SIT report/investigation of the Lakhimpur Kheri incident. In both cases, the house was adjourned soon after and there was no debate.

The government said that the biodiversity amendment bill was brought in after practitioners of Indian systems of medicine, researchers and the seed sector flagged compliance burden while the bill to seek amendment in the Wildlife Act, it said, was needed because of the requirement vis-a-vis Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

The text of the bill introduced in the Parliament claimed that the stakeholders wanted reduced compliance burden "in order to encourage a conducive environment for collaborative research and investments, simplify patent application process, widen the scope of levying access and benefit sharing with local communities and for further conservation of biological resources".

In case of the amendments to wildlife protection act, the bill text claimed that the government proposes to set up Standing Committees of State Boards of Wildlife that will function like the National Board for Wildlife, which is responsible for monitoring protected areas in the country and awarding or denying permission to projects in light of its threat to wildlife.

IANS sought to know experts' opinions on the two bills.

Pointing out that the implications of these amendments need to explained and debated in detail both within and outside the Parliament, Kanchi Kohli, researcher with the Centre for Policy and Research (CPR), said, "There are important changes like including the NITI Aayog on the NBWL. The NITI Aayog's recent proposals for infrastructure expansion are in direct conflict with some of the most ecologically and wildlife sensitive areas in India, especially the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the Lakshadweep Islands. This would be an opportunity for the NITI Aayog to directly influence the decisions of the NBWL, which may not be desirable." Terming it as "a Bill aimed to facilitate the destruction of India's Biodiversity and usurp people's right", legal advocacy firm, Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment (LIFE) had tweeted: "The main focus of the Bill is to facilitate the trade in biodiversity as opposed to conservation, protection of biodiversity and knowledge of the local communities. The amendments are completely contrary to the aim and objective of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002." LIFE also pointed out that the Biodiversity Bill exempted cultivated medicinal plants from the purview of the act (but) it is practically impossible to detect as to which plants are cultivated and which are from the wild.

"This provision, though on the face of it looks benign, will only allow large companies to evade the requirement of both, prior approval or share the benefit with local communities," the initial assessment statement by LIFE said.

Kohli added: "The WLPA is a legislation which has been understood largely in expert circles, even though its clauses related to protected areas and wildlife trade have far reaching implications. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought a spotlight on zoonotics, which directly speaks to the changes regulating international trade through a dedicated section in the proposed law." "The management mechanisms could gain from building in this aspect and also reconciling them with the Biological Diversity Act, which is also under discussion in the Parliament," she said.

A day after the Environment Minister introduced the Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, 2021 in the Lok Sabha, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Friday had expressed "strongest possible protest" that the government referred the Bill to a Select Committee and not to the Parliamentary Standing Committee.
Islamabad, Dec 19 : Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said here on Sunday that if the world does not come to the help of Afghanistan, it will unfold a big man-made crisis.

Delivering a keynote speech at the 17th Extraordinary Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held in Islamabad to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, Khan said the world should not abandon Afghanistan in the hour of need.

"Even before Aug 15, half of the population (in Afghanistan) was below the poverty line... 75 per cent of the budget was supported by the foreign aid. After Aug 15, if the foreign aid dries up, foreign reserves get frozen, banking system freezes, any country is going to collapse, let alone Afghanistan which has suffered conflicts for years," he added.

The Taliban took over Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, on August 15.

"We must understand that when we talk about human rights, every society is different. The idea of human rights and women's rights is different in every society," Khan said, adding that the Afghan caretaker government has promised to comply with the preconditions of human rights, women's rights and curbing terrorism.

The Pakistan prime minister said the Afghan government could not pay salaries to public servants, doctors and nurses, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Chaos suits no one. It certainly doesn't suit the United States. There is a potential risk of international terrorism from organisations like IS (Islamic State). The only way to deal with it is with a stable Afghan government," he added.

Speaking at the session, Secretary-General of the OIC Hissein Brahim Taha reiterated that the OIC stands for the sovereignty of Afghanistan as well as regional security.

He said the organisation proactively mobilized global opinion about helping Afghanistan and also established its mission in Afghanistan to stem the spread of Covid-19.

He added the international community ought to mainstream Afghanistan in the world through unequivocal support to deny room for terrorists.

In his address to the session, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi presented a six-point proposal to avert the crisis in Afghanistan.

The minister suggested mobilization of investment to Afghanistan, and formation of a focus group for finding solutions to its financial challenges.

He also called for a substitute to the banking system in Afghanistan besides investing in capacity building of the Afghan government to fight terrorism and narcotics trade.

Qureshi said world food agencies are apprehensive of a brewing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and the world should lend a hand to avert food shortage in Afghanistan.

He added that over half of the population in Afghanistan is facing a food shortage, and children are dying of malnutrition, urging the world to rise above all considerations and help the country on an urgent basis.
Kolkata, Dec 19 : Though Trinamool Congress made some bold claims to make this election free from rigging and violence, but at the end of the day the information trickling down shows that the party's hierarchy hardly had any control on the lower rung of the party order.

On Saturday even All India Trinamool Congress General Secretary and effectively the party's second-in-command Abhishek Banerjee had said, "There will be free and fair polls and the polls will not be rigged. If it is proved that any Trinamool Congress men are involved in any kind of illegal activities, then strict action will be taken within 24 hours and exemplary punishment will be meted out".

Though state election commissioner Sourav Das said that the election was peaceful with only two incidents but according to information available there were nearly 500 complaints and 195 arrests on Sunday. This itself speaks of the nature of violence the city experienced all through the day.

The BJP alleged that their agents were not allowed to sit in the booths and most of the BJP voters were threatened the previous night so that they don't go to vote. When asked about it, Banerjee said, "If BJP doesn't get polling agents, then how can Trinamool Congress be responsible for that. People have come to understand the difference between BJP and Trinamool Congress".

"If anyone can prove that Trinamool Congress supporters were involved in any kind of violence we will take action within 24 hours," he added.

The series of complaints started from the morning when Tanushree Mondal - the Left Front candidate of Ward no - 110 alleged that her agents were not allowed to sit. There were allegations of fake voters from booth Wards no 1 to 8. The Congress alleged illegal gathering in different booths of Wards no - 102, 109 and 110.

In Jorabagan, BJP candidate Meena Devi Purohit accused Trinamool Congress supporters of harassment. Purohit even alleged that she was physically assaulted. The BJP alleged several cases of booth-jamming and threatening of the voters in several areas in Metiabruz.

The incidents of violence peaked at 10 a.m. in the morning when some youths on motorbikes came in front of Khanna school and started hurling bombs. Three persons were injured in the incident. The opposition alleged that polling was going on peacefully at Khanna school but sensing a problem Trinamool wanted to disrupt the polling process. However, the ruling party refuted the allegations.

Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari met state election commissioner Sourav Das after the election and lodged complaints regarding the widespread violence during the elections all through the day.
December 19 : After the grand wedding and his honeymoon with his wife Katrina Kaif, Vicky Kaushal is back to work. The actor shared a selfie from his car today while he was travelling to work. Sharing the picture, Vicky wrote, First (coffee emoji) then (clapperboard) emoji, hinting that he is on his way to work.

Vicky often shares selfies and videos from his car while he is travelling and has time. He is mostly seen listening to Punjabi music while he is travelling in his car.

Katrina Kaif and Vicky Kaushal returned from their honeymoon in Maldives on Tuesday. The newlyweds were spotted at the Kalina airport in Mumbai today. They looked vibrant as they happily posed for the paparazzi, sporting radiant smiles. The couple was seen holding hands as they waved at the paparazzi gathered outside the airport.

On Friday, both Katrina and Vicky shared a glimpse of the halwa' she made at his home. It is actually a ritual done by the new bride, first time after the wedding. Katrina first shared a picture of the halwa on her Instagram stories and had captioned it, chaunka chardhana, adding maine banaya (I made it). Vicky also shared a picture of his halwa plate and wrote, on his Instagram stories, Best Halwa ever!!! adding to it some kiss emojis.

Katrina and Vicky tied the knot on December 9 at Fort Barwara in Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan, in the presence of their family and close friends. After creating a massive buzz with their wedding news, the couple has shared gorgeous pictures from their wedding and pre-wedding ceremonies. Both the actors have shared a number of pictures from the colourful and fun-filled wedding.

Sharing the first set of pictures from their jaimala and pheras, the couple had written.Only love and gratitude in our hearts for everything that brought us to this moment. Seeking all your love and blessings as we begin this new journey together. This was followed by their haldi and mehendi pictures, which were equally dreamy.

It is speculated that the couple will host a grand wedding reception for their industry friends in Mumbai.
VIENNA (AP)  Five years after a terror attack killed 12 people at a Berlin Christmas market, Germany's president acknowledged Sunday that the government had not lived up to its duty to protect its citizens that day.

We have to admit that the state has not been able to keep its promises of protection, security and freedom, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said, adding that the years since the attack have shown that mistakes were made by German officials.
VINELAND, N.J. (AP)  Neighbors say a fatal early morning police shooting at a New Jersey mobile home park over the weekend was preceded by a man driving a backhoe that damaged several vehicles and a home.

A Vineland police officer fired during an encounter at the Penn Lincoln Mobile Home Park in Vineland at about 5:30 a.m. Saturday, the New Jersey attorney generals office said. The man was pronounced dead at the scene less than 20 minutes later.
FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP)  Farmington-area residents of northern New Mexico donated gifts and money after somebody stole a Salvation Army van loaded with $6,000 worth of toys for children, according authorities.

The Grinch will not have this victory," Salvation Army Lt. Christopher Rockwell told The Associated Press on Saturday.

Business leaders and others began making donations after the marked van with gifts intended for more than 350 children was stolen Tuesday from outside a store, Rockwell said.

The donations included lots of toys, lots of clothing" as well as hygiene items and cash, certainly adding up to more than enough to replace the stolen items intended for children who are signed up for a distribution event Monday, Rockwell said. We have like a waiting list ... so we could see what we have left over."

The generosity showed the "compassion and the hearts that people have for each other here," Rockwell said. It's a massive blessing beyond comprehension."

Farmington police said Saturday that an arrest warrant has been issued for a 37-year-old man who is considered a suspect in the theft.

The van and toys have not been recovered yet and no arrest had been made or a possible motive determined, according to police.

Rockwell said he suspected a pickpocket stole the van's keys from a Salvation Army worker who was in the store.

I think it was just some evil, unscrupulous person who just saw an opportunity," Rockwell said. Desperate, I understand that, but to do this is just beyond imagination."

The Salvation Army is a Christian organization founded in 1865 in London. It is active in more than 100 countries and is best known for its charity shops, homeless shelters and disaster relief.
LONDON (AP)  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is walking a political tightrope as he faces increasing attacks from both friends and enemies amid a surge in COVID-19 infections.

For the second winter in a row, Johnson is betting vaccines will be his savior, urging everyone to get booster shots to slow the spread of the new omicron variant, hoping to avoid further politically unpalatable restrictions on business and social activity.

The threat to Johnson and his Conservative Party was on stark display last week as the prime minister reeled from one political crisis to another.

On Tuesday, Johnson faced the biggest parliamentary rebellion of his tenure as 97 Conservatives voted against new COVID-19 restrictions. Two days later he suffered a stinging by-election defeat in a normally safe Conservative area amid anger over reports that government employees held Christmas parties last year while the country was in lockdown. Then Saturday, one of his staunchest allies resigned from his Cabinet, citing discomfort with the new coronavirus rules.

While Johnsons policy on trying to restrict COVID-19 infections is sound, he will face increasing pressure from all wings of his party to change course, said Giles Wilkes, a senior fellow at the non-partisan Institute for Government. The challenge is to ignore the political noise and base his policies on science, said Wilkes, a former adviser to the prime ministers predecessor, Theresa May.

The past months political spasms may mark a historical turning point in the story of this administration, Wilkes said, highlighting pivotal decisions of former Prime Ministers John Major and Gordon Brown that ultimately undermined their standing with voters. Those are not happy comparisons for the prime minister to contemplate.

On Sunday, British newspapers were filled with reports on potential contenders for the prime ministers office, including Treasury Secretary Rishi Sunak, Foreign Minister Liz Truss and former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

The pressure on Johnson is being stoked by the highly transmissible omicron variant, which has pushed Britain's COVID-19 infections to record highs in recent days. That has once again fueled concerns that U.K. hospitals will be overwhelmed this winter.

In response, Johnson ordered the National Health Service to ramp up its vaccine program a week ago, promising that everyone 18 and over would be offered a booster shot this month. But he also introduced legislation requiring people to where face masks in shops and to show they have been double-vaccinated or had negative COVID-19 test to enter crowded venues like nightclubs.

The results of Britain's vaccination program have been impressive, with the number of booster shots administered jumping to more than 900,000 on Saturday from 550,000 a week earlier. Some vaccination centers are staying open 24 hours a day to offer shift workers easier access.

But the new restrictions triggered howls from the libertarian wing of Johnsons party, who say they were unnecessary and the precursor to further limits on personal freedoms. In the face of that opposition, Johnson had to rely on votes from the opposition Labour Party to approve the use of COVID-19 health passports.

Now the governments scientific advisers are recommending that Johnson go further. Limits on social interactions and a return to social distancing are needed to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed, according to leaked minutes from a meeting of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies.

Tobias Ellwood, one of the Conservative rebels, criticized the governments off the bus, on the bus approach to tackling the pandemic, saying the country needs consistency.

We need almost like a wartime leader, we need a strong No. 10, and the machinery of No. 10 around Boris Johnson. Thats what needs to be improved, he told Times Radio. The boosterism, the energy, is not enough in these current circumstances.

Meanwhile, Labour leaders say the partygate scandal has undermined public confidence in the Conservative government. It will be difficult for Johnson to impose any new coronavirus restrictions because government offices violated their own rules last year.

Government ministers met Sunday with the leaders of governments in Scotland and Wales to discuss shared challenges, including the economic disruption caused by COVID. The meeting was chaired by Cabinet Office Minister Steve Barclay, not the prime minister.

He is hiding from his own backbenchers instead of leading, Wes Streeting, Labours spokesman on health issues, told Sky News. And that kind of weakness instead of leadership should really concern the public, because I think people out there know that measures are necessary.

___

Follow all AP stories on the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
Pottsville, PA (17901)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. High 34F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy with snow. Low around 25F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 90%. Snow accumulating 1 to 3 inches.
New Delhi, Dec 19 (PTI) IndiGo's first A321ceo freighter plane is scheduled to arrive on time during the first half of 2022 and it will show everyone that the airline is serious about growing its cargo business, the carrier's Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) William Boulter has said.

On April 21, IndiGo had announced that it was in the process of leasing four A321ceo freighter aircraft, each having the capacity to handle 27 tonnes of cargo.

The CCO told PTI in an interview last week that IndiGo was not considering starting its own frequent flyer program right now and is focusing completely on co-branded arrangements with banks.

IndiGo airlines, in partnership with Kotak Mahindra Bank, had on December 14 launched a co-branded credit card which allows customers to gain points (6E Rewards) that can be used to purchase tickets on its flights.

A similar co-branded credit card was launched by the airline, in partnership with the HDFC Bank and MasterCard, in February 2020.

On the question if IndiGo is considering to start its own frequent flyer program, he replied in negative. Boulter added, "At the moment, our focus is very much on the co-branded (credit card) arrangements that we have come to with the banks. We believe that these (cards) deliver customers with a lot of benefits." A frequent flyer program allows the passenger to earn points while booking the tickets of that airline. He or she can then use those points to purchase air tickets on the same airline or buy items or services from partner companies.

Boulter said IndiGo has the best frequent flyer program in the world and that is low fares. "People seem to come back a lot to avail of those low fares. Our focus is very much on co-branded arrangement at the moment," he said. 6E Rewards (IndiGo's points system) provides a huge range of potential and capabilities to customers to earn points in a number of their shopping activities, everything from supermarkets to pharmacies to fuel purchase, he mentioned. "We are very confident that our customers will take that up at a fast rate. We have been very happy with the development so far of 6E Rewards. I don't think there is anything holding it back," Boulter noted.

Talking about the airline's cargo business, the CCO said, "Our cargo business has been one of the successes during the pandemic. Actually, we have operated close to 8,000 cargo-in-cabin charter flights." Domestically, the carrier was currently operating to 71 cities in India and each of those points has a cargo capability, he noted.

On the topic of aforementioned four cargo aircraft that have been ordered, he said, "The first aircraft has just gone to Singapore Technologies Engineering Limited as it's being converted (from passenger aircraft to freighter aircraft) as we speak. It will be out sometime in the first half of next year." "This will really be a statement to everybody that IndiGo is very serious about cargo and that cargo is going to become a significant part of our business," he added.

When asked if the airline plans to expand the size of its order for cargo planes, he replied," We have ordered four aircraft. We will see how the business develops. We will take further decisions later." Boulter said he sees huge potential for cargo flights operating between India and China.

"We opened services to China before the pandemic -- to Chengdu and Guangzhou. They were very successful in a very short time," he said. Obviously, now, after the pandemic, the borders (with China) are closed for the passenger traffic but the freight market is very buoyant, he added.

A number of items that were required to fight the pandemic worldwide such as PPE and testing kits were produced in China in large quantities, he mentioned. "We see a high demand of cargo out of China. We have operated a lot of charters over the last year, into Guangzhou in particular. During the second wave of the pandemic in India, we operated over 70 charter flights between Kolkata and Guangzhou to bring in oxygen concentrators," he said.

"So, China will remain a significant manufacturing base obviously. That will generate a lot of cargo demand. As IndiGo, we are happy to serve that demand as far as we can," he stated.

IndiGo is not operating cargo charter flights to China currently but it was always in touch with the agents in that market and there may be charter services in the future, the CCO noted. PTI DSP AAR AAR

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Actor Arjun Kapoor on Sunday took to his Instagram handle to share a reel and a pic where he is seen donned in a hoodie. The 2 States actor looked quite dapper and his beau Malaika Arora shared love in the comment section of the posts.

Arjun looks uber-cool in new reel video

Arjun Kapoor and Malaika Arora, both avid Instagram users, are often seen vacationing together or commenting on each other's pictures. Recently, Arjun shared a BTS reel video where he was seen posing for an advertisement in a hoody and track pants. The actor, who looked uber-cool, took to his Instagram handle and shared the video, captioning it, "The behind the scenes of me behind the hoodie."

Arjun Kapoor impresses beau Malaika with his latest click

Arjun Kapoor's girlfriend Malaika Arora seems to be all impressed and her comment is proof. Reacting to the video, Malaika praised him with a fire and a heart emoticon. The Half Girlfriend actor had yesterday dropped a picture and fans couldn't take their eyes off him. Sharing a monochrome picture in the same suit to his Instagram handle, he captioned it, "It's time to take out your hoodies." Malaika was again impressed as she dropped a fire emoticon in the comment section.

Arjun plans surprise for Malaika

The couple was recently also seen enjoying their quality time in the Maldives. The pair are often treating their fans with pictures and videos from their trip. Recently, Arjun shared a reel video, where he gave a sneak peek of the romantic surprise he planned for his ladylove. The video shows how Arjun threw a romantic surprise for Malaika with a dinner on the beach. The actor added Harrdy Sandhu's Bijlee Bijlee to the post.

Malaika can be seen donning a yellow gown and walking towards the beach. She finds a big heart with fairy lights on the sand after she reaches the spot. Arjun wrote with the video, "She is a vibe  and its on fleek!" Earlier, Arjun dropped a video of himself and Malaika working out together in a pool. The couple, who seemed extremely dedicated and focused, cycled in the water. In the caption, he wrote, "When the girlfriend is a tougher taskmaster than your trainer !!! Hey @drewnealpt Im working out even on holiday at the @patinamaldives thanks to @malaikaaroraofficial !!!"

Image: Instagram/@arjunkapoor
A video of a mind-boggling stunt performed by a former Chilean pilot has now become a new social media hit. Sebastian 'Ardilla'' Alvarez, whose nickname means 'Squirrel', recently became the first person in history to fly in and out of an active volcano, reported CNN. The 36-year-old was not on a plane or helicopter but was just wearing a wingsuit when he jumped right into an active volcano. The entire video of the stunt is shared by Red Bull, showing the death-defying feat performed by Sebastian Alvarez last month at Villarrica volcano, which the indigenous Mapuche tribe calls 'the Devil's House' due to its frequent eruptions.

Everything started because I had the dream of flying. Since I was a kid, I just wanted to fly--and somehow, I made it happen," he told CNN. The adventure-seeker jumped out of the chopper at an altitude of almost 2.2 miles and reached speeds of over 280 km/h (about 176.5 mph) before flying into and out of the 200-meter (656 foot) wide crater of the volcano.

Chile: Former Air Force pilot becomes first person to fly in and out of active volcano | WATCH

"This is by far the most extreme project Ive ever done," the Chilean Air Force, Wingsuit Pilot told CNN. "Thats for sure. Especially because of all of the factors: it was an active volcano, it was at a high altitude, cold, windy, and so there were a lot of things that I needed to take care of." The rare stunt performed by Alvarez was based on mastering a technique called 'flaring,' gathering enough speed vertically before transferring it into horizontal speed by opening the wingsuit. To achieve this feat, it took Alvarez more than a year, which included high-level practice jumps. In addition to this, the skydiver also aced complex calculations using speed, distance, and pressure of the air. However, he revealed that the real preparation for the jump began much earlier.

Mentally, it was going to be really hard because, again, my mind doesn't want to be there, but you need to kind of force it to make it happen. I enjoy doing these projects because I really like to push the sport a little bit more, "he added.

(Image: Screengrab from Redbull YT video)
Ahead of India-Central Asia Dialogue, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar hosted the Foreign Ministers of Central Asian countries to a dinner in New Delhi.

"Hosted the Central Asian Foreign Ministers to a welcome dinner before our Dialogue tomorrow. The cultural show was just one more reminder of our closeness," tweeted Jaishankar.

Notably, EAM will host the third meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue in New Delhi on December 19. According to the statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs, the meeting with the top foreign dignitaries will strengthen cultural and economic ties between India and the Central Asian nations. The ministry said that the meeting will especially focus on the developments of roads and railways.

Have a look at the tweet of EAM:

Hosted the Central Asian Foreign Ministers to a welcome dinner before our Dialogue tomorrow. The cultural show was just one more reminder of our closeness. pic.twitter.com/7MzzI8F2ku  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) December 18, 2021

The statement said that the Foreign Ministers of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan will attend the meeting. During the meeting, the ongoing Afghanistan crisis will also be the main agenda of the meeting. Notably, since the Taliban's took over the already war-ravaged nation, Indian EAM Jaishankar has met several of the participating ministers for talks focusing on the issues concerning the troubled country.

"External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be hosting the third meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue in New Delhi from Dec 18-20. Foreign Ministers of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan will participate in the meeting," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said earlier this week.

Foreign ministers will meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi

"The ministers are expected to discuss further strengthening of relations between India and central Asian countries but a particular focus on trade, connectivity and development cooperation. They will also exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest," Bagchi added.

It is expected the foreign ministers will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a courtesy, in the national capital. "The holding of the India-Central Asia Dialogue is symbolic of the interest on part of all members countries for greater engagements between them in a spirit of friendship, trust and mutual understanding," Bagchi added. Earlier today, Uzbekistan Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov arrived in New Delhi to participate in the dialogue.

With inputs from ANI

Image: ANI
In a major blow to Pakistan's efforts to promote the Taliban caretaker government, all five Central Asian members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have chosen to attend the New Delhi-led India-Central Asia Dialogue on Afghanistan. The foreign ministers of the said nations, namely- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan- have already arrived in India for the three-day event to continue until Monday (December 20).

It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan has continued to advocate for recognition of the Taliban interim government on the international platform despite reports of severe human rights abuses in Afghanistan. In another such attempt, the Taliban sympathiser had knocked on the doors of its neighbouring Muslim countries, calling for a meeting of the 57-member OIC to discuss the legitimacy of the Taliban regime. However, the meeting was coinciding with the third edition of the India-Central Asia Dialogue, in which the foreign ministers (FMs) are expected to focus on the developments in Afghanistan, ANI reported.

Pakistan turns blind eye to human rights abuses in Afghanistan

As Pakistan has ramped up its call for the recognition of the Taliban regime, it has effectively turned a blind eye towards the piling reports of public executions, violent crackdown on media, suppression of women and children rights along with violation of fundamental rights of ethnic minorities in Afghanistan, ANI reported. As per experts, Pakistan's call for an OIC meeting is also based on the sole agenda of extending assistance to the Taliban. Additionally, Pakistan has also been accused of abetting the Taliban and burgeoning the Afghanistan crisis by failing to consider the wishes of the Afghan people.

Meanwhile, India has been able to gain the trust and cooperation of the Central Asian Nations and the West cumulatively, pushing for an inclusive government and recognition of fundamental rights. With Pakistan drawing major flak for its relentless backing to the all-male interim cabinet of Afghanistan, India has been working closely with Afghan neighbours to bring stability and peace to the war-torn country. Although Pakistan has called on Russia and China for support on the matter, in the last month's Regional Security Dialogue in India, Russia remained a notable member, indicating that it does not vouch for Pakistan, ANI reported.

Taliban takeover and aftermath

Even after 4 months into the ruling, the Taliban have failed to implement the preconditions it had promised, which included ensuring a more liberal society. Shortly after the takeover of Kabul in mid-August, the Taliban had said it will eliminate terrorist safe havens, establish an inclusive government and ensure education for women and children. Nevertheless, as per UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), human rights abuses have nearly doubled within two months of the Taliban regime.

(With inputs from ANI)

(Image: AP/PTI)
Although Goa is known as one of India's most popular tourist destinations, the lesser-known fact is that it is also one of India's most historical destinations. While most of India was liberated from British rule in 1947, Goa was still under the rule of the Portuguese. Every year on December 19, Goa Liberation Day is commemorated, as it was on this very day in 1961 the state was liberated from Portuguese authority, after being its colony for 451 years.

Goa Liberation Day: History & Significance

In the 19th century, there was a movement for Independence in India and effects of which were felt on a smaller scale in Goa as well. In the late 1940s, Goans also took part in Satyagraha. However, the Portuguese refused to relinquish control of Goa when India gained independence in 1947. While the government took no military action at the time, it did hold a series of diplomatic talks with the Portuguese to begin the liberation of Goa. Finally, as the talks failed to produce any results, the Indian government opted to use its military option to liberate Goa.

Tweet by President Ram Nath Kovind

On Goa Liberation Day, the nation pays homage to the martyrs and freedom fighters who fought to liberate Goa from colonial rule. We also salute the exemplary courage & valour of our armed forces. I will forever cherish the memories of Goa@60 celebrations I attended last year. pic.twitter.com/XXw3Xl11jI  President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) December 19, 2021

While internal revolts in Goa had already begun the liberation process, Operation Vijay was conducted by the Indian Armed Forces in 1961 under the leadership of General JN Chaudhari. In the beginning, the Portuguese showed some resistance to the attack, but Portuguese Governor General Manuel Antonio Vassalo e Silva eventually signed the document of surrender. On December 19, 1961, the Portuguese reign came to an end after 451 years of control. Despite the fact that many countries supported the liberation, Portugal referred to it as an "invasion" by Indian forces.

Message by Goa CM Dr. Pramod Sawant

PM Modi to visit Goa

It is significant to mention here that the Indian Naval Ship Gomantak has a War Memorial dedicated to the seven sailors and other personnel who laid their lives in Operation Vijay. Every year, the officers of the Indian Navy pay tribute to the warriors on this day. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Goa today (Dec. 19) to attend a programme commemorating Goa Liberation Day. The programme is scheduled to be held at Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium at around 3 p.m. The Prime Minister will also pay tribute to the liberation warriors and veterans of 'Operation Vijay' on this occasion., reported ANI.

Image: Koo/@ Dr Pramod Sawant
Panaji, Dec 19 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that Goa would have been liberated from Portuguese rule much earlier had Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel lived for some more time.

Modi was speaking at an event to celebrate Goa Liberation Day, observed on December 19 every year to mark the day Indian armed forces freed the coastal state from Portuguese rule in 1961.

Had Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel been alive for a little more time, Goa would have been liberated earlier, Modi said.

Patel, deputy PM in the Nehru cabinet, died on December 15, 1950. He is credited with the liberation of Marathwada region in Maharashtra from erstwhile Nizams rule.

On his recent visit to Rome, Modi said, Some time ago, I went to Italy and the Vatican City. There I also had the opportunity to meet Pope Francis. I invited him to visit India, to which Pope Francis said This is the greatest gift you have given me. This is his love for Indias diversity, our radiant democracy. Modi lauded freedom fighters, including those from outside Goa, who fought for the states freedom. When India got Independence, they still continued the fight to liberate Goa, he added.

They ensured that the struggle to liberate Goa did not end after India's independence, he said.

Modi also congratulated the Goa government for topping in various parameters of good governance.

The state has topped on parameters like per capita income, exclusive toilet facility for girls in schools, tap water in every household, door to door waste collection, and food security, he said.

Modi remembered former Goa chief minister late Manohar Parrikar, saying he had understood the potential of the state and nurtured it for welfare of the people.

Parrikar, who was the defence minister during the first term of the Narendra Modi government, died on March 17, 2019 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.

During the Liberation Day event, Modi felicitated freedom fighters and veterans of Operation Vijay operation undertaken by the Indian military to liberate Goa.

Modi said Goa came under Portugal rule when a major part of the country was ruled by Mughals, but centuries later, neither has Goa forgotten its Indianness, nor has India forgotten Goa.

The PM, who reached here this afternoon to participate in the celebrations marking 60 years of the coastal state's liberation from Portuguese rule, also witnessed a fly past and sail parade at Miramar.

Modi inaugurated multiple development projects, including the renovated Fort Aguada jail museum, super specialty block at the Goa Medical College and new South Goa district hospital.

The super specialty block at the Goa Medical College and Hospital has been constructed at a cost of over Rs 380 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana scheme.

The new South Goa district hospital, built at a cost of around Rs 220 crore, is equipped with modern medical infrastructure, including OPD services in 33 specialties, latest diagnostic and laboratory facilities and services like physiotherapy and audiometry.

The re-development of the Aguada Fort jail museum as a heritage tourism destination under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme has been done at a cost of over Rs 28 crore. Before Goas liberation, the Aguada Fort was used to incarcerate and torture freedom fighters.

The museum will highlight the contributions and sacrifices made by prominent freedom fighters who fought for the liberation of Goa and will be a befitting tribute to them.

Modi also inaugurated an aviation skill development centre at the Mopa airport and a gas insulated substation at Dabolim-Navelim in Margao. He laid the foundation stone for the India International University of Legal Education and Research of the Bar Council of India Trust at Goa.

He also released a Special Cover and Special Cancellation to mark the commemoration of Indian armed forces freeing Goa from Portuguese rule.

Modi's visit to the coastal state came ahead of Goa Assembly elections scheduled early next year and the ruling BJP's attempts to ward off challenge by new entrant TMC and other parties.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Asserting that India is "a strategic partner for all countries of Central Asia," Kyrgyzstan Foreign Minister Ruslan Kazakbaev expressed happiness on having good relations with New Delhi. Delivering his opening remarks at the third edition of the India-Central Asia Dialogue on Afghanistan in New Delhi, Kazakbaev added that dialogues between participating countries in "such meetings" are highly fruitful.

"I am very happy to say that we are having good relations and talks with India in the Central Asia region, which provides the dynamics of relations. Today, India is a strategic partner for all countries of Central Asia and we have political and economic, cultural relations, partnership and cooperation," FM Kazakbaev was quoted by ANI as saying.

Recalling previously held talks on Afghanistan, the Kyrgyzstan foreign minister noted that India and Kyrgyzstan share a common interest in the security and safety of Afghanistan.

"We are ready to support and collaborate in all the measurements to make this region safer. And we wish that further also we could develop our relations," Kazakbaev said.

Reiterating remarks of his Kyrgyz counterpart, Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, who chaired the 3rd New Delhi-led dialogue on Afghanistan, said, "We all share deep-rooted ties with Afghanistan and our concerns and objectives for the country include a true and representative govt, fighting against terrorism and drug trafficking, and preserving the rights of women, children and minorities in Afghanistan."

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar and Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, at the 3rd India-Central Asia Dialogue in Delhi



(Photo Courtesy: EAM Twitter handle) pic.twitter.com/J5kWg2I4WB  ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2021

Strategic partnership with India growing 'dramatically': Kazakhstan FM

Speaking at the 3rd India-Central Asia Dialogue on Sunday, Kazakhstan Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi highlighted that strategic partnership with India has grown "dramatically" and is expected to witness constructive cooperation on all dimensions, including economic and political spheres.

"I am confident that this forum serves as a milestone to reaffirm our sharing priorities and commitment to elevate our partnership to new levels. This event will help boost bilateral, political, economical and humanitarian ties," ANI quoted Mukhtar Tileuberdi, Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan, as saying.

The Kazakhstan FM also announced that his country is looking forward to organising a "high-level" visit by Kazak president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to India next year, to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between India and Kazakhstan.

I am confident that this forum serves as a milestone to reaffirm our sharing priorities and commitment to elevate our partnership to new levels. This event will help boost bilateral, political, economical and humanitarian ties: Mukhtar Tileuberdi, Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan pic.twitter.com/1lcvBU0OPf  ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2021

India-Central Asia Dialogue on Afghanistan

The India-Central Asia Dialogue that began today (December 19) will conclude on December 20. AS part of the dialogue India hosted the foreign ministers of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan on Sunday with the foresight of elevating multilateral alliance and bilateral relations between the nations.

Additionally, the FMs also discussed compounding issues faced by Afghanistan and highlighted the need to ensure "a unified and coordinated approach" towards the war-torn country, Uzbekistan FM Abdulaziz Kamilov informed.

Issues of the challenging situation faced by our neighbouring country Afghanistan and the need to develop a unified and coordinated approach towards this country is to be discussed in this dialogue: Abdulaziz Kamilov, Uzbekistan Foreign Affairs Minister pic.twitter.com/2V5HyTIzhr  ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2021

(With inputs from ANI, Image: ANI)
Six more people have tested positive for the new variant of COVID-19, Omicron, in Maharashtra on Sunday, including a 5-year-old boy. The total Omicron cases stand at 54. Of the total cases, 28 individuals have been discharged after negative RT-PCR test, the state health department said.

"As per the report given by National Institute of Virology today, 6 more patients have been found to be infected with Omicron in the state. Out of these, 4 patients are from Mumbai Airport surveillance, 1 each from Pune rural and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation," Maharashtra Health Department said.
Flag Officer Commanding Goa Area Rear Admiral Philipose G Pynumootil laid a wreath at the war memorial at INS Gomantak on Sunday, to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Goa's liberation. The event was attended by commanding officers and senior officers from Goa's navy units. A formal Guard of Honour was presented and a two-minute silence was observed as a mark of appreciation for the supreme sacrifice made by courageous sailors of the Navy during the operation that led to the liberation of Goa.

On December 18, 1961, during the Indian Navy's Operation Vijay to free Anjadip Island and the Portuguese-controlled regions of Goa, Daman, and Diu, the war memorial at INS Gomantak was created in honour of the seven young and brave sailors who sacrificed their lives. Goa, Daman, Diu, Dadra, and Nagar Haveli were colonised by the Portuguese in 1510 and controlled by Lisbon as the 'Estado da India.' They remained under colonial rule for 451 years. Goa, unlike the rest of India, did not gain independence on August 15, 1947.

Wreath-laying ceremony held at INS Gomantak

The Liberation Day of Goa is observed every year on December 19, after the Indian Armed Forces liberated the state from Portuguese authority in 1961, dubbed "Operation Vijay." Goa was conquered by Indian troops who crossed the border. The Portuguese soldiers unconditionally surrendered on December 19 after more than 36 hours of relentless land, sea, and airstrikes. Lieutenant General JN Chaudhuri assigned the mission to Major General KP Candeth, the commanding officer of the 17th Infantry Division, and placed the 50 Parachute Brigade under his command.

Air Vice-Marshal Erlic Pinto was in charge of air operations, and the Navy was tasked with assembling a sufficient Task Force. Major General Candeth had intended to attack all three colonies at the same time. Operation Vijay, which lasted over 36 hours and featured air, naval, and land strikes, was a major victory for India, ending Portugal's 451-year control over its survivers in India. This freed India from foreign domination. Following the end of Portuguese authority in 1961, Goa was handed over to the military, which was led by Lieutenant Governor Kunhiraman Palat Candeth. Military control was replaced by civilian rule on June 8, 1962, when the Lieutenant Governor selected a 29-member informal Consultative Council to assist him in the administration of the territory.

On the Diamond Jubilee occasion of the liberation of Goa, Rear Admiral Philipose G Pynumootil, FOGA, laid a wreath at the war memorial at INS Gomantak on 19 December 2021.#GoaLiberationDay#GoaAt60 pic.twitter.com/vLKsj5LIoB  PIB in Goa (@PIB_Panaji) December 19, 2021

With inputs from ANI

IMAGE: ANI
CMs shuffled. Farm laws rolled back. Pegasus.

Politics in 2021 mainly revolved around these words. This year, as India emerged from the first wave of the deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19), it was pushed into a melee of controversies - from Farmer protest 'toolkit' to Pegasus snooping and finally, farm laws rollback. This year also saw the resignation of 5 CMs - Trivendra Singh Rawat & his successor Tirath Singh Rawat (Uttarakhand), BS Yediyurappa (Karnataka), Vijay Rupani (Gujarat), Capt Amarinder Singh (Punjab).

Here are the top 10 events in politics:

Greta Thunberg & Disha Ravi's farmer 'toolkit'

In the aftermath of the Republic Day violence, 21-year-old Bengaluru-based climate activist Disha Ravi was arrested on 14 February for allegedly disseminating the 'toolkit' related to farmers' protests on social media- the same one shared by climate activist Greta Thunberg. The Delhi police alleged a large conspiracy against the government of India to rebuild the Khalistan group via the toolkit and claimed that there were thousands of people involved in it. In her defence, Disha Ravi claimed that she had edited just two lines of the toolkit and said that she was influenced by the farmers' protests and thereby extended her support to them. Ravi was granted bail ten days later by the Supreme Court.

Justifying her arrest, many BJP leaders condemned the 'toolkit'. 3-time BJP MP P C Mohan likened avi to terrorists - Ajmal Kasab and Burhan Wani - whom he pointed out were 21, while Haryana minister anil Vij had tweeted for 'eradication of those who thought against the nation, be it Disha Ravi or anyone else'. Defending Disha Ravi, many Opposition leaders - Asaduddin Owaisi, Mamata Banerjee, Jairam Ramesh, Manish Tewari condemned the high-handed arrest by Delhi police in Bengaluru

Disha Ravi's toolkit was created by the pro-Khalistani poet group 'Poetic Justice Foundation' (PFJ) that was shared by Thunberg, titled 'Global Farmers Strike- First Wave', which seems to have been in circulation since early January. It had encouraged people to organise solidarity protests either at or near Indian Embassies, local government offices or offices of various multinational Adani and Ambani companies. It also urged people to participate in the farmers' tractor rally on Republic Day - which had ended in violence - killing one farmer and injuring 510 police officers. LThe updated 'toolkit' removed the Republic Day plan from the AskIndiaWhy's 'prior actions' - the 'plan' has now been denounced by PFJ.

Trivendra Singh Rawat, Tirath Rawat resigns, Dhami takes over

In March, barely 10 days of completing his fourth year as CM, Trivendra Singh Rawat tendered his resignation as several MLAs had reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with Rawat. Sources reported that Rawat had chalked out a plan to hold the Maha Kumbh in a restrictive manner, irking saints in the hilly state. Rawat also gained infamy with other moves like - bringing 51 temples under govt control with Devasthanam Management Act and making Gairsain a commissionerate.

His successor Tirath Singh Rawat created controversy with his remarks - objecting to women's ripped jeans, likening PM Modi to Lord Ram. In July, Rawat, resigned citing 'constitutional constraints' - the state was unable to hold bypolls amid COVID and Rawat was a Lok Sabha MP. 45-year-old Pushkar Singh Dhami took over as the new Uttarakhand CM - mere months ahead of state polls in 2022.

Lakshadweep controversy

In May, the tiny island of Lakshadweep was mired in controversy after its administrator Praful Khoda Patel made sweeping changes in the union territory. Opposing the new rules, MPs from Congress, NCP, Makkal Needhi Maiam and CPI(M) joined locals in demanding a recall of Patel and his 'anti-people' policies. Opposition has claimed that Patel was trying to saffronise the island where almost 95% population is Muslim, but Kerala High Court refused to stay the orders.

Among the controversial orders are - Altering COVID SOPs leading to COVID case surge, Ban on the slaughter, transportation, buying and selling of beef products, Lifting the ban on alcohol consumption, Demolishing the sheds where fishermen stored nets and other equipment citing violation of the Coast Guard Act, A new Goonda Act, Disqualifying Panchayat members with more than two children from elections, Mandating the use of Mangalore port instead of the Beypore port for freight transit & Termination of casual and contractual labourers' jobs in govt. Locals have staged multiple protests under sea, on roads, maintained bandhs, demanding a recall. While the island's collector S Asker Ali touted Lakshadweep as the next Maldives, Home Minister Amit Shah has assured that he will be resolving the locals' concerns.

PM Modi meets J&K leaders in Delhi

In June, after almost two years of revoking Article 370, PM Modi met with 14 J&K politicians in Delhi. The attendees were - NC president Farooq Abdullah, NC vice-president Omar Abdullah, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, CPI(M) leader MY Tarigami, Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ghulam Ahmad Mir and Tara Chand, J&K Apni party supremo Syed Altaf Bukhari, JKPC leaders Sajad Lone and Muzaffar Baig, Panthers Party chief Bhim Singh, BJP leaders Ravinder Raina, Kavinder Gupta, and Nirmal Singh. MoS Jitendra Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah and L-G Manoj Sinha were also present.

Congress, NC, and JKPC did not raise the matter of restoration of Article 370 in the meeting as the matter was sub-judice. In the meeting, Azad presented Congress' 5 demands to the Centre - the restoration of statehood, elections, restore domicile laws, return of Kashmiri Pandits to the valley and release of all political prisoners. Mufti had urged Centre to resume talks with Pakistan by restarting train services between the two countries and raised the matter of Article 370 in the meeting, stating that the people of Jammu & Kashmir are angry and upset after its abrogation in an 'unconstitutional, illegal and immoral' manner.

Assam-Mizoram dispute

On July 26, six policemen and a civilian were killed during the violent clashes broke out between forces of both sides at the border area shared by Cachar district's Lailapur and Kolasib's Vairengte. Over 50 police officers from Assam were critically injured. The violence led to a war of words and multiple FIRs between Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and Mizoram CM Zoramthanga - each blaming the other of breaking the border treaty.

Assam claimed Mizoram breached the existing status quo by commencing the construction of a road towards Rengti Basti thus "destroying" the Inner Line Forest Reserve in the Lailapur area besides building an armed camp in the same vicinity. It claimed that the Mizoram Police opened fire on the Assam officials and civilians with automatic weapons including LMGs which resulted in deaths. However, Mizoram claimed that its police personnel fired at their Assam counterparts only after the latter launched tear gas grenades at them. After the intervention of Home Minister Amit Shah, both CMs agreed to resolve the crisis and both states' police personnel returned from the disputed spot, with CRPF taking over.

Cabinet reshuffle

In August, at the midway of PM Modi's second tenure, the Union cabinet was expanded and rejigged to induct 36 new ministers taking the total size to 77 - excluding the Prime Minister. With the exit of 12 Union ministers including Ravi Shankar Prasad, Prakash Javadekar and Dr Harsh Vardhan, top BJP MPs like Jyotiraditya Scindia, Narayan Rane, Anurag Thakur, Kiren Rijiju, Sarbananda Sonowal were inducted as cabinet ministers. The cabinet has also introduced the first-ever Ministry of Co-operation to provide a separate administrative, legal, and policy framework which will be headed by Amit Shah.

With a focus on youth, Mansukh Mandaviya has replaced Dr Harsh Vardhan as Union Health Minister, Kiren Rijiju replaced Ravi Shankar Prasad as Union Law minister, Anurag Thakur replaced Prakash Javadekar as Union I&B minister, Jyotiraditya Scindia replaced Hardeep Singh Puri and Dharmendra Pradhan replaced Ramesh Pokhriyal as Education minister. The inclusion of young blood has brought down the average age 58 and has diversified representation with 27 OBC, 8 ST, 12 SC ministers and 11 women ministers. In terms of experience & qualification, the cabinet has 13 lawyers, 6 doctors, 5 engineers, 7 civil servants and 4 former CMs, 18 former Ministers from states, 39 former MLAs.

Pegasus upheaval, SC order

In August, a bombshell report by sixteen media houses claimed that 300 verified Indian mobile telephone numbers were allegedly spied upon using Israeli surveillance technology firm Pegasus - which only has 36 vetted governments as its clients. As per a 'leaked' database, numbers of those allegedly spied upon include over 40 journalists, three major opposition figures, one constitutional authority, two serving cabinet ministers, current and former heads, and officials of security organizations and businessmen. The target also includes the eight activists currently accused of the Bhima Koregaon case. The report claimed that the leaked numbers mainly belong to ten countries - India, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Morocco, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Opposition MPs lambasted the Centre for not scheduling a debate on the Pegasus snooping row in either House, resulting in multiple adjournments and suspension of several MPs. The Centre has refuted the report calling it a fishing expedition. Centre explained that interception, monitoring and decryption is approved by the Union Home Secretary as per IT rules 2009 which ensures that any such procedure is done as per the law.

Later, in October, an SC-bench led by CJI NV Ramana constituted a 3-member technical committee to probe into the spying allegations, with retired SC judge RV Raveendran overseeing it. The ommittee has been tasked to investigate if Pegasus spyware was used on phones or other devices of Indians, details of victims, steps taken by Centre in 2019 after reports of Whatsapp hacking, inquire if Centre, state govt or any govt agency acquired Pegasus and if any domestic entity/person used the spyware on citizens and whether this use was authorised. It has also been told advise on amendments to existing laws for securing privacy.

Yediyurappa & Rupani resign

In July, 78-year-old veteran Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa announced his resignation after he completed two years as the Chief Minister of Karnataka, breaking down publically. Yediyurappa had faced rebellion since he reshuffled his cabinet in January. Senior BJP ministers had to let go of several key ministries to the new inductees leading to discontent in the Karnataka BJP camp. Several BJP MLAs have accused Yediyurappa of 'interfering in the affairs of his cabinet', repeatedly predicting a change in leadership. Yediyurappa had formed his government on August 26, 2019 with the help of 16 rebels who switched from Congress & JDS.

Yediyurappa was replaced by Basavaraj Bommai - a strong Veerashaiva-Lingayat leader and a two-time MLC and three-time MLA from Shiggaon. Immediately, Bommai too faced cabinet expansion troubles and has been often summoned to Delhi. Though he has reached out to miffed leaders, many BJP leaders have rebelled against naming Bommai as the CM face for 2023 polls.

In September, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani submitted his resignation saying that he is ready to take new responsibilities in the party. Rupani, who has completed five years in the post, has been replaced 15 months before the elections. He was replaced by first-time MLA and ex-CM Anandiben Patel's close aide and a Patidar - Bhupendra Patel. Rupani himself replaced Anandiben Patel in 2016 ahead of Gujarat polls in 2017 and completed a five-year term.

Capt Amarinder Singh resigns, Channi takes over

In September, Navjot Singh Sidhu and his supporters rebelled against then-CM Capt Amarinder Singh moving the High Command claiming the party's 18-point agenda was not being fulfilled. After many rounds of talks, Congress High Command picked Sidhu as Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief, inspite of the CM's vehement opposition. Later, blindsided by the CLP meeting called without his knowledge, 79-year-old Capt Amarinder Singh tendered his resignation from the Punjab CM post. He has warned Congress chief Sonia Gandhi against making Sidhu as CM, terming him an 'unstable man' and pro-Pakistan, endangering security issues in Punjab's borders. The ex-CM has now launched a new outfit 'Punjab Lok Congress' and tied with BJP.

Singh was replaced by 58-year-old Dalit leader and Sidhu aide Charanjit Singh Channi. But since his appointment as CM, Sidhu rebelled against Channi as the new Punjab cabinet was finalised without his consideration. Sidhu also opposed the appointment of Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota and Amar Preet Singh Deol as the DGP and AG respectively over the links to the 2015 sacrilege case, resigning as Congress state chief in protest. While High Command urged Channi to not escalate the issue, Channi refused to do so - telling the same to Sidhu in a one-to-one meeting. He later caved in accepting AG APS Deol's resignation. Punjab goes to polls in February 2022.

Farm laws rollback, famers protest called off

In November, after a year-long protest by farmers, PM Modi announced that the Centre will officially repeal the three farm laws in the upcoming Winter session of Parliament. Addressing the nation on the occasion of Guru Parab, PM Modi lamented that one section of farmers remained unconvinced of the benefits of the Farm laws inspite of multiple rounds of talks. The Centre has constituted an agricultural committee to strengthen the Minimum Support Price (MSP) structure.

Later, Centre gave a written assurance to fulfill SKM's demands - MSP committee, withdrawal of cases, compensation and rescinding the Electricity Bill. Centre passed the bill for the repeal of the farm laws in Parliament on November 29 - the first day of Winter session in Parliament and was later got the President's assent. Buoyed by the victory, on December 11, farmers at Delhi's borders - Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur cleared the area and began returning to their home states after Sanyukta Kisan Morcha called off the farmers' protest. SKM has stated that it will review the status on January 15 to ascertain if the Centre has fulfilled its demands.

(Image credits: PTI/Republic)
Omicron variant of COVID-19 replicates nearly 70 times faster in human airways as compared to Delta but the overall infection in the lungs appears to be less severe than the original SARS-CoV-2 strain, according to the recent studies. A British laboratory research suggests that the B.1.1.529 variant may be less efficient in causing severe symptoms but is much faster at replicating in the lungs compared with the Delta and all other previous variants.

Another study by the scientists at the Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease confirmed that the large cluster of mutations on the viruss spike protein was able to effectively evade the antibodies developed from the previous infection. The variant also reduces the lungs ability to neutralize and fight the disease which, among the vulnerable population, may result in severe COVID-19 disease.

Omicron replicates much faster in the bronchus: Study

Researchers at the University of Hong Kongs Faculty of Medicine meanwhile found that Omicron replicates much faster in particularly the bronchus that connects the windpipe to the lungs in just 24 hours after infection. This replication is several times faster than seen in the cases of Delta. Dr. Michael Chan Chi-wai and a team of researchers purport in their study which is yet to be peer-reviewed that Omicron infects human airways at a faster speed, which might relate to its transmissibility.

It is important to note that the severity of disease in humans is not determined only by virus replication but also by the host immune response to the infection, Chan said in a statement. He insists that the highly contagious and mutated virus like Omicron, no doubt, might cause more severe disease and death simply by spreading much faster even when it may not cause bad infection in some.

Therefore, taken together with our recent studies showing that the omicron variant can partially escape immunity from vaccines and past infection, the overall threat from Omicron variant is likely to be very significant, Chan warned.

Meanwhile, Cambridge preprint, which was posted late on Friday night, suggests that Omicron demonstrates significantly lower infectivity of lung organoids and Calu-3 lung cells but gained immune evasion properties. The variant also compromises on properties associated with replication and pathogenicity, the harm caused to the body during the infection. The Omicron spike protein induces relatively poor [lung] cell-cell fusion compared to Wuhan and Delta, said Gupta in a tweet, announcing the findings. The difference is significant. He then explains that Omicron does appear to have become more immune evasive, but those properties associated with disease progression may be weakened over time.
The Thwaites Glacier also known as "doomsday" glacier, in Antarctica, is on the verge of slipping into the ocean as the ice shelf holding it back could crack, scientists warned. The Florida-sized glacier could raise sea levels by at least a foot in the next decade, according to scientists.

During a press conference, Erin Pettit, associate professor of earth, ocean, and atmospheric sciences at Oregon State University, said, "I visualised it somewhat similar to a car window where you have a few cracks that are slowly propagating, and then suddenly you go over a bump in your car and the whole thing just starts to shatter in every direction. The collapse of this ice shelf will result in a direct increase in sea-level rise pretty rapidly."

Warm water was discovered beneath the Thwaites glacier in West Antarctica in January 2020, according to experts, which might speed up the melting of the 74,000-square-mile glacier. The ice melting into the Amundsen Sea from the Thwaites already contributes for around 4% of global sea-level increase.

"The satellite imagery that we've been following, that it's going to essentially bypass that pinning point and start fracturing and falling apart. It's a little bit unsettling," Pettit said.

Glacier cracking due to warm water beneath it

However, according to scientists, the eastern ice shelf keeping the glacier in place has started rapidly accelerating cracks that might cause it to collapse within the next three to five years, bringing the Thwaites glacier to an end. The ice shelf would not contribute to a rise in global sea levels by itself, but the glacier would. The Thwaites Glacier would be exposed to ocean water if it collapsed, but the glacier is already cracking due to the warm water beneath it.

When the glacier is exposed, the multinational team of scientists fears ice cliff collapse, which occurs when glacier chunks exposed to ocean water break off and fall into the water. If the glacier continues to collapse, it would endanger many coastal communities throughout the world, which are already growing more unsafe to live in as sea levels rise.

'Glacier will not last long,' Expert predicts

The glacier is the widest in the world, according to Ted Scambos, a senior research scientist at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, and if it collapses, it will also collapse surrounding glaciers, The Hill reported. The glacier could survive on its own, according to Scambos, but getting a clearer image of how the glacier will behave during the next 100 years will be critical. However, all indications are that the glacier will not last long, he concluded.

Within less than a decade, there will be a tremendous alteration in the face of the glacier, Sambos predicted. Its outflow pace has doubled in the previous 30 years, and the glacier holds enough water to raise sea levels by more than 2 feet. And if it drags the neighbouring glaciers with it, it might result in much more sea-level rise, up to 10 feet.

(With inputs from Agencies)

Image: Unsplash
In a massive boost to its digitalization process, Egypt has commenced using electronic ticketing systems and gates at most of its archaeological sites. While there have been 13 gates installed in the Pyramid area, the countrys Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities is pushing towards the completion of electronic entry systems at all archaeological in the country. In addendum, the integrated system for entry is also being used at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Fustat, the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, and Salah Eddin Citadel in Cairo. Other sites including those in Karnak and Luxor are still operating with early stages of the system.

Speaking to Egypt Independent, Ashraf Mohy, Director of the Antiquities of the Pyramids Area, pointed out that 13 modern electronic gates have been installed and operated at the entrances to the pyramids area. He further revealed that since the beginning of October, authorities have been replaced the traditional paper-based tickets in favour of an electronic ticketing system. It is worth mentioning that the Arab Republic of Egypt has 7 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and scores of other sites of historical and cultural significance.

Efforts to entice tourists

Egypt has been making efforts to entice tourists, who have been kept away due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Twenty-two ancient royal mummies were assembled from Cairo's Egyptian Museum to the new National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation in April. According to the Guardian, Egypt's tourism revenues fell from $13 billion in 2019 to around $4 billion in 2020.

The country has not reported any case of Omicron strain as of now. Since reporting its first case last year, the Arab Republic has registered 370,819 cases with over 21,155 deaths, according to the latest tally by World Health Organisation (WHO). In its most recent development, authorities have changed travel rules as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The regulations are particularly stringent for 7 African countries namely South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, and Eswatini.

(Image: Pixabay)
Belarus autocratic leader Alexander Lukashenko has turned to the so-called ironclad friend the Peoples Republic of China for support as the West including the United States mounted pressure on Europes last dictator. A series of sanctions, in the past weeks, was imposed on the Belarusian regime by European Union [EU], Britain, US, and Canada over the migrant crisis on the border with Poland, which the West says, has been orchestrated by the Belarusian leader.

As Lukashenkos Presidency suffocates under Europes and Wests criticism and trade embargoes over the rigged election last year, a subsequent crackdown on anti-government protesters, and now the spilling migrant situation on the border, Minsk has stepped up cooperation with China, pushing the Sino-Belarusian ties closer. Lukashenko, in the controversial elections rejected by the West, won by a landslide with 80.10% votes, defeating his closest rival Svetlana Tikhanovskaya who garnered 10.12% votes. Protests broke out over the election outcomes, prompting the EU, the UK, and the US to slap sanctions on Minsk.

China turns Minsk's second-largest trading partner

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi in a meeting with his Belarusian counterpart Vladimir Makei hailed the 'ironclad friendship between both countries, as he noted, that China is now Minsk's second-largest trading partner. In an effort to counter the alleged Western belligerence, the Belarusian leader has moved closer to China and Russia as 'the only way' to secure protection from the implications of the sanctions.

Recently, as China blocked trade with Lithuania over the establishment of the de facto representative office in the capital Vilnius for Taiwan, the Belarusian leader offered an alternative to Lithuanian products that were previously supplied to China. Belarusian Ambassador to China, Yuri Senko told the Global Times, the Chinese governments mouthpiece that Minsk will support China including on the Taiwan question in the international domain, strengthening the regional cooperation in Eastern Europe as part of Beijings Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Belarus has always adhered and will adhere to the one-China principle, we consider the island of Taiwan to be an integral part of China," the Belarus Ambassador to China stressed.

"On behalf of Belarus, I can assure that we will continue to fulfill our obligations to ensure the uninterrupted transit of Chinese goods, as before, and support our strategic partner - China - in the international arena on all other issues," Belarus Senko affirmed, Chinas Global Times reported.

So long as we [Belarus] develop such relations with China, we cannot be isolated, Lukashenko had earlier told Xinhua, Chinas state affiliated news agency. He then rigorously began to expand the Sino-Belarusian trade from $180 million to $2 billion and appearing for the first time on Chinese Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation Ministry report.

The two nations have since cosied as best friends in need, pushing forward their economic diplomacy stemming out of Chinas interest in Eastern Europe and its expansionist agenda that propelled its need for search of new markets for the Belt and Road Initiative.

Whatever the reasons, Belarusian President Lukashenko has been vocal about acknowledgement of Chinas growing support, stressing at a conference in Minsk, last month, that at a time of unprecedented external and foreign pressure on his country, he received wide-ranging support from its traditional allies, particularlyChina.

We have received the most tangible assistance and support during this difficult time from Russia, China and other countries, the Belarusian leader asserted. Thus, once again weve been reassured that a friend in need is a friend indeed, he said, according to BelTA news agency.
In another escalation, two rockets were fired towards the Green Zone in Iraqs capital Baghdad, Jerusalem Post reported early on Sunday. One of the projectiles, which was reportedly aimed at the US embassy, was intercepted in the air and fell outside the embassy. The other one, meanwhile, landed near the Grand Festivities Square, roughly located three kilometres from the American diplomatic office. A total of two civilian vehicles suffered damage in the attack.

As of now, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Projectile fires and missile attacks have increased as the US pulled out the majority of its troops from Iraq, leaving only 2,500 American troops in advisory and assistance roles. Washington announced a military pullout from Iraq after the latters Council of Representatives passed a non-binding measure to "expel all foreign troops from their country," including American and Iranian troops.

Meanwhile, a discreet report by Haaretz stated that Iraqi security immediately activated the US-installed C-RAM defence system to intercept the rocket launched. C-RAM or Counter- Rocket, artillery and mortar is a land-to ground defence system, that destroys rockets, artillery or mortar rounds in the air before they hit their ground targets. It functions similar to Israels Iron Dome, which grabbed eyeballs during this year's 11-day war.

#Iraq : Two rockets fired at #US Embassy in Green Zone, #Baghdad. One of them was intercepted by C-RAM & the other one allegedly fell into Green Zone.



As usual, the rockets appear to be common Iranian 107mm Fadjr-1 rockets. pic.twitter.com/Uw5M0eYm1u  War Noir  (@war_noir) December 19, 2021

Iraq able to maintain own security: PM

This comes as Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi recently asserted that the national security forces are capable to maintain security and stability in the country, ANI reported citing Xinhua. Bolstering the ability of national forces, the Iraqi PM said that the decision to withdraw US troops from the country was taken while keeping the national interest on the zenith.

"In a few days, we will witness the withdrawal of all combat forces of the international coalition from Iraq according to the strategic agreement with the American side," ANI quoted al-Kadhimi as saying during a televised speech on the occasion of the centenary of the founding of the modern Iraqi state in 1921.

(File Image: Global Times/Twitter)

(With inputs from agencies)
Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, on December 19, arrived in Pakistan to attend a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Afghanistan. Since a power overhaul by the Taliban in August, this would be the first meeting of the 57 member group. Upon arrival in Islamabad, Amirabdollahian and his delegation were received by the Ambassador of Iran to Pakistan Mohammad Ali Hosseini and Pakistani Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan, according to state-owned IRNA News.

Sundays meeting would also mark Amirabdollahians maiden visit to Pakistan since taking office. Earlier in August, Iran underwent a major political change after Javad Zarif, who served as the Foreign Minister of Iran from 2013 until 2021 bid farewell to diplomacy. Meanwhile, Amirabdollahian had asked the Taliban to adopt a friendly approach in leading the people of Afghanistan.

According to IRNA, Amirabdollahian is poised to present Iran's point of view on Afghanistan and developments in the region. The Islamic Republic, like Pakistan, shares its border with Afghanistan and has been widely affected by the Taliban takeover. Rasoul Mousavi, Assistant to Foreign Minister and Director General South Asia is leading the Iranian delegation.

The OIC Secretary General also expressed his optimism that the meeting will produce positive results to accelerate relief efforts for the #Afghan people. #OICInPakistan #OIC4Afg  OIC (@OIC_OCI) December 18, 2021

Pak's attempt to galvanise support for Taliban

The OIC meeting is also significant as it marks another attempt to Pakistans to galvanize support for the Taliban and stave off a lingering humanitarian and economic crisis. The Imran Khan administration has been widely batting for the newly formed Afghanistan administration-including at the UNGA-even at the risk of jeopardising its relationship with the west.

While normalisation of Afghanistans relationship with the rest of the world's top the agenda, other crucial issues include the countrys collapsing economy and banking system under the Taliban, Head of Centre for Strategic Studies at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Walliullah Shaheen said, as reported by Tolo News.

It is imperative to note that Afghanistan is currently battered with its worst economic crisis with over 22 million residents facing acute food shortages. The summit, which is expected to see global powers like the European Union (EU), the US, UK, and Russia participate could serve as a channel for the Taliban to secure more succour.

(Image:IRNA)
Islamabad, Dec 19 (PTI) The 17th Extraordinary Session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Council of Ministers, began in Islamabad on Sunday to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

The meeting, held at the Parliament Building, is being attended by representative Muslim countries, Permanent Members of the UN Security Council and various international organisation. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmmod Qureshi is chairing the session.

The meeting was called at the proposal of Saudi Arabia.

Official sources said more than 70 delegations are participating in the day-long conference, including 20 foreign ministers and 10 deputy foreign ministers.

Afghanistan's economy is facing a major crisis after the Taliban seized power in Kabul in mid-August, amid a chaotic US and NATO troops withdrawal from the war-torn country.

Following hardline Islamists assuming power in Afghanistan, the international community froze billions of dollars' worth of assets abroad and stopped all funding to the country.

Ahead of the session, Qureshi said the meeting will draw attention towards the issues of Afghanistan. We have already achieved that target as witnessed by the number of participants, he said.

Pakistan has already announced an assistance package of Rs 5 billion (USD 28 million) for the country. The humanitarian situation has given way to concerns regarding influx of migrants into Europe.

The OIC was set up in 1969 after the tragic fire incident at the holy mosque in Jerusalem that resulted in widespread indignation among the Muslim world. The first OIC summit was held in Rabat from September 22 to 25, 1969.

The 1st Extraordinary Session of the OIC was held in Islamabad on March 23, 1997. The total number of members of the OIC is 57. PTI SH IND

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Zara Rutherford, a teen aircraft pilot, arrived in Seoul, South Korea, on December 12, her first Asian stop on her quest to become the world's youngest woman to fly solo around the globe. The 19 year old UK-Belgian national set out on her 32,000 mile voyage on August 18 from Kortrijk-Wevelgem Airport in western Belgium, which would take her across five continents and 52 nations, including the United States, Greenland, Russia, and Colombia. Zara Rutherford, is a student at St Swithun's school in UK.

Rutherford will remain in a hotel before flying to Taiwan on Monday, and she expects to complete her tour by the middle of January. Aside from breaking records, the youngster hopes that her journey would inspire girls and women to pursue STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) studies and careers, as well as pique their interest in aviation.

Rutherford aims to become an astronaut

Rutherford, the daughter of two pilots, will begin university next year with the goal of becoming an astronaut. According to her website, Zara Rutherford, she aims to break three Guinness World Records by travelling around the world alone: the youngest woman to fly solo around the world; the first woman to circumnavigate the world in a microlight, and the first Belgian to circumnavigate the world solo in a single-engine aircraft.

According to her website, if she completes her 32,000 mile (51,000 kilometer) adventure, the young pilot would have visited 52 nations on five continents. Zara recently completed her A-Levels in Mathematics, Economics, and Physics, and she intends to study computer science or computer engineering at university. However, she elected to fly around the world in her 'Shark'. She is flying a Shark Aero, a high-performance, two-seat ultralight aircraft produced in Europe that is expressly designed for a lengthy journey. The plane has a top speed of 186.4 miles per hour and can cruise at that speed.

Sponsors and airports provide support to the young pilot

Sponsors and airports are covering the costs of the trip, and Shark Aero, a Slovakian company, provided her with the plane, according to the New York Times. According to Guinness Records, Shaesta Waez holds the record for the youngest woman to fly solo around the world, having completed her journey in 2017 at the age of 30.

(With inputs from agencies)

Image: AP
At least 1000 Chadian soldiers will be stationed in the West-African country of Mali in order to strengthen its forces, ANI reported citing Russian news agency Sputnik, on Saturday.

According to the Malian Foreign Ministry, the deployment of the squads will strengthen its forces as part of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). On Saturday, the ministry also posted a confirmation communique on the micro-blogging site.

"The ministry of foreign affairs and international cooperation is specifying that the deployment is bilateral, upon the request of the Chadian government to reinforce its contingent in northern Mali after reorganization of the forces involved in Operation Barkhane, to resist threats and protect its troops deployed in the area," the communique of the foreign ministry read.

The United Nations peacekeeping chief warned that the crisis in the region remains volatile, with insecurity and instability seriously undermining prospects for development and many lives lost every day as a result of terrorist attacks.

"Millions of people are displaced. Children can no longer go to school, and primary health care remains inaccessible for many while the COVID-19 pandemic is still raging,"Jean-Pierre Lacroix said. Lacroix said that the joint force continues to increase its operational pace but faces "enormous challenges", including the return of foreign fighters from the conflict in Libya.

Libya in turmoil since 2011

Earlier on December 14, the French Defense Ministry said that the nation pulled out the battalions from the city of Timbuktu in northern Mali, ending an 8-year military existence in the country within the scope of Operation Barkhane, launched by France in 2014.

Notably, the anti-terrorist operation is also backed by the G5 Sahel group of Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger and Mauritania, to seek stability and security in the region. It is worth mentioning that Libya has been in turmoil since 2011 when a civil war toppled long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was later killed. The country has, for years, been split between rival administrations in the east and the west, each backed by armed groups.

With inputs from agencies

Image: Unsplash
The Japanese government has announced plans to check tens of thousands of buildings across the country after fire engulfed an 8-storey clinic in Osaka that killed at least 24 people on Friday, December 17.

Yasushi Kaneko, the minister in charge of internal affairs and communications, as well as fire and disaster management, said that he has ordered a nationwide investigation of around 30,000 commercial buildings with three or more storeys but just a single stairway, reported Associated Press (AP). Meanwhile, the police have also identified a 61-year-old male patient as the prime suspect for setting fire at the clinic.

The Osaka investigation team searched the house of the suspect after they found the man's registration card for the clinic during a search of a place related to him. According to the investigation team, the suspect has been identified as Morio Tanimoto, one of the three survivors who are still in critical condition. An official at the prefectural police investigation department claimed that after checking the security camera and inspecting Tanimoto's house, it was established that he was the one who set fire at the facility.

Fire was doused within 30 minutes of the incident

According to Kyodo News, Tanimoto was a retired clinic worker. He was described as a dedicated and skilled worker by his former employer at a factory where he worked from 2002 until 2010.

Authorities are looking into how the smoke filled the floor so rapidly that entrapped the victims. They stated that the fire that had scorched just about 25 square metres of the floor near the reception was doused within 30 minutes with the help of more than 70 fire engines, reported AP.

It should be mentioned here that an attacker invaded the Kyoto Animation studio in 2019 and set it on fire, killing 36 people and injuring several others. The incident had stunned Japan, and anime fans all across the world expressed their sorrow. Apart from this, a deliberate attempt to set ablaze a building in Tokyo's Kabukicho killed 44 people in 2001, making it the country's worst recorded case of arson in modern times.

(With inputs from AP)

Image: AP
North Korea has lambasted a recent Group of Seven (G7) statement, calling it an act of meddling in domestic matters, Yonhap media agency reported on December 18. The statement urges the country to give up nuclear weapons and desist from provocation.

Top G7 diplomats have reiterated a statement from earlier this year, urging North Korea to stop "provocative actions" and return to denuclearization talks. The remarks were made at the G7 Foreign and Development Ministers meeting in Liverpool, United Kingdom, over the weekend, where delegates expressed concern about North Korea's nuclear and missile developments, among other things.

In a statement, Conservative MP Elizabeth Truss, the UK's secretary of state for international, commonwealth, and development affairs, said, "we welcomed the readiness of the United States to continue its efforts in that regard and remain committed to providing support."

'Intolerable act of provocation'

The North's foreign ministry stated in a post shared on its website that "such remarks constitute an aggressive violation of sovereignty, which tries to deny the exercise of its rights by a sovereign nation, as well as foreign interference and an intolerable act of provocation."

The G7 nations reaffirmed the goal of the complete, verifiable, and irreversible abandonment of all of the North's weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programmes in accordance with relevant UNSC resolutions in a chair statement released after the G7 foreign and development ministers' meeting.

According to Yonhap, North Korea stated, "rather than fomenting distrust and confrontation, the G7 should focus more on its original mission of addressing their economic issues."

Pyongyang has carried out a number of missile tests in recent months, including a submarine-launched ballistic missile test in October and a hypersonic missile test in September. Pyongyang's test of the hypersonic missile was described as another escalation step by France's permanent mission to the United Nations.

According to AP, the France's mission expressed confidence that the UN Security Council would "urge the DPRK to stop these provocations, to comply with Security Council resolutions and to get back to the negotiating table."

'Korean Peninsula' instead of 'North Korea'

After appearing in the June summit statement, the phrase full denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula was removed from the most recent G7 communique. When considering disarmament on the peninsula, referring to the Korean Peninsula rather than North Korea is frequently a deliberate political decision, as North Korea prefers the former phrasing. For example, at the 2018 US-DPRK summit in Singapore, Washington agreed to advocate for denuclearization of the "Korean Peninsula" rather than complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization (CVID) of 'North Korea.'

For its part, the United States continues to offer North Korea discussions anytime, anyplace, without any preconditions. Pyongyang has continued to reject the Biden administration's advances. The G7 is an informal international forum comprised of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan.

(With inputs from agencies)

Image: AP
New Delhi will witness the start of the third India-Central Asia Dialogue on Sunday, December 19. The summit had in attendance Foreign ministers from the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and the Republic of Uzbekistan. Indian External Affairs Minister, Dr S Jaishankar, who is hosting the event, took to Twitter and announced "the third India-Central Asia Dialogue of Foreign Ministers begins. A collaboration based on national ownership, mutual benefit, regional good and development priorities of partners."

The third India-Central Asia Dialogue of Foreign Ministers begins.



A collaboration based on national ownership, mutual benefit, regional good and development priorities of partners. pic.twitter.com/1RwcikimKQ  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) December 19, 2021

EAM S Jaishankar congratulated Central Asian nations' Foreign Ministers on the 30th anniversary of their independence. In return, the Foreign Ministers of Central Asian countries congratulated India's EAM on the ongoing 75th-anniversary celebrations of India's independence. The Ministers indicated their willingness to partake in joint festivities honouring the 30th anniversary of India-Central Asian States diplomatic relations in 2022.

Ministers condemned terrorism in all of its forms

During the summit, Foreign Ministers from India and the five Central Asian countries have reaffirmed the significance of UN Security Council Resolution 2593 (2021), which states unequivocally that Afghan territory should not be used for sheltering, training, planning, or financing terrorist acts and calls for coordinated action against all terrorist groups. The Ministers condemned terrorism in all of its forms and manifestations and asked for the early ratification of the United Nations Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism, according to a joint statement issued following the India-Central Asia Dialogue in New Delhi.

The sides reviewed the present situation in Afghanistan and its influence on the region during the Third Meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue, which took place here on Sunday. According to a joint statement issued by the third meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue, the Ministers reiterated their strong support for a peaceful, secure, and stable Afghanistan, while emphasising respect for sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity, as well as non-interference in its internal affairs.

The Ministers praised the sides' efforts to carry out the resolutions reached at the 1st India-Central Asia Dialogue in Samarkand in January 2019, as well as the 2nd India-Central Asia Dialogue in October 2020, which will be held virtually. They agreed that the region's long-term viability and stability will be ensured by dynamic and constructive reforms in Central Asia's countries. The Ministers also advocated for the gradual restoration of people-to-people exchanges, tourism, and business links between India and Central Asian countries.

The Ministers focused their emphasis on the necessity for specialised national institutions to collaborate, particularly in the domains of finance, renewable energy, information, digital, and other modern technologies. In addition, India welcomed Central Asian countries' interest in using the Shahid Beheshti Terminal at Chabahar Port to facilitate their trade with India and beyond. The parties agreed to keep working together to expand their nations' transit and transportation capacity, improve the region's logistics network, and promote joint projects to build regional and international transport corridors.

Central Asian Foreign Ministers praised India's non-permanent membership in UNSC

Central Asian Foreign Ministers reaffirmed their countries' support for India's permanent participation in an expanded and reformed UN Security Council. They praised India's non-permanent membership in the UN Security Council and its priorities. The Ministers also decided to maintain close talks on the Afghan situation.

The delegates were pleased with the ongoing Central Asia-India cooperation in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the statement, the Foreign Ministers of Central Asian countries appreciated India's assistance in supplying vaccines and vital medications during the early stages of the fight against COVID-19.

Image: Dr SJaishankar/Twitter
After at least 75 confirmed deaths in the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines this year, the death toll is feared to reach 100, Governor Arthur Yap of Bohol province informed through a Facebook post on early Sunday. While communication remains battered, 13 are reportedly injured and 10 others are feared to be missing. The storm ripped across the south and central regions of the archipelago toppling concrete power poles and flooding villages.

Noting the atrocities, Guv. Yap in his statement posted on Facebook ordered provincial mayors to spend extra funding in order to rapidly secure food packages and fresh drinking water to deprived areas. Following a joint military aerial survey of typhoon-ravaged towns, he also added that "it is very clear" that the damage sustained by the most popular tourist destination Bohol is "great and all-encompassing."

However, the inspection did not include 4 towns, where Typhoon Rai rampaged on Thursday and Friday. On Sunday, the government reported 49 deaths taking the overall toll to 75, the Associated Press reported. Thousands of police, coast guard and fire personnel have been deployed to assist in search and rescue operations in the worst-affected areas.

[Image: AP]

Over 7 lakh affected by Typhoon Rai

At least 7,80,000 people have been affected, including 3,00,00 who had to evacuate their homes along the coastal regions ahead of the landfall of Typhoon Rai in the Philippines, the Associated Press reported, citing official figures. As many as 39 of the total fatalities were reported by the disaster-response Agency and the national police. Officials on Dinagat Island, one among the first hit areas by Typhoon Rai, reported 10 separate deaths on Sunday, bringing the total tally around the island country to 98 so far.

Meanwhile, Philippines president, Rodrigo Duterte flew to the typhoon-wrought region and promised a new aid worth $40 million.

[Image: AP]

Typhoon Rai

As described by the Relief Web, Typhoon Rai is a result of the newly formed tropical depression moving westwards over the western Pacific. On December 15, the storm intensified and became a typhoon as it continued to travel northwestward. It made landfall on December 16, widely destructing life and property on Siargao, Dinagat, Mindanao, Bohol, and the riverside town of Loboc.

At its strongest, the typhoon packed sustained winds of 195 kilometers per hour and gusts up to 270 kilometres per hour. Floodwaters rushed rapidly into Bohol's riverside town, leaving residents trapped on roofs and trees. At least 227 towns and cities have a brownout and are in dire need of essential lifelines. The typhoon has also affected at least 73 seaports cancelling over 163 domestic and international flights.

(With inputs from AP)

(Image: AP)
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP)  On billboards throughout northern Nevada, Republican gubernatorial candidate Joey Gilbert can be seen with clenched fists and a promise: Joey Gilbert Law, Fighting for Nevada.

Now, Gilbert is fighting efforts to reprimand him by the State Bar of Nevada. Gilbert has yet to be disciplined, but a screening panel that reviewed his work sent him a draft letter of reprimand in August alleging he harmed a client and violated the bars rules of professional conduct.

Your misconduct actually injured your client, albeit not substantially because he had no formal deadline for filing the petition. Your misconduct actually injured the integrity of the profession as well, Richard Williamson, the chair of a disciplinary panel convened by the bar, wrote in the Aug. 27 letter to Gilbert.

Gilbert is an attorney and former professional boxer who in the last year has become one of Nevada's most prominent voices calling into question the 2020 election result and decrying coronavirus vaccines. He was present in Washington, D.C., during the Jan. 6 insurrection but has said he did not enter the Capitol. Gilbert is running in a crowded primary field of Republicans hoping to unseat Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak in 2022.

The letter obtained by The Associated Press was confirmed as authentic by the State Bar of Nevada.

The Nevada Bar appoints three-member panels to evaluate grievances lodged by clients claiming harm against its attorneys. After deliberation, panels can impose sanctions, reprimand an attorney or dismiss the allegations. If the panel chooses sanctions or a reprimand, it must provide the attorney an opportunity to review the allegations and file an objection within 14 days.

Gilbert filed a motion to dismiss the letter, which the disciplinary panel denied on Dec. 1, according to filings provided by his attorney, Dominic Gentile.

Gentile said Gilbert denied all the allegations in the letter and planned to continue to fight the bar over its process and conclusions. He said the draft letter was not a public record and the State Bar should not have commented on it at this stage.

There is no final determination as to the validity of any grievance against Mr. Gilbert. A lawyer is entitled to a live hearing at which witnesses must be called to testify and be subject to cross-examination, he said.

Bar counsel Daniel Hooge said the letter was unofficial and Gilbert would not be formally disciplined until the panel holds another hearing.

While the Supreme Court of Nevada retains ultimate authority to regulate the legal profession, the Office of the Bar Counsel serves as the Courts arm to investigate and prosecute claims that a lawyer has violated the Rules of Professional Conduct. Our primary goal is to protect the public, Hooge said.

The panel's consideration comes as Gilbert campaigns throughout Nevada ahead of the Republican gubernatorial primary next June and files headline-grabbing lawsuits challenging vaccine and mask mandates.

To voters, Gilbert cites his legal work as evidence that he's the best choice to be Nevada's next governor and committed to fighting for the state.

In stump speeches he's made across the state and shared on his Facebook page, he says the legal work he's done throughout the pandemic prove his willingness to be in the trenches, fighting, referencing cases such as Calvary Chapel Lone Mountain's ongoing challenges to Nevada's coronavirus-related capacity cap on religious gatherings.

Gilbert is part of the legal team representing that church in Las Vegas, which along with another in rural Nevada, won an appeal challenging a statewide capacity cap on religious gatherings. The 9th U.S. Circuit of Appeals ruled in favor of the church after the governor had rolled back the restrictions in question.

The State Bar letter claims Gilbert's firm allowed employees who weren't licensed attorneys to handle a case without supervision  a violation of professional standards and bar requirements. It alleges that a law student, who was supposed to be under Gilberts supervision per bar rules, falsely implied to a client that a petition had been filed in court when it had not.

Though Gilbert's client had paid a $3,500 retainer four months prior, the firm later dropped him as a client. The draft letter also reprimands Gilbert for violating a diligence rule by not promptly alerting the client that he did not want to represent him.

Gentile said Gilbert denied the allegations.

After speaking to employees mentioned in the letter, Gentile said he believes the disciplinary panel hadn't sufficiently investigated the incident. He said he was confident the reprimand would be dismissed.

"What Joey Gilbert is doing here is he's standing up for his integrity," Gentile said.

The State Bar of Nevada said it has about 9,000 active members and prosecutes roughly 200 to 300 grievances annually. In 2021, it issued 24 reprimands, nine stayed suspensions and 15 actual suspensions. One attorney was disbarred.

___

Associated Press writer Scott Sonner contributed reporting from Reno. 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.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
The Russian Federation believes that its relations with US are not at the lowest point even as ties between the cold war rivals continue to severe. Since earlier this year, Russian has been amassing troops on its borders with Ukraine, prompting the US to warn against the imposition of tough sanctions. Regardless, Russian Deputy Foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov, speaking to Interfax News, said that Moscow-Washington relations hadnt hit rock bottom and that Kremlin was seeking stable and predictable relations with the US.

Earlier, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace asserted that it was highly unlikely that the UK would, along with other NATO members, send troops to Ukraine in case of a Russian invasion. Ukraine is not a part of NATO but amidst border conflict, the West has vowed to fully support the ex-soviet satellite state.

According to Wallace, He can all help with capacity building, but to some extent, Ukraine is not in NATO and that is why we are doing the best diplomatically to say to Putin dont do this.

Meanwhile, UK PM Boris Johnson recently offered a stern warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin stating that Moscow would face significant consequences in case it tries to invade Ukraine. Kremlin has completely denied the possibility of an invasion with Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reasoning that the military buildup was in response to American troops near the countrys border.

What is happening at the border?

Russias 41st army has been stationed in Yelnya, a town 260 kilometres north of the Ukrainian border. Moreover, recent satellite imagery reveals increased military activity from Russia's 144th Guards Motorized Rifle Division, according to a defence ministrys statement. The Kremlin blamed the United States joint military exercises in the Black Sea behind Russias provocation.

What we see is a significant, large Russian military build-up. We see an unusual concentration of troops. And we know that Russia has been willing to use these types of military capabilities before to conduct aggressive actions against Ukraine, Stoltenberg had earlier said at a conference.

(Image: AP)
In a shocking incident, an Amazon delivery driver was threatened by her boss that she would be terminated if she did not finish her deliveries during the deadly tornado that hammered Illinois. According to screenshots of the text messages and a report published by Bloomberg, the unnamed Amazon delivery driver informed her boss at the dispatch that tornado alerts were on in her area and asked if she could return to base for safety. The boss threatened her with termination and said if she didn't continue the work, "this would end with you not having a job."

Around 1 hour later, massive storms struck one of the company's warehouses in Edwardsville, nearly 30 miles from where she was located. Despite the driver's concern for her safety from the oncoming tornado, the executive kept insisting the driver to complete the work. "If you decide to come back, that choice is yours. But I can tell you it won't be viewed as for your own safety", the boss said.

US: Texts reveal how Amazon delivery driver was forced to work through the devastating tornado

According to the text messages shared by Bloomberg, the boss said, "The safest practice is to stay exactly where you are. If you decide to return with your packages, it will be viewed as you refusing your route, which will ultimately end with you not having a job come tomorrow morning. The sirens are just a warning." The driver again informed her boss about the danger but was told to keep moving until Amazon provided any further instruction. The scared driver said that tornado sirens were going off, but the senior said that he was talking to Amazon about the issue.

"Just keep delivering for now. We have to wait for word from Amazon. If we need to bring people back, the decision will ultimately be up to them. I will let you know if the situation changes at all. I'm talking with them now about it", the boss said.

The driver said that she was heading back to base for her safety and asked, "How about for my own personal safety?". "I'm going to head back. Having alarms going off next to me and nothing but locked buildings around me isn't sheltering me in place. That's wanting to turn this van into a casket", the driver replied.

She even told her boss through text message that weather reports show that the worst tornado is going to be right on top of her in the next few minutes. Soon, a massive storm devastated a nearby area, throwing cars into the air, destroying houses, and demolishing the warehouse of the company where six Amazon workers were also killed. The driver informed the boss that she was "literally struck in the damn van without a safe space to go."

A few minutes later, the boss told her to find cover and hide. The driver, however, managed to avoid any harm, but the matter is now being investigated, and the dispatcher is likely to lose his job for forcing the driver to work when the tornado was around. Moreover, the e-commerce giant is being questioned by security enforcement authorities for the lack of safety protocols that led to the deaths of six workers at the warehouse.

Image: Unsplash
A woman in Philadelphia, United States gave birth to a baby at the front seat of the Tesla electric smart car while the vehicle was on autopilot mode, Philadelphia Inquirer reported on Sunday. As per the media report, 33-year-old Yiran Sherry along with her husband Keating Sherry was driving their three-year-old son Rafa to pre-school when the remarkable delivery took place in the month of September. The report stated that Yiran's waters broke while the family was stuck in traffic.

As the couple realised they wouldn't make it in time as contractions intensified and traffic slowed to a crawl, Keating put the vehicle on autopilot after configuring the navigation system to the nearest hospital. Yiran stated that the decision to delay giving delivery until they were at the hospital was very difficult. She did, however, kept glancing at their estimated arrival time and noticed that it was barely changing, Yiran added. As soon as they got to the hospital, she gave birth to her daughter. The umbilical cord of the newborn was cut in the front seat of the car by nurses, Yiran informed.

It was quite a relief when nurses said "Congratulations, the baby is healthy," Yiren was quoted by the Philadelphia Inquirer as saying. She further informed that nurses kept coming into her room to see the "Tesla baby" while she was in the hospital. The couple decided to name their daughter Maeve Lily, after first considering Tess, in honour of the car company.

"Thank you, Tesla engineers, for your great autopilot system, stated Keating. The birth of the baby is wonderful news for Tesla, which has been dogged by bad publicity over safety issues and workplace abuse," Yiren said.

Female worker files lawsuit against Tesla

Despite the accolades Tesla's autopilot system received after Yiran Sherry's delivery, the Elon Musk owned company's troubles are far from over. A taxi firm in Paris has decided to stop using Tesla Model 3 cars following a deadly crash. Tesla was previously sued in Florida for an accident that resulted in the death of a teen in a Model S in 2019.

Last week, a female Tesla employee filed a lawsuit in the United States, accusing Elon Musk's electric car firm of fostering a hostile work environment for female employees. 38-year-old Jessica Barraza filed the complaint at a state court in Oaklandon alleging female employees at Tesla Inc's Fremont, California, factory endures "rampant sexual harassment," The Washington Post reported.

(Image: Pixabay/Representative )
UPDATED AT 3 p.m. EST on 2021/12/20

Less than a third of registered voters turned out to vote in elections for Hong Kong's Legislative Council (LegCo), with pro-Beijing and establishment candidates sweeping the first election to be held in the city under Beijing's rules ensuring only "patriots" approved by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) can hold public office.



The 30.2% turnout Sunday compared with the rate of more than 70 percent in elections to the District Council at the tail end of the 2019 protest movement, which saw a landslide victory for pro-democracy candidates, and with turnout of more than 50 percent in previous LegCo elections in 2012 and 2016.



Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam on Monday acknowledged the turnout was low without offering any explanations.

"But 1.35 million coming out to vote  it cannot be said that it was not an ... election that did not get a lot of support from citizens," Lam told a news conference.



The apathy was explained by election rules rubber stamped in March by the China's National People's Congress in Beijing that resulted in only 20 of the 90 available seats in LegCo being returned by direct popular vote in geographical constituencies, with 40 appointed by a Beijing-backed committee and 30 by industry and professional groups, as well as rural committees known as the Heung Yee Kuk.

Foreign ministers of the G7 grouping of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain and the United States, joined by the high representative of the European Union, declared their "grave concern over the erosion of democratic elements of the Special Administrative Regions electoral system."

New rules preventing anyone from standing for election in Hong Kong without the approval of a newly-expanded committee of Beijing loyalists had "undermined Hong Kongs high degree of autonomy under the One Country, Two Systems principle," said the G7 statement.

We also call on China and the Hong Kong authorities to restore confidence in Hong Kongs political institutions and end the unwarranted oppression of those who promote democratic values and the defense of rights and freedoms.

As Lam went with her husband to cast her vote Sunday, three people stood outside the polling station with placards that read: "We want truly universal suffrage," a slogan of both the 2014 Occupy Central movement and the 2019 protests.



Election officials start to count the first ballot papers after polls closed in the Legislative Council elections in Hong Kong, Dec. 19, 2021. Credit: AFP Country outings

Also expressing "grave concern" about the erosion of democracy, the foreign ministers of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the electoral changes had "eliminated any meaningful political opposition" while many opposition politicians were in prison or in exile.

"We also remain gravely concerned at the wider chilling effect of the National Security Law and the growing restrictions on freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, which are being felt across civil society," said the five countries, known as the Five Eyes group.

Instead of voting on Sunday, residents took advantage of free public transportation on to visit country parks and beauty spots, with dozens standing in line at urban bus stations en route to the coastal resort town of Sai Kung.



"We thought we'd take the free bus to go hiking in Sai Kung ," one person surnamed Lau told RFA. "Everyone's pretty relaxed ."



"I'm planning to go hiking in Sai Kung ," bus passenger Ho Sang said, while a passenger surnamed Kwok added: " is a great day to go hiking."



The Election Committee that previously voted for the city's chief executive was expanded, and now also directly appoints some members of the Legislative Council (LegCo).



Nobody is able to stand as a candidate for LegCo or chief executive in the city without its say-so, reducing what were already only partial exercises in democracy to cosmetic displays that resulted in a slate of candidates all loyal to the CCP.



While some of the 90 seats in LegCo will are still returned by direct election in geographical constituencies, there is now scant room for candidates who don't toe the party line, while 40 seats are now de facto appointments by Beijing.



No CCP critics allowed

No candidate who makes comments in any way critical of the Hong Kong government or the CCP was allowed to run, with official media citing a draconian national security law imposed on Hong Kong by Beijing from , 2020.



The U.K. has criticized the changes as being in breach of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, in which China agreed to leave Hong Kongs electoral system and democracy unchanged until 2047.



The pro-democracy League of Social Democrats said on its Facebook page that Lam's government had done its utmost to prevent opposition and pro-democracy candidates from standing in the election, including a blacklist, and a set of rules to determine whether an office-holder's oath of allegiance to the government is valid or not.



"Lam's administration has created a number of barriers to prevent opposition voices ... [including] national security police vetting of all candidates," it said. "This means that no candidate is eligible to stand in elections without CCP approval."



It said Lam's claim that low turnout reflected a high degree of public trust in the government was "ridiculous."



It said the majority of opposition politicians are now behind bars or awaiting trial under a citywide crackdown on public dissent and political opposition under the national security law.



Hong Kong activist group Liberkong held a mock referendum in London on with the question "Will you recognize the results of 's election?"



The first voter was Ivan, who told RFA that the LegCo poll is a highly selective election, and can't be representative of public opinion, especially given that much of the former opposition camp is now behind bars.



"The Hong Kong elections are a political show that Beijing is putting on for the rest of the world," he said. "Hong Kong people must express their opposition."



Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
SARAJEVO -- Magdalena gave birth to two children at the same state-run hospital in Sarajevo, and both times the 38-year-old gave the doctor envelopes.

Inside was the equivalent of 150 euros ($170). Even though state-run health care should have covered all the costs, Magdalena, who requested that her last name not be used and did not want to specify which hospital she received treatment in, handed over the cash, as she put it, "to ensure better treatment during childbirth."

According to Magdalena, the physician told her the money wasn't necessary, but took it anyway.

The cash, however, seemed to do the trick.

"The doctor was present at both births, not the midwife. I am also grateful to have received full anesthesia for suturing," Magdalena recounted recently to RFE/RL's Balkan Service.

"After the children were born, [the doctor] brought me his cell phone to call my family. They treated me differently from other mothers. I don't feel sorry for what I did, and I would do it again," Magdalena added unapologetically, saying she is not alone.

According to Magdalena, such payments, or bribes, are normal in Bosnia -- a form of extra insurance to ensure better care.

And at least one survey backs her up.

Some 1 million euros in bribes were given in maternity wards in Bosnia-Herzegovina last year, according to a survey by Baby Steps, an NGO in Bosnia battling to end to "corruption in childbirth."

The survey of 2,713 mothers from across the entire country found that 50 percent had given money or a gift to medical staff. The average payment was the equivalent of 70 euros.

The survey indicates widespread corruption at maternity wards across Bosnia, with every other birth tarred by it, said Amila Tatarevic, president of Baby Steps.

Staff at some maternity wards actually made it clear that such payments should be made, while in other cases families handed over the envelopes without such suggestions, fearful from the stories and rumors they had heard if they didn't, Tatarevic explained to RFE/RL.

The results of the survey were shared with Health Ministry officials at the national and regional levels, as well as with maternity wards, Tatarevic said, adding that the response was less than overwhelming.

"We received a few answers [from officials], most stating that there have been no reports of corruption in the last 10 years. So, we have 15,000 births linked with corruption, and there are absolutely no reports of that. That in itself tells us just how big a problem we have," Tatarevic continued.

Overall, corruption, if not rampant, is very prevalent across Bosnia. With a score of 35, the country is a significant decliner in the region, dropping seven points since 2012 in Transparency International's CPI 2020 index on global corruption.

RFE/RL contacted the Dr. Abdulah Nakas General Hospital in Sarajevo to inquire about possible bribery in its maternity ward. The hospital said it had no such reports, but added it was taking measures to prevent it.

"An anti-corruption team has been formed at the hospital. Anti-corruption material has been placed at eight locations in the hospital, together with forms for reporting corruption, and detailed instructions on how and to whom to report corruption in the hospital," the hospital said in its response to RFE/RL.

The Srbija Hospital, located in East Sarajevo in Republika Srpska, the Serb-dominated entity in Bosnia-Herzegovina, said patients had not complained about bribery in its maternity department.

"Therefore, there was no need to take any steps. In cases of corruption, the Srbija Hospital will take all necessary steps to launch disciplinary proceedings," the hospital told RFE/RL.

Everyone is expecting that envelope. We live where we live, and we need to be aware of that."

While not addressing the claims of corruption, some health officials did note a uniform system for reporting corruption was adopted in October when directors of health centers gathered.

Research by the Baby Steps NGO shows that many mothers in Bosnia are so traumatized during their first childbirth that they are put off having more children.

Vesna, who didn't want her last name to be used, gave birth to three children at the same maternity hospital in Sarajevo as Magdalena. After experiencing what she described as a "traumatic experience" with her first child, she made sure to pay bribes for the next two.

"The only time I didn't give money to the doctors, I got into trouble. When a doctor is scheduled to deliver your child, they need to be [bribed] in advance. I didn't know that and I think I suffered for not handing over money. It was a disaster," Vesna, 38, recounted to RFE/RL.

"I was not told why I was going into induced labor and what medications they were using. I was terrified. The doctor came in a few times during childbirth and in the end sutured me without any anesthetic," Vesna continued.

For her next two births, Vesna decided to pay the doctor and nurse attending to her the equivalent of 200 euros.

I was not told why I was going into induced labor and what medications they were using. I was terrified. The doctor came in a few times during childbirth and in the end sutured me without any anesthetic."

On average, people in Bosnia pay the equivalent of 60 euros a month for state-run health insurance. That's no small amount for most people. The average monthly gross salary amounts to the equivalent of 500 euros.

Like the other mothers who spoke to RFE/RL, 32-year-old Sanja from East Sarajevo, who didn't want to give her last name or specify the name of the hospital, also handed over an envelope to medical staff when she gave birth four years ago.

Technically, it was her husband, Sanja noted, who did the giving. The amount was the equivalent of 100 euros, paid to the doctor attending to her.

"Everyone is expecting that envelope. We live where we live, and we need to be aware of that. The doctor who managed my pregnancy was not on duty at the time. I paid because I wanted her to birth my baby. She wasn't scheduled that day, but she came in and was there for my birth. She didn't ask, but I think that goes without saying because otherwise she wouldn't have come in," Sanja explained.

Senad Saric, a specialist in gynecology and reproductive medicine, has worked for years at a hospital in Mostar, a city in southern Bosnia. Saric is currently working in a private practice and says he has never witnessed corruption in a maternity ward firsthand, although he admits the practice is ubiquitous in the Balkan country.

"I've worked for years and not once have taken [money]. That is, however, not always the case here. There is a custom to symbolically honor, but it is a trifle, and here in Mostar it has never been widespread," Saric explained. "As for the maternity hospital in Sarajevo, I know that there are rumors about paying for a caesarean section and other things. That is incomprehensible to me. Whoever does that should be held criminally responsible," Saric said.

I've worked for years and not once have taken [money]. That is, however, not always the case here. There is a custom to symbolically honor, but it is a trifle, and here in Mostar it has never been widespread."

The Bosnian Health Ministry did not respond to requests for comment from RFE/RL on the allegations of bribery in maternity wards.

The experience of giving birth three times in state-run hospitals prompted Amira Cerimagic to have her fourth child at home, definitely not the norm in Bosnia.

"It is undefined in Bosnia. That is, [home births] are this gray area. I went through the formal process to ask hospitals for this possibility, but I knew ahead of time that [my request] would be rejected. It is not forbidden, but you can't find medical staff, nor is that option available," Cerimagic, now a volunteer at Baby Steps, explained. "I finally did give birth at home, and the midwife -- that is, the man, 'baban,' as I call him -- was from the European Union and lives in Slovenia."

Frustrated with her ordeal to have the right to give birth at home, Cerimagic appealed to the Bosnian Constitutional Court, claiming her human rights had been violated.

After the country's highest court rejected her case, Cerimagic turned to the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights. That request is now being considered.

Meanwhile, Baby Steps has launched an online petition "for childbirth without fear and 'additional' costs." It said thousands have signed already.

The NGO says all mothers deserve professional and dedicated staff and a dignified birth without "additional costs."

"Corruption threatens basic human rights because it creates inequality in the treatment of mothers," Baby Steps said. "Accepting bribes is a crime that should be recognized, discouraged, and sanctioned."

Written and reported by Marija Augustinovic in Sarajevo with contributions from RFE/RL's Tony Wesolowsky in Prague
German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht has called for harsher sanctions against Russia over its troop deployment on the Ukrainian border, saying those responsible for any aggression must face "personal consequences.

Lambrecht told the German weekly Bild am Sonntag that Germany and its allies should put Russian President Vladimir Putin and his entourage "in our sights."

"We have to exhaust all the diplomatic and economic sanction possibilities. And all further steps should be agreed with our allies," she said.

Lambrechts comments were published on December 19 as she visited German soldiers deployed in Lithuania as part of a NATO mission.

The visit comes amid growing concerns over regional security after Russia amassed some 100,000 troops near its border with Ukraine in what Washington says could be preparations for an invasion.

Germany provides about half of the 1,200 troops of the multinational NATO combat unit in Lithuania and leads the unit as a so-called framework nation.

In response to Russia's annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in 2014, NATO strengthened the protection of its eastern flank. Joint combat units were stationed in the three Baltic states and in Poland as part of an "enhanced forward presence."

Lambrecht took up the post of defense minister this month in Germany's new government under Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Based on reporting by dpa and AFP
In 2011, a group of oil workers in western Kazakhstan started a labor strike that would last for more than half a year.

Workers from other industries in the area joined in solidarity. Independent trade unions, activists, and opposition figures supported the striking workers and visited them.

On December 16, 2011, as Kazakhstan marked 20 years of independence, police opened fire on the striking workers, who were demonstrating in the town of Zhanaozen.

Sixteen people were killed and 64 wounded, officially. But to this day there are some people who say the number was higher and that those responsible for ordering the deadly use of force and violence against people who were detained in the days after have never been punished.

It was the worst violence in Kazakhstan since independence in 1991.

On this week's Majlis podcast, RFE/RL's media-relations manager, Muhammad Tahir, moderates a discussion on what happened in Zhanaozen on that day 10 years ago and what has happened since, and how the tragedy is remembered in Kazakhstan today.

This week's guests are all from Kazakhstan: from Almaty, Yevgeny Zhovtis, the director of the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law; also from Almaty, Nurseit Niyazbekov, assistant professor in the Department of International Relations at KIMEP University; from Nur-Sultan, Darkhan Umirbekov, a senior correspondent with RFE/RLs Kazakh Service, known locally as Radio Azattyq; and Bruce Pannier, the author of the Qishloq Ovozi blog.

Listen to the podcast above or subscribe to the Majlis on iTunes or on Google Podcasts.
German ministers have reiterated EU warnings that Russia would face harsher sanctions in the event of military aggression against Ukraine, which they said could also prompt Berlin to rethink its cooperation with Moscow on the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline.

The renewed warnings come as Kyiv and its Western backers accuse Russia of massing about 100,000 troops near its border with Ukraine as a possible prelude to an invasion as early as next month.

The European Union has imposed several rounds of sanctions on Russia over its seizure and illegal annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region in March 2014, and over Moscows backing of separatists in eastern Ukraine in an ongoing conflict that has killed more than 13,200 people since April 2014.

The bloc has urged Russia to de-escalate and engage in renewed diplomacy over conflict, threatening strong new sanctions in coordination with Britain and the United States if there were any attack.

Russia denies it has plans to launch an offensive and has issued a series of demands about Ukraines potential membership in NATO and the alliance's activities near its western border.

In an interview published on December 19 as she visited German soldiers deployed in Lithuania, German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said Russia cannot "dictate" to NATO on regional security.

Those responsible for any Russian aggression against Ukraine must face "personal consequences, Lambrecht also told the German weekly Bild am Sonntag.

"We have to exhaust all the diplomatic and economic sanction possibilities. And all further steps should be agreed with our allies."

Following Russias seizure of Crimea, NATO has strengthened the protection of its eastern flank, deploying joint combat units in the three Baltic states and in Poland as part of an "enhanced forward presence."

Germany leads the multinational NATO combat unit in Lithuania and provides about half of its 1,200 troops.

Also on December 19, German Economic Affairs Minister Robert Habeck warned that the future of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia to Germany could face "severe consequences" if Russia attacked Ukraine.

Nothing can be excluded if there is a "new violation of the territorial integrity" of Ukraine, Habeck said in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

Lambrecht and Habeck took up their ministerial posts this month in Germany's new government under Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Nord Stream 2 is set to double the supply of natural gas from Russia to Germany, but the project has for years been dogged by delays and criticism from Germany's eastern EU allies, including Poland.

The United States and Ukraine oppose Nord Stream 2 on the grounds that it would endanger European energy security by increasing the continents reliance on Russian gas and deprive Ukraine of transit fees.

Habeck said that from a geopolitical point of view, the pipeline is a mistake." It has, however, been built, he said.

The new German government already has threatened to block the pipeline from going into operation if Russia invades Ukraine.

"In the event of further escalation, this gas pipeline could not come into service," Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said.

The pipeline awaits approval from German regulators. The pipeline's Swiss-based Nord Stream 2 AG, the company that controls the pipeline, must submit documents to restart the certification process. The pipeline would then also have to be approved by the European Commission.

Germany's energy regulator said on December 16 that no decision on whether to allow the pipeline to be commissioned is expected in the first half of 2022.

Meanwhile, in Washington, lawmakers have not given up on imposing sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG.

The U.S. Senate will vote next month on a bill to slap sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG under an agreement reached on December 18 between Senator Ted Cruz (Republican-Texas) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (Democrat-New York).

Cruz agreed to lift a hold on votes to approve several of President Joe Biden's nominees for ambassadorial posts in exchange for a guarantee of a vote on the sanctions bill by January 14.

The deal cleared the way for approval on December 18 of about three dozen ambassadors in votes by the Senate.



Cruz moved to block votes on nominees after the Biden administration in May waived sanctions against Nord Stream 2 AG, saying the project was already mostly built and as the administration sought to repair ties with Germany.

The controversial $11 billion pipeline was completed in September, and Russia has said it is ready to begin shipping gas.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, AFP, and dpa
A Russian court has handed a three-year suspended sentence to Yury Zhdanov, the father of Ivan Zhdanov, a close associate of jailed opposition politician Aleksei Navalny, in a corruption case critics say is politically motivated.

Zhdanov, who spent several months in pretrial detention, was released from custody after sentencing, his lawyer, Vladimir Voronin, announced on Twitter on December 19.

Prosecutors had asked for Zhdanov, 67, to be sentenced to three years in jail on charges of fraud and forgery. Zhdanov rejected the charges.

Zhdanov was arrested in late March and went on trial in Russia's Arctic city of Naryan-Mar in October.

Ivan Zhdanov, the former chief of Navalnys Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), has accused Russia's presidential administration of trying to pressure him by arresting his father.

Yury Zhdanov is accused of recommending that a remote towns administration, where he worked as an official before his retirement last year, provide a local woman with a subsidized apartment, though it later turned out that the woman's family had previously received housing allocations.

The apartment was later returned to municipal ownership in accordance with a court decision and no one among those who made the decision was held responsible.

Navalny's FBK was known for publishing investigative reports about corruption among Russia's top officials, including President Vladimir Putin.

Earlier this year, the FBK and other groups associated with Navalny were labeled as extremist and banned in Russia.

With reporting by Reuters
The top Republican on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee says the security proposals that Moscow has put forth in response to Western alarm over a Russian troop buildup near Ukraine are a clear sign that Russia is trying to create a pretext for war.



U.S. Senator Jim Risch (Republican-Idaho) said in a statement on December 18 that Russias proposals are not security agreements, but a list of concessions the United States and NATO must make to appease Russian President Vladimir Putin.



The proposals, laid out on December 17 by the Russian Foreign Ministry, call for an end to NATOs eastward expansion and limitations on the alliances military activity in Eastern Europe, including cooperation with Ukraine and Georgia.



The Russian Federation made these demands with the full understanding they are impossible to accept, Risch said. Putin knows the United States and our 29 NATO allies do not, and will not, negotiate away the future of sovereign nations, like Ukraine, that must be able to make their own choices.



Risch urges the Biden administration and all NATO allies to reject the demands but said the alliance should be prepared for Putin to use the rejection as an excuse for using military force. He also called on Congress and the administration to act before Russia escalates further.



Russia currently has about 100,000 troops near the border with Ukraine in what the United States says could be preparations for an invasion.

The proposals, which would roll back many of the security advances NATO has made in Eastern Europe and former Soviet states since the late 1990s, come as tensions between Washington and the Kremlin reach a post-Cold War high amid Moscows attempts to carve out a sphere of influence in its near abroad.



A senior U.S. administration official on December 17 called some of the proposals unacceptable but said other aspects merit some discussion.



The official said the United States would consult with its allies and partners, including Ukraine, about the proposals before responding to Russia next week.



Russias Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov called Washington and NATO's response to the security proposals discouraging and said he did not consider them unacceptable.



Ryabkov told the TASS news agency on December 18 that the aim is to hold talks exclusively with Washington.



Ryabkov expressed hope that the United States would enter into negotiations, saying the issue "is critically important for maintaining peace and stability."



Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said Russia has made clear it is ready to talk about switching over from a military or a military-technical scenario to a political process."



Speaking on December 18, Grushko said if that doesnt work out, Russia has signaled to NATO that it would move over to creating counterthreats, but it will then be too late to ask us why we made these decisions and why we deployed these systems.



Moscow and Kyiv have been at odds since 2014 when Russia annexed Ukraines Crimean Peninsula and began providing military, political, and economic support to separatist formations in parts of eastern Ukraine.



Moscow denies direct involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine despite compelling evidence to the contrary.

With reporting by TASS
The near-daily, illicit decorating stunts on Cardiffs popular boy surfer statue have taken their toll, leaving the famous Kook in a sorry state of late.

Middle-of-the-night pranksters often use the metal surf spray around the boys board as climbing holds and thats worn them to the breaking point. The statues granite base has been scratched by wires used to hold illicit decorations in place, and all over the famous piece there are remnants of tape bits and other gummy substances left from the many costuming stunts.

Were looking into it right now, Encinitas Arts Administrator Jim Gilliam said Thursday after visiting the Coast Highway 101 icon and taking photographs to document the years of wear and tear.

The city will likely ask the artist --- Hemet resident Matthew Antichevich --- to do the repair work on whats formally titled The Magic Carpet Ride, Gilliam said.

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I would be happy to repair it, but this time its going to cost some money, Antichevich said Thursday.

He said he no longer works in the foundry where he created the piece a decade ago and he used up his extra metal surf piece castings when he last did repairs on the statue in 2012. If the city wants to return the wave splash area to pristine condition and replace the broken-off bits, then hes going to need to rent time at a foundry, he said.

Never a fan of the continual redecorating of his piece or of the Cardiff Kook moniker -- a name thats now commonly used in the community, but was initially a derisive nickname created by hardcore surfers who hated the surfer boys rookie look when the statue was unveiled --- Antichevich said Thursday the city wouldnt have a repair problem if decorating discontinued.

Make a couple of arrests and then it will stop, he said. It breaks my heart that they do that.

Technically, it is illegal to put costumes on the statue and people who have bragged publicly about doing some of the more extensive, late-night stunts have been issued warning letters telling them to cease or face vandalism charges. Artist Bryan Snyder, who admitted to transforming the statue into the painter Vincent Van Gogh years ago, received one of these letters.

However, there hasnt been a move at City Hall to place sheriffs deputies around the statue all night to prevent pranks from happening. Encinitas Mayor Catherine Blakespear said Friday that the City Council hasnt considered doing that.

A Cardiff resident, Blakespear admitted shes enjoyed some of the statues transformations. The famous stunt years ago when the surfer boy looked like he was being eaten by a great white shark was particularly creative, she said.

I really liked that one, she said.

The citys arts administrator said that over the years the intensity of decorating stunts has diminished.

The days of the really spectacular installations seem to have passed, Gilliam said, adding maybe thats why an annual calendar featuring photos of recent Kook decorating stunts is no longer published.

Nope, thats not the reason, calendar creator Fred Caldwell said.

He stopped publishing the calendar several years ago for financial reasons, not artistic ones, he said, mentioning that he hates asking people for money and he needed sponsors each year to pay the printing costs.

I actually have not run out of good photographs, he said. There are a lot of great costumes that have gone on it and some even recently.

One great recent stunt transformed the statue into Alice in Wonderland complete with magic mushrooms at the base. That could be featured in a 2018 calendar, Caldwell said, mentioning that hes toying with the idea of doing one for the coming year.

While the calendars taken a hiatus, photographs of the Kooks costumes regularly post on the internet. Caldwell said he likes checking out cardiff.kook.org, which offers photographs submitted by passersby of the latest decorations. This week, the sites photo display included the recent Little League, Lion and Spiderman costume stunts.

Close-up of the base the Cardiff Kook, which represents a splash of whitewater, has been pushed down by people climbing the sculpture as they decorate it. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune)

Barbara Henry is a freelance writer.
For nearly 50 years, the Soto family has been riding on the success of its tasty carne asada known as Kennedys Karne. On Saturday, they celebrated both a new location and a new addition to the ownership family.

On Saturday, Cardiff resident Mark M. Soto, 34, and his new business partner John Mayberry, 32, of Carlsbad celebrated the grand opening of their new Kennedys Meat Company on East Valley Parkway in Escondido.

The partners 5,000-square-foot market, meat counter and restaurant at 1766 East Valley Parkway replaces the Soto familys much-smaller shop in the same shopping center.

Business partners Mark M. Soto, 34, and John Mayberry, 32, in their newly opened Kennedys Meat Co. market in Escondido. (Katherine Grace/Katherine by the Sea)

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The new Kennedys Meat Company features a large meat counter, where meat manager Dave Burr sells and cuts a variety of fresh and marinated raw meats and chicken. Theres also a refrigerator section where at least 10 of the familys 50 varieties of fresh salsa are sold.

Theres a Mexican food market selling, among other items, the Sotos name-brand chips and signature hybrid corn/flour tortillas. And theres a restaurant section, run by chef Alfred Medina, where diners can eat fresh-grilled carne asada and pollo asada in tacos, burritos and more.

Soto has run the old Escondido location since 2009, but when his family decided it wanted to consolidate its business in Imperial Valley a few years ago, he reached out to his friend, Mayberry, to launch a new extension of the business.

The company and its famed carne asada has its roots in Mexico, where Sotos grandfather, Jesus Soto, drove a water truck. In 1960, he emigrated to the U.S. with his wife, Rosa, and they settled in the small Imperial Valley town of Heber, where he first managed and then co-owned a market.

In 1972, Jesus Soto opened his own store with the help of a U.S. Small Business Administration loan. He named the store Kennedys in honor of President John F. Kennedy, who welcomed immigrants like himself to the U.S. in the early 1960s to pursue their American dreams.

From the very beginning, the store became known for its award-winning carne asada, skirt steak marinated in a secret family recipe made with fresh-squeezed lemon juice and garlic.

Carne asada on the grill at newly opened Kennedys Meat Company, which hosted its grand opening on Saturday in Escondido. The company is famous for its carne asada. (Katherine Grace/Katherine by the Sea)

Today, there are a half-dozen varieties of carne asada that range in price from $9.99 a pound for the original recipe skirt steak to $16 a pound for premium cuts of corn-fed Brandt Beef. There are now chipotle, habanero, burgundy pepper and other varieties, but the original recipe remains the top-seller. Marinated chicken breast and thigh meat sells for $3.99 to $5.99 a pound.

Soto passed away in 1993 at the age of 59, but his family has carried on the business. All five of the Sotos children worked in the Kennedys stores, which would grow to include a second location in Imperial Valley and stores in El Centro, Imperial Beach and Escondido.

Eldest daughter Sylvia ran the Heber store with her daughter Marla. And in 2009, Sylvias son Mark moved to North County to manage the Escondido store.

At the time, the 2-year-old Escondido store was struggling because the Kennedys Karne name was not well known in this area. To spread the word, Soto bought a taco cart and took it to churches, street fairs and other community events every weekend to get people to taste the product. The strategy worked and the store began to thrive.

About two years ago, Soto told his friend Mayberry that he wanted to take over and expand the Escondido business, and Mayberry agreed to come on board as a partner.

Mayberry, a real estate agent and property manager, has a long history with Kennedys. Before Mayberry was born, his father worked on a geothermal energy plant near Heber and hed take his lunch break every day at Kennedys.

Mayberry said he remembers stopping at the Heber store on a road trip with his dad when he was 7 years old to buy a large amount of marinated raw meat. He also remembers how much he enjoyed eating it as a kid.

Rather than keep the old 2,000-square-foot store, the partners built a new, much larger operation in a former quick-service loan store.

The retail operation takes up about half the space. The rest in back is reserved for future growth for the fast-rising catering operation that now makes up about 30 percent of sales.

We want to grow and want to be successful, Soto said. The skys the limit.

Kennedys Meat Company

Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays. 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays.

Where: 1766 E. Valley Parkway, Escondido

Phone: (760) 746-4622

Online: kennedysmeatcompany.com

pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com
A pair of Coronado mansions linked to a Mexican union boss accused of embezzling millions of dollars from public school teachers hit the market in January.

The homes asking price: $4.5 million for 1 Green Turtle Road and $3.9 million for 23 Green Turtle Road, according to online listings.

Both homes are owned by a Mexican company called Comercializadora TTS de Mexico, S.A. de C.V. Mexican authorities said records showed the owner of the company was the deceased mother of Elba Esther Gordillo, the controversial leader of Mexicos National Education Workers Union.

Mexican authorities arrested Gordillo in 2013 and charged her with embezzling nearly $200 million from the union. Gordillo spent five years in prison. She consistently said the charges were politically motivated because of her opposition to major education reforms designed to implement teacher evaluations and crack down on corruption, including a system in which teaching positions could be sold or inherited.

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Gordillo, who is known in Mexico simply as La Maestra, or the teacher, became a national symbol for public corruption.

Those embezzling charges were dismissed by Mexicos federal court in August 2018. The attorney generals office said they respect the courts decision but do not agree with it, according to reports.

The company linked to Gordillo bought 23 Green Turtle Road for $1.15 million in 1991 and 1 Green Turtle Road for $4 million in 2010. Both properties were paid for with cash, records show.

The listing for 23 Green Turtle Rd. describes a one-of-a-kind gorgeous, waterfront estate, in the Coronado Cays. The house has eight bedrooms, nine-and-a-half bathrooms, an infinity pool and a 30-foot boat slip. The home features elegant marble entryways, a designer gourmet kitchen, a home office/library, your own private dock, and hardwood floors throughout.

The property at 1 Green Turtle Road is a half-built house. The Realtor describes it as a rare opportunity to build your dream home in the prestigious Coronado Cays.

The buildings footing is already finished and architectural plans include seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms with vaulted ceilings, an elevator, lap pool, spa, and staff quarters. The propertys 8,500 square foot lot also features two boat slips, according to the listing.

Contact Gustavo Solis via Email or Twitter


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(Photo : NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS) This image shows two of Jupiter's large rotating storms, captured by Juno's visible-light imager, JunoCam, on Juno's 38th perijove pass, on Nov. 29, 2021.





(Photo : NASA OBPG OB.DAAC/GSFC/Aqua/MODIS) Left to right: A phytoplankton bloom in the Norwegian Sea, and turbulent clouds in Jupiters atmosphere. Jupiter images provided by NASAs Juno spacecraft have given oceanographers the raw materials to study the rich turbulence at the gas giants poles and the physical forces that drive large cyclones on Jupiter.



A fresh data dump from the Juno mission has provided a delightful holiday gift for space nerds: images and sounds from our solar system's largest planet and its largest moon. Jupiter's whirling "surface" pictures are as beautiful and impressionistic as Jupiter fans have come to expect, but the music track is the true pleasure.

During a briefing at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in New Orleans on Friday, Scott Bolton, Juno lead investigator at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, said that the data and photographs from these flybys are rewriting all we know about Jupiter.

Bolton unveiled a few seconds of sound recorded during Juno's summer visit to Ganymede. The spacecraft's Waves instrument picked up electric and magnetic radio waves produced by the planet's magnetic field, which was intended to detect these waves to make the clip of the moon's sounds. The sounds are reminiscent of a psychedelic space-era soundtrack.

"This soundtrack is just wild enough to make you feel as if you were riding along as Juno sails past Ganymede for the first time in more than two decades," Bolton said per CNN. "If you listen closely, you can hear the abrupt change to higher frequencies around the midpoint of the recording, which represents entry into a different region in Ganymede's magnetosphere."

NASA Juno Spacecraft Hears Jupiter Moon Ganymede; what is it?

The sound of Ganymede was caught by NASA's Juno spacecraft as part of its flyby mission to learn more about Jupiter's biggest moon and the Solar System. The audio recording was acquired from NASA Juno's recent flyby mission in Jupiter's neighborhood, which produced a sound that astounded the planet's researchers and scientists.

ALSO READ: NASA Juno Spacecraft Shares a Stunning Photo of Jupiter Making 'Mocha Swirls' On Its Atmosphere





Although the sound generated by Ganymede is not one that people can understand if heard directly, scientists have obtained a wealth of information about the moon and Jupiter's planet. Jupiter's near flyby missions provide further information on the planet and its moon, including descriptions of its magnetic fields.

NASA said the seas and atmospheres of Jupiter and Earth are comparable, as revealed by the Juno spacecraft during its flyby missions. The various connections of the planets in the Solar System provide a wealth of information about the origins of the cosmos, especially as it is still a hotly discussed topic.

More Jupiter Photos

The Juno data release also provided us with two fresh views of Jupiter. The one above, gathered on Nov. 29, seems like a painting of the globe. Juno's "visible-light imager" acquired the image, which shows two of the planet's churning, roaring storm systems up close.

Another view from Jupiter resembles one of the planet's storms to an Earthly algae growth recorded by satellite photos in the Norwegian Sea. Lia Siegelman, an oceanographer, encouraged the comparison because she views satellite photography like this as a way to gain a deeper knowledge of Earth's seas.

"When I saw the richness of the turbulence around the Jovian cyclones, with all the filaments and smaller eddies, it reminded me of the turbulence you see in the ocean around eddies," Siegelman said per Mashable. "These are especially evident in high-resolution satellite images of vortices in Earth's oceans that are revealed by plankton blooms that act as tracers of the flow."

RELATED ARTICLE: Great Red Spot: Is The Biggest Storm in the Solar System Shrinking? NASA's Juno Mission Measures the Vortex's Gravity

Check out more news and information on Space in Science Times.
In spring 2020, shortly after the pandemic began, many scientists predicted that the coronavirus would not evolve particularly fast.

But those predictions have been upended time and again  and never more so than with omicron, a variant with an astonishing number of mutations that is rampaging through Europe and South Africa. In New York, cases are suddenly soaring to record levels as holiday parties and sports games are canceled, and California officials are bracing for a similar crisis in the coming weeks.

Once again, uncertainty and worry are rising. No one knows what the next Greek letter variants will unleash.

The emergence of omicron underscores the unpredictability of the pandemics course, even as scientists race to understand its properties. Like an earlier variant alpha, omicron appeared suddenly with an unusually high number of mutations  some familiar and others never seen before  that surprised even veteran virologists. The changes have made the virus a fitter foe against humans.

We definitely didnt see it coming, said Shannon Bennett, chief of science at the California Academy of Sciences, who studies infectious diseases transmitted from animals to humans. A big bump-up in the number of changes  thats out of bounds, definitely accelerated compared to what we had expected.

Some scientists theorize that omicron may have come from a single immunocompromised patient who was unable to clear the virus for weeks, and thus acted as a sort of virus incubator that produced this particular strain. That makes it hard to guess what the next problematic variant may look like.

Its going to be virtually impossible for us to predict what the next variant is going to be, said UCSFs Dr. Charles Chiu, whose lab detected the first case of the omicron variant in the U.S.

What weve learned about omicron so far is upending the holiday season worldwide. Just 49 cases of the variant have been found in California as of Wednesday, the latest date for which data is available, representing 1.4% of cases statewide. But the situation is expected to change quickly: An omicron wave appears on track to hit the U.S. faster and steeper than previous waves, potentially peaking in January and probably causing more breakthrough infections than delta  even in highly vaccinated regions such as the Bay Area  and more subsequent hospitalizations because of sheer numbers.

While the full picture of omicrons characteristics is still incomplete, its now widely believed that omicron spreads faster  probably two or three times faster  than delta, according to early estimates. And it appears to evade immunity from vaccination and previous infection better than other variants.

Its very efficient at binding to host cells, Bennett said. Its very infectious and it definitely eludes, to some level, prior immunity. That together really makes it highly transmissible in a population, even in a population of vaccinated people.

Omicrons faster rate of spread suggests that the spike will come faster than previous waves, but could also taper off faster. There are signs that omicron may have already peaked in South Africas Gauteng province, where it was first detected about three weeks ago. That could mean the worst of the omicron wave lasts around four weeks instead of the two to three months that the worst of the delta wave did.

Its not yet known whether omicron causes milder disease. Preliminary studies and reports from hospitals in South Africa last week seem to point in that direction. The rate of hospitalization among adults with omicron is 29% lower compared with the strain that was circulating in 2020, according to data from the countrys largest private insurer. And hospitals report that people admitted with omicron stay for shorter periods of time, and need oxygen therapy less frequently, compared with those hospitalized with previous strains.

But data released from U.K. researchers Friday indicates that omicron does not appear significantly less severe than delta, and a Denmark study similarly shows hospitalization rates for omicron are roughly on par with delta.

Scientists dont yet know whether the apparent milder cases caused by omicron in South Africa seem milder because the virus is in fact becoming less virulent, or whether its because people in South Africa who were infected with omicron had some existing immunity from previous infection, because so many people there had COVID before omicron. Some theorize that omicron cases there appear milder because the country has a young population, and COVID is typically less severe in younger adults than older adults.

Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease physician at UCSF, contends that its not age alone that explains the milder disease. India has a similarly young population, she said, but when delta hit there, it was much deadlier than omicron is in South Africa now.

Infectious disease experts are intrigued by preliminary research released last week from the University of Hong Kong that suggests omicron infects bronchial cells in the airway better than delta and other strains, but that it doesnt infect lung cells as well. If validated by further study, this could help explain why people in South Africa who got omicron didnt get as sick as people did with previous strains. Usually people get very sick when the virus invades the lungs and causes pneumonia, but not as sick when it stays in the nose and throat.

If omicron does in fact cause milder disease, it could signal that the pandemic is heading down a path the 1918 influenza pandemic took. In that pandemic, which ended before the first flu vaccines became available, the virus appeared to become more benign over time. But its not clear whether thats because because so many people got infected and built up some natural immunity, or because the virus evolved to become less virulent.

I think its early, but (omicron) does seem to be more mild, Gandhi said. If thats true, then it will fundamentally mean the end of the pandemic as we define a pandemic, which is causing a lot of hospitalizations among people. And I think the next four weeks are critical to see if this bears out.

There could be some precedent for a genetic relative of SARS-CoV-1  human coronaviruses, including the virus that causes the common cold, over time  becoming extremely contagious but relatively mild in most people. Its hard to know for sure whether this is what happened with human coronaviruses, because the first of them appeared long before scientists had good virus data collection tools.

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 a way, it would make sense for SARS-CoV-2 to become more contagious but less deadly over time. To thrive, viruses want to infect as many hosts as possible and have those hosts infect others  not die before they can do so.

Theres no selective advantage for a virus when its evolving to make people so sick they wind up at home, or so sick they wind up at the hospital, said Dr. John Swartzberg, an infectious disease expert at UC Berkeleys School of Public Health. Because once youre staying home or stuck in hospital, you wont be transmitting. It doesnt do a pathogen a lot of good to kill its host.

The problem is even if this virus will evolve toward being more benign, we dont know how long thats going to take. Months? Years? Decades? Theres no guarantee that itll do that.

And the more people who get infected  an increasingly likely scenario, given how contagious omicron is  the more chances there are for future variants to form.

Weve heard people argue that before, lets let everybody get infected and get over it, Swartzberg said. The problem with that type of thinking is the way variants occur is by having variant factories. People can produce billions of progeny that can be spread to another person. Theres no guarantee that if we let everybody get infected with omicron, the pandemic will be over. We will just create more variants.

From a practical standpoint, omicron doesnt mean we have to rewrite the pandemic playbook. It does, however, bring new urgency for unvaccinated people to get vaccinated, and for fully vaccinated people to get boosters. Studies show that two doses of Pfizer or Moderna dont protect as well against omicron compared with other variants, but getting a booster of either type of vaccine does restore some antibody protection  from 0% to 30% to around 70% or higher, depending on the study, Chiu said.

And, reassuringly, early studies also show that being fully vaccinated  and even more so if boosted  does protect against severe disease from omicron.

The take-home message is if youre not vaccinated, get vaccinated, Chiu said. And if you are vaccinated, get the booster.

San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Aidin Vaziri contributed to this report.

Catherine Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Cat_Ho
Phoenix (AP)  Pregnant with her second child, Clarissa Collins was at her methadone clinic when a woman walked in with a box of doughnuts and a baby doll.

The woman, Tara Sundem, was partway through a five-year effort to open Hushabye Nursery and launch a novel family-focused program that would treat substance-exposed infants and offer care and support to their caregivers.

Hushabye Nursery recently celebrated one year in its current care facility in Phoenix and Collins now works there as a peer support specialist, helping others in recovery, the Arizona Capitol Times reported.

The center houses a 12-room inpatient nursery for infants suffering from neonatal abstinence syndrome  newborns experiencing withdrawal from opioids they were exposed to in the womb, such as heroin and prescription painkillers.

But on that day in 2019, Collins begrudgingly attended Sundems support group for pregnant women with opioid use disorder. By the second group meeting, she decided to come back every week.

I looked forward to it. I wanted to see the other girls; I wanted to hear their stories. I wanted to meet the baby, Collins said. And we became this little family. We became very close friends.

As the opioid epidemic worsens nationwide, neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) cases are increasing, too. Nationally, the number of babies born with the condition increased 82% from 2010 to 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The national trend in NAS cases holds true in Arizona and has worsened since the Covid pandemic began. Arizonas NAS rate in 2020 was 9.1 per 1,000 newborn hospitalizations, up from 5.67 per 1,000 in 2015, according to Arizona Department of Health Services vital statistics reports. In 2010, that figure was 2.65 per 1,000.

Some of the increase can be attributed to better reporting and other factors, not the opioid epidemic itself, said Sara Rumann, with the departments Bureau of Womens and Childrens Health.

But we can say overall the general trend is that it has increased over the last 10 years, Rumann said.

Symptoms of NAS can include a high-pitched cry, vomiting, diarrhea, trembling, seizures, stiff limbs and trouble sleeping, eating and breathing, according to the department. The babies experience a withdrawal syndrome, not an addiction.

Collins had her first daughter in 2012, but started using heroin shortly thereafter. The Arizona Department of Child Safety got involved, and Collins ended up relinquishing her parental rights. Her daughter now lives with family in Louisiana.

I had gotten strung out right after she was born; I had no history of addiction prior, Collins said. But one thing led to another, and a lot of it was I was desperate for my friends. I was 17. I had just had a baby. I wanted my friends back, so I did whatever they were doing.

This time would be different.

Sobriety was part of that, and so was the Hushabye Opioid Pregnancy Preparation and Empowerment (HOPPE) program. Collins still has her green HOPPE binder, which she calls the bible, that helped her prepare for her babys arrival, gather information for the DCS investigation and document her classes.

Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) uses medications like methadone or buprenorphine in combination with counseling and therapy to treat opioid-use disorder. Hushabye staff recognize MAT as the gold standard of care, Sundem said. Its recommended for pregnant women with opioid-use disorder because its often unsafe for women to completely stop taking opioids while pregnant. The change can trigger a miscarriage, preterm labor or fetal distress.

But because the medications used are opioids, Department of Child Safety is still contacted because the baby is still substance exposed.

Whether it be prescribed or unprescribed, thats for DCS to figure out, but it has to be reported to the state, Collins said.

The increase in NAS cases is something Sundem, a neonatal nurse practitioner, saw firsthand. She has spent most of her nearly 30-year nursing career in neonatal intensive care units. About eight years ago, she said, something changed.

We just started seeing this surge of babies coming in and withdrawing, Sundem said. When we started seeing that influx, I was like, What do we do?

About six years ago, Kelly Woody, who co-founded Hushabye with Sundem, had the answer. The fellow neonatal nurse practitioner had watched a segment on the Today show about Lilys Place, a first-of-its-kind Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome center in West Virginia.

Woody told Sundem, This is what were going to do.

Im a believer, and I prayed on it and prayed on it and prayed on it, and went, OK, I guess Im supposed to do this, Sundem said.

They spent the next five years developing their care model and trying to find funding.

I begged, I borrowed, I asked favors, Sundem said.

Hushabyes current facility opened in November 2020. Hushabye is licensed with the state health department and is accredited through the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities International.

The nurserys approach is family-centric, with programs for women prenatal and postpartum.

Postpartum care for mothers is important because the relapse rate in the first six months is high  nearly 80%. Alicia Allen, an associate professor at the University of Arizonas Department of Family and Community Medicine, studies substance use in women. She said while postpartum is an especially vulnerable time, its also a good time for health care professionals to interact with people who are struggling with substance use.

During pregnancy, theres a lot more motivation, theres a lot more support and theres a lot more access to health care, so thats a perfect place to start, Allen said.

With in-patient infants, Hushabye uses the Eat, Sleep, Console method, a newer approach to treating NAS that prioritizes the comfort of the baby and non-pharmacologic treatments, shifting away from scheduled postnatal opioid treatment to as needed dosing. Parents stay with their babies during their time at the nursery.

Our patient in-patient is that baby, but that babys therapy is their family, Sundem said.

The Eat, Sleep, Console approach is effective. Babies withdrawing at Hushabye stay an average of about 6 to 7 days. The national average stay for a baby with NAS in a neonatal intensive care unit was 11 days in 2018.

Banner University Medical Center Tucson was the first Arizona hospital to learn about Eat, Sleep, Console, a model that got its start at Yale University through the research of pediatrician Dr. Matthew Grossman.

What weve been doing for the last 40 years is not working, and everybodys cranky. Not only the babies  the families are cranky; the nurses are cranky, Lisa Grisham, director of Banners Family Centered NAS Care Program, said. When you look back, we thought we were doing the best we could. And now we realize theres a better way to do it.

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In addition to Hushabye, nine hospitals in Arizona use Eat, Sleep, Console for at least some of their NAS patients, depending on the individual situation.

At Hushabye, there are 12 private rooms where babies can withdraw in a dark environment and their families can stay 24/7. Usually, there are five or six babies at any one time, though Sundem said there was recently a span of three weeks where they were at capacity.

We encourage (caregivers) to stay, even if theyre struggling. As long as thats safe and theyre not dangerous, we want them to stay, she said. What they are doing for their baby just by being present in the room  theyre helping with the wiring of the brain, something that you and I cant do.

When a family comes to Hushabye, Sundem said staff meet them where theyre at  and connect them to resources for food, transportation and housing if needed. She said she thinks families stay in part because the staff are trauma-informed. They know that many people have experienced trauma, that trauma affects health and behavior and that it should be factored into how people are treated to avoid retraumatizing them.

If parents are able, staff help teach them how to care for their baby. With all families, Sundem said staff try to help them avoid shame or guilt by understanding that they have opioid use disorder, a medical condition, not some sort of moral failing.

Many of the parents, Sundem said, started taking an opioid after it was prescribed to them following something like an accident or a C-section and then developed a dependence. Three out of four women who use heroin were initially prescribed opiates.

When you talk to families, it is to function  its not to get high, Sundem said. They literally say that theyre dope sick, that they use to get well.

In an effort to reduce stigma against pregnant women with opioid-use disorder, the health department launched its campaign Hope Heals earlier this year, following a recommendation in the states Opioid Action Plan 2.0. Rumann worked on the campaign, as did Jacqueline Kurth, the office chief for injury and violence prevention in the departments Bureau of Chronic Disease and Health Promotion.

Theres a lot of stigma that is a barrier for people seeking help for mental health disorders and for substance use disorders, in particular for pregnant and parenting women, Kurth said.

On the outpatient side, Hushabye has a licensed marriage and family therapist and two case managers. One case manager focuses specifically on helping families navigate interactions with the Arizona Department of Child Safety. Sometimes, Sundem said, families are so stressed that they dont really hear what DCS is saying they need to do.

Sometimes its because theyre not healthy, but sometimes its just because its so stressful, Sundem said. And sometimes, they speak a completely different language.

That was Collins experience after the birth of her first child.

I had no clue what the hell I was doing back then, she said. I went through DCS; I went to court; I did all of that. I tried going to treatment, but I had no clue what I was doing. I was physically present, but I had no clue what was going on.

Collins and the other peer support person have both been through the Hushabye program. Collins daughter recently turned 2. The other peer supports baby will be 1 in February.

The facility has two nurses on duty around-the-clock, even if theres only one baby, to be able to resuscitate if needed. While not a hospital, Hushabye provides the care a baby with NAS needs. If something goes wrong, Banner  University Medical Center Phoenix, Valleywise Health Medical Center and Phoenix Childrens Hospital are all a 5- to 7-minute drive from the nursery.

Out of the more than 180 babies treated at Hushabye, only three have been sent back to the hospital for additional treatment, Sundem said.

For Collins, working as peer support for others in recovery has helped her, too. She still attends groups and lives with her daughter and her fiance, who is also in recovery. She knows what the women at Hushabye are experiencing because shes been through it.

Its healing to me, she said. Because its like Im almost able to close a chapter in my past knowing that, OK, I got somebody somewhere farther than I could go.
Guest opinions in Open Forum and Insight are produced by writers with expertise, personal experience or original insights on a subject of interest to our readers. Their views do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Chronicle editorial board, which is committed to providing a diversity of ideas to our readership.

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The story is a familiar one. At least it should be.

San Franciscos Fillmore district was once a thriving hub of Black life and culture, persevering despite state-sanctioned segregation that confined African Americans to the district and bank redlining policies that denied them easy access to capital that would have allowed their endeavors to grow and thrive.

Then, in the 1960s and 70s, after starving the neighborhood for resources, San Francisco rediscovered the Fillmores potential value. Urban renewal projects followed that seized and wiped out Black homes and businesses  with little opportunity for residents to return to the neighborhood once the redevelopment was complete.

The destruction of the Harlem of the West displaced nearly 50,000 African Americans and left the community scattered.

To be clear, the selection of the Fillmore for renewal was not race-blind. Similar efforts were made to clear Filipino Americans from South of Market and Latino communities out of the Mission. But San Francisco progressives, seeing what happened to the Fillmore, rallied to fight those evictions.

Five decades after renewal, however, African Americans have been given little in recompense for the destruction of their community other than the moral satisfaction of serving as a cautionary tale. Thats obviously not good enough.

San Franciscos African American Reparations Advisory Committee is exploring ways to finally remedy this and other historical injustices. And it has come up with an idea: turn the citys mostly unused and historically underperforming Fillmore Heritage Center over to an African American-run nonprofit  with the goal of creating a new nucleus for Black life and business in the heart of the Fillmore.

The idea is a compelling one and is worth exploring seriously.

Similar transfers of public real estate for cultural ends have been made before, independent of the reparations debate. In 1996, San Francisco signed over its old Main Library to a nonprofit to run the Asian Art Museum after taxpayers spent more than $40 million to repair the building.

That proved to be a wise decision; it turned an unused and crumbling eyesore into a hub for Asian culture and an economic driver for what was, at the time, a struggling neighborhood.

Prominent leaders like NAACP San Francisco chapter President the Rev. Amos Brown rightfully argue that San Franciscos African American community deserves a similar opportunity.

Right now, in terms of opportunities to celebrate our culture and history, were at the bottom of the well, Brown said.

This is not to suggest such a transfer will be easy. There is public debt to manage, and private donations will certainly be required  as they were with the Asian Art Museum  to set a nonprofit up for success. Moreover, there are questions about what role the state would have to play, given that California block grants were used to acquire and develop the property.

Navigating these roadblocks will require the commitment and enthusiastic support of city officials, philanthropists and San Franciscos residents.

The idea deserves such backing.

City officials say they are currently exploring options for what to do with the Fillmore Heritage Center. They should put the reparation committees suggestion at the top of the list.

So much of American history and public policy can be boiled down to playing dumb to the lingering consequences of past injustices and to the failure to make aggrieved parties whole.

That has to end.

The Fillmore Heritage Center can be a launching point to show America how reparations can work. Thats a mission worth getting behind.

This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters.
Regarding No holiday cheer at Union Square (Open Forum, Dec. 17): After reading Charles Lewis IIIs Open Forum, I am once again flabbergasted at the many anti-cop sentiments that The Chronicle continues to print.

As a person who believes deeply in the virtues of liberalism, I have no issue with reading opinions across the political spectrum. Sadly, however, with the Chron printing Cat Brooks, Soleil Ho, Justin Phillips and now Lewis, its just one cop-bashing opinion piece after the next.

I can assure you that plenty of San Franciscans support our brave officers and, like myself, wish for a more balanced selection of Open Forum pieces.

Josh Steele, San Francisco

Love to all this holiday

Although we do not celebrate Christmas as Muslims or believe in the divinity of prophet Jesus (peace be upon him), we have the utmost respect and love for him. In fact, prophet Jesus, or Isa in Arabic, is mentioned 25 times in the holy Quran, which is more than prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be on him) is mentioned. Also, a whole chapter of the Quran is dedicated solely to the mother of Jesus, Mary (Maryam in Arabic), and all things pertaining to her life, including the virgin conception.

The holy Quran says, When the angels said, O Mary, God gives thee glad tidings of a word from him; his name shall be the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, honored in this world and in the next, and of those who are granted nearness to God.

Many times when people discuss or think about religion, we automatically focus on the differences, but the truth is, there are far more similarities than differences.

So this season I am sending prayers and blessings to everyone, and may we all continue to cultivate a community of diversity and love for one another.

Faiza Ahmed, Pittsburg

Hetch Hetchy good as is

Regarding S.F. water source seen as potential Eden (Front Page, Dec. 16): The Chronicle did a service by informing its readers that the cockamamie outfit Restore Hetch Hetchy struggles to stay in business, but a disservice in awarding its cockeyed scheme so much ink.

Problems with its plan are many. Among them: Removal of OShaughnessy Dam would require the same arduous and expensive effort it took to build it  or Restore says you could just knock a hole in the bottom, but what kind of restoration is that? Hetch Hetchy is a hanging valley, and historic photos show that much of its floor was a mosquito bog. The valley right below the dam is called Poopenaut. I defy anyone to hike there midsummer without soaking themselves in repellent first. Ive never been swarmed worse, and I grew up in the Everglades!

Ill take climbing star Galen Rowells position. He speculated that the lake saved Hetch Hetchy as a wild place and that one should perhaps consider Yosemite Valley as the spot ruined.

In any case, only Hetch Hetchys floor is covered by water. The soaring walls, waterfalls and pinnacles remain intact and available for public appreciation.

Paul McHugh, Redwood City

Zoom story out of touch

Regarding Facing an effect of the Zoom boom (Front Page, Dec. 17): Shame on the editors who approved this disgusting photo and article.

It is so inappropriate for this time of year: wealthy people enjoying Botox to improve their looks! As hundreds of Californians are dying and suffering from COVID. Hundreds are lacking food and homes. Hundreds are receiving donations from The Chronicles Season of Sharing Fund. A true oxymoron!

Your decision to print that article disappoints me  your lack of judgment and compassion.

Judith Dahl, Los Altos

Keep Monterey seat as is

The primary criterion in the definition of what should be a congressional district is community. A community, heterogeneous or not, where the people work and socialize together is what glues a district together.

Evidence of this is that in a politically healthy community, the people regularly choose their congressional representative by a large margin because they agree on the direction of their community and want to send someone they trust to be their voice in the federal government.

Putting race, political affiliation or any other factor ahead of community when determining new district lines is antithetical to common sense as well as to our nations founding principles.

Monterey County has been a community for many decades. Please leave us together as one, and go on to make all of your decisions based not on what is practical or politically correct, but on what is right.
Earlier this month, when the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Mississippis law that bans abortions after 15 weeks, the conservative-majority court appeared to signal that it was poised to uphold the ban if not overturn Roe vs. Wade entirely. Chief Justice John Roberts, known to take an incremental approach to changing any court precedents, seemed to be exploring a way to uphold the ban without allowing states to completely ban abortions.

If it really is an issue about choice, why is 15 weeks not enough time? he asked.

As someone who delivered a micro-preemie  a baby that weighs less than 750 grams or is born before 26 weeks gestation  I would like to take this opportunity to answer Justice Roberts.

Roe vs. Wade constitutionally guarantees abortion access in the first two trimesters of pregnancy before viability, the point at which a fetus is able to survive outside the womb, roughly 22-24 weeks. States can then choose whether or not to extend that access. For most women, the 20-week ultrasound is the time when they find out about fetal abnormalities.

In my case, I finally got pregnant after years of fertility treatments and miscarriages. My pregnancy was considered high risk but there were no indications that I would deliver early. Yet, at 23 weeks, I found myself going into labor. One of my doctors believed the pregnancy was doomed and advised me to let it go.

But I refused. I had been through too much not to do everything in my power to save it.

After six days in a hospital bed, feet above my head so gravity could keep my pregnancy going as long as possible, my son was born in an emergency C-section. Hed stayed in my womb just two days past 24 weeks.

My first glimpse of him was obscured by the ventilator and the numerous wires and tubes attached to him. He weighed 1 pound, 12 ounces, and was less than 12 inches long. I didnt get to hold my son until he was 3 days old. Long blond hair covered most of his tiny body. His entire face was the size of the tip of my thumb to the first knuckle. His eyes were fused shut and his skin, an unnatural red color, was so fragile, it would tear easily.

And that was just what was visible to the naked eye. From ultrasounds, we were able to see that his brain was smooth and had not yet been divided into the two hemispheres. He could not breathe on his own or regulate his body temperature. He could not eat or drink and needed stimulants to keep his heart rate up.

I had been prepared to give birth to a baby. Instead, I gave birth to a fetus.

Yes, he was surviving outside my womb, but certainly not without a lot of complications and additional care. Doctors discovered that his ductus arteriosus, a blood vessel that normally closes after birth, stayed open, causing oxygen-rich blood that should be circulating into the body to instead go back to the lungs. To fix it, my tiny baby had to undergo heart surgery.

And thats not all he endured.

In between birth and taking him home, he had four blood transfusions, multiple head ultrasounds to monitor for brain bleeds, five different types of breathing support, three spinal taps to look for meningitis, one code blue call when he stopped breathing and would not respond to the interventions, two necrotizing enterocolitis scares, a condition that inflames intestinal tissue causing it to die, and surgery to save his eyesight. All of that was in addition to a buffet of medications, feeding supplements and blood tests.

He didnt come home until he was 95 days old. When all was said and done, my son had racked up over $1.5 million in hospital bills. Thankfully, my health insurance covered most of that cost. But the economics of a preemie are not limited to the hospital bills. I had to take a leave from my job to be with him, ultimately resigning, as the company could not hold my job past six months.

Afterward, I understood why that doctor had told me to let the pregnancy go. While taking my pregnancy to term was the right decision for me, there are many for whom such a decision would have been devastating.

It is vital for people to understand that viability doesnt mean a bouncing baby you take home. Viability means, with millions of dollars of medical interventions and the right health insurance to cover those costs, your baby might live and might come home with no long-term issues.

At my 20-week ultrasound, there was no indication I might deliver early, or that my son and the rest of our family would have to endure all that we had. We were fortunate. I wanted to have a child, we could afford to have one parent stay at home to take care of him when it turned out that was what was required, and we had the insurance to help cover any additional medical costs.

But this isnt everyones situation.

There is so much that can go wrong during a pregnancy for the fetus or mother  including from 15 weeks until the 20-week ultrasound. Pregnancy-related complications can threaten the health of the fetus or the mother. But other unexpected challenges can happen, too. Non-pregnancy-related medical conditions can arise at anytime for the mother or her economic or social support system can change.

A woman should be able to assess her situation, with the help of her doctor, and make a choice of whether to continue her pregnancy or not. Upholding the Mississippi law would take that choice away from many women and trigger similar restrictions in many other states.

I was lucky. I was given a choice on what I wanted to do. Having that choice was everything.

Melissa Harris is the author of One Pound, Twelve Ounces, a memoir about her experience giving birth to a micro-preemie.
Fake snowflakes  little clusters of fluffy soap bubbles expelled from the mouths of Santa and Frosty the Snowman figures  mixed with red Chinese lanterns suspended above Grant Avenue Saturday as a rare community festival filled two blocks in the center of Chinatown.

The second annual Chinatown Winter Wonderland closed the communitys main drag to traffic and filled it instead with a miniature train giving rides to kids and a string quartet playing Frosty the Snowman, then yielding to a youth orchestra playing traditional Chinese music and a troupe of lion and dragon dancers.

Down the street, just past the bouncy house, free toys were being handed out to kids who might not otherwise get Christmas presents, and food and gift certificates were also being given away. But the biggest line  about 50 deep  was for free COVID vaccinations being administered by Chinese Hospital.

Stephen Lam/The Chronicle

The disparate melange of traditions and activities took place at one of the few festivals in Chinatown since the coronavirus shut down most large events.

Lily Lo, president of Be Chinatown, which sponsored the event, said it was designed to bring holiday cheer to a community thats been battered by the coronavirus and its economic impact by supporting struggling Chinatown families, as well as businesses hurt by the pandemic.

We are going to give out more than 1,100 toys to children who would not otherwise get a gift, she said, while helping small businesses in Chinatown by purchasing gifts and gift certificates to support them.

Lo said last years event, the first, was driven by a desire to help kids living in Chinatown enjoy the holidays, despite the restrictions of the pandemic. This years gift giveaway was expanded to other Chinese communities, including those in Visitacion Valley and the Bayview, encouraging them to return to Chinatown.

The idea is to help people and to support the Chinatown community, she said.

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.

Parents registered their kids for the toy giveaway in advance through seven nonprofits, then showed up to pick up the toys in Chinatown.

Stephen Lam/The Chronicle

Our vision for Chinatown Winter Wonderland is to not only provide these children with toys, but to also have an unforgettable holiday experience, said Lily Ho, president of Delta Chinatown Initiative, a co-sponsor that helps people living in single-room occupancy hotels as well as Chinatown businesses. The group was formed during the pandemic.

We also know that Chinatowns economic survival requires investment from the broader community, so we invited those from outside the neighborhood in the hopes that they begin to patronize Chinatown and its merchants often.

Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan
This story originally appeared on KCRA.

SACRAMENTO, Calif.  A Sacramento woman made an alarming discovery in her home. She allegedly found a camera  hidden in what she thought was a smoke detector.

There's a spot on Carlyn Perry's apartment bedroom ceiling where the bogus smoke detector used to be.

Now she wants to know who put it there.

"On the back it says, 'This is not a smoke detector. Will not detect heat or smoke. For video surveillance only,'" Perry said about the apparatus which contained a camera that was pointed directly at her bed.

"It's a really violating feeling for sure," she said.

Last month, Perry said her apartment complex informed her that a maintenance person would be keying-in to her unit  specifically to service the fire alarms. A few days later, she noticed the detector's cover had fallen open, although at the time, she didn't feel compelled to climb up to fix it.

Perry then went out of town with her boyfriend, and upon her return, she noticed the cover was back up. So she asked her boyfriend if he had fixed it for her, but he said he didn't. Confused, the two took a closer look. That's when they discovered it wasn't a smoke detector at all, but a motion-activated surveillance system with a memory card inside.

KCRA/Screenshot

On the memory card, someone installing the device in her room is captured on video. There's also video of the moments Perry and her boyfriend realized their every move was being recorded.

"There's really no way for me to know how long it was there before I found it," Perry said.

Perry notified her management office at the VivLeo Apartments. Then she filed a report with the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office. The sheriff's office told KCRA 3 it cannot disclose details about the investigation.

Perry said she's never going to feel the inherent safety she thought she could count on having in her own home.

"As a woman living alone in any city, there's such as sense of when you're out and about, you kind of have to be constantly on alert about your safety and your surroundings," she explained. "But you have a sense of safety in your own home, and [this] just kind of violates that."

Perry said she has been staying with family since the discovery, and she has decided to move out. She said that apartment managers are allowing her to get out of her lease.

"I didn't stay here at all after we found it because I was so creeped out about being here," Perry said.

She's also warning other renters to check their spaces to ensure their own privacy.

"People should be aware," said Perry. "I know I would have never thought to look for that kind of thing in my home."

KCRA 3 made several attempts to contact the managers for VivLeo Apartments to ask what they're doing to protect other tenants' privacy and fire safety and whether they're conducting an investigation into whether one of their employees may be responsible for installing the camera, but we did not receive a reply.
As the United States braces for a potential omicron surge, you may be asking: Should I cancel or alter my holidays plans?

"No, I would not advise vaccinated people to change their holiday plans due to omicron," said Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious diseases doctor at UCSF.

Gandhi's response is very different for people who havent gotten a COVID-19 vaccination. "I would avoid parties and travel if I were an unvaccinated adult," she said. "Please get vaccinated if you are not yet vaccinated, as the vaccines are safe and effective."

Gandhi noted that, although disease-fighting antibodies from a COVID infection or vaccine can wane over time, and the virus can evolve to make it harder for antibodies to bind, theyre not the only line of defense.

"T cells from the vaccine still work against Omicron and B cells (generated by the vaccines) adapt the new antibodies they produce to work against variants," Gandhi explained in an email. "Therefore, we see that mild symptoms can still occur (with antibodies being the main protective modality in the nasal passages), but the vaccines are still protecting omicron-infected individuals from severe disease."

RELATED STORY: Vaccinated? You can stop worrying about omicron

The omicron variant, a strain of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, spurred a new wave of cases in South Africa in November and is beginning to appear in the United States. While delta remains the dominant variant, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new data Wednesday suggesting omicron cases will increase sharply in January.

Early evidence indicates the variant is highly transmissible, and the Bay Area already saw a mini-outbreak among a group of fully vaccinated, boosted employees of Kaiser Permanente's Oakland Medical Center. None of the staffers seemed to have passed it on to anyone, and they all had mild symptoms, according to a statement from Kaiser.

"The omicron variant may be more transmissible, but all the data so far is pointing to this variant being more mild" than earlier strains, said Gandhi.

Despite that hopeful message, theres been a lot of conflicting information. So we asked the experts how vaccinated people should think about parties and travel during the next few weeks.

Can vaccinated people attend holiday parties and feel safe?

Vaccinated people should feel comfortable attending indoor holiday parties at friends' homes and removing masks if everyone is vaccinated and not having any symptoms, Gandhi said. That includes elderly relatives, along with anyone who is immunocompromised or who has multiple medical conditions  especially if theyve gotten a booster shot.

Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious diseases doctor at UCSF, advised that people hosting holiday gatherings, dinners and reunions with a mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated people move them outdoors. If you decide against asking people about their vaccine status, you should probably assume some of them are unvaccinated, and keep the festivities outside. Asking everyone to take a rapid antigen test can be used for additional security, Chin-Hong said. Over-the-counter tests can be purchased online or at most pharmacies and give you results in 15 minutes. Theyre not as reliable as PCR tests, but you can take them at home, and theyre likely to catch anyone whos at their most contagious.

"You can consider, who's elderly, unboosted, immunocompromised?" Chin-Hong said. "Are there kids under 5? Those are the factors that might push you into additional testing."

You can also check your local public health orders for guidance on indoor private gatherings. For example, while San Francisco doesn't require individuals hosting private events in their homes to confirm the vaccination status of guests, the public health department recommends masks regardless of vaccination status when different households are mixing indoors.

Should vaccinated people alter their holiday travel plans?

Both Gandhi and Chin-Hong also encouraged vaccinated people to keep their travel plans, whether road tripping or hopping on a plane.

"For vaccinated people, especially if youre boosted, I think you can travel with confidence this year," Chin-Hong said. "You have to travel with COVID smarts, thinking about who you are, where youre going. Look at the vaccination status of the community where you're going. Is [COVID-19] surging? If it is, it doesnt mean you dont go, but it means you should be more careful with crowded indoor settings."

What if you're traveling with kids 4 and under who can't be vaccinated?

Gandhi said she considers travel with young kids to be safe. "Children under 4 are very low-risk for COVID, and omicron seems to be even more mild of a variant," she said.

Chin-Hong added that families should consider whether any of their kids have pre-existing conditions when making their decisions: "Think about the risk factors for kids getting ill ... the kids getting sick are those with neurological diseases or who are immunocompromised. You may be more careful with that child."

Gandhi noted that travelers should key into restrictions and requirements around travel, as some places are clamping down in response to omicron. Some countries may require you to provide a negative COVID test before arrival, regardless of vaccination status. "You might want to check ongoing travel bans and travel restrictions to ensure that these dont ruin your trip," she added.
There's nothing compared to the wretched excess that transformed one of San Francisco's hills 140 years ago.

In the 1870s, four enterprising railroad men  some called them robber barons  ruled over San Francisco and California, using their immense wealth and power to dominate politics and commerce. They built their over-the-top, wedding-cake mansions on Nob Hill for all to see.

In a little more than a generation, their gaudy palaces were gone, reduced to rubble and ash in the 1906 earthquake.

HO

The "Big Four," or as they preferred to be called, "The Associates"  Leland Stanford, Charles Crocker, Collis P. Huntington and Mark Hopkins  made fortunes as merchants selling supplies to Gold Rush miners, but their really big score was funding the construction of the transcontinental railroad. As directors of the Central Pacific Railroad, they became hugely wealthy and the most powerful men in California. They extended their influence by bribing congressmen and politicians.

The four tycoons sought a prominent location where they could build their mansions and lord over the city. They settled on what was then called California Hill. California Hill became Nob Hill, "nob" deriving from "nabob," an Anglo-Indian term for a ostentatiously wealthy man.

Crocker, the last to build, attempted to out-gauche his partners with a particularly garish 12,500-square-foot monument to nouveau-riche affectation. He succeeded.

As Hearst journalist Ambrose Bierce wrote, "There are uglier buildings in America than the Crocker House on Nob Hill, but they were built with public money for a public purpose; among architectural triumphs of private fortune and personal taste it is peerless."

Stanford became governor and a senator, but is most famous for founding the university that bears his name. The first student admitted to his university (or at least one of the very first) was Herbert Hoover, future 31st president.

Hopkins' fortune eventually established what became the San Francisco Art Institute (formerly the Mark Hopkins Institute of Art). The Intercontinental Mark Hopkins Hotel stands on the grounds of his mansion. He married his first cousin, whose lack of architectural restraint in designing their home was on full display for the city. Perhaps fittingly, he died on a train.

After heading a Central Pacific subsidiary, Crocker later founded the even bigger Southern Pacific Railroad. His Crocker Bank eventually became Wells Fargo, with Crocker the controlling shareholder. He briefly served as Wells Fargo president.

Kean Collection/Getty Images

Besides the Central Pacific, Huntington developed the Chesapeake & Ohio, the Southern Pacific and the city of Newport News, Va. His nephew, Henry E. Huntington, founded the stunning Huntington Library in San Marino, Calif. C.P. Huntington was a character in AMC's Western drama "Hell on Wheels."

OurSFHistory.org

Courtesy Richard Schwartz

Bob Bragman

HO
MEXICO CITY (AP)  A pedestrian suspension bridge collapsed Sunday in southern Mexico, dumping a group heading to a Christmas party into a ravine and sending 23 people to the hospital, authorities said.

The civil defense office in the Pacific coast state of Oaxaca said people from the town of Santos Reyes Nopala were walking over the bridge to get to a party when the structure failed.
PHOENIX (AP)  Nine people in Arizona have been indicted on allegations they fraudulently obtained more than $23 million in government pandemic assistance.

Federal prosecutors allege Jason Coleman, 40, and Kimberly Coleman, 38, of Mesa conspired to prepare and submit about two-dozen fraudulent applications seeking $30 million in loans under the Paycheck Protection Program. They received $13 million from 10 of their applications, according to prosecutors, who say the couple submitted fake employment data and fictitious payroll.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  An adult was taken into custody after a 4-year-old child was critically wounded in a shooting in Pennsylvania's capital over the weekend, police said.

Harrisburg police said patrol units were called to a home in the city at about 10:15 a.m. Sunday and found the child with a gunshot. The child was taken to a hospital and was listed in critical condition after emergency surgery.
BOSTON (AP)  A Massachusetts real estate agent has pleaded guilty to falsely marketing properties that were not for sale and pocketing nearly $2 million in deposit checks from potential buyers.

Michael Flavin, 38, of Quincy, admitted to two counts of wire fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft in Boston federal court on Friday, Acting U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Nathaniel Mendell's office said. He's scheduled to be sentenced on April 12.
PHOENIX (AP)  Health officials in Arizona on Sunday reported 2,745 more confirmed COVID-19 cases and three additional deaths.

The latest numbers pushed the states totals since the pandemic began to 1,336,806 cases and 23,519 known deaths.

On Saturday, Arizona health officials reported 3,467 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases and 29 more deaths.

Data from the state Department of Health Services dashboard showed that 68.3% of Arizonans old enough to get vaccinated have received at least one shot with 58.2% fully vaccinated.

That trails the national rates of 76.9% of age-eligible individuals with at least one dose and 65.1% who are fully vaccinated.

Banner Health, the states largest hospital network, reports that 88% of its COVID ICU patients still hadnt been vaccinated.

Meanwhile, the Health System Alliance of Arizona and member hospitals issued a statewide message urging Arizonans to do everything they can to slow down the spread of COVID-19.

The letter was running as a full page ad in Sunday editions of the state's largest newspaper  The Arizona Republic  and newspapers that publish in Tucson, Flagstaff and Prescott.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP)  Gregory K. Harris, who has spent a quarter-century as an assistant U.S. attorney, has been sworn in as the chief federal prosecutor for the Central District of Illinois.

Harris, who was nominated for the post by President Joe Biden in October and confirmed by the Senate this month, took the oath this past week before Chief U.S. District Judge Sara Darrow.
ATLANTA, Ga. (AP)  The body of a man who fell into Georgia's largest lake while working on his boat was found with sonar on Sunday and retrieved by a remotely operated vehicle, officials said.

James Dunn Lindsey, 46 of Cumming, fell into Lake Lanier, north of Atlanta, on Thursday, news agencies reported. The lake north of Atlanta covers 38,000 acres (15,400 hectares) acres and has 700 miles (1,130 kilometers) of shoreline.
FRANKLIN, Mass. (AP)  A Massachusetts town is mourning a woman who authorities say was killed in her home by her ex-husband, who also set fire to the house.

A vigil is planned for Sunday starting at 5 p.m. on the town common in Franklin in memory of Shirley Owen. Anyone planning to attend is asked to bring a candle and wear purple in her honor.
BANGOR, Maine (AP)  Maine's clam industry is growing as climate change warms the Gulf of Maine.

The Bangor Daily News reports northern quahogs are among the state's fisheries that have seen increased harvest volumes and values over the past decade.

The average price of what are also known as hard clams has gone from 40 cents per pound in the 1990s to around $1.50 per pound in recent years, the newspaper reports.

Annual harvest totals have also increased since the early 2000s, reaching a record of more than two million pounds in 2019, according to the paper. The annual harvest value is around $2.6 million, up from just over $10,000 as recently as 2004.

Experts speculate clams and other shellfish are benefitting from warming and other changing conditions in the Gulf of Maine due to climate change.

Other fisheries enjoying a boom including Maine oysters, seaweed, and baby eels, while lobster, northern shrimp and softshell clams have seen their numbers decline, the newspaper reports.

The habitat for quahogs stretches as far south as Florida. In Maine, they're mostly found in southern waters, though that's expected to change as the gulf warms.
ALCOA, Tenn. (AP)  A company says its chief executive officer has died in a small plane crash in Tennessee.

In a Facebook post, MYGOFLIGHT says CEO Charles Schneider died in the plane crash on Thursday near McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville. The company says he was traveling for business on a single-engine craft, Cirrus SR22. The company says he died at the hospital on Friday.

During this time of loss, the family is asking for privacy, the company posted. "Please keep his family in your prayers."

Alcoa Police say the plane was carrying two occupants and both were hospitalized. Police did not provide detail on the condition and identity of the second person.

Police say the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are helping to investigate.

MYGOFLIGHT is a Denver-based company that sells a variety of gear for pilots and travelers, including cockpit mounting systems for iPads, iPhones and tablets, luggage and more.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  A documentary about Mississippi Delta sharecropper and civil rights icon Fannie Lou Hamer will open the 10th season of the Emmy award-winning PBS series, America ReFramed.

Produced by Hamers great-niece Monica Land and Selena Lauterer, and directed by Joy Davenport, Fannie Lou Hamers America follows Hamers life story and the injustices against Black people she spoke out against. The film will air at 8 p.m. CST on Feb. 22, according to a news release by WORLD Channel.

For 10 years, America ReFramed has shined a spotlight on a transforming America, bringing audiences into communities that are becoming increasingly diverse and introducing them to people whose stories are often overlooked by the mainstream, said Chris Hastings, executive producer/managing editor of WORLD Channel at GBH in Boston.

Born during the height of the Jim Crow era, Hamer began her activism in the 1950s by attending civil rights conferences. She fought for equal rights for Black citizens and encouraged Black people to register to vote.

After stepping onto the national stage in 1964 at the Democratic National Convention and detailing the injustices and racism she faced on the cotton fields through speeches, Hamer went on to help start the National Womens Political Caucus and was proactive in fighting for justice for Black women as well.

Her humanitarian efforts helped provide housing, educational programs and food for many in the Mississippi Delta.

More than 40 years after Hamer died from breast cancer and other medical complications on March 14,1977, her story is being told through her own words.

In 2005, distant memories of her great aunt Hamer led Land to consider creating a documentary focused on Hamers personal life. She began gathering stories from family with her cousin, Sulla Hamer, about two years later. Land said over 17 years, the team stumbled across newspaper stories she was not previously aware of and overcame many obstacles, including securing funding for the film.

This has been a very long, hard, emotional journey, Land said.

Unlike other documentaries about her great aunt focused mainly on Fannie Lou Hamers political and humanitarian efforts as told by those who worked with her or distant relatives, Lands vision for the film was to highlight Fannie Lou Hamers personal life.

While the film does showcase Fannie Lou Hamers political pursuits, it incorporates never before seen personal letters from Hamer and interviews with Hamers last living adopted daughter, Jacqueline Hamer Flakes.

The film  assembled by a team of civil rights scholars, historians and Hamers family members  uses video footage of Hamers public speeches, personal interviews and songs, according to the website about the film.

Fannie Lou Hamers America is a powerful film, one that illustrates the challenges and sacrifices so many faced in fighting for the right to vote, said Sylvia Bugg, chief programming executive and general manager at PBS.

In addition to the documentary, individuals can learn more about Hamers legacy through the website, https://www.fannielouhamersamerica.com/, which includes a plethora of material on the human rights activist.

WHERE TO WATCH

The film and TV series will be available for streaming on worldchannel.org, WORLD Channels YouTube channel and on all PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS Video app, according to the news release.

The film will premiere on PBS on Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022, from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. CST. It will then air on WORLD Channel on Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022, at 7 p.m. CST.
CONCORD, Mass. (AP)  A drawing purchased at an estate sale in Massachusetts for $30 is believed to be a rare work by a Renaissance artist worth tens of millions of dollars.

International art experts say the previously unknown drawing by Albrecht Durer could be one of the most significant art discoveries in recent memory, The Boston Globe reports.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  An unlicensed dog breeder has been arrested for allegedly harboring three emaciated dogs and multiple litters of puppies at his apartment, according to Las Vegas Metro Police.

Detectives told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that they began investigating 28-year-old Malcolm Laster last month after a female French bulldog was found in critical condition.
PHOENIX (AP)  Thousands of Arizona high school students can now get free college tuition thanks to a new statewide scholarship program.

The Arizona Promise Program will provide scholarships for eligible low-income students to fully cover their tuition and fees if they enroll at one of the three state universities  Arizona State University, the University of Arizona or Northern Arizona University.

The goal is to make higher education more accessible for students from low-income families, a necessary step for a strong future economy in the state.

The Arizona Legislature approved the new program earlier this year.

The universities for years have had lots of financial aid, but what weve done here is passed a state law that requires it, said John Arnold, executive director of the Arizona Board of Regents, which is overseeing the scholarship.

So its not a decision, theres not a pool of money, its not first come first served  it is state law that if you do your part, you graduate from high school, you meet the admission requirements for the university, if you are a low-income family, you go without tuition and fees. I think its a really powerful message, Arnold added.

Last year only 28% of Arizona public high school graduates enrolled in a four-year college, and the rate was even lower for low-income students, per an analysis from the Board of Regents.

At the current pace, only about 17% of Arizonas current ninth-graders will have a four-year degree by 2029, much lower than the expected portion of jobs that will require that level of education.

The scholarship will cover all eligible students who enroll at a state university. Students who meet the qualifications will automatically get the funding through their university.

An estimated 3,800 students currently enrolled at the three universities are expected to be eligible for the program and funded this spring, according to data from the Board of Regents.

The total universe of eligible Arizona high school students is not clear, but last year about 12,400 Arizona students who filled out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid would have financially qualified, according to the board.

Likely even more students are eligible for the promise program but did not fill out the financial aid form in anticipation of applying to college.

State lawmakers funded the program with an initial $7.5 million this year, and the board is pushing for over $30 million next session. But regardless of state allocations, all eligible students will get funding.

Many states and cities already have promise programs in place  locally, for example, Mesa has a free tuition program for Mesa Community College students.

The hope is that this state scholarship will help increase Arizonas relatively low level of college completion and also incentivize high school students to be college-ready and graduate so they can have access to free tuition.

Its messaging down into eighth, ninth, tenth grade to students and their families who are making long-term decisions about their academic career, that even if youre a very low-income person, you can go to college, that avenue is available to you, that our state wants you to go to college, and we want that promise there for you, Arnold said.

Who is eligible for free college?

Students who qualify get a guarantee that their tuition and fees will be covered, according to the board. The scholarship fills any gaps for students in tuition and fees after their Pell Grant and any other aid they may receive.

This is a promise. Its a guarantee, Arnold said. If you meet all of those criteria, you receive the scholarship.

Scholarships are starting this coming spring semester for qualified students who already are enrolled. The board and three universities are working on plans to market it across the state to get more eligible students aware of the program and ready to enroll next fall.
BUCHANAN, Ga. (AP)  A Mississippi man was in critical condition after he was shot while allegedly trying to run over a state trooper after a chase, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said.

News reports say the bureau identified him as 30-year-old Willie Lee Austin. The man's hometown was not given.
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  A graduate of the University of New Orleans has donated $5 million to the university's College of Engineering in what university officials said was university's largest-ever gift to an academic college.

The college will be named the Dr. Robert A. Savoie College of Engineering after Savoie, who made the donation with his wife, Lori Savoie. Robert Savoie received a doctorate in engineering and applied science from the university in 2009 and has held numerous positions at internet technology and engineering related companies.
NEW DELHI (AP)  A man was beaten to death in the northern Indian city of Amritsar after he allegedly attempted to commit a sacrilegious act inside the historic Golden Temple, one of Sikhs' most revered shrines.

The incident occurred during the daily evening prayer on Saturday, media reported, after the man jumped over a railing inside the inner sanctum and attempted to grab a sword that was kept near the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy book.
JERUSALEM (AP)  Israels prime minister on Sunday called on parents to vaccinate their children against the coronavirus as the new omicron variant showed signs of spreading, while authorities prepared to expand a travel ban to include the United States.

In a prime-time televised address, Naftali Bennett said the number of cases of the new variant remains relatively low  in part thanks to earlier moves to ban most foreigners from entering the country. But he said it was just a matter of time before the numbers begin to rise.

The fifth wave has begun, he said.

Bennett said it was especially critical for parents to get their children vaccinated. Israel last month began offering vaccines to younger children between the ages of 5 and 12, but authorities say the vaccination rate in that age group remains disappointingly low.

The children's vaccine is safe, and it is the responsibility of the parents," Bennett said.

A parent who has been vaccinated three times also needs to protect his children. Don't leave your children exposed and vulnerable to the coming omicron, he added.

Predicting a spike in cases in the coming weeks, he said the government is working on new safety recommendations. In the meantime, he urged people to social distance, wear masks and to work from home whenever possible. Before taking office in June, Bennett harshly criticized his predecessor, Benjamin Netanyahu, for imposing painful lockdowns that hit the economy hard.

Israel rolled out a world-leading vaccination campaign early this year, and more than 4.1 million of Israel's 9.3 million people have received a third dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

The countrys health ministry has reported at least 134 confirmed cases of the omicron variant since its emergence in late November. The Haaretz news site on Sunday said some 17 travelers with the coronavirus arrived on a single flight from Miami, most of them with the omicron variant.

Israel largely closed its international borders last month after the emergence of omicron. Foreign nationals are not allowed to enter, and all Israelis arriving from overseas are required to quarantine  including those vaccinated.

Israel has also declared dozens of countries with high coronavirus rates to be red, banning Israelis from traveling there. Health officials on Sunday recommended adding to the U.S. and Canada to that list, with the decision expected to go into effect on Wednesday.

Israel has recorded at least 8,232 deaths from coronavirus since the start of the pandemic.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  A Kansas City man has been convicted of illegally selling 15 guns, including some that have been linked to shootings.

Federal prosecutors said 27-year-old Mickael Oliver will face at least seven years in prison when he is sentenced.
SNOW HILL, Md. (AP)  A Maryland man has been arrested on arson charges stemming from a house fire that injured two firefighters, authorities said.

John Edward Cropper, 56, was arrested Friday on charges of first-degree arson, second-degree arson and malicious burning, the Worcester County fire marshals office said in a news release.
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP)  Police have arrested a man who was a fugitive sought by state and federal authorities for multiple carjackings and armed robberies.

Twenty-four-year-old Christian Velez was taken into custody in New Britain on Friday night. The Hartford Courant reported Velez was the subject of multiple arrest warrants in connection with a series of robberies that began in early September.
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (AP)  Police in Georgia are looking for a man accused of using his truck to kill his brother-in-law after a Christmas party and a fight.

Gwinnett County police say they dont know what started the fight Saturday morning between 34-year old Ernesto Pelayo, of Lilburn, and his sisters husband, 41-year-old Juan Davila, of Lawrenceville, news agencies reported.

A call to a possible business number for Pelayo, requesting comment, was answered by a woman who hung up after an Associated Press reporter identified herself.

Both men had gone to a Christmas party that started Friday night in Lawrenceville, an unincorprated community about 25 miles northeast of Atlanta, the Gwinnett County Police said.

Police said the fight began behind the house where the party was held and somehow wound up in the street. About 5:15 a.m. Saturday, Pelayo reportedly got into his truck, ran it into Davila and drove off, said said Sgt. Michele Pihera, police spokeswman.

Davila died at a hospital.

Pihera said warrants accuse Pelayo of felony murder and aggravated assault. His truck is described as a black Dodge Ram 3500 with Georgia license plate TAT2291.

Araceli Davila, who identified herself as Davila's daughter, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution by email her father was kind-hearted and helpful.

He was there for everyone and always had a loving smile, she wrote. He truly had a heart of gold and was incapable of holding a grudge. He loved my mother, my siblings and I with all his heart and he was always there for us.
LAKEWOOD, N.J. (AP)  Authorities say a suspect has been arrested in the deaths of two people at a New Jersey apartment complex over the weekend.

The Ocean County prosecutor's office said Sunday that Lakewood Township police and the county sheriff's office crime scene investigation unit are taking part in the investigation of what appears to be a double homicide that occurred earlier this morning."
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP)  A federal report shows that untapped recoverable oil in western North Dakota has dropped significantly in the last eight years due to the number of new wells.

The U.S Geological Survey estimates that the Bakken and Three Forks rock formations contain another 4.3 billion barrels of crude, a 40% drop from the agencys last estimate in 2013.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  A West Coast rapper known as Drakeo the Ruler was fatally stabbed in an altercation at a Los Angeles music festival where he was scheduled to perform, leaving fans of the young musician heartbroken.

A publicist for the rapper, Scott Jawson, confirmed his death on Sunday to the New York Times and Rolling Stone. The artist's real name was Darrell Caldwell.

Caldwell, 28, was assaulted Saturday night at the Once Upon a Time in LA concert, which was expected to feature several artists, including Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent and Ice Cube. Organizers called off the festival after the stabbing.

A fight broke out behind the main stage shortly after 8:30 p.m., leaving one man severely injured by a suspect wielding an edged weapon, the California Highway Patrol said in a bare bones news release that did not name Caldwell. The victim was taken to a hospital, where he later died.

The Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles Fire Department also responded.

LAPD spokesman Officer Luis Garcia told the Los Angeles Times that no arrests had been made as of Sunday.

Music journalists and fans delighted in Caldwell's unique sound and boundless creativity. His death highlighted the violent demise of other talented young Black musicians, including fellow LA rapper Nipsey Hussle in 2019 and the highly influential Tupac Shakur in 1996. Both men were shot.

Snoop Dogg posted on social media condolences to Caldwell's family and prayers to those affected by the tragedy. I'm praying for peace in hip hop, he said.

Caldwell, who started releasing mixtapes in 2015 and this past February debuted his first album The Truth Hurts, has been called the most original stylist on the West Coast for his darkly comedic lyrics and deadpan delivery. His mixtape Thank You for Using GTL contains verses recorded at the Mens Central Jail in Los Angeles.

He grew up listening to acts like Hot Boyz, Boosie, Webbie and Dipset, but said it was a battle rapper named Cocky who influenced him to rap.

He was so smooth and calm while rapping, despite saying some of the craziest stuff, he told Billboard earlier this year. It showed me you didnt have to yell or be loud to get your point across.

Caldwell pioneered a type of rap called nervous music, with songs that were cryptic and dark, the Los Angeles Times wrote in 2018: His cadences run counterclockwise to the drums, somehow both herky-jerky like a stickshift and swift and smooth like a luxury sports car it controls."

Caldwell was released from jail in November 2020 after reaching a plea deal with LA County prosecutors who wanted to try him on conspiracy charges in the 2016 killing of a 24-year-old man. Previously he had been acquitted of felony murder and attempted murder charges in the man's death.

The Once Upon a Time in LA Fest confirmed in an Instagram post that the event had been called off early, and did not give a reason.

The festival was organized by Live Nation, the Beverly Hills-based live events company that was behind last months Astroworld music festival in Houston, Texas.

Ten people were killed and hundreds injured when a large crowd surged during a performance by the rapper Travis Scott.

In an email Sunday, Live Nation declined to elaborate on the altercation or provide details on security for the event.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP)  A partial mask mandate is taking effect in Rhode Island starting Monday as COVID-19 cases surge once again.

The state will require masks for workers and patrons at restaurants, entertainment venues and restaurants that have a capacity of more than 250 people, regardless of their vaccination status.

Smaller venues, as well as most other private workplaces, will have to require masks or proof of vaccination. Private businesses may continue to set stronger mask or vaccination rules for their own establishments.

Gov. Daniel McKee has said the mandate will be revisited in 30 days. The Democrat said last week the change is needed to address a rise in new cases that is putting a strain on area hospitals.

The state is averaging about 1,068 new COVID-19 cases a day, up from 899 a day two weeks ago, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Nearly 85% of residents have received at least one shot of a coronavirus vaccine; 74% are fully inoculated.
MOSCOW (AP)  Authorities in Russia evacuated 128 coal miners Sunday from a mine in Siberia amid reports of a fire in one of its sections. The news comes weeks after a devastating blast in another Siberian coal mine killed 51 people.

Emergency officials told Russia's Interfax news agency that a fire occurred in an abandoned mine gallery in the Anatoly Ruban coal mine in the Kemerovo region in southwestern Siberia and about 140 miners were being evacuated. A total of 128 miners have been evacuated from the mine, Interfax reported, citing mine operators as saying that 140 miners were supposed to be on shift Sunday, but only 128 miners were working at the time.
WASHINGTON (AP)  More than 12,000 military service members refusing the COVID-19 vaccine are seeking religious exemptions, and so far they are having zero success.

That total lack of approvals is creating new tensions within the military, even as the vast majority of the armed forces have gotten vaccinated.

The services, urgently trying to keep the coronavirus pandemic in check by getting troops vaccinated, are now besieged with exemption requests they are unlikely to approve. Meanwhile, troops claiming religious reasons for avoiding the shots are perplexed because exemptions are theoretically available, yet seem impossible to obtain.

Caught in the middle are chaplains, who must balance the desire to offer compassionate care and guidance to personnel with the need to explain a complicated process that may well be futile. They also must assess requests from those who may be using religion as an excuse to avoid a vaccine that, while credited with preventing needless deaths, has become politically charged.

So many of them come in thinking that I make the decision, and if they make this case, that its a done deal, said Maj. A'Shellarien Lang, an Army chaplain for the National Guard. I dont make the decision. And so when they find that out, its a kind of game-changer in the sense that they know that the process has to continue.

According to the services, at least 30,000 service members are not yet vaccinated, but several thousand of those have gotten temporary or permanent medical or administrative exemptions approved. Of the remaining  which is likely 20,000 or more  thousands are working their way through the exemptions process, such as for religious reasons, or have flatly refused. Thats about 1.5% of the roughly 1.3 million active duty troops.

Obtaining a religious exemption is rooted in a process that predates the pandemic and has been used for decisions such as whether troops on duty can wear head coverings or beards for religious reasons.

In addition to discussions with chaplains to determine whether they have a sincerely held belief, troops must meet with commanders and medical personnel. The final decision is made higher up the chain of command and is also based on whether the persons vaccine exemption will pose a risk to mission accomplishment, unit cohesion, the health and safety of the force, and military readiness.

Even in the past, few troops have cleared those hurdles to get religious exemptions. And because the pandemic can directly affect the force's health and readiness, the bar is even higher, so military leaders arent surprised by the lack of approved exemptions.

But for the troops and chaplains, it's been a bit overwhelming.

Its just been a lot of interviews, a lot of memos, Lang said. I find that my colleagues are stressed just because of the logistics of getting the memo done and having to make sure theyre keeping up with the process. Its like rapid fire.

Air Force officials initially said religious exemption requests would be answered in 30 days. But they have gotten more than 4,700 requests  far more than the other military services, and the logistics of the lengthy review process has made it difficult to meet that timeline. The Navy has received about 2,700 religious exemption requests, the Marine Corps has 3,100 and the Army about 1,700. Some that were rejected have been appealed, but there is little data on that.

We did not expect the surge of requests, said Air Force Col. Paul Sutter, chief chaplain for religious affairs at Space Force, which is included in the Air Force.

An Air Force reservist who requested a religious exemption said she's aware of none approved so far, and she is not optimistic. The reservist, who asked that her name be withheld for privacy reasons, said her chaplain was very straightforward, laying out the process and noting the lack of approvals.

Still, she said, she believes God has a plan for my life.

Sutter and Col. Larry Bazer, deputy director of the National Guards joint chaplain office, said they tell their chaplains to be impartial as they speak with service members and to follow the process.

Meet the member where they are. Let them articulate who they are, how they believe and how they live out that faith," Sutter said he advises chaplains. "Were just looking for their articulation of their deeply held beliefs. Youre looking for a consistency in how they adhere to those beliefs.

Lang, who has done more than 50 interviews, said a key question she asks is what service members plan to do if their request is denied  a possibility some dont expect.

She said some troops believe God doesn't want them vaccinated and are torn by what they see as a contradiction if God somehow doesn't ensure they get the exemption.

If in their heart and their mind, they say this is Gods will for my life, and if the answer is no, its going to shatter that faith because theres no balance. Theres no room for God to say no, she said. When I create the space to say what if God says no, then that opens up another whole level of faith conversation.

The Air Force reservist who spoke on condition of anonymity said she was raised a Christian and is willing to retire if her request isnt granted, even though it would mean giving up her G.I. Bill tuition benefits that she would get if she stayed another year or more.

I will have to forfeit that, said the mother of three children, including a newborn. Forgoing the tuition benefit, which she could transfer to her children, is worth it, she said. I have no doubt God will provide for me.

The reservist, whose husband is in the Army and is vaccinated, was pregnant when the vaccine came out, and she was concerned about a possible reaction. Health officials have asserted it is safe for pregnant women, but in some cases the military has granted temporary exemptions to women. The reservist said her opposition is rooted in her faith, including concerns that some vaccines were tested on fetal cell lines developed over decades. The vaccines dont contain fetal material.

The Vatican has deemed it morally acceptable for Catholics to get the shot and other Christian faiths have done the same. But some religious leaders have offered exemption letter templates and voiced support for vaccine avoidance.

The services, in many cases, provided chaplains with interview questions such as whether the service members pattern of conduct is consistent, whether the member routinely complies with religious practices and whether the member participates in activities associated with the belief.

Chaplains also take into account whether service members previously received religious accommodations.

I dont really dig into how long theyve been in church and all of that kind of stuff because its really about their current reality of what they really believe," Lang said. "And in that moment  lets suppose its a political decision, but they wrap it in religiosity  thats still what they believe in that moment.

The chaplains said the interviews have had the side benefit of making troops more aware that religious personnel are available and that the meetings are triggering longer conversations about other issues.

It's really been a bridge to just some greater ministry," Lang said.

Chaplains also are reaching out to each other for support. The past two years have been challenging for them as they worked with troops facing a wide range of struggles  from COVID-19 losses, job pressures, racial unrest and protests, and deployments.

It really has been a major stress on our chaplain corps - just to be there as their chaplain, said Bazer, a rabbi. Overall folks are good, but folks are tired. I think our faith gives us that extra strength to keep us going  its that spiritual adrenaline push.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  U.S. Magistrate Judge Kate M. Menendez has been confirmed by the Senate to fill Minnesota's federal court vacancy, the state's two senators announced over the weekend.

Menendez was nominated by President Joe Biden in September. She appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee in early November to take questions and talk about her five-year stint as a magistrate judge, the Star Tribune reported.
VIENNA (AP)  Tens of thousands of Vienna residents turned out Sunday night to participate in a sea of lights commemoration for the more than 13,000 Austrians who have died in the coronavirus pandemic.

The event, supported by dozens of civil society organizations, drew more than 30,000 people, according to Austrian media.
On April 29, 1997, Janie June Coe had a job interview. The 38-year-old mother of three lived on Penrod Drive in Petaluma and, after she wrapped up with the interview, she headed home around 3 p.m.

It was there she was seen for the last time.

On May 2, after she failed to pick up her kids from a stay with her father in Marin County, she was reported missing. For the last 24 years, police have been searching for the missing mom  and now a break in the case has come via DNA evidence.

Coe's disappearance had a worrisome tenor from the start. Three hours after she was last seen, an unidentified woman driving a 1978-82 Ford Mustang used Coe's ATM card at the West America Bank in Petaluma. The transaction was filmed by surveillance cameras, but the video is too grainy to make out the woman or the car's license plate.

Coe's 1989 Ford Aerostar van was found abandoned near a field on Windsor Street in Napa three days after she was reported missing. Police at the time said she had friends in Napa, but none of them had been contacted by her recently. She reportedly "did not like to venture far from home" and left behind glasses and contact lenses she needed in order to drive.

Petaluma Police Department/Handout

"Janie's children have not heard from her since her disappearance," the Petaluma Police Department said in a statement. "Twenty-five years later, new DNA evidence has emerged in Janie's disappearance."

Police did not provide more details about the nature of the DNA evidence or from where it was obtained. But the lead is significant enough that the Petaluma Police Department issued a press release seeking new information in the case. "New DNA evidence was discovered in some of the evidence that had been collected during the initial investigation," the department said. "This has led to new witness contacts and investigative leads as detectives continue to follow-up on this active investigation."

Petaluma Police Department/Handout

The press release also included an age-progressed image of Coe, who would be 63 today.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Corie Joerger at 707-778-4456.
The chief of Australian-made burrito chain Guzman y Gomez has hopes to serve Mexican food to Mexicans one day when the company eventually turns its sights back to international expansion.

Guzman y Gomez founder and CEO Steven Marks said the business, which saw explosive growth during the pandemic, will push into the American market when it has finished its ambitious domestic expansion.

Guzman y Gomez co-founder Steven Marks hopes his Aussie chain will one day be a hit with in Mexico. Credit:James Alcock

The fast food chain has some 140 stores across Australia, with plans to open more than 30 stores every year over the next 15 years - almost all of them in a drive-through format - to grow this figure to 600. The company is looking to hire 4200 people over the next six months to help drive its growth.

Once the domestic expansion is well underway, Mr Marks told the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age the business would make a huge investment in the US and one day open stores in Mexico.
The NSW economy is ending a rollercoaster year on a high but prominent economists warn the Perrottet government is putting the recovery at unnecessary risk by prematurely withdrawing COVID-19 restrictions.

After the downturn caused by the Delta outbreak the economy is on the rebound. This was underscored by Bureau of Statistics figures released on Thursday showing 180,000 jobs were added in NSW last month.

Premier Dominic Perrottet last week relaxed a raft of COVID-19 restrictions Credit:Edwina Pickles

But there is concern last weeks decision to wind back pandemic restrictions - despite rising case numbers and doubts over the Omicron variant - will cause needless economic damage.

AMP chief economist Shane Oliver said NSW is playing Russian roulette with the recovery.
With the pre-Christmas surge in Omicron cases prompting many organisers to cancel or pare down events, some Sydneysiders are shifting their party plans toward a trusty alternative: the harbour.

Indoor events are still a concern for some people in their 20s who in previous years have celebrated the holidays and New Years Eve amid big crowds at house parties, nightclubs or music festivals.

Jayme-Lee Fechner pours champagne into Dylan Julian Clarks mouth as friends look on. Credit:Dylan Coker

Social media manager Madison White, 26, says she and her friends are being cautious about their plans for January 1.

Were keen to do something outdoors, be it a picnic or boat party, she says. I think were all being a bit more cautious about the new variant and the possibility of restrictions returning.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Two years ago we were staring down the barrel of an unparalleled bushfire threat following a vicious drought. Now we are coming out of the wettest November on record. Many of our rivers are flooding. Bureau of Meteorology alerts have been laced with tornado threats and giant hail warnings. Giant hail North of Bourke during severe storm outbreak in September, 2021. Credit:Nick Moir Ive covered severe weather, droughts and fires for a quarter of a century, and in recent years it seems each season brings us new extremes. So this year what happened? Sharp upper level troughs which reached far north into Queensland caused instability and a developing La Nina added moisture. Strong westerly winds which surround Antarctica appeared further south than usual, driving yet more moisture to feed into the Queensland and NSW interior, an event known as a positive Southern Annular Mode. All this combined to cause floods and violent thunderstorms.

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All the ingredients were there this year, says Weatherzone meteorologist Ben Domensino. From September on meteorologists noted an increase in severe storm activity driving across the state. On radar screens these weather patterns appeared with a hook echo, the signature of the sort of strong rotation that can cause tornadoes, and sure enough tornadoes did hit towns across the state including Bathurst and Armidale. A resident of St Georges Caravan park along the Hawkesbury River stands on a building as the remains of his home and many others are slowly swept away in March this year. Credit:Nick Moir To cover one outbreak at the end of September I based myself in far west NSW near Bourke when atmospheric instability and wind shear (increasing winds at height) suggested strong storms were likely to hit. I managed to place myself on the north-west edge of a violent system. At one point I found myself in the perfect position to witness the storm, but unable to move through it due to the lack of roads in the area. After one front roared over I measured hailstones that ranged from 7cm to 11.5cm. Fortunately, for Bourke residents, the storm passed them by about 30km.

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Two weeks later a very distinctive hook echo developed on a storm in western Sydney. I approached it from the north to see a tornado developing in the storm structure. So concerned was the BOM that it declared it a Very Dangerous Storm and issued a tornado alert. Wyangala Dam water release exploding downstream into the Lachlan River. Credit:Nick Moir Sydney got off lightly compared to Coffs Harbour on October 20 when a supercell storm dumped 30cm of hail, damaging homes, businesses and vehicles. Many other severe storms hit the Liverpool Plains and surrounds the same day, some of them lasting hours and covering hundreds of kilometres. On October 10 another surge of activity saw lines of storms dump rain across the central west near Mudgee. I saw a funnel appear from one and drove towards the ground before I got lost behind a thick curtain of rain.

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In the United States a series of unseasonably late and historically large tornadoes devastated towns across the mid-west in recent days. With the death toll now approaching 100, scientists are investigating the impact of climate change on the storms. A storms super cell structure in Sydneys west. Credit:Nick Moir It is thought that the warmer northern winter is causing the violent weather season to extend into what were once quieter months. Similarly in March, NSW went through a period of record-breaking daily rainfall totals, causing the worst flooding the Hawkesbury/Nepean river had seen in 30 years. Parts of the Hawkesbury that just over a year earlier had been hit by the largest known bushfire in Australian history were lost under metres of water. Thousands were forced from their homes across the east of the state. Floods are challenging events for photographers to cover. It is difficult to keep cameras going and lenses unfogged while wading through fast moving water under drenching rain.

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Several photographers had expensive equipment destroyed in the March floods. All of the dealt with the discomfort of feet left wet for too long and the danger of dodging detritus and sewage in flooded streets. Large swell rolls into Newport in July. Credit:Nick Moir When the strong low pressure systems that caused the floods hit the coast, winds drove surf to new heights, stripping coastlines of sand and vegetation. Loading Surfers braved some of the brutal waves and photographers turned to drones to capture images of offshore breaks. As the wet summer continues NSW firefighters are nervously eyeing off the burgeoning grass and undergrowth the rains have fostered. In the wet conditions firefighters have fallen behind in hazard reduction work.
He said the flights undertaken using Crowns jets were a perfect opportunity to increase the flying time of Defence planes, especially given how much was invested in them. The taxpayer has a right to be angry about this, Senator Patrick said. They are paying for Air Force transport aircraft to be sitting on the ground and then paying a second time for expensive private jets to be hired. Senator Patrick said that wherever possible, the ADF should be used for aid-related operations. Flight records from the crowd-sourced aviation website, ADS-B Exchange, show one of Crowns jets left Melbourne on June 16, landing in Brisbane. It departed on a 10-hour round trip to Tuvalu the following morning - and then repeated that journey on the 18th, before returning to Melbourne.

A joint press release from Foreign Minister Marise Payne and the Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Zed Seselja, referred to a single flight delivering COVID-19 vaccines to Tuvalu at the time, but a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed that two trips were made. This was the result of aircraft weight and airstrip limitations, they said, although photos online show commercial and military planes, including a US Air Force Hercules and an RAAF Spartan, using Funafuti International Airports 1524-metre runway. Foreign Minister Marise Payne. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The unavailability of defence aircraft and the lack of commercial flights may have also been factors in the work being tendered under a standing offer arrangement to a private charter company, which then subcontracted one of Crowns planes to undertake the work, the spokesperson said. The trips to Tuvalu cost a total of $379,957, they said.

Mr Wilkie questioned the cost. Looking at those bills, youd think the Crown planes flew to the moon and back, not Tuvalu and back, he said. Loading Why is the Australian government outsourcing our aid programs to private, profit-driven businesses? And why is that business using Crowns planes, especially at those prices? Six weeks later, more than $215,000 was spent to hire another of Crowns fleet, this time to transport nine Australian Medical Assistance Team (AUSMAT) members from Darwin to Fiji, which was recording over 1100 cases of COVID-19 per day and had requested urgent assistance. A video posted by Australias High Commissioner in Fiji shows the AUSMAT members at the Paspaley Groups Pearl Flight Centre at Darwin Airport, where Crowns plane can be seen on the tarmac. It had flown from Melbourne to Honolulu three days earlier, and landed in Darwin the night before.

A DFAT spokesperson said no scheduled commercial flights were available to transport the AUSMAT members, and that Crown was subcontracted to undertake the work by another charter company. Loading However, a Fiji Airways Airbus A350-941 landed in Nadi from Sydney shortly after Crowns plane arrived in the country, according to data from the Flightstats by Cirium subscription data service. The carrier also flew that route four times in both the prior and following weeks. The same number of flights also arrived from Auckland in that window, carried out by either Fiji Airways or Air New Zealand. A senior figure in the aid sector, who was not authorised to speak on the record, described the overall cost to use Crowns planes as an amazing amount of money for a limited amount of work.

He said aid and personnel were always flown by defence planes or commercial airliners, and other aid workers travelling to Fiji from Australia during the pandemic had been able to travel on commercial flights, albeit with some difficulty. He had never heard of luxury jets being used to carry out aid work, not even as a last resort in a breaking emergency such as the pandemic. Its just a waste of money, especially at this time where the aid budget is so tight. Its using scarce resources that could be better spent elsewhere. A Bombardier executive jet like the one owned by Crown casino. Credit:Wolter Peeters

A DFAT spokesperson said that in both instances, the most appropriate aircraft options to support the Tuvalu and Fiji tasks were provided through Defences Air Transport Standing Offer Panel. Australia is committed to providing life-saving COVID-19 vaccines and support to manage COVID-19 outbreaks to our partners across the Pacific, the spokesperson said. During the pandemic, many countries have imposed international border restrictions, and air connectivity across the Pacific has been severely disrupted. Where scheduled commercial flights are not available, DFAT works closely with Defence to assess the most effective means of transport of passengers and cargo. This may include Defence assets or commercial transport, depending on COVID-19 protocols, cargo and passenger requirements and ADF operational commitments.

In addition to its aid work, Crowns planes made around 20 other flights in and out of Australia between mid-March this year and the start of November, when the national border reopened. Its other destinations included Los Angeles, Honolulu, Tokyo, London via Bangkok, Manila, Phuket, Auckland and Port Moresby, in some cases on multiple occasions. Minister for international development and the Pacific, Zed Seselja. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Crown said its planes were only used in this period by third parties, primarily to repatriate people and to transport skilled workers, in line with government regulations. It also said its planes had been hired to repatriate supplies.
Passengers were told about 8 pm that the airline was no longer in business. Some angrily blamed the airline for keeping its financial crisis secret for so long, and others blamed the Federal Government.

A representative of the company tries to allay the feelings of some of the standard passengers... December 20, 1991 Credit:Philip Wayne Lock

Some passengers cried while others just stood and stared last night as they were told Compass Airlines had collapsed and their flights were cancelled.

SOME PASSENGERS ARE ANGRY, OTHERS STUNNED

First published in The Sydney Morning Herald on December 21, 1991

However, many expressed sympathy for Compass, saying it had done its best to give travellers cheap air tickets.

I want my money back, shouted one man clutching four tickets to Perth as he confronted a Compass employee.

Why did you keep selling tickets when you knew this was going to happen?he asked.

The Compass employee insisted they had stopped selling tickets by 7.30 pm -as soon as they found out what was happening.

Im not lying, Im out of a job, the employee replied.
Mr Bandesh  a Kurdish musician, artist, jewellery maker and aspiring winemaker  had been detained by Australia for 7 years: at Christmas Island, Manus Island, Port Moresby and Melbourne  first at the Mantra hotel in Preston, and then at Melbourne Immigration Transit Accommodation in Broadmeadows.

I am still in limbo because I have no future yet, he told The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. I dont know whats going to happen.

He is one of hundreds of refugees and asylum seekers rushed to Australia from Papua New Guinea and Nauru for emergency medical treatment under the now-repealed medevac legislation.

After their arrival in Australia, most were detained in so-called alternative places of accommodation, including motels and hospitals.

Since December 2020, according to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, 192 people who had been evacuated to Australia and then detained have been released into the community on bridging visas. Another 70 remain detained in motels and other facilities, in conditions the Australian Human Rights Commission has described as more restrictive than detention centres and inappropriate for prolonged detention.

Mr Bandesh, who recently celebrated his 40th birthday with friends, lives in Melbourne on a six-month bridging visa. He has a close-knit group of friends and supporters. He paints, writes and creates music. And he does so knowing that at any time he could be returned to detention or a third country.

They can do whatever they want, he said of immigration authorities. You know, they have the power [and] they use it in a bad way to torture innocent people. And its not only me ... There are thousands of refugees living in Australia who are not permanent. And they have the same [visa] conditions as what I have.
By May, it will have been five years since more than 250 leading representatives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people signed the powerful Uluru Statement from the Heart.

The eloquent document calls for Voice, Treaty and Truth: three foundation principles that the Statements authors say require constitutional and structural reforms to create a new, more profound and respectful relationship between Indigenous people and the broader Australian community.

Progress, though, has been unhurried and deliberately so. Getting it right, bringing the Australian community along and winning overwhelming support is critical to the goal of ensuring Indigenous influence is enshrined within the constitution.

To that end, there has been extensive consultation by Professor Marcia Langton and Tom Calma about how the Voice would look: its potential structure, function and practical capabilities. Indeed, the pair heard from more than 9400 organisations and individuals over 18 months.

Their final report has been with the federal government since July. It was at last released on Friday, along with the governments outline of its plans to implement the first practical steps towards achieving the Voice to government element of the Uluru Statement.
Dear Santa,

It is that time again, and this year I am writing to you on behalf of the majority of Australians. Most of us have been very good throughout 2021, as 90 per cent of the population are now double vaccinated. We did this to protect ourselves, our families, friends and the broader community from the COVID-19 virus, which you know is sweeping the world and killing millions.

In Australia, 90 per cent of the population are now double vaccinated. Credit:Getty Images

Given that so many of us have done the right thing, we hope you will bring us the following integrity-related presents.

Please could we have a new federal political donations regime? The current one means that, yet again, Australians will be forced to cast an uninformed vote. You may be surprised to hear that, as Australia has a liberal democratic political system  well, in theory at least. In practice we have to cast our votes not knowing who donated how much and to whom.
The median house price in the eastern suburbs rose 27.4 per cent to $3.6 million in the year to September, on Domain data. Meanwhile, the regions median unit price rose 20 per cent to $1.26 million in the same period. The top three most searched regions in NSW on Domain were: Sydneys Eastern Suburbs Sydneys Inner West Newcastle & Region Victoria

In Victoria, Melbournes north took out the most searched region - an area that is home to big homes on big blocks of land, a key factor in driving its desirability among buyers, according to Ray Whites chief economist Nerida Conisbee. Loading The north is very popular. The north-east has a lot of big blocks and a lot of space and that perhaps reflects that, but it is also a bit more affordable than the eastern and south-eastern suburbs, Ms Conisbee said. It might be reflecting better affordability but also that continued desire to have more space as has evolved through COVID. The median house price in Melbournes north-east region rose 16.3 per cent to $820,000 in the year to September 2021, on Domain data.

The median house price in Melbournes north-west region rose 6.6 per cent in comparison to $685,000 over the same period. When it came to units, the median price in the citys north-west rose 18.1 per cent to $570,000, while it rose just 0.2 per cent in the citys north-east, to $531,250. The top three most searched regions in Victoria on Domain were: Melbournes North Melbournes Bayside Melbournes Inner City ACT

Canberras inner north region  a premium area  took out pole position for the most searched area in the ACT, and it comes as the citywide median house price reached a record $1,074,187, rising 32.4 per cent in the past year to September 2021. It was followed by the regions of the inner south (another premium area) and Belconnen, the affordable heartland of the ACT, according to Dr Powell. The top three most searched regions in the ACT were in Canberra, where its median house price growth outpaced Sydneys. Youve got the upper end driving it, the inner north and inner south are premium areas with the largest land sizes, she said. Belconnen is the affordable heartland of the ACT. The top three most searched regions in ACT on Domain were:

Canberras Inner North

Canberras Inner South

Belconnen Tasmania Buyers chasing affordability have helped Launceston take out the most searched region in Tasmania, overtaking the capital, which notched a new median house price record as well. Hobarts median house price rose 31.9 per cent to $698,212 in the year to September 2021, on Domain data.

Meanwhile, the median house price in the Launceston and North East region rose 32.4 per cent to $480,000 in the same period. And the regions unit prices rose 27.1 per cent to $371,000. Launceston was the most searched region in Tasmania and cheaper than Hobart. Credit:Charles Street/Lusy Production Launceston is much more affordable than Hobart  what that is reflecting is people searching elsewhere around Tasmania and Launceston being the second biggest city, it becomes the most obvious area [to search], Ms Conisbee said. The top three most searched regions in Tasmania on Domain were: Launceston Hobart Eastern Shore

Queensland The Gold Coast took out the top spot in Queensland where buyers were searching for properties in the state this year, with roughly a quarter of inquiries coming from Sydney, Dr Powell said. That speaks to the interstate movers to those lifestyle locations. We cannot disregard the fact that we have seen an exodus in our two major cities, that was happening anyway and it was accelerated by the pandemic, she said. Gold Coasts median house price rose 18.8 per cent to $820,000 in the year to September 2021. The regions median unit prices rose 14.1 per cent to $535,000 in the same period.

The top three most searched regions in Queensland on Domain were: Gold Coast Brisbanes City & North Sunshine Coast Western Australia The southern suburbs region of Perth topped the list in Western Australia, with buyers looking at properties anywhere from Fremantle down to Rockingham. Perths South East median house price rose 3.7 per cent to $475,000, while the same areas unit median slid 1.1 per cent down to $350,000 in the year to September 2021.

Perths South West median house price rose 1.1 per cent to $490,000, while the unit median slipped by 2.4 per cent to $400,000. Multiple Perth regions topped the most searched areas in Western Australia as buyers were after big homes on even bigger blocks of land. Credit:iStock The top three most searched regions in Western Australia on Domain were: Perths Southern Suburbs Perths Northern Suburbs Perths Western Suburbs South Australia

Buyers searched for properties in the north and north-east suburbs of Adelaide the most in the past year, with the area offering large homes on big blocks of land, a similar buyer trend seen in other states and territories. The median house price in Adelaides north region rose 14.7 per cent to $438,000 in the year to September 2021, on Domain data. The median unit price in the same region rose 7.4 per cent to $276,506 in the same period. The top three most searched regions in South Australia on Domain were: Adelaides North & North East Suburbs Adelaides Western & Beachside Suburbs Adelaides Eastern Suburbs

Northern Territory Buyers were mostly drawn to the capital city as it remains the main jobs hub. If you have a look outside of Darwin its been relatively subdued in terms of price growth and desirability, Ms Conisbee said. Darwin is kind of it for the Northern Territory and its a bit reflective of the mining sector. Darwins median house prices rose 28.9 per cent to $580,000 in the past year. The regions unit prices rose 24.2 per cent to $369,500 in the same period.
London: Omicron may be less efficient at replicating in the lungs than previous COVID variants, British laboratory research has suggested.

A study conducted by scientists at the Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease found that mutations on the viruss spike protein which make it able to evade antibodies may reduce its ability to attack the lungs and cause severe disease.

Scientists are looking closely at whether the Omicron variant causes different symptoms from earlier variants. Credit:AP

We demonstrate significantly lower infectivity of lung organoids and Calu-3 lung cells, says the Cambridge preprint, which was posted late on Friday night.

These observations highlight that Omicron has gained immune evasion properties whilst compromising on properties associated with replication and pathogenicity [harm].
Entrepreneurs know that every opportunity is valuable to learn something that inspires them to grow and take their business to the next level.

Netflix is the world's largest streaming platform and this year offers a series of documentaries and original shows that are indispensable for businessmen and women who want to do things differently.

This is a selection that you can start watching this weekend or when you have 45 free minutes.

1. Dirty Money (2018)

What it's about: There are six one-hour episodes that tell the story of a famous corporate fraud and the investigation that took place around the case. Among the topics that you will see in the series are the polluting emissions scandal of Volkswagen vehicles, the money laundering by HSBC for the Sinaloa cartel and Donald Trump.

Alex Gibney, the creator of the Netflix original documentary, was one of the victims of the Volkswagen fraud. The series features seasoned directors such as Brian McGinn, Jesse Moss, and Fisher Stevens.

Why you should see it: The fraud cases portrayed in the series are reflected with journalistic investigations and testimonies instead of by actors, which gives it greater veracity. It is ideal to inspire you to have (and force) good practices in your company.

2. The True Cost (2015)

What it's about: This 2015 film directed by Andrew Morgan looks at the fast fashion industry and how it is built by workers in developing countries, as well as its side effects such as pesticide pollution of rivers. The documentary studies media consumerism and the state of the industry in 13 countries.

Why you should see it: This is a stark analysis that premiered at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival and is based on events such as the collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh that killed thousands of workers. An interesting study of an industry that is in constant transformation.

3. The toys that made us (2017)

What it's about: This two-season series tells how today's most iconic toys in pop culture hit the market and what their real impact was on consumers young and old. Each hour-long episode tells the story of the entrepreneurs who created such legendary brands as LEGO, Transformers, Hello Kitty, and Star Wars.

Why you should watch it: Each episode tells the story of an entrepreneur or a team of them who managed to shake up their industries and whose inventions became part of the home of millions of children. The third season will premiere in 2019.

4. Abstract: The Art of Design (2017)

What it's about: This Netflix original documentary series created by Scott Dadich highlights prominent illustrators, designers, architects, civil engineers, and interior designers from around the world.

Why you should watch it: Each episode will inspire you to work on your brand with the likes of illustrator Christoph Niemann, Nike brand shoe designer Tinker Hatfield or photographer Platon. Ideal for getting your ideas circulated.

5. To order with Marie Kondo! (2019)

What it's about: Marie Kondo is an expert recognized around the world for her method of ordering things and avoiding the accumulation of objects and the clutter that they bring. His method called "Konmari" is based on keeping only the things that inspire joy and joy.

Why you should watch it: This 8-episode, 45-minute series will make you want to stop and clean your home, desk, and office to feel real joy in the things around you. A basic documentary to apply both at home and in your business.

Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
Timothy Norris / Contributed photo

All remaining holiday shows of the Hip Hop Nutcracker have been canceled after cast members tested positive for COVID-19, including one in New Haven, according to a company statement.

For the wellness and safety of our guests, cast, and crew, we have decided to cancel the remaining 2021 tour dates, a spokesperson said in a statement. We regret any disappointment or inconvenience this may cause.
More than 14,000 people have generated digital Passenger Locator Forms to enter Romania, most of them for the border crossing point at "Henri Coanda" International Airport, the Strategic Communication Group (GCS) reported on Sunday.

"According to the data provided by the Special Telecommunications Service, from the launch of the application https://plf.gov.ro until 18:00, 35,549 accounts were created on the platform and 14,212 people generated digital forms to enter Romania (Passenger Locator Form - PLF). The difference between the number of people who created their account on the platform and those who generated the form is represented by those who wanted to see what the application looks like, what information is required or what are the necessary steps to fill in the form,"GCS points out in a release.

The quoted source mentions that most of the people filled in the forms for border crossing points at "Henri Coanda" International Airport - 5,221, "Avram Iancu" International Airport in Cluj - 1,193, Nadlac Border Crossing Point - 955, Bors Border Crossing Point - 742, Nadlac II Border Crossing Point - 708, Agerpres informs.

GCS brings to mind that, on Sunday morning, the Special Telecommunications Service made operational the https://plf.gov.ro platform, so that the people who will enter the country on Monday will have the necessary time to fill in the digital form.

Starting December 20, 2021, all persons arriving to Romania must fill in the digital Passenger Locator Form (PLF) to enter Romania, a document adopted in 18 states of the European Union and regulated by the Romanian Government.
Romania's contribution to the European Union budget will be 12.878 billion lei in 2022, and will increase to 13.126 billion lei in 2023 and 13.376 billion lei in 2024, according to the draft on the Fiscal Budget Strategy for the period 2022-2024, published on the website of the Finance Ministry (MF) on Sunday.

"These amounts may change due to the automatic technical adjustments of the indicators established during the ACOR-Forecasts meeting, at the time of the appearance of the new macroeconomic indicators estimated by the European Commission and other influences from the domestic and international market," the MF said.

According to the commitments assumed under the Treaty of Accession to the European Union, Romania, as a member state, participates in financing the EU budget according to the unitary community rules that are directly applicable from the date of accession. Thus, starting January 1, 2007, Romania ensures the payment of its contribution for the financing of the budget of the European Union within the system of own resources of the community budget.

At the same time, next year, Romania will contribute to the European Development Fund with the amount of 100.189 million lei, in 2023 with 74.456 million lei and in 2024 with 64.684 million lei.

Under Law No. 16/2008, Romania acceded to the Agreement, signed in Luxembourg on 25 June 2005, amending the Partnership Agreement between the members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States, on the one hand, and the European Community and its member states, on the other hand, signed in Cotonou on 23 June 2000. In this context, Romania contributes to the 11th European Development Fund (EDF 11), Agerpres informs.
You could still max out your future benefits, even if you make less than $142,800 this year. But for that to happen, you need to make sure 2021 won't count as one of the 35 years that determines your average wage. To do that, you need to work at least 36 total years, earning the maximum taxable income during the other 35. And the maximum taxable income goes up each year. In 2022, for example, you'll have to earn $147,000 to hit the target.

If you were one of the many who earned much less than $142,800 in 2021, don't count on getting the highest Social Security checks possible -- unless this was just a bad year and your income is usually much higher. You can use the mySocialSecurity.gov website to estimate your likely future benefit for a more realistic idea of what Social Security will actually pay you in retirement, allowing you to plan and save accordingly.

The $16,728 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook
Tony Messenger Tony Messenger is the metro columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow Tony Messenger Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

Wayne Gerling describes himself as old school.

At 66, the trucker from Hermann, Missouri, is mostly retired, though he still takes a job every now and then. Nine years ago, however, he was still driving regularly, and one night in November, he parked his rig on East Ninth Street near his house, as he often did.

Hermanns zoning had long allowed the practice on commercial streets, which Ninth was and still is. But unbeknown to Gerling, the towns police chief at the time, Frank Tennant, had issued a memo to his staff decreeing that such parking was no longer legal. Never mind that the law had not been changed. So one night, Officer Matthew Waite set out to find the owner of the truck parked outside Gerlings house.

Waite knocked on the door. Gerling, who was with his grandchildren at the time, answered. He told the officer it was his truck. Heres how court records describe what happened next: When Gerling refused to produce his license, Waite intruded into his home and grabbed him by the wrist. As Gerling retreated, Waite used a stun gun on him, causing him to fall into a table and sustain injuries to his chest and shoulder. Gerling was taken into custody and issued two citations arising out of this incident.
Bills that seek to punish companies for imposing pandemic precautions also are problematic because those operating in multiple states or that pay their employees health care claims directly would be exempt from legislation that punishes employers for requiring pandemic precautions. Their benefit plans are governed under federal, not state, law. The result would be that the costs would apply only to smaller, in-state companies, which would be saddled with tens of thousands of dollars in medical expenses because one of their employees decided not to get vaccinated. The average cost of treating a hospitalized, unvaccinated coronavirus patient this year was $27,000.

The legislation to require vaccine refusers to cover their own medical expenses was a bad idea for a variety of reasons. For starters, it would discourage people who are really sick with a communicable disease from getting treatment. Every minute that they are sick and not hospitalized, they are spreading disease.
A special partnership of Phoenix Energy, EQTEC plc, the North Fork Community Development Council and Carbonfuture helps Sierra Nevada forests and communities remove carbon from the atmosphere and reduce wildfire risk, generate renewable energy, create jobs and support the local community.

NORTH FORK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

North Fork Community Power (NFCP) will soon commission and utilize Advanced Gasification Technology from EQTEC to convert forest stewardship residues into renewable electricity, heat and biochar - a solid carbon byproduct with applications in agriculture and water filtration that sequesters carbon for centuries.

The climate action-oriented waste-to-energy project is aligned with state and international Net Zero targets and in support of circular economy principles. This positive climate action is newly rewarded with carbon removal credits by Carbonfuture through its platform and marketplace. The project is the first forest biomass plant in California to join the scheme.

Catastrophic wildfires in California have made clear the urgency of forest management efforts that reduce risk and improve forest health. NFCP, located in North Fork, California, is a forest-based biomass gasification plant that will utilize sustainable local forest biomass as well as fire threat reduction activities from the Sierra and Yosemite National Forest areas which will benefit local communities.

The project is located on the site of an abandoned sawmill from the 1990s, bringing back sustainable jobs to this rural community in the Sierra Nevada. The project originated by the North Fork Community Development Council as a way to both steward the environment and promote economic redevelopment in the wake of the sawmill closing.

Thanks to the proprietary Advanced Gasification Technology developed and supplied by EQTEC, which is also a material capital investor in the North Fork project, the process does not involve burning or combusting the wood and so the CO2 does not go up a stack. The waste wood is transformed through EQTECs patented process, reduced and left in solid form as pure carbon as it is converted into a hydrogen-rich synthesis gas syngas. The process will generate 2 MWe of renewable electricity and biochar. Once produced, biochar is sold mostly to farms in Californias Central Valley to improve water efficiency, nutrient conservation, beneficial microbial composition, and overall quantity of stable organic matter. As the carbon remains in the soil permanently, these positive characteristics are important for its carbon sequestration ability as well as ecosystem benefits. The produced biochar will help sequester 20,000t CO2 equivalent over the next 5 years.

Carbonfutures fully-digital platform is used to guarantee the secure and stringent documentation of all climate-preserving activities generated in this project. The company issues removal credits for carbon sequestration services through biochar, such as the one provided in this triple-bottom-line approach. Focusing on solid climate performance, Carbonfuture uses a defensively quantified carbon sink value, resulting in high-quality, long-term and scientifically verified credits. To support the integrity of the credits even further, tamper-proof, digital tracking based on an innovative and low-energy blockchain is implemented. The use of this technology not only enables unique credit-to-cradle cradle look-through but also eliminates the possibility of double-counting.

EQTEC CEO David Palumbo said: Im very pleased that our partnership in North Fork is now even more compelling by working with Carbonfuture. Once operational, the plant at North Fork will service the local community by demonstrating a better way to use forestry waste that would otherwise pose a fire risk and to both produce biochar for watershed protection, carbon sequestration and soil enrichment, as well as use the syngas produced from the wood as a fuel to produce electricity.

Phoenix Energy CEO, Gregory Stangl, said: This project is so impactful because it provides California with carbon negative, 24/7 renewable power, created from a unique sustainable waste-to-energy process and at the same time it reduces catastrophic wildfire risk and returns lost jobs to a struggling Sierra Nevada community.

Carbonfuture co-founder, Andreas Hoelzl, said: The North Fork project is a unique collaboration that showcases that triple bottom line projects can be accomplished by the collaboration of the right parties, spanning development, investment and technology innovation. Carbonfuture is really happy to help to support and remunerate the climate service of the project and to provide our carbon removal credit customers with high-quality, impactful credits.

About the companies

Phoenix Energy is an independent power producer that develops and operates distributed biomass plants in partnership with businesses and communities. https://www.phoenixenergy.net/

EQTEC is a world-leading technology innovation company of advanced solutions for hydrogen, biofuels, SNG and other energy production through waste-to-energy transformation projects. www.eqtec.com.

North Fork Community Development Council is a joint venture between Phoenix Energy and the North Fork Community Development Council that will own and operate the biomass gasification facility in North Fork, California.

Carbonfuture is a provider and platform for trusted, high-quality carbon removal credits. https://carbonfuture.earth

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211217005394/en/

Tom Gosschalk

Tom.Gosschalk@cavendishadvocacy.com

+44 7867 452 269.

Source: EQTEC plc
Freedom Boat Club, a Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC) business, announced today that it has acquired the Freedom Boat Club of Rhode Island franchise operation and territory. The acquisition includes all four current Rhode Island-based locations, as well as the rights to expand and build new club locations throughout Rhode Island. This action complements the recent Freedom Boat Club acquisitions in the Northeast , including the New York City / Long Island and Connecticut territories. It furthers the Companys plans to accelerate growth in tier one markets and leverage a consolidated footprint, creating regional super territories that provide operating efficiencies and enhance synergies for Brunswick. This transaction marks the fifth boat club acquisition made by Brunswick in 2021.

The acquisition of the Rhode Island business and territory presents a tremendous opportunity to expand Freedoms presence in the top boating communities in the world, said Cecil Cohn, Freedom Boat Club Networks president. The Rhode Island franchise owner has been an exceptional partner to Freedom and has done an outstanding job of establishing and growing the Freedom brand, as well as attracting a growing membership and delivering exceptional on-water experiences.

The Freedom Boat Club brand entered the Rhode Island market under the leadership of former owner and marine industry veteran, Richard Cromwell. Over the past 12 years, Cromwell has built a strong community of boaters at its locations, grown memberships steadily year-over-year, and established a solid foundation for growth with best-in-class operations. As part of the transition, Cromwell will remain onboard to assist with the transition, and the local staff has been retained to ensure business continuity.

Since joining the Freedom family in 2009, we have greatly valued their partnership and support, both of which have been instrumental in our success over the years, said Richard Cromwell. We are excited to see their plans for accelerated expansion come to fruition, since they offer our members additional boating locations across the Northeast. We are confident that our members will continue to receive exceptional boating experiences under Freedoms leadership.

Freedom Boat Clubs 2021 acquisitions include the Connecticut territory in October, the New York territory in April, and the Chicago territory in March in addition to Brunswicks acquisition of Fanautic Club and its 23 Spanish locations in July. With this acquisition, Freedom Boat Club operates corporate-owned clubs in 11 territories spanning Rhode Island; Connecticut; Southwest Florida; Southeast Florida; Raleigh; Charleston; Chicago; New York City / Long Island; Milwaukee; the United Kingdom; and Spain.
CORNING, N.Y. , Dec. 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Corning Natural Gas Holding Corporation (OTCQX: CNIG) announced a consolidated net loss of ($1.32MM or $0.43) per share for the quarter ended September 30, 2021. This compares to a consolidated net loss of ($576K or $0.19) per share for the quarter ended September 30, 2020. The company reported net income for the year ended September 30, 2021 of $1.28MM or $0.42 per share, compared to $2.96MM or $0.97 per share for the year ended September 30, 2020. CFO Charles Lenns commented, While revenue and gross margins increased this year, the company saw earnings decline, for both the three-month period and the twelve-month period ended September 30, 2021, principally due to transaction costs related to our pending merger, a disappointing conclusion to our 2020 New York rate case, and higher interest and depreciation expenses.

The financial results for the quarter and year-ended September 30, 2021, and for the comparable quarter and year-ended September 30, 2020, were impacted by several non-recurring, but material events. As a result of our rate case that concluded in May of 2021, the company wrote-off a regulatory asset for leak repairs of $175,000, as well as an accrual of interest income of $231,000, the recovery of which were denied. For the year ended September 30, 2021, the company recorded cancellation of debt income from the forgiveness of Paycheck Protection Program loans, net of a reserve for amounts refundable to Corning customers of $600,000. In the third quarter of fiscal 2020, we recognized as a reduction of income tax expense a non-recurring AMT tax credit refund in the amount of $272,000. Quarterly earnings are also affected by the highly seasonal nature of the business and weather conditions such as temperature variations.

Corning Natural Gas Holding Corporations Board of Directors declared a common stock dividend for holders of record on December 31, 2021 of $0.1525/share, payable on January 14, 2022, which is equal to an annualized rate of $0.61/share. The board also approved its 6% series A and C preferred stock, 4.8% series B convertible preferred stock, and 1.5% series D preferred stock dividends for shareholders of record on December 31, 2021, payable on January 14, 2022.

On January 12, 2021, the company entered into a merger agreement with Argo Infrastructure Partners. Consummation of the merger is subject to New York and Pennsylvania regulatory approval. The company expects this transaction to close in late spring of 2022.

Corning Natural Gas Holding Corporation provides natural gas and electric service to customers in New York and Pennsylvania through its operating subsidiaries Corning Natural Gas, Pike County Light & Power, and Leatherstocking Gas Company.

From time-to-time, Corning Natural Gas Holding Corporation may produce forward-looking statements relating to such matters as anticipated financial performance, business prospects, technological developments, new products, and similar matters. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a safe harbor for forward-looking statements. In order to comply with the terms of the safe harbor, Corning Natural Gas Holding Corporation notes that a variety of factors could cause actual results and experiences to differ materially from anticipated results or other expectations expressed in any forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Contact: Julie Lewis, Investor Relations / 607-936-3755

Source: Corning Natural Gas Holding Corp.
MEMPHIS, Tenn., Dec. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Indigo Ag, a company leveraging nature and technology to unlock economic and environmental progress in agriculture, today debuted a continuing education series designed to increase access to high-quality information and accelerate adoption of carbon farming practices. The comprehensive online learning experience, Carbon College, is the latest step in the company's commitment to leverage science and its digital technology platform to equip the ag industry with the resources needed to enable farmers' success on every step of the carbon farming journey.

Approved by the American Society of Agronomy, the Carbon College curriculum leverages Indigo's insights as the leader in the ag-carbon market to help farmers and agronomists gain the orientation, practical skills, and industry-recognized credentials needed to make the most informed carbon farming decisions.

"Agricultural carbon markets are growing quickly, but it can be intimidating to know where to start with an integrated program, much less a new practice," said John Frederick, Global Head of Carbon Commercial Operations at Indigo Ag. "By providing independent and trustworthy guidance, we hope to take the confusion out of this process, reduce the barrier to entry for carbon farming, and support the development of the market toward long term success, which we define as maximized profitability outcomes for farmers."

Carbon College features self-paced 'bundles'  practical deep dives comprised of short educational videos and comprehension tests  that together cover the essentials of carbon farming. The first of these course bundles ("Learn the Landscape") is available publicly today to help inform 2022 planning decisions. It includes:

"What is Carbon Farming?" which features insights from farmers' carbon farming experiences, from what first got them interested in practices that generate carbon credits and build soil health to the long-term benefits of these farming methods,

"Carbon Markets & Ag," which outlines key terms and foundational components of carbon credits, carbon markets, and how both work in agriculture, and

"Carbon Farming & Profitability," which dives into measuring farm success beyond yield, including the impact of carbon farming practices on profitability.

Agronomists who complete the inaugural bundle can earn one free Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) continuing education credit (CEU) toward their credential requirements. Additional bundles, which will be released in the following weeks, will offer the opportunity to earn further CCA CEUs with courses focused on specific practice implementation guidance, strategies for identifying and measuring progress toward success, and what to expect from participating in a carbon farming program. Indigo certifies the agronomists who successfully complete the full Carbon College curriculum with a Carbon Farming Principles certification.

"As we're getting into carbon farming, there are lots of questions. Indigo has been essential among our pool of resources to help inform what decision to take at what time, and what the impacts of that will be in terms of the soil organic carbon we can sequester," said Will Drucker, a rye and soy grower based in Northwest Illinois. "We're always looking for informed sources to help us on our journey of systematically building soil health and Indigo has been very helpful, pointing us in the right direction of doing exactly that."

Carbon College is the latest of Indigo's efforts to help lead the development of the ag carbon market to maximize long term success for farmers. The company's Carbon by Indigo program is the only program working to generate high-quality, registry issued agricultural carbon credits at scale. Central to its approach is an emphasis on meeting the needs of farmers through industry partnerships, scientific investment, and enabling informed decision-making through learning resources, agronomic tools, and community-building efforts.

In support of this farmer-first approach, Indigo also today confirmed a reprisal of Carbon Farming Connection following the success of the inaugural event this past June. The virtual event, which brought together farmers with private industry and scientific experts with a goal of supporting the development of a robust global market for agricultural carbon credits, will again convene stakeholders across the ag carbon ecosystem on Thursday, January 13, 2022, to discuss the growing demand and value of agricultural carbon credits.

The January event, which returns with an expanded focus on the science, technology, and policy forces shaping ag carbon markets, will highlight the first farmers to generate payments for their carbon farming efforts at scale, spotlight ag industry collaborators like Corteva and GROWMARK, feature carbon credit buyers and more. Confirmed guests include notable return marquee speaker Paul Hawken, business strategist and author, as well as special guest, Chip Flory, Farm Journal economist and host of AgriTalk.

More information about Carbon Farming Connection can be found here, alongside recorded soil health and profitability strategy webinars geared to those considering the near and long-term benefits of enrolling in a carbon program.

To get started with Carbon College, click here.

ABOUT INDIGO AG

Indigo Ag improves farmer profitability, environmental sustainability, and consumer health with nature-based and digital technologies. The company's core offerings  Biologicals, Market+, and Carbon  integrate across the supply chain to optimize how the world's most impactful crops are produced, sourced, and distributed. Founded in 2014 with a mission of harnessing nature to help farmers sustainably feed the planet, today the company's technology connects stakeholders across the agricultural ecosystem to unlock sustainability and profitability benefits for all. Indigo Ag is headquartered in Boston, MA, with additional offices in Memphis, TN; Research Triangle Park, NC; Sao Paulo, Brazil; and Basel, Switzerland.

Disclaimer: To receive Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) Continuing Education Units (CEUs), CCAs must earn a passing grade on the comprehension quiz following a course bundle. CCAs are responsible for self-reporting the corresponding CEUs in their CCA account by using the QR codes provided after the quiz is passed.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/indigo-launches-cca-accredited-online-learning-series-to-further-understanding-of-carbon-farming-301446422.html

SOURCE Indigo Ag
Army veteran Robert Morss stands outside the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot. (U.S. Department of Justice/FBI)

PITTSBURGH (Tribune News Service)  A federal judge on Friday ruled that a former teacher and ex-Army Ranger charged with 53 counts related to storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 and assaulting police will remain jailed pending trial.

U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, presiding in Washington, D.C., denied a motion for release by Robert Morss, 28, of Glenshaw, Pennsylvania.

Morss, a former substitute teacher and an Afghanistan combat veteran, is charged with multiple counts, including robbery and assault, related to storming the Capitol and battling with police.

In a motion for release, he and his lawyers maintain that he has been subjected to poor treatment in jail and cited his military service, his lack of criminal record, a pending job in the Washington area and an offer of a place to live with a fellow veteran as reasons to let him go.

Matt Perna is charged with entering a restricted building and disorderly conduct on U.S. Capitol grounds, federal prosecutors announced on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021.

The U.S. attorney's office opposed the request, saying Morss acted as a leader on Jan. 6 and repeatedly assaulted police officers trying to protect the Capitol.

"Every person who was present without authority in the Capitol on January 6 contributed to the chaos of that day and the danger posed to law enforcement, the United States Vice President, members of Congress, and the peaceful transfer of power," wrote Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Jackson. "However, Morss violently led that effort and thus his specific conduct aggravated that chaos and danger."

Jackson also said Morss has shown no regrets, citing a speech he wrote that agents found on his iCloud account. The speech is undated, but Morss labeled it "should I have to appeal before a judge what I am gonna say."

In the speech, he wrote, "You ask if I regret my involvement and what happened on the sixth my answer is (a) resounding no."

He goes on to denounce Congress, saying, "that capitol building isn't a temple at all it's a theater where soothsayers and charlatans strip the American people of their rights. We don't need Trump anymore. The people across the political spectrum and from sea to shining sea have woken up to the long train of abuses that this twisted body of government has done."

Jackson said the speech "makes it unequivocally clear that he does not renounce" what he did on Jan. 6.

She said Morss' conduct during the riot and since shows that he's a threat and should remain locked up.

"In short, Morss came prepared for violence and then repeatedly led the violent mob attacking law enforcement in an effort to overtake the Capitol," she said. "His actions inherently prove he is a danger to the community at large, and the law enforcement officers who stand in the way of his ideological beliefs, whose safety can only be assured by his detention."

The judge agreed.

Morss, 28, grew up in Nevada and joined the Army at 17, serving three tours in Afghanistan as a Ranger. His family said he won commendations and was honorably discharged after four years.

After visiting an Army friend from Pennsylvania, he decided to attend Penn State to study history and become a teacher, according to his parents.

He graduated in 2020 and got a job as a substitue in the Shaler district, teaching for about five months.



(c)2021 the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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Buy Photo (Joseph Giordono/Stars and Stripes)

Ramadi, Iraq, July 13, 2005: A young Iraqi girl comes out of her house to watch a passing patrol of U.S. and Iraqi soldiers. For 2nd Brigade soldiers in Ramadi, it was tough to tell what kind of reception local residents would give them on any given day.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken boards his airplane as he departs Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021. Blinken continues his Southeast Asia visit with a stop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Olivier Douliery/Pool/AP)

HONOLULU, Hawaii  U.S. Air Force Special Air Mission 50601 departed from Joint Base Andrews on the night of Dec. 9 with an ambitious journey ahead  an eight-day, around-the-world trip with America's top diplomat, Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

But the diplomatic mission to Britain, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand would soon be upended by the global surge in coronavirus cases. At least three members of the traveling party tested positive for COVID-19 and forced the abrupt cancellation of the last stop and a frantic re-calculation of the remaining itinerary.

The Air Force confirmed on Saturday that at least two members of its crew on the plane had tested positive for COVID. That followed the State Department's announcement that a journalist among the traveling press corps had tested positive, which alarmed the rest of the party and resulted in the trip being cut short.

"Two U.S. Air Force aircrew members supporting the Secretary of State's international travel tested positive for COVID-19," Ann Stefanek, the chief of media operations for the Air Force, said in a statement. "Both aircrew members were fully vaccinated. Neither had come into close contact with the Secretary of State or senior staff."

She said one is asymptomatic, while the other is experiencing mild symptoms and that both are following host nation COVID protocols, which generally mandate a 10-day quarantine.

The first crew member, who was symptomatic, tested positive in Jakarta, after arriving in the Indonesian capital from Liverpool, England, where Blinken participated in a Group of Seven foreign ministers' meeting.

It was not immediately clear where the second crew member tested positive, but the journalist tested positive in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, according to the State Department, which has declined to comment on the Air Force cases.

The journalist's diagnosis in Malaysia set off a panic among the traveling party because of quarantine requirements for those testing positive at the next stop in Thailand.

Presented with a series of options to avoid the possibility of others testing positive, especially before the Christmas holiday, Blinken opted to curtail his trip. Instead of spending Wednesday night in Thailand and having meetings there the next day, Blinken made a brief stop at the airport in Bangkok to replace the infected crew members and did not leave his plane.

He then flew to Guam, an American territory in the Pacific, and then to Hawaii before returning to Washington early Friday morning.

The State Department says it has more than fulfilled the Centers for Disease Control guidance for COVID, by requiring every member of the traveling party to take daily COVID tests over the course of the trip and asking all of those on board the plane to take follow-up tests.

The department said Saturday that all official members of the traveling party had tested negative for the virus upon their return to Washington.

-

Associated Press writer Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report.
Svetlana Haytulova with her dog in Hranitne, Ukraine, stands in front of her house, which was damaged after shelling in October. (Serhiy Morgunov/The Washington Post)

HRANITNE, Ukraine  On one side of the Kalmius River in Ukraine's war-battered eastern Donbas region, a dirt road is lined with houses hit by artillery shells. On the other side are hills less than a mile away. That's where the Russian-backed forces are posted.

Distant booms can occasionally be heard from the road  what one Ukrainian soldier described as the "enemy saying hello."

This has been the daily, draining status quo in Ukraine's nearly eight-year conflict with pro-Moscow militants who control two separatist enclaves along the border with Russia. Though the two sides reached a cease-fire in 2015, hostilities continue. Nearly 14,000 have died.

Now Ukrainian officials and their Western allies fear that tensions with Russia are entering a new phase, with the Kremlin potentially prepared to launch an invasion. There are approximately 100,000 Russian troops and an array of military hardware massed in annexed Crimea and near Ukraine's border, according to U.S. and Ukrainian officials.

Moscow has also said it isn't readying an attack on Ukraine, but has demanded written "security guarantees" from the West. On Russia's list: A NATO pledge that the military alliance will not expand eastward and will also end all NATO activity, including training exercises, in Ukraine. NATO has said that's a non-starter  what some analysts fear Russia could use as justification for starting a war at Europe's eastern edge.

Pavlo Maslinkov walks near a war-damaged farm shed in Hranitne. (Serhiy Morgunov/The Washington Post) Eva, 6, left, Vasylyna Nikolayevas daughter, prepares for a talent show at her kindergarten. (Serhiy Morgunov/The Washington Post)

In Hranitne, a village on the Kalmius River that borders the territory controlled by separatists, war is already here  against forces Ukrainians say are Russian proxies. For years, the area was a relatively peaceful point along the conflict's front line. But then October shelling damaged several civilian homes and prompted Ukrainian forces to order a drone strike.

Svetlana Haytulova, 70, cried as she described how her bedroom wall was blown apart with her inside the house. A white tarp covers the hole now, doing little to keep the cold out.

"How will my son and his wife live here for another 45 years?" Haytulova said. "There's no end to this."

  

Driving through the Ukraine's Donbas region means periodic stops at checkpoints, where armed guards from Ukraine's Western-aided military ask where you're going and why. The scenery outside of the window is of downed power line towers, remnants from when the fighting was at its worst in 2014 and 2015.

Also visible: an empty stretch of trenches, a sort of backup if Ukraine's first line of defense breaks down.

"The whole world now knows that there is a war in Ukraine," said Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine's national security and defense council.

"Before this, everyone thought that everything is fine here, but, in fact, the hot phase of war with Russia never stopped," he added. "It's basically been going on since February 2014."

Since 2016, Hranitne had largely escaped the periodic shelling seen elsewhere along the front line. Then in October, Volodymyr Vesyolkin, the military civil administration head in Hranitne, crossed the Kalmius River.

There, a small settlement called Staromarivka is in what Ukrainians refer to as the "gray zone"  a kind of no man's land that isn't controlled by Kyiv's forces or the separatists. For a month, the checkpoint for people in Staromarivka to visit the separatist-controlled territory was closed, and the only way for them into Hranitne was by foot over a narrow bridge. It's a 20-minute walk for groceries.

Vesyolkin said the people who live there asked for his help delivering the 120 tons of coal to get through the winter. He decided to visit the area with eight others: four civilians who also work for the military civil administration and four Ukrainian soldiers.

"It was actually really joyful," said Vesyolkin, who fled Horlivka, a coal-mining city about 85 miles northeast of Hranitne, when it came under the control of the pro-Russian insurgents in 2014.

"For me, as a person whose home is occupied and where I have not been for eight years, I entered this territory again as a representative of Ukraine, in an area that had not seen a civil servant in more than seven years," he said. "And the people there did not hide their joy either."

But the separatists saw the visit as an attempt to reclaim that territory. Moscow often says that Kyiv could try to take back the separatist Donbas regions "by force"  and that Russia could be forced to interfere to protect the Russian-speaking people who live there. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently equated the conflict with "genocide" against those living in the separatist enclaves.

Soon after Vesyolkin's visit to Staromarivka, the separatists fired on Hranitne.

Vasylyna Nikolayeva was home when she heard the dreaded familiar sound of shells ripping through the air. She grabbed her 6-year-old daughter, Eva, and put her in the bathtub, covering her with her own body. Nikolayeva knew to count the seconds between strikes  an opportunity to run.

Elsewhere in town, Nikolayeva's nephews were on their way to the store when the first shells started dropping. Their father told them to get down, but they were just frozen. At the home of Nikolayeva's parents, a shell fell in the yard.

Haytulova and her neighbors who live closest to the footbridge were hit the hardest. When an artillery strike obliterated her bedroom wall, parts of the ceiling started falling, too.

"I covered my ears, I didn't know where to go," she said. "I jumped into the street, and there is also bombing. I did not know what to do, I was standing there all frightened."

The pedestrian bridge over the Kalmius River and the road toward Staromarivka, in the gray zone area between front lines. (Serhiy Morgunov/The Washington Post) Volodymyr Vesyolkin, the military civil administration head, stands on a Hranitne street, which was damaged after shelling in October. (Serhiy Morgunov/The Washington Post)

On Oct. 26, a day after Vesyolkin had crossed the bridge, Ukrainian forces ordered a drone strike on the separatists' D-30 howitzer  an act Putin later referred to as an escalation on the part of Kyiv. It marked the first time Ukraine had delivered a drone hit in the conflict.

A day later, the fighting subsided. Eva, Nikolayeva's daughter, now instructs her classmates on how to act in case of more strikes. Meanwhile, Nikolayeva decided to move elsewhere in town, farther away from the front line.

Piles of cinder blocks dot Haytulova's street now. The yards are covered in craters from where shells landed. Some residents have started rebuilding. Others don't see the point when another onslaught can come at any minute.

"It was so quiet and then, bam, it started again," said 63-year-old Liudmilya Kulik. "What is all this fighting for? What did we even do?"

If Haytulova could afford to leave this place, she would, she said. A Ukrainian soldier visiting her property told her not to cry, that she would move her to one of the many abandoned houses in the area. It would at least have some heating.

During a walk along the river to see the footbridge, Ukrainian soldiers suggested to move quickly.

"We're exposed and the enemy is on the other side," one said.

  

Fifty miles north of Hranitne, whole apartment buildings are deserted. The military units posted in Krasnohorivka refer to the area as a ghost town. They recommend cars not even idle for too long by the abandoned structures. They are in firing range.

Ask the soldiers stationed here about the Russian forces accumulating along Ukraine's eastern border, and they respond with a shrug. It makes them uneasy. But their day-to-day routines haven't changed.

When the sun is up, it's quiet. They can sit around in huts, constructed amid the trench lines, drinking coffee.

Night is more dangerous. That's when the Ukrainians say that the Russian-backed forces will litter the area with mines, so that the Ukrainian side can't see where they land. That makes mornings treacherous, too.

In some outposts, the distance between the two sides can be just 250 feet. The Ukrainian soldiers say they can even hear when the separatists play music. Sometimes they're yelling something across. It's an enemy much more present than the threat of Russia's army, which many remain skeptical would actually invade.

"My opinion is that they won't attack," said Dmitry, a captain in Ukraine's military who declined to give his surname to avoid possible reprisals from separatists. "They would suffer large losses, firstly on the economic front because there would be sanctions. And also, no matter what happens, they'll have casualties, too."

"If it's a full-scale offensive, the number of deaths will be much higher," he added. "And it all won't go the way they want."

Ukrainians say their army is much improved from 2014, when Russia's invasion of Crimea blindsided Ukraine before the conflict in the east started. Much of Ukraine's greater strength comes from U.S. military assistance, including Javelin antitank missiles that were moved to the front line earlier this year in response to the growing threat from Moscow. The weapons have not yet been used.

But Russia clearly has the advantage in firepower, particularly its missile arsenal.

"There is no doubt that the Russian army is larger than the Ukrainian army," said Danilov, secretary of Ukraine's national security and defense council.

"But there is also a weapon called the Ukrainian spirit," he added. "Russian soldiers definitely don't have that. If necessary, there will be guerrilla warfare and other types of warfare so that we will definitely win this process. Moreover, I am convinced that we will win. We do not doubt it for a minute."

Dmitry, the Ukrainian captain, has been in the military for 13 years. He has two months of service left  a span that covers the U.S. intelligence projection of when Russia might be planning an offensive. The night before, someone in his unit was wounded, taken to the hospital with shrapnel in his arm and leg.

"Everyone has fear," he said. "The person who says he's not afraid is an idiot."

Serhiy Morgunov in Hranitne, Ukraine, and Mary Ilyushina in Moscow contributed to this report.
In this Aug. 3, 2021 file photo, Pakistan Army troops patrol along the fence on the Pakistan Afghanistan border at Big Ben hilltop post in Khyber district, Pakistan. (Anjum Naveed/AP)

KABUL, Afghanistan  Thousands of Taliban fighters and supporters have poured into Afghanistan from Pakistan over the past four months, answering the calls of influential clerics and commanders eager to consolidate control of the country, according to interviews with half a dozen current and former Taliban members in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Senior Taliban leadership urged fighters, Afghan refugees and madrassa students in Pakistan to come to Afghanistan to help the group maintain security as it made a string of sudden territorial advances this summer that created an urgent need for reinforcements, the current and former Taliban members said.

"Many of our mujahideen were offered permanent residences in Afghanistan if they wish to move here," said one Pakistani Taliban fighter who aided in the recruitment effort from a madrassa in northwest Pakistan. He, like others in this report, spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

The surge in Taliban fighters and supporters from Pakistan is bolstering ranks as the movement grapples with security threats, economic collapse and a deepening humanitarian crisis. But the source of the additional forces is also stirring long-held tensions with Pakistan at a critical time for Taliban leadership as it focuses on maintaining unity in the face of multiple crises that have the potential to undermine the group.

The movement of Taliban fighters and supporters between Afghanistan and Pakistan for education, medical treatment, training and fighting is nothing new. But this year it intensified.

The Taliban is estimated to have about 75,000 fighters in its ranks. The size of the recent influx from Pakistan is believed to range between 5,000 and 10,000, according to Taliban commanders, as much as 10 times higher than an average fighting season.

The reports compound Pakistan and Afghanistan's already complicated relationship.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan praised the Taliban's military takeover of Afghanistan, saying it broke "the chains of slavery." Pakistani's intelligence chief traveled to Kabul in October, and Khan is one of the most vocal world leaders calling for international recognition of the Taliban.

But many Pakistanis blame instability in Afghanistan for militant attacks on their own soil, something they fear will increase with the Taliban in power. One powerful group is the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, which is distinct from the Afghan Taliban but has thrown its support behind the neighboring rulers.

A senior Pakistani Foreign Ministry official said reports of thousands of Taliban fighters and supporters crossing into Afghanistan are "totally unfounded."

"The Pakistani border has been almost completely fenced. It was a long and porous border earlier, but that's no more the case," he said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter candidly. "Yes, we have still millions of Afghan refugees and people come and go to Afghanistan. But to say that thousands of fighters cross the border, that is baseless."

Calls by Taliban for more fighters from Pakistan began over the summer as Afghan government-held provincial capitals fell in quick succession. But after the militants took Kabul, Taliban leaders also began calling on educated Taliban members and supporters in Pakistan to join the group's nascent government.

"The recruiters came to mosques, training camps and the madrassas. Many of the students even left for Afghanistan before they completed their studies and had their turban ceremony," said Quduratullah, an Afghan Taliban fighter, referring to a prestigious graduation ceremony. He spoke on the condition that only his first name be used because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

Under normal circumstances, students studying at madrassas in Pakistan  schools that teach the Koran and are often criticized as incubators of radicalism in that country  would wait to complete their studies or for scheduled breaks to fight in Afghanistan with the Taliban.

This year, clerics handed out waivers allowing students to pause their classes to serve in Afghanistan without having to begin the curriculum again from the beginning, Quduratullah said.

The 29-year-old Taliban fighter has lived between Pakistan and Afghanistan most of his life, regularly joining the Taliban's ranks for the group's spring fighting season. This year the atmosphere was unlike any he had experienced. "It was full of excitement and joy," he said.

There was also a change in kinds of Taliban fighters and supporters who were making the trip to Afghanistan. He said he saw more people from madrassas and people with university educations, especially after the group took control of Kabul.

"Of course this will change the movement," he said, referring to the influx of thousands, especially those with higher education.

"These people are planning" Afghanistan's future, he said, "but like all revolutions in all countries this will take time." The lack of experience among the recruits means change could take years, not months, he said.

On the heels of the rush of fighters and supporters, Islamic schools and military training centers that served as key steps along the recruitment pipeline have also begun moving into Afghanistan. The Pakistani Taliban member involved in sending fighters to Afghanistan said more and more Taliban training centers are being set up inside Afghanistan, where conditions are preferable to quickly train recruits.

"It's easier now to get training in Afghanistan because all kinds of weapons are available there," said the Pakistani Taliban member. He said many of the Taliban's top trainers have also relocated to Afghanistan from Pakistan where it's now safer for them to operate.

After sweeping to power, the Taliban found its forces stretched thin. While the group controlled more than half of Afghanistan's territory, its gains over the summer suddenly put its fighters in charge of securing urban centers where most of country's population lives.

Attacks claimed by the Islamic State's Afghanistan branch are on the rise, and after an initial plunge in crime, reports suggest the worsening economy is causing that to rise as well.

"Definitely, security is the top priority for the Emirate [Taliban leadership] right now. There are a number of security challenges including the Daesh and also keeping the crime rates under control," said a pro-Taliban Pakistani cleric who has supported the group logistically from Pakistan for years. Daesh is the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State.

After the fall of Kabul, the cleric said Pakistani doctors traveled to Afghanistan to support the health care system there and advise the Taliban's ministry of health.

Afghanistan is in dire need of educated, experienced bureaucrats to provide people with basic services. The massive U.S. airlift, ongoing evacuation efforts and fears among many former government employees of Taliban reprisals have gutted the country's professional workforce.

The cleric said he is unaware of any Pakistani engineers or university-level professors traveling to Afghanistan but knows of some who are advising the Taliban remotely by phone and with messaging services.

"It's not only about war and fighting," said Afrasiab Khattak, a former Pakistani senator and Pashtun nationalist leader. The recruitment will also funnel people into government positions so employees of the former Afghan government can be demoted or fired, he said. "The Taliban don't trust the old government people."

But for many Afghans  both supporters of the Taliban and not  people with ties to Pakistan are viewed with suspicion. And the Taliban's ties to Pakistan are often citied by critics who accuse the movement of not being purely Afghan.

A former senior Taliban member called the Taliban's massive recruitment effort from Pakistan "a mistake."

"Priority should be given to the Taliban who are already here in Afghanistan," he said and predicted that if the practice continued, it will only fuel opposition to the Taliban's rule.

Quduratullah, the Afghan Taliban fighter, said there is deep suspicion of fighters like himself who have spent much of their lives in Pakistan. Millions of Afghan refugees who fled war have lived in Pakistan for decades. Many lack the rights that would allow them to work and live freely in Pakistan, putting them at an economic disadvantage and making the population ripe for radicalization or recruitment.

Most of the Taliban fighters and supporters flowing from Pakistan into Afghanistan are Afghan according to the Taliban member in Pakistan involved in recruitment efforts.

"Ordinary people, even my family, yes of course they criticize us [for living in Pakistan]," Quduratullah said. "But it is because they are ignorant. Personally, I am extremely opposed to Pakistan because it is not a true Islamic government."

He said he lives part of the year there because the rest of his unit does the same. He listed dozens of instances of harassment at the hands of Pakistani police due to his Taliban ties including multiple detentions, one resulting in jail time.

The influx from Pakistan could initially deepen distrust between many Afghans and the Taliban movement, he conceded. "It will make it more difficult to convince the ordinary people [who do not already support the Taliban] that we do not just follow Pakistan's orders, but in time they will see," he said.

"We defeated the United States," he said. "That is the only evidence you need to know we are a nationalist movement for Afghanistan."

- - -

Khan reported from Peshawar, Pakistan. The Washington Post's Shaiq Hussain in Islamabad, Pakistan, and Aziz Tassal in Houston contributed to this report.
Hans Mark in 1998 with a model of the tiltrotor aircraft that he helped develop. Mark, a University of Texas aerospace engineer and former deputy director of NASA, also served as secretary of the Air Force and UT System chancellor. (Austin American-Statesman/TNS)

AUSTIN, Texas (Tribune News Service)  Aerospace engineer Hans Mark, a former secretary of the Air Force and University of Texas System chancellor who escaped the Nazis as a boy and then grew up to help put a man on the moon, died Saturday morning.

Mark was 92. He died at Westminster senior home in Austin and had suffered from progressive dementia.

A native of Germany who spent his childhood in Austria, Mark served as a longtime aerospace engineering professor at UT, as well as secretary of the Air Force and deputy administrator of NASA. He worked in Mission Control during the first moon landing and convinced President Ronald Reagan to establish the Space Station program.

Mark also helped turn UT and the entire city of Austin into research powerhouses. He left no question as to the critical importance of exploratory research.

"Because it's in our DNA," Mark told reporter Monica Kortsha for an article republished in Alcalde magazine in 2014. "To explore is an essential part of life, and a great nation has the obligation to explore."

Research, scholarship and teaching sustained his family for generations.

"Hans was a descendant of a long line of scholarly people through his father, Herman Mark," said his wife of 70 years, Marion Thorpe "Bun" Mark, referring to the chemist father who received the National Medal of Science from President Jimmy Carter. "Hans is remembered for his warm support of his students. He was honored for his serious work ethic, modesty, incorruptible character and respect for others. He earned a lot of honors I didn't even know about."

His UT students realized how lucky they were to study with him.

"Dr. Mark is the god of aerospace engineering," wrote one anonymous student in a review on the website Rate My Professors. "Be prepared to worship one of the finest aerospace-engineers-turned-bureaucrats in aerospace history. This guy has had his hands in loads of important projects, met some of the most important people in history  knew Carl Sagan personally  and his stories are to die for. Be prepared to love this class."

Born in Mannheim, Germany, on June 17, 1929, Mark escaped from Austria in 1940 with his family before the Nazis had hardened the border.

In his 2019 book, "An Anxious Peace: A Cold War Memoir" (published by Texas A&M University Press), Mark described a gripping journey through Switzerland, Italy, France, the U.K., Canada and the U.S. His father had shaped the family's savings into platinum clothing hangers, which, in haste they decided to leave behind. A maid, however, hid them in the trunk of their Hudson, an American-made car.

"They lived off those coat hangers," Bun said. "The maid thought they would need them."

Mark graduated from Stuyvesant High School in New York in 1947 and received his bachelor's degree in physics from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1951. He earned his Ph.D. in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1954.

Equally opposed to fascism and communism, Mark devoted much of his career to nuclear deterrence during the Cold War, including the development of secret technology for spying and enhancing America's nuclear capability. He was a protege of Edward Teller, known as the "father of the hydrogen bomb."

Mark held a number of research and teaching jobs until 1964, when he became chair of Berkeley's department of nuclear engineering while directing the Berkeley Research Reactor. In 1969, he was named director of NASA's Ames Research Research Center in Mountain View, Calif.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he held positions in Washington, D.C., that included secretary of the Air Force, director of the top-secret National Reconnaissance Office, deputy administrator of NASA and director of Defense Research and Engineering at the Pentagon.

In 2008, the Space Foundation gave Mark its highest honor, the General James E. Hill Lifetime Space Achievement Award, and in 2012, the Air Force Space Command awarded him the Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers Award.

Mark and his family moved to Austin in 1984 when he was named chancellor of the UT System, a job he kept until 1992. Of his time in that office, Mark said he was most proud of establishing a medical school in the Rio Grande Valley and hiring trailblazer Diana Natalicio as president of UT's El Paso branch. The late Natalicio stepped down after 31 years in that position in 2019.

While he was called back to Washington periodically for research work, Mark's great love was teaching aerospace engineering in UT's Cockrell School of Engineering. His students, many of whom rose to leadership positions in academia, remembered his accessibility and humor.

"I teach them aerospace and then I tell them jokes," Mark told Kortsha. Michael Webber, one of his proteges, went on to be named the Josey Centennial Professorship in Energy Resources at UT.

"He reached down and grabbed me and said, 'You've got do better,'" Webber told Kortsha. "Don't give up and you'll like it. And it was true. ... This is part of being a professor: You can make someone feel very special. You can see something in the student that they don't see themselves. You can encourage them to strive higher, to achieve more. And I feel like that's what Dr. Mark was doing with me."

Hans and Bun Mark settled in Tarrytown, not far from the official chancellor's residence. He is survived by two children, James Randall "Rufus" Mark and Jane Mark Jopson, as well as five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

A memorial will be held for Mark at Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd on Jan. 15. Memorial gifts can be made to the Hans Mark Scholarship Endowment at the University of Texas.

2021 www.statesman.com.

Visit statesman.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Weather Eye

with John Maunder

In the bleak mid-winter,



Frosty wind made moan,



Earth stood hard as iron,



Water like a stone,



Snow had fallen,



Snow on snow,



Snow on snow,



In the bleak mid-winter,



Long ago.



These words, from the first verse of the well-known carol, were written by the English poet Christina Rossetti in 1872 in response to a request from the magazine Scribner's Monthly for a Christmas poem.



It was published posthumously in Rossetti's Poetic Works in 1904. The poem became a Christmas carol after it appeared in The English Hymnal in 1906. The text of this Christmas poem has been set to music many times; the most famous settings being composed by Gustav Holst and Harold Edwin Darke in the early 20th Century. The version by Darke is favoured by cathedral choirs, and is the one usually heard performed on the radio broadcasts of Nine Lessons and Carols by the King's College choir.



The carol featured in the Queen's Christmas TV message in 2012. The carol is usually featured on Nine Lessons and Carols by the King's College Choir on Christmas Eve, and was also part of the Music and the Spoken Word programme from Mormon Tabernacle Choir on Sunday December 5 2021 on New Zealands Prime TV.

Weatherwise, of some significance is that eight years ago on December 15, 2013 the Mail Online (UK) had the following headlines relating to a severe snow storm, which hit the Holy City  and at the same time Cairo experienced its first snowfall in more than 100 years. Perhaps a reminder that Christmas carols really do come alive.



A Christmas card come to Life: Jerusalem hit by worst snowstorm for 20 years, as eight inches fall across Holy City.



- Unusually heavy snowfall, as temperatures dip below freezing.

- Dome of the Rock and Western Wall bathed in white blanket.

- Prime Minister Natanyahu gets in on the fun with family snowball fight.

As all my readers will be aware, the weather is always with us; and although we may all hope that the weather this Christmas and in 2022 will be to our liking, it is perhaps important to remember that in the Southern Hemisphere where the carol In the Bleak Mid-Winter may seem unusual, there have been two significant and tragic events at Christmas.



The first was on Christmas Eve in New Zealand, in 1953, when the Tangiwai rail disaster occurred with loss of 151 lives following a rapid rise in the Tangiwai river. The second was in Darwin, in Australia on Christmas Day 1974, when Tropical Cyclone Tracy killed 71 people and destroyed 80 per cent of the city's houses.



I take this opportunity to wish all my readers a very Merry Christmas and I will be back in 2022 with some more WeatherEyes.
The Ministry of Health is reporting 55 new community cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand and eight new cases identified at the border. There are 56 people in hospital with six in ICU. Three people are in Tauranga Hospital.

There are three new cases to report in Tauranga today  all linked and contacts of previous cases.

There are five new cases of the Omicron variant detected amongst international arrivals, making a total of 13 now in the country.

More than eight million Covid-19 vaccines have now been given.

Covid-19 vaccine update

The eight millionth dose of the Covid-19 vaccine has now been administered in New Zealand. This includes first doses, second doses, boosters as well as third doses intended for those that are immune compromised. This significant milestone includes both the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines.

MidCentral and Hutt Valley have now reached 90 per cent first doses for Maori, becoming the fourth and fifth DHB areas to achieve this milestone.

In the Bay of Plenty DHB region 93 per cent of eligible people have had their first dose of vaccine, and 87 per cent have had their second dose.

In the Lakes DHB region, 91 per cent have received their first dose of vaccine and 86 per cent have received their second dose.

Omicron update

Whole genome sequencing has now detected five further cases of Omicron in international arrivals, taking New Zealands total to 13 cases with the variant.

Four of these cases remain in managed isolation. One has now recovered and been released.

The recovered case arrived from London via Singapore on December 7. This case tested positive to Covid-19 at day 0/1 and was accordingly closely managed in MIQ. They were never in the community while infectious.

As an added precaution, 30 other passengers on their flight are regarded as close contacts. To date, 27 of these passengers have completed day 9 tests and returned negative results  testing is underway for the remaining three.

There are no other positive border sequencing tests outstanding from prior to the introduction of new Omicron protocols on 1December 16.

Health and MIQ teams have been carefully planning for Omicron cases at the border and will continue to manage all arrivals cautiously. This includes isolation and testing requirements for all new arrivals, robust infection and prevention control and PPE measures at airports and MIQ facilities, and frequent surveillance testing of staff who have any contact with recent international returnees.

New precautions set out that whole genome sequencing on all new border cases of Covid-19 is undertaken rapidly to identify any new cases of the Omicron variant.

These measures also see all passengers on flights with Omicron cases being required to complete all ten days at a managed isolation facility  rather than spending the last three days of their isolation period in self-isolation.

Covid-19 vaccine update

Vaccines administered to date (percentage of eligible people): 3,963,513 first doses (94%); 3,798,165 second doses (90%); 24,549 third primary doses; 212,905 booster doses

Vaccines administered yesterday: 1,728 first doses; 6,630 second doses; 191 third primary doses and 6,916 booster doses.

Maori (percentage of eligible people): 495,993 first doses (87%); 442,500 second doses (77%)

Pacific Peoples (percentage of eligible people): 268,296 first doses (94%); second doses 252,451 (88%)

Vaccination rates by DHB with active cases (percentage of eligible people)

Northland DHB: First doses (88%); second doses (83%)

Auckland Metro DHBs: First doses (96%); second doses (93%)

Waikato DHB: First doses (93%); second doses (89%)

Bay of Plenty DHB: First doses (93%); second doses (87%)

Lakes DHB: First doses (91%); second doses (86%)

Taranaki DHB: First doses (93%); second doses (87%)

Whanganui DHB: First doses (90%); second doses (85%)

Hawkes Bay DHB: First doses (94%); second doses (88%)

Nelson-Marlborough DHB: First doses (94%); second doses (90%)

Canterbury DHB: First doses (98%); second doses (94%)

Hospitalisations

Cases in hospital: 56; North Shore: 10; Auckland: 26; Middlemore: 15; Waikato: 2; Tauranga: 3.

Vaccination status of current hospitalisations (Northern Region wards only): Unvaccinated or not eligible (25 cases / 53%); partially immunised <7 days from second dose or have only received one dose (6 cases / 13%); fully vaccinated at least 7 days before being reported as a case (12 cases/ 26%); unknown (4 cases / 9%)

Average age of current hospitalisations: 53

Cases in ICU or HDU: 6 (1 in North Shore; 2 in Auckland; 2 in Middlemore; 1 in Waikato)

Cases

Seven day rolling average of community cases: 71.9

Number of new community cases: 55

Number of new cases identified at the border: 8

Location of new community cases: Auckland (41), Waikato (4), Bay of Plenty (3), Taranaki (7).

Number of community cases (total): 10,220 (in current community outbreak)

Number of active cases (total): 1,902 (not recovered cases added in past 21 days)

Confirmed cases (total): 13,425

Cases epidemiologically linked (total): 7,539

Contacts

Number of active contacts being managed (total): 6,706

Percentage who have received an outbound call from contact tracers (to confirm testing and isolation requirements): 83%

Percentage who have returned at least one result: 77%

Tests

Number of tests total (last 24 hours): 18,412

Tests rolling average (last 7 days): 22,418

Auckland tests total (last 24 hours): 5,499

Wastewater

Wastewater detections: No unexpected results to report

NZ COVID Tracer

Poster scans in 24 hours to midday yesterday: 1,950,054

Manual diary entries in 24 hours to midday: 25,976

My Vaccine Pass

My vaccine pass downloads total: 4,369,755

My vaccine pass downloads (last 24 hours): 1,589

New cases identified at the border Arrival date From Via Positive test day/reason Managed isolation/quarantine location 10 December Sri Lanka United Arab Emirates Day 5/contact of a case Christchurch 16 December Tanzania United Arab Emirates Day 3/routine Auckland 14 December United States of America United Arab Emirates Day 3/routine Auckland 16 December United Kingdom United Arab Emirates Day 3/routine Wellington 7 December United States of America Direct flight Day 9/routine Hamilton 11 December Nigeria United Arab Emirates Day 6/routine Auckland 11 December Nigeria United Arab Emirates Day 6/routine Auckland 16 December Singapore Direct flight Day 3/routine Auckland

Todays cases

Today, the Ministry of Health are reporting new community cases in Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, and Taranaki.

Regional updates

We are continuing to ask anyone in New Zealand with symptoms  no matter how mild  to get tested, even if youre vaccinated, says a Ministry of Health spokesperson. Please stay at home until you return a negative test result.

Testing and vaccination centre locations nationwide can be found on the Healthpoint website.

Auckland

Today, there are 41 new cases being reported in Auckland.

Health and welfare providers are now supporting 1,928 people to isolate at home, including 530 cases.

Waikato

In the Waikato, four new cases were reported overnight; three are in Te Kuiti and one is in Tokoroa. Of these cases, three are confirmed linked and one case remains under investigation to determine any links to previous cases.

There are four pop-up and dedicated testing sites operating throughout Waikato today with sites in Hamilton, Te Kuiti, Huntly, Taumarunui, and Otorohanga.

There are two cases receiving care at Waikato Hospital.

Health and welfare providers are supporting 63 cases to isolate at home.

Taranaki

Today, we are reporting seven new cases of COVID-19 in Taranaki.

Of these cases, four are linked to the Eltham cluster, two are linked to the New Plymouth case and one will be officially transferred to Aucklands case numbers as they reside there for work purposes but have a permanent Taranaki address.

Testing is available today and tomorrow at:

Taranaki Base Hospital testing centre, 9am  3pm

Hawera Hospital testing centre, 10am  2pm

Media releases over the Christmas break

Over the Christmas break there will be regular COVID-19 updates published and tweeted each day apart from:
Streets around Mount Maunganui came alive on Saturday afternoon with the sound of Christmas carols after a group of singers boarded the Pepi Toot beach express train.

Mr and Mrs Claus were also on board, along with singers from Mount Maunganui RSA.

The good news that Santa has made it safely from the North Pole, through MIQ and arrived at the Mount, was received with relief by many as it's only six more sleeps until Christmas Eve.

Fay Cowan and her dog Neva. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

SunLive understands Santa and Mrs Claus are taking a wee summer holiday at their favourite holiday spot - Mount Maunganui - before Santa gets busy delivering all his presents at the end of the week.

The Pepi Toot train left from the Mount RSA at around 3pm on Saturday December 18, with the group of carol singers on board - many will recognise the singers from kareoke events held at the RSA.

Pepi Toot then made three stops around the Mount with about a dozen carols being sung at each stop.

There was a stiff westerly blowing into shore in Pilot Bay, and Lesley Smith the train owner and driver cleverly turned the train so that the singers were sheltered on the windward side by the train's clear plastic wind protection.

Once the speaker system arrived in the back of one of the singer's cars and was set up, Santa, who was sitting at the back of the train set up his laptop next to Mrs Claus, clicked on 'play' and the singers launched in to a few merry Christmas carols.

Santa descended from the train to greet a few passers-by including a toddler who immediately burst into tears, but apart from that everyone was very happy to see he had managed to make it here from his North Pole home.

After about 40 minutes of hearty singing, the train moved on to the next stop opposite Moturiki on Marine Parade, before finishing up at Mount Mainstreet in the centre of town.

At each train stop people gathered to join in and sing carols with the singers.

Also at each stop Lesley took up a collection to help towards currently unfunded treatment for a Tauranga man's fight against cancer.

In 2015, Jacob West was diagnosed with Gliomatosis Cerebri at 16 years of age while attending Tauranga Boys' College.

Jacob West celebrating a recent birthday with his family. Photo: Supplied.

In October 2021 Jacob discovered his tumour had grown and changed again, and his family needed to look at different treatment options.

Jacobs oncologist decided the best treatment option would be a IV chemo called Ironetecan which he receives in the Cancer unit and is publicly funded.

"We were also given the option to try an unfunded drug called Avastin which has being proven to help with other brain tumours and if everything goes in our favour (everything crossed) there is a good chance this will help hold or shrink the tumours and work alongside the chemo," says Jacob's mother Jo West.

Many who know the West family have been rallying and helping raise funds so they can afford to buy Avastin.

"These new drugs have given him hope and he is now starting to plan what he might do in the future,' says Jo.

"We all have so many people to thank who have helped us in so many different ways, the love and support we have received is amazing and we wish to thank you all."

For those who were unable to attend the carol singing fundraiser but would like to donate, there is a Jacob West Treatment Fun Account. Image: Supplied.
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Many people would be happy picking up the latest Paula Hawkins thriller to while away the holiday.

Not so, Gov. John Bel Edwards.

His reading over Christmas and New Years will focus on a few racist bits in history.

Maybe, hes preparing for the coming storm. The Democratic governor needs to first finish the fight with the Republican legislative majority over creating a second minority-majority congressional district. Then, as anger over masks and vaccinations die down, critical race theory is sure to return.

Mark Ballard: Critical Race Theory is back and conservatives continue to fight it Fearing their children would be blamed for the nations history of racism, cadres of Louisiana parents last summer stormed the usually dry mee

Though actually an academic research framework, critical race theory has been co-opted as shorthand for the fight over how much of the nations racist history is taught to school children.

A few weeks ago, political novice Glenn Youngkin was able to parlay his opponents refusal to ban Toni Morrisons Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Beloved from public schools into an improbable GOP gubernatorial win in Virginia. The issue riled up parents who didnt want their third-graders scolded for what some of their distant ancestors may have done long ago.

Edwards choice of holiday reading could be political or it could be that even the governor is unaware of this states history and wants to learn more.

Slavery is mentioned in public schools, though not in much detail and with little explanation of why Louisiana was among the nations top three wealthiest states in the years prior to 1860. One thing Louisiana children are not going to learn about is the states history of racial violence.

First up for Edwards is Separate: The Story of Plessy v. Ferguson, and America's Journey from Slavery to Segregation, by Steve Luxenberg, which tells the story of Homer Plessy, a New Orleans cobbler who in 1892 refused to sit in the train car designated for Black people. The crime, which Edwards will soon be pardoning, led to an 1896 U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the separate but equal doctrine.

Our Views: Homer Plessy needs no validation, but Louisiana pardon corrects a century-old wrong Homer Plessy doesnt need validation from Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, the Louisiana Pardon Board or anyone else. His place in history is 

The governor also will be reading The Day Freedom Died: The Colfax Massacre, the Supreme Court, and the Betrayal of Reconstruction, by Charles Lane.

A tiny town of about 1,500 residents northwest of Alexandria, Colfax was where in 1873  after Republicans narrowly won reelection to control the state  300 armed White men executed 60 Black residents.

Colfax was only one incident since Reconstruction where White Louisiana grabbed guns and attacked minorities.

Forty-eight people died outside the Mechanics Institute, where the Roosevelt New Orleans Hotel now stands, when police attacked a crowd that had met in response to the state Legislature enacting Black Codes and limiting the vote. Between 150 and 300 Black people were killed in Opelousas over tensions between Democrats and Republicans.

Our Views: Teach honestly about Americas greatness and shortcomings We freely admit our prejudices: America is a great nation. Its story is one of growing freedom and prosperity.

And the list goes on: up to 100 Black people were dragged from their homes and murdered in St. Bernard Parish as Whites tried to suppress Black votes; 60 Black sugar cane workers wanting higher pay were shot down in Thibodaux; 11 Italian Americans were killed by a mob after being acquitted of murdering a police chief; members of a biracial labor union in Bogalusa were shot to death; state troopers riding horses and wielding cattle prods chased black people through streets of Plaquemine.

The thing is that history is dangerous because it creates your sense of identity, Ty Seidule, author of the third book on Edwards holiday reading list, told The Atlantic in March.

A brigadier general, historian, and professor emeritus at West Point, Seidule wrote part epiphany, part history with Robert E. Lee and Me: A Southerners Reckoning With the Myth of the Lost Cause.

Seidule grew up in awe of the gentleman general until he started researching why so many buildings and roads at the United States Military Academy were named after a traitor. Seidule found that name changes came about at significant moments when the Army was dealing with integration. In 1970, for instance, when the Army started the minority-admissions program, a barracks was named after Lee.

More White people have to accept the facts of American history, Seidule said. I wish I had a better answer of how were going to do that. I dont know. I know, though, that it does require White people admitting where they come from and who they are, and then fighting like hell to end that.
Ambitious, handsome and charismatic, Stonehouse was an egomaniac with a limitless capacity for making trouble for himself and everyone around him, especially his long-suffering family. He might have got away with it but for hubris.

Australians played a significant role in identifying and arresting Stonehouse, and several were also among those who assisted him during subsequent legal proceedings in England. These included the then rising junior barrister Geoffrey Robertson, who represented Stonehouse for a short time before his client decided, disastrously for as it turned out, to represent himself in a trial at the Old Bailey that ended in multiple convictions and a substantial prison sentence.

If ever there was a real-life political scandal demanding to be adapted for the screen in a British-Australian co-production, it is the astonishing story of John Stonehouse MP. In the 1960s, the English politician served as a cabinet minister in the Labour government led by Harold Wilson and, as indicated by the subtitle of this book, was a corporate crook and a traitor.

In 1974, while an MP and member of the Privy Council, Stonehouse decided to forestall inevitable financial ruin by faking his death. He left a towel on a beach near a hotel in Miami and travelled on a false passport to Melbourne. There he had hoped to be reunited both with his mistress, who worked as his parliamentary secretary and aided in the elaborate deception, and the large amount of money Stonehouse had defrauded from a network of companies he had set up with the unwitting assistance of his solicitor nephew, Michael Hayes.

This book is the nearest thing we have to a definitive account of the Stonehouse affair. Julian Hayes is a senior British lawyer as well as the son of Michael Hayes. In researching this fascinating and thoroughly absorbing book, he confirmed that Stonehouse took payments from the Soviet-era Czech secret service, which recruited him as a spy in the 1960s, though it seems it may have been ripped off just like Stonehouses family and business associates.

Credit:

According to Hayes, the state archives of what is now the Czech Republic indicate Stonehouse took large amounts of cash from his handlers while somehow failing to provide them with any useful intelligence in return. Stonehouse was not a spy or agent in the terms that we understand them in the novels of John le Carre and Ian Fleming, writes Hayes. He hadnt provided the Czechs with anything significant and the disappointment in their filed reports is palpable. Stonehouse seems more reminiscent of le Carres fraudster father, Ronnie.

The arrest in Melbourne of Stonehouse, who rented a Flinders Street apartment while using two false identities taken from deceased constituents Joseph Markham and Donald Mildoon, largely came about as the result of his inability to blend into a crowd. An eagle-eyed bank employee on his lunch break noticed a furtive looking character going in and out of different banks with large amounts of cash and alerted his manager, who in turn contacted the police.
A lot of that is Corrin, Fennell says. Hes dogged, has an incredible memory, and understands that when you make a documentary like this theres a tendency for it to be quite an extractive process. Its important, especially when someone is sharing a terrible moment from their life, that you not only take something but also produce a thing that returns some measure of justice.

Some people involved chose not to participate, such as McCaughey, while others, including then Victorian minister for the arts Race Mathews (who was also police minister, doubling his involvement), were too elderly and infirm to take part. The NGV did not co-operate. Dogged research also helped: Victoria Police had lost the main file on the case, but the Framed team could retrieve a copy from the partner of someone investigated who had gotten it many years prior under Freedom of Information laws.

As briskly thoughtful as the narrative is  with the approximately 25-minute episode length suggesting the now-familiar podcast structure  the story keeps shape-shifting so that absurdism and loss are mixed, while knowledge and responsibility overlap. At one point Fennell pointedly asks cultural critic Ashley Crawford, until then a drolly entertaining commentator on the saga, whether he actually knows more than hes letting on.

It was always obvious that Ashley was willing to give something, but not other things, Fennell says. Which is a normal part of the negotiations for any interviews, but at the same time if it goes unacknowledged then its disingenuous. If I know that he knows more and I let it slide its a disservice to the audience. If he doesnt want to answer it doesnt mean I cant ask.

Fennell was barely one year old when the robbery occurred. He grew up in Sydney without knowledge of the story, so throughout he plays his preferred role as a storyteller: the outsider simply seeking context, information, and an explanation. I listen better when I dont feel like I belong, is how he explains it, and that was one of several factors that contributed to Framed choosing not to go full true crime and advance its own theories as to who stole Weeping Woman.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he will meet with state and territory leaders this week to discuss the coronavirus pandemic, just days after the leaders met on December 10 for what was then slated to be the last national cabinet meeting of the year.

Mr Morrison also appeared to take a swipe today at changing travel restrictions in Western Australia, saying: I think Australians need to know that if they are going to get on a plane and get somewhere they can get off at the other end.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on the unofficial campaign trail on Monday. Credit:James Brickwood

WA moved last week to tighten travel restrictions, banning quarantine-free travel into the state from Tasmania. Under the changes, Queenslanders also require an exemption from WA Police to enter the state.

Separately, infectious disease experts have been calling for the reintroduction of mask requirements in indoor settings across the country  rules that are already in force in Victoria and Queensland in some indoor environments, and will be mandated in all indoor settings in Tasmania from tomorrow. But Mr Morrison said people should take sensible, common sense steps to protect their health.

If you are elderly or in a situation where you are more vulnerable, you will be more acutely attuned to these issues, I think, Mr Morrison said.

But we have to keep moving forward with this. This is why Australians rolled up their sleeve [to get vaccinated], this is why Australians have worked so hard.

The cases will rise with the Omicron variant; what we will continue to work through with states and territories is making sure we manage the impact on the hospital system in the primary health network.

Premiers and chief ministers and I will meet again for a further update this week; we will do that over the next day or so, and we are pulling in more information ... as it is coming into the country so we can remain as up-to-date on what is necessary.

We will keep fine-tuning and calibrating the things you need to do.

Mr Morrison said the meeting was informal and its not unusual we would be meeting more regularly with Omicron being where it is.
One person has died and two others have been critically injured by a fallen tree in Sydneys north after a severe storm cell passed through the region on Sunday afternoon.

Emergency services, including ambulance and the Westpac helicopter, were called to a car park on Ocean Street in Narrabeen after 3.30pm.

One person has died and two are critically injured after a tree fell down during a storm in Narrabeen. Credit:Nick Moir

One person was declared deceased, while two others were critically injured and transported to Royal North Shore Hospital, police said in a statement.

A resident reported hearing screams after the tree fell down and trapped multiple people.
The state government insists the testing system is coping with the extra demand, and have changed opening hours for state-run drive-through testing sites from 8am to 8pm, to 7am to 7pm to account for the morning rush. Loading Lisa Fitzpatrick, the Victorian branch secretary of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, said a surge workforce of allied health and nursing, midwifery and medical students had been built by the state government to deal with the increase and was currently being used, but more might need to be done. There is a heavy demand on our testing sites with a rise in community transmission coinciding with an increase in testing for people to meet travel requirements. There may be a need to extend hours or increase the number of sites, she said. Ms Fitzpatrick said the surge workforce had been created so that the majority of nurses and midwives could return to their health services.

Theres no capacity to draw more testing staff from our health services because those people are all unselfishly working, despite the need for a break, so they can care for the unvaccinated who continue to require hospitalisation, she said. People will need to accept there will be longer wait times and be patient with staff and each other. Drivers wait for COVID-19 testing in Cheltenham. Credit:Penny Stephens Victoria recorded 1240 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, including five new cases of the Omicron variant. There are now 392 people in hospital with the virus, with 41 on a ventilator. In NSW, where more than 10,000 people have contracted COVID-19 in the past five days, experts have called for the state government to reintroduce indoor mask-wearing and restrict large indoor events.

In an opinion piece written by John Kaldor and Greg Dore, epidemiologists at the University of NSWs Kirby Institute, and Professor Sharon Lewin, director of the Doherty Institute, the trio said a two-week pause on big indoor events and return to mask-wearing mandates could avoid tens of thousands of cases in January. The three infectious disease experts said states should rethink their reopening plans to allow time to get more information about Omicrons severity and ability to evade vaccines. Loading Epidemiologist Michael Toole, an associate at Melbournes Burnet Institute, said he believed Victoria currently had the right settings in place but that health authorities should reassess in mid-January. I think, given what we know now, we have hospitalisations fairly steady - theres been a little increase - and given that we still do have vaccine mandates, we have indoor masks, I wouldnt rush in and change anything right now. Certainly, dont ease the restrictions, but theres no sign theyll do that in Victoria, he said.

Professor Toole said Victoria should be aiming to increase testing numbers, and suggested schools and other local places could be used as pop-up centres. I think we should be aiming for 100,000 a day, he said. I think we should be aiming to test more people and make it more convenient for them with a lot more pop-up testing sites. He said he was not surprised major sporting events were going ahead. I wouldnt go personally, but Im ultra-cautious ... but its understandable they are going ahead. I think the Adelaide Test is going pretty well, but they dont have as many cases as us, he said. The Australian Open will be more tricky because we dont know how many cases theres going to be. Last year, they acted pretty quickly, we did have games played in front of an empty stadium, so I think if they continue to be responsive to any clusters, I think it will be safe to go ahead. But if we are hitting 3000 cases a day, youd have to reconsider.

Deakin University epidemiology chair Catherine Bennett said with more and more people needing to confirm rapid antigen test results and others needing to fulfil pre-travel interstate border requirements, the testing sites werent meeting current demand. We have to make it possible for Victorians who need to travel and not do that at the cost of people who have either tested positive or who have a rapid antigen positive test, she said. The COVID-19 testing site on Alfred Street in North Melbourne drew a crowd on Sunday. Credit:Scott McNaughton There are currently a number of requirements for Victorians who are travelling interstate this Christmas, with several states requiring fully vaccinated travellers to have received a negative COVID-19 test result in the 72 hours before arriving. Opposition health spokeswoman Georgie Crozier said the government should be able to meet the demand.
By May, it will have been five years since more than 250 leading representatives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people signed the powerful Uluru Statement from the Heart. The eloquent document calls for Voice, Treaty and Truth: three foundation principles that the statements authors say require constitutional and structural reforms to create a new, more profound and respectful relationship between Indigenous people and the broader Australian community.

There is tension within the Coalition about whether the national Voice should be enshrined within the constitution. Credit:Ben Plant

Progress, though, has been unhurried, and deliberately so. Getting it right, bringing the Australian community along, winning overwhelming support, is critical to the goal of ensuring Indigenous influence is enshrined within the constitution.

To that end, there has been extensive consultation by Professor Marcia Langton and Tom Calma about how the Voice would look: its potential structure, function and practical capabilities. Indeed, the pair heard from more than 9400 organisations and individuals over a period of 18 months. Their final report has been with the federal government since July. It was at last released on Friday, along with the governments outline of its plans to implement the first practical steps towards achieving the Voice to government element of the Uluru statement.

To its credit, the Morrison government proposes following the Langton-Calma recommendation to create three tiers of advisory bodies: local, regional and national. The first two could be formulated by July, on an interim basis at least, if legislation were passed in early 2022. These are welcome first steps that have the potential to influence real change. As the Langton-Calma report notes, appropriate funding and resourcing will be essential to their success.
New York: The jury in Ghislaine Maxwells sex-trafficking trial can consider whether the British socialite consciously avoided knowing the ages of her four accusers or deliberately ignored Jeffrey Epsteins behaviour with them, the judge ruled.

The ruling for the prosecution came on Saturday (US time) in a rare weekend hearing convened by US District Judge Alison Nathan in Manhattan. She held it to discuss with lawyers for both sides how she will deliver about 80 pages of legal instructions to the jurors on Monday, after the attorneys deliver their closing statements. Nathan said she expected the panel could begin its deliberations later that day.

Ghislaine Maxwell sits at the defence table with defence attorney Bobbi Sternheim during the trial. Credit:AP

During the three-hour hearing, lawyers sparred over the exact wording the judge will use to describe the legal elements the jury must find to convict Maxwell on six criminal counts. The defence won some rulings as well.

Maxwell, 59, is charged with recruiting, grooming and then helping Epstein sexually abuse underage girls and faces as many as 40 years in prison if convicted of the most serious charge, conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors. Epstein died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial, in what was ruled a suicide. Maxwells lawyers say the government, having failed to prosecute him, is going after her in his place.
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BRISBANE, AustraliaTwo children and two adults on a family joy ride have been killed after a plane crash northeast of Brisbane.

Queensland Police said a 67-year-old man from Wamuran was the pilot of the light airplane which came down near Scarborough about 9am on Sunday after taking off from nearby Redcliffe Aerodrome where his family were waiting.

A 41-year-old Brisbane man, his 10-year-old daughter and nine-year-old son also died in the crash.

Inspector Craig White said the pilots family at the aerodrome became aware of the crash after they began looking at social media when the single-engine, four-seater plane failed to return.

There are a number of family of the pilot who were at the Redcliffe Aerodrome at the time of the accident, he said.

I understand it was a bit of a family day  a family joy ride.

The family became aware when they knew the aircraft hadnt returned on site, also they began looking at social media posts.

Media reports suggest the plane  a Rockwell Commander 114 light airplane  may have flipped after engine trouble prompted the pilot to attempt to return to the landing strip.

This is a tragic accident. Its leading up to Christmas and this is the last thing that any family needs to go through at this time of year, or any time, Insp White said.

The (pilots) family are deeply traumatised as you would expect.

A multi-agency operation is underway with water police and divers along with the forces forensic crash unit assisting other agencies including the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said early reports are that the plane crashed not long after take-off.

He said a Brisbane ATSB team were on site to help recover the plane from quite inaccessible mangroves off Scarborough, with Canberra investigators set to arrive on Monday.

He said a preliminary report on the crashs cause would be available in six to eight weeks.

Anyone who witnessed the crash or with information have been asked to contact police or the ATSB.
Apple CEO Tim Cook unveils the new iPhone 13 during a special event at Apple Park in Cupertino, Calif., on Sept. 14, 2021. (Brooks Kraft/Apple Inc/Handout via Reuters)

Apple Delays Office Return Indefinitely

The company has once again pushed back its return to in-person workthis time without specifying a future return date

Apple Inc. has once again delayed its return to in-person work, this time pushing back from a previous office-return date of Feb. 1 to a date yet to be confirmed, as attested to by an internal company memo from CEO Tim Cook.

This delay occurs just weeks after Novembers announcement of the Feb. 1 date, which itself was one of numerous postponements. This date was one of a series of scrapped office-return dates, with previous plans to return to in-person work last June, September, October all having been abandoned, as well as one forsaken date in the upcoming January.

A spokesman for the company has since confirmed the decision to Bloomberg News.

The memo also specified that all employees, including retail employees, would receive a $1,000 bonus to cover work-from-home needs, claiming that this bonus was offered in support of our commitment to a more flexible environment.

One of the companys greatest obstacles forestalling a return to the office has been pushback from its own employees. While the exact popularity of remote work among Apple employees is unknown, there has been significant employee resistance to previous motions to return to in-person work, with many employees reportedly organizing on Slack to lobby for remote work and creating petitions receiving thousands of signatures.

Ultimately, Apple aspires to implement a permanent hybrid work schedule, with many employees required to attend work in-person on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, while being able to work from home on Wednesdays and Fridays. While this constitutes a change from the pre-COVID-19 consensus among company leadership, which discouraged remote work altogether, it is still seen as conservative compared to other tech companies, such as Facebook and Twitter, who have embraced remote work with greater enthusiasm than Apple by allowing most employees the option to work from home on a permanent basis.

The announcement coincides with Apple re-imposing a mask mandate on all domestic Apple Store locations, as well as temporarily closing three Apple Store locations in response to virus outbreaks. Altogether, these developments paint a picture of a beleaguered tech giant, enthusiastic to see its employees gather in-person once again but hesitant to commit to a firm date after a string of postponements.
After going into labor 13 weeks early, a mother who lost a son to stillbirth six years prior feared she may also lose her second child, a daughter. But although the newborn baby girl was so tiny that even dolls clothes didnt fit, she proved to be a fighter.

With her baby now 5 months old, mom Channae Kirkwood of Kilmarnock, Scotland, says her little miracle daughter is thriving.

Baby Lacey came into the world at just 28 weeks and three days on July 14, at 7:30 in the morning.

She was only 1 pound, 1 ounce, and smaller than a doll, Channae, 23, told The Epoch Times. I could just hold her in the palm of my hand, she was that small. I couldnt believe the size of her.

Channae, a carer, found out she was pregnant in early February when she was rushed to hospital by her fiance, Jamie Murray, because of back and stomach pains. A urine sample confirmed both an infection and her pregnancy.

We got a scan the next day, said Channae, who recalls thinking Lacey looked like a little tulip flower in her first pictures.

Channae suffered with sickness in her second trimester, and was admitted to Kilmarnocks Crosshouse Maternity Hospital for bleeding at 24 weeks. After being transferred to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow, she spent a week on bedrest, with cannulas, a magnesium drip, and steroids to help her unborn babys development.

Early labor, and a premature birth, meant Lacey was immediately whisked to the NICU, where her fight began.

It was really hard  having to tell our family members that she might not make it, Channae recalled. Lacey had to get blood transfusions and lots of medicines. She was on oxygen for a while. It was heartbreaking; I thought I was going to lose another baby.

Channae says she was scared to even touch her in case she hurt her.

But NICU staffers helped Channae and Jamie hold their baby girl, encouraging bonding through skin-to-skin contact. They taught them how to lift Lacey out of the incubator, change her nappy, and tube feed. Lacey went from strength to strength.

Channae posted a video montage of their amazing NICU journey on TikTok.

Despite many ups and downs, Lacey beat her prognosis. She was our little fighter, said Channae, who claims she doesnt know what they would have done without the lifesaving intervention of their midwives and doctors.

Laceys hospital stay was especially traumatic for Channae as shed lost a baby boy, Caleb John Stewart, to stillbirth on July 10, 2015. Channae was 16 at the time, and only found out she was pregnant at 10 weeks and five days.

Around six weeks before, I got the injection to prevent pregnancy, she recalled. When I found out I was pregnant, I asked if the injection could cause any problems, but the doctors told me no.

Channae said she went into early labor at 19 weeks, five days, and was offered a pill to slow the babys heart rate as the doctors knew he wasnt going to make it. But she refused, as an ultrasound indicated her baby boy was still moving. She labored for five days, unwilling to give up.

Tragically, Caleb was stillborn.

Channae credits the support of her close friend, Emma, and family for getting her through the grief. Caleb would have been 6 this year, and his mother is philosophical; while his death was hard to cope with, she ultimately feels it made her stronger and helped her realize that life isnt all fairytales and games.

Baby Lacey was discharged from hospital on Oct. 8. Her parents, delighted to return home, couldnt wait to introduce her to family members who hadnt been able to visit, owing to hospital restrictions.

It was amazing; we got to ring the bell, it was the best feeling ever, Channae recalled. We are forever grateful. [The medical staff] are absolutely amazing at their jobs and deserve a medal.

Channae, who is on maternity leave, and Jamie, a steel factory worker, say 5-month-old Lacey is doing well. It can still be a struggle to find clothes small enough to fit her, but she weighed in at 5 pounds, 13 ounces at her last appointment.

She is a good baby; she loves a cuddle, she has such a cute little smile, said Channae. Everyone is shocked when they see her as they didnt believe how small she really was, but she is amazing.

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
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) speaks during a hearing in Washington on Nov. 10, 2020. (Susan Walsh/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Blumenthal Defends Appearance at Communist Party-Affiliate Event: Im a Strong Believer in American Capitalism

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) has expressed regret for attending an award show affiliated with the Communist Party USA last week.

The Democratic senator said in a Friday phone interview with the Hartford Courant, My understanding was that this ceremony was strictly a labor event.

He explained that had been invited by local labor unions to honor three community members receiving awards.

If I had known the details, I wouldnt have gone.  Let me just say very emphatically, Im a Democrat and a strong believer in American capitalism. I have been consistently a Democrat and a strong supporter and believer in American capitalism, he said.

Blumenthal attended an annual Amistad Awards ceremony at a New Haven church hosted by the Connecticut Peoples World Committee (CPWC) on Dec. 11. The CPWC is affiliated with the Communist Party USA.

Blumenthal was introduced by Lisa Bergmann, a Communist Party member, as a special surprise guest at the event after acknowledging how important the Communist Party is in our [Labor] movement.

Blumenthal expressed thanks to Azucena Santiago, a SEIU union activist, for standing up to McDonalds. Santiago is an employee at the fast food chains Interstate 95 service plaza, and has been involved in advocacy efforts in support of unionization in the restaurant industry.

The senators thanked two other award recipients; Democratic state Senator Julie Kushner of Danbury and Pastor Rodney Wade of the Long Hill Bible Church in Waterbury.

After Blumenthals speech, Bergmann as emcee encouraged members of the audience to join the communist party.

If you are not already part of the Communist Party [USA], we invite you to participate and contribute and join, she said. Theres more and more people talking about socialism in this country as it becomes more and more clear that capitalism is not going to work for our future.

The senators attendance of the event has drawn wide criticism from victims of communism as well as those weary of the far-left.

Meanwhile, the senator made light of criticism directed at his attendance, People are going to do what theyre going to do. Im just going to keep doing my job for the people of Connecticut.

Theres a lot at stake in the Senate right nowvoting rights, the ongoing pandemic, making childcare affordable, lowering prescription drug prices. Thats where my focus is.

No other prominent Democrats attended the ceremony.
Canadian Extradited to US on Charges He Funded Terrorists Pleads Guilty

An Edmonton man who was extradited to the United States to face charges he helped fund Islamic State terrorism has pleaded guilty in exchange for a 20-year prison sentence.

A statement from the United States Department of Justice says that according to his plea agreement in federal court Friday, Abdullahi Ahmed Abdullahi admitted he provided money to his four cousins, as well as former San Diego resident Douglas McAuthur McCain, to fund their terrorist activities in Syria.

The statement says he also admitted to robbing an Edmonton jewelry store in 2014 to finance the conspirators travel from North America to support and join terrorist fighters in Syria.

Abdullahi was indicted in California in March 2017 and arrested by Canadian authorities in September 2017.

In June 2019, the Alberta Court of Appeal upheld his extradition and the justice department statement says he was turned over to U.S. authorities later that year.

The statement notes that all four of his cousins and McCain, who was the first known American to die fighting the Islamic State, have since reportedly been killed.

Terrorist networks cant survive without people like Abdullahi, U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman said in the statement.

Our top priority is protecting Americans from terrorists, and with todays guilty plea, we have delivered justice to someone who directly funded violence.

The statement said the terrorist activities included murder, kidnapping and maiming of persons in Syria.

Additionally, it said Abdullahi admitted that he and others wired and caused money to be wired to third-party intermediaries in Gaziantep, Turkey, not far from the Syrian border, to support fighting and terrorist activity in Syria.

Grossman thanked the RCMP and the Edmonton Police Service, as well as prosecution services in Canada for their help.

The statement said Douglas brother, Marchello McCain, was previously convicted in San Diego federal court and sentenced to 10 years in custody for illegal possession of a cache of firearms and providing false statements to FBI agents regarding his knowledge of the conspiracy, including the involvement of Abdullahi.
Hong Kong exiled pro-democracy activist Nathan Law holds a placard outside the Italian Foreign Ministry headquarter as he speaks to media, during the meeting between Italian Foreign Minister and his Chinese counterpart in Rome on Aug. 25, 2020. A member of the pro-democracy political organisation Demosisto and disqualified lawmaker, Nathan Law fled from Hong Kong after Beijing's new security law was imposed on Hong Kong on 30 June. (Tiziana Fabi/AFP via Getty Images)

CCPs Suppression of Hong Kong Is Wake-Up Call to Free World: Democracy Activist Nathan Law

The rise of communist China is an existential crisis for liberal democracies around the world, according to Hong Kong democracy activist Nathan Law.

Hong Kong is a prime example of how an authoritarian regime can erode a free city;  global leaders can learn from it, Law, the author of Freedom: How We Lose It and How We Fight Back, told EpochTVs American Thoughts Leaders program on Dec. 14.

Whats happening in Hong Kong, whats happening in Xinjiang, as the rest of China, is a wake-up call to the world. It is not just about  helping people in Hong Kong or helping people in Xinjiang, its about how we can defend democracy.

Law, who rose to prominence as an activist during the citys pro-democracy Umbrella Movement in 2014 and is now self-exiled in London, has experienced the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) suppression firsthand.

For me  the decline of democracy and the rise of authoritarianism is not an abstract theory, it is a painful and personal story, he said.

In the past seven years, [I went] from a student protest leader to the youngest elected legislator in Hong Kong. [Then] I was disqualified, became an inmate and  [now Im an] exiled activist, Law said.

Law said Hong Kongs freedom had been deteriorating for years, but it fell off the cliff in June 2020, when the regime in Beijing imposed the national security law.

Hong Kong, a former British colony, has experienced waves of citywide protests since the region was handed over to the Chinese regime in 1997, as the CCP has incrementally rolled back the citys freedoms and autonomysomething it had guaranteed would remain in place for 50 years after the handover.

The Chinese Communist Party today is literally more technologically sophisticated than the one in 1984, the Orwellian state, and the world has not developed anything to hold them accountable.  Nathan Law

In mid-2020, following large-scale democracy protests in the Chinese-ruled territory a year earlier, Beijing imposed the draconian national security law, which significantly stifles freedom of speech and freedom of association in the city. The law gives the Chinese regime sweeping powers to target individuals for any acts deemed by Beijing as secession, subversion, terrorism, or collusion with foreign forces. Offenders, if convicted, could be imprisoned for life.

Scores of activists have been arrested and jailed or have fled Hong Kong since then.

Democratic Recession

Law said that allowing the Chinese regime into international organizations, such as the World Trade Organization, was like inviting a wolf into the house, since the free world hasnt developed proper mechanisms to control its behavior.

The world engaged with China politically and economically, expecting the communist country to become more liberal, Law said. Instead, China moved in the exact opposite direction.

Such inclusion in the international community brought China wealth and technology that aided the Chinese communist regime to become more powerful and authoritarian, and even totalitarian, according to Law.

The Chinese Communist Party today is literally more technologically sophisticated than the one in 1984, the Orwellian state, and the world has not developed anything to hold them accountable, he said.

As a result, we are experiencing a democratic recession, and must counter the rise of authoritarianism, he said. We should definitely be united to push back on the authoritarian expansion from the Chinese Communist Party.

Those defending democracy must be like water, Law said, echoing a remark by Hong Kong martial arts legend Bruce Lee that was adopted by Hong Kong activists. Thats because they must adapt to counter threats and obstacles when confronted with the worlds most repressive authoritarian power.

Truth is the CCPs weakness, he said. They censor every possible gateway of delivering truth in mainland China and its probably coming to Hong Kong.

When asked about what people in mainland China could do to resist the CCP, Law advised them not to be swallowed by the world of Chinas propaganda.

If you want to know more, and you want to keep safe, make sure that you have the readiness to live a double life. You have one phone with WeChat, one phone with Twitter; you have one phone with Baidu, one phone with Google. Protect yourself and grow yourself. Get a better understanding about the world and what we are fighting for, he said.
President Joe Biden speaks in the Oval Office at the White House on Dec. 13, 2021. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

Christian Ministries Ask Supreme Court to Block OSHA Vaccine Mandate

Several Christian ministries said they would file a petition with the Supreme Court in a bid to block President Joe Bidens vaccine mandate for private businesses.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the mandate, enforced by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), in early November but the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals lifted the courts stay on Dec. 17. OSHA said over the weekend that businesses now have until Jan. 10 to start making plans to enforce the rule.

Now, the Supreme Court will hear several consolidated lawsuits against the rule, which targets businesses with 100 or more employees and requires them to either have their workers get vaccinated or submit to weekly testing while wearing masks on-site.

The Sixth Circuit panels decision to end the stay is outrageous and endangers the freedom of all Americans, Kelly Shackelford, president, CEO, and chief counsel at First Liberty Institute, said in a statement announcing the filing. First Liberty is representing the three Christian ministries, including American Family Association, Answers in Genesis, and the Daystar Television Network.

Their legal challenge was filed with the nations high court on Saturday.

Few are aware that, in addition to the Presidents OSHA mandate being clearly lawless, its takeover of American companies also includes all religious organizations of over 100 employees, Shackelford added. Our clients simply cannot comply with a government mandate that forces them to violate the conscience rights of their employees. The Supreme Court must act, or there will be a Constitutional crisis.

Any mandate that coerces organizations to compel their employees to be vaccinated against their will is one that would require it to violate their employees sacred rights of belief and conscience, Shackelford continued.

Last week, the Supreme Court refused to block a New York mandate that requires COVID-19 vaccines for all health care workers. But Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch wrote they would have supported temporarily halting its enforcement.

Sometimes dissenting religious beliefs can seem strange and bewildering. In times of crisis, this puzzlement can evolve into fear and anger, Gorsuch wrote in his dissent, published last week.

One can only hope todays ruling will not be the final chapter in this grim story, Gorsuch continued. Cases like this one may serve as cautionary tales for those who follow.

And in October, the Supreme Court also declined to take up a similar vaccine mandate for healthcare workers in Maine.

In that case, Gorsuch similarly wrote that healthcare workers who have served on the front line of a pandemic for the last 18 months are now being fired and their practices shuttered, adding that they have been terminated for adhering to their constitutionally protected religious beliefs.
CNN Shuts Down Offices as COVID-19 Cases Rise: Memo

CNN is closing all its offices in the United States as COVID-19 cases have recently increased across the country, the cable station announced on Dec. 18.

Only employees who must work onsite will be allowed access to the offices and must remain masked regardless of vaccination status, CNN President Jeff Zucker in a memo to workers.

We are doing this out of an abundance of caution, Zucker said, according to Reuters. And it will also protect those who will be in the office by minimizing the number of people who are there.

The directive was confirmed by CNN commentator Brian Stelter in a Twitter post.

Like other major media companies, CNN is making changes due to the new Covid surge, Stelter quoted the memo as saying. The directive essentially means CNN is going back to 2020 protocols around COVID-19, Stelter said.

Earlier this year, CNN executives issued a rule requiring proof of vaccination for in-the-field and office workers, meaning the company likely has an exceptionally high vaccination rate. Over the summer, the network fired three employees for coming back to work without having received the vaccine, while Zucker at the time asserted that his company has a zero-tolerance policy over vaccines.

The Omicron variant, meanwhile, has prompted businesses, schools, and venues to shut downalthough data is still being gathered to determine whether the variant causes more symptoms than the Delta variant. South African health ministry officials said on Dec. 17 that based on government data, the number of Omicron variant patients in the hospital is one-tenth that of Delta patients during its initial phase.

In New York state, authorities said they recorded a record number of COVID-19 cases in a single day. On Dec. 17, the state said that 21,000 people tested positive a day earlier, topping the previous record that was set in January.

This is changing so quickly. The numbers are going up exponentially by day, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, told CNN.

Harvard University, Stanford University, and Cornell Universitywhich all have exceptionally high vaccination ratesannounced they would shut their campuses due to a spike in COVID-19 cases in recent days. Cornell said it had shut down its campus in Ithaca, New York, and moved to alert level red.

Cornell officials reported some 900 COVID-19 cases in the past weekwith many being the Omicron variant. The school has a 99 percent vaccination rate.

The public school system in Marylands Prince Georges County, located near Washington, said last week that students will move to a virtual learning format until the middle of next month, due to an uptick in countywide COVID-19 cases. On Dec. 15, three Prince Georges County schools were forced to shutter due to the virus.
The Royal Caribbean cruise ship, Symphony of the Seas, is seen moored in the Port of Miami on Aug. 1, 2021. (Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images)

COVID-19 Outbreak Reported on Royal Caribbean Cruise Despite Fully Vaccinated Adult Passengers

Forty-eight people who were onboard the Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas cruise ship tested positive for COVID-19, the illnesses caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, although Royal Caribbean requires everyone aged 12 and older to show proof of vaccination in order to board their ships.

The cruise operator said Sunday that each person who tested positive for the virus immediately went into quarantine. Another six people who had tested positive disembarked the ship when it docked in Florida and were taken home, the company said.

Passengers who tested positive for COVID-19 had mild symptoms or were asymptomatic, Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Lyan Sierra-Carro confirmed to local media.

We were notified by the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) that a guest on board our (December) 4th cruise tested positive and it was identified as Omicron, Sierra-Caro added in a statement to outlets. They (the CDC) asked us to notify guests on the sailing, the one that ended today, and the current one.

Its not clear if there were any children under the age of 12 onboard the ship. The Epoch Times has contacted Royal Caribbean for comment.

According to a statement published on Royal Caribbeans website, guests who are aged 12 and older have to show proof theyve been vaccinated for COVID-19 in order to embark on the cruise.

All Royal Caribbean guests age 12 and older must present proof of COVID-19 vaccination, with the final dose of their vaccine administered at least 14 days before sailing. Kids age 5 to 11 who have been vaccinated may present proof of full vaccination and follow the protocols for vaccinated guests, says Royal Caribbean.

It added: Each guests regimen must include at least two doses of vaccine unless the guest received the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. This guidance is per the U.S. CDC, and no exceptions will be made, even if the guests resident country has authorized a single-shot regimen for a two dose vaccine.

In a statement, the CDC confirmed it is aware of the Royal Caribbean (RCI) outbreak and is working with RCI to gather more information about the cases and possible exposures, and RCI will be collecting specimens from the current voyage for genetic sequencing.

Sierra-Caro said that future cruise trips have not been impacted by the outbreak.

Earlier in December, COVID-19 cases were reported on a Norwegian Cruise Lines ship, according to the Lousiana Department of Health. The Norwegian Breakaway cruise ship had left New Orleans on Nov. 28, making stops in Mexico, Honduras, and Belize.

Norwegian Cruise Lines said at the time that it requires everyone on board to be fully vaccinated.
COVID Is the Virus. Wokeness Is the Disease

Commentary

Willfully blind and recklessly misleading. Those are just two of the aspersions that law professors have levelled at the Free North Declaration, a call to arms to protect civil liberties in Canada from COVID-19 irrationality and overreach. Launched on Nov. 12 and profiled recently in the Epoch Times by Lisa Bildy (one of its creators, along with myself and two others), the declaration has now been endorsed by over 400 lawyers and 45,000 concerned citizens. No surprise that it has also attracted condemnation from academics and other woke COVID apostles. After all, the COVID debacle is in large part a crisis born of wokeness itself.

Rather than simply rebut what they oppose with evidence and argument, which would be entirely legitimate, the woke instead seek to scandalize and shameand in the case of the declaration, not merely its content, but its very expression. For instance, 10 benchers (governors) of the Law Society of Ontario who have signed the declaration have been accused of breaching their code of conduct, for which the Law Society should impose discipline. The declaration is not merely mistaken, but illegitimate. Those who agree with it are not simply misguided, but guilty of professional misconduct. Better to cancel than debate, is the woke philosophy. Shut them down.

Sometimes erroneously dismissed as a passing fad of hypersensitive university undergrads, wokeness, or social justice as it is also known, is an anti-Western ideology in which intellectuals and elites sneer at the foundations of their own society. It has become Canadas secular religion.

Derived from critical theory, an academic discipline that seeks to collapse and reconstitute oppressive Western institutions, wokeness is an infection that has spread into the bones of Canadian society. It rejects Enlightenment values such as open inquiry, individual autonomy, free speech, scientific skepticism, and even reason itself. It pretends to champion equality, peace, and social co-operation, but instead promotes identity politics, political theatre, elitism, and centralized control. It is, at its core, an authoritarian doctrine that demands fealty to its premises and directives.

COVID is its perfect storm. Public health justifies government diktats, broad bureaucratic discretion, incoherent policies, rituals such as wearing masks that lack actual benefit, and directives that limit individual agency in the name of the collective good. Vaccine mandates are the ultimate form of cancel culture, literally erasing the unvaccinated from their jobs, education, travel, and social standing.

If wokeness is the new religion, then academics are its high priests. Not coincidentally, universities are the most hyper-COVID-vigilant of institutions. Their faculty tend to be irrationally germophobic and to support the most extreme COVID measures. As the anonymous Substack writer Eugyppius puts it, universities arent just eager sponsors of racial hysteria. They have also emerged as some of the most radical centres of Corona containment in the world. Their students endure all manner of unreasonable hygiene measures. Constant testing, quarantining, mask rules, enforced isolation, officially encouraged snitching, movement restrictions, vaccine mandates  all of this and more are routine for millions of students.  The culprit is a broad, distributed adherence to the dictates of containment ideology, probably driven in no small part by emotional and ideological exhaustion with the prior tyranny of Wokeness.

The longer the COVID regime stands, the darker the potential consequences for those who have peddled the story upon which it rests. As more Canadians come to doubt that masks are effective at preventing spread, that lockdowns do much to control the virus or are worth the social costs, that the vaccines protect them from infection or have been adequately tested, especially for children, and that governments and public health officials have been justified in imposing some of the most sweeping restrictions on civil liberties in the history of this country, defenders of the regime will become desperate to justify the crisis they have stoked. For woke COVIDians, the Free North Declaration is dangerous heresy.

Open enquiry and civic discussion are antidotes to COVID affections. I invite any law professor who has denounced the declaration to join me for a public debate. Resolved: that the Free North Declaration is willfully blind and recklessly misleading. The woke are known to eschew debate. Let us see if that reputation is deserved.

Given the present state of COVID mania, the debate will have to be online. I have recovered from COVID and am unvaccinated. According to the literature and the data, I am no more likely to be infectious than anybody else. Yet current rules bar me from public venues. By any definition, that is arbitrary and capricious.

Canada is sick. COVID is the virus but wokeness is the disease. It is time to cure this country.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
More than 100 people gathered outside the office building of Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich in Phoenix in support of election integrity on Dec. 17, 2021. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

Crowd Demands Arizona Attorney General Take Action Regarding Alleged Fraud in 2020 Election

A crowd of more than 100 people rallied outside the office of Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich in Phoenix on Dec. 17 to demand the prosecution of any criminal activity associated with the 2020 election in Maricopa County.

A contingent of police offers kept people off the front steps of the Attorney Generals office building except for event organizers and speakers.

Those gathered called out not only for fair and honest elections but that Brnovich begin criminal prosecutions for alleged wrongdoing stemming from the 2020 election in Maricopa County, Arizonas most populous county with over 2.5 million registered voters.

Arizona state Rep. Mark Finchem (R) said that there was at least probable cause if not clear and convincing evidence that we had significant discrepancies in the election.

Finchem said if there are lower-level people in the food chain that engaged in criminal activity in the election, authorities could try and flip them to go up the food chain.

I will tell you there are many signs around this that suggest to me that we are looking at a racketeering case, said Finchem, a retired criminal investigator.

Theres a whole lot of evidence that suggests both incompetence and criminality, sloppy process, and intentionally bad process. What this man (Brnovich) and his staff are doingI fully believe they are going through the evidence meticulously to try and develop higher food chain actors.

Arizona lawmakers were told during a Sept. 24 hearing of inconsistencies uncovered during a forensic audit of the 2020 election conducted in the states most populous county.

A woman holds a flag and crucifix at an Election Integrity Rally outside the office building of Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich on Dec. 17, 2021. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

On the same day, Arizona Senate President Karen Fann (R) sent a letter to Brnovich recommending further inquiry into the audits findings. In the letter, she raised concerns over signature verification on mail-in ballots, the accuracy of voter rolls, the securing of election systems, and the record-keeping of evidence related to the elections.

Brnovich issued a statement the same day vowing to take all necessary actions that are supported by the evidence and where I have legal authority.

Arizonans deserve to have their votes accurately counted and protected, he said.

Brnovichs office did not respond to a request for comment regarding Fridays rally.

The audit involved over 1,500 people and a total of over 100,000 hours.

Other speakers at Fridays rally included Arizona state Sen. Kelly Townsend (R), Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, Arizona Republican candidates for U.S. Congress Jerone Davison, Jeff Zink, and Jim Lamon, Arizona co-counsel to the Arizona Republican Party Alexander Kolodin.
Pakistani security personnel and rescuers inspect the scene of a gas explosion in Karachi, Pakistan, on Dec. 18, 2021. (Fareed Khan/AP Photo)

Death Toll in Southern Pakistan Sewer Gas Blast Jumps to 17

KARACHI, PakistanThe death toll from a sewer gas blast in Pakistans largest city of Karachi jumped to 17 as some critically injured people died overnight and Sunday, police said.

Initially, 12 people were reported dead and 11 others injured in Saturdays gas explosion in a sewage system in the commercial hub of Pakistan Saturday.

Senior police officer Sarfaraz Nawaz Shaikh said the loss of lives and property could be blamed on human errors of construction over the sewer. He said the number of injured also increased to 16.

The blast destroyed the HBL bank building constructed over the sewer. The building was one of several ordered to vacate after violating building laws, according to Mukhtar Abro, a local administrator, who said the structures were to be demolished in coming weeks.

Rescuers inspect the scene of a gas explosion in Karachi, Pakistan, on Dec. 18, 2021. (Fareed Khan/AP Photo)

Many sewage channels in the city have been covered, mostly illegally, by constructing concrete structures over them.

Also Sunday, a roadside bomb killed two and wounded three others in a passing vehicle in the countrys northwest. Police officer Abdus Samad said the vehicle was destroyed in the blast, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. A search operation has started to trace the culprits who planted the bomb. No one claimed responsibility for the blast near the border of Afghanistan.

In the same province Sunday, two people were killed and six others wounded when a group of gunmen opened fire in the Karak district. Police official Akbar Khan said the violence took place at a polling station during a local government election. Other minor clashes were reported linked to the vote but without any casualties.
Margot Riphagen of New Orleans dresses as a birth control pill pack while dancing in front of the U.S. Supreme Court during oral arguments in Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby in Washington, DC on March 25, 2014. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Debate on the Business of the Pill Continues

Commentary

Im prone to say because of the work I do in bioethics, that the pill allowed us to have sex, without having babies, and now reproductive technologies allow us to have babies without having sex. I use Elton John and his partner David Furnish as my illustration. Elton and David came to California to buy eggs from one woman and rent the womb of another to become parentsno sexual act was involved in the creation of Elton Johns two sons. Both sons were carried by the same surrogate mother.

Beginning with the pill we began the process of decoupling sex from baby-making, so naturally I was excited to preview the new documentary film, The Business of Birth Control based on Holly Grigg-Spalls book, Sweetening the Pill. I read Grigg-Spalls book back in 2013 when it was released and full-disclosure, I contributed modestly to the crowd funder to make the film because I felt her book would make an informative documentary on the risks of contraception.

The Business of Birth Control, produced by filmmakers Abby Epstein and Ricki Lake, has been released, it seems, at just the right time, as the New York Times writes about the continued struggles and push to make oral birth control pills available over-the-counter. This debate has been going on for several years but has been mired with FDA approval hurdles, politics, and activism.

From the Times piece we see the stakeholders opposing points of view, with those who reject access to the pill without a prescription being rooted in health concerns compared with the reproductive-right activists who want the pill to be easily accessible to rural, poor, and historically marginalized communities for preventing unwanted pregnancies.

Of course, Big Pharma is on board as winners, already selling nearly $3 billion a year in pills, over-the-counter access for women who want to orally contracept will only drive their profits higher. Since Holly Griggs-Spalls book raises questions about the pill and she leads workshops on going off hormonal contraception, I reached out to her for a comment on the drive to make the pill available over-the-counter and she declined to comment on the record.

Epstein and Lakes film does a great job of plotting the sixty-year history of the pill that was sold to women and celebrated as it revolutionized, liberated, and emancipated women from unwanted pregnancy and gave sexual freedom. However, the film counts the cost of this sexual liberation by exposing the negative impact of the pill on womens health.

Powerful testimony of women who suffered complications from the pill as well as several sets of parents whose daughters have died from hormonal contraception shows viewers just how dangerous the pill can be. Karen Langhart and her husband Rick are featured in the film, as their daughter Erika died of a pulmonary embolism caused by the NuvaRing.

The Langharts established a foundation after Erikas death, Informed Choice for Amerika, but Karen eventually took her own life as she was frustrated by the walls she encountered dealing with Congress and the pharmaceutical companies as stated by her husband Rick. Other women in the film talk about the 3 pages of side effects listed on the drug package insert, the loss of libido, mood swings, hair loss, depression, heart attacks, and blood clots.

I was happy to see that the filmmakers included historical ties to the eugenicist, Margaret Sanger as the film exposed the racist legacy of hormonal contraception. The film includes old Black and White footage of Sanger saying, I think the greatest sin in the world is bringing children into the world that have disease from their parents, that have no chance in the world to be a human being, practically delinquents, prisoners, all sorts of things, theyre just marked when they are born.

Even still powerful today, in full exhibition in the New York Times, where reproductive-rights activists main motivation is to provide easy access of the pill to the rural and poor or marginalized people, the same people that Sanger would have probably said should not reproduce. Once again, we see the Sanger-style activists forcing their biased opinions onto rural and marginalized women knowing that the pill has all sorts of downsides.

In the end, the debate continues: should obtaining the pill be as easy as walking into the local drug store to purchase shampoo and toothpaste or should providers continue to guard hormonal prescriptions with known risks and adverse effects?

Overall, the information in Sweetening the Pill and The Business of Birth Control is important viewing for women and medical professionals working with women, but sadly, the filmmakers inserted a disclaimer at the beginning of the film that will be very off-putting to many women, myself included:

The filmmakers want to acknowledge the use of gendered language throughout this documentary. While menstruation is experienced across the gender binary, the film itself specifically focuses on the historical and lived experiences of cis-women who menstruate. The emphasis on this narrative is not an intentional erasure of men and nonbinary folks around the world who also experience menstruation. We, as well as those featured in the documentary, are always seeking to do better.

A film for the benefit of women felt the need to issue an apology to the gender activists, lest they be offended for not being included when discussing a subject that involves, sex, biology, and human reproduction.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Charles Lieber leaves federal court after he and two Chinese nationals were charged with lying about their alleged links to the Chinese government, in Boston, Mass., on Jan. 30, 2020. (Katherine Taylor/Reuters)

Former Harvard Chemistry Chair Admits to Taking Tens of Thousands of Dollars From China

The former chair of Harvard Universitys Chemistry Department accused of hiding Chinese ties had admitted to taking tens of thousands of dollars from China, video footage presented in federal court on Dec. 17 shows.

The footage, shot during an interrogation by federal investigators of nanoscientist Charles Lieber, was played for jurors on the fourth day of the trial regarding Liebers alleged false statements about China funding.

The 62-year-old Harvard professor had maintained that he didnt take payments from a Chinese university, except for compensation of his travel costs to China. But he shifted his story quickly after FBI agents Robert Plumb and Kara Spice presented him with copies of evidence, including a bilingual contract he signed with the Wuhan University of Technology (WUT) in 2011.

Thats pretty damning, Lieber, dressed in a blue jacket, told the agents at the campus police station during a three-hour interrogation, which took place on the day of Liebers arrest nearly two years ago, local media outlets reported. Now that you bring it up, yes, I do remember.

The five-year agreement described Lieber as a strategic scientist at the Chinese school, which entitled him to $50,000 per month with approximately $158,000 in living expenses. It also alluded to his future involvement with Chinas Thousand Talents Plan, a state-run program to solicit top scientific and specialized experts from around the world.

Later in the interview, FBI agents showed Lieber an email that he had written asking Wuhan University to pay half of his salary in cash and to deposit the other half into a Chinese bank account.

I cant even believe I did this, Lieber said in response, according to local media reports. Its my mistake, and obviously I made a mistake.

Charles Lieber (L) and his defense attorney, Marc Mukasey, exit the John Joseph Moakley U.S. Courthouse in Boston on Dec. 17, 2021. (Learner Liu/The Epoch Times)

Lieber said he likely made no more than six trips to China around 2012 and was paid between $10,000 and $20,000 each time he made the trip, according to local media reports. He had spent the moneya total that he estimated to be between $50,000 and $100,000on groceries and living expenses, such as housekeeping.

The payments were in $100 bills that Lieber brought back in his luggage, he said. He didnt declare them at customs nor did he pay any taxes on the money.

If I brought it back, I didnt declare it, and thats illegal, he told the FBI agents.

In the recording, Lieber repeatedly said he couldnt recall the precise amount of money he had received from Wuhan University, blaming the lapses on his selective memory, according to local media outlets.

The Chinese bank account set up for him had a balance equivalent to $200,000 under Liebers name as of 2014, which the scientist said he never tapped into, in part because of his deteriorating health and a recent cancer diagnosis.

Very Dishonest

Since 2008, the Lieber Research Group at Harvard University, which had been led by Lieber, has received more than $15 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Defense.

Lieber was a contractual participant of the Thousand Talents Plan between at least 2012 and 2017, a court document shows. While affiliation with the Chinese recruitment program isnt itself illegal, it constitutes a foreign conflict of interest that researchers are required to disclose before receiving federal grants.

Lieber said it looked like he had been very dishonest when the Department of Defense questioned him about his involvement in the talent program in 2018.

I wasnt completely transparent by any stretch of the imagination, he told the agents, according to the recording.

Harvard University professor Charles Lieber (L) leaves federal court with his attorney, Marc Mukasey, in Boston, Mass., on Dec. 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Lieber said what had motivated him to get into the talent program wasnt money, but a desire to get recognized. He was younger and stupid at the time, he said.

Im not exactly competitive, but if I get other people to pursue an aspect based on the research I did, there is a trickle-down, he said, according to local media reports. Every scientist wants a Nobel Prize.

The Harvard professor later sought to distance himself from the Wuhan collaboration, including by canceling a trip to the university in June 2015.

In a 2018 email to a research colleague two days after he was interviewed by the Department of Defense, Lieber expressed concern about a Chinese web page listing him as directing the Wuhan research lab.

I lost a lot of sleep worrying about all of these things last night and want to start taking steps to correct sooner than later, he wrote in the email, which was presented at the Dec. 17 court hearing. I will be careful about what I discuss with Harvard University, and none of this will be shared with government investigators at this time.

However, in the interrogation, Lieber insisted that he hadnt done anything wrongexcept that he shouldnt have had an agreement and accepted money.

Youre right, it was wrong, he said when FBI agents asked why he decided to conceal the information from Harvard and U.S. authorities. I was afraid of being arrested, like I am right now.

Lieber is facing six counts of federal charges, including lying to federal authorities, filing false income tax returns, and failing to report on his foreign bank and financial accounts. He has pleaded not guilty to all six charges.

Learner Liu contributed to this report.
A view of the campus of Harvard Business School in Boston on July 8, 2020. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Harvard University to Require COVID-19 Booster Shots, Shift to Remote Learning Temporarily in January

Harvard University has announced that it will require COVID-19 vaccine booster shots and that it will also mostly shift to remote learning for the first three weeks of January 2022, citing the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant.

Looking to the spring semester, Harvard will require COVID-19 boosters for all members of our community who are eligible, including students, faculty, staff, and researchers (individuals with an approved exemption will not need to submit additional information), university administrators said in a Dec. 16 statement.

Lawrence Bacow, president of Harvard, along with other top administrators, said in the statement that if people are unable to get a vaccine booster dose before they return to campus, additional opportunities will be available and that they will not be barred from entering campus.

The administrators said they will communicate more information in early January about the vaccine booster shot requirement.

Harvard is also moving most of its learning and work to remote options for the first three weeks of January 2022, administrators stated on Dec. 18.

Please know that we do not take this step lightly, they said in a statement. It is prompted by the rapid rise in COVID-19 cases locally and across the country, as well as the growing presence of the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

It is reinforced by the guidance of public health experts who have advised the University throughout the pandemic. As always, we make this decision with the health and safety of our community as our top priority.

Some activities will continue to occur in person, such as laboratory work or patient-centered clinical activities. Students who need to be on campus during the three-week period should have authorization from their respective schools to do so. Faculty, staff, and researchers should work remotely if possible.

The Omicron COVID-19 variant is expected to become the dominant variant across the United States and potentially peak in the first few weeks of January, according to university administrators.

We are planning a return to more robust on-campus activities later in January, public health conditions permitting, they wrote.

The universitys spring semester classes are set to start on Jan. 24, following the three-week period.

On Dec. 18, Harvard acknowledged that the Omicron variant is already present on campus.

According to the universitys dashboard, 344 people have tested positive for the virus in the past seven days.

Vaccination rates at the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based university as of mid-November 2021 were at 97 percent among employees and 97 percent among students.
Hong Kong Holds Election With Only Beijing Loyalists Approved to Run

The people of Hong Kong voted on Dec. 19 in the Legislative Council General Election, the first since the regime in Beijing changed its electoral system to cut down the number of directly elected lawmakers and to vet candidates.

The move led to a drop in public enthusiasm during the election.

About 4.5 million Hong Kong residents are eligible to vote. Yet the latest survey by the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute found that almost 40 percent of respondents had indicated that they were unlikely to vote, the lowest point in decades.

The Registration and Electoral Office announced that the turnout rate for the 10 geographical constituencies in Hong Kong was about 21 percent as of 4:30 p.m. local time on Dec. 19, lower than the 31 percent of the previous Legislative Council election in 2016.

The rate also fell far behind the 52 percent turnout rate by 4:30 p.m. of the district council election in 2019, after huge pro-democracy protests against the Chinese regimes encroachment rocked the city. Security forces later crushed the movement and implemented a sweeping national security law to silence opposition activists.

The 2021 election saw Hong Kongs largest opposition party, the Democratic Party, fielding no candidates, as the central regime of China pushed to secure more political power for Beijing loyalists in Hong Kong.

In 2020, the local government postponed the electionswhich were to take place in Septemberciting public health risks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But pro-democracy critics claimed that it was an excuse to delay the vote.

In March, Chinas rubber-stamp legislature approved electoral changes for Hong Kong that would effectively bar democratic representatives from occupying key positions, in a bid to have only patriots run for office and govern the city.

The Chinese national emblem hanging on the wall replaces the former Hong Kong emblem at the Legislative chamber in Hong Kong on Dec. 17, 2021. (Vincent Yu/AP Photo)

The move expanded the size of the chamber to 90 seats from 70, with members of the Election Committee, a strongly pro-Beijing body responsible for electing the citys chief executive, making up 40 of those seats. Another 30 seats are elected by business groupings known as functional constituencies.

The number of directly elected representatives was reduced to 20 from 35. Five seats elected from among district councilors were abolished altogether.

The move reduced the proportion of seats for which the voters may elect officials to 22 percent, down from 50 percent.

On Dec. 18, Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Minister Erick Tsang said foreign forces may be attempting to undermine the elections after overseas activists urged a boycott of the vote. Under the new election laws, incitement to boycott and casting invalid votes can lead to up to three years in jail and a HK$200,000 ($26,500) fine.

Prior to the Dec. 19 election, people advocating for blank votes on social media were arrested under the national security law.

To encourage the vote, authorities also offered free public transportation on Election Day.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Man Held in Stabbing of Police Dog for Second Time This Year

SAN DIEGOA man sentenced in January to a year in jail for stabbing a San Diego police dog was arrested again Friday on suspicion of stabbing another police dog, authorities said today.

Dedrick Jones, 35, was jailed Friday and faces seven possible felony counts, including harming a police dog and assault with a deadly weapon, according to Lt. Adam Sharki of the San Diego Police Department. Jones was approached by officers responding to a vandalism call Friday

morning, the lieutenant said.

The officers were dispatched to the 3700 block of Riley Street, where they saw Jones swinging a knife, Sharki said. Despite officers efforts to de-escalate the situation, Jones refused to cooperate and climbed onto a parked car.

Jones eventually stepped down and came towards officers while still armed with the knife, Sharki added.

Officers deployed a police dog, Hondo, who was stabbed at least twice before officers were able to take Jones, still armed with the knife, into custody, Sharki said.

Hondo received treatment at a San Diego veterinary hospital and was expected to survive.

In January, Jones was armed with two knives and stabbed a police dog, Titan, following an hours-long standoff, Sharki said.

Canine Titan received 100 stitches, had part of his colon removed, and endured weeks of recovery, the lieutenant said.

Jones pleaded guilty to felony animal cruelty and assault on a peace officer. He was sentenced to one year in jail, but was released in June based on jail credits for time served.

Jones was on probation when he allegedly committed Fridays attack, Sharki said.

Our system must do a better job holding violent offenders accountable, Police Chief David Nisleit said. It is ironic and tragic that the man who had the gall to stab a police dog in January committed the same crime just months later.

Jones was scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday. His bail was set at $50,000 according to online jail records.
New York Governor Intends to Redefine Fully Vaccinated to Include Boosters

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the state may sooner or later change the definition of full vaccinated to include a booster dose.

Hochul, whose broad mask mandate for New York businesses just came into effect, was asked during a Dec. 16 press briefing whats next on the list of things she seeks to implement. She replied that her office would ask businesses to only admit people who are fully vaccinated inside.

I have said all along I have two missions. One is to protect the health of the people of New York. The second is to protect the health of the economy. Right now we can do both, to the extent that businesses follow what we ask them, only allowing people who are vaccinated, Hochul said.

At some point we may have to determine that fully vaccinated means boosted as well, and well give people a sufficient time frame to make that happen, she continued. Im just sending out the message now: Prepare for that.

The Democratic governor also advised vaccinated people to get booster shots and wear masks, citing cases of reinfections.

People who have been vaccinated are getting it again and again, she said. They may not be in the hospital, but they could also be in contact with someone who ends up being in the hospital.

The call for a new standard comes as the Biden administration signals a possible redefinition of what it means to be fully vaccinated. Dr. Anthony Fauci, a leading member of President Joe Bidens COVID-19 response team, said the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is open to changing the definition to include a booster shot for the two-dose vaccines.

It is a bit of semantics in that fully vaccinated for the purpose of the regulations and requirements that people have is to be what are you considered as being fully vaccinated, Fauci said in an interview with CNBCs Squawk Box. But theres no doubt that optimum vaccination is with a booster.

Whether or not the CDC is going to change that, it certainly is on the table and open for discussion, he said.

The Biden administrations push for boosters is unlikely to change the minds of those who remain unvaccinated, according to research group Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). In September, when booster shots received federal approval, the KFF found that the conversations about boosters to be a net positive for people who are already vaccinated, but a net negative for the unvaccinated.

According to the KFF survey conducted among 1,519 adults living in the United States, 71 percent of the unvaccinated say news about boosters is a sign that the vaccines arent working, compared to 22 percent who say that scientists are continuing to find ways to make vaccines more effective. Meanwhile, 78 percent of vaccinated people say talk of boosters shows that the science is improving.

Most unvaccinated adults see the booster discussion as a sign that the vaccines are not working as well as promised, while most vaccinated adults see it as a sign that scientists are continuing to find ways to make vaccines more effective, the KFF report reads.
Nick Sandmann from Covington Catholic High School stands in front of Native American activist Nathan Phillips while the latter bangs a drum in his face in Washington on Jan. 18, 2019. (Kaya Taitano via Reuters)

Nicholas Sandmann Reaches Settlement With NBC

Nicholas Sandmann has announced that hes reached a settlement with NBCUniversal after more than two years since he filed a defamation lawsuit against the media company.

At this time I would like to release that NBC and I have reached a settlement. The terms are confidential, the 19-year-old Kentucky teen wrote on Twitter.

The two parties agreed to dismiss the case with prejudice and in its entirety, without a judgment from the court, according to documents (pdf) filed on Dec. 17 in the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Kentucky.

The suits dismissal with prejudice signifies that Sandmann cant refile the same claim again in that court.

NBC was among several media outlets sued by Sandmann for defamation after media reports claimed that he and other students harassed a Native American man, Nathan Phillips, at an incident in Washington on Jan. 18, 2019. At the time, Sandmann, who was a student of Covington Catholic High School, was attending the anti-abortion March for Life rally in Washington with other students.

Read More Nathan Phillips Says He Beat up Man Whose Girlfriend Hurt His Feelings

Sandmann and other students faced threats and denunciations from many people, including public figures, following the publication of the stories.

Short videos of Sandmann, who was wearing a MAGA (Make America Great Again) hat standing face-to-face with Phillips at the Lincoln Memorial, had gone viral. Due to their short length, the videos made it appear that Sandmann and fellow students had confronted Phillips. Phillips himself told several media outlets that he was confronted and harassed by the students.

But a longer version of the video showed that it was actually Phillips who had approached Sandmann. Phillips was chanting and beating a drum while Sandmann responded by standing still and smiling.

After a longer, 15-minute, video emerged, many public figures that had initially issued statements against Sandmann issued apologies, retractions, or simply deleted their statements.

On May 1, 2019, Sandmann filed a defamation lawsuit (pdf) against NBCUniversal, seeking $275 million.

NBCUniversal created a false narrative by portraying the confrontation as a hate crime committed by Nicholas, the lawsuit reads.

Attorneys described Sandmann in the original lawsuit as a 16-year-old student who stood quietly for several minutes after being unexpectedly confronted without explanation by Nathan Phillips, and said that Phillips beat a drum and sang loudly within inches of [Sandmanns] face on January 18, 2019, at the Lincoln Memorial.

According to the suit, Sandmann was an easy target for NBCUniversal to advance its anti-Trump agenda because he was a 16-year-old white, Catholic student who had attended the Right to Life March that day and was wearing a MAGA cap at the time of the incident which he had purchased earlier in the day as a souvenir.

Sandmann previously reached settlements in 2020 with The Washington Post and CNN for officially undisclosed amounts; he had sued them for $250 million and $275 million, respectively.

The Covington Catholic graduate, now 19 years old, still has ongoing lawsuits against outlets ABC, CBS, Gannett, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times.
Omicron Sparks Wave of Closures Nationwide as White House Warns Winter of Death Coming

South African officials say Omicron hospitalization rate is one-tenth that of Delta

The Omicron variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 has sparked a wave of closures across the United States in recent days, including schools and businesses, as the White House is warning of a winter of severe illness and death for individuals who are unvaccinated.

For the unvaccinated, youre looking at a winter of severe illness and death for yourselves, your families, and the hospitals you may soon overwhelm, White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said during a briefing. He then encouraged people to get vaccinated or receive boosters if theyre eligible.

So far, few Omicron-related deaths have been officially confirmed worldwide, and its not clear if any have been reported in the United States. The United Kingdom reported the first known death with Omicron, while the UK Health Security Agency, in a Dec. 18 update, reported seven deaths so far, although scant details have been provided.

Now, across the United States, in a growing number of municipalities, schools are again starting to shift to remote learning, events are being canceled, and restaurants are shuttering their doors due to Omicron.

Harvard University, Stanford University, and Cornell Universitywhich all have exceptionally high vaccination ratesand others have announced they would shut their campuses due to a spike in cases over the past week. Cornell shut down its Ithaca, New York, campus and moved to alert level red.

Cornell officials reported some 900 COVID-19 cases in the past weekwith many being the Omicron variant. The school has a 99 percent vaccination rate.

Virtually every case of the Omicron variant to date has been found in fully vaccinated students, a portion of whom had also received a booster shot, Vice President for University Relations Joel Malina said in a statement.

COVID-19 is the illness caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

At Harvard and Stanford, remote learning will start in the spring 2022 semester for most students; Pennsylvania State University announced on Dec. 18 that students should be prepared to alter plans should the college have to start the spring semester remotely.

Jeff Zients, President Joe Bidens COVID-19 czar, in Wilmington, Del., on Dec. 8, 2020. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Public schools across the country, including elementary and high schools, also have begun to move to remote-learning modelswhich have been long criticized by parent groups as being ineffective.

Prince Georges County Public Schools, located near Washington, D.C., said last week that students will move to a virtual learning format until the middle of next month due to an uptick in countywide COVID-19 cases. On Dec. 15, three Prince Georges County schools were forced to shutter due to the virus.

The Oswego City School District in New York state announced that the district would be moving to virtual instruction starting Dec. 17 and lasting until Dec. 23 over a rapid spread of COVID-19. In a similar statement, the Evanston Township High School in Illinois said it would implement an adaptive pause from Dec. 17 to Dec. 23, in which students will transition to e-learning during this period.

Meanwhile, the New York City Department of Educationthe largest in the United Statesdismissed speculation that it would shut its entire system, in a statement issued Dec. 17. First Deputy Chancellor Donald Conyers said that currently there is no plan for a systemwide school closure, according to the New York Daily News.

While the World Health Organization (WHO), which received criticism for naming the new strain Omicron while skipping two letters of the Greek alphabet (Nu and Xi), warned on Dec. 17 that the variants spread doubles at a rate of once every 1.5 to three daysa faster pace than previous variantsits unclear if it causes more severe disease or symptoms.

South Africas health minister, Joe Phaahla, said late last week that the hospitalization rate from Omicron is about one-tenth that of the Delta variant. Previously, top-level medical authorities in the country said the variant appears to present milder symptoms than the Delta or Alpha variants.

Only 1.7 percent of identified COVID-19 cases led to hospitalization in the two weeks since South Africa declared a fourth wave, Phaahla said during a press briefing. Thats down from about 19 percent at a comparable point when the Delta variant was surging, he remarked.

South Africa has a younger population than places such as Europe and the United States, and also has a much lower vaccination rate than either the United States or Europe.

A lot of the initial reports are that people with Omicron tend to have milder disease, but it doesnt mean that its not dangerous, Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, an infectious disease epidemiologist with the WHO, told reporters on Dec. 16. That doesnt mean that its only mild.
Demonstrators took to the streets against vaccine passports and lockdowns near Victoria Station in London on Dec. 18, 2021. (Hollie Adams/Getty Images)

Protests Erupt Across Europe Over Latest COVID-19 Orders, Vaccine Mandates

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets across Europe over the weekend to demonstrate against their respective governments recent decisions to reimplement COVID-19 rules and mandates following reported increases in cases.

Thousands of peaceful protesters demonstrated in central Brussels on Dec. 19 for the third time against reinforced COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the government.

The marcherssome with placards reading Free Zone, Ive had my fair dose, and Enough is enoughturned out to protest the governments recent mandates.

The Belgian protest came a day after similar protests in other capitals including Paris and London; nations across Europe have moved to reimpose tougher measures to stem a new wave of COVID-19 infections spurred by the highly transmissible Omicron variant, with the Netherlands leading the way by imposing a nationwide lockdown.

Since the Omicron variant was detected and named late last month, few deaths have been reported, while authorities in South Africa said on Dec. 17 that the hospitalization rate for Omicron is about one-tenth of that of Delta. The UK in the past week has confirmed seven deaths from Omicron.

Demonstrators take part in a march against recent vaccine mandates imposed in Belgium, in Brussels on Dec. 19, 2021. (Nicolas Maeterlinck/Belga/AFP via Getty Images)

On Dec. 18, thousands marched through London to voice their displeasure with the latest COVID-19 restrictions. Crowds amassed near Parliament Square against vaccine passports and COVID-19-related rules after reports indicated that further measures were being considered.

Several police officers suffered minor injuries as they attempted to escort a police motorcyclist through the area, according to the Metropolitan Police.

Participants protest in Nuremberg, Germany, on Dec. 19, 2021. (Leonhard Simon/Getty Images)

Demonstrations were also reported in Vienna as well as other Austrian cities on Dec. 18. Some carried signs reading People are locking up people, not the virus, according to reports. Rallies were also held in the Austrian cities of Klagenfurt, Innsbruck, and Leibnitzcoming weeks before a nationwide vaccine mandate is to take effect in February 2022.

Anti-mandate and anti-lockdown protesters also demonstrated in Tel Aviv, Israel; Paris; and cities across Germany, including Hamburg and Nuremberg.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported over the weekend that the Omicron variant of the coronavirus has been detected in 89 countries, and COVID-19 cases involving the variant are doubling every 1.5 to 3 days in places, with community transmission and not just infections acquired abroad. The WHO didnt offer any data on hospitalizations or death rates from the latest strain.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
On Being Re-Framed

Commentary

As I sat down to write today, my eye fell on the headline to an article in The Hill by the Fox News commentator Juan Williams.

It read: The GOP is an anti-America party.

Now it has always been daylight and sunshine-clear to me, as I imagine it has been to many of you, that the idea of Republicans entertained by left-wing writers and Democrats like Williams was just the opposite of this. Up until now I had supposed, as I imagine many of you had, that their view of the GOP was that it was pro-America to a fault.

What about all that Make America Great Again stuff that theyve been scoffing at for years?

What about all those Republican objections to illegally entering foreigners who are pouring across Americas undefended borders or to the perfidious Chinese who are stealing Americas technology along with our manufacturing industry? What about the GOPs opposition to the domestic advocates for un-American ideas like socialism or to the New York Timess assertion that the American Republic is foundationally and irredeemably racist?

Are we now to believe that sticking up for America and Americans against their many enemies and detractors has all along been secretly anti-America?

Well, not exactly. It turns out that Williams is merely entertaining his readers with a typical bit of rhetorical legerdemain that has lately found favor with many other Democrats, in the media and out of it.

You start by assuming the undoubted and presumptively undoubtable truth of the Democratic narrative as it has been honed and polished by the media for the last year, and especially of its two most undoubtable tenets: that Donald Trumps complaints about the electoral irregularities in Democrat-dominated jurisdictions of several key states during the election of 2020 are nothing but a Big Lie and that Joe Bidens legislative agenda, including every penny of its trillions of dollars in new spending, will do nothing but good for the country.

See how easy it is? With those two axiomatic propositions at your back it is childs play to go on to characterize as anti-America anyone who thinks Trumps suspicions about the election might be worth investigating, or anyone who believes, as most Republicans do believe, that the ill-effects of Bidens spending blow-out will far exceed the good.

Williams simply isnt listening to what those he characterizes as anti-America are saying. Why should he when he knows, or thinks he knows, that they are questioning the unquestionable? Its really that which makes them, in his view, anti-America. America, cest moi. Contrary opinions not permitted.

A similar trick was played for the delectation of New York Times readers this week by the author of that papers Morning Newsletter, David Leonhardt.

Americas Anti-Democratic Movement it was headed: Its making progress.

What? You didnt even know that there was an anti-democratic movement in America, let alone that it was making progress? Clearly, you havent been reading The New York Times lately.

Of course, Leonhardt could have been playing on words by pretending to mean small-d democratic when in fact he meant capital-D Democratic, as in Democratic party. But he neednt have resorted to anything quite so obvious as that.

It was still the Republicans to whom he meant to attach the stigma of being anti-Democratic but not because they oppose the Democrats per se. Instead, he relies on another of the medias axiomatic propositions, that anyone who is concerned with the security and integrity of our elections or who wishes to institute the mildest of measures for the prevention of electoral fraud really only wants to suppress or exclude the votes of minority voters and is therefore anti-democratic.

Like Williams, Leonhardt has never bothered actually to listen to what those he opposes are saying. He only knows that they have disqualified their opinions from serious attention by questioning another one of the most sacrosanct, the most unquestionable truths of the media narrative, now enshrined among the Democratic partys core principlesnamely that there is no such significant thing as electoral fraud and therefore no need for any measures against it.

This method of argument by simply ignoring what the other side is saying and recasting it into some more easily refutable form seems to have been invented by an academic linguist and philosopher at Berkeley named George Lakoff.

In his terminology, this is called re-framing the argument, but it would be more accurately described as showing how to lie without saying anything that is demonstrably untrue.

You can see how useful such a skill might be for a politician, especially for a progressive one who might otherwise be constantly stubbing his toe against truths of the unre-framed variety.

As you may remember President Biden used this kind of re-framing or re-contextualization back in August in order to describe the American evacuation from Afghanistan an extraordinary success.

And who, thought he, could deny it? If you forgot about all the parts of that military and diplomatic debacle that were horrific blunders and if you ignored the context of the extinguishing of Afghan freedoms purchased with American blood, the airlift of quite a large number of refugees from the disasterwhich was then the only thing remaining in the framecould indeed be seen as an extraordinary success.

You dont have to be a partisan politician to argue in this manner, but you do have to have a partisan politicians determination not to be fair to the person youre arguing against.

This week, John Stossel took to the New York Post to describe a recent run-in he had had with Facebooks fact-checkers. His contention in a video that climate change was not really a crisis, and that we could adapt to it over time, was labeled partly false.

I asked a Science Feedback reviewer what was wrong with my climate-crisis video, wrote Stossel, and he admitted that he and his other fact-checkers found no incorrect facts.  The problem is the omission of contextual information rather than specific facts being wrong, he said.

Just so. The omission of the context of the medias narrative of crisis is not permitted at Facebookfor thats the only way to ensure that that narrative can never be disturbed by any mere fact.

Honest argument is an attempt to persuade those who disagree with you to come around to your point of view. Re-framing isnt really any kind of argument at all. Its a rhetorical bullys bald assertion that you are not to be allowed to disagree with him in the first place.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Kate Cardwell and her daughter, Jessica Griffin, attending the Dec. 18 performance of Shen Yun at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center in Charleston, S.C. (Yawen Hung/The Epoch Times)

CHARLESTON, S.C.Its a special thing to see: parents and their adult children enjoying an evening of culture together. Shen Yuns return to South Carolina this year provided just such an occasion.

Shen Yun is the worlds premier classical Chinese dance and music company which went on to become a global phenomenon after its debut in 2006. Each year, the New York-based company puts on a brand new performance with fresh choreography and original music, performed by a live orchestra that blends Eastern and Western instruments, combined with a patented digital backdrop that together with colorful costumes and props create exhilarating scenes onstage.

Mother and Daughter

Mother and daughter Kate Cardwell and Jessica Griffin attended the performance in Charleston on Sunday, Dec. 18.

Ms. Griffin, an architectural designer, loved the joy and interaction among the dancers.

Gosh, all their personality shining through individuallyeven though everybodys dressed the same, its amazing to see each of the performers personalities coming through.

She was also blown away by the deceptively diminutive Chinese instrument called the erhu. It has only two strings, so Ms, Griffin couldnt imagine it would produce the rich sounds that it did in the hands of the soloist.

I played violin when I was younger, she said. So when [the erhu soloist] started playing, I was just really taken aback because it was  so many different emotions, so many different things that you could express through just those two strings. And she did. And she did so amazing. She was extremely talented.

Ms. Cardwell, a former high-end interior design and furniture salesperson, said Shen Yun is most beautiful.

It brought the current as well as the heritage of Chinese people before communism. I am so happy that in our nation we may see the rich heritage of the Chinese nation before communism, she said.

It was just magnificent. The dancers were beautifulboth male and female.

The Law family attending the Dec. 18 performance of Shen Yun in Charleston, S.C. (Yawen Hung/The Epoch Times)

Father and Son

Also in the audience on Dec. 18 were father and son Lewis Law Sr. and Lewis Law Jr.

I was very impressed with the technical aspect of everything about the show, Mr. Law, Sr., said. The videography, the recordings, the orchestra, the performers were just phenomenal.

The elder Mr. Law, a communications specialist for the United States Air Force, said he was particularly impressed with the parts of the performance where the current situation of religious persecution in China is depicted.

One section that impressed me the most is how freedom over there has been elusive to the majority of those people, he said. And a lot of people in America do not realize just how fortunate they are to have the freedom we have here. And so I really have to applaud the production team for producing that segment.

Shen Yuns mission is to show the world what Chinas culture was like before communism. The Chinese Communist Party, which took the reins of power in China in 1949, has systematically dismantled traditions upheld in the land once known as the Middle Kingdom for thousands of yearsincluding beliefs centered on Taoism and Buddhism, the pillars of Chinese philosophy.

Showing the difference between what was and what is, will open up the American peoples eyes as to what has actually happened in the world in general, said Mr. Law, Sr. Its easy to lose your freedom when you dont appreciate what you have.

Mr. Law, Jr., following in his fathers footsteps, works in aerospace as well, as part of the team that built Boeings 787. Hes also a musician, and so he appreciated the skill of the orchestra.

As a musician myself, I have to say, fabulous job, he said. The different instruments that they brought in, with the cultural aspect of it, using those instruments together was really interesting. Not something that I would have ever imagined to see happen.

Reporting by Yawen Hung.

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.
HOBART, AustraliaAn 11-year-old boy has become the sixth fatality of Devonports Hillcrest Primary School tragedy.

Tasmania Police Commissioner Darren Hine says Chace Harrison died in hospital on Sunday afternoon.

His death follows those of 11-year-old Addison Stewart and 12-year-olds Zane Mellor, Jye Sheehan, Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones and Peter Dodt.

A gust of wind sent a jumping castle being played on by nine children in total 10 metres into the air during year-end celebrations at the school on Thursday.

Two children remain in a critical condition in Royal Hobart Hospital and one other is in recovery at home.

It is with a heavy heart that I can confirm a sixth child has lost his life following the tragedy, Mr Hine told reporters in Hobart.

An 11-year-old boy died this afternoon, his name is Chace Harrison. Our thoughts continue to be with his family and all other families and loved ones of the children involved.

The states top cop said the investigation into the incident in conjunction with WorkSafe Tasmania was ongoing and would be for some time.

We are working tirelessly with all parties concerned to ensure the extensive investigation is completed as a matter of priority for the coroner, he said.

Their priority will be to interview all witnesses, gather and analyse forensic evidence at all in biomedical aspects including weather patterns and conditions of the time of this incident.

Worksafe Tasmania officers (left) inspect the jumping castle at Hillcrest Primary School in Devonport, Tasmania, Australia, on Dec. 16, 2021. (AAP Image/Grant Wells)

Given the magnitude of what happened and the need to speak to a large number of traumatised children within a short period of time, Tasmanian detectives have accepted an offer of help from NSW police.

Four forensic child interviewers will travel to the island state from Sydney over the coming days.

I am certain all Tasmanians share with me a deep sadness and heartache that young Chace Harrison, another child involved in this terrible tragedy, has now passed away, Premier Peter Gutwein said.

I know that our community, which is so connected, will be deeply saddened, for the family involved and indeed all the families of the now six children who have lost their lives.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Saturday an extra A$800,000 will also be made available to fund trauma counselling for those impacted.

Some A$250,000 will go to first responders involved in the aftermath of the accident and A$550,000 to the broader community.

More than a million dollars has also been raised in the community to support those mourning the tragedy.
It was during the dark days of World War II that a San Diego entrepreneur and former car dealer named Larry Imig decided to risk $2 million on the construction of a glamorous new hotel he would christen Imig Manor. He had a vision that when the war was over, the Golden Age of Hollywood, which had been put on hold, would rise again and its glittery stars would be looking for a new place to frolicnot too far from the racing ponies at Del Mar and the bullfights in Tijuana.

The hotels centerpiece would be its shimmering Olympic-size swimming pool designed by Johnny Tarzan Weissmuller. By day guests could sip and dip by the pool. At night, elegant to the nines, they would adjourn to the Mississippi Room with its oyster-shell stage to swing to the rhythm of big-band legends.

What was once Imig Manor is now the Lafayette Hotel in San Diego. (Jim Farber)

It all came true on July 1, 1946, when Imig Manor on El Cajon Boulevard opened its doors and greeted its first celebrity guests, who on that night included Bob Hope. Those long-ago days are captured in a pair of photographs: One shows a group of elegant women bedecked in hats and furs enjoying the grand lobby; the other is of a bevy of bathing beauties lounging in the evening by the pool. Those were the days.

Over time Imig Manor, with its Mississippi Room, Hope 46 Restaurant, and Red Fox Steakhouse and Piano Bar, went through a succession of landlords, including a period in the 1950s when it was owned by the hotel king himself, Conrad Hilton. It was sold and resold until 2004, when the property was purchased by Hampstead Lafayette Partners. They changed the name on the neo-Colonial entrance with its imposing white columns to the Lafayette Hotel, Swim Club and Bungalows.

Guests gather in the lobby of Imig Manor in San Diego during its 1940s heyday. (Lafayette Hotel Archive)

Sadly, as El Cajon Boulevard lost its prominence as a major San Diego thoroughfare and gained a tawdry reputation the hotel declined until, according to local North Park historian George Frank, the property barely escaped the wrecking ball. It was only after a concerted effort on the part of preservationists that on July 31, 2012, the Lafayette Hotel, Swim Club and Bungalows was granted a place on the National Register of Historic Places (though an official plaque proclaiming that status has yet to be installed).

The Lafayette Hotel has survived and is currently managed by RAR Hospitality. But you dont have to look hard to see it is a faded reminder of what it once was. Its interior decor is a hodgepodge, its walls festooned with ghostly black-and-white photo murals of glamorous Hollywood stars and jazz legends. Its only when you recline by or dive into Weissmullers sapphire-blue pool that out of the corner of your eye you can glimpse the postwar glory that was once Imig Manor.

Guests relax by the pool at Imig Manor in San Diego in 1947. ( Lafayette Hotel Archive)

If the Lafayette Hotels past is clear, the plans for its future are currently being held as a tightly guarded secret. In March the entire property was purchased for $25,815,000 by CH Projects and its founder, Arsalun Tafazoli. Tafazoli has established a reputation as the mastermind behind the extreme makeovers of several San Diego eateries. The purchase of the Lafayette Hotel, however, represents his organizations first venture into hospitality.

Tafazoli has stated that he and his company plan extensive upgrades to the property, including the addition of a wellness component, while pledging to respect the hotels historic designation. When I reached out to Tafazoli for comment, he declined to talk about plans, but the stars on the walls will be watching.

When You Go

The Lafayette Hotel: LafayetteHotelSD.com

Jim Farber is a freelance writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at Creators.com. Copyright 2021 Creators.com
UK chief Brexit negotiator David Frost (L) looks on as Prime Minister Boris Johnson (R) poses for photographs after signing the Brexit trade deal with the EU in number 10 Downing Street in London, on Dec. 30, 2020. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

UK Brexit Minister Resigns in Further Blow to Boris Johnson

Britains Brexit minister David Frost resigned on Dec. 18 with immediate effect, dealing another blow to Prime Minister Boris Johnsons crisis-ridden government.

The resignation came after The Sunday Times reported that Frost had handed his resignation in earlier this month, but agreed to stay until January after Johnson told him the government couldnt cope with a high-profile departure at the moment.

In a letter to the prime minister released on the evening of Dec. 18, Frost said he was disappointed that his planned departure had become public and in the circumstances, I think it is right for me to write to step down with immediate effect.

Frost said that during Johnsons premiership, we have restored the UKs freedom and independence as a country and begun the process of building a new relationship with the EU.

But, he said, that will be a long-term task, and that was why it was agreed he would move on and hand over the baton to others to manage the UKs future relationship with the EU.

Frost called Johnson an outstanding leader and hailed his governments recordan end to political turbulence by implementing the referendum result, a stunning election victory, an exit from the EU which gave us full freedom about our future choices as a country, and finally putting in place the worlds broadest and indeed only zero-tariff free trade deal.

He said Brexit is now secure, but he had concerns about the current direction of travel.

I hope we will move as fast as possible to where we need to get to: a lightly regulated, low-tax, entrepreneurial economy, at the cutting edge of modern science and economic change, he said.

Frost also expressed frustration over the governments COVID-19 measures. He praised the prime ministers brave decision to open up the country in July, but said, Sadly, it did not prove to be irreversible.

He expressed his hope that we can get back on track soon and not be tempted by the kind of coercive measures we have seen elsewhere.

Frosts resignation has added to the pressure on Johnson, who has suffered from crisis after crisis in the past two months.

Johnson is facing an investigation over alleged rule-breaking parties in Downing Street during the lockdown and is struggling to fend off allegations of lying about how the refurbishment of his Downing Street flat was funded.

The prime ministers authority was further dented on Dec. 14 when 100 Conservative MPs defied his leadership to vote against the introduction of mandatory COVID-19 health passes for entry to large venuesthe biggest rebellion since he entered office.

On Dec. 16, the Conservative Party lost the traditionally ultra-safe North Shropshire seat to the Liberal Democrats, in a by-election triggered by the resignation of Conservative MP Owen Paterson, who was forced to quit in November after being found to have breached lobbying rules.

Talking to Times Radio, Brexiteer Tory MP Andrew Bridgen described Frosts departure as a watershed moment and a devastating blow for the government and the prime minister.

He wrote on Twitter that Johnson was running out of time and out of friends to deliver on the promises and discipline of a true Conservative government.

Lord Frost has made it clear, 100 Conservative backbenchers have made it clear, but most importantly so did the people of North Shropshire, he wrote.

PA contributed to this report.
A U.S. court of appeals has given the green light to President Joe Bidens vaccine mandate for private companies, and the case is now expected to be challenged in the Supreme Court. At the same time, there is a growing list of companies, like Amtrak, that are reversing their vaccine mandate policies.

Biden has warned the unvaccinated of America that they face a winter of severe illness and death if they refuse the shot. Recent science on the Omicron variant may paint a different picture though.

Russian head of state Vladimir Putin has pledged to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. He and Chinese Communist Party head Xi Jinping appear to be forging a friendship in the face of their mutual opposition from Western countries. But can either one really trust the other?

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Buying natural soap from Organachs in Westport, a necklace from Wave on Elm in New Canaan and a jacket from Indigo Jane Boutique in Newtown used to mean a lot of driving or several online transactions.

But a couple is looking to change that with the launch of fairfieldcountyshops.com, a new website that serves as an online marketplace for shops throughout Fairfield County. Through the website, items from all of these local stores can be put in one online basket and paid for in a single transaction, much like national online sites, such as Amazon.

We wanted to create an experience that was just as simple and just as easy, but people could find the high-end products in their own community, said co-founder Greg Gatto, a Ridgefield resident and a senior at Yale University.

He said this approach will encourage people to shop local. He said research shows that often times people were opting for the large online sites out of convenience and the amount of product choice.

He and partner Olivia Ghee, a Fairfield resident and a recent Fordham Univeristy grad, said theyre reaching out to a wide collection of shops to also give their customers that product selection.

They said the ultimate goal of the site will be for people to start their shopping experience, including online, locally.

Gatto said they got the idea in September because his mother was saying she felt guilty buying from sites like Amazon when she wanted to support local businesses. He said they decided to look at why it was so much easier to shop on these sites and set out to create a similar model for only local items, officially launching just after Thanksgiving.

The site is sorted by category or shop and includes gift giving guides.

Right now, theyre focusing on clothing, accessories and home goods, they said, but there is potential to expand.

So far, 27 stores from Westport, New Canaan, Greenwich, Wilton, Darien, Newtown, Fairfield and Ridgefield have signed on with more businesses in talks to join after the holiday rush dies down a bit, they said.

The store can decide how much of their merchandise they want to sell online through Fairfield County Shops, though Ghee said most have selected to have their entire online inventory available.

The website is also connected to the stores sites so new products are added in both places when theyre posted online.

Its always live and up to date, Gatto said.

The stores continue to send out the purchases like they would through their own sites. Theres also an in-store pickup option.

Theres no fee for the business to join. Instead Fairfield County Stores gets 5 percent of the sale.

We want it to be a no-risk opportunity for them to join, he said.

The site focuses on Fairfield County shops because they said those boutiques are an important part of the countys character and one of the things that makes it unique.

Were both from Fairfield County, Gatto said. We wanted to support where were from and support the community.

Ghee said she grew up visiting shops in Fairfield, something she still loves doing, and began wondering about those similar experiences in other towns. She hopes this website will introduce people to other great, local spots and said one of the most common comments to their Facebook posts about their participating businesses is that people had no idea it was just 15 minutes from their houses.

There are so many awesome shops in Fairfield County but there wasnt really a way to know about it unless they lived in town or heard about it from a friend, Gatto said.

The couple began looking for potential businesses through local chambers of commerce, searching blogs and reaching out on Facebook.

Weve done a lot of pounding the pavement and hit the towns, Gatto said, adding this has let them find some cool gems that are off the beaten path a bit and not downtown.

Ghee said going in person has been key in helping businesses understand the concept and sign on.

Its a lot about getting in front of the right people, she said.

Customers and potential businesses can find out more on the website, Instagram and Facebook, all under the name Fairfield County Shops.
In February, Lori Dingwell of Waterbury tested positive for COVID-19. She says she has yet to recover fully. The 53-year-old has seen her primary care physician, a neurologist, ophthalmologist, retinal specialist, infectious disease expert and rheumatologist.

After a host of scans, blood tests and an abnormal spinal tap, Dingwell  a member of the COVID long-hauler support group Survivor Corps  said physicians had no answers to help explain her malady. Adding to her woes, she racked up nearly $10,000 in medical debt. I have it down to maybe $7,700, but it could go up, said Dingwell, a former counselor at a mental health organization in Southington.

Now, Dingwell said shes paying out-of-pocket for her mental health care, as well as a large share of her medical treatment since leaving her job a year ago. All of this despite having health insurance. I have insurance off the exchange. They dropped the premium down to like $15 a month, she said. Ive been paying for bloodwork out of my pocket. Ive been paying out-of-pocket for any tests needed.

A JAMA study, Medical Debt in the U.S., 2009 to 2020, published in July by researchers at Harvard, Stanford, UCLA, and the National Bureau of Economic Research, found that states, including Connecticut, that expanded Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act in 2014 experienced a 34 percent decline in new medical debt, compared with a 10 percent decline in states that did not expand the program over the same period.

Yet, even with expanded Medicaid coverage, patients like Dingwell fall through the gaps. I dont qualify for Medicaid, but Im low income, she said. My husband is disabled, and we are probably $250 more than the income threshold for eligibility.

Connecticut Health-I-Team analyzed county share of medical debt in Connecticut from the latest 2021 Urban Institute database. Litchfield County had the highest share of residents with medical debt at 14 percent, followed by Hartford and Windham counties at 13 percent.

A Dec. 8 search of medical bills Connecticut on the fundraising website GoFundMe generated more than 200 fundraisers. Among them, $24,782 was raised for pancreatic cancer treatment for a patient at Hartford Hospital, $15,035 for a patient with neuroblastoma at the Masonic Healthcare Center in Wallingford, and $9,700 raised for a 9-year-old who was treated at Connecticut Childrens Medical Center for a tumor. In addition to cancer treatment, people raised funds for reasons ranging from help with medical bills after a road accident to purchasing a therapy robot for a child.

Connecticut ranks among the highest in the country for per capita spending on healthcare: $9,859 in 2014 (the latest year available), compared with $8,045 nationally in 2014, data from Kaiser Family Foundation show. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the per capita national health expenditure surged to $11,172 in 2018, a staggeringly high cost for individuals with inadequate insurance.

In an effort to ease the burden, the state in July of this year began paying premiums and all cost-sharing that were not paid for caregiver adults of children on HUSKY A, up to 175 percent federal poverty level (FPL). This group is not covered by Medicaid and are enrolled in the silver plan via Access Health CT. On July 1, 2022, the state will begin paying all remaining premiums and cost-sharing, after federal assistance, for all adults under 175 percent FPL, including dental and non-emergency medical transportation.

Nonprofits are stepping in as well.

RIP Medical Debt, a New York-based nonprofit that acquires and retires medical debt for individuals, is in negotiations with at least one health system with hospitals located in Connecticut, and unfortunately cant name names right now, said Keith Hearle, interim director of debt operation, RIP.

The nonprofit now buys medical debt directly from health systems, a new model compared to debt collectors purchase of medical debt.

In 2020, donors in Connecticut  the Southern New England Conference United Church of Christ and an anonymous source  provided $2 million to support RIPs medical debt abolishment program in Hartford, New Haven and Windham counties, among others.

Companies in the private sector are also launching initiatives to disrupt the model of healthcare delivery.

Canton-based consortium Goodroot Inc. claims to have accrued $800 million in health care cost savings since 2015 for employers, groups and individuals. Each of our affiliate companies addresses a specific problem or inefficiency in healthcare, said Michael Waterbury, CEO of Goodroot. Since medical debt stems from soaring healthcare costs, all of our initiatives are working to prevent medical debt by lowering costs in the first place.

For example, member company RemedyOne leverages rebate programs to help lower pharmacy costs for employees and employers.

Goodroot also supports nonprofits that directly offer medical debt relief, such as working with a medical debt organization to negotiate new agreements with hospitals to prevent overdue payments from going to collections. In 2022, we will be launching a Goodroot affiliate that remediates medical debt, Waterbury said.

Connecticut passed a law this year that goes into effect in October of 2022 that eliminates a loophole health care organizations have used to avoid limits on billing and collections. And, medical facilities have been required to disclose facility fees.

This, combined with the ban on surprise billing and the price transparency rule at the federal level, represent major strides toward eliminating medical debt, but many causes of medical debt remain unchecked, Waterbury said.

For instance, providers are still under no obligation to estimate or predict the cost of care.

And, strangely, the price for some medications and procedures that is billed to people without insurance is sometimes lower than the out-of-pocket cost to someone with insurance, Waterbury said. Currently, there is no way to know if a procedure you are having done would cost less if you do not run it through your insurance.

For Lori Dingwell, her financial and medical difficulties continue. A specialist advised her to get a second spinal tap as a follow-up to the abnormal results on the first one. The insurance is not going to cover that, Dingwell said.

For now, she has a payment plan with her doctors. My neurologist tried to get me to pay them $150 a month, she said. They said, Whoa, youre paying $50 now, and your bill is increasing. And I said I cannot.

When a specialist referred Dingwell to a COVID clinic, the first thing the staff on the phone informed her was that her insurer would not cover the majority of her treatment.

They told me that I will be responsible for my bills, Dingwell said. At that point, I just gave up.

Ishan Rangarajan, an economics student at Princeton University, contributed to this story.

This story was reported under a partnership with the Connecticut Health I-Team ( c-hit.org ), a nonprofit news organization dedicated to health reporting.
GODFREY (AP)  In the months since President Joe Biden warned Russia's Vladimir Putin that he needed to crack down on ransomware gangs in his country, there hasn't been a massive attack like the one last May that resulted in gasoline shortages. But that's small comfort to Ken Trzaska.

Trzaska is president of Lewis & Clark Community College, a small Illinois school that canceled classes for days after a ransomware attack last month that knocked critical computer systems offline.

"That first day," Trzaska said, "I think all of us were probably up 20-plus hours, just moving through the process, trying to get our arms around what happened."

Even if the United States isn't currently enduring large-scale, front-page ransomware attacks on par with ones earlier this year that targeted the global meat supply or kept millions of Americans from filling their gas tanks, the problem hasn't disappeared. In fact, the attack on Trzaska's college was part of a barrage of lower-profile episodes that have upended the businesses, governments, schools and hospitals that were hit.

The college's ordeal reflects the challenges the Biden administration faces in stamping out the threat  and its uneven progress in doing so since ransomware became an urgent national security problem last spring.

U.S. officials have recaptured some ransom payments, cracked down on abuses of cryptocurrency, and made some arrests. Spy agencies have launched attacks against ransomware groups and the U.S. has pushed federal, state and local governments, as well as private industries, to boost protections.

Yet six months after Biden's admonitions to Putin, it's hard to tell whether hackers have eased up because of U.S. pressure. Smaller-scale attacks continue, with ransomware criminals continuing to operate from Russia with seeming impunity. Administration officials have given conflicting assessments about whether Russia's behavior has changed since last summer. Further complicating matters, ransomware is no longer at the top of the U.S.-Russia agenda, with Washington focused on dissuading Putin from invading Ukraine.

The White House said it was determined to "fight all ransomware" through its various tools but that the government's response depends on the severity of the attack.

"There are some that are law enforcement matters and others that are high impact, disruptive ransomware activity posing a direct national security threat that require other measures," the White House statement said.

Ransomware attacks  in which hackers lock up victims' data and demand exorbitant sums to return it  surfaced as a national security emergency for the administration after a May attack on Colonial Pipeline, which supplies nearly half the fuel consumed on the East Coast. The attack prompted the company to halt operations, causing gas shortages for days, though it resumed service after paying more than $4 million in ransom. Soon after came an attack on meat processor JBS, which paid an $11 million ransom.

Biden met with Putin in June in Geneva, where he suggested critical infrastructure sectors should be "off limits" for ransomware and said the U.S. should know in six months to a year "whether we have a cybersecurity arrangement that begins to bring some order." He reiterated the message in July, days after a major attack on a software company, Kaseya, that affected hundreds of businesses, and said he expected Russia to take action on cybercriminals when the U.S. provides enough information to do so.

Since then, there have been some notable attacks from groups believed to be based in Russia, but none of the same consequence or impact of those from last spring or summer. One reason may be increased U.S. government scrutiny, or fear of it.

"I think the ransomware folks, the ones conducting them, are stepping back like, 'Hey, if we do that, that's going to get the United States government coming after us offensively,'" Kevin Powers, security strategy adviser for cyber risk firm CyberSaint, said of attacks against critical infrastructure.

Some are skeptical about attributing any drop-off in high-profile attacks to U.S. efforts.

Top American officials have given conflicting answers about ransomware trends since Biden's discussions with Putin. Some FBI and Justice Department officials say they've seen no change in Russian behavior. National Cyber Director Chris Inglis said there's been a discernible decrease in attacks but that it was too soon to say why.

It's hard to quantify the number of attacks given the lack of baseline information and uneven reporting from victims, though the absence of disruptive incidents is an important marker for a White House trying to focus its attention on the most significant national security risks and catastrophic breaches.

Victims of ransomware attacks in the past few months have included hospitals, small businesses, colleges like Howard University  which briefly took many of its systems offline after discovering a September attack  and Virginia's legislature.

The attack at Lewis & Clark, in Godfrey, was discovered two days before Thanksgiving when the school's IT director detected suspicious activity and proactively took systems offline, said Trzaska, the president. A ransom note from hackers demanded a payment, though Trzaska declined to reveal the sum or identify the culprits. Though many attacks come from hackers in Russia or Eastern Europe, some originate elsewhere.

With vital education systems affected, including email and the school's online learning platform, administrators canceled classes for days after the Thanksgiving break and communicated updates to students via social media and through a public alert system.

The college, which had backups on the majority of its servers, resumed operations this month.

The ordeal was daunting enough to inspire Trzaska and another college president who he says endured a similar experience to plan a cybersecurity panel.

"The stock quote from everyone," Trzaska said, "is not if it's going to happen but when it's going to happen."
GLEN CARBON -- Veterans, families and the community of Glen Carbon joined thousands of other Americans throughout the country in the annual laying of wreaths on the graves of veterans at Glen Carbon Cemetery in Glen Carbon on Saturday.

The mission of Wreaths Across America is simple: remember, honor and teach.

Every year, wreaths are laid on the third Saturday of December at noon EST in over 3,000 locations in 50 states, at sea and in foreign lands.

"This is the largest event we have," said organizer and General George Rogers Clark Chapter of Sons of the American Revolution (GGRCC) member Philip Bailey. Bailey served in the U.S. Navy from 1964 to 1980.

"I hope by participating in this we can help inspire the younger generation to keep honoring our veterans," said GGRCC member and retired Army Chaplain Dan Noble of Pontoon Beach, "We cannot ever forget the sacrifice veterans make for us."

For each wreath laid at the graves of over 75 veterans throughout the cemetery, Bailey honors each one by stating birth and death, branch of the military and any other relevant military experiences, such as if they received a Medal of Honor or Purple Heart, using a microphone and portable speaker.

For some like June L. Sedlacek, Bailey went into more depth.

"Sedlacek was quite a lady," said Bailey.

Born in 1923, Sedlacek served in the Women's Army Corps during World War II as a truck driver transporting overseas equipment in the Boston area. After being Honorably Discharged in 1946, she enlisted in the US Air Force where she worked as a machine operator in Denver, air transport in Washington DC and assisted in deployment of troops to Korea during the Korean Conflict in California. She passed away Oct. 1, 2006.

The last to be honored were Emil Trentaz and Harry Seaton, the only residents of Glen Carbon who died during World War I. They were killed in 1919 in France.

Trentaz and Seaton are buried under the Doughboy Statue, which was erected in 1920 to stand over the soldiers' graves. Doughboy is an informal term to describe a US Infantrymen during World War I.

Carol DeConcini attended the ceremony in honor of her late husband and Vietnam Veteran David DeConcini. They were married for 53 years until he passed away in late August of 2021. DeConcini was a lifetime member of the Scott Air Force Base V.F.W. Post #3183 and was an active member of the Glen Carbon American Legion Post # 435.

He was honored with a wreath during the ceremony.

"My husband always came to this event," said DeConcini, "I'm not sure how I will get through this, but it is important we honor those who serve."

Wreaths Across America started with Morrill Worcester, owner of Worcester Wreath Company of Harrington, Maine. When Worcester was 12 years old, he won a trip to Washington D.C. where Arlington National Cemetery made a big impression on him.

In 1992, faced with a surplus of wreaths, Worcester decided to donate them to an older part of Arlington National Cemetery. The tradition continued quietly until a photo of the wreaths on the graves under fresh snow went viral in 2005.

Since then, the annual wreath-laying ceremony has expanded all over the country where over a million wreaths are placed on the graves of veterans.

To get more information Wreaths Across America visit their website at https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/

For more information on the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, visit https://www.sar.org/
TEHRAN, Iran (AP)  Iran has detected its first case of infection by the new omicron variant of the coronavirus, state TV reported Sunday.

The announcement comes as the variant spreads around the globe less than a month after scientists alerted the World Health Organization to the concerning-looking version.
Bangladeshs stable economic development is creating new opportunities for Indias northeastern states and work on a CEPA trade agreement is ongoing. The two countries are celebrating 50 years of India-Bangladesh friendship and Indias President Ram Nath Kovind is currently on an official trip to Bangladesh.

2021 marks the golden jubilee of the liberation of Bangladesh and fifty years of India-Bangladesh diplomatic ties. Indias President Ram Nath Kovind is currently on a three-day state visit to Bangladesh from December 15 to 17, 2021; this is his first state visit since the outbreak of the COVID pandemic.

Speaking on the state of bilateral ties in November, Indias Defense Minister Rajnath Singh affirmed that India Bangladesh relations are going through a golden phase. As Bangladesh attains developing nation status (upgrading from less developed country status), India has reiterated its commitment to deepen trade and economic ties with Bangladesh as partners rather than competitors. That Bangladesh is Indias biggest trade partner in South Asia, with a volume of over US$10 billion, is testimony to this commitment. In the same pursuit, both countries are working to finalize a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

Bangladeshs holistic development is also viewed positively by New Delhi with new opportunities arising along Indias northeast region. Bangladesh and India share a 4096-kilometer-long (2545 miles) international border, the fifth-longest land border in the world, including 262 km (163 mi) in the state of Assam, 856 km (532 mi) in Tripura, 318 km (198 mi) in Mizoram, 443 km (275 mi) in Meghalaya, and 2217 km (1378 mi) in West Bengal.

Economic and commercial partnership between India and Bangladesh

Bangladesh is Indias biggest trade partner in South Asia and India is the second biggest trade partner of Bangladesh. Bilateral trade between India and Bangladesh has grown steadily over the last decade and the exports of Bangladesh have tripled over the last decade to cross US$1 billion in 2018-19. In FY 2019-20, Indias exports to Bangladesh were US$8.2 billion and imports were US$1.26 billion.

The two countries now should concentrate on people-to-people contact, trade, business and connectivity as the issues became increasingly important for the two sides.

A deeper economic and trade engagement becomes all the more relevant, given the success of phenomenal and uninterrupted supply chains during the pandemic. An augmented connectivity infrastructure is imperative to actualize the bilateral trade and investment potential between the two countries. Indias Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has recognized five focus areas to bolster bilateral economic ties  technology, connectivity, entrepreneurship, health, and tourism. Bangladesh is also important for aiding Indias connectivity in the Southeast Asian region through Chittagong and Mongla ports.

Both India and Bangladesh are also working towards holding the first meeting of the India Bangladesh CEOs Forum to provide policy level inputs in various areas of trade and investment and also to facilitate exchanges among the business communities of both the countries. Additionally, a bilateral textile industry forum has also been constituted to facilitate cooperation in the textile sector.

According to the data of media outlets, With Bangladesh being the central pillar of India's Neighbourhood First policy, Dhaka is New Delhi's largest trade partner in South Asia and bilateral trade between the two countries grew at an unprecedented rate of 14 per cent during the COVID-19 pandemic. the COVID-19 pandemic, bilateral trade was at an unprecedented rate of 14 per cent from 9.46 billion US dollars in 2019 to 10.78 billion dollars in 2021. Joint energy space is steadily emerging, India and Bangladesh's electricity grids are interconnected from east and west with more than 1160 megawatts of powers way across from India and Bangladesh.The 346 crore Pipeline Project, signed in 2018, will connect Siliguri in West Bengal in India and Parbatipur in Dinajpur district of Bangladesh. The work on the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline, a project that will enable the two countries to integrate their energy needs, is progressing well and could be inaugurated next year. ( The NDTV, the Hindu, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla )

Despite COVID-19 restrictions, the trade between India and Bangladesh crossed $10 billion. . India had sent over one crore COVID-19 vaccines to the country and has extended concessional credit lines of about $8 billion, the highest for any single country. India is also developing two Indian economic zones at Mirsarai and Mongla. Prime Minister Narendra Modis invitation to 50 young entrepreneurs from Bangladesh will further augment our ties. Over 350 Indian companies are now registered in Bangladesh. The India-Bangladesh CEO Forum will meet soon for the first time, even as the two countries work towards finalising a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) to deepen trade and economic ties as partners rather than competitors.

India stands shoulder to shoulder with the countrys leadership and people in their development journey.

Noting that India-Bangladesh supply chains worked uninterrupted through the pandemic, Improving connectivity is imperative for expanding and realising the potential for bilateral trade and investments. The two countries leaders have brought Delhi and Dhaka closer and can together bring economic prosperity to South Asia. ( The Hindu, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal)

India and Bangladesh have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the construction of a high-speed diesel pipeline from Nonmilitary in Assam to Parbatipur in Bangladesh, a joint venture between Numaligarh Refinery Limited and Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation. As an indication of goodwill, an initial consignment of 2200 ton of diesel has already been transported from Siliguri in West Bengal to Parbatipur in 50 wagons by the Indian Railways

Furthermore, India-Bangladesh cooperation in the power sector too has become an important aspect in this bilateral relationship. Bangladesh is currently importing 1160 MW of power from India. The Joint Working Group (JWG)/Joint Steering Committee (JSC) on power provides an institutional framework to promote bilateral cooperation in cross border trade of electricity.

How is India aiding Bangladesh as a development partner ?

Presently, Bangladesh remains Indias biggest development partner. Over the past eight years, India has extended three Lines of Credits (LOC) to Bangladesh, amounting to US$8 billion for development of infrastructure in various sectors, including roads, railways, shipping, and ports. Additionally, India has also been providing grant assistance to Bangladesh for various infrastructure projects, including construction of Akhaura-Agartala rail link, dredging of inland waterways in Bangladesh, and construction of India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline.

Further, High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDPs) also form an important part of Indias developmental assistance to Bangladesh, with India having funded 68 HICDPs, including construction of, academic buildings, cultural centers, skill development and training institutes, student hostels, and orphanages etc. in Bangladesh. 16 additional HICDPs are being implemented.
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to issue an immediate moratorium on borrowing by the Federal Government and the 36 states to address a systemic debt crisis, prevent retrogressive economic measures, and the disproportionately negative impact of unsustainable debt on the poor Nigerians.

The request followed the recent approval by the National Assembly of President Buharis request for a $5.8bn loan and grant of $10bn. Previous approvals in 2021 alone include $8.3bn; 490m, and $6.1bn. The foreign debt stock of the Federal Government, 36 states, and Federal Capital Territory reportedly stands at $37.9bn.

In an open letter dated 18 December 2021 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: A moratorium on borrowing would create a temporary debt standstill, and free up fiscal space for investment in Nigerians needs, as well as ensure sustainable economic and social recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

SERAP said, Without a moratorium on borrowing, your government and many of the 36 states may be caught in a process driven mostly by creditors needs. This will result in an exorbitant social cost for the marginalized and vulnerable sectors of the population.

According to SERAP, Long-term unsustainable debt can be a barrier to the governments ability to mobilize resources for human rights, and may lead to taxes and user fees that impact negatively on vulnerable and marginalised Nigerians.

The letter, read in part: SERAP is concerned about the lack of transparency and accountability in the spending of the loans so far obtained, and opacity around the terms and conditions, including repayment details of these loans.

While the National Assembly has asked for these details in future loan requests, it ought to have seen and assessed the terms and conditions of these loans before approving them, in line with its oversight responsibility under the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 [as amended].

If not urgently addressed, the escalating borrowing and looming debt crisis would cripple the ability of both the Federal Government and the 36 states to deliver essential public services such as quality healthcare, education, and clean water to the most vulnerable and marginalised sectors of the population.

SERAP notes that governments ability to protect human rights is inextricably related to the ability to spend needed resources. Growing debt burdens and debt repayment difficulties will have negative impacts on the ability of your government and many of the 36 states to fulfill the basic socio-economic rights of poor and vulnerable Nigerians.

Sustainable debt management by the Federal Government and state governments will contribute to mobilizing resources for human rights and essential public services, and promote a culture of responsible borrowing.

The Federal Government and many of the 36 states would seem to be in debt distress or at high risk of debt distress. According to reports, the Senate and House of Representatives recently approved the loans of $5,803,364,553.50 and a grant component of $10m under the 2018-2020 External Borrowing (Rolling) Plan of the Federal Government.

This followed previous approvals this year by the National Assembly of $16.2 (16,230,077,718) billion loan; 1 (1,020,000,000) million and a grant component of $125 million loan; $36.8 billion, 910 million loans, and a grant component of $10 million; $8.3 billion and 490 million loans; $6.1 billion, $1.5 billion and 995 million loans; and $4(4,054,476,863), 710 million and grant component of $125 million.

Several of the 36 states are also facing a debt crisis, and vicious debt cycles. According to the Debt Management Office, the foreign debt stock of the Federal Government, 36 state governments and the Federal Capital Territory presently stands at $37.9bn.

The loans from China alone amount to $3.59bn. According to the UN Independent Expert on foreign debt and human rights, Nigeria faces debt service relative to tax revenues that exceed 20 per cent, with escalating social tensions linked to poverty and inequality.

The growing level of borrowing by your government and the 36 states is clearly a human rights issue because when the entire country is burdened by unsustainable debts, there will be little money left to ensure access of poor and vulnerable Nigerians to basic public services.

While it is critical for the Federal Government and state governments to have sufficient resources to fund their budgets, it is equally critical for governments to substantially cut the cost of governance. Persistent borrowing is neither sustainable nor fair to the Nigerian people.

SERAP urges you to conduct a human rights assessment of the borrowing by governments since 1999 to address the dire consequences of unsustainable debts on people and communities across the country, and to ensure that borrowing at all levels of government considers the human rights impacts.

Any such assessment should be conducted in harmony with existing safeguards and mechanisms in order to contribute to informed decision-making and to complement findings from a human rights perspective.

A human rights impact analysis should serve to ascertain the debts that can be repaid, and the resources necessary to ensure compliance with the obligation of using the maximum available resources for the protection and fulfilment of human rights.

As the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has noted, States parties including Nigeria are under an obligation to devote their maximum available resources to the full realization of all economic and social rights, including the rights to health, education and water.

SERAP also urges you to adopt effective measures to address transparency and accountability gaps in spending of loans, and the systemic and widespread corruption in ministries, departments and agencies, as documented by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation

We would therefore be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within 14 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions to compel your government and the 36 states to comply with our requests.

Kolawole Oluwadare

SERAP Deputy Director

19/12/2021

Lagos, Nigeria

Emails: [email protected]; [email protected]

Twitter: @SERAPNigeria

Website: www.serap-nigeria.org

For more information or to request an interview, please contact us on: +2348160537202
Are Tom and Jerry best friends?

Tom and Jerry are best friends. But Tom has to pretend to hate Jerry in order to protect Jerry so Tom's owner doesn't replace Tom with a cat that actually wants to kill Jerry.

The biblical story of Pharaoh and Moses is freshly insightful and relevant to the current situation in Nigeria and albeit Northern Nigeria. To understand my take in this essay and my digression, the story of Pharaoh and Moses, and its theological, ethical, and political implications needs understanding and perspectives; also I read it as a compelling story of a religious intellectual who is forced by a set of shocking experiences to re-read familiar religious texts in a wholly new way.

Kindly follow me in this brief, you will understand how I am redeploying the story of Pharaoh and Moses and meticulously sets out my views on the contemporary applicability of its lessons to Nigeria.

A detailed account and understanding of Pharaohs government, shows an archetypal dictatorial regime. However before some state operatives come looking for me, I will leave room for innuendos and allusions, leaving just enough room for deniability while at the same time allowing the reader to grasp the intended meaning.

I have and intentionally not mentioned names, I will not discuss how Pharaoh transgressed the boundaries of ethics, morality and natural law through his rampant violations of human rights, I will not talk about how Pharaohs larger than life images and statues were put up all over the country while the images and statues of previous rulers were removed and their images denigrated; how Pharaoh relied on a propaganda empire to keep power and to defame his detractors.

Our Pharaohs scattered all over are using intricate means of co-option, propaganda and coercion to stay in power and, sadly they continue as they discuss 2023 because interestingly, most of the responsibility for the existence of pharaonic dictatorships lay at the feet of the subjects. Pharaohs become what they are primarily because their subjects let them. Every time the people let a dictatorial move go unpunished, the dictators behavior is reinforced and the dictatorship only gets stronger and harsher. The situation in North of Nigeria and many parts of Nigeria is that dictatorships are joint ventures between Pharaohs and their subjects, and the people whose responsibility it is to stop rewarding bad behavior are caged by a pseudo cultural construct enmeshed in shared religious docility. The power that is originally theirs have been stripped of them by intentional impoverishment.

In the original story of Pharaoh, a certain Moses becomes a figure who realizes this problem and takes the first steps to start a struggle to take back the peoples power.

Pharaohs are of the past, considering the values that are the common acquisition of humanity. However, such tyrants have kept their seats in places like Nigeria, which has a history of 61 years post independence. And in our case, many Moses equally metamorphosed to Pharaoh.

I offer my condolences to us as Nigerians because years from now, we will receive recompense for the blood that we are shedding needlessly today, for the millions of Almajirin children littered all over. Our women that are raped daily, the trauma meted out to our kids whom all they asked for; was an education.

The Pharaoh and pharaohs in leadership positions will bear the brunt somehow, but most certainly the quiet youth of today, the youths that have kept quiet in the face of tyranny and not pushed to ask for something to be done while the land is desecrated will pay dearly.

Theres a combustion as Pharaoh will not hear, his heart is hardened. In corners, bandits have killed lawmakers, gunmen have kidnapped monarchs, burnt travelers in the caliphate, razed houses down and shot sporadically killing scores on market days.

Yet Pharaohs littered across the leadership landscape plan ahead of 2023, refusing to show empathy to Nigerians, we see a gross and continuous display of insensitivity to peoples plight.

The #NorthIsBleeding says whothe North is actually sliding into anarchy, the South does not want to be left behind, imagine the cannibalism of police men in Imo, the Mkupiri Miri drug wahala, the yahoo yahoo palavar.

Scores of school children kidnapped, and abducted since the year have been forgotten by Pharaoh. Killers everywhere and nobody is held liable. In a country where the Nigeria Police Force had on paraded 14 suspects, including a self-confessed fake police officer, a lawyer, an Islamic cleric, and a journalist for alleged involvement in the raid of the Maitama, Abuja residence of a Justice.

Police also confirmed that seven others, including soldiers, who took part in the raid were at large. One of the suspects insisted that he works for Nigerias Attorney General of the federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami. Yet this case like many ends Pharaohsque, but what is scary is the sidon look do little posture thats seeing the North gradually become an Afghan republic with all sorts of collaboration and alliances amongst bandits and sings being waxed for vicious known bandits and terrorists. These terror lords are Pharaohs on their own.

The Pharaohs that name fellow pharaohs as terror financiers and sympathizers, as gunmen when not killing in Akwa, are killing in Kogi, while we are assured with vows that all will be well, but seemingly after every such vow, the pharaohs strike, the number of meetings amongst Northern governors and the presidency one has lost count. The nation is not at ease, life expectancy is zero, living in the nation is a skill set, an achievement, a nation that is under-secured yet almost 1000 security agents are killed in one year speaks volume.

Are Tom and Jerry best friends, as we fixate on an amended electoral bill, worry about our structure and the imperfections, discuss Atiku and Tinubu and the Igbo Presidency, Moses and Pharaoh, North and South Nigeria, Ibos and Fulanis, Sunday Igboho and Nnamdi Kalu, are we best friends, bandits and soldiers, police and thief, government and citizens, these are perspectivesonly time will tell
Jane Seymour heading to Phuket to support pandemic prevention

BANGKOK: British-American actress Jane Seymour OBE, will soon be touching down in Phuket as part of a tour of Thailand with her family and the Bangkok-based charity Freeland.

animalscharityCoronavirusCOVID-19environmentwildlife

By The Phuket News

Sunday 19 December 2021, 01:30PM

Jane Seymour at the Monte-Carlo Gala for the Global Ocean event in Monaco in 2019. Photo: AFP

Ms Seymours tour is in association with a global campaign to prevent future pandemics through better nature protection and is planned between late Dec and Jan 2022.

She and her family will explore Thailands beautiful beaches and forests while also supporting a local COVID-relief effort in Phuket, a Thai Government-NGO program to stop wildlife trafficking, and to promote a Bangkok film festival titled A Better World, Beyond Pandemics.

While in the country, the Emmy and Golden Globe winner will also shoot a new Public Service Announcement about preventing pandemics by addressing their root causes.

Ms Seymour will be accompanied by the Thailand-based, international NGO Freeland, a counter-trafficking organisation, which she supports.

Freeland launched the global campaign in early 2020 that continues today called EndPandemics in partnership with Thailand-based multinational company, B.Grimm.

To date, Ms. Seymour has voiced two public service announcements for EndPandemics, sponsored by B.Grimm, which ran on CNN and CNBC in 2020-2021, reaching over 700 million people, with the message its time to change our relationship with nature.

Ms Seymour and her actress/director/photographer daughter, Katie Flynn, will appear at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT) in Bangkok on the afternoon of Jan 6.

Ms Flynn will debut a photo exhibit of her works, and Ms Seymour will promote the Film Festival.

No specific dates pertaining to Ms Seymours schedule were provided at time of press.
Omicron detected in passenger returning from Saudi

PHUKET: Health authorities have confirmed that a passenger recently returned from a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia tested positive for the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 coronavirus.

CoronavirusCOVID-19healthtourism

By The Phuket News

Sunday 19 December 2021, 04:16PM

Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO) Chief Dr Kusak Kukiattikoon confirmed that five of the 137 travellers from Saudi Arabia who entered Phuket under the Test & Go policy on Dec 13 were classed as green category cases and quarantined under the close supervision of a medical team for five days.

The five passengers had previously conducted RT-PCR testing in Saudi Arabia before their flight and then tested again on landing in Phuket before being flagged to authorities. No specific details on the passengers gender, nationality or age were released. The remaining passengers on the flight received negative tests and were allowed to travel onto their respective destinations.

After five days of quarantine had passed the five were then allowed to return to the southern province of Pattani where they will continue their quarantine. Phuket Provincial Police coordinated with authorities in Pattani to receive the five patients who would then undergo medical supervision by relevant teams and remain in quarantine until the 14 day timeframe had elapsed.

Dr Kusak confirmed that he was informed by the Phuket Medical Science Center on Friday (Dec 17) that one of the five had tested positive for the Omicron strain.

However, he clarified that the five passengers were kept under strict watch in quarantine and there is no way the Omicron variant could have spread elsewhere on the island. He subsequently urged the public not to panic as there is absolutely no sign of a threat to the health and safety of Phukets residents.

The link to the original story from the PR Phuket Facebook page posted on 19/12/2021 at 12:19pm can be found here.
Spidey home for Christmas

It is always hard to gauge a Marvel movie by going on the companys promises. Every time a new Marvel movie is coming out they promise that it is bigger and better than the last one. Like all repeated promises, sometimes they deliver and sometimes they dont, but believe me you have to believe the hype when it comes to Spider-Man: No Way Home. Not only does the film deliver a new level of being epic, this is one film that is guaranteed to become a fan favourite perhaps Marvel have finally found the way to create a film that true fans are going to love while still making that elusive cinema buck.

Entertainment

By David Griffiths

Sunday 19 December 2021, 02:00PM

Image: IMDB

You have probably already heard a lot of internet buzz about things that will or may happen within this movie but dont worry we will try to write this review in such a way that we dont mention anything that you havent already seen in a trailer or a poster... and we will try to be vague yet informative about things that you havent seen yet.

Directed by Jon Watts (Cop Car), the film picks up in the very seconds after the ending of Spider-Man: Far From Home. Peter Parkers (Tom Holland  The Impossible) identity has been exposed to the world by Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal  Nightcrawler) and online journalist J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons  Whiplash).

Not only that but Peter Parker finds himself being investigated for the death of Mysterio and it seems like the world is turning against him. He turns to his support network of Aunt May (Marisa Tomei  The Wrestler) and Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau  Chef) for support, but when the impact of the investigation affects him, his girlfriend MJ (Zendaya  Dune) and best friend Ned (Jacob Batalan  Spider-Man: Homecoming) in a major way, he decides that something needs to be done.

Peter then turns to Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch  The Power of the Dog) for help but the resulting spell that is cast has catastrophic ramifications. Suddenly Peter and his crew find themselves in a battle as foes from the multi-verse land in New York led by Doc Ock (Alfred Molina  Boogie Nights), Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe  The Card Counter) and Electro (Jamie Foxx  Horrible Bosses).

What Jon Watts has created here is a very special film for comic-book fans. If you are a casual Marvel movie fan then you are going to like this film, but if you are a die-hard Spider-Man fan then you are going to LOVE this film because this is something so special that the only one to describe it is that it is a once in a generation film.

There are some very special moments in this film for true Spider-Man fans, we will leave that at that so there are no spoilers, but it is how everything else that comes together in this film that takes it to the next level.

Somehow Watts and screenwriters Chris McKenna (Ant-Man and the Wasp) and Erik Sommers (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle) manage to pack a lot of things into this film without making it feel crowded or letting it run past its welcome. They also bring the right blend of things to the film  nostalgia, epic action sequences, characterisation and just the right amount of humour. They have pretty much made the perfect comic-book movie.

The result is a film that makes Spidey fans gasp at times throughout the film  and in the screening we were in there were even rounds of applause and screams during some of the films big revelations, and that is something that you rarely see in modern-day cinema.

It also feels like the actors here know they are acting in something special. We have known that Tom Holland is something special ever since his performance in The Impossible, but here he takes his acting to a whole new level. He almost has to as Willem Dafoe comes into the film bringing his A-Game.

There are too many special moments in this film to mention and many of them would be spoilers so the best thing to say is that this is a film that Spider-Man fans are going to truly embrace and adore. This is the one time that Marvel has delivered something very special indeed for comic book fans everywhere.

Spider-Man: No Way Home opens in cinemas in Phuket on Dec 23 and has yet to be classified.

5/5 Stars

David Griffiths has been working as a film and music reviewer for over 20 years. That time has seen him work in radio, television and in print. You can follow him at www.facebook.com/subcultureentertainmentaus
War Elephants remain unbeaten after Singapore win

FOOTBALL: The War Elephants remain unbeaten in the 2021 Suzuki Cup after defeating the hosts Singapore 2-0 in Group A yesterday (Dec 18).

Football

By The Phuket News

Sunday 19 December 2021, 12:38PM

Thailands Elias Dolah (right) celebrates with teammates after scoring the first goal in the 2-0 win over Singapore yesterday (Dec 18). Photo: AFP

Singapore were also unbeaten going into the match and were assured of progressing from the group along with Thailand but were unable to overcome their opponents last night.

First-half goals from Elias Dolah and Supachai Chaided secured the win for Mano Polkings side to send the team into the semi-final stage full of confidence. Thailand will face the runners-up from Group B while Singapore will face the winners from the same group.

Group B sees defending champions Vietnam facing Cambodia and Malaysia playing Indonesia today to determine the final group standings.

Indonesia currently lead the group from Vietnam thanks to a superior on goal difference on seven points while Malaysia are a point behind in third.

The tournament was rescheduled from last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and is being held in Singapore to minimise travel as per the usual home and away basis.

Thailand are the most successful side in the tournament with five titles followed by Singapore with four.

Desperate to win back the title, Thailand manager Nualphan Lamsam has promised to give the team B20 million in bonus if they are crowned champions.

The winners will also get about B10mn in prize money.
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Internationally known DJ David Guetta has made a home for himself in the Persian Gulf.

The French DJ is a resident of the United Arab Emirates, where he has performed multiple times  the latest being on the helipad at the landmark Burj Al Arab hotel, and was one of the first artists invited to perform in Saudi Arabia when the kingdom opened its doors to tourists and began allowing concerts and entertainment. Guetta is performing in Saudi Arabia again on Sunday.

Guetta performed in Saudi Arabias Formula-E in 2018 and then a year later at the MDLBeast music festival in the capital of Riyadh. Marketed as the regions biggest music event, the festival has drawn backlash for whitewashing Saudi Arabias image. Celebrities and influencers came under scrutiny for promoting a country widely accused of human rights abuses. Guetta is making his second appearance at the festival on Sunday.

Speaking to The Associated Press ahead of his Saudi gig, Guetta defended his participation.

I dont play for politicians, I play for people, and you know if Im not able to, if I would need to be playing only in countries where Im totally agreeing with the leaders," he said from the Louvre Abu Dhabi where he was recording a set for a streaming New Years Eve show. that will be streaming on the night.

If he were restricted to certain countries for political reasons, Guetta added, "I would probably stay home.

MDLBeast Soundstorms first edition featured performances by J Balvin, Steve Aoki and Guetta among others, while the 2021 edition has the likes of Tiesto, Martin Garrix, Guetta, and DJ Snake on the ticket. In 2019, Instagram and TikTok were afloat with pictures of celebrities, models, and influencers posing in different parts of Saudi Arabia.

The posts attracted controversy and human rights groups scrutinized celebrities for marketing the country without speaking about its human rights record. Some celebrities later said they were paid to post about the event. Reports circulating on social media at the time claimed that some influencers and artists were paid high fees for the visits.

Im not saying what Im saying because I was getting paid, Im getting paid in any country, you know I can make money in Saudi, in America, in Europe, in Latin America," Guetta said.

"I want to be able to play for the people wherever I go. But then, should I not go to China maybe? Should I not go to America because sometime(s), you know, I dont always agree with certain wars that are happening?

The music festival was one of the first events in Saudi Arabia where men and women were allowed to dance and mingle openly in public.

It was one of the most visible signs of change under crown prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2018. King Salman granted his son and heir, the crown prince, a free hand to usher in dramatic moves that have reshaped the country.

Allowing women to drive, bringing in musical concerts, opening movie theaters, easing restrictions on gender segregation, and reigning in the powers of the religious police have all been signature reforms of the young prince.

Because of the changes, I was happy to be part of this, Guetta said. Of course theres more things to be done to improve the country but I think they are opening and really going to the right direction.

For example, he added, Four years ago women couldnt drive, and now they can come to a David Guetta concert and dance, you know its a huge evolution.

Guetta says that people shouldnt have to wait for a country to have a perfect record before wanting to show support.

My position is, ok, if young people want me to be there, I want to be there for them, he said.

With the sunlight dancing through the dome of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, and the cascading light and shadows creating an ethereal vibe on the waters around the museum, Guetta recorded his New Years Eve DJ-set on Wednesday, to no audience.

The show was recorded on a floating stage in the water of the Louvre Abu Dhabi and will be streamed on Guettas social media platforms at midnight on New Years Eve. The show features more than 500 light fixtures and will include 20-meter-high flames (about 65 feet) that will shoot up into the sky.

Guetta said he made Arabic-inspired music especially for the event, including Arabic percussion and vocals.

"The site is one of the most beautiful things Ive seen," he said.
DETROIT (AP)  Hospitals across the country are struggling to cope with burnout among doctors, nurses and other workers, already buffeted by a crush of patients from the ongoing surge of the COVID-19 delta variant and now bracing for the fallout of another highly transmissible mutation.

Ohio became the latest state to summon the National Guard to help overwhelmed medical facilities. Experts in Nebraska warned that its hospitals soon may need to ration care. Medical officials in Kansas and Missouri are delaying surgeries, turning away transfers and desperately trying to hire traveling nurses, as cases double and triple in an eerie reminder of last year's holiday season.

There is no medical school class that can prepare you for this level of death," said Dr. Jacqueline Pflaum-Carlson, an emergency medicine specialist at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit. The hits just keep coming.

The national seven-day average of COVID-19 hospital admissions was 60,000 by Wednesday, far off last winter's peak but 50% higher than in early November, the government reported. The situation is more acute in cold-weather regions, where people are increasingly gathering inside and new infections are piling up.

New York state reported Saturday that slightly more than 21,900 people had tested positive for COVID-19 the day before, a new high since tests became widely available. Consequences of the latest surge have been swift in New York City: The Rockettes Christmas show was scratched for the season; some Broadway shows canceled performances because of outbreaks among cast members; and Saturday Night Live announced it was taping without a live audience and with only limited cast and crew.

We are in a situation where we are now facing a very important delta surge and we are looking over our shoulder at an oncoming omicron surge," Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, said of the two COVID-19 variants.

At AdventHealth Shawnee Mission, a hospital near Kansas City, Missouri, chief medical officer Dr. Lisa Hays said the emergency department is experiencing backups sometimes lasting for days.

The beds are not the issue. Its the nurses to staff the beds. ... And its all created by rising COVID numbers and burnout," Hays said. Our nurses are burnt out.

Experts attribute most of the rise in cases and hospitalizations to infections among people who have not been inoculated against the coronavirus. The government says 61% of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated.

Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at University of Kansas Health System in Kansas City, Kansas, said the pandemic of the unvaccinated continues to swamp the hospital and its workers.

Theres no place to go. Our staff are tired. Were going to run out of travelers," Stites said, referring to visiting health care workers, and omicron is at our doorstep. This is a tornado warning to our community.

Ohio's National Guard deployment is one of the largest seen during the pandemic, with more than 1,000 members sent to beleaguered hospitals especially in the Akron, Canton and Cleveland areas.

As of Friday, 4,723 people in the state were hospitalized with the coronavirus, a number last seen about a year ago, Gov. Mike DeWine said. Some staffers were taking only short breaks before punching in for second shifts, he added.

Health systems elsewhere that are doing somewhat better are nervously eyeing the arrival of the omicron variant and girding themselves for the impact.

Nebraska officials said hospitals might have to put some care on hold to make room for COVID-19 patients. While case numbers are down from the state's pandemic peak, they could rebound rapidly, and bed availability remains tight because of patients with non-virus ailments.

It may be likely that omicron will cause a giant surge, and honestly we cant handle that right now, said Dr. Angela Hewlett of Nebraska Medicine in Omaha.

At Los Angeles Providence Holy Cross Medical Center, just 17 coronavirus patients were being treated there Friday, a small fraction of the hospitals worst stretch. Nurse manager Edgar Ramirez said his co-workers are weary but better prepared if a wave hits.

The human factor of having that fear is always going to be there, Ramirez said. I tell our crew, We have to talk through this. We have to express ourselves. Otherwise its going to tough.

Twin sisters Linda Calderon and Natalie Balli, 71, had planned to get vaccinated but delayed it until it was too late. Now they're on oxygen in the same room at Providence Holy Cross, their beds separated by just a few feet.

We kept saying, well do it tomorrow. But tomorrow never came, Calderon said as she watched her sister struggle to breathe. We really regret not getting the shots, because if we did, we wouldnt be like this right now.

Pflaum-Carlson, the doctor at Detroit's Henry Ford Health, made a public plea for people to get the shots both for their benefit and for those toiling on the frontlines of care. Eighty percent of the roughly 500 COVID-19 patients at the system's five hospitals were unvaccinated,

Have a little grace and consideration in how devastating things are right now, she said.

___

AP journalists Eugene Garcia and Jae Hong in Los Angeles, Heather Hollingsworth in Kansas City, Missouri, and Andrew Welsh-Huggins in Columbus, Ohio, contributed to this report.
JERSEYVILLE  One person is dead following a police stand-off in Jerseyville.

At about 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Jersey County Sheriff's Department deputies were called to the 18000 block of U.S. 67 in Jerseyville where a person entered a home and held the resident of the home hostage for several hours.

The resident was able to escape and called police. A subject reportedly fired shots at deputies. and deputies returned fire.

After the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System arrived on scene, officers were able to enter the home and clear the residence. The subject was found deceased a short time later.

At this time, it is unknown if the subject was struck by gunfire from the officers.

The Illinois State Police Division of Criminal Investigation  Zone 6 has been requested to investigate the incident as an officer involved shooting. On Sunday morning, the investigation remained open and no information on the deceased person had been released.
The Nation's Weather for Monday, December 20, 2021

_____

NATIONAL SUMMARY

A stalled front over the Northwest on Monday will continue

to bring rain and snow to the region. With ample moisture

streaming into the area, western Oregon and western

Washington will see heavy rain and potentially face

localized flooding concerns. In the mountains and westward

into Montana heavy snow is expected. Moisture from the Gulf

of Mexico will help produce a few storms in Texas and

Louisiana on Monday. And then there are high pressures over

the North Central and the East so those areas will be

mostly dry. The only other precipitation can come from a

clipper that may drop south into Michigan and produce some

snow with help coming from the Great Lakes.

SPECIAL WEATHER

No new information for this time period.

WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS

No new information for this time period.

DAILY EXTREMES

National High Sunday 89 at Vero Beach, FL

National Low Sunday -17 at Big Trails, WY

_____

Copyright 2021 AccuWeather
Muslim nations sought to respond to the growing economic and humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan as neighbouring Pakistan opened an extraordinary meeting on Sunday of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

The emergency in Afghanistan, with millions facing hunger as winter sets in, has caused mounting alarm, but the international community has struggled to come up with a coordinated response given Western reluctance to help the Taliban government, which seized power in August.

Unless action is taken immediately, Afghanistan is heading for chaos, Pakistans Prime Minister Imran Khan said in his opening remarks, adding that a refugee crisis and more Islamic State violence may follow. Chaos suits no one, he said.

The two-day meeting in Islamabad also includes representatives from the United Nations and international financial institutions, as well as from world powers including the United States, the European Union and Japan.

The Talibans acting foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi said the new government had restored peace and security and done much to address demands for more inclusive government with respect for human rights, including the rights of women.

All must acknowledge that political isolation of Afghanistan is not beneficial for anyone, therefore it is imperative that all support the prevailing stability and back it both politically and economically, he said, according to a text of his remarks.

Taliban officials have previously asked for help to rebuild Afghanistans shattered economy and feed more than 20 million people threatened with hunger. Some countries and aid organisations have begun delivering aid, but a near-collapse of the countrys banking system has complicated their work.

Beyond immediate aid, Afghanistan needs help ensuring longer-term economic stability. Much will depend on whether Washington is willing to unfreeze billions of dollars in central bank reserves and lift sanctions that have caused many institutions and governments to shy away from direct dealings with the Taliban.

They must delink the Taliban government from the 40 million Afghan citizens, Pakistans Prime Minister Khan said.

Muttaqi said the Taliban would not allow Afghanistan to be used as a base for attacks on other countries and he said no reprisals would be carried out against officials of the former government.

But the Taliban have faced heavy criticism for keeping women and girls out of employment and education, excluding broad sections of Afghan society from government and have been accused of trampling on human rights as well as targeting former officials despite their promise of amnesty.

SOURCE: REUTERS
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  The former Minnesota police officer who shot and killed Daunte Wright alternated between tears, statements of remorse and clipped, matter-of-fact answers as she testified at her trial on manslaughter charges in the death of the Black motorist.

But Kim Potters testimony on Friday was notably scant on a key element of her defense  that she made a mistake when she drew her handgun instead of her Taser and killed Wright during a traffic stop last April in Brooklyn Center.

One legal expert who spoke to The Associated Press said the defense may have been intentionally vague on that point, but others said it appeared to be a missed opportunity for Potter to tell jurors how a mix-up might have occurred and what she was thinking  something jurors were likely waiting to hear.

I didnt think they pulled enough out of Potter because we did not get into her mind, said Marsh Halberg, a Minneapolis defense attorney who is not connected to the case.

Under questioning from her attorney Earl Gray, Potter testified that as officers were struggling with Wright, she saw her supervisor, Sgt. Mychal Johnson, leaning into the car with a look of fear in his face. As she cried on the stand, she went on to say: I remember yelling, Taser, Taser, Taser, and nothing happened, and then he told me I shot him." Body camera video recorded Wright saying, Ah, he shot me" before the car took off.

He got her to admit that she saw fear on Johnsons face, but didnt explore that further, said John Baker, a former defense attorney who is now teaching aspiring police officers at St. Cloud State University. He shouldve gone much further and asked her to testify more on that," Baker said.

He added that Gray didn't have Potter explain the mistake, saying: They didnt even address it.

Mike Brandt, another Minneapolis attorney watching the case, said breaking down the moments surrounding the shooting may have been effective, but the defense made a tactical decision that it wasnt going to be necessary and leave it, perhaps, more vague if you will.

Brandt said the goal of putting Potter, who is white, on the stand was to humanize her for the jury, something he thinks was done successfully. Brandt said Gray did a good job of using Potter's words to paint a picture of a woman who was inspired to become an officer at an early age, who had no complaints against her and who didn't seek to move up the ranks because she liked working on the streets.

While the experts believed Potter's tears were genuine, they had mixed views on how her emotions might have played for the jury.

It was almost gut-wrenching actually to watch, particularly on cross. Her facial expressions looked like she was actively reliving the trauma of the experience, said Rachel Moran, a professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law.

Moran said its hard not to believe that Potter is horrified and sorry for what she has done. But while some people might empathize with Potter, others might take issue with the fact that she needed comforting after the shooting when the focus should have been on Wright, Moran said.

Moran said the fact that her lawyers didnt get into Potter's mindset was strange, saying she believes one of the first questions that should've been asked was whether Potter meant to shoot Wright.

Experts said Erin Eldridge, the prosecutor who questioned Potter, was generally strong in cross-examination.

Brandt said Potter came across as too defensive and slightly combative when she gave short answers to Eldridge, but he said Eldridge started looking like a bully when Potter began crying. Moran said Eldridge wasn't particularly aggressive, but kept bulldozing through her cross-examination, even as Potter had what Moran called a visible breakdown. She said it's hard to say how that will play with the jury.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Moran also said that Potters immediate reaction to the shooting, which is seen on the police videos, shows she knew she did something horribly wrong and did not intend to use her gun. She said Eldridge was strong in establishing that during her cross-examination.

Notably, Eldridge at one point got Potter to agree that she didnt plan to use deadly force  Potter's attorneys have been arguing that even if this wasn't a mistake, Potter would have been justified in using deadly force because she feared Johnson's life was in danger.

Baker said another highlight was when Eldridge walked Potter through the body camera video and showed Potter what she did.

It was really damning when she got the video of the freeze frame of her with her hand on what appeared to be her weapon as she was still standing by and about to come in, Baker said. I think she did a great job of impeaching her.

Baker said if the jurors had begun deliberating shortly after Potters testimony, her emotional display might have had more of an effect. He said having the weekend between her testimony and closing arguments gives jurors some distance.

Legal experts said Potters testimony wasnt as strong as they expected it to be.

Baker said the defense spent too much time on the justification for the traffic stop, and there wasn't enough focus on the moments when she pulled out her gun instead of her Taser. Baker said Potter didn't provide any explanation of what she did at that moment, something he called problematic for the defense.

Halberg added on Friday: I thought today was going to be the knockout punch. But that was not the case.

___

Find the APs full coverage of the Daunte Wright case: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-daunte-wright
QUEENSBURY  Town tax assessor Teri Ross still remembers the Home Depot case, especially considering how much it cost the local government.

Back in 2014 the big box hardware giant had contested Queensburys property tax assessment for its store there. Rather than the $12 million the town claimed it was worth, they said it should be valued at $5 million.

The two sides went to court and Home Depots tax lawyers argued that the store, located near the Aviation Mall, should be compared to similar structures like former big box stores that were out of business and vacant, or dark stores in real estate parlance.

While the comparison at first would seem to make no sense, Home Depot won the case, both in state supreme court and at the appellate division. Rather than paying taxes on a $12 million property, the court ruled it only had to pay on $5 million. The town had to give a refund of more than $530,000 to Home Depot, putting a dent in local budgets including the Queensbury school district's which made up the largests share of the property tax bill.

It was hook, line and sinker, Ross said of the courts decision, noting that often, such matters are settled out of court before a trial actually begins.

Going forward though, Ross and other local tax assessors wont have to worry about more dark store valuations.

Earlier this fall, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation designed to eliminate the dark store argument. Sponsored by Rockland County Democratic Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski and Long Island Democratic Sen. James Gaughran, the legislation tightens the guidelines that assessors use in calculating the taxable value of a business like a big box store.

The argument that vibrant businesses should be valued as if they are closed is incomprehensible. Our legislation puts into law guidelines and standards by which assessments should be based, Zebrowski said to a local newspaper when the legislation passed.

Local assessors have pushed for this

The state Assessors Association as well as some individual assessors like Ross had been pushing for the law amid indications that more and more big box retailers were employing the argument.

Warren Wheeler, executive director of the Assessors Association, said dark stores first caught the group's attention in 2018 when the assessor from the town of Ulster, in Ulster County, was battling big box stores that were using the argument to lower their tax assessments.

The association looked into it and learned that the argument had cropped up elsewhere in New York and was a common tactic in tax disagreements in the Midwest. We found out afterward that a few other towns had been dealing with this as well, said Wheeler.

Use of the dark store argument arose almost a decade ago, with some landmark court cases in Michigan, said Joan Youngman, chairwoman of the Department of Valuation and Taxation at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy in Cambridge, Mass.

Michigan drew particular attention since there are limits on how much a commercial propertys tax assessment can increase each year, meaning that dark store cases put a permanent dent in local budgets. The idea also caught on in Wisconsin and Alabama and spread from there.

A lot of factors can go into placing a value on commercial property, including building costs, restrictions on use, non-compete clauses and the location as well as the amount of sales generated.

One of the dark store arguments was that big box stores are custom-built and are hard to re-purpose if they become empty. Assessors and lawyers for big box stores argue that the physical building, or structure, should be a prime component of the assessment. After all, property taxes are just that  taxes on real property or real estate, as opposed to say, sales taxes.

And with nothing in the law to explicitly preventing that argument, it often worked in court proceedings.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

A question of fairness

There is a basic problem of fairness, however. While a big box company can afford to put forth a dark store argument at a trial, the independent owner of, say, a barber shop or auto repair garage, is unlikely to have the resources to fight their assessment to that extent. Typically, disagreements over assessment can end up in an out-of-court compromise. But well-resourced corporations with big legal budgets are more apt to go to trial.

And when a major property like a big box store gets a reduction, all other taxpayers, both businesses and homeowners alike, have to make up the difference in the tax base.

Its unclear how much local tax revenue has been lost following dark store cases in New York. But in Michigan, where there have been numerous cases, the New York State Association of Counties in 2015 estimated that the losses there totaled $47 million in tax revenue.

Much of the activity in New York has been downstate, on Long Island and in the suburbs of Rockland and Westchester counties.

But there have been other cases in which the dark store theory was deployed upstate including one over a RiteAid in Irondequoit near Rochester and a Target in Westchester County. In the RiteAid case, the store argued, in part, that it should be compared to a nearby bike shop.

Moreover, the retail disruptions sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic have put property tax assessment in the spotlight in some places as retailers last year sought lower valuations due to drops in their foot traffic.

In Guilderland last year, Crossgates Mall went to court seeking to reduce its assessment from $282 million to $143 million.

Pandemic hits to the retail sector have only added the pressure by big box operators to lower their taxes, noted Youngman.

The feelings of unfairness are very strong on both sides, she said.

rkarlin@timesunion.com  518-454-5758  @RickKarlinTU
GUILDERLAND  There has been a surge in violence at Crossgates Mall in recent weeks, much of it attributed to teenagers who have randomly assaulted other patrons and are occasionally armed with guns or knives, according to law enforcement sources.

"I dont feel the mall is out of control; I dont think its a dangerous place," Guilderland Police Chief Daniel P. McNally said. "We have incidents that were dealing with."

Much of the violence has involved 16- and 17-year-olds, who are no longer able to be charged as adults under New York's Raise the Age statute, which increased to 18 the age at which someone may be charged as an adult. That change in statute was intended, in part, to prevent teenagers from having permanent criminal records and from being incarcerated in adult jails and prisons.

In one recent incident, a teenager who had been released from Family Court on weapons charges  with an ankle monitoring bracelet and under the supervision of Albany County probation officers  made a phone call after his arrest and allegedly told officers that he had asked his "gang" to come to the mall and shoot up the satellite police station there, according to law enforcement sources.

The disorder became so unmanageable on the weekend of Dec. 11 that five police agencies responded to the Western Avenue mall as officers investigated more than 25 incidents of teenage offenders attacking patrons or one another. Those officers came from Guilderland, Altamont, the State University of New York, State Police and the Albany County Sheriff's Office.

Although some arrests were made that weekend, many of the suspects fled and were not caught.

McNally on Saturday confirmed that his department has increased its enforcement efforts in response to the recent surge in criminal activity at Crossgates. He said the situation has been exacerbated by the Raise the Age statute, which has made it more difficult to charge teenagers under age 18 with certain crimes. When Raise the Age was adopted in 2017, New York and North Carolina were the only two states treating 16- and 17-year-olds as adults in criminal courts.

"With the changes with Raise the Age and juveniles now not being able to be treated as an adult until theyre 18, (it) has significantly caused more impact on what were doing, because its difficult to manage those cases with juveniles," McNally said. " ... Its not just us and its not just the mall; thats everywhere."

Officers patrolling the mall also have been attacked in some of the incidents, including a recent melee in a food court in which an 18-year-old allegedly pulled a knife and menaced a woman and her child. McNally confirmed that one of his officers suffered a minor injury in that incident.

"I think there has been an uptick in juvenile incidents the last three or four weekends," McNally said. "We have worked closely with the mall on increasing some of our patrols along with additional security officers. ... We are working with our partners at probation and SNUG from Albany to try and see what we can do to get a handle on the juvenile situation. We are working on it every day ... to make the mall as safe as possible."

SNUG is a community-based violence reduction initiative that was established 12 years ago to preemptively engage high-risk individuals who are causing violence in communities to try and stem violence before it happens  especially when guns might be involved.

Not all of the violence is occurring inside the mall. McNally confirmed his officers recently investigated a complaint from someone who alleged another individual had brandished an AR-15 assault rifle on the access road encircling the mall. He said they were unable to confirm the incident after looking at security camera footage; the alleged victim did not want to cooperate.

In another incident more than a month ago, three teenagers were arrested for allegedly beating a cab driver at the mall, fracturing the victim's eye socket. Their cases are pending in Albany County youth court.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

"Were living this in Albany, Schenectady and Troy, and unfortunately for us that overflow is Crossgates," McNally said.

The violence at Crossgates is not a new situation. In January, Guilderland police and Pyramid Management Group, the owners of the mall, reached an agreement to post police patrols inside the center, a months-in-the-making plan that followed several incidents, including an altercation that left a person with a stab wound.

Those negotiations followed another melee that started in the mall and spilled over into the Beef Jerky Outlet store on Christmas Eve last year. Nine people, all minors, were taken into custody after the fight turned into a vehicle pursuit with police.

Five weeks ago, a 14-year-old was stabbed in a parking lot outside the mall during a fight. No arrests were made.

Aiden McGuire, a spokesman for Pyramid Management Group, which owns Crossgates, said,"the overwhelming majority of visitors to Crossgates act responsibly (and) a very small percentage have been responsible for isolated disruptions."

"We dont intend to allow that small percentage to damage the experience of our tenants or guests," he continued. "Based on recent discussions with our law enforcement partners  as well as feedback from tenants, guests, and community leaders  we recently broadened the scope of Parental Escort Policy, which has been well received by our tenants and effective in minimizing disruptions."

McNally said his department, in conjunction with the mall and its security force, are now looking to increase enforcement of the mall's policy that requires anyone under 18 to be accompanied by an adult after 4 p.m. on weekends.

"I just want the message to go out that were working on it very closely with the mall and, as I said, with probation and SNUG," he added. "I feel its still safe at the mall. Were having an uptick right now but thats how crime generally goes, and were doing everything we can to get back on top of it."

An earlier version of this story misstated the time that the curfew for individuals under 18 begins on Fridays and Saturdays. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult after 4 p.m. on those days.
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President Biden prepares to deliver an EPIC speech on Tuesday that will advise Americans on the worsening pandemic.



The remarks might be something along the lines of . . .

"You're all going to die!!! Merry Christmas!!!"

What will inevitably follow is another round of lockdowns, vaxx crackdowns and mainstream media shame directed against anyone who doesn't comply with government orders.

Don't get it twisted . . . TKC will do as told with my head down whilst offering nothing more than or less than harmless murmured grumbling along with even more resentments added to an already monumental list.

However . . . Undoubtedly, other Kansas City residents won't be as friendly, chipper, good-natured and cooperative as TKC.



Accordingly . . .

KANSAS CITY CRACKDOWNS AMID WORSENING COVID NUMBERS COULD DESTROY MAYOR Q'S CAREER!!!



Let's do a quick comparison . . .



Is Mayor Q as popular as former Mayor Sly???

Is Mayor Q as connected as former Mayor Cleaver???

Is Mayor Q as respected and unflinching as former Mayor Kay Barnes???

Fact is, most voters propbably answered NO across the board and it turns out that Mayor Q's unpopularity and even more negative sentiments directed his way in the event of renewed COVID lockdowns threaten to make him about as unpopular as former Mayor Mark Funkhouser.



Accordingly . . .

Here's insider word . . .

"At this rate everyone suspects that Mayor Q is going to take a D.C. appointment because he has far too many political adversaries in Kansas City."

About his enemies list . . .

"Think about how many people he has angered: The police, The Northland, Northeast. Meanwhile, he's taking criticism from supporters who don't think he's doing enough."

Conclusion . . .

"Mayor Q is getting attacked from every direction and another round of COVID crackdowns might be the last straw. No mayor in KC history has faced a litany of recalls and outright mutiny from former supporters."



And so we ask . . .

WILL THE UPCOMING COVID WAVE CRUSH MAYOR Q'S CHANCES AT REELECTION?!?!

Here's further reading on the trend . . .

Biden to announce new Covid measures as Omicron variant spikes President Joe Biden will deliver a speech on Tuesday to announce new Covid measures to fight the rapidly-spreading Omicron variant as cases double in the past 24 hours The speech will build on his 'Winter Plan' and address booster shots, lockdowns and mask mandates Health officials have also advised the

Covid restrictions 'similar to lockdown' needed to reduce hospitalisations in UK Restrictions "similar in scale to the national lockdown" are needed to keep hospital admissions from coronavirus below previous peaks, experts warned on Saturday. Amid high numbers of cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus, documents released by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) revealed the bleak picture painted by advisers throughout December as the threat from the strain rose.

'There's a tsunami coming' for unvaccinated people as Covid-19 cases rise in the US Forget the waves of Covid-19, one expert says "there's a tsunami coming" for unvaccinated Americans as the Delta variant continues to fuel new cases and hospitalizations and the Omicron variant is spreading rapidly and could soon swamp hospital systems.

Washington state Sen. Doug Ericksen dies after COVID battle SEATTLE - Washington state Sen. Doug Ericksen, a staunch conservative, has died at age 52. Ericksen's death Friday came weeks after he said he had tested positive for the coronavirus while in El Salvador, though his cause of death wasn't immediately released. The state Senate Republican Caucus confirmed his passing Saturday but did not say where he died.

Covid: Dutch go into Christmas lockdown over Omicron wave The Netherlands has begun a strict lockdown over Christmas amid concerns over the Omicron coronavirus variant. Non-essential shops, bars, gyms hairdressers and other public venues are closed until at least 14 January. Two guests per household will be allowed - four over the holidays. Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the measures were "unavoidable".

Fauci: Omicron 'raging through the world' and travel increases Covid risks The Omicron variant of Covid-19 has "extraordinary spreading capabilities", the US government's top infectious diseases expert said on Sunday, warning that it is already "raging through the world". Dr Anthony Fauci's warning came ahead of the busy holiday traveling period, which he said would elevate the risk of infection even in vaccinated people.

Omicron could bring the worst surge of COVID yet in the U.S. - and fast How bad could an omicron surge get this winter? Until key questions about the new coronavirus variant are answered, it's impossible to predict its impact with certainty. Still, several teams of scientists are using computer models to project possible scenarios for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Fauci: We did not anticipate extent of omicron's mutations President Biden Anthony Fauci Anthony Fauci SNL removes live audience, loses musical guest for Saturday as omicron spreads Sunday shows preview: COVID-19 cases surge amid omicron wave NY governor plans to add booster shot to definition of 'fully vaccinated' MORE , said on Sunday that while officials anticipated new coronavirus variants, they did not anticipate the extent of omicron's mutations.

Fauci urges Americans to stay 'prudent' as omicron 'something to be reckoned with' He said omicron appears to have taken over all other variants. Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday that the omicron variant has overtaken all other COVID-19 mutations and is "something to be reckoned with," but advised that Americans who will be gathering with family for the holidays to stay "prudent."

Omicron variant cases doubling every 1.5 to 3 days, WHO says; NY cases hit another record high: Latest COVID-19 updates The World Health Organization warns the omicron variant of the coronavirus will likely soon overtake delta as the dominant form in countries where the new strain is spreading locally. The variant has been detected in 89 countries, the U.N. health agency said, and COVID-19 cases involving omicron are doubling every 1.5 to 3 days in places with community transmission.

U.S. could see 1 million cases per day, warns departing NIH director Francis Collins After spending more than 12 years as director of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Francis Collins is retiring this weekend. But he's no less worried about the public health agency's latest pandemic curveball. As the omicron variant threatens record-breaking rates of infections in the U.S., Collins departs with a warning.

Omicron Variant Spurs New Lockdown in Netherlands "The Netherlands is shutting down again," Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Saturday in a televised address. The new measures, beginning Sunday, Rutte said, are because of a "fifth wave" of COVID-19, due to the highly contagious omicron variant. Under the new rules, all non-essential shops will be closed to at least mid-January.

As Omicron looms, here are 5 ways to ease anxiety A clinical psychologist shares five science-based strategies to reduce anxiety and help you find grounding amid the storm.

We Know A Lot More About Omicron Now. It's Not Good News. Go get a vaccine and a booster shot. Unless you want COVID. That's the clear message sent by the Omicron coronavirus variant, uncovered only a month ago and now racing around the globe. On Nov. 26, the World Health Organization and US government both designated the Omicron the fifth " variant of concern" of the coronavirus.

You decide . . .
Right now th4e legacy of angel Candice inspires a gathering of pop culture, community news and top headlines.

Check the TKC collection . . .

Local Crime Survival Inspiration

'Took our stuff but not our faith': Kansas City church burglarized, still searching for answers KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A church in Kansas City, Missouri was recently burglarized and now the members and the community are searching for answers.

Street In The Dotte Renamed

Kansas City, Kansas intersection now has a new name (NEXSTAR) - If you are on-the-go this Christmas, or simply skipping the traditional at-home feast for something a little quicker, you likely know your options are limited. While many restaurants are closing their doors on December 25, there are some still accepting customers on the holiday.

Artist Inspired

Artist Hasna Sal is a Follower of Christ, Not Organized Religion Hasna Sal, artist, landscape architect and poet, is sitting in one of the pews of Westport Presbyterian Church on a weeknight. Sal is telling me why she, a Muslim-raised native of India, is in love with Jesus Christ, though she's not a Christian, not a Muslim anymore and not a member of any institutional religion.

Angel In Nature

Candice Swanepoel showcases her toned physique at the beach in Miami Candice Swanepoel showcased her gym-honed physique in a black thong bikini from her swimwear brand Tropic of C while enjoying a leisurely beach day with her model pal Martha Graeff over the weekend.

SWING VOTE DEFEATS DEMOCRATIC PARTY!!!

Manchin says he won't vote for Build Back Better Act Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia said he's a no on the Build Back Better Act, a huge development for legislation where Democrats need his vote to be able to pass this through the Senate.

MAGA Rebroadcast

Fox News lurches further to the right as midterm elections loom s the US braces for the likely resurgence of the Republican party in 2022's midterm elections, rightwing media is preparing, both behind and in front of the scenes, to exert its influence over the rest of Joe Biden's presidency. The flagship conservative news network, Fox News, has continued a lurch towards the right that accelerated with the rise of Donald Trump.

Progressive Gamesmanship Ahead

Democrats mull hardball tactics to leapfrog parliamentarian on immigration The guidance from parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, who this week rejected Democrats' third immigration proposal, is fueling conversations within the Senate Democratic caucus about trying to circumvent the non-partisan, unelected Senate referee. Democrats haven't landed on a strategy on how to get immigration legislation into Biden's massive climate and social spending package, which is in limbo until at least January.

Vlad Brings Big Guns

Russia sends nuclear-capable bombers on patrol over Belarus Russia has sent a pair of nuclear-capable long-range bombers to patrol the skies over Belarus and to underline close defense ties between the two allies amid tensions with the West MOSCOW -- Russia sent a pair of nuclear-capable long-range bombers to patrol the skies over Belarus on Saturday, a mission intended to underline close defense ties between the two allies amid tensions with the West.

International Tragedy Reported

Typhoon deaths in Philippines top 100 The governor of an island province in the central Philippines said Sunday at least 63 people died in the devastation wrought by Typhoon Rai in more than half of the towns that managed to contact him, bringing the death toll in the strongest typhoon to batter the country this year to at least 112.

Faith Matters Around The World

Islamic world unites to aid desperately poor Afghanistan The dire warnings called for the U.S. and other nations to ease sanctions, including the release upward of $10 billion in frozen funds following the Taliban takeover of Kabul on Aug. 15. Speakers also called for a quick opening of the country's banking system and collectively, with the United Nations and international banking institutions, assistance to Afghanistan.

SAVE SARAH CONNOR!!!

U.N. chief urges action on 'killer robots' as Geneva talks open GENEVA, Dec 13 (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Monday for new rules covering the use of autonomous weapons as a key meeting on the issue opened in Geneva. Negotiators at the U.N.

Red Wave Postscript Feared

Retired generals urge Pentagon to take steps to avert 'civil war' after 2024 election The U.S. military must start making preparations for another "insurrection" after the 2024 election, according to a trio of retired military generals. An op-ed published by the Washington Post on Friday called for action amid growing concern among former senior officials about the "potential for lethal chaos inside our military" in a flash of violence that could eclipse the Capitol riot on Jan.

Tricks Of The Trade Exposed

I worked in Victoria's Secret for 5 years - so many women don't get bra fitting A BRA specialist who claims she worked in Victoria Secret for five years is revealing the things she learned on the job that most customers do not know. Daelyn Nicole from the USA said that there are many misconceptions about bra size, with many people thinking that bra size is universal.

EPIC Northeast Pix Developed

Christmas At The Saint Francis The Saint Francis Apartments were built in 1912. The current owners purchased the building in 2011. Above, Third floor entryway. Below, entrance to the apartment. The Apartments overlook the Concourse in Historic Northeast Kansas City. Renovations are ongoing, major updates ahead.

Crafting Community . . .

New Startup Connects Latinas Through Clothing Designs and Home Goods - In Kansas City For Veronica Alvidrez, a native of Kansas City, Kansas, the isolation of the pandemic led to searching for a way to connect her community. "The pandemic loaded us so much," says Alvidrez, the founder and CEO of paraMi. "Especially Latina women who got loaded with new responsibilities and roles within the home.

December Chill Forecast

Upper 30s Sunday, warmer again Monday Hide Transcript Show Transcript HERE. IT HAS BEEN A ILWHE IT HAS. BEEN A WHILE SINCE IT HAS BEEN THIS COLD IN KANSAS CITY EARLIER THIS MORNING. KCI DROPPED TO 16 DEGREES.

Donny Hathaway - This Christmas is the song of the day and this is the OPEN THREAD for right now.
In 2022, PJSC "Export-Credit Agency" (ECA) plans together with banks to launch a UAH 20 billion program in support of Ukrainian exporters.

"Next year, we plan to launch a new program of cooperation with banks, providing at least 20 billion UAH in support of exporters," Acting Chairman of Board of ECA Ruslan Hashev said at the International Export Forum 2021, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

The support will be provided to exporters for the production of goods and entry into new risky markets.

In the next two months, the agency also plans to allocate about UAH 1 billion to promote new Ukrainian exports: gas production equipment, industrial equipment, shipbuilding products, etc.

As reported, in August 2021, the Government allocated UAH 1.8 billion to the Export-Credit Agency for Ukrainian export promotion.

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A total of 5,430 illegal migrants were exposed in the Czech Republic In the first half of this year, more than half of whom turned out to be Ukrainian citizens.

Thats according to Ukrinform referring to the Czech police.

Since the beginning of 2021, a sharp increase has been observed in the inflow of illegal migrants  foreign nationals staying in the Czech Republic without an official permit. This is more than double the last years number. In general, police have been recording a gradual increase in illegal migration volumes since July last year. This is due, not least, to the pandemic situation.

Read also: Ukraine to donate barbed wire to Lithuania to protect its border with Belarus

Of the total number of illegal migrants, it was Ukrainians who were exposed most often in the first half of the year. Police say 3,088 Ukrainian nationals were detained. The other major groups by nationality were citizens of Moldova, Afghanistan, Vietnam, and Georgia.

The largest number of illegal migrants was recorded in Prague, amounting to a third of the total.

Most often, illegal migrants arrive in the Czech Republic by car from Slovakia, claiming during border control routine that they are allegedly traveling to Germany via the Czech Republic.

"Most of the cases concerned foreigners who did not fall under the exception that allows entry into the territory of the Czech Republic in line with the precautionary measure introduced by the Ministry of Health," said Renata Grecmanova, the spokeswoman for the Czech police for foreigners.

Exceptions allowing entry to the Czech Republic currently apply for those traveling for employment or business purposes, as well as to take care of sick family members, while regular tourism is currently banned. In all listed cases, foreigners shall obtain a relevant visa.

"Citizens of Ukraine and Moldova come mainly under the visa-free regime holding biometric passports and remain in the Czech Republic in violation of the protective measures of the Ministry of Health," the police said.

It should be noted that the Czech Republic considers illegal migrants those who come from third countries (non-EU) that are recognized as high-pandemic risk zones, meaning they are banned from crossing in, with certain exceptions.

According to Ukrinform, Ukraine is on the list of such countries.

Unlike most EU member states, Prague has not opened its borders to Ukrainians, despite a decision passed in Brussels.

Thus, if a Ukrainian who has legally arrived in another EU country for tourism purposes then decides to visit the Czech Republic, they automatically fall into the category of illegal migrants.

Therefore, Ukrainians must be aware that visa-free travel across the EU thus doesnt currently operate in its regular form.

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(@FahadShabbir)

Berlin, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Dec, 2021 ) :Germany on Friday designated France and Denmark as high risk zones for the transmission of coronavirus and will impose quarantine on unvaccinated travellers from the two, a public health agency said.

The requirement will be imposed from Sunday and will also apply to travellers from Norway, Lebanon and Andorra, with those unvaccinated or who have not recovered from the virus subject to quarantine with the possibility of testing on day five.

Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said earlier Friday that Germany, battered by a recent rise in Covid cases, must brace for a "massive fifth wave" due to the new Omicron variant.

"We must prepare for a challenge that we have not yet had in this form," Lauterbach told reporters, adding that even if the variant were "milder" it may make "no difference".

Were the virus to be less serious than other variants, this might "keep deaths low for two to three weeks, before the growth of the virus would eat up this advantage," the minister said, underlining that a difficult period ahead was "inevitable".

Germany has reimposed health restrictions following high case numbers, barring unvaccinated people from restaurants and non-essential commerce.

Case numbers have declined slightly but the spread of the more infectious Omicron variant, first identified in South Africa, threatens to send new infections up again.
(@FahadShabbir)

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th December, 2021) Thousands of civilians in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, including children, were killed by US airstrikes that were conducted with imprecise targeting and "deeply flawed intelligence," The New York Times reports.

The newspaper has studied 1,311 documents from a hidden Pentagon archive, concluding that the civilian death toll was a lot higher than the 1,417 civilian deaths reported by the US military in Iraq and Syria and the 188 deaths reported in Afghanistan.

Reports of civilian casualties were often dismissed because surveillance footage was too brief, The New York Times said on Saturday. Interviews with surviving residents and current and former US officials revealed that the US military made little effort to identify patterns of failure and there have been no public assessments that included a finding of wrongdoing.

The newspaper said that civilian deaths were often the result of "confirmation bias" on the part of the US military, which confused civilians with terrorist fighters or failed to make sure that the targeted buildings had no ordinary people inside.

Earlier this month The New York Times reported that a secret US strike cell called Talon Anvil was responsible for civilian casualties in Syria resulting from air strikes. The unit rushed to destroy "enemies" and sidestepped safeguards, circumventing important rules that helped protect civilians. Some members of Talon Anvil even refused to participate in strikes targeting people who appeared to be innocent bystanders. The majority of the strikes were ordered by relatively low-ranking US Army Delta Force commandos in Talon Anvil, and were labeled as defensive strikes in order to limit oversight.
With restaurants in Brooklyn closing in rapid succession and lines at Covid-19 test centers swelling by the day, fears are growing in New York of a return to the nightmare of 2020, when the city was the global epicenter of the pandemic

New York, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Dec, 2021 ) :With restaurants in Brooklyn closing in rapid succession and lines at Covid-19 test centers swelling by the day, fears are growing in New York of a return to the nightmare of 2020, when the city was the global epicenter of the pandemic.

In Brooklyn's Greenpoint neighborhood alone, more than a dozen bars and restaurants have had to close temporarily amid a recent surge in infections among their workers and patrons.

Near popular McCarren Park, around 30 people are lined up at a medical van offering rapid tests.

"It feels very reminiscent of March 2020," said Spencer Reiter, a 27-year-old Brooklyn resident who works in finance.

He and his friend Katie Connolly, a student who is also 27, had come to be tested after friends tested positive.

"Seeing these lines... it's kind of back to where we began," Reiter said.

Katie Connolly concurred, saying, "It's definitely eerie." - Empty streets - The first wave of the pandemic brought New York to its knees in the spring of 2020.

The megalopolis of 8.5 million people, long known as "the city that never sleeps," felt almost deserted for weeks, its empty streets resembling something from a science fiction movie about a post-apocalyptic world.

The only sound heard in Manhattan's broad avenues seemed to be the stress-inducing wail of ambulance sirens, while hospitals operated beyond capacity and morgues were forced to bring in refrigerated trucks to handle the huge influx of Covid victims.

The disease has claimed at least 34,000 lives in New York since spring 2020, and the city -- especially Manhattan -- has never completely regained its legendary glitter and energy of pre-Covid days.

- 'Very scary' - "We are actually in the beginning again, or maybe even worse," said Jolanta Czerlanis, a 54-year-old Brooklyn resident. She had come for testing after feeling possible Covid symptoms.

"It's very scary," added Czerlanis, who works in catering. "We were hoping that it's going to get better." The startlingly rapid spread of Covid-19's Omicron variant has raised grave concern across the US.

President Joe Biden on Thursday predicted a "winter of severe illness and death" for the unvaccinated.

The number of new daily cases nationwide stood at 86,000 on December 1; by December 14, it had soared to 117,000, a 36 percent increase in two weeks.

The US already leads the world in the most grim of statistics. On Tuesday it surpassed 800,000 Covid deaths, according data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

- 'Omicron happened' - What accounts for the surge? "Omicron happened," New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said recently on CNN.

"And we got to be honest about the fact that it's moving very fast and we have to move faster," he added, speaking just weeks before he steps aside to make way for his elected successor, Eric Adams.

De Blasio has made vaccination mandatory for all city employees and, effective December 27, for the 184,000 companies and businesses in the city's huge private sector. It remains unclear, however, whether Adams will enforce that requirement once he takes power.

In this normally festive holiday season, when New York traditionally welcomes an influx of tourists -- and their money -- a sense of panic has gripped the iconic theaters and music halls of Broadway as positive cases among performers and back-stage workers have forced more and more cancellations.

- Panic on Broadway - Radio City Music Hall late Friday announced it was canceling the four remaining Christmas shows starring its famed "Rockette" dancers due to "increasing challenges from the pandemic," the New York Times reported.

As for the multi-award-winning musical "Hamilton," it was canceled without warning Thursday night.

"We literally flew in just to see 'Hamilton' one day only," said Myron Abston, who had traveled from Michigan with his wife Dara Abston.

"We got here early this morning and the show is canceled," he glumly told AFPTV.

Back in Brooklyn, Edouard Massih's Lebanese grocery and catering business remain open for now.

But he said he fears Omicron's arrival will provoke a new exodus of more affluent New Yorkers to the posh suburbs north of the city, just as happened in 2020 -- leaving Manhattan, again, feeling like a ghost town.
(@FahadShabbir)

BERLIN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th December, 2021) NATO will discuss Russia's proposals on security guarantees next week, while being resolute about not allowing Moscow to "dictate" the alliance how to act, German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said on Sunday.

"I have clearly stated that we should look for a solution to the tense situation in which we find ourselves, both on the diplomatic level and with the help of credible deterrence. This also means talking to each other, i.e. discussing the proposals made by Russia. This an important and right (thing to do), but it should not be that Russia dictates the NATO partners how to act," Lambrecht said during her visit to Lithuania, adding that "we will discuss these proposals at the NATO council next week.

"

The minister went on to say that Germany had increased the preparedness level of its rapid deployment forces.

"This is an important signal that we act when actions are required. We will, of course, talk about Russia's proposals in the coming days, but I will say it once again: our presence here in Lithuania is very much conscious, for sending a deterrence signal," Lambrecht stated.

On Friday, Moscow published draft agreements between Russia, the United States and NATO on security guarantees. The proposals, if agreed to, would ban NATO from expanding in eastern Europe and prohibit the US and Russia from deploying intermediate and shorter-range missiles within striking distance of each other's territory, among other terms.
A new study by the University of Hong Kong (HKU) has found that two doses of the vaccine made by Chinese company Sinovac Biotech Ltd. is not effective in warding off the new Omicron variant of COVID-19. The researchers discovered that insufficient antibodies were produced.

Sponsored by the Hong Kong government, the study was conducted by microbiologists Kelvin To, Yuen Kwok-yung, and Chen Honglin. Scientists in the microbiology department of the HKU analyzed serum antibodies from a total of 50 volunteers who were split into two groups of 25 each.

In one group of 25 people who received both doses of the Sinovac vaccine, which is called CoronaVac, the blood serum in none of the recipients showed ample antibodies to counteract the Omicron variant, according to a statement released on Dec. 14 by the team of researchers.

By contrast, in the other group of 25 who received two doses of the messenger RNA shot produced by BioNTech SE and Pfizer Inc., five people were found to have visible neutralizing antibodies against Omicron, though the efficacy of the vaccine reduced markedly to between 20 and 24 percent. Neutralizing antibodies against Omicron fell by 36 to 40 times when compared to the original COVID-19 strain.

READ MORE:

Space and Time Tracking: Chinas New Zero COVID Policy Draws Criticism

3rd Sinovac COVID-19 Vaccine Appears to be Fatal for Young Chinese Worker



Headed by Kwok-Yung Yuen, a highly esteemed professor in infectious diseases at the HKU, the study has been approved for release in the medical journal Clinical Infectious Diseases while a pre-print version is accessible online.

The authors of the study declared that Omicron dented the protection offered by two doses of major COVID-19 vaccines. Individuals who were infected with COVID-19 before could be reinfected and there is a severe risk of a breakthrough infection among those who are vaccinated. They recommended the public to get a third shot of the vaccine and wait for a new generation of a more matched vaccine.

The studies are still exploratory and antibody levels do not offer a full picture of an individuals immunity to COVID-19. While scientists are still learning how the CoronaVac vaccine counters Omicron, the findings could spell trouble for those who have received the 2.3 billion doses of CoronaVac in China and abroad.

With a Japan study revealing that the transmittable rate of the Omicron is four times more than the Delta variant, chances of the pandemic ending anytime soon are looking bleak.

Should further studies establish that Sinovac is ineffective against Omicron, then China, which has attempted to shield its populace from COVID-19 by imposing strict lockdowns and other measures, could be in for some big danger, experts warn.

READ MORE:

Beijing Shuts Down Whole Districts as Fresh Outbreak Spreads Through Capital

According to Benjamin Cowling, a professor of epidemiology, other nations that have used CoronaVac have gone through multiple COVID-19 infection waves. This would have brought some natural immunity that is likely to ensure no major impact from Omicron. However, with no large-scale infections affecting the populations of Hong Kong and mainland China before, they could be particularly susceptible to Omicron.

The Chinese authorities have worked hard to have a high vaccination rate across the country but the mutability of the virus means that the impact of those efforts has been significantly reduced, Nicholas Thomas, an associate professor at the City University of Hong Kong, told Bloomberg.

Thomas added that China is facing a two-fold challenge  (a) to protect its population from Omicron and future variants, and (b) handling the flows of goods and people over their borders when the rest of the world finds a way to live with the virus. So far, China has detected two cases of the Omicron variant from returning travelers.
On Dec.15, a German warship sailed through the contentious South China Sea for the first time in around 20 years. By doing so, Germany joined other Western nations like the United States and the United Kingdom in trying to assert its military presence in the region to counter the aggressive expansionism of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA).

The Bayern frigate had requested to make a port call at Shanghai back in September. But Chinese authorities rejected the request. The warship has 230 crew onboard. Between Dec. 9 and 11, the frigate sailed in a circular pattern in the waters of the Taiwan Strait that separates the Chinese mainland and the island of Taiwan. While making its journey via the South China Sea, the frigate kept itself clear off the Strait.

Despite this, the move to sail a warship through South China Sea waters still represents Germanys willingness to challenge Beijings unlawful territorial claims. The Chinese regime claims the entire South China Sea as its own even though an international tribunal had rejected such assertions. Beijing is even building artificial islands in the waters to strengthen its territorial claim in the South China Sea.

This doesnt necessarily mean that Germany changed its policy But driven by the increasing assertiveness of China, the situation in the region changed. So we had to adapt our strategy In all my Asian years with assignments in China, Malaysia, Philippines, Myanmar, and Vietnam, I have not observed such a dangerous situation in the region, Christian-Ludwig Weber-Lortsch, former German ambassador to several key Southeast Asian countries, told Radio Free Asia (RFA).

According to Germanys armed forces, the Bayerns deployment is one intended to test diplomacy and security policy. It is about demonstrating that Germany will stand by its international partners when it comes to upholding international law and protecting the freedom of sea routes.

Back in September, foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian had called the deployment of Bayern to the South China Sea as being intended to flex muscles and stir up trouble, deliberately triggering maritime disputes.

An article published by CCP-backed Global Times on Dec. 16 sought to underplay Bayerns journey through the South China Sea, insisting that it was about Germany seeking more attention from China. If current international affairs are a big banquet, then I would compare this matter to a piece of soybean among many exquisite dishes, the article reads.

In November, Vice Adm. Kay-Achim Schonbach, the chief of the German Navy, had stated that his country was worried about freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. The dispatch of Bayern is to show support for its partners like the United States and Japan, joining their efforts to maintain a rules-based international order.

The South China Sea is a global common, that is, a sea area that belongs to everyone, so it cannot be taken possession of or claimed by anyone if  we abide by the international world order, Schonbach said at a news conference.

The Bayerns dispatch comes as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticized Chinas aggressive actions in the South China Sea in a policy speech on Dec. 16. He pledged that the United States will advance a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Were determined to ensure freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, where Beijings aggressive actions there threaten the movement of more than $3 trillion worth of commerce every year Its worth remembering that, tied up in that colossal number, $3 trillion, are the actual livelihoods and well-being of millions of people across the world, Blinken stated.
Music Time in Africa is VOAs longest running English language program. Since 1965, this award-winning program has featured pan African music that spans all genres and generations. Ethnomusicologist and Host Heather Maxwell keeps you up to date on whats happening in African music with exclusive interviews, cultural information, and of course, great music -- including rare recordings from the Leo Sarkisian Library of African Music.
As a backhoe dug up the ground to build trenches, Iraqi soldiers scanned the vast farming tracts for militants; not far away, their Kurdish counterparts did the same.

The scene earlier this month in the small northern Iraqi farming village of Lheiban was a rare instance of coordination between the federal government and the semi-autonomous Kurdish region. The two sides were fortifying a joint position aimed at defending the village against attacks by the Islamic State group.

Despite a long-standing territorial dispute, Baghdad and Iraq's Kurds are taking steps to work together to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State group.

Whether the fragile security partnership can hold is the big test in the next chapter of Iraq's war with IS. Both sides say they need the Americans to help keep it together  and they say that is one reason why the U.S. military presence in Iraq is not going away even as its combat mission officially ends on Dec. 31.

Iraq declared IS defeated four years ago this month. But the rivalry between Baghdad and the Kurds opened up cracks through which IS crept back: a long, disputed zone snaking through four provinces -- Nineveh, Kirkuk, Salaheddin and Diyala -- where the forces of either side did not enter. In some places, the zone was up to 40 kilometers (24 miles) wide.

Lheiban lies in one part of the zone, and a recent flurry of IS attacks threatened to empty the area of its residents, mostly Kurds. So for the first time since 2014, Iraqi troops and peshmerga are setting up joint coordination centers around the zone to better police the gaps.

"Daesh took advantage," said Capt. Nakib Hajar, head of Kurdish peshmerga operations in the area, using the Arabic acronym for IS. Now, he said, "we are coordinating ... It begins here, in this village."

Night visions

Like all residents of Lheiban, Helmet Zahir is tired. In past months, the cement factory worker would spend all night on the roof of his humble home, his wife and children sleeping inside, holding his rifle and waiting.

Security personnel guarding a nearby oil company -- the only ones in the area equipped with thermal night vision -- would send the signal when they spotted IS militants making their way down the Qarachok Mountain range toward Lheiban.

It was up to Zahir and other armed residents to fend them off.

"We were abandoned. The peshmerga was on one side, the Iraqi army on another and neither was intervening," he said.

A recent uptick in attacks on the village, with three in the first week of December alone, prompted many of the village's residents, who are mainly Kurds, to leave. Zahir moved his family to Debaga in the relative safety of the Kurdish-run north.

Once numbering 65 families, Lheiban now has only 12 left, said village mukhtar Yadgar Karim.

On Dec. 7, peshmerga and Iraqi forces moved into the village with plans to replicate coordination elsewhere across the disputed territories. Kurdish officials hoped this would prompt villagers to return. Maintaining a Kurdish population in the area is key to their territorial claims.

Zahir is not convinced. "I came to check on the situation only, I am too afraid to return," he said.

The peshmerga have positions all along the ridge of the Qarachok mountains. But they don't have orders to stop IS militants as they cross on attacks or to raid IS positions because of wariness over entering disputed territory, explained Col. Kahar Jawhar.

Moreover, the militants move at night, using tunnels and hiding in caves, and the peshmerga lack key equipment including night vision.

"That is why IS are able to terrorize the residents, because we can't see them," Jawhar said.

Disputed land

The talks to re-establish joint coordination centers between the Iraqi army and peshmerga began over two years ago, but fell apart because of deep mistrust and differences over how to carve out lines of control.

Under current Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, talks were rekindled, paving the way for an agreement to set up six joint coordination centers in Baghdad, Irbil, and across the disputed zone.

Kadhimi also agreed to establish two joint brigades to conduct anti-IS operations. But this is awaiting budget approval from Baghdad's Finance Ministry, said Hajar Ismail, peshmerga head of relations with the coalition.

Between 2009-2014, Iraqi and Kurdish forces conducted joint security in the northern provinces of Ninevah, Kirkuk and Diyala. But the collapse of the Iraqi army during the IS onslaught of 2014 ended the arrangement.

Kurdish authorities managed to solidify control over Kirkuk and other disputed areas during this time, even developing oil fields and conducting an independent export policy, to the ire of the federal government.

After Iraq declared victory over IS in 2017, Baghdad turned its sights to these areas, launching a military operation in October 2017 to retake them. Relations soured, with Baghdad cutting off budget allocations to the Kurdish region, rendering it unable to pay public sector workers and debts to oil companies.

Baghdad was long reluctant to resume security talks partly due to political optics in the capital, with many dominant Shiite parties deeply mistrustful of Kurdish intentions, according to federal officials.

The Popular Mobilization Forces, made up largely of Shiite militia groups close to Iran, has opposed joint patrols with the peshmerga. The PMF also has a powerful presence in many areas in the disputed zone.

So far, the PMF has been surprisingly quiet about the new joint arrangement, as it copes with a devastating loss in federal elections earlier this year.

But "at some point they will speak out against it," Zmkan Ali, a senior researcher at the Institute of Regional and International Studies, a research center in Sulaymaniyah.

Common friend

The road to better coordination has often involved a common friend: The U.S.

Iraqi and Kurdish officials said the U.S.-led coalition's mediation and support were key in bringing parties to the table.

"They played an important role, coordinating with us and the Iraqi side," said Jawhar, the peshmerga based in Qarachok. "Without them we wouldn't speak  they wouldn't come here, and we wouldn't go there."

Both sides say they still need the Americans to play that role.

U.S. troops quietly stopped direct involvement in combat against IS months ago and have since been advising and training troops. That role will continue when the combat mission formally ends on Dec. 31.

The U.S. presence is also crucial in other ways. The Americans pay the salaries of many peshmerga fighters, amid ongoing budget disputes with Baghdad. Some $240 million in U.S. funding covers the salaries of around 45,000 peshmerga personnel, according to Ismail.

"Thankfully, this will continue in 2022," he said.
The World Food Program warns the crisis of acute hunger facing millions of people in Afghanistan as winter sets in is just one step away from becoming a catastrophe.

To prevent the worst from happening, the World Food Program is rapidly ramping up humanitarian operations in Afghanistan. The agency, which has provided food aid to 15 million Afghans in 2021, says it will increase the number of beneficiaries to 23 million in the coming year.

WFP spokesman Tomson Phiri said the Afghan economy is in shambles and currency depreciation is making it increasingly difficult for people to feed themselves.

Families are resorting to desperate measures as the bitter winter sets in. Nine in every ten families are now buying less expensive food, which tends to be less nutritious Eight in 10 are eating less, and seven in 10 are borrowing food in order to get by, he said.

WFP reports half of all children under five, around 3.2 million, are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition this winter. Around a million children suffering from this condition have received nutrition treatment and malnutrition prevention this year, as have half a million pregnant and nursing women.

Phiri said WFP is planning to scale up this program in 2022. He said it also is working to provide school meals, take-home rations, and cash transfers for one million children across the country.

The needs are quite enormous. And we have a huge amount to do to stop this crisis from becoming a catastrophe. Our country director describes this situation as quite dire. He says it is an avalanche of hunger and destitution, said Phiri.

The World Food Program says it urgently needs $220 million a month or $2.6 billion in total to provide lifesaving assistance to 23 million Afghans in the coming year.
A Sino-U.S. military dialogue that coincided with a defense budget increase this month reveal a key piece of President Joe Bidens China policytalk and prepare to fight all at onceanalysts believe.

The U.S. Senate voted Wednesday for a version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that authorizes $770 billion in defense spending, $25 billion more than Biden requested and including $7.1 billion for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative aimed at checking Chinese expansion.

And from Tuesday through Thursday, representatives from U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, navy and air force met virtually with counterparts from the Chinese Peoples Liberation Armys navy and air force for talks on staying safe in Asias contested waterways.

U.S. military, they do what they have to do, like conduct Freedom of Navigation operations in the South China Sea, but they also make sure there are guardrails, they continue to keep the lines of communication open with the Chinese, said Aaron Rabena, research fellow at the Asia-Pacific Pathways to Progress Foundation in Metro Manila.

Washington increased in 2019 the number of warship passages through the South China Sea to 10 per year, a number that it repeated in 2020. U.S. officials describe the passages as Freedom of Navigation operations.

China and the United States are in what scholars describe as a great power competition, with Washington particularly targeting the other sides expansion in the East and South China seas where the U.S. counts nearby countries as geopolitical allies. Biden will carry on the competition but hopes to stop any violent flareups, analysts say.

Negotiate while bolstering defense

The version of the NDAA bill passed Wednesday included a statement of congressional support for the defense of Taiwan and a ban on any Defense Department procurement of goods produced with forced labor from China's restive and largely Muslim Xinjiang region. The act now requires Bidens signature.

The military talks, a process that began in 1998, were held to reduce risks and improve operational safety in the air and sea, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement. U.S. and Chinese officials discussed this time upholding professionalism and reviewed safety-related events, the Friday statement says.

China calls the 3.5 million-square-kilometer, resource-rich South China Sea its own, clashing with the claims of militarily weaker Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. U.S. warships also sail the Taiwan Strait, a warning against China not to attack the self-ruled island, which China claims as its own.

Crisis management, such as ship-to-ship protocol and working hotlines, is the U.S. militarys top priority for China, said Gregory Poling, director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative under the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Its OK to have tensions in the diplomatic arena and even the economic arena, but nobody wants it to move out of the so-called grey zone into open conflict, Poling said.

Two-pronged China strategy

Biden indicated that talks are part of his policy in mid-November by taking part in his first voice-to-voice chat with Chinese President Xi Jinping after a senior-level dialogue broke down in the later part of ex-president Donald Trumps term. Analysts considered that event a groundbreaker that could slowly lead to talks on headier issues that have hobbled Sino-U.S. ties since 2017 over trade, consular affairs and geopolitical differences.

The U.S. president underscored the importance of managing strategic risks in his comments to Xi, but at the same time underscored the United States will continue to stand up for its interests and values, according to a White House statement.

Biden is seeking a managed competition with China, Rabena said.

Success of last weeks military talks may hinge on what comes next, scholars believe. If the U.S. government pulls back on Freedom of Navigation exercises and military engagement with Taiwan, for example, Beijing and Washington may have reached consensus at the December 14-16 talks, Rabena said.

Follow-up talks and eventual confidence building measures would indicate the Biden-Xi chat made an impact, said Collin Koh, a maritime security research fellow at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

But Washingtons Pacific Deterrence Initiative [PDF] calls China the number one pacing challenge for U.S. forces and says the 2022 budget will be used to develop and procure defense capabilities in support of joint force lethality, especially in providing survivable strike and stand-off capability in a denied environment, according to a mid-2021 Department of Defense statement.

Given that there are still pressing issues that continue to bedevil bilateral ties, I believe both the Chinese and the Americans probably felt [it] necessary to continue dialogue at this level, Koh said.

Chinese state-run media have kept quiet on the U.S.-China talks this week, but the Chinese Communist Party owned China Daily news website a year ago blasted the Pacific Deterrence Initiative as being a cost to other Asian countries rather than a strong signal to China.
Spain's Catholic Church is to open an investigation into alleged sex abuse of hundreds of children by members of the clergy dating back 80 years that the newspaper El Pais has uncovered, the daily said on Sunday.

The investigation will look into allegations of abuse against 251 priests and some lay people from religious institutions that the paper has uncovered, El Pais said.

The paper has not published in full its findings from a three-year investigation it conducted into the issue, but said its correspondent gave a 385-page dossier to Pope Francis on Dec. 2 while the papal entourage and journalists were flying from Rome to Cyprus.

The number of victims is at least 1,237 but could rise into the thousands, the paper said. The allegations concern 31 religious orders and 31 of the country's some 70 dioceses. The oldest case dates back to 1942 and the most recent to 2018.

The investigation will be carried out by the Spanish bishops conference, which is headed by Cardinal Juan Jose Omella, the archbishop of Barcelona, according to El Pais.

Officials from the bishops conference were not available for comment on Sunday.

A Vatican spokesman was not immediately available, but the Vatican does not usually comment on the work of national bishops conferences.

In November, Pope Francis thanked journalists for helping to uncover clerical sexual abuse scandals that the Catholic Church originally tried to cover up.
A centrist U.S. Democratic lawmaker, Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, said Sunday he is definitively opposed to President Joe Bidens roughly $2 trillion social safety net spending plan, likely dooming its passage without further sharp revisions in its scope and cost.

Manchins vote was essential in the politically divided Senate for passage of one of the key elements of the Democratic presidents legislative agenda. None of the 50 Republicans in the 100-member chamber supports the plan to expand health care for older Americans, provide universal pre-kindergarten classes, authorize new funding to combat climate change and offer more financial support for low-income Americans.

Democrats had hoped to push through the legislation on a 51-50 vote before Christmas, with Vice President Kamala Harris providing the tie-breaking vote. The House of Representatives has already approved a version of the bill.

But Manchin, who discussed the measure at length last week with Biden, told the Fox News Sunday show, If I cant go home and explain it to the people of West Virginia, I cant vote for it. And I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation.

I just cant, Manchin said. Ive tried everything humanly possible. I cant get there. This is a no on this legislation.

The White House said the lawmaker last week offered a framework for a compromise on the legislation and promised to continue conversations in the days ahead, and to work with us to reach that common ground.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement that if Manchins comments indicate an end to that effort, they represent a sudden and inexplicable reversal in his position, and a breach of his commitments to the President and the Senators colleagues in the House and Senate.

She rebuffed Manchins claims that the legislation would add to the surge in consumer prices in the United States, the highest in nearly four decades, or add to the countrys long-term debt, now more than $29 trillion, because the new spending would be paid for with higher taxes on corporations and wealthy individuals.



One of the key Senate architects of the legislation, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, reacted angrily to Manchins refusal to support fellow Democratic colleagues and vote for it. Sanders said Manchin doesnt have the guts to take on special business interests who would be impacted most by the legislation.

Sanders told CNNs State of the Union show he wants the Senate to vote on the measure anyway, even if it is headed to defeat, to force Manchin to publicly account for his vote.

Hes going to have a lot of explaining to do with the people of West Virginia, Sanders said. Let him vote no and explain it to the world.
Pro-Beijing candidates swept to victory in an overhauled "patriots"-only legislative election in Hong Kong that was deemed regressive by critics, with turnout hitting a record low amid a crackdown on the city's freedoms by China.

The turnout of 30.2%, was almost half that of the previous legislative poll in 2016, with the latest results showing almost all of the seats being taken by pro-Beijing and pro-establishment candidates.

Some of these candidates cheered on stage at the central vote counting center and chanted "guaranteed win."

Starry Lee, the head of the pro-Beijing The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) party, dismissed criticism that her party lacked a public mandate, and stressed the electoral revamp to ensure only "patriots" administer the city would improve governance.

"I do not believe this (the low turnout) is directly related to citizens not agreeing with this electoral system. I believe it needs some time for people to get adapted to this system, she told reporters at the vote counting center.

Most of the dozen or so candidates who called themselves moderates, including former democratic lawmaker Frederick Fung, failed to gain a seat, succumbing to pro-Beijing rivals.

"I only say that the situation in the present day, it's not easy to push people. I think they are feeling indifferent in the present situation," he told Reuters.

The previous record low for a legislative election held after the city's return from British to Chinese rule was 43.6% in 2000. Results for some seats are still pending.

The election -- in which only candidates screened by the government as "patriots" could run -- has been criticized by some activists, foreign governments and rights groups as regressive, while mainstream pro-democracy parties are not participating.

Turnout is a central issue, as observers consider it a barometer of legitimacy in an election where pro-democracy candidates are largely absent, and a crackdown under a China-imposed national security law has jailed scores of democrats who had originally wanted to run, and forced others into exile.

Under the electoral shake-up, the proportion of directly elected seats was reduced from around half to less than a quarter, or 20 seats.

Forty seats were selected by a committee stacked with Beijing loyalists, while the remaining 30 were filled by professional and business sectors such as finance and engineering, known as functional constituencies.

While some observers say the low turnout could undermine the new legislature's legitimacy, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said in a statement that the 1.3 million or so ballots cast were a "show of support for the improved electoral system."
The commander of Malawis army has criticized what he says is interference from government officials into the affairs of the military. General Vincent Nundwe says this could incite anarchy and should stop.

Nundwe expressed the concern Saturday during a televised parade of newly commissioned military officers at the Malawi Armed Forces College in Salima district.

At the gathering, which President Lazarus Chakwera also attended as commander-In chief of the defense force, Nundwe said the military has long been receiving instructions from government authorities to promote some officers.

Letters have been coming from the office of the president and Cabinet, addressed to the army commander, instructing him to promote some officers. We cant accept that. We issue promotions to military officers ourselves, he said.

Nundwe said such tendencies violate military etiquette and can cause conflict.

We dont want conflicts in Malawi. If you have time, use that energy for something productive, not bringing conflict into the military, no. I have already given an example about Ethiopia, where military officers are fighting one another. I cant accept that, he said.

Nundwe also voiced concern about some military officers lobbying for higher positions through politicians.

If you are a military officer, there is a Command Element here which recommends you to the Defense Council if you are worth [a] promotion. You do not go and lobby from a politician as if you are working with politicians. So, to you politicians, if such officers approach you, please desist from engaging them, Nundwe said.

In March of last year, Nundwe himself became a victim of political interference when then-President Peter Mutharika fired him as army commander for allegedly allowing the military to protect demonstrators protesting the results of the 2019 presidential elections.

Incumbent President Chakwera reinstated Nundwe in September 2020, after Chakwera defeated Mutharika during the rerun of presidential elections three months earlier, saying the aim was to restore justice to the operations of the Malawi Defense Force.

But Nundwe said Saturday that the Malawi Defense Force is an institution governed by the law and is supposed to serve all people in the country without interference.

In his remarks, Chakwera said his administration will ensure that soldiers receive the necessary support to enable them to deliver on their mandate without any political influence.

All I expect from you is to stay true to your mandate, stay true to our nations citizens, stay true to our nations Constitution, and stay true our nations flag. I know that doing so involves giving up so much more than we can ever repay, he said.

Chakwera told military officers that they should know that they are the pride of Malawi.
A daylong emergency conference of the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) agreed Sunday to set up a humanitarian trust fund to address the unfolding humanitarian and economic catastrophe in Afghanistan, where millions face hunger and an estimated 1 million children are at risk of dying of severe acute malnutrition.

The fund would be established under the Islamic Development Bank to channel relief aid to Afghans in coordination with other international partners, said a final statement from members at the Pakistan-hosted meeting. It included delegates from the United States, China, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations.

The conference marked the biggest international gathering on helping Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power from the Western-backed government in August following a U.S.-led foreign troop exit after 20 years.

Earlier, Taliban acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi assured the OIC gathering that their government would do more to enhance national political inclusivity and promote human rights, including those of women. The Taliban released the text of Muttaqis speech to the closed-door session.

We stand ready, as a member of a single family, to listen to and accept all requests, concerns and advice of Islamic countries in relation to Afghanistan that can lead toward a proper and just roadmap and direct us out of the current crisis, Muttaqi said.

We consider human rights, womens rights and participation by all capable Afghans from various regions our duty. We have done much in this regard and will continue to take further steps, he added.

The chief Taliban diplomat renewed his governments counterterrorism assurances, saying no one would be allowed to use Afghan soil against any country.

Washington and Western allies have blocked the Talibans access to about $9.5 billion in Afghan assets, mostly held in the U.S. Federal Reserve, imposed financial sanctions and halted non-humanitarian assistance to the war-ravaged countrys largely foreign aid-dependent economy.

Muttaqi again demanded the unfreezing of assets and removal of sanctions, saying they have led to health, education and social services teetering on the brink; all of this has only harmed the general public."

The U.S. and other countries have cited concerns about terrorism and waning human rights, especially those of women, for refusing to directly engage with the Taliban. Those concerns stem partly from the previous Taliban regime from 1996 to 2001, when girls were prevented from receiving an education, and women from leaving home unless accompanied by a close male relative.

Taliban leaders repeatedly have promised their new administration will not bring back the harsh policies of their previous rule. Most Afghan girls across the country, however, are still not allowed to return to school and most female government employees have been barred from resuming their professional duties.

The Islamist group has yet to include a woman in the Cabinet since announcing its government in September.

Pakistans Prime Minister Imran Khan, while inaugurating the OIC summit, warned that the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Afghanistan could turn into the biggest man-made crisis unless the world urgently takes remedial steps. He called for the U.S. to unconditionally end sanctions on Kabul and unfreeze the assets in favor of facilitating humanitarian assistance to Afghans.

I speak to the United States specifically; they must delink the Taliban government from the 40 million Afghan citizens even if they have been in conflict with the Taliban for 20 years, the Pakistani leader said. But this is a question of the people of Afghanistan, 40 million human beings.

Unless action is taken immediately, Afghanistan is heading for chaos.  But chaos suits no one. It certainly does not suit the United States, Khan said. He added that chaos would benefit transnational terrorists linked to Islamic State and mean more refugees heading toward Pakistan, which already hosts 3 million Afghan refugees.

The frozen assets and abrupt suspension of aid are said to have exacerbated Afghan economic upheavals and increased humanitarian needs in the country where U.N. officials say 23 million people are already facing hunger due to years of war, a severe drought and high levels of poverty.

We collectively feel that we have to unlock financial and banking channels because the economy cannot function and people cannot be helped without banking services, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told reporters together with the OIC secretary general, Hissein Brahim Taha, after the meeting.

U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas West attended the summit.

A productive OIC session today with important outcomes -- not least the creation of a humanitarian trust fund and the naming of an OIC Special Envoy, West tweeted. The U.S. warmly welcomes the OICs role and contributions.

The special envoy is tasked to follow up on the implementation of the OIC resolution adopted at Sundays meeting, particularly regarding coordinating efforts for the supply of humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.

He described it as a timely and important initiative in a tweet after landing in Islamabad on Saturday.

While we continue clear-eyed diplomacy with the Taliban -- on human rights, terrorism and educational access, among many other issues -- the Afghan people will remain at the center of our considerations, West tweeted on Saturday.

Qureshi described the U.S. envoys speech to Sundays closed-door session of the OIC huddle as very hopeful in terms of facilitating the urgent relief assistance to Afghans.

West said that he has a clear mandate from his boss, Secretary [of State Antony] Blinken, to engage with the Taliban and he has met the Taliban delegation on the sidelines over here, Qureshi said. I am sure they (the Taliban) were sensitized to the expectations of the international community.

The Pakistani chief diplomat quoted West as telling the meeting the U.S. has decided not to make humanitarian assistance conditional.

He also said, and this is quite hopeful, that there is an amount unutilized with the international financial institutions to the tune of $1.2 billon and now they can find mechanisms of utilizing that, Qureshi added.

The sanctions and lack of diplomatic recognition of the Taliban government in Kabul have disrupted the Afghan banking system, undermining delivery of urgently needed humanitarian aid to those who urgently need it. Diplomats acknowledge facing the delicate task of channeling aid to the crisis-hit Afghan economy without also propping up the hardline Islamists.

U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths reiterated those concerns while addressing Sundays conference in Pakistan.

Afghanistan's economy is now in free fall, and that if we do not act decisively and with compassion, I fear that this fall will pull down the entire population with it, Griffiths warned.

Griffiths said health facilities are overflowing with malnourished children, some 70% of teachers are not being paid and millions of Afghan children are out of school, noting that prices of key commodities continue to rise.

The cost of wheat and fuel is up by around 40% and food now accounts for more than 80% of the average household expenditure.

Griffiths underscored the importance of continued constructive engagement with the Taliban government in a process of meaningful dialogue to clarify what we expect of each other.
The fifth wave of the coronavirus pandemic, largely driven by the omicron variant, continues spreading across the world, pushing some health care systems to the brink. In some places, government measures to control spread have been met with opposition by those who say theyve had enough of lockdowns and mandates. U.S. President Joe Biden will address the United States about the matter on Tuesday. VOAs Arash Arabasadi has more.
Two top U.S. health officials said Sunday the country faces a tough few weeks ahead to curb the spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus, just as the strain is also leading to an increase in COVID-19 cases around the world.

Were in a world of trouble in the next few weeks, Dr. Francis Collins, the retiring director of the National Institutes of Health, told the Fox News Sunday show. The virus has thrown us a curve ball.

Still, he said 50 million eligible Americans remain unvaccinated altogether, which Collins described as the thing I find particularly frustrating.

In addition, millions more people in the United States have received their first inoculations but have yet to get booster shots that health experts say are essential to greatly increasing their protection against the omicron strain.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the countrys top infectious disease expert and President Joe Bidens top medical adviser, said on CNNs State of the Union show, If you want to be optimally protected, get boosted.

Fauci, however, said the rapidly multiplying number of coronavirus cases will lead to a significant stress on the availability of hospital beds in some particularly hard-hit parts of the U.S.

At the moment, Were trying to get a veil of vaccinations across the country, Fauci said, but Americans also need to wear face masks in crowded public settings. In addition, he said the country needs to do better in providing COVID-19 tests.

Biden is set to address the nation Tuesday to announce how the government is preparing to respond to the growing number of cases caused by the variant.

The surge in cases in the U.S. has resulted in some universities announcing that they have moved or will be moving to remote learning, including Harvard, which said it will engage in remote learning for at least the first three weeks of January.

In Europe, the growing number of cases has caused some governments to call for restrictions reminiscent of COVID closures imposed earlier in the pandemic that dates from the first weeks of 2020.

The Netherlands is shutting down again, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Saturday in a televised address. The new measures, beginning Sunday, Rutte said, are because of a fifth wave of COVID-19, due to the highly contagious omicron variant.

Under the new rules, all non-essential shops will be closed through at least mid-January. Only two guests will be permitted to visit a household at one time. Four guests, however, will be allowed during the coming holidays from December 24-26 and New Years Eve and New Years Day.

Schools will be immediately closed until at least January 9.

While the Netherlands boasts an 85% inoculation rate, only 9% have received booster shots.

Jaap van Dissel, the chief of the Dutch outbreak management team, said the shutdown will give people time to get their booster jabs and hospitals time to prepare for the possible surge in cases.

Meanwhile, Germany has declared Britain as an area of variants of concern because of its increasing number of omicron cases.

People entering Germany from an area of variants of concern must quarantine for two weeks, regardless of their vaccination status or whether they have recovered from the COVID-19 illness.

Scientists are warning that the British government needs to go further to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed amid the surge. The warning comes after the government reimposed an indoor mask requirement and ordered people to show proof of vaccination or a recent negative coronavirus test when entering nightclubs or large venues.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan told the BBC new restrictions in Britain are inevitable.

The new variant has fueled infections in Britain close to the peak levels of early 2021.

Watch related video by VOA's Arash Arabasadi:

Sajid Javid, Britains health minister, has been highly critical of the unvaccinated, blaming them for taking up beds that could be used by other people.

In France, the government said it would start inoculating children between the ages of 5 and 11 on Wednesday. Prime Minister Jean Castex said Friday that the omicron strain was spreading like lightning and proposed requiring proof of vaccination for those entering public establishments.

More than 5.3 million people have died of COVID-19 globally since the coronavirus that causes the disease emerged two years ago, according to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center.

The center reported early Sunday that more than 8.6 billion doses of vaccines have been administered worldwide, a massive logistical campaign complicated by omicrons surge.

Several countries are racing to accelerate vaccination campaigns as mounting evidence supports the need for booster doses to combat the variant.

Some information in this report came from Agence France-Presse, The Associated Press and Reuters.
Poles flocked to city centers across the country Sunday to defend a U.S.-owned television network that is being targeted by the country's right-wing government and to protect media freedom in a European Union nation where democratic norms are eroding.

Among the protesters were older Poles who decades ago resisted the country's communist regime and who fear that the democracy that they helped usher in is now being lost. Many Poles believe Poland's populist right-wing government is turning the country away from the West and adopting an authoritarian model closer to that of Turkey or Russia with attempts to exert political control over the courts and silence critical media.

Donald Tusk, the leader of the main opposition party, called on Poles to show solidarity and change their leadership.

"Let's sweep this power away!" Tusk, a former Polish prime minister and a former EU president, told the crowd in Warsaw.

The protests were called after the parliament on Friday unexpectedly passed a bill that would force Discovery Inc. to sell its controlling share of TVN, Poland's largest television network.

The lower house of parliament had voted for it in the summer, but it was vetoed by the Senate. Without any notice, the parliament suddenly brought the bill back and the lower house overrode the Senate's veto.

The fate of the bill now lies with President Andrzej Duda. The main protest on Sunday took place in front of the presidential palace in Warsaw, with demonstrators demanding that Duda veto the bill.

Government leaders have defended the legislation by arguing that it is important for national security to ensure that no company outside of Europe can control companies that help form public opinion.

TVN operates an all-news channel, TVN24, and its main channel, TVN, has a nightly evening news program viewed by millions that offers critical reporting of the government. Critics believe Poland's right-wing government is merely moving to silence an outlet that seeks to hold power to account.

A string of speakers on Sunday accused authorities of attacking Poland's democratic foundations, and the crowds chanted, "Free media!"

Jarosaw Kurski, deputy editor of Gazeta Wyborcza, a liberal newspaper that has uncovered a string of government scandals and been sued many times by government allies, accused the ruling party of seeking to silence the media in order to steal Poland's next elections, which are scheduled in 2023.

"The mafia has taken over the country. They want to master all elements of public life," Kurski said.

The United States, a close ally of Warsaw, had urged lawmakers not to pass the law. The U.S. charge d'affaires, Bix Aliu, said the U.S. was "extremely disappointed" by the passage of the bill and urged Duda "to use his leadership to protect free speech and business."

Duda, who is allied with the ruling party, in the summer indicated that he would not support it, but on Friday he said he still needed to analyze it.

TVN launched an online petition Sunday calling on Duda to veto the bill, which by the evening was signed by over 1.7 million people.

"The attack on media freedom has far-reaching consequences for the future of Poland," the appeal reads. "Mutual relations with the USA, the greatest ally and guarantor of our country's security, are being destroyed. We cannot allow it!"

Discovery also vowed in a statement to "relentlessly fight for our business."
Pope Francis doubled down Saturday on his efforts to quash the old Latin Mass, forbidding the celebration of some sacraments according to the ancient rite in his latest salvo against conservatives and traditionalists.

The Vatican's liturgy office issued a document that clarified some questions that arose after Francis in July reimposed restrictions on celebrating the old Latin Mass that Pope Benedict XVI had relaxed in 2007.

Francis said then that he was reversing his predecessor because Benedict's reform had become a source of division in the church and been exploited by Catholics opposed to the Second Vatican Council, the 1960s meetings that modernized the church and its liturgy.

The Vatican repeated that rationale Saturday, saying the clarifications and new restrictions were necessary to preserve the unity of the church and its sacraments.

"As pastors we must not lend ourselves to sterile polemics, capable only of creating division, in which the ritual itself is often exploited by ideological viewpoints," said the prefect of the Vatican's liturgy office, Archbishop Arthur Roche, in an introductory note to the world's bishops.

Francis' crackdown on the old Mass has outraged his conservative critics, many of whom have gone so far to accuse him of heresy and watering down Catholic doctrine with his focus on the environment, social justice and migrants. Francis says he preaches the Gospel and what Jesus taught and has defended the restrictions by saying they actually reflect Benedict's original goal while curbing the way his 2007 concession had been exploited for ideological ends.

His July law required individual bishops to approve celebrations of the old Mass, also called the Tridentine Mass, and required newly ordained priests to receive explicit permission to celebrate it from their bishops, in consultation with the Vatican. Saturday's decree makes clear the Vatican must explicitly authorize new priests to celebrate the rite.

In addition, the new document Saturday imposes restrictions targeting the sacramental life of the church.

It forbids using the ancient ritual for the sacraments of Confirmation and ordaining new priests and will make it exceedingly difficult for traditionalists to access the sacraments of Baptism, Marriage and Anointing of the Sick according to the old rite.

This de facto prohibition arises because these sacraments can only be celebrated in so-called personal parishes that were already in existence and dedicated to traditionalist communities. There are exceedingly few of these parishes around the world, and Francis barred the creation of new ones.

Some traditionalists unhappy

"Roche Christmas Massacre," tweeted Rorate Caeli, a traditionalist blog that has been critical of Francis and his crackdown on the Tridentine rite.

"Benedict XVI had brought peace to the church. An end to the liturgical wars," the group said in a follow-up message to The Associated Press. "The current pope has chosen to reignite them. There is no logical reason for that. Just an underlying desire for division and violence."

Francis agreed to the publication of the document, which was signed by Roche, who is prefect of the Vatican's liturgy office.

It was written in the form of questions and answers, including some that get into minute details that make clear the Vatican's effort to minimize the spread of the old Mass: Parishes may not, for example, publicize the celebration of the old liturgy in parish bulletins or allow them to be celebrated at the same time as the so-called New Order Mass.

In a clear bid to dissuade seminarians from even learning the old rite, the new instruction urges seminary teachers to lead their charges "to an understanding and experience of the richness of the liturgical reform called for by the Second Vatican Council."

If a priest who is authorized to celebrate the old rite gets sick at the last minute, he can't be substituted with one who doesn't have prior approval. In addition, priests may not celebrate an old rite Mass and the New Order one on the same day.

Joseph Shaw, head of the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales, said the restrictions mean celebration of the old Latin Mass "will become extremely difficult" and the sacraments even more so.

"This would drastically reduce the number of celebrations, and cause great pastoral harm," he said in an email.
Two Katyusha rockets hit Baghdad's fortified Green Zone, Iraq's state news agency reported early on Sunday, citing security forces.

One rocket was destroyed in the air by the C-RAM defense system and the other landed near the zone's festivals arena, damaging two cars, the report added. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Security forces started an investigation to detect the launch site, the agency reported.

The Green Zone hosts foreign embassies, including the U.S. Embassy, and government buildings and is regularly the target of rockets fired by groups that U.S. and Iraqi officials say are backed by Iran.
Tens of thousands of people protested in Sudan Sunday to mark the third anniversary of the uprising that overthrew longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir, and to call for civilian rule. Police responded with tear gas and a doctors group says at least one protester was killed. Political analysts say the ongoing protests underscore the public's distrust of the military, despite a deal that reinstated the prime minister after an October coup.

Sudanese protesters have vowed to continue with demonstrations demanding the removal of military officials from the daily activities of the government.

Protesters took to the streets in Khartoum and other cities Sunday, marking three years since the start of the uprising that led to the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir.

Shakur Nyaketo, a journalist and activist, says some protesters feel they have not achieved their desired goal of better governance.

Some people are celebrating, those are people in the government, but revolutionists were not celebrating but they were protesting because they think that revolution has been stolen by the politicians and it has not given way for a civilian government. Thats why yesterday people were revolting, they were protesting in front of the palace. It was the first time that the congregation gathered in front of the palace, Nyaketo said.

The Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors said one person was killed Sunday, making the 28-year-old the 45th person to have been killed since October 25.

The group accused the security forces of using bullets and tear gas to disperse the protesters.

The Sunday protest was the ninth big demonstration to take place since the military coup two months ago.

In October, the military pushed out the civilian-led wing of the government led by Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. Last month, Hamdok was reinstated after a deal with the military.

Nyaketo said protesters want to see the military out of the country's governance system.

The Sudanese people have announced the revolution to be continuous until the military handover [of power] to the government. And the only one agreed decision is that [the] Sudanese people dont want a military government. They have announced a continuous revolt. There is a timetable [under which the] Sudanese people will go out on the 25th and 30th of December and continue until April, Nyaketo said.

However, Hassan Khannenje, head of the Horn Institute for Strategic Studies, says it's not so easy to kick out the military.

The only circumstance where something can change is where there is a lot more widespread protest as opposed to limited protest akin to what we saw in Tahrir Square (central plaza in Khartoum) that may force the military leadership to step down in favor of perhaps someone who is more modest but still from the military as they work out through this transition plan. But to think the military is completely going to go away from Sudanese politics right now is a pipe dream [that] is not going to happen, Khannenje said.

Military leaders have promised to conduct elections in 2023 which they say will pave the way for a civilian-led government to be installed.
The Democratic Republic of Congo army and its Ugandan allies said Sunday they had destroyed rebel "strongholds" in the country's restive east this week, in a campaign launched last month against ADF rebels.

Troops from the two countries bombarded "new enemy camps identified in the Beni district of North Kivu province and in Ituri province" to the north, the DR Congo armed forces said in a statement posted on Twitter.

Since the joint operation was launched on November 30, soldiers had initially improved the region's roads to make troop movements easier.

The army said it had attacked positions of the Allied Democratic Forces -- accused of massacres in eastern DR Congo and bomb blasts in Uganda -- in the Virunga national park.

Meanwhile in Ituri, the armed forces said they had "captured 35 ADF terrorists" from several villages in the Irumu district between December 13 and 15.

Uganda's army had said Saturday that the allies would "step up the operations in different sectors now that the terrorists are no longer encamped, having been dislodged from their former strongholds.

So far, the armies have not made public a toll of dead or wounded in the anti-ADF push.

They said on December 11 that they had arrested 35 rebels, destroyed four camps and freed 31 Congolese hostages.

On Sunday, they also asked local people to provide the troops with information on the ADF.

A Congolese army spokesman in the Beni region, Antony Mualushayi, said soldiers had arrested a civil society figure in the town of Mbau, not far from the fighting, for "passing intelligence to the terrorists."

Several attacks that killed at least eight this week in villages in Ituri have been blamed on ADF fighters "fleeing the joint military operation," one military official said.

The ADF was historically a Ugandan rebel coalition whose biggest group comprised Muslims opposed to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.

But it established itself in eastern DRC in 1995, becoming the deadliest of scores of outlawed forces in the troubled region.

It has been blamed for the killings of thousands of civilians over the past decade in the DRC, as well as for bombings in Uganda.
Members of the U.S. commercial fishing industry are teaming up with an oil industry-backed lobbying group to fight offshore wind energy development on the East Coast, according to documents reviewed by Reuters and interviews with people involved.

The unusual alliance reflects the breadth of opposition President Joe Biden faces as his administration pushes to expand offshore wind power and other clean energy sources dramatically to combat climate change.

The fishing industry believes offshore wind farms will interfere with vessel navigation and hurt crucial stocks like squid and scallops, while some in the oil industry see renewable energy projects as unwanted competition to fossil fuels.

Several fishing businesses, including a seafood dealer in Rhode Island and fishing groups in New York and Massachusetts, sued the administration this week in federal court in Washington, D.C. to block its approval of the Vineyard Wind offshore wind project off the Massachusetts coast.

They are represented at no cost by attorneys from the Texas Public Policy Foundation, which opposes policies that encourage renewable energy at the expense of fossil fuels, according to court filings reviewed by Reuters and details on the group's web site.

TPPF also released a two-and-a-half minute film this week featuring the plaintiffs working and voicing their concerns about the potential impact of offshore wind projects on their businesses. Short versions of the film are being circulated on social media.

TPPFs past donors include oil giants Exxon Mobil Corp , Chevron Corp and the foundation of billionaire industrialist Charles Koch, who has spent millions combating climate change regulation, according to public documents.

Officials for Exxon and Koch did not comment. Chevron confirmed it had supported TPPF in the past.

Meghan Lapp, fisheries liaison for Rhode Island-based Seafreeze Shoreside Inc, a seafood dealer and plaintiff in the lawsuit, told Reuters she had approached TPPF several months ago to see if it would be willing to represent the group.

She expressed no concern about the group's ties to the oil and gas industry, saying: "If your entire economic future was at stake, and somebody offered to help you, would you care?"

TPPF attorney Ted Hadzi-Antich said the decision to take the case was aligned with TPPF's mission to protect individual liberty and encourage limited federal government.

"One of our main missions is to ensure to the extent that we can the opportunity for all Americans to earn a living in a lawful way," he said.

The Department of Interior, which oversees the administration's offshore wind permitting, would not comment.

The department has said previously that it is working on plans to compensate commercial fishermen for any impact that offshore wind development might have on them.

The fishing industrys lawsuit alleges that the Biden administration's approval of the Vineyard Wind project in May violated federal laws because it did not adequately seek public input or consider the impact on commercial fishing and marine species.

Vineyard Wind would consist of 84 turbines located 14 miles off the coast. It would be the nations first large-scale offshore wind project.

A spokesperson for Vineyard Wind, which is a joint venture between Avangrid Inc and Denmark's Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, would not comment on the suit.

The Biden administration had announced in March a target to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030 by opening new areas to development, accelerating permits and boosting public financing for projects. It says 30 gigawatts would be enough to power 10 million homes and cut 78 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.

The plan is part of Biden's broader effort to eliminate U.S. greenhouse gas emissions to fight climate change, an agenda that Republicans argue could bring economic ruin but that Democrats say can create jobs while protecting the environment.
Some Zimbabweans have criticized Vice President Constantino Chiwenga for threatening to take stern action against a traditional leader, Chief Murinye, who urged President Emmerson Mnangagwas government to take action against rampant corruption in the country linked to his associated or face the military in like what happened to the late former president Robert Mugabe.

Independent Member of Parliament, Temba Mliswa, former Cabinet Minister Walter Mzembi and others are among people who have taken a swipe on Chiwenga, noting that his utterances are an indication that he is embracing autocratic rule by President Mnangagwa.

In a tweet, Mzembi said, This business of calling others Criminals around the President can drive leadership insane. Look now who has lost their marbles, the very authors and originators of that infamous label, the Junta 4 years down the line! What are you looking at in the current crisis. Where are we taking bullets or where should we act?"

Mzembi fled the country when Mugabe was toppled in a defacto military coup spearheaded by Chiwenga and Mnangagwa, who claimed that they wanted to remove criminals around the former president who were wrecking political havoc and destabilizing the economy.

Mzembi further said in another tweet,  Several angles to the Murinye saga united Zimbabweans against VP Chiwenga, noted, but there is also an expose & unsolicited CONFESSION on Chiefs as Zanu PF power matrix accessories. Unacceptable. The Institution of Chiefs must be politically Neutral. We are the Most Divided people under a Unitary State with serious unconstitutional behaviour where a VP can shambok an entire Nation towards an Absolute Monarchy/ Kingdom declaring a President a Paramount Munhumutapa . Unitary State is not =Unity!

Chief Murinye told mourners in Masvingo recently that the Mnangagwa government may forced people to call upon Zimbabwe Defence Forces commander General Philip Valerio Sibanda to repeat what Chiwenga and others did in 2017 when they toppled Mugabe.

According to the state-controlled Herald newspaper, Murinye told mourners that we are fed up, we do not want this anymore, thieves in Zimbabwe should stop. Mnangagwa is my nephew, but if he does not listen to my advice, he will not make it in the 2023 elections.

This infuriated Chiwenga who told a chiefs meeting in Harare that Murinye should be investigated for his utterances as that is only done by those who drink Mutoriro (illicit brew), in this country it is never done. We have one Monomutapa (Mnangagwa). We have one leader and it is that leader we give our respect, it is that leader we show the entire nation what respect is all about.

What has been done by Chief Murinye is going to be investigated by the Minister of Local Government (July Moyo), the President of the Chiefs Council (Fortune Charumbira), his deputy and his committee and found guilty then appropriate disciplinary action will be taken. This is the Republic of Zimbabwe, that is not done. Such foolishness is not done, I hope you understand me. Chiefs are appointed and they are removed too. From here, 2021, you must dig holes in the tar and spit in them, declaring that such words are not uttered.

He said Mnangagwa is untouchable as long as Im alive.

But Mliswa says this is unacceptable. In a series of tweets, he said, News that VP Chiwenga threatened Chief Murinye is wrong & disturbing on every level. This is exactly how Mugabe operated, threatening all those who had divergent views. Leadership should listen to people & not threaten them. We are all under Chiefs. Politicians sandivo vene venyika. There is freedom of expression which the Chiefs can also exercise and they speak on behalf of the people. They cant be threatened over that. Chiefs were independent and apolitical but ZANU PF got them involved in politics yet when they press a divergent button you attack them.

You dragged them into politics so accept all versions of that involvement. We cant be a country where people are afraid of expressing their views. Hatingarambe tichichikidzira vanhu. We cant be a country known for abusing its people. Some of us joined and pushed for the new dispensation because we felt that we would have a new narrative and a different governance system. You came up with the mantra the voice of the people is the voice of God. What has happened to that? Chief Murinye should not retract what he said because its the truth. Lets be tolerant of the truth. Mwari ndiye muridzi wenyika ino kwete imi. You cannot threaten us all for saying what is true. Hamusimi varidzi venyika.

Mliswa also said, If I had known that this is what the removal of Mugabe means then I would not have allowed myself to suffer imprisonment; go to foreign Gvts to lobby against their military intervention, stop SADC from sending troops etc. Lets not forget who played which role. When you are in power be humble, have equanimity, be magnanimous. Dont abuse your power and bully those under you. Listen to the concerns of all, women, youths, war veterans, Chiefs, masvikiro, church leaders, etc then we know its the Zimbabwe that we want.

We have no desire to lead but simply need the leaders present to do things in the proper way. Leaders who push for our desires. Im disappointed with all this. You, Hon VP, sacrificed for a better Zimbabwe but this is not the way to go about it. You cant be using that position to intimidate people. People should be free to greet you and laugh with you in the street not to fear you. Ushe madzoro and what goes around comes around.
There was chaos Sunday at a Zanu PF provincial coordinating committee meeting at Chinhoyi University of Technology when some youth from Makonde area demonstrated against imposition of candidates by senior party officials.

The youths, numbering more than 100, fingered Deputy Information Minister Kindness Paradza as one of the people failing to hold free and fair district elections.

Lazurus Meki, a youth from Mhangura, accused Paradza of alleged election rigging claiming that his interference has led to the abandonment of the exercise in some areas.

"All what we want is fair play in these district elections. We are appealing to the DCC (District Coordinating Committee) chairperson Paradza to go back and hold free and fair elections in Mhangura," said Meki.

Paradza refused to comment, referring questions to acting provincial chairperson, Abhiya Mujeri, who admitted that Mhangura is one of the 26 areas where the electoral process has not been fully conducted.

"We are aware that Mhangura is one of the 26 areas where district elections are still to be concluded because there are many issues. So, there is no need for the youth to demonstrate. We are also aware of that some senior members within the party are funding the youths to demonstrate," he said.

Zanu PF spokesperson, Christopher Mutsvangwa, said the youths demonstrations were uncalled for as the Sunday meeting was only about people submitting their profiles ahead of provincial elections.

"People should not normally come and disturb a meeting which has been going on. This was just an administrative meeting, just procedures about how the elections are going. It was not about selection of candidates. It was about submission of names. There was no cause to demonstrate," said Mutsvangwa.

There was violence at Zanu PF districts elections in most provinces and some members took each other to court in Manicaland and Harare, claiming that the party elections were not conducted fairly.
Italy sees increase in Omicron cases over weekend.

Italian premier Mario Draghi has convened a meeting with the government's covid 'control room', Palazzo Chigi announced, amid a rise in the number of cases of the highly contagious Omicron variant of the virus.

The topics up for discussion at the meeting on 23 December are set to include a tightening of Italy's existing covid restrictions, reports state broadcaster RAI, citing "informed" government sources.

The move, which will take into consideration the latest national and European covid data, comes after Italy's national health institute (ISS) said on Saturday that it had so far identified 84 Omicron cases, "growing strongly" from the 55 announced on Friday.

The highest number of Omicron cases were detected in the northern Lombardy region around Milan (33) and in the southern Campania region around Naples (20), with the rest spread out across the country including eight cases in the Lazio region around Rome, reports news agency ANSA.

The new restrictions being discussed could include a further extension of the covid vaccination obligation to certain categories of workers with greater contact with the public, ANSA reports.

Last week the government added teachers, police and the military to the categories for mandatory vaccination which already included doctors, nurses and healthcare workers.

Another proposal set to be evaluated on 23 December, according to newspaper Corriere della Sera, is the obligation for covid tests "even for vaccinated people to participate in events, parties, and go to crowded places such as cinemas, theatres and discos."

Also reportedly up for discussion will be an obligation to wear masks outdoors, something that is already required in 'yellow zones' - under Italy's system of covid restrictions - which from Monday will apply to seven regions: Alto Adige, Fruili-Venezia Giulia, Calabria, Marche, Veneto, Liguria and Trentino.

The requirement to wear masks outdoors has already been imposed by many Italian cities, including Rome and Milan, in crowded shopping areas over the Christmas period.

The government is also set to evaluate reducing the duration of the Green Pass - which proves the holder has been vaccinated against covid, recovered from the virus or tested negative - from six to five months.

On Friday Italy's emergency coronavirus commissioner General Francesco Paolo Figliuolo appealed to people to get the third 'booster' dose, as well as vaccinate their children, calling on Italians to be "responsible" during the festive season.

More than 85 per cent of Italy's population over the age of 12 is now double-vaccinated, with 14.5 million people so far receiving the third dose, according to the latest government data.

For official information about the covid-19 situation in Italy - in English - see the health ministry website. Cover image: Galleria Alberto Sordi, Rome, 18 December 2021. Photo Wanted in Rome.
Even with the environmental policies that had been announced prior to the United Nations COP26 Climate Change Conference in November, the agency saw 2030 oil demand at 500,000 barrels a day  just 0.5% below its pre-pandemic level. In its Sustainable Development scenario  which sees advanced economies reach net zero emissions by 2050, China around 2060, and all other countries by 2070 at the latest  the drop by the end of the current decade is estimated to be just 9 million barrels a day, or 9%. That would still leave the world needing about 90 million barrels a day of oil by 2030, a supply shortfall of 21 million barrels a day  more oil than was consumed by the U.S. in 2019  according to the Saudi minister.
Closer inspection of the screen revealed that some of the digits were lighter than others. But if you just try to put those together and read them as binary letters, you get gobbledygook. We had hinted that you might need to study the problem from top to bottom  this is, after all, a puzzle column (emphasis added); and indeed, you needed to read the lighter digits left to right and top to bottom within column. That yielded the digits 01110011 01110111 01101111 01110010 01100100 01100110 01101001 01110011 01101000, which decoded to the password swordfish.
Grief debilitates us by disorienting us. It shows up unannounced, then annihilates the contours of life until gravity feels capricious  meaning that, when grief isnt sending us to the floor, its floating us outside of our bodies, outside of time. It makes us feel other ways, too, and Americans have become fluent in pretty much all of them as we continue to stare into a pandemic that wont end, an era of climate catastrophe that keeps accelerating and the inertia of lawmakers who appear not to care. Our grief is everywhere, and our disorientation wont relent.
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We make sure people know the things they need to do or consider if they would like to lengthen their lives and have a longer time being healthy, says Carol Mangione, vice-chair of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and a practicing primary-care doctor. The task force publishes evidence-based recommendations for preventive care, as well as an up-to-date list of its recommendations on its website, uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org.
It is said that the quickest route to a mans heart is through his stomach, he said on the Senate floor in 2019 in his lilting Georgia drawl, while gripping his cane. All I have had all day long is people coming by and saying: Is there anything I can do for you? So I want my constituents to know I wasnt wasting my time eating barbecue. I was gaining good points from [fellow] members so if I need a vote I can get it. That is not any way of using influence, but it is a way of using barbecue.
Opponents of the repeal have argued that parents shouldnt be kept in the dark about their childrens well-being, particularly when they decide to have an abortion. Theyve also tied it to larger concerns about parental rights.
The prosecutor used a peremptory challenge to dismiss Byng. In 1986, the Supreme Court ruled in the case of Batson v. Kentucky that the opposing attorney can object to a peremptory strike but has to show that the dismissal was an act of intentional racial discrimination. Advocates for increasing jury diversity say that bar has proven to be nearly impossible to clear. But in 2018, thanks to Byng and Silversteins advocacy, Washington became the first state to adopt rules aimed at eliminating not just intentional, but also implicit, bias in jury selection.
Vatican warns against defying pope on Latin Mass: The Vatican warned conservative Roman Catholics who have balked at Pope Francis's decision to restrict the old traditionalist Latin Mass that they were sowing division and engaging in "sterile polemics." Since July some conservatives, including bishops, have openly defied the pope. Religious conservatives in the United States in particular have used the debate to align with political conservatives to criticize the pope over a host of other issues such as climate change, immigration and social justice.
The Amtrak Crescent train traveling from New Orleans to New York on Tuesday is stopped in Lynchburg, Va. (AP)

A winter storm continued to delay train travel for many passengers along the East Coast on Wednesday.
The correct way to walk a cat on a lead, according to a man I meet in the park, is to let it do what it wants. Like most cats, his pets preference is to take a few steps, then stop and stare at nothing in particular for indefinite periods.

If people dont have the patience for this, they probably shouldnt try it, counsels the Russian-born cat walker, Kirill. Its not like a dog, where you can make it do things with you. Because a cat is not going to do that. In fact, I gotta tell you, its a bit of a chore 

I can see why.

Animal-welfare groups have reservations, warning that some owners seem to think moggies on leads can be trained to trot obediently behind them, like dogs. Credit:Getty Images

Kirills big fluffy tom, Tykva (Russian for pumpkin), twitches his tail when I approach with Alfie the dog, then goes back to studying something invisible in the near distance. After a while, Alfie gives me his WTF look and trots off to pee on a tree. Still motionless, Tykva stares on  reading the landscape  while Kirill, lead in hand, politely awaits his charges next mystery impulse.
On a bend of the Yarra River, more than an hours drive from Melbourne and far from the polarised world of social media, pandemic politics and policy schisms, sits a group comprising what must be one of Australias most unusual religious communes.

The rollcall of residents sounds like the beginning of an old joke: a Catholic priest and classical tantra meditation expert, a Buddhist, a Hindu, a Muslim and a Yogi (walk into a bar). They spend every night debating the meaning of life and some have been doing so for seven years.

Their ashram, near Warburton, 90 minutes east of Melbourne, was set up by Father John Dupuche as a multi-faith community of debate, humour and celebration of difference.

Catholic priest John Dupuche (in white) is a tantra meditation expert who started a multifaith ashram in Warburton. Among the visitors and residents are Cullan Joyce, Maree Santamaria, Sandy Kouroupidis and Andy Torpor. Credit:Jason South

Father John, who has a PhD in Sanskrit, lives with five others who have studied and practised Catholic, Greek and Russian Orthodox traditions, Tibetan and Theravadan Buddhism, Classical Yoga and Vipassana, Western Philosophy, Kashmir Shaivism, and Sunni Islam.
WA chief health officer Andy Robertson said some preliminary work was being done to predict the path and pace of the Omicron variant, but it was too early to know how it would impact WA. Were in a very good position going forward and certainly, I think well be in an equally good position going forward with the Omicron variant, he said. Released in November, the modelling predicted it would take around 100 days for daily COVID cases to increase at a significant rate, and nearly 300 days for the first wave of infections to peak, at which time around one death and 62 hospitalisations a day would be anticipated. Professor Blakely said revised Omicron modelling would likely show more people infected at the same time, and at a quicker rate.

Its not going to be easy, its going to be quite a hard transition to make, he said. Because Omicron is that much more infectious, the previous roadmap, if followed, could well see the virus spreading more than society can manage. Outgoing WA Health Minister Roger Cook confirmed on Thursday no discussions had been had about changing the February 5 reopening date. Queensland, which reopened its borders a week ago, on Friday reintroduced mask mandates in response to rising cases. Under WAs transition plan, masks will only be required in high-risk settings such as public transport and hospitals.

Periods of isolation will still be likely for most Authorities have so far been unable to say what contact tracing and isolation requirements will be in place for positive cases and close contacts once the virus enters the state. In the United Kingdom, the country encountered what became known as the pingdemic after lifting COVID restrictions. The term was coined after large sections of the community were informed they were a contact of a positive case by text, and forced into isolation. The strategy, which has since been abandoned, led to significant workforce shortages. In WA, Professor Blakely thinks its more likely contact tracers will focus mostly on the household contacts of a positive case, or contacts of cases in high-risk environments such as an aged care facility, and follow New South Wales lead to ditch QR check-ins.

Youre not going to be able to contact trace everybody, its just going to be physically impossible, he said. I would expect for cases and close contacts of cases that they will be kept in isolation for something like seven days, with a negative PCR test thats done on day 6. Casual contacts will likely have to isolate until they return a negative test. Dr Robertson said around 80 to 90 per cent of positive cases became infectious within seven days of being exposed to the virus, but that WA would take national advice on its isolation requirements closer to the reopening date. In mid-2020, WA Health advertised for a bolstered contact tracing system which could manage 10,000 cases and 50,000 contacts.

The department did not respond to a request to confirm if this contract had been filled, or what the maximum capacity of WAs contract tracing system was. Lockdowns off the cards for WA after just 12 days of stay-at-home orders Since the beginning of the pandemic, WA has been subject to around six weeks of significant restrictions between March and April 2020, and just 12 days of state-issued snap lockdowns. The figure is in stark contrast to much of the world, with some countries and cities, such as Melbourne, forced to spend months at home and wearing masks. Meanwhile, WA enjoyed relative freedom, apart from restrictions on domestic and international travel. Loading

Premier Mark McGowan said mass lockdowns would become a thing of the past once the state reopened except for in vulnerable settings and regional areas with low vaccination levels. We wont be putting in place lockdowns broadly, obviously if we had an outbreak in an aged care home or perhaps a school, you might put in place certain rules around those, he said. You might have an outbreak in an Aboriginal community or town that has very low vaccination levels, in that circumstance a very targeted lockdown would be available. Community to be protected by high vaccination rates, but slow roll-out means many will need booster before reopening It will likely take WA just shy of one year to reach its 90 per cent vaccination target, and once achieved, will make the state one of the most vaccinated places in the world.

However, due to the slow roll-out, and the emergence of the Omicron variant, nearly half of fully vaccinated West Australians will be due a booster shot before COVID is even let into the state, with early studies finding the waning vaccine is less effective against the new strain unless a dose has been recently received. The Federal Health Department has recommended people receive a third dose five months after their second, meaning the 740,000 West Australians who became fully vaccinated before September will need to boost their immunity before February. The majority of the vaccinated and unvaccinated are expected to experience no symptoms if infected with COVID, however for those who do experience symptoms, it will disproportionately impact the unvaccinated. For example, in Victoria on Tuesday, 6.4 per cent of the eligible population remained unvaccinated, however unvaccinated people made up 88 per cent of ICU admissions on that same day. WA health system will be on its knees with COVID

One of the reasons WA initially embarked on a COVID elimination strategy was as a short-term solution to give the health system time to prepare for the inevitable. Two years on, WAs hospitals are at breaking point without a single COVID patient. Ambulances are waiting ramped outside hospitals at records levels and elective surgeries have been cancelled and delayed and emergency departments regularly run out of available beds. Border closures meant many international doctors and nurses returned to their home countries at the beginning of the pandemic, leaving WA short-staffed with a narrowed recruitment pool. Royal Perth Hospital COVID-19 clinic on first day of lockdown. February 1, 2021. Credit:Sharon Smith The state government announced an additional 530 beds, equivalent to a new hospital, would be brought online to help manage the pandemic, however Australian Medical Association WA president Mark Duncan-Smith said most of those beds would be reopening beds that were closed over the past five years.

He warned the arrival of COVID-19 would overwhelm hospitals, many of which did not have the capacity to safely isolate positive patients from other vulnerable people in the same building. Just because COVID is knocking on our door doesnt mean that car accidents, heart attacks, pneumonia, sepsis dont still occur, he said. For us to cope with a significant COVID-19 outbreak, business as usual in hospitals will need to stop. Elective surgery will need to be cancelled to create the capacity to deal with the demand. He also called for COVID-positive patients to be treated in a dedicated hospital. Roger Cook, who until Friday was health minister, said the government was investing billions in WAs hospital system.
The economic and social divide between the haves and have-nots has far-reaching impacts on life, with first-time research revealing an Australian boy born into the most advantaged parts of the country will live almost nine years longer than one born into the most disadvantaged.

Compiled by the Australian Government Actuary for the Centre for Population, the research also confirms among girls that the home into which they are born has a vital impact on their lifespans that barely changes through the teenage, middle age and twilight years.

People born into the lowest socio-economic parts of society will live, on average, nine years less than someone born into the most advantaged parts of society. Credit:James Brickwood

It has prompted health experts to urge the federal government to use the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic, by providing a better living wage to the most disadvantaged to narrow the life gap across society.

The government actuary broke down average lifespans based on socio-economic background for men and women, at birth, at age 25, 65 and 85.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Buried in a recent article in Quadrant magazine is a revealing insight into the mindset of those who want to retain laws that allow religious schools to expel  or refuse to enrol  LGBTQI students. Im uncomfortable about discrimination against straight gay students, if you understand my meaning, wrote Peter Smith, a regular contributor. In my view a students sexual orientation should not, per se, be a factor in gaining entry to a religious school. On the other hand, a religious school should not have to put up with gay students flaunting their sexuality or with cross-dressing students. This comment cuts to the heart of a question that can sometimes be difficult to answer: what is it, exactly, that some religious groups want when they demand schools retain the right to turn away LGBTQI students? It has been three years since both sides of politics more or less agreed that religious schools should lose this power. Despite this bipartisan agreement, nothing has changed. Instead, reform has been the victim of political trickery and obfuscation. There was an aborted attempt to legislate; then it was palmed off to the Australian Law Reform Commission for a review (which still hasnt started). Attorney-General Michaelia Cash and Prime Minister Scott Morrison in April this year. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Now the issue is suddenly back on the table courtesy of a number of federal Liberal MPs who want immediate action, not another inquiry down the track. They want the relevant section 38(3) of the Sex Discrimination Act removed in exchange for their support for a Religious Discrimination Act (another long-standing promise of the Morrison government) that would give stronger legal protection to ordinary people expressing faith-based views. Yet a handful of small but vocal religious lobby groups are determined to stymie any reduction to the powers enjoyed by religious schools, even if it means scuttling a bill they otherwise support. Christian Schools Australia and the Australian Christian Lobby are among the groups now saying that if the price of the bill is the end of schools power to discriminate, they dont want any of it.

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Theyre effectively choosing the sword over the shield, says Liam Elphick, a discrimination law expert at Monash University. Theyd rather be able to discriminate against LGBTQI students and teachers than have protection from religious discrimination. CSA and the ACL, and several other interest groups, will give evidence to a parliamentary inquiry into the proposed Religious Discrimination Bill on Tuesday. Ahead of this, The Sun-Herald and The Sunday Age sought to better understand what powers these groups want schools to retain. The common refrain is that while schools dont want to expel or refuse LGBTQI students purely based on their sexuality, they want the power to implement rules that mean certain activities or behaviours would be unacceptable. Essentially: we will tolerate LGBTQI students, but not overt displays of their sexuality or gender diversity  a bit like the adage of dont ask, dont tell. A protest on Oxford St against discrimination against LGBTQI including changes to the religious freedom discrimination bill in 2020. Credit:Rhett Wyman Nobodys trying to expel them, said ACL deputy director Dan Flynn on a recent episode of the Christian podcast 20Twenty. There is no Christian school [and] there is no peak body of Christian schools saying we would expel a same-sex attracted child. But what they are saying is they want to run the school in accordance with their ethos and the expectations of the parents. A Christian school confronted with a request from a gay student saying I want a gay club, I want some visiting speakers in, I want half the noticeboard  things that would change the environment of a Christian school  if [section] 38(3) was gone, a Christian school couldnt say no. Flynn said the school issue was a dealbreaker on its support for the Religious Discrimination Bill. It is a reality that if ... part of the package was that, simultaneously, very important protections for Christian schools were being stripped away, then we would walk away from it.

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The ACL has a subsidiary organisation called the Human Rights Law Alliance, providing legal advocacy and advice to people who are under attack for living out their faith and convictions in public. In a webinar this month with another conservative Christian lobby group, FamilyVoice Australia, the HRLAs principal lawyer John Steenhof gave greater insight into why these groups want to retain these powers. When you get rid of those protections  it gets rid of not only the ability to control your own enrolment, it also gets rid of your ability to run your school in accordance with your religious convictions, he said. Schools will be completely at risk to activist opposition and activist litigation. Steenhof was concerned religious schools would not be able to limit the expression of a students same-sex attraction or gender confusion. He worried they could be forced to allow children to engage in LGBT activism and allow hostile LGBT advocates to run the wellbeing program. Later, Steenhof asserted: The reason why people who are same-sex attracted flock to Christian schools is because they are places where standards are upheld, bullying isnt allowed. They dont allow you to get involved in this rampant individualism and preoccupation with hedonism and sex thats encouraged at other schools and is portrayed as a virtue. Nothing short of a comprehensive protection from discrimination for LGBTQI students and teachers in religious schools will be sufficient to protect our communities. Anna Brown, chief executive of LGBTQI lobby group Equality Australia Mark Spencer, director of public policy at Christian Schools Australia, says it wasnt as simple as stripping schools of the power to expel LGBTQI students, because the term discrimination was defined very broadly. Removing the section could limit a schools ability to teach a biblical perspective on sexuality or impose certain behavioural standards that might reinforce those teachings, Spencer says.

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If there was a heterosexual young person within a school that was promoting a promiscuous lifestyle, that would be problematic in our context, he told The Sun-Herald and The Sunday Age. Its not related to sexual orientation per se, its related to their behaviour, their conduct. Asked if there might be a way to change the law so that LGBTQI students could not be expelled or turned away, but could still be subject to behavioural rules, Spencer says it was too difficult as the law tends to be a blunt instrument. Religious schools need the power to deal with these issues carefully, sensitively and without the shadow of the law all over them, he says. It was way back on December 13, 2018, that Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a Religious Discrimination Bill, alongside the decision for the Australian Law Reform Commission to examine the question of LGBTQI students and teachers at religious schools. (At the same press conference, Morrison announced a Commonwealth Integrity Commission, which also has not materialised.) A protest on Sydneys Oxford St against changes to the religious freedom discrimination bill in 2020. Credit:Rhett Wyman The ALRC review never got off the ground, with the commission and the government agreeing to wait until the RDB became law first. Then COVID-19 hit and the RDB was put on the backburner. Hence, what seemed like a relatively simple and widely supported proposal  that schools lose the power to turn away LGBTQI students  has stalled for three years and counting. Of course, as Flynn, Steenhof and Spencer reveal, its not necessarily that simple. The widespread removal of schools power to discriminate against LGBTQI students in any way, shape or form  not just when it comes to expulsion or enrolment  isnt necessarily supported by as many politicians. Morrison appears to choose his words carefully on the topic. Gay students should not be expelled from religious schools, and nor should gay teachers, who have been employed at those schools, be dismissed if they are gay, he said on November 25. But the ALRC was looking at it, he reiterated.

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The following week, reports emerged of the aforementioned deal between the government and some of its MPs who wanted the issue addressed sooner rather than later. Attorney-General Michaelia Cash appeared to water down that idea this week, telling another FamilyVoice webinar it was best left for the ALRC review, not attached to the Religious Discrimination Bill. She said they were two very separate issues, and they should not be confused, and hopefully not deliberately confused. Multiple lobby groups are now pushing the government to kybosh any deal and insist that any changes to the Sex Discrimination Act remain a matter for the ALRC review (after the election). In a submission to the parliamentary inquiry published Friday, the Christian legal think tank Freedom for Faith warned of possible ramifications of any hasty amendments to the SDA. In its submission, also published Friday, the ACL confirmed it would not support a package of laws that included last-minute changes to the SDA which have not been subject to proper review and consideration. It also claimed such changes would have the effect of dangerously curtailing the rights of all Australians. For its part, Labor says these issues should be examined as part of the parliamentary inquiry. It agrees with the Prime Minister that gay teachers should not be fired and gay students should not be expelled. Anna Brown says some religious groups true motivation is to licence bigotry and harm against young people. Credit:Eddie Jim Anna Brown, chief executive of LGBTQI lobby group Equality Australia, says the fierce resistance of some religious groups to removing schools power to discriminate against students betrays what their priorities were all along.

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Nations across Europe are moving to reimpose tougher measures to stem a new wave of COVID-19 infections spurred by the highly transmissible omicron variant. The Dutch government has gone the farthest, imposing a new nationwide lockdown starting Sunday. Caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte said all non-essential stores, bars and restaurants in the Netherlands will be closed until Jan. 14. In what is surely to prove a major disappointment, the lockdown terms also rein in private holiday celebrations. Rutte says residents only will be permitted two visitors except for Christmas and New Years, when four will be allowed. Before the Dutch announcement, Ireland imposed an 8 p.m. pub curfew, and Paris canceled its New Years Eve fireworks.
Emergency departments in Manitoba's Southern Health region are closing more frequently because there are not enough nurses to work, according to data from the health authority.

Emergency departments in Manitoba's Southern Health region are closing more frequently because there are not enough nurses to work, according to data from the health authority.

CBC News received a document with the data from the Manitoba Nurses Union, which it had obtained from Southern Health-Sante Sud through a freedom of information request.

The data shows that the number of times an emergency department was closed due to a nursing shortage has increased nearly four-fold.

To read more of this story first reported by CBC News, click here.

This content is made available to Free Press readers as part of an agreement with CBC that sees our two trusted news brands collaborate to better cover Manitoba. Questions about CBC content can be directed to talkback@cbc.ca.
OTTAWA - Hunting guides, hit hard by COVID-19 restrictions on travel keeping foreign customers out of the country, are turning to ecotourism, including wildlife viewing, snowmobiling and guided hikes, to keep their business alive during the pandemic.

Dominic Dugre, President of the Canadian Federation of Outfitter Associations, poses for a portrait in Quebec City, Friday, Dec. 17, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

OTTAWA - Hunting guides, hit hard by COVID-19 restrictions on travel keeping foreign customers out of the country, are turning to ecotourism, including wildlife viewing, snowmobiling and guided hikes, to keep their business alive during the pandemic.

The body representing Canadas outfitters says far more of their members have been opening up their cabins and lodges in Canada's backcountry  as well as transport by small plane and horseback  to people who want to enjoy the outdoors and view wild animals but not hunt them.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also seen a rising number of licences reserved for hunters from outside Canada made available to Canadians, some of whom have taken up hunting for the first time.

Some outfitters say they have not had a single client from outside Canada since March 2020 until recently, after the border reopened to vaccinated Americans in August.

With thousands of American hunters who usually come to Canada to shoot big game forced to stay away during COVID-19, some outfitters say there also are hundreds more bears in their areas.

COVID-19 has led some provinces, including Saskatchewan, to try to bolster the hard-pressed outfitting industry by offering bear-hunting licences usually reserved for non-residents to local Canadians.

Dominic Dugre, president of the Canadian Federation of Outfitter Associations, said COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on Canada's guided hunting industry, though less so in Quebec where most hunting is local.

He said some outfitters, catering to hunters from abroad, "have lost 99 per cent of their clients."

COVID-19 benefits, including wage subsidies, have helped hard-pressed hunting guides. But many have branched out into ecotourism to survive, catering to the rising number of Canadians enjoying outdoor pursuits such as snowmobiling during the pandemic.

"Its a trend to diversify right now because of COVID. Many outfitters have opened up their cabins for people. There are more and more outfitters offering (guided) wildlife viewing. Hunters have changed too. We have seen more and more women and families taking up hunting and fishing, Dugre said.

Gudie Hutchings, the federal rural economic development minister, who was involved in the formation of the Canadian Federation of Outfitting Associations, said the guided hunting industry catering to Americans and Europeans was totally decimated last year.

But she said the government provided emergency help including wage subsidies, which have just been extended.

"Some provinces did pivot to allow Canadians to apply for licences," she said, adding that in Newfoundland and Labrador where she lives, there was "a half-decent hunting season this year."

Mike McIntosh, founder of Bear With Us, an Ontario centre which rescues orphaned bear cubs and injured bears, said he feared Canadians who have taken up bear hunting may be killing more bears than Americans who hire professional guides directing and witnessing hunts.

Most licences only allow a hunter to kill a single bear, and this must be reported.

"The fact that we have had a COVID situation and we have fewer non-resident hunters hasnt affected bear numbers in Ontario. Theres still just as many bears being killed, if not more, by resident hunters who have taken up bear hunting during COVID," Macintosh said.

Ontarios Natural Resources Ministry said it had deferred its usual surveys of black bear populations for 2020 and 2021 until 2022 due to COVID-19.

Most outfitters guide hunters from outside Canada, with many buying packages including lodge accommodation and transport by small plane, worth thousands of dollars. Canadian hunters tend to go it alone, or with friends or family.

Scott Ellis, chief executive of the Guide Outfitters Association of B.C., and vice-president of CFOA, said each province was a little different when it came to the number of non-resident hunters, but overall outfitters had seen a 75 per cent to 85 per cent decline in the number of hunters from outside Canada since the start of the pandemic, with a 100 per cent decline in some cases.

He said that B.C.s 180,000-strong bear population had not seen a noticeable increase without American hunters, but said "in localized spots if you have 2,200 less guided clients, there are going to be 2,200 more bears."

Ellis said outfitters have been catering to the rising numbers of Canadians seeking safe outdoor leisure pursuits during the pandemic.

"Where they have no clients, some are renting out cabins for people to do fishing or nature viewing, or fat-biking, which you can do in the snow," he said.

Darrell Crabbe, executive director of the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation, which manages land used for hunting, said during COVID-19 he had seen outdoor activity exponentially increase on land the federation manages, including wildlife viewing and an explosion in geocaching where people use a GPS system to hide and seek containers containing treasure, trinkets or notes in remote locations.

Crabbe added that, without the American hunters, there were now "more bears around."

"Most Saskatchewan residents don't hunt bear. We know the population is rising based on the counts, but we have not had a problem," he said.

In Saskatchewan, there was a huge drop in the number of Americans buying licences for guided hunts. But many of the bear-hunting licences reserved for non-residents have now been taken up by people who live in Saskatchewan.

Val Nicholson of the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment said in a normal year, approximately 1,800 guided bear licences are sold, mainly to American hunters.

Even if all were successful, this harvest would not significantly affect overall populations," Nicholson said.

Alberta Environment and Parks said in a statement it did not expect changes in hunting pressure to affect overall wildlife populations.

Alberta resident hunters make up the majority of hunters in the province and have increased during COVID," it added.

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In Nova Scotia, where most people hunt deer, more local people have also taken up hunting as a pastime during the pandemic, the wildlife division of the provincial government said.

Ellis said COVID-19 would be a catalyst for the outfitting industry to pivot and offer more guided outdoor pursuits as well as hunting in future. Many had already started offering snowshoeing, wildlife viewing and trips to watch the Northern Lights, he said.

The experience would not appeal to everybody, though, as cabins and lodges are set deep in the backcountry in remote areas, only accessible by horse, plane or helicopter, he said.

They may have a couple of cabins that sleep four but it could be a three-day hike to get there, he said. Some want to watch animals. In the spring, you can see the bears which come out to the grass and clover in some spots."

"Some people are going there to ski, snowmobile or just do nothing, say if they are from Toronto and just want to watch the Northern Lights or listen to nature sounds."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 19, 2021.
MOSCOW (AP)  Authorities in Russia evacuated 128 coal miners Sunday from a mine in Siberia amid reports of a fire in one of its sections. The news comes weeks after a devastating blast in another Siberian coal mine killed 51 people.

MOSCOW (AP)  Authorities in Russia evacuated 128 coal miners Sunday from a mine in Siberia amid reports of a fire in one of its sections. The news comes weeks after a devastating blast in another Siberian coal mine killed 51 people.

Emergency officials told Russia's Interfax news agency that a fire occurred in an abandoned mine gallery in the Anatoly Ruban coal mine in the Kemerovo region in southwestern Siberia and about 140 miners were being evacuated. A total of 128 miners have been evacuated from the mine, Interfax reported, citing mine operators as saying that 140 miners were supposed to be on shift Sunday, but only 128 miners were working at the time.

None of them needed medical assistance, the report said.

According to the Siberian Coal Energy Company, which runs the mine, the evacuation was prompted by the heating of a coal bed rather than a fire, Russia's state news agency RIA Novosti reported.

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The conflicting reports could not be immediately reconciled.

The evacuations come just several weeks after an explosion in another mine in Kemerovo  the Listvyazhnaya mine killed 46 miners and five rescuers and became the deadliest coal mine disaster in Russia since 2010.

A probe has revealed multiple violations of safety norms at the Listvyazhnaya mine, including tinkering with methane level indicators in an apparent attempt to maintain production despite the dangers of an explosion. Several managers at the mine and local officials have been arrested and jailed.

In the wake of the tragedy at Listvyazhnaya, Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned officials to strictly observe industrial safety regulations.

Russia has seen several major mine disasters since Soviet times. In 2007, a methane explosion at the Ulyanovskaya mine in the Kemerovo region killed 110 miners. Three years later, two methane blasts and a fire killed 91 people at the Raspadskaya mine in the same Kemerovo region.

In 2016, 36 miners were killed in a series of methane explosions in a coal mine in Russias far north.
FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP)  Farmington-area residents of northern New Mexico donated gifts and money after somebody stole a Salvation Army van loaded with $6,000 worth of toys for children, according authorities.

In this photo provided by the Salvation Army, toys donated after a Salvation Army van loaded with $6,000 worth of toys for children was stolen earlier in the week are shown Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021 in Farmington, N.M. Members of the community began making increased donations after the van with gifts intended for more than 350 children was stolen Tuesday from outside a store. (Christopher Rockwell/Salvation Army via AP)

FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP)  Farmington-area residents of northern New Mexico donated gifts and money after somebody stole a Salvation Army van loaded with $6,000 worth of toys for children, according authorities.

The Grinch will not have this victory," Salvation Army Lt. Christopher Rockwell told The Associated Press on Saturday.

Business leaders and others began making donations after the marked van with gifts intended for more than 350 children was stolen Tuesday from outside a store, Rockwell said.

The donations included lots of toys, lots of clothing" as well as hygiene items and cash, certainly adding up to more than enough to replace the stolen items intended for children who are signed up for a distribution event Monday, Rockwell said. We have like a waiting list ... so we could see what we have left over."

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The generosity showed the "compassion and the hearts that people have for each other here," Rockwell said. It's a massive blessing beyond comprehension."

This Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021 photo provided by the Salvation Army shows toys donated after a Salvation Army van loaded with $6,000 worth of toys for children was stolen earlier in the week in Farmington, N.M. Members of the community began making increased donations after the van with gifts intended for more than 350 children was stolen Tuesday from outside a store. (Christopher Rockwell/Salvation Army via AP)

Farmington police said Saturday that an arrest warrant has been issued for a 37-year-old man who is considered a suspect in the theft.

The van and toys have not been recovered yet and no arrest had been made or a possible motive determined, according to police.

Rockwell said he suspected a pickpocket stole the van's keys from a Salvation Army worker who was in the store.

I think it was just some evil, unscrupulous person who just saw an opportunity," Rockwell said. Desperate, I understand that, but to do this is just beyond imagination."

The Salvation Army is a Christian organization founded in 1865 in London. It is active in more than 100 countries and is best known for its charity shops, homeless shelters and disaster relief.
Large parts of Canada are starting to hunker down, with new restrictions coming into effect as a fifth wave of COVID-19 fuelled by the Omicron variant saw thousands of new cases across the country over the weekend.

Cars line up during a drive through COVID-19 vaccine clinic at St. Lawrence College in Kingston, Ont., Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg

Large parts of Canada are starting to hunker down, with new restrictions coming into effect as a fifth wave of COVID-19 fuelled by the Omicron variant saw thousands of new cases across the country over the weekend.

Quebec and Nova Scotia set new records for their daily case counts on Sunday while Ontario reported more than 4,100 additional infections, which was 800 more than the previous day.

Other parts of the country were also experiencing a surge in new cases unseen since before the summer as the Omicron variant, identified by the World Health Organization as a potential concern only last month, became increasingly entrenched in Canada.

And while hospitalizations have remained steady in Ontario and some other parts of the country, a recent spike in the number of severe cases in Quebec has added to concerns the rest of the country could soon follow.

In response to the growing wave, several provinces have started to re-impose public health restrictions only days before the start of the holiday season that in many cases apply to both the vaccinated and unvaccinated.

In Ontario, new limits on social gatherings and capacity limits in stores and restaurants came into effect Sunday as the provincial government struggled to get escalating case counts under control.

Similar restrictions were set to come down in British Columbia and Quebec on Monday.

Quebec reported 3,846 new cases on Sunday, setting an all-time high for the province's daily tally for the second time in three days, while the number of hospitalizations and people in intensive care because of COVID-19 continued to increase.

Dr. Adalsteinn Brown, head of the Ontario COVID-19 Science Table, had warned Thursday that while hospitalizations in his province had remained fairly steady, he expected a spike in two to three weeks.

It does cause serious disease, Brown said of Omicron while discussing the science table's latest modelling. Hospital rates have risen in South Africa where it first took hold. Its not just a case of the sniffles.

A Quebec government health-care research institute also said Thursday that it expects more than 700 non-ICU hospitalizations in the province, and more than 160 people in intensive care, within two to three weeks.

However, the institute said it was less confident than usual in its projections because its data on the Omicron variant was based on a single study conducted in South Africa, which has a significantly lower vaccination rate than Quebec.

Meanwhile, Nova Scotia, which imposed new restrictions starting Friday, also reported a new daily record of new infections on Sunday with 476 cases. New Brunswick said it had 108 new cases and Newfoundland and Labrador reported 61 cases.

Newfoundland and Labrador's chief medical officer of health, Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, said there were 127 active reported cases of COVID-19 in the province, though nobody is in hospital due to the virus.

Education Minister Tom Osborne nonetheless said schools would close for the holiday break beginning Tuesday rather than Thursday and students are to prepare for possible online learning when classes resume on Jan. 4.

N.L. Premier Andrew Furey said everyone has seen the spread of Omicron in other parts of the country and wants to avoid the same situation in his province.

"The spectre of a surge is on our doorstep and we need to address it now before we suffer the same fate. I know it couldn't come at a worse time," he said.

In Northwest Territories, officials confirmed the arrival of the Omicron variant.

A statement on the territories website doesn't say where or how many cases were detected, but it includes an update to a public exposure notification that it says is "to align with Omicron's higher risk of transmissibility."

The update warns certain passengers on a WestJet flight from Kelowna, B.C. to Calgary on Dec. 13, as well as a flight on the same airline later that day from Calgary to Yellowknife, must isolate regardless of their vaccination status.

The sudden onset of a fifth wave of COVID-19 has pushed testing capacities in many parts of the country to the limit, with long waits for tests and public health officials warning people with symptoms to self-isolate even if they havent been tested.

Ottawa Public Health on Friday sent a letter to health-care professionals warning about a lack of capacity, according to CTV.

"Because of this unfortunate reality, OPH will be directing people with any symptoms of COVID-19 who are unable to access a timely COVID-19 test to assume that they are infected with Omicron and self-isolate immediately for 10 days from symptom-onset," the letter read.

"Their household contacts, regardless of vaccination status, will also be directed to isolate."

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Michelle Hoad, chief executive officer of the Medical Laboratory Professionals Association of Ontario, said a pre-existing shortage of technicians combined with the sudden explosion of new cases and tests due to Omicron has pushed already overtaxed labs to the limit.

The sudden surge in testing now is showing all the cracks in our system, Hoad said. And it is not just a problem in Ontario, it's across the entire country. So this shortage of medical lab technologist is a problem in every single province and territory.

The fifth wave has also sparked a rush for booster shots as the Omicron variant has caused a surge of infections among both vaccinated and unvaccinated Canadians.

Ontarios science advisers have said two doses of COVID-19 vaccine are only 35 per cent effective against the variant three months after being administered, while a third dose bumps efficacy up to 75 per cent.

The province on Monday will open booster eligibility to all residents aged 18 or over who received their second dose at least three months ago. Other provinces are also expanding their booster campaigns to protect against Omicron.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 19, 2021.
UP to eight Red Cross nurses are bound for Manitoba ICU wards Monday, a week after the province requested 30 federal nurses to help alleviate strain caused by COVID-19.

UP to eight Red Cross nurses are bound for Manitoba ICU wards Monday, a week after the province requested 30 federal nurses to help alleviate strain caused by COVID-19.

The fight against COVID-19 is not over, a spokeswoman for Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair wrote to the Free Press on Saturday afternoon.

She said up to eight nurses will head to intensive care, emergency rooms and acute care ward, beginning Dec. 20 until Jan. 17, 2022, with the possibility of extension.

The number of nurses reflects Ottawas supply and needs that both governments outlined in negotiations since Manitoba made its request last weekend.

As we have said since the beginning, we will always be there to support Canadians, the spokeswoman wrote.

Spokespersons for the Red Cross and the provincial health department did not return requests for comment Saturday afternoon.

Last weekend, the province urgently requested 15 to 30 ICU nurses from the federal government. The request was made due to the continued pressure of the fourth wave and continuing pressures in our major acute care facilities and ICUs, Health Minister Audrey Gordon said in a statement at the time.

The province had asked the feds to send the critical-care nurses immediately for up to six weeks.

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Assistance from the federal government would increase ICU capacity to address continued pressure in major acute care facilities due to the effects of COVID-19 while allowing our surgical slates to remain open, read the statement issued last week on behalf of Gordon and Ron Schuler, the minister responsible for the Emergency Measures Organization.

Premier Heather Stefanson has not committed to asking for military help in addition to the request for nurses.

Front-line doctors have warned Manitoba ICUs are already full.

As of Friday morning, there were 33 COVID-19 patients in ICU, and 24 of them had active infections of the virus.

Although unvaccinated Manitobans make up only a small portion of the population, they account for 88 per cent of patients in the ICU, according to provincial data last updated Friday.

 staff
Of all four-year public universities in Minnesota, the one being recognized with the highest voting rates is Winona State University.

The Democracy Cup once again has been awarded to Winona State, making it the fourth time WSU has been recognized for voter turnout. Data from the 2020 election season showed that Winona States student voting rates increased by 9.2 points, up to 73.8%.

The 2020 recognition comes shortly after the university was awarded the Gold Seal for student voter registration and turnout in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge.

Winona State University is honored and delighted to be recognized again in the Democracy Cup competition, President Scott R. Olson said. We take voting very seriously here, and our students and faculty do a tremendous job in getting our community to the polls.

The Democracy Cup awards are given to colleges and universities that have high student voting rates in Minnesota and are collected through the National Study for Learning, Voting and Engagement at Tufts University. The collection of data is the largest study of student voter engagement  with more than 1,100 colleges and universities included  and is co-sponsored by the Minnesota Secretary of State, LeadMN and Students United.

This was especially challenging during COVID, so I am doubly proud of this achievement, Olson said.

Nationally, the 2020 election had unprecedented voter registration and turnout among college students, and these statistics have continued to increase each year.

Without voter participation, we dont have a democracy, so Winona State University is committed to doing our part, Olson said. This makes Minnesota stronger, and we all benefit!

For more information, contact Kara Lindman, WSU professor of political science, at klindaman@winona.edu.

Every week, Campus Connection shares updates on programs, activities, faculty and alumni, and campus life from Winonas three colleges.

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ALBANY, N.Y. - Governor Hochul visited a vaccination site in Albany to thank front-line nurses and staff at the site.

The visit comes as New York sees its highest number of COVID infections since the start of the pandemic.

Hochul said, "We have seen a sharp increase in cases over the last week. This was not surprising. Once we knew Omicron had hit the shores of this country, as well as New York State, we knew this was going to just be a matter of time before something that spread so exponentially would increase dramatically."

In addition to more vaccine sites pods placed throughout the state, Hochul said the state is also increasing the supply of COVID tests.
POLAND, NY - You know the old saying - "The show must go on".

Well it took a while, but the Poland Central Schools Drama Club was finally able to take to the stage. They performed Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol".

For the first time since covid-19 brought everything to a halt, students were able to perform in front of a full live audience Saturday, and they did so in a newly renovated theater that was part of a 2020 capital project.

The young actors all wore face masks as did the audience, but that didn't stop everybody from having a good time.

There were a few minor glitches. A few of the cast members did have to be quarantined so those roles had to be eliminated.

For these kids though, getting back on stage was what it was all about.

"It's a nice return to normalcy, said Michael Gagnon, the schools Drama Club advisor. It's a nice chance for these kids to have a little bit of that normal high school experience that they've been missing out on. So even masks and all, it's definitely better than it was".

To tie into the theme of "A Christmas Carol" the drama club conducted a canned food drive to support the Utica Food Pantry. All attendees who brought a canned food item to the show received $1 off their ticket.
BAINBRIDGE, N.Y. - New York State Police have located the man they say seriously injured a victim during a domestic dispute in Bainbridge.

Police say 46-year-old Charles Richter of Bainbridge seriously injured a victim during a domestic dispute. The victim sustained serious injuries and was transported to Wilson Hospital for treatment.

Richter is charged with:

Attempted Murder

Assault

Criminal Contempt

Unlawful Imprisonment

The victim remains in the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Weather Alert

...The National Weather Service in Paducah KY has issued a Flood Warning for the following river in Kentucky...Illinois... Ohio River at Paducah affecting McCracken, Livingston, Pope and Massac Counties. .Rainfall last weekend has caused rises in water levels along the Lower Ohio River Basin this week. This will cause minor flooding near Paducah early next week. For the Ohio River...including Paducah, Olmsted Lock and Dam, Cairo...Minor flooding is forecast. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Motorists should not attempt to drive around barricades or drive cars through flooded areas. Caution is urged when walking near riverbanks. Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Additional information is available at www.weather.gov. && ...FLOOD WARNING IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING... * WHAT...Minor flooding is forecast. * WHERE...Ohio River at Paducah. * WHEN...From Monday evening to early Wednesday morning. * IMPACTS...At 39.0 feet, Minor flooding occurs affecting mainly bottomland and surrounding low lying areas. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - At 11:00 AM CST Wednesday the stage was 33.6 feet. - Forecast...The river is expected to rise above flood stage Monday evening to a crest of 39.0 feet Monday evening. It will then fall below flood stage Tuesday evening. - Flood stage is 39.0 feet. - http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood &&

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM THIS MORNING TO 4 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON... * WHAT...Snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 1 to 3 inches. Highest amounts are expected across west Kentucky. * WHERE...Portions of southwest Indiana, southeast Missouri, western Kentucky and southern Illinois. * WHEN...From 6 AM to 4 PM CST Thursday. * IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning commute. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Slow down and use caution while traveling. &&
Health and social care staff in Wales urged to take lateral flow tests daily before starting work

Health and social care staff in Wales are being urged to take daily lateral flow tests.

The Welsh government has issued new guidance following the emergence of the omicron variant.

The change in guidance means that regardless of their vaccination status or previous infection with Covid-19 those employed in the health and social care sector should take a self-test every day before they attend work.

In a statement, health minister Eluned Morgan said: The safety and protection of the most vulnerable people in our communities is at the heart of our response to the pandemic.

Following the emergence and rapid spread of the omicron variant, we have updated our guidance for staff in healthcare, social care, hospices and special schools who are eligible for routine asymptomatic testing.

These staff members, regardless of their vaccination status or previous infection with Covid-19, will now be strongly encouraged to take a lateral flow test (LFT), every day before they attend work.

They should take the test at home, using the LFTs provided by their employer, in good time before the start of their shift, to allow that shift to be covered by alternative staff member, if they test is positive.

Ms Morgan said: Daily testing in this way is more likely to identify those people who may be infectious, without showing symptoms, and before they leave home to start work. This will in turn help protect patients, service users, children and other staff members.

We are engaging with our partners across the relevant sectors to support the implementation of this change in guidance so operational changes can be made as soon as possible.

Staff will also be reminded about the importance of reporting all their results on the UK Government portal.

This is a vital part of the programme which supports evidence-based decision-making. The health minister added.

Flow before you go.

People in Wales have been asked to flow before they go This means taking a lateral flow test before going out  whether thats to a Christmas party; Christmas shopping; visiting friends or family; going to any crowded or busy place or before travelling.

This means taking a lateral flow test before going out  for example to a Christmas party, shopping, visiting friends or family, to any crowded or busy place, or before travelling. If the test is positive, they should not go out but arrange for a PCR test and self-isolate, the government said.

LFD self-testing kit collection points and opening times

Flintshire Connects offices Monday to Friday 9am to 4.30pm Buckley (CH7 2EF) Connahs Quay (CH5 4HA) Flint (CH6 5BD) Holywell (CH8 7TD) Mold (CH7 1AP)

Broughton Library (CH4 0QQ): Mon and Wed 9am-1pm and 2pm5pm / Thurs 2pm6pm / Fri 2pm  5pm / Sat 9am  1pm.

Buckley Library (CH7 2EF): Mon, Wed and Fri 9am-5pm / Tues and Thurs 9am-6pm / Sat 9am-1pm.

Connahs Quay Library (CH5 4HA): Mon and Tues 9am-6pm / Wed, Thurs and Fri 9am-5pm / Saturday 9am-1pm.

Flint Library (CH6 5AP): Mon, Wed and Fri 9am-5pm / Tues and Thurs 9am-6pm / Sat 9am-1pm

Holywell Library (CH8 7UZ): Mon, Wed, Thurs and Fri 9am-5pm / Tues 9am-6pm / Sat 9am-1pm.

Mold Library (CH7 1AP): Mon and Thurs 9am-6pm / Tues, Wed and Fri 9am-5pm / Sat 9am-1pm.

Mobile Library Service  see here for dates and times of scheduled visits https://www.flintshire.gov.uk/en/PDFFiles/Covid-19/LFD-Collection-Points/Aura-Mobile-Library-Schedule-by-Area.pdf

Jade Jones Pavilion Flint (CH6 5ER): Sun 1pm-4pm.

Saltney  Woodwork to Wellness (CH4 8SE)  Unit 4 Saltney Business Centre  Monday to Friday 10am to 3pm.

Shotton (CH5 1BX) Rivertown United Reformed Church, Chester Road West  Mon / Wed / Fri  9am  12.30pm
New minibus donated to award-winning Wrexham charity

A new minibus has been donated to an award-winning charity in Wrexham.

The Rainbow Foundation, which is based in South Wrexham with care hubs in Penley, Marchwiel and Chirk, has been promoting good mental health and wellbeing whilst successfully tackling loneliness and isolation for decades.

It is the latest recipient of a new minibus from the Steve Morgan Foundation  which supports projects that helps the elderly, those with disabilities and socially disadvantaged people.

Since launched in 2001 the foundation has delivered 89 Smiley Buses to deserving organisations.

CEO Caroline Tudor-James said community transport is a lifeline to many people, especially to the older elderly living across rural communities of Wrexham, and the bus will help them expand their services in the local community.

She said: We are delighted with the addition of a new bus to our community transport fleet thanks to the Steve Morgan Foundation.

Having this bus will allow us to expand our transport service across our three care and wellbeing hubs in Penley, Marchwiel and Chirk, which is opening this January.

We are also incredibly grateful for the support from the Steve Morgan Foundation at the very start of the pandemic which meant we could stay open and support thousands of people in need during lockdown.

Lockdown was hard for many of us, but the reality is that for many elderly people who live in our local communities, every day is like lockdown, even now months after regulations eased.

This is why community transport is so important to The Rainbow Foundation and our clients as we work to connect people with much-needed services in our areas in the fight against loneliness and isolation whilst promoting active ageing.

Philanthropist Steve Morgan CBE visited the Rainbow Centre in Penley in July and after meeting the team was pleased to approve the funding of a new bus.

He said: I have great affection for Penley because its the location of Redrows first ever job. Knowing the area well, I understand how the lack of transport can leave vulnerable people, especially the elderly, feeling completely isolated.

Having visited The Rainbow Foundation previously, I continue to be impressed by the good work they do. Were delighted to provide a new Smiley Bus and know it will make a big difference to lots of people.

The Rainbow Foundation has recently launched their Festive Fundraiser where prizes include a Fender guitar signed by all 4 members of Coldplay, a luxury Fortnum & Mason Christmas hamper, a 5* weekend away in London and a Peloton bike plus much more. Tickets can be purchased via Just Giving.

The national raffle will raise vital funds for The Rainbow Foundation, allowing the charity to open a third day opportunities service in Chirk as well as enabling them to provide high quality home care in areas where private firms wont operate.

The work of The Rainbow Foundation will reduce winter pressures faced on the overstretched NHS, enabling people to remain in their community and to live independently for longer and help address the local care crisis.
Germany is introducing a two-week quarantine for incoming Brits from Monday following the surge in Omicron cases in the UK.

The measures, which will be in place until at least January 3, will apply to all vaccinated British travellers but German nationals and residents will still be allowed to enter from the UK. A negative test will also be required.

More from Deadline

Denmark, France, Norway and Lebanon have also been added to Germanys high risk list with travel from those countries also scaled back.

Germany reported 50,968 new Covid cases on Friday, but the number of deaths following a positive Covid test is on the rise. The country registered 437 deaths on Friday.

The Berlin Film Festival is due to kick off in early February and organisers are hopeful they can still stage the event in person despite a growing number of restrictions across the country and Europe.

The move by Germany comes after France last week banned travel to and from the UK without a compelling reason.

The UK is currently Europes Omicron hotspot and on Saturday reported more than 10,000 Omicron cases, three times the number reported on Friday. Total Covid cases topped 90,000 on consecutive days.

As Covid cases rise across Europe, The Netherlands announced this weekend that it will impose a strict lockdown from this morning with all non-essential shops, restaurants, bars, cinemas, museums and theatres shuttered until January 14, and schools closed until at least January 9.

Multiple European countries are bringing in tougher measures as a fifth wave builds across the continent.

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The post LCD Soundsystem Cancel Brooklyn Residency Amid Omicron Surge [UPDATED] appeared first on Consequence.

Update  December 19th: LCD Soundsystem have apparently done an about face and canceled their three remaining concerts at Brooklyn Steel, according to a social media posting from the venue. All tickets will be automatically refunded.

 Original Story 

In just a few short days, the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has threatened to thwart any indoor plans for the winter months  especially in New York, where cases just cracked a new single-day record. But for LCD Soundsystem, who are in the midst of their 20-night residency at Brooklyn Steel, the show must go on: The band released a statement on social media this week explaining their decision to not cancel their upcoming shows.

For starters, weve all known that there are risks playing these shows, James Murphy and company wrote. When we planned them, we thought wed be in better shape, COVID wise, by now, but it didnt pan out We know that we and our team (and the team at Brooklyn Steel), in many ways, face the most risk of getting rick, just by virtue of being at every one of our 20 shows. But we said we would play, and people are coming, so we are playing.

While LCD acknowledged the risk of playing live shows, they pointed out that almost 50 percent of the tickets to their residency were purchased from out-of-town. So heres what weve decided: You need to make your own decision as to whether you feel safe coming to see us, they continued. If you dont, you can go to axs.com to get your money back. Youll be first in line for tickets the next time we play in NYC. We wont hold your money, or reschedule You just get first crack next time theres a gig here. If enough people want to cancel, well cancel the shows and refund everyone, putting you next in line as well. Its the best we can come up with.

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LCD Soundsystem have three dates remaining of their Brooklyn Steel residency (one of Consequences top live shows of 2021) on the 19th, 20th, and 21st of December. Read the bands full statement below.

For those who prefer to stay safe at home, LCD Soundsystem are streaming a new holiday special on Amazon Prime on December 22nd. The part-sitcom, part-concert film is directed Tim & Erics Eric Wareheim and stars Macaulay Culkin.

LCD Soundsystem Cancel Brooklyn Residency Amid Omicron Surge [UPDATED]

Abby Jones

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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 13: Zendaya and Tom Holland attend Sony Pictures' "Spider-Man: No Way Home" Los Angeles Premiere on December 13, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

The Spider-Man series has caught another young celebrity couple in its web, with stars Tom Holland and Zendaya recently confirming their real-life romance. But while fans are buzzing over the pairing, film producer Amy Pascal has confessed that she actually warned the actors to not date.

In an interview with the New York Times alongside fellow Spider-Man: No Way Home producer and Marvel boss Kevin Feige, Pascal shared how she'd tried to discourage Zendaya and Holland, who play MJ and Peter Parker in the latest trilogy, from getting romantic. It was advice she'd also given  unsuccessfully  to Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, who had a lengthy relationship after being cast as Spider-Man leads. (Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst also briefly dated during their own stints as Peter and MJ, sparking concern from director Sam Raimi, though he later admitted that their eventual breakup didn't affect their on-screen chemistry in the original trilogy.)

Still, former Sony executive Pascal thought it best for the stars to not mix business with pleasure.

"I took Tom and Zendaya aside, separately, when we first cast them and gave them a lecture," she told the Times. "Dont go there  just dont. Try not to. I gave the same advice to Andrew and Emma. It can just complicate things, you know? And they all ignored me."

While Garfield and Stone reportedly dated from 2010 to 2015 before going their separate ways, it's unclear exactly how long Zendaya and Holland, both 25, have been a couple. The pair were photographed kissing by paparazzi this summer, a moment Holland later addressed in an interview with GQ.

"One of the downsides of our fame is that privacy isn't really in our control anymore, and a moment that you think is between two people that love each other very much is now a moment that is shared with the entire world," Holland said. "I've always been really adamant to keep my private life private, because I share so much of my life with the world anyway ... we sort of felt robbed of our privacy."

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He and Zendaya appear to be more comfortable taking their relationship public these days, with the Dune actress recently sharing her pride for "my Spider-Man" in a loving Instagram tribute.
Editors note: Deadlines Read the Screenplay series debuts and celebrates the scripts of films that will be factors in this years movie awards race.

In Stillwater, a fathers tense relationship with his daughter is tested by unfathomable circumstances. Matt Damon stars as Bill, a man from Stillwater, OK who travels to France to visit his daughter, Allison (Abigail Breslin). While studying abroad, Allison was convicted of murdering her roommate, Lina. Allison was innocent, but an unforgiving French media contributed to her conviction. Bill stays in Marseilles while visiting Allison in prison.

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In France, Bill befriends Virginie (Camille Cottin) who helps him navigate the country and translate French into English for him. Bill becomes close with Virginie and her own daughter, perhaps seeking redemption for not being there for Allison when she needed him. On a furlough, Allison even sees a side of her father with Virginies daughter that she wishes hed shown towards her.

McCarthy began writing the script in 2011 but was never satisfied with it, so went on to make Spotlight and produce 13 Reasons Why. Returning to the idea seven years later, he began a new draft with Marcus Hinchey, with the focus turning to Bill and the lengths to which he goes to find the real killer and vindicate his daughter. McCarthy enlisted Thomas Bidegain and Noe Debre to help contribute authenticity to the French portion of the story, which ultimately was filmed in Marseilles, with some scenes in Oklahoma.

In terms of this particular movie, Thomas, Noe and I talked about allowing the story to go where it wanted to, to sort of push the audience in terms of an expectation again of a journey, McCarthy said during a panel with Damon earlier this month at Deadlines Contenders Film: New York event. Its not just a thriller, its not just a drama, its not just a love story. It changes lanes quite a bit, so we had to keep a lot of balls in the air.

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Stillwater premiered at this years Cannes Film Festival before opening in theaters via Focus Features on July 30.

Click below to read the full screenplay.

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Prospective Las Cruces Public Schools substitute teachers apply for substitute teaching licenses Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, the first of a two-day event to address a severe substitute teacher shortage in the district. LCPS said 238 people participated in the event.

The League of Women Voters of Southern New Mexico (LWVSNM) believes that education is the foundation for a strong and viable representative democracy. The League supports public education which incorporates principles of educational equity, multicultural, multilingual education, and policies to ensure the highest level of academic achievement for all students.

Many K-12 schools in New Mexico, including those in Dona Ana County, are in crisis mode for lack of sufficient educators and support staff and time for planning, preparing, and supporting students. Recent reports indicate that we have a significant teacher shortage, with vacancies in New Mexico doubling over the past year. It is also challenging to find substitute teachers. These conditions contribute to distress, as testified by members of the LCPS faculty and staff at a recent school board meeting. Possible solutions include increases in teacher salaries and stipends with improved benefits and working conditions.

The New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) is proposing an increase in budget for the next fiscal year that includes a 7% increase in salaries for all school personnel, and funds for educator recruitment and professional development, health and social services, community schools initiatives, and literacy. According to an Associated Press article in the Dec. 7 Las Cruces Sun-News, Texas has created a Teacher Incentive Allotment that allows additional pay for teachers who oversee growth in their students academic outcomes, resulting in some teachers earning $100,000 a year. States in our region will probably increase salaries for their educators also. The proposed PED budget increase would be progress, but may not be sufficient to the needs of school personnel and student support.

While more education dollars in the state budget will help, we, as members of the community, need to play our own roles in informing ourselves about the operations of our school districts and advocating for resources that provide strong student learning experiences. New Mexico is currently awash in funds to address problems attendant to the pandemic, including inequities in the accessibility of internet services. It is our obligation as citizens to monitor the plans for those funds. Budgeting the money is only the first step; we need transparency and accountability in the implementation of programs. Our school districts can help us by providing data such as pay rates for our districts compared with others in the state, region, and nation. It can be difficult for the average citizen to find this information in consistent formats. In New Mexico, for example, we have a three-tiered pay system, so that the average salary in a district would be affected by the proportion of teachers at the different tiers.

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We can all be mindful of the fact that a single teacher can change lives in positive ways. Lets give respect to those who work in public education. The focus should be on what is best for student learning. Students are our future.

Kathy Brook and Eileen VanWie are co-presidents of the League of Women Voters of Southern New Mexico.

More from the League of Women Voters of Southern New Mexico:

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Support state's proposal for increasing education funds
A caviar set from Fulton Fish Market

Courtesy of Fulton Fish Market

While caviar is no longer reserved for formal occasions, the delicacy still makes for a perfect holiday treat. Whether you're serving a Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve or hosting a caviar and Champagne-fueled soiree on New Year's Eve, caviar adds an element of decadence to any meal. As you plan your holiday menus, we've rounded up the best caviar delivery services, so you can buy the finest caviar online. From famed brands like Petrossian to NYC institutions and chef Thomas Keller's very own caviar company, these are the best places to order caviar online.

Fulton Fish Market

A caviar set from Fulton Fish Market

Courtesy of Fulton Fish Market

As its name suggests, Fulton Fish Market specializes in the freshest fish and seafood and has since it was founded in 1822. This New York City institution sells everything from Dover sole to fresh crabs and oysters, and it has a delightful caviar selection. In addition to 2-ounce jars of hackleback and white sturgeon caviar, it sells beautiful mother-of-pearl caviar plates and spoons and has fantastic gift sets. The Best of the Best Imported Caviar package includes 2-ounce jars of classic ossetra caviar and hybrid sturgeon caviar, along with frozen blinis, creme fraiche, and a mother-of-pearl spoon.

Regiis Ova

Regiis Ova caviar gift set

David Escalante/Courtesy of Regiis Ova

Thomas Keller is one of the most important chefs in America, so he naturally requires the best ingredients at his Michelin three-starred restaurants. His commitment to excellence is so strong that he co-founded a caviar company, Regiis Ova, to ensure a superb selection of caviar for his menus. So even if you can't visit Per Se for its famous oysters and pearls dish, you can order fantastic caviar for delivery straight to your home. For an elegant gift, opt for the Ossetra Gift Box. This chic box contains 30 grams or 50 grams of top-quality ossetra caviar, which is renowned for its delicate, nutty flavor, a caviar key, and a mother-of-pearl spoon.

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Island Creek Oysters

Oysters and caviar from Island Creek Oysters

Melissa DiPalma/Courtesy of Island Creek Oysters

This charming oyster shop in Duxbury, Massachusetts sells so much more than fantastic oysters. After conquering the oyster market, it launched its own caviar, focusing on sustainability and, of course, superb quality and taste. Island Creek Oysters sells two kinds of caviar: white sturgeon and Siberian. Both are delicious, but the Siberian caviar is more unique: It is imported from Lombardy, Italy, where a local aquafarm breeds and raises Siberian sturgeon. This caviar has a delicious, buttery flavor, along with a delicate brininess. It comes in sizes from 30 grams to a whopping 1,000 grams, if you're having an over-the-top NYE party. Naturally, you can order caviar along with a dozen oysters (or more).

Marky's

A gift set from Marky's Caviar

Courtesy of Marky's Caviar

Beluga is the most famous  and infamous  caviar on Earth. It is renowned for its large eggs that pop in your mouth and a decadent, buttery, creamy flavor with hints of nuttiness. However, it was so popular and overfished that the Beluga Sturgeon was declared an endangered species, and its importation was banned in the U.S. in 2005. Before the ban, Marky's, a specialty food store in Florida, imported Beluga Sturgeon from Russia and spent more than 15 years developing a breeding and conservation program to produce Beluga caviar here in the U.S., so you can finally experience Beluga caviar in an ethical way. Beluga caviar is more expensive than other types of caviar, beginning at $425 per 0.5 ounce at Marky's.

Caviar Russe

A tin of Caviar Russe Sevruga

Courtesy of Caviar Russe

Sevruga caviar is loved for its small grain and authentic Caspian flavors. It's produced in limited quantities, so snap it up when you can. Caviar Russe imports it from an artisanal farm in Germany that uses traditional Caspian techniques. If you're hosting a party and need a large quantity of caviar that is delicious but won't break the bank, opt for Pacific sturgeon, which has a more mild flavor and is great for canapes. Want to try it all? Head to Caviar Russe's restaurants in New York or Miami. The New York outpost just opened a decadent raw bar and cocktail lounge where you can indulge in a tasting of several different varieties, or sample delicacies like a lobster roll with caviar.

Petrossian

Petrossian store's caviar tin.

Roger Viollet Collection/Getty Images

Petrossian is an iconic name in the caviar world. The family is credited with introducing caviar to the western world in the early 1900s when they emigrated to Paris and were surprised to find that caviar was not considered a delicacy there. Today, it has boutiques around the world and sells a dazzling array of caviar, including many unique varieties that are difficult to find; Royal Kaluga Huso Hybrid is a close cousin of Beluga caviar, so it has a similarly rich, nutty flavor, but is much easier to find and easier on the wallet, beginning at $210 for 30 grams.

Caviar Gems

Caviar gems caviar set

Constance Van Flandern/Courtesy of Caviar Gems

Caviar must be kept cold at all times, so it doesn't travel well (unless properly shipped from top brands like the ones mentioned here). If you want to take caviar with you on the go, check out Caviar Gems. This innovative company launched dehydrated caviar, which is stored at room temperature and can last for up to a year unopened, so you can always have caviar on hand. It's made from dehydrated ossetra caviar and has a rich, concentrated flavor due to the dehydration process. It's perfect to mix into cocktails or rim a glass  caviar martini, anyone?  and to top pasta, scrambled eggs, and pretty much anything else. In 2022, they will be launching caviar honey.
A mom from Connecticut took to Facebook to announce the birth of her second son  and in the same post, shared devastating news about her husband.

"I come to you all with news that is the most joyous, but also the most somber," Haley Parke wrote on December 8. Parke said on December 2, she and her husband, Jb, welcomed their second son.

But earlier that week, her husband was admitted to Hartford hospital for complications from his cancer. On December 1, they found out he had a matter of days  not six months, which was his original prognosis. "With our second son's due date 3 weeks away, my husband and I knew asking for an induction was the right thing to do," Parke wrote. "Without hesitation, the team of ICU doctors communicated with the head of high risk labor and delivery doctors. They offered me an induction as soon as I was ready."

The induction did not lead to a quick labor, and when Jb began declining faster, doctors decided to perform a cesarean section on Parke. "It was either a c-section right at that moment, or Jb would not have the opportunity to meet our son," she said.

Without questioning, the mom agreed to the C-section and 20 minutes later, their son was born. "He was given to me for a quick kiss, and then a team of doctors and nurses ran him up 2 floors, and he was placed on his daddy's chest," she said.

"The miracle of all this? When our baby was placed on Jb's chest, Jb's vitals all instantly improved," Parke said. "He was also acknowledging our son was there by making small head movements and sweet moans."

Her bed was wheeled from the operating room into her husband's room in the ICU, where she spent her recovering, "gazing at him in sadness, but in awe of his strength," she said.

"From the OR to the ICU room, there were what felt like hundreds of doctors and nurses floating us through this process effortlessly. Not one of them having a dry eye the entire time," Parke wrote. "Some of them told me they'll never forget this act of selflessness. Some called my actions brave and heroic. I just call it love. I acted out of love. I put my trust in God that this was part of his plan, and I did what I had to do, out of love, to fulfill my husband's last wish."

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While delivering a baby three works early can come with complications, Parke's son was born 7 pounds, 4 ounces with fully developed lungs. She said they didn't have names picked up until the moment she was induced  that's when she knew she would honor her husband.

Her son's name is John Beeson Parke. "Welcome to the world baby Jb," Parke wrote. "Your story is truly a miracle."

The couple also share an 18-month-old son, Brinton. CBS News has reached out to Parke and Hartford Hospital.

President Bidens legislative agenda in jeopardy as Build Back Better plan unlikely to pass before end of year

Biden administration asks Supreme Court to reinstate vaccine policy for certain health workers

U.S. ends talks over compensation for families separated under Trump
The coronavirus pandemic is still impacting travel, and destinations around the world have different COVID-19 restrictions in place. Always check and adhere to local government policies as you're planning future trips.

Road tripping through South Dakota is a dream.

A very important aside: I usually hate driving. But the roads in South Dakota are wide and smooth, traffic is nonexistent, and the sites you see along the way are breathtaking. I made a road trip through half the state in September and hit up as many spots as possible  here's my full itinerary. AnaMaria Glavan / BuzzFeed

Brooke Greenberg / BuzzFeed

Monday, 3:00 p.m.  Arrive in Rapid City

3:30 p.m. - Check in at the historic Hotel Alex Johnson (historic being code name for haunted). When deciding what room to put me in, the concierge casually asked "are you a fan of ghosts?" to which I said please bite your tongue and don't tell me any spooky stories until I've safely checked out plz and thank you. A lady in white and the ghost of Alex Johnson allegedly roam one of the floors. 4:00 p.m. - Lunch at Independent Ale House! Delicious personal pizza options like the Lucky Luciano, a circle of tomato sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, crumbled Gorgonzola, and olives. 5:00 p.m. - Rapid City is home to Art Alley, a community gallery with an ever-evolving showcase. I made several loops because there's large murals at the surface but upon closer inspection, you'll see tons of smaller features in every nook and cranny. AnaMaria Glavan / BuzzFeed

5:30 p.m.  Weave in and out of local shops

5:30 p.m. - Downtown Rapid City is home to local businesses like Prairie Edge Trading Co., a two-story space dedicated to showcasing the work of Native American artists and honoring the traditions of the Northern Plains tribes. There's also Karma Boutique for fun gifts and trendy clothes *plus* vintage stores like Younique Finds where one can unearth a ton of cool baubles. 7:00 p.m. - Dinner at Firehouse Brewing Co.! Solid pub food and craft beer, the latter of which I did not have due to intense jet lag. 8:00 p.m. - Face is washed, teeth are brushed, pajamas are on, laptop in front of me, anxiety induced due to the little ghost issue. AnaMaria Glavan / BuzzFeed

Brooke Greenberg / BuzzFeed

Tuesday, 10:30 a.m.  Brunch brunch brunch

10:00 a.m. - Checked out of Hotel Alex Johnson and safely stuffed my carry-on into the back of my rental car. I also got Starbucks from the hotel lobby as my brain cannot function without at least a sip of caffeine first thing in the morning. 10:30 a.m. - Tally's Silver Spoon did. not. disappoint. Folks on Yelp were raving about how amazing the brunch was here and yes, they're right, it's great. I had cinnamon swirl French toast with a side of bacon and can attest to its greatness. 11:00 a.m. - Set up my GPS and started the hour-long journey to Badlands National Park. AnaMaria Glavan / BuzzFeed

12:30 p.m.  Badlands National Park

12:30 p.m. - Badlands National Park is truly stunning and there are several hiking trails to choose from. My first instinct was to pick the easiest, which Google informed me was Notch Trail... and Google was sort of right. It wasn't a difficult path but you did have to climb up and down the rope bridge pictured above which, wow, those heights. But the views once you got to the top were breathtaking. 10/10 recommend and make sure you wear very grippy shoes. AnaMaria Glavan / BuzzFeed

3:00 p.m.  The Ranch Store

3:00 p.m. - I saw this place while driving into the Badlands and made a mental note to stop and stock up on water. There was a giant mural of a prairie dog dressed in a motorcycle 'fit and I didn't think anything of it at the time, but when I stopped by for said water, I saw one prairie dog... and then another.... and then another... and then realized there was a legitimate colony of prairie dogs hanging out next to the store. Adorable is an understatement. I 3:45 p.m. - I spent more time here than necessary but it brought me such joy. Off to my next destination, which is about 15 minutes away! Editor's note: This place is closed for the season but will be reopening in April 2022. AnaMaria Glavan / BuzzFeed

4:00 p.m.  Explore Wall Drug

Tap to play or pause GIF Tap to play or pause GIF

AnaMaria Glavan / BuzzFeed

4:00 p.m. - I was STOKED to finally see Wall Drug. What is Wall Drug, you ask? Umm... it's complicated to explain but picture a long stretch of land dedicated to gift shops, restaurants, a CHURCH, an apothecary, a museum, several kitschy animatronics... it's an interesting place and definitely a must-see if you find yourself in South Dakota.

5:15 p.m. - Check in to my next hotel for the night! It's only about a five-minute drive away.

5:30 p.m.  Frontier Cabins

5:30 p.m. - Frontier Cabins is exactly what the name would imply: a little community of private traditional cabins with a lovely porch patio. Each cabin is equipped with a kitchen and living room area, local artwork, cozy beds, and views that overlook uninterrupted patches of green. Serene is an understatement. 6:30 p.m. - Back to the Wall Drug strip! I had dinner at Badlands Saloon & Grille where my life was changed forever by chicken fried chicken. Hand breaded chicken breast smothered in gravy + a dinner roll + a salad + a side of macaroni and cheese = divine. 7:45 p.m. - After walking around Wall Drug and reading a book at dinner because why not romanticize my life (Ghosts by Dolly Alderton), I went back to Frontier Cabins and said a little prayer because sleeping in an isolated cabin is slightly spooky (I hate the dark.. you can read about my paranoia on another trip here). AnaMaria Glavan / BuzzFeed

Brooke Greenberg / BuzzFeed

Wednesday, 9:00 a.m.  A cup of five cent coffee

9:00 a.m. - Let me give you a little more history about Wall Drug (not an ad, just a fan). It was 1931 when Ted and Dorothy Hustead bought a drugstore in the small town of Wall and there wasn't much foot traffic. One day in the hot summer, Dorothy tried taking a nap but couldn't fall asleep due to the noise of trucks driving on Route 16A  that's when Dorothy came up with the idea of creating signs on the highway that advertised free ice water. The business took off from there! Wall Drug still follows the tradition of free ice water and huge highway signs, but *now* they also offer .05 cent coffee and handmade donuts. 9:30 a.m. - Time to drive to Deadwood! It's about 1.5 hours away so I've set up my rental car Apple Play (my car at home doesn't even have a functioning aux cord so this took me some time to figure out) and put on a true crime podcast. AnaMaria Glavan / BuzzFeed

11:00 a.m.  Arrival in Historic Deadwood

11:00 a.m. - A full podcast later and I have finally arrived! The Deadwood main strip matched the image in my head perfectly; the only thing missing was a large tumbleweed drifting in the wind. My first stop is a five-minute drive past at the Days of '76 Museum, an awesome place for historical context, artwork, and memorabilia. 12:30 p.m. - A quick beer seems fitting at this time, right? Right. Saloon No. 10 Bar is also covered in memorabilia and artwork, which means you'll feel like Wild Bill Hickok whilst sipping on fancy craft brew. 1:00 p.m. - The beer made me ravenous so to Jacob Brewhouse & Grocer I go! This space is two-sided: one portion is the restaurant where I had a deliciously fresh salad (my body was still reeling from donuts and chicken fried chicken), the other portion is an adorable cafe. Did I get a salad in the name of proper digestion? Yes. Did I then proceed to get a Fruity Pebbles donut from the bakery? Yes. An excellent decision on my part. 2:00 p.m. - I'm heading to Mount Moriah Cemetery before leaving Deadwood for my next destination. This is where Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane are buried and the cemetery overlooks all of Deadwood. AnaMaria Glavan / BuzzFeed

3:15 p.m.  Mount Rushmore

3:15 p.m. - I have finally made it to good ol' Mount Rushmore! It is indeed a very cool site and I can't help but wonder, in an extremely Carrie Bradshaw way, *how* someone was able to carve the likeness of four presidents into the side of a mountain. I also consumed vanilla ice cream that used Thomas Jeffersons original recipe from 1780. 4:30 p.m. - Time to check in at the hotel I'll be staying at for the duration of my trip: Bavarian Inn. This lovely hotel has quaint rooms and a romantic outdoor common area lit up by string lights. 6:30 p.m. - Ordered dinner, got some work done, and am promptly going to bed as today has been busy and tomorrow will be... equally busy! AnaMaria Glavan / BuzzFeed

Brooke Greenberg / BuzzFeed

Thursday, 9:30 a.m.  Custer State Park

7:45 a.m. - Breakfast before a big day! The Feel Good Cafe is an adorable little ~guest home~ outside the Bavarian Inn where one can fuel up on caffeine and fresh baked goods. There's several unique coffee options like the Honey Bee Latte (organic honey, espresso, steamed milk) and the Zebra Mocha (espresso, dark and white chocolate sauce, steamed milk). Editor's note: Feel Good Cafe is closed for the season but will reopen in April 2022. 9:30 a.m. - And now, the moment I've been waiting for all week... mama is finally going to see some bison and I am mama in this context!! I was fortunate enough to receive an invite for the Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup (more on that later) so I'm attending a media tour of Custer State Park. The wildlife was stunning and if this park isn't on your travel bucket list, add it. It's surreal. 2:30 p.m. - Light packed lunch from The Feel Good Cafe. While we were eating our sandwiches under the tent of the Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup, a bison very casually strolled by and it's now the only interesting story I'm able to muster up at parties. AnaMaria Glavan / BuzzFeed

*proof*

AnaMaria Glavan / BuzzFeed

3:30 p.m.  Hike Little Devils Tower

AnaMaria Glavan / BuzzFeed

3:30 p.m. - The climbing path on Little Devils Tower is sometimes narrow and uneven, but the views at the top were worth every heart palpitation. I definitely recommend grippy shoes that won't slip and slide. A strange observation was whole colonies of ladybugs swarming at the top? Can someone please explain this?

7:00 p.m. - The food at Skogen Kitchen was so. damn. good. It's a fancy affair that requires reservations and has a constantly-changing menu, one that hones in on seasonal ingredients. And the dessert? If you don't get the salted caramel pudding with toffee crumble, mint, and lemon whipped cream... you'd be a fool.

9:00 p.m. - Get ready for bed and pack up all of my belongings, as I'll be checking out of the Bavarian Inn and heading home tomorrow afternoon.

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Brooke Greenberg / BuzzFeed

Friday, 6:00 a.m.  Breakfast

6:00 a.m. - Stuffing my carry-on into the trunk of my car, checking out of the Bavarian Inn, and grabbing a quick coffee and pastry at The Feel Good Cafe before departing for the Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup. 7:30 a.m. - More breakfast in dessert form? Why not. Cinnamon rolls are HUGE in South Dakota and apparently people like to pair it with chili. A strange combination that I'm not exactly opposed to. AnaMaria Glavan / BuzzFeed

9:00 a.m.  Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup

AnaMaria Glavan / BuzzFeed

9:00 a.m. - The Buffalo Roundup Arts Festival happens annually on the last Friday of September, where approximately 1,400 bison are gathered and moved to maintain rangeland forage levels. It's a tradition that's been around for five decades!

12:00 a.m. - Drive back to the Rapid City airport, drop off my rental car, and make my way back to New York.
While the trailer for Pig suggested something like John Wick with Nicolas Cage and a swine, the film ultimately revealed itself to be an even stranger beast. The prolific actor plays Rob, a former Portland-based chef who, it's slowly revealed, abandoned the world of haute cuisine after his wife's death, becoming a reclusive truffle hunter with only a foraging pig for company. When his beloved animal is kidnapped, Rob ventures back into Portland in pursuit, but these revenge-thriller trappings soon give way to a poignant meditation on life and loss, culminating in a dinner that recalls the climactic moments of Pixar's Ratatouille more than anything else. Here, Portland chef Gabriel Rucker, credited as a "food consultant" on Pig, details his involvement with that very special meal.

"I thought someone was f---ing with us, to be honest."

It's an understandable reaction to any attempt to summarize Pig, and even more so in response to a cold email asking you to get involved with the movie. But once it became clear that the offer wasn't a joke, Gabriel Rucker was only too eager to serve as a food consultant on the Nicolas Cage-starring indie.

"I grew up watching Raising Arizona, The Rock, Con Air, you name it," says Rucker, owner and head chef of the French bistro Le Pigeon in Portland, Ore. "It was a very easy 'yes' to be involved in a movie with Nicolas Cage."

Nic Cage in Pig

Courtesy Neon Nicolas Cage serves pan-roasted squab in 'Pig'

Rucker's job on Pig  the first movie he had ever worked on  consisted of two main responsibilities: designing a dish for the movie's climactic sequence, and teaching Cage how to look like a professional chef on camera. For the former, he had some guidance from the filmmakers on what they wanted, which happened to fit perfectly with his own tastes (so to speak).

"Essentially, what they wanted was [the style of] Portland in the '90s, and I just jumped to the food of Le Pigeon when I first opened in 2006, which was simpler and more rustic than it is now," Rucker recalls. "And as I read about Nic's character, it reminded me of what cooking in Portland in the early 2000s was like. If you were overly pretentious, you would get laughed out of town."

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Additionally, "I thought not just about the plate of food, but about how it would look to be made by an actor," the chef continues. "I thought, what's a dish that can reasonably be made in this kitchen, in this house, where there can be some movements that are going to be interesting?"

The meal he settled on was pan-roasted squab, chanterelle mushrooms, pommes Anna, and huckleberry jus, a blend of Rucker's own French style and a certain Pacific Northwest touch. "Pigeon, or squab, is a chef's piece of protein; it's something that the industry folks really gravitate towards," he explains. "As cooks, as chefs, that's something that we always enjoy eating and cooking. And also, it's [set in] Oregon, and we're known for our mushrooms here. [Cage's character] is a truffle hunter, but the director said truffles were a little bit too cliche."

As Rucker notes, the dish's components also provided opportunities for Cage to show off some "romanticized movements" in the kitchen: cleaning the mushrooms, slicing the potatoes with a mandoline, and butchering and basting the squabs, for example. The actor visited Le Pigeon's kitchen to prepare for the scene  "the best part" of the process, in the chef's view.

"He was dressed for the role, and I didn't really know how f---ed up he was supposed to be [for the movie]," Rucker says with a laugh. "I was like, 'Did this guy have the craziest bender last night and then roll out of bed and come and have me show him how to cook?' But he's a very, very respectful person. He was like, 'I looked into you, it seems like you're a very respected chef. This is great.' And he listened to what I said, he asked questions, and he was very engaged."

Nicolas Cage and Gabriel Rucker

Courtesy Le Pigeon Gabriel Rucker (right) helps Nicolas Cage prepare for 'Pig'

Among other techniques, Rucker taught Cage how to break down and cook the pigeon  "It's a French technique where you sear it in oil, and then you add garlic and thyme and you put a pat of butter in there for a foaming butter baste," the chef explains  and some basic cooking tips like how to wield a knife properly. "You can easily look like a novice just by the way you hold the knife," says Rucker.

The chef later joined the cast and crew on set to supervise the filming of the scene, even getting to direct a bit of it himself. "It was a lot of [advising on] how to tilt the pan and things like that," he recalls. "There's a pretty close-up shot of him spooning that foaming butter over the pigeon, and I made sure that that really went over well, because to me, that's like the iconic shot of the food."

Nicolas Cage and Gabriel Rucker

Courtesy Le Pigeon Nicolas Cage and Gabriel Rucker on the set of 'Pig'

Rucker also organized the kitchen "in the way that I would do it if I was cooking at home," he says, and plated the food for "the beauty shots of the dishes." Unfortunately, as is often the case on movie sets, no one really got to enjoy the food once it was done.

"I don't think that [the actors] really dug in too much, because the food was prepared, and then it kind of sat there for quite some time," Rucker recalls. "But you don't go into that being like, 'This dish is my pride and joy.' The number one thing is, it's gotta look good. I know I can cook tasty food, but making something that can look good for 45 minutes, that's the skill you need cooking for movies."

The chef remains proud of the end result  "Nic looked good on screen!" he says  and to have been part of a film that showcased his home city and its culinary scene so well.

"If you leave out the underground fight scene, I feel like it was fairly realistic as to what it's like in Portland," Rucker says with a laugh. "There's no underground crime syndicate that's running the truffle business in Oregon, that I know of. But I do think that they did the city proud, and that makes me happy."

Nicolas Cage and Gabriel Rucker

David Reamer Chef Gabriel Rucker and Nicolas Cage

But what stuck with Rucker most about making Pig wasn't meeting Cage, the Portland element, or getting one of his dishes on a movie screen. His best friend David Reamer, a food photographer, "is a die-hard Nicolas Cage fan  he even has the woodpecker tattoo from Raising Arizona," the chef says. "So I asked if he could come and shoot some pictures when we were [working in the kitchen], and he was just in heaven. It was the greatest thing for him." Then in February, before Pig was released, Reamer was diagnosed with late-stage pancreatic cancer and died.

A few months later, "I went and saw the movie with my wife and a bunch of the people that worked on it," Rucker recalls, "and my buddy's name was in the credits. He got to have his name in the credits as a photographer on this Nicolas Cage movie, and that, to me, really wrapped things up and made the experience so memorable and worthwhile. He didn't get to see it, obviously, but I know what that would have meant to him. And, you know, we were best friends, so we talked a lot of s---, and his f---ing name was in the credits before mine. And guess what? I couldn't be happier." Chef's kiss.

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For more than two hours on a cold Saturday night in December, local Black residents and others from around the nation gathered in a small chapel at the Hovey Street Church of Christ to discuss societal ills impacting Indianapolis' Black community and their solutions.

The audience gathered at the church included members of the New Black Panther Party and the Nation of Islam, the Lion of Judah Armed Forces.

Before them a panel  tasked with hashing out the issues and offering solutions for a path forward  discussed interracial violence, unity, policing, food deserts, education, and bridging the gaps between the young and old. They urged the audience to be authentic, have strong family values, and instill value and self-worth in children.

Before the event, Yasuke Shakur, chairman of the New Black Panther Party of Indiana, told IndyStar the summit was intended to be a "gathering of minds" brought together to discuss how to solve ills plaguing Indianapolis Black community.

More: Indianapolis' killings keep climbing: There is no code anymore

"As a collective, we feel like we have to take care of our community before anyone else will even try to take care of our community," Shakur said. "This summit is an effort to bring together the leadership, to figure out how do we battle crime in our city, (and) protect our community from different things and just overall that's just been a problem in the Black community of Indianapolis."

The leadership summit was part of a daylong event organized by community and family members of Dorian Murrell, an 18-year-old Black Indianapolis teenager shot and killed by a white man during the civil unrest last year.

The defendant in the case, Tyler Newby, confessed to shooting Murrell, but he has claimed the shooting was in self-defense. Newby's first trial ended in a mistrial. A new trial is scheduled to take place next year.

Dorian Murrell, 18.

The day started at the Hovey Street Church, a meeting point for the community and members of the New Black Panther Party to gather before traveling to Brownsburg for a planned march through Brownsburg.

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The New Black Panther Party is a Black nationalist organization founded in Dallas in 1989.

The organization adopted its name from the original Black Panthers, though some original Black Panther members have insisted that the New Black Panther Party, which the Southern Poverty Law Center considers a hate group due to its rhetoric, has no connection to the original civil rights group.

The local New Black Panther Party leadership rejects the Southern Poverty Law Center's label because they say it's inaccurate and based on claims that are not credible, old rhetoric and white supremacy.

It's unclear how many members reside in Indiana. But, local and out-of-state members have for months advocated for justice for Murrell. And, on Saturday, they gathered with others of different civil and religious affiliations to talk about how Indianapolis Black community can make progress.

At more than 260 deaths, the city has shattered its homicide record for the second consecutive year, with young Black men comprising many of the deaths. Meanwhile, the clearance rate for homicides remains a concern.

"How do we control that? How do we change that?" Shakur asked the panel, noting the millions of dollars city officials set aside for crime prevention yet hoping for more tangible guidance on solutions or a plan of action to help the city.

"Our community is out of control. This government, this city, is not doing anything to help us. How do we control that?" Shakur said. "I'm not trying to step on toes, but I'm trying to go a little bit deeper to figure out what exactly is going on here in Indianapolis and how do we bring the narrative to what it is we need more of for our people to grow and create progress inside of our community."

Shakur also noted that the city is grappling with food insecurity, especially in its food deserts which lack access to grocery stores and fresh, healthy foods. He also highlighted efforts to create job and educational opportunities that need more l support.

Chief LeTava Mabilijengo, an activist and representative of the H.E.R Living Campus, an immersive cultural learning association, pointed to existing grassroots programs and efforts that address education, home school co-ops and food deserts, suggesting that Shakur connect with older residents who are doing the work in those areas.

"If you really want to make something work at a grassroots level, it's probably someone already doing it and unfortunately you all haven't met yet and it's a good idea to make an introduction and get in where you fit in," she said. "You need to come up through the ranks, and I'll say this to any young person: If you're young and you got that fire in the belly, be willing to come up through the ranks."

Panels gather to discuss crime, food deserts at Hovey Street Church on Dec. 18, 2021

The panel also addressed criticism directed at the Ten Point Coalition, a group of Black pastors who patrol neighborhoods to reduce violence through engagement. The coalition has been accused of not being effective, but some of the panelist insinuated that the criticism may not be all that fair.

"I'm not mad at Ten Point. They're a bunch of old Black men who got old Black solutions to a problem ...," said Hovey Street Church Pastor Denell Howard. "That's the way they think. If we're going to think different, we can't be hating on their thought. We got to have a different solution."

Howard also said a community cannot be protected if it doesn't have a presence within the community to enforce its values and hold those within it accountable. He added that people who harm a community should not be protected by relatives or others who know them.

"If you know where the murderers stay and Ten Point can't get them out and the police can't get them out, why are you harboring them?" he said.

Nuri Muhammad, a minister for the Nation of Islam, said issues should be addressed before they become problems, suggested implementing conflict resolutions centers at churches to stop shootings before they take place.

"Everything that I'm hearing is a reaction to something that has already gone bad," Muhammad said. "In the world of medicine, they have a saying that an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure ... Why not focus more on providing that ounce of prevention?"

Contact IndyStar reporter Alexandria Burris at aburris@gannett.com or call 317-617-2690. Follow her on Twitter: @allyburris.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Black residents, New Black Panther Party seek solution to violence
Si Spiegel, 97, at his home in New York, Dec. 18, 2021. (Carly Zavala/The New York Times)

The B-17 he was piloting had lost two of its four engines to enemy fire, and as Si Spiegel surveyed the ruined landscape, he had one thought: We have to get behind the Russian front.

As part of the Allied raid on Berlin, his bomber had dropped its payload over the German capital, but hed been hit with flak and would almost certainly not make it back to the base in England. No pilot wanted to get shot down over Nazi Germany, especially not a Jewish pilot.

Spiegel had essentially bluffed his way into the cockpit as a skinny teenager from Greenwich Village, trusting hed figure it out as he went. This was no different. He told his crew they were headed for Poland; they could get their parachutes ready, but were not to bail out unless he gave the order. They would attempt an emergency landing.

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Si Spiegel is one of the last bomber pilots of World War II still with us. I met him on a windy December morning in 2019. I happened to overhear him discussing Eleanor Roosevelts love of aviation in front of her sculpture on Riverside Drive. I couldnt help butting in  I was writing a biography of Mrs. Roosevelts great friend Amelia Earhart. He seemed wary of my enthusiasm, but when he saw the Lower East Side address on my business card, he smiled. I had inherited my grandparents old apartment in one of the International Ladies Garment Workers' Union buildings, the same address where his union parents had lived.

He invited me over for coffee that week. What began as a way to do research for my book  there arent many living aviators from that era, after all  evolved into a series of conversations over weeks and then months. His considerable charm and sharp memory were matched by his stamina  he would happily talk for hours but only if they didnt conflict with his regular gym workouts.

But he was 95 then (now 97), and he clearly had been needing an audience for his stories. In the first hour of our first meeting, I learned that he flew dozens of critical and dangerous missions during the war, had saved his crew by successfully crash-landing an enormous bomber in no-mans land  and then helped orchestrate a daring escape back out.

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Perhaps most remarkable: Spiegel is improbably best known as the king of the artificial Christmas tree.

Si Spiegel was born in New York City in 1924, the first year of the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade and the last year that Ellis Island operated as an immigration station. It was the Jazz Age, and Si wore button-up knickers. He remembers his first zip-up fly and when his family got their first telephone. They would crowd around the radio, especially whenever the president gave an address. Roosevelt, he said, was our hero.

He was tuned to the radio the day Amelia Earhart disappeared over the Pacific. And when Pearl Harbor was attacked, Si was 17 years old and living near his fathers hand laundry in Greenwich Village.

After graduating from Textile High School, he went to work in a machine shop, but he wanted to fight the Nazis. So without telling his parents, Spiegel enlisted in the Army shortly after he turned 18. He was a reedy youth, 5-foot-7 and 150 pounds. In basic training, noting his machine-shop skills, they sent him to aircraft mechanic school at Roosevelt Field on Long Island. He was crestfallen.

How would I fight Hitler with a wrench? he recalled thinking.

A sympathetic officer in the hangar with him suggested he go to Mitchel Field, just a couple of miles by bus. Maybe theyd take him as a pilot. Unlike the recruitment office at Times Square, the one at Mitchel Field was deserted. It set his life on a different path.

I signed up in an unusual place already in uniform, and there were only two of us that day, Spiegel recalled. The other fellow was foiled by the eyesight tests. I had perfect vision.

He was accepted into pilot training, which took him to Nashville, Tennessee, then California and then, as a cadet, to Hobbs, New Mexico, where hed learn to pilot a B-17, the massive bomber known as the Flying Fortress.

Many military men were chain-smoking drinkers when not on duty, but Spiegel, still a teenager, never smoked or drank much or hit the brothels. Maybe I had a lot of opportunities as a new pilot, but I was too shy to recognize them or take advantage.

Hobbs had one thing of interest, a girl named Frankie Marie Smith. She was only 17 and a beauty. Back in high school, Si Spiegel would never have thought he had a chance with a girl like that. But now he was a dashing lieutenant who flew a B-17.

Within weeks, they were married in Lovington, New Mexico. Her father insisted we get married in an Evangelical church, the Church of God, Spiegel said. When they parted, Frankie Marie gave him a photo he would carry during missions. Then he left New Mexico and went to meet his crew, a motley collection of leftovers.

We had five Catholics, two Jews, he said. Catholics werent treated too well, either. We had a Mormon, too. Spiegel said the only WASP was a ball-turret gunner who had gotten into trouble with the law in Chicago. And a judge said, You have two choices, he recalled. You can go to jail or join the Army.

Spiegel has outlived all of his crew members but still holds their stories. His bombardier and first real friend in the service, Danny Shapiro, was later shot down on another plane and held as a prisoner of war for a year. Dale Tyler was the Mormon tail gunner from Utah who came from a family of 13. Harold Bennett was my top turret gunner, from Massachusetts. Killed in a training accident on another plane. His chute never opened.

They were assigned to the U.S. 8th Air Force, and their base of operations would be in an English town called Eye, near the coast about 100 miles northeast of London.

Spiegels first flight in formation, at age 20, was a short mission over Belgium when the Germans were retreating. We were bombing them to prevent blowing up a bridge, he said. It was what airmen would call a milk run  a mission with little danger. I thought, oh, this is great!

Over the next year, Spiegel would carry out 35 missions, all of them in daylight, which conferred a strategic advantage but often resulted in significant casualties.

Their odds of survival were terrible. More than 50,000 American airmen lost their lives in World War II, mostly on B-17s and B-24s. The 8th Air Force suffered 40% of all casualties in the air war.

Mission 33 is what he often relives when reflecting on his war years.

It was an early-morning departure on Saturday, Feb. 3, 1945, a maximum-effort campaign now studied by military historians as the Berlin Mission. An overwhelming force of 1,437 bombers and 948 fighters took off from the English countryside to hit the Third Reichs Luftwaffe headquarters.

They said we were bombing Berlin headquarters, Spiegel recalled. In his previous missions, he said, he had never given much thought to where the bombs fell. But as he approached Berlin, it suddenly dawned on him that this would not be a precision raid against a military installation. With 2,000 planes, and its pattern bombing, he said, were bombing civilians. But our command wanted to get the war over with.

He had thought about this a lot over the years. What he thought then, he agrees with now: Whatever it takes to stop this evil. We went on a mission, we dropped bombs, we came back. As far as other bombers, Ive gone to a lot of reunions, and I never heard any regret.

The plane had an engine malfunction early in the flight, not unusual on a B-17. But over the target in Berlin, he lost the second engine to flak, and fuel was leaking.

Spiegel said he could keep up with the formation with one engine gone. With two, it was impossible. To make it back to England, they would have to fly into a headwind and back through a flak area. We would be losing altitude, which meant that they could shoot us from the ground.

By this late stage of the war, the German forces had retreated to Germany, and the Soviets, American allies, were coming across Poland. Spiegel knew from radio broadcasts that the Soviets had taken Warsaw. He asked his navigator, Ray Patulski, to give him a heading for Warsaw. Spiegel thought they would be safe if they got past Russian lines. He told his crew to throw stuff out of the plane as they lost altitude: flak suits, extra ammunition, anything of any weight.

The radioman made contact with England and relayed their status: No one hurt, two engines out, attempting to land in Warsaw. The Brits said they would notify the Yank authorities. That was the last anyone heard from the plane for weeks.

The nine men reached Warsaw at 1:30 p.m. The city was rubble. A bridge lay torn and twisted across the frozen Vistula River. Looking for a place to land, they headed downriver until they spotted a single-engine plane with the Soviet red star. It was barely 200 feet off the ground.

Spiegel partly lowered his wheels and fired flares  a friendly gesture. The Soviet pilot wiggled his wings to indicate, Follow me and led them over forests, a treacherous flight path for such a huge plane. Eventually, they belly-landed in a frozen potato field in the village of Reczyn. No one was injured, although the aircraft would never fly again.

The Nazis had held much of Poland at one point, and Spiegel didnt know if any Germans were still there. He and his co-pilot, Bill Hole, left through the hatch to be met by villagers.

Amerikansky! Spiegel hollered. Some of the gathering villagers hollered too. Benzine! Benzine! They wanted the gasoline  the benzine  that was leaking out of the plane and ran toward them with buckets to collect the fuel. The crew let them have it.

The Americans were soon taken to Plock, a small city north on the Vistula, where they were billeted in apartments the Russians took over from locals  and treated as heroes by the Soviets after the successful raid on Berlin. Then they were moved again, to the Polish city of Torun, where the Red Army had taken over an abandoned German airfield. There they met another American crew whose plane had made a landing at Torun. They expected to stay until a rescue plane arrived  a week at most.

The Americans were not prisoners, but they were not allowed to leave until Moscow approved  and they had no means to leave anyhow. Spiegel met the other pilot, a fiery Illinois officer named George Ruckman, whose plane had lost one engine to flak and had blown a tire in its landing.

Despite confinement, the Americans largely did what they pleased. Over the coming weeks, the crews would go down to the Vistula and spend the day target shooting with rifles lent by the Russians. But life at Torun was mostly waiting. They gave up hoping for the C-47 transport plane. The official status of those flying on the B-17 43-38150 during the Berlin Mission: missing in action.

The other pilot soon devised a wild escape plan. They would send a team to Spiegels wrecked plane, 70 miles away, and have them collect an engine and a spare tire and return to Torun. It would require stealth, courage and bribery.

Both American crews bartered with the Soviet soldiers. Several revolvers and a $10 fountain pen paid for the gasoline for their secret flight; a $75 wristwatch given to a Russian officer secured a Ford tractor to haul the second engine back. According to war records, with the $30 Ruckman had in his own wallet, he bribed Russian MPs to overlook the cutting down of two telephone poles needed as hoists.

Using salvaged tools left by the Nazis, the crews worked in plain sight of the other Russians, who seemed more concerned with random artillery fire and the possibility that German snipers were still in the area. The Americans feared too much attention, though, and Spiegel made sure to drink with the Russian officers in Torun, toasting Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill, the day Ruckman had villagers hoist the plane in the potato field.

Early on St. Patricks Day, 1945, the Americans jumped into the jury-rigged plane and began to taxi along the frozen ground. A single Soviet guard waved frantically to stop. But the Russians never chased them as they cleared the field and lifted off. Maybe they were relieved they didnt have to feed us, Spiegel offered.

Determined to avoid German anti-aircraft guns in their hobbled plane, the 19 men headed south, and eight hours later landed at an American air base in Foggia, Italy.

There the Red Cross had a party for the crew, giving them candy, cookies and much-needed toiletries  they hadnt brushed their teeth since the bombing of Berlin. U.S. Army staff checked the escape plane, and other than a few loose bolts, it was fine.

After months of fearing Spiegel had been killed in action, his family in New York received a telegram from Italy shortly before April 3, 1945, the shared birthday of Spiegels younger brother and his father: Am safe and well. Letters following. Happy birthday. Love.

Spiegel led two more missions after making it back to England, though since he had been presumed dead, his belongings had already been sent to New York.

Spiegel returned home on Aug. 31, 1945.

He was given a heros welcome in his home on West 11th Street. Times Square had become an all-night party where military men were gods. Yet despite his 35 missions and multiple awards for bravery and exemplary behavior, Spiegel went to war as a first lieutenant and returned as one.

Looking back, having spoken to other Jewish GIs, he believes now that many Jewish soldiers were denied promotions because of antisemitism. He has some thorny memories: Many heroes in the Army Air Corps joined the commercial airline industry after the war, which was then based in New York. But here too, Spiegel said he faced discrimination. They werent taking Jews after World War II, he recalled. They were blatant.

Frankie Marie Spiegel joined him in New York for several months before they moved back to New Mexico. Spiegel got a job there as a radio announcer on a country and western program. (He went by the name of Muddy Boots.) But the marriage soon soured. They had no children, and he made a clean break, returning East.

It was a vibrant time in Greenwich Village, and he joined Pete Seegers Good Neighbor Chorus after the war and made new friends. And in midsummer of 1949, he went to Camp Unity, a leftist camp in Wingdale, New York.

Within hours he met a young woman named Motoko Ikeda. She was an artsy girl in pigtails, and he was fascinated by her. She was frank about her time in an internment camp during the war. It was eye-opening.

Her parents were born in Japan, and her family of six, she told him, had been forcibly sent from Los Angeles to a camp in Wyoming. At 14, she was kept behind barbed wire and watched by armed guards. After the war, many Japanese Americans held in the camps went back to California. Ikeda chose a one-way ticket to New York.

Motoko was mental refreshment after divorce, Spiegel says now. I liked her because she was pretty, bright, patient and a good person. I wanted to learn more about her.

They married in the Municipal Building around Thanksgiving in 1950, and a daughter, Kazuko, the first of their three children, was born in 1951. His blended family was accepted without reservation by his parents. Motoko was better at Jewish food than my mother. She could cook in any language.

Still frozen out of aviation, Spiegel went to vocational school and found a job as a machinist at a brush manufacturer in Mount Vernon for $1.80 an hour.

It was at the Westchester factory that his luck turned.

A strange design fad hit the country in the late 1950s: Shop designers were using millions of small multicolored brushes, which when assembled in department store windows looked, in his words, like miniature pastel waves. American Brush Machinery, where Spiegel was employed, fabricated machines to make these brushes, which could sell for $12,000 each  sound money, but then the fad died.

His bosses decided to repurpose the machines: They could make Christmas trees. The first ones they produced, out of green polyvinyl chloride plastic, didnt look much like Scotch pines. Business was slow. Midcentury America liked futuristic aluminum trees lit by color wheels, and few people owned fake trees at all. Spiegel, by then a senior machinist, was sent to close the factory, but he reported back there was big money to be made. One boss thought he was out of his mind, but the other gave him his own division, called American Tree and Wreath.

Determined to improve on his product, Spiegel brought in real trees to study. He tinkered with his machines to speed up the process, and soon he was selling quickly made and perfectly shaped fakes.

By the mid-1970s, Spiegels company, American Tree and Wreath, was producing about 800,000 trees a year, one off the assembly line every four minutes.

After expanding and starting his own artificial tree company, he finally sold that business and retired in 1993 as a multimillionaire.

He had been a workaholic, and now he wanted to travel with Motoko and enjoy life. She had become an accomplished painter and was inspired by new places, from Paris to Japan. But after her sudden death in 2000, Spiegel found himself drawn powerfully to military reunions and the company of veterans.

He became involved in a couple of Army Air Corps historic associations, enjoying the camaraderie of the airmen, who understood his night terrors and late-diagnosed PTSD. These society gatherings continued in dwindling numbers until about 2012. Now, as far as he knows, he is the only member from World War II.

Eventually, his daughter Kazuko Spiegel introduced her father to the woman who would become his third wife, JoAnn Bastis, a real estate agent she had met in Westchester social circles. They would be married only for a few years before she died in 2018, though the couple traveled in Europe together twice, including a visit to Reczyn, the tiny village where he belly-landed in 1945.

Spiegel now lives in a large apartment building with a doorman and a magnificent view of Central Park. Although artificial trees descended from Spiegels designs are found in close to three-quarters of the American homes that put up Christmas trees, he doesnt keep a tree himself.

He raised his children to take pride in their Jewish-Japanese heritage, and he still makes the Hanukkah latkes for his grandchildren. But when his children were young, they always had a tree, first a real one, and then the best of his fakes. Do you think Christmas trees were really a religious symbol? They were pagan symbols. My kids liked them.

When asked what he would like his legacy to be  artificial trees or military heroism  he closed his eyes.

The war, he admits, was probably the most exciting time in his life. Whos left to talk about it with, though?

I can tell you this, he finally said. We fought against fascism. We fought against Hitlers desire for a master race.

He is surrounded by pictures of his children and his grandchildren, and he worries about growing racism. I never thought that fascism was a possible threat to our nations democracy until now, Spiegel said. Right now, however, all Im trying to do is stay alive.

 2021 The New York Times Company
Ted Babbit

The Supreme Court of the United States is under the spotlight, over the Mississippi abortion law, potentially erasing nearly 50 years of precedent.

Yet the Supreme Court of Florida also deserves close attention, for it has become markedly more activist since 2019, as three new conservative justices transform the seven-member bench.

This activism often runs just under the radar but with dramatic effects on how justice is administered. It involves rulemaking and codes more noticed by lawyers than the general public but of significance to all. With growing frequency, the court has changed these rules and standards before giving the underlying issues a full and fair hearing.

One early indicator of the courts recent activism was its May 2019 decision in In Re: Amendments to the Florida Evidence Code on the question of expert testimony  on which many cases hinge.

The federal courts effectively blocked much expert testimony in federal cases by adopting a strict standard set in Daubert vs. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals Inc. in 1993. Florida, however, continued to follow what most considered a more liberal standard of expert testimony admissibility, set 70 years earlier in Frye vs. United States.

The exterior of the Florida Supreme Court in Tallahassee. Directorspence, Getty Images/Stock Photo

The Florida Legislature in 2013 amended the Florida Evidence Code to adopt the Daubert standard but the Supreme Court of Florida struck that enactment down in October 2018, holding that the Legislature violated the courts rule-making powers. That changed almost immediately when the new court was assembled. On its own motion, it rejected the prior courts holding 5-2 and adopted the Daubert standard for use in Florida courts in all types of expert testimony.

Former Justice Robert Luck, a DeSantis appointee who in November 2019 was named by President Trump to the federal Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeal in Atlanta, dissented because the court failed to follow the traditional amendment process rules, which required referral to the Florida Bar committees governing those rules for consideration.

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This matters. I was on the Rules of Civil Procedure Committee of The Florida Bar for many years and served as its chairman once and vice chairman twice. That committee is a varied group of about 75 members of the Bar, representing plaintiffs and defendants, consumers and corporations. All collaborate in a longstanding process that allows those various interests to research and debate a new rule and get the opinions of all sides before sending it to the Supreme Court.

When the Supreme Court of Florida changes a rule on its own motion, all that analysis is lost and seven individuals are left to make the decision on their own  arguably in haste  without hearing from all interested persons.

In a more recent instance  on Aug. 26  the Florida Supreme Court, again on its own motion and without regard to any issue in a case before it, extended the apex doctrine, which effectively shields top executives and officers from most depositions, from the government to the private sector. Under that doctrine, the party seeking a deposition must show that the high-level official has unique knowledge of a topic and must prove that the party has exhausted every other means of discovery.

In practical terms, that means the litigant must depose every other employee who can provide that information without inconveniencing the president, who is presumably too busy to waste time giving depositions.

This matter had come previously before Florida courts, which had refused to extend the apex doctrine. Only four other states have adopted the doctrine and five have expressly rejected it. Here again, the Florida Supreme Court came to its 6-1 decision  Justice Jorge Labarga dissented  with no input from any of the Florida Bar committees that actually study rules and their practical effects.

These are only two examples of many other self-initiating changes in the law which have occurred since the new justices were seated. More are sure to come.

One can certainly argue that some of these changes are good and some not so good. Nor is this a strictly partisan issue. Dissenting Justice Luck was a DeSantis and Trump appointee. The problem is that justice stands or falls on hearing all sides. The adversarial system is not simply about winning and losing, but about uncovering potential flaws and creating solutions. When a court of seven fallible individuals makes these decisions without first giving interested and experienced parties a full hearing, getting to the truth grows harder. The result can lead to sea changes that are  at the very least  inopportune.

Theodore Babbitt is a shareholder at Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley in West Palm Beach, and has practiced law for more than five decades.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Commentary: Florida Supreme Court changes rules without bar input
Photo credit: Sergei Bachlakov

Netflix has released a trailer for its brand new film Brazen featuring Charmed star Alyssa Milano as Grace, an author who's hunting down a serial killer and seeking answers for her sister's death.



Based on the 1988 novel Brazen Virtue by Nora Roberts, Milano's character is a "prominent mystery writer and crime expert" who heads to Washington DC after her estranged sister summons her.

However, according to the movie's synopsis, "when her sister is killed and her double life as a webcam performer is revealed, Grace ignores the warnings of cool-headed detective Ed and gets involved in the case".

Photo credit: Sergei Bachlakov/Netflix - Netflix

Related: Charmed's Alyssa Milano lands next lead role in new Netflix movie

In the trailer, we see Grace hunting down her sister's killer as more and more bodies turn up. There's also hints of a budding romance between Grace and the detective in charge of the case as they pursue the truth together.

Sam Page plays Ed, the detective, and Brazen's cast also includes Malachi Weir, Barry W Levy, Colleen Wheeler, Lossen Chambers, and Matthew Finlan.

Directed by Monika Mitchell, the thriller will debut on the streaming platform in just a few weeks' time, on January 13.

Photo credit: Sergei Bachlakov - Netflix

Related: Charmed's Alyssa Milano feels 'disrespected' by the reboot

This is Milano's first standalone movie since 2018, when she starred as Dora in Little Italy. Her other movie credits include Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2, Hall Pass, and New Year's Eve.

Milano is best known for playing Phoebe Halliwell in eight seasons of Charmed, as well as her activism in the US.

She's been no stranger to television roles since the conclusion of Charmed back in 2006, having appeared in Family Guy, Castle, Mistresses, Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later, Insatiable, Tempting Fate, Grey's Anatomy, You Are My Home, and most recently in comedy series The Now on streaming service The Roku Channel.



Brazen, based on the novel Brazen Virtue by Nora Roberts, premieres on January 13, 2022 on Netflix.

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Off limits: flags in Baden Baden, southwest Germany (Simon Calder)

As another swathe of Europe imposes travel restrictions in a bid to try to stem the tide of the Omicron variant, these are the key questions and answers.

Why has Germany banned travel from the UK  and what are the rules?

Because of the extremely high level of Omicron infections, the UK is to be added to the list of areas of variants of concern at 11pm GMT on Sunday 19 December (midnight German time).

As a result, British tourists, business travellers and people making family visits will be banned from entering Germany.

Only German citizens and British residence of Germany will be allowed to enter.

Travellers from the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and British Overseas Territories are covered by the same ban.

These locations join South Africa and seven other southern African nations that can reasonably be believed to pose a particular risk.

Are urgent family visits allowed?

I can see no legal exceptions, but in extreme circumstances  such as a close relative who is dying  travellers may be allowed in on compassionate grounds.

In such a situation the best approach is to contact the Foreign Office on 020 7008 1500.

What if I have a property in Germany?

Travelling to a second home is banned except for people who have official residence status in Germany.

If I am allowed in, what are the testing and quarantine rules?

Regardless of vaccination status, travellers aged 12 or over must present a negative test result: a PCR taken within 72 hours of entry to Germany or a lateral flow taken within 24 hours.

Two weeks of quarantine is mandatory. The German government says: Make your way directly to your home  or other place of accommodation at your destination  upon arrival and remain isolated there.

Is there any flexibility on quarantine?

No. The German authorities say: After your arrival, further PCR testing may be ordered by the health authorities at the airport or at the place of isolation/quarantine.

The duration of the 14-day quarantine may not be shortened.

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However, were the UK to be taken off the list, quarantine automatically ends.

Can I change planes at Frankfurt or Munich?

Yes, if your destination is outside Germany. The law says: Airline passengers who are simply changing flights at an airport in the Federal Republic of Germany need not comply with the provisions of the Ordinance on Coronavirus Entry Regulations.

A transfer to another EU/Schengen Area nation is allowed, even though travellers will need to go through German passport control.

A direct transfer at an airport in order to continue ones journey into another (Schengen) state is not considered an entry, the rules state.

Can I enter from another country to avoid the travel ban?

Not if you have been in the UK in the past 10 days. So you could launder your British status somewhere along the way, but you would of course have to adhere to all the rules of the intermediate country.

How long will this ban last?

The Robert Koch Institute, which compiles the list of areas of variants of concern, says the current classification will apply until 11pm GMT on 2 January  but could be extended.

The regulations on the obligation to quarantine will be in force at least until 15 January 2022.

What is happening in the Netherlands?

The nation has gone into lockdown, and restrictions on British visitors are being tightened.

At present fully vaccinated travellers from the UK are permitted, if they can show a negative Covid test: antigen taken no more than 24 hours before departure or PCR 48 hours before departure.

But from 22 December, all travellers from the UK, irrespective of their vaccination status or possession of a negative test, must quarantine for 10 days upon arrival.

This period can be reduced to five days if the traveller receives a negative test result from the Dutch authorities (GGD) on day five, says the Foreign Office.

Restrictions within the Netherlands are not conducive to a relaxing break. Museums, cinemas, theatres, concert venues, and the hospitality industry will close, according to the British Embassy in the Hague.

Lockdown will last until 14 January 2022.

Austria is opening up, though?

Yes, the authorities say: With Vienna re-opening hotels and restaurants/cafes/inns on 20 December, the nationwide lockdown in Austria comes to an end.

Travel to Austria for touristic purposes is possible for vaccinated and recovered people.

However, if you havent received your booster jab, you need a negative PCR test on top.

The rules as published appear ambiguous and The Independent is seeking clarification.
Lil Nas X, Innovator of the Year, attends Variety's Hitmakers Brunch presented by Peacock | Girls5eva on December 04, 2021 in Downtown Los Angeles.

Michael Kovac/Getty

Lil Nas X is trying out laughter as the best medicine after he tested positive for COVID-19.

The two-time Grammy Award winner, 22, revealed he's contracted the coronavirus Friday in a series of since-deleted tweets, making light of the illness with some jokes after confirming his condition isn't too serious.

"Now that I'm sure I won't die from COVID I will now begin making mildly funny jokes about having it," Lil Nas wrote in one tweet, according to Uproxx.

He then compared the rapidly spreading Omicron variant to B2K alum Omarion. "I'm not sure whether I've had the Omarion or Alicia Keys variant of COVID but this has not been a fun journey," he posted.

RELATED: Lil Nas X, Coldplay Drop Out of U.K. Jingle Bell Ball After Team Members Test Positive for COVID-19

A rep for Lil Nas X did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

Lil Nas X performs onstage during iHeartRadio 103.5 KISS FMs Jingle Ball 2021 Presented by Capital One at Allstate Arena on December 7, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois.

Daniel Boczarski/Getty

"I only talk to people who have COVID now. U non-COVID bes need to stfu. Us COVIDers run this s!" Lil Nas wrote in one tweet before adding in another: "COVID really sucks. Last night I was tryna watch porn then I sneezed snot all over penis lmao."

Lil Nas X also mentioned his COVID diagnosis in a tweet celebrating his hit single "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" making it onto Barack Obama's list of favorite music, movies and books of 2021.

"Started running around the house in excitement when I saw this, then I remembered I have COVID lol," he wrote in another tweet captured by Hollywood Unlocked.

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The "Industry Baby" artist's tweets come after he pulled out of his performance at Capital FM's Jingle Bell Ball, along with Coldplay, after members from both of their teams tested positive for COVID-19. British rapper ArrDee and rocker Tom Grennan were added to the lineup in their absence.

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RELATED VIDEO: Doctor Says Fully Vaccinated People Are Going to Test Positive with Omicron: 'Our New Normal'

"We'd like to wish the very best and a speedy recovery to Coldplay, Lil Nas X and their teams," Capital FM wrote in their statement. "Of course, everyone at Capital is absolutely gutted, but the show must go on..."

RELATED: SNL Cancels Live Audience, Charli XCX Performance for Paul Rudd-Hosted Episode Due to COVID-19 Omicron Variant

Cases of COVID-19 are on the rise in the United States and around the world as the Delta and Omicron variants continue to spread at rapid rates. On Friday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 43 people across 22 states were identified as having the Omicron variant in the first eight days of December.

As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from the CDC, WHO and local public health departments. PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMe to raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, click here.
DENVER  After the Cincinnati Bengals opened December with consecutive losses, head coach Zac Taylor blamed himself.

Taylor said he was responsible for the Bengals not getting a play off before halftime in Week 13. He was responsible for the delay of game on the two-point conversion. He took the ball out of quarterback Joe Burrows hands in overtime in Week 14.

These moments led to the Bengals sliding out of the playoff picture. But on Sunday against the Denver Broncos, the Bengals took a massive step back into the postseason mix.

In a 15-10 win for the Bengals over the Broncos, Taylor pushed the right buttons. After one of the worst starts of the season for the Bengals offense, Cincinnati created just enough momentum down the stretch.

Doc: It was a well-planned Bengals' victory that young teams grow from

Analysis: What we learned from the Cincinnati Bengals Week 15 road win over the Denver Broncos

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor smiles while walking off the field after the NFL football game on Sunday, Dec. 19, 2021, at Empower Field in Denver, Co. Cincinnati Bengals defeated Denver Broncos 15-10.

"It was a tough, all-around performance by the whole team," Taylor said. "It was no panic and great poise."

In the moments that decided a game between two playoff hopefuls, the Bengals looked like an experienced team with a postseason berth in their grasp.

Broncos head coach Vic Fangio mismanaged the clock at the end of the first half, and Taylor took advantage of the opportunity. After Fangio let the clock bleed and settled for a 51-yard field goal that missed, the Bengals got the ball back with nine seconds left in the first half.

Following a timeout by Fangio, Taylor called a 19-yard pass to wide receiver Tyler Boyd. Then he gave McPherson a shot for a franchise record 58-yard field goal, and McPherson gave the Bengals a 6-3 halftime lead.

Cincinnati Bengals kicker Evan McPherson (2) celebrates a 53-yard field goal on a hold from punter Kevin Huber (10) in the first quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver on Dec. 19.

In the middle of the third quarter, the Bengals had 4th down at the Broncos 8-yard line. Instead of going for it, Taylor chose to kick the field goal, take a 9-3 lead and trust his defense. With the way the Bengals defense was playing, it was the right call.

"Youve probably been able to tell by my tone this week that Ive got a ton of respect for the Denver Broncos and a ton of respect for their coaching staff," Taylor said. "Fifteen-to-ten sounds about right sometimes when you play them."

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On the following series, the Broncos took a 10-9 lead on a 25-yard touchdown throw from backup quarterback Drew Lock to wide receiver Tim Patrick. With the Bengals needing to hold serve, Burrow got his first opportunity of the game to create a big play down the field.

The Bengals had the perfect play.

Coaching against Fangio, one of the most influential and successful defensive coordinators in the NFL, Taylor said an offense needs to stay patient. With multiple safeties down the field in zone coverage and a setup thats designed to take away big plays, offensive play callers have always had to set up big play opportunities over the course of the game.

With 41 seconds left in the third quarter, the Bengals got their moment.

"Their defense makes you panic because its so hard," Taylor said. "I was really proud of our offense taking what they were giving us, being patient and not overreacting."

On the preceding drive, the Bengals established the run on a field goal drive. It created the opportunity for a play action pass, and Taylor called the play the Bengals leaned on in massive moments this season against the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Baltimore Ravens.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd (83) scores a touchdown in the second half the NFL football game on Sunday, Dec. 19, 2021, at Empower Field in Denver, Co. Cincinnati Bengals defeated Denver Broncos 15-10.

As Burrow rolled out of the pocket, he found wide receiver Tyler Boyd wide open down the field for a 56-yard touchdown pass. The Bengals took a 15-10 lead, which held the rest of the way.

"Thats a great call by Zac," Burrow said. "Thats a play we have repped in practice all week. Its a credit to him. He saw what they were doing to us when we got on the ball and kind of hurried it up. Thats a credit to him."

The Broncos forced the Bengals to win a game where their pass game and their run game werent consistent. This wasnt the style of game that the Bengals have been playing all season, but all that mattered was the win.

It was a game where the Bengals played with their third-string right tackle and their second-string right guard against one of the best defenses in the NFL. It was a game where the Bengals starting linebacker, running back, safety and No. 1 cornerback dealt with injuries.

And the Bengals left Denver in first place in the AFC North.

"Its like that sometimes, not every game is going to be throwing for 300 yards," Burrow said. "Theyre a really, really good defense  We made plays when it counted."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Bengals schedule: Much needed win over Broncos in Week 15
Lava is seen through the window of a kitchen following the eruption of a volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma (Jon Nazca/Reuters)

They were with firefighters as they battled blazes in California and at the Olympics in Japan when Belarus tried to force one of its athletes to return home against her wishes.

Others followed rescue workers out into the Mediterranean where they saved migrants trying to reach Europe, including a boat where a fire had badly burned a Libyan family. They also captured space explorations and the success of farmers using boats to save their cattle from flood waters in Canada.

Below is a selection of some exceptional Reuters pictures taken in 2021 along with the stories behind the shots, directly from the photographers who took them.

Jon Nazca

There is something astonishingly beautiful and hypnotising about seeing a volcano erupt. But its a different thing entirely to spend day after day next to a volcano, listening to the incredible noise it makes, the shaking of the ground, the gases that make breathing so difficult, and the ash that falls constantly on your head.

Four days after the eruption started, I landed on the Canary island of La Palma. I was struggling to find somewhere to stay and at last I found a house on the outskirts of town. I was worried about my safety; the house felt too close to the exclusion zone. However, it had amazing views of the Cumbre Vieja volcano, the perfect place for a photojournalist.

I wanted to capture an image showing what the inhabitants of La Palma were experiencing. I was able to access the house next door with my colleague Miguel Pereira. I went straight to the window in the kitchen and began to set up. Miguel had left a glass of water in the sink and I liked the human element this brought  the warmth of the home contrasting with the heat of the volcano outside. Its an everyday image, a kitchen the same as any of us might have, but while you are washing dishes, outside a volcano is erupting.

The image is disturbing, even threatening. It could be your house, your kitchen.

Debris flies following an Israeli air strike, amid Israeli-Palestinian fighting, in the Gaza Strip (Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters)

Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

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I have covered four wars since 2002, and Ive lived through many difficult times, including the 11 days of fighting between Israel and Hamas this year. The Israelis would sometimes fire roof-knock munitions  a smaller missile fired at the top of buildings in Gaza to warn its residents to leave. The stronger missiles that followed would shake the whole area.

On the 11th day of covering the bombing of Gaza City, I went back to Khan Yunis, a city in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, to see my family. After a few hours, I received news of the Israeli armys threat to bomb a familys house in the middle of the citys market. Israel has said it provides advance warning for civilians to leave and targets structures where it believes militants are operating. I was exhausted from the previous days covering the war and I hadnt slept the night before from fear of the bombing in the area I was staying. But I rushed to the scene to capture what happened.

I asked around to make sure I knew exactly where the house was and stood with multiple buildings in front of me so I wouldnt get hit by any stray shrapnel from the bombing.

When the warning missile hit, there was complete silence from crowds of people who had gathered to watch. Next, multiple high-explosive missiles bombed the house.

Through my lens, I watched as people ran away from the scene shouting God is great. Others moved closer to film the attack with their mobile phones while police tried to move the crowds away as there were still unexploded missiles. No one was injured or killed in the attack.

In previous coverage of the bombing operations, we saw flames and smoke coming out of the buildings, but this time, the houses furniture, doors, windows and stones appeared in front of me flying through the air. I felt for a moment that the life of a family, like my family, was vanishing. I left the scene feeling that there is no safe place in Gaza.

A composite image of five separate photographs taken with a fixed camera shows the International Space Station in silhouette as it passes across the Sun (Irakli Gedenidze/Reuters)

Irakli Gedenidze

About a year ago I got interested in astrophotography. I have always been fascinated by overcoming challenges, and shooting the transit of the International Space Station (ISS) across the sun provided many obstacles.

The station transits the sun three to four times a month where I live, but you have to know the exact coordinate of where on earth it will be visible. In reality, due to weather and other problems, you can capture this event only once or twice a year with an astrocamera attached to a telescope that follows the movement of the sun. A tiny cloud or slight increase in humidity can ruin the moment, which lasts between 0.5-2.0 seconds. A special filter is required to avoid eye damage.

I left the house before dawn to set up near Tbilisi, Georgia. About 1 minutes before the moment, I felt the most nervous and kept checking the focus. I didnt know until I got home and examined the images on my computer that I had successfully captured this rare moment. After editing and combining five separate frames, you can see that the ISS passed right next to a dark sunspot.

My next challenge is to capture the ISS passing in front of the prominences of the sun  a bright, gaseous feature that extends outward from the suns surface, only visible using a special filter.

A man is detained by police after a fight broke out during a Loudoun county school board meeting in Ashburn, Virginia, US (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

Evelyn Hockstein

US classrooms have become a political battleground as several Republican-led states enact rules to limit what can be taught in public schools about Americas troubled legacy of race relations. I covered local news in Virginia and expected an upcoming school board meeting in Ashburn on this topic could become heated. But I did not imagine that police would haul two people away in handcuffs.

A crowd of hundreds flooded the hearing and quickly became unruly, prompting the school board to shut it down and walk out. Pandemonium erupted. I noticed a commotion at the opposite side of the room and a group of police officers. I worked my way towards the disturbance, but my view was blocked. I jumped onto an empty chair and climbed several rows across the seats to get closer to the action. I looked down and saw police restraining a man with a bloody mouth. A man behind me grabbed my sleeve and shouted at me to move. I was unsure if he was trying to take pictures with his cell phone or was attempting to stop me photographing the scene, but I ignored him and kept taking photos.

Though I was surprised how the night devolved, the chaos and rage that I photographed ultimately felt like another reflection of the tensions that have been playing out across the country for years.

A Libyan man, who suffered severe burns while he fought a fire on a migrant boat, and his daughter, also injured in the fire, wait to be taken to safety off the coast of Lampedusa in the Mediterranean (Darrin Zammit Lupi/Reuters)

Darrin Zammit Lupi

I spent several weeks during the summer of 2021 on board the NGO migrant rescue ship Sea-Watch 3, operating in the central Mediterranean. During that time, we carried out several rescue operations. The second rescue took place at sunrise on 30 July  a boat carrying 64 people off the Libyan coast.

We arrived at the small overcrowded wooden vessel and saw that the migrants had horrific burns caused by a fire. Someone had been smoking a cigarette close to some jerry cans full of fuel, and one of them suddenly ignited.

Without a moments hesitation, Osama, a Libyan man travelling with his wife and six children, had grabbed hold of the tank as it was engulfed in flames and flung it overboard.

His action in my eyes makes him a hero and undoubtedly saved lives. But Osama was severely burned on his arms and legs. His 12-year-old son was left in critical condition with horrendous burns all over his body and two of his daughters were badly burnt on their hands and feet.

What I witnessed will stay with me for a very long time. The sight of burnt flesh peeling off people as they groan, moan, cry, scream in unspeakable agony is not something one forgets.

Later that evening, with Osamas son rapidly deteriorating, and the very real fear that he would not survive the night, the Italian Coast Guard agreed to medevac him to Lampedusa together with 14 other injured people and family members. This photo was taken as we waited for the medevac to take place. In tears, Osama tightly held onto his 16-year-old daughter, both very clearly in pain and under intense shock, a paradoxical moment of poignant, heart rending, exquisite silent beauty amid the horror.

From Lampedusa, they were immediately flown by helicopter to Sicily where they spent several weeks recovering in hospital. Once fully recovered, the whole family was reunited and after a brief period in a migrant centre they were relocated to Germany.

Belarusian athlete Krystsina Tsimanouskaya is escorted by Japanese police officers at Haneda international airport in Tokyo (Issei Kato/Reuters)

Issei Kato

I received a report that a Belarusian Olympic athlete was about to be forced to return home against her wishes and was seeking help. While rushing to the airport I found out the situation revolved around track and field athlete Krystsina Tsimanouskaya but no one seemed to know where she was or what was going on.

Arriving at Tokyos Haneda airport, I happened to find her, standing alone and looking anxious surrounded by several police officers, near the check-in counter. A short distance away, other Belarusian athletes and officials were checking in for their return flight. I managed to confirm that she was the athlete seeking help from the Olympic accreditation hanging from her neck and informed her that I was a Reuters photographer covering the situation. There were only a few media outlets there, but I hoped my presence would act as a deterrent to anyone trying to force her away or harm her.

She asked the Japanese police for help and they decided to move her to another location inside the airport. I captured the moment when they helped her with her bags and she walked to safety.

Tsimanouskaya eventually defected and a few weeks later she was reunited with her husband in Warsaw, where the couple said they plan to make a new life for themselves. She has applied for Polish citizenship so she can run for that country and I would love to photograph her at a future track and field event.

A firefighter works as the Caldor Fire burns in Grizzly Flats, California (Fred Greaves/Reuters)

Fred Greaves

As a photographer covering wildfires in California, 2021 was one of the most challenging years that I can remember. A severe multi-year drought along with sustained hot and windy weather created multiple mega-fires that were unpredictable and quickly consumed hundreds of square miles.

It can take hours to navigate around large wildfires in remote areas, so proper planning is critical to make sure you are in the right place. I also have to wear safety equipment and check on weather conditions and local fire activity so I dont become trapped.

Firefighters were conducting a nighttime controlled burn to clear brush out after temperatures cooled and the wind had died down to protect homes that were potentially in the path of the Caldor Fire in northern California.

They lit backfires at the base of a hill, expecting it would burn at a moderate pace. Instead, the flames quickly raced up the side of the hill, creating the swirling curtain of fire that silhouetted one of the firefighters. It was yet another example of the unpredictable nature of wildfires.

A cow is lowered by helicopter after its summer sojourn high in the Swiss Alpine meadows near the Klausen pass, Switzerland (Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters)

Arnd Wiegmann

In parts of Switzerland, cows spend the summer months in the lush mountain pastures of the Alps. In the region of the Klausen pass, which is 1,948 metres (6,391 feet) above sea level, more than a thousand cattle were due to come back down at the end of August.

Sometimes they need a little help making the trip. A farmer told me that about 10 injured cows would be flown out by helicopter the day before the rest of the herd made the annual Alpine drive, or Alpabzug.

The cows hung from the helicopter in a special suspension harness on a long rope and were brought down one by one in quick succession to a plateau near the top of the Klausen pass. Waiting farmers and a flight technician received them and quickly released them. Surprisingly, they appeared very calm and did not seem to be anxious after their flight.

A US border patrol officer grabs the shirt of a migrant trying to return to the United States along the Rio Grande river, after having crossed into Mexico to buy food (Daniel Becerril/Reuters)

Daniel Becerril

The United States was holding hundreds of Haitian migrants at a camp in Del Rio, Texas. Many of them told me they were forced to stand in long lines in the intense heat to receive only one piece of bread and a bottle of water per person every day. They dont give us food. They want to starve us, the migrants told me.

Many migrants crossed back over the Rio Grande river to search for food and water in Mexico. At first, the US Border Patrol allowed them to cross the river dividing the two nations. But by the late afternoon, the migrants were ordered to leave the river and return to camp. The agents drove their horses at them, waving something that looked like a whip. I cant get out of my head what I heard one Border Patrol agent say, Go back to your shitty country.

When I took this photo, I was standing in the river with water above my waist. One agent leaned over on his horse and grabbed the shirt of a Haitian migrant clinging to bags of food as he attempted to cross the river and return to the US camp. I stayed in the river until dusk taking more photos, being careful not to cross over the border line and avoiding the dangerous currents that have drowned many migrants.

Often my work brings me close to acts of cruelty. I hope this photo will remind the world of the humanity we all share regardless of race, nationality, social class or lifestyle.

A man attempts to fire a rocket-propelled grenade, falling to the ground as he is hit by gunfire and then retrieved by onlookers, during a violent protest in Beirut, Lebanon (Aziz Taher/Reuters)

Aziz Taher

I had heard about shooting at a sit-in for supporters of Hezbollah and the Amal movement in front of the Palace of Justice in the Tayouneh area of Beirut, an area known during the Lebanese civil war as the front line. I entered the area cautiously and took cover in a corner of a building. The civil defence was helping citizens caught up in the violence, and I decided to follow them.

I watched as a fighter crossed into the middle of the street with an rocket-propelled grenade launcher on his shoulder and prepared to launch a missile. I took several pictures of him before he fell to the ground. The moment happened quickly and it was painful to watch, a persons life ending before your eyes.

Capturing scenes like this affects me, bringing back memories of the civil war, but I take these photos to capture the pain of conflict, to try to make people think twice about war as a first option.

Cows stranded in a flooded barn are rescued after rainstorms in British Columbia, Canada (Jennifer Gauthier/Reuters)

Jennifer Gauthier

In November, massive floods and landslides devastated parts of the Canadian province of British Columbia, with a storm dumping a months worth of rain in just two days. In Abbotsford, a city to the east of Vancouver, I saw that I could jump a barrier and walk along the now-closed highway. I walked down to where the highway ended and the flood water began. A group of farmers stood on the highway looking over at a submerged barn and stranded cows in the distance, hatching a plan to get them to shore. Shortly afterwards the police arrived to clear the highway and asked myself and my colleague Jesse Winter to leave. We firmly but politely declined and they said they would let us work while they cleared the highway, but they would return.

The farmers headed out to the barn in boats and a Sea-Doo. A man in a hovercraft did loops around the barn to corral the cattle. The farmers tried a variety of techniques to get the cows to cross over to dry land, but they werent having it.

Eventually the man on a Sea-Doo tied a leash to a cows halter and swam it across. A group of men pushed and pulled it up to shore. They kept the cow on shore so the other cows could see that one of them had made it over safely, and repeated the process with the rest.

Migrants are brought ashore by the RNLI, police officers and Border Force staff, after having crossed the channel, in Dungeness (Henry Nicholls/Reuters)

Henry Nicholls

Thousands of migrants a year flee wars and poverty in the Middle East and Africa and make a perilous crossing over the English Channel for a better life in Britain. The Channel is one of the worlds busiest shipping lanes and currents are strong. Human traffickers typically overload the dinghies, leaving them barely afloat and at the mercy of waves as they try to reach British shores.

In November, after several days of high winds and large swells in the Channel, there was a 24-hour break, which would make crossings less dangerous. I expected that a large number of migrants would attempt a crossing that day, even with temperatures near freezing.

The potential stretch of coastline for landings is vast. However, using a mix of rescue vessel tracking and shipping forecast apps, its possible to identify likely crossing points.

The image shows a boat of migrants, with several children, disembarking on the beach in Dungeness. It was the fourth or fifth boat to be escorted to shore that day by rescue crews from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

The children were remarkably calm. However the adults on board showed an overwhelming sense of relief. They were emotionally and physically exhausted, well aware of the extreme risk they had taken.

I recognised the boy in the colourful chequered outfit from pictures taken by my colleague Gonzalo Fuentes of a group leaving the French coastline earlier in the day. It was a wonderful relief to know that they were safely across, after six hours at sea.

Reuters
Houston, Texas--(Newsfile Corp. - December 19, 2021) - Raffay Alvi is educating people to navigate through the crypto space through his Discord group The Crypto Network.

Raffay Alvi, better known as The Crypto Network on social media, is a crypto enthusiast and content creator who pursued his passion to create an entire network of hundreds of thousands of members. Helping navigate them through the Crypto World, the 25-year-old from Houston, Texas has gained millions of traffic through his videos on social media platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, and the direct community he has created on his Discord: The Crypto Network.

Raffay Alvi, Founder of The Crypto Network



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

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Raffay has had over 6 years of cryptocurrency experience within the markets over the years. He is a Crypto Enthusiast, Entrepreneur, and Self-Made Millionaire who strives to make a difference in the Crypto World- one day at a time. He shares knowledge, information, research, and insight that he has accumulated during his many years of experience.

The Crypto Network is one of the world's largest crypto communities, with over 140,000+ members in Discord at the time of writing this release. Primarily focusing his time towards his Discord community & socials, Raffay created a community of knowledge, information, and insight to help his members focus on the important topics of Cryptocurrency.

Raffay spends over 8-12 hours a day working directly with his community on social media, offering educational content, sharing his ideas, and providing insight on areas that users find most interesting. Raffay makes no guarantees other than the fact that he concentrates on personal experiences, how he trades on a day-to-day basis, and sharing his knowledge of the cryptocurrency world.

The Crypto Network publishes free content via social media platforms such as TikTok & YouTube, but it also includes a very successful VIP Club. Members can get in-depth content while still working with a tight knit community and following trades and signals. With over 5,000+ vouches and testimonials, The Crypto Network's VIP Club seems to be the most successful resource that can be offered with its community access.

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The Crypto Network



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

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The Crypto Network is ranked statistically as the #1 Crypto Community Discord via Discord's official explore page while users search through the listings of "Crypto". The Crypto Network was one of the first Direct Crypto Community Discords to focus on helping and educating users to navigate through the Crypto Space. This focus has gradually advanced and made a mark throughout social media, bringing millions of traffic towards the ideas, concepts, research, insights, and information surrounding Cryptocurrency.

With the amazing growth & success of its community, The Crypto Network aims to continue to succeed and branch further to even more of a larger audience down the line. Raffay aims to continue to lead his following of community members one step at a time, and locate more and more opportunities to provide outlooks where he can successfully continue to share his insight and years of knowledge.

All social media handles for The Crypto Network are below for anyone who would like to follow the continuous insight and information provided that is included within the community.

Discord: https://discord.gg/thecryptonetwork

Website: https://thecryptonetwork.io

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thecryptonetwork

Twitter: https://twitter.com/iCryptoNetwork

YouTube: https://thecryptonetwork.io/youtube

Instagram: https://instagram.com/thecryptonetworkio

Media Contact:



Raffay Alvi

thecryptonetworkio@gmail.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/108073
Wind Gap's Colonial Intermediate Unit 20 transformed their grounds into a sensory-friendly winter wonderland for children to get their COVID-19 vaccines on Thursday.

In an effort to accommodate individuals with special needs and sensory challenges, the facility  which serves Northampton, Monroe and Pike counties with educational, administrative and management services across 13 school districts and three technical centers  partnered with Mt. Bethel Pharmacy and welcomed Santa, Mrs. Claus and their elves to help create a calm environment in which anyone age 5 and up was able to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Mask mandate: Pocono schools react to vacated Department of Health order

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Children with sensory integration disorder which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines as "a condition in which a child has issues receiving and responding to sensory information, such as seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching"  can easily become overwhelmed in environments such as doctors' offices, hospitals and other locations where vaccines are normally distributed.

Offering up a far more casual and holiday-oriented setting for such children, and others who may experience similar conditions, makes the vaccination far more easy for those patients.

"We understand that at times, children with disabilities may have a little bit of anxiety when they come out to be around medical professionals, for doctors' appointments, things like that," Colonial IU 20 Executive Director Dr. Chris Wolfel said. "So we wanted to set the event up so the kids felt comfortable in more of a different type of environment."

Santa's helpers conducted crafting tables as part of the sensory-friendly vaccination clinic at Wind Gap's Colonial IU 20 on Thursday.

Mrs. Claus greeted guests at the door, offering fidget spinners and other toys, while indoors, a small playground, crafting and calming stations, a Christmas movie area provided a pleasant atmosphere for kids to get their shots and boosters without any issues. Young patients were gifted sensory-friendly gift bags and treats after they got their first Pfizer shots or boosters, and given an opportunity to visit with Santa.

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A visit from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms' mascot meLVin certainly sparked joy among the young crowd, as the Puck-Nosed Pladottle roamed across the room and throughout the playground, and of course, taking a moment to hang out with Santa himself.

Patty Roberts, who brought her 5-year-old daughter Ellie out to the clinic, said that she was initially apprehensive about taking her out to get a shot, but once she saw a flyer for the event, she was sold.

"It was important to me, but I was definitely on the fence, so seeing a child friendly, sensory friendly environment for her eased a little bit of my hesitations, and here we are," Roberts said. "With her being so young, I was a bit hesitant, but this environment drew me in."

Mt. Bethel Pharmacy Manager John Chakan said he was pleased with the turnout, after having administered over 100 vaccines in less than two hours.

"I have to say, wow, this has been so successful. People from all over are here, and it just shows that people are paying attention to the seriousness of COVID," Chakan said, adding that he and his team were equipped to dole out up to 500 more doses as of 5 p.m.

The Lehigh Valley Phantoms' meLVin, a Puck-Nosed Pladottle, joined Santa at Colonial IU 20's holiday-themed vaccine clinic in Wind Gap on Thursday.

According to Wolfel, Colonial IU 20 will launch another clinic in January for second doses and boosters as well. In March, another Colonial IU 20 vaccine clinic doled out over 5,500 doses of the Johnson & Johnson Vaccine to educators across the region.

Medical professionals are continuing to push vaccines as one of the primary ways in which to protect against COVID-19, especially now that children ages 5 and up are eligible to get their shots, especially after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's recent ruling to strike down the school masking mandate. Concerns about the appearance of the omicron variant have also pushed physicians to encourage more vaccinations and boosters for those who are eligible.

Just over 20% of COVID-19 cases in Monroe and Northampton have appeared in those between the ages of 5 to 19; in Pike, nearly 22% of cases fall into that same age range.

Vaccinations among those in the school-age range are picking up across Monroe, Pike and Northampton, though there is still a long way to go.

As of Friday, Monroe reports that 11.2% of 5 to 9-year-olds have had at least one dose of the vaccine, along with 30.3% of those age 10 to 14, and 46.9% of those age 15 to 19. In Pike, 10.9% of 5 to 9-year-olds have had at least one dose of the vaccine, along with 27.7% of those age 10 to 14, and 57.6% of those age 15 to 19. Northampton shows 18.2% of 5 to 9-year olds have had at least one dose, along with 37.3% of those age 10 to 14, and 55.5% of those age 15 to 19.

Brian Myszkowski covers the COVID-19 pandemic in northeast Pennsylvania and is based at the Pocono Record. Reach him by emailing bmyszkowski@poconorecord.com.

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Sensory-friendly vaccine clinic is a holiday hit with young patients
The following is a transcript of an interview with Hamdullah Mohib, national security adviser under former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, that aired Sunday, December 19, 2021, on "Face the Nation."

MARGARET BRENNAN: We learned last week that more than 60,000 Afghans who had helped the US were left behind following the chaos of the Biden administration's scramble to get Americans and those who support us out of Afghanistan. Under Taliban control, Afghanistan is facing a severe crisis: the UN predicts that more than one million children under the age of 5 could die of starvation this winter.

We've spoken with US officials about the Afghanistan withdrawal -- and the day that the elected President, Ashraf Ghani fled the country. But President Ghani has not spoken publicly, and we are now hearing for the first time from Hamdullah Mohib, Ghani's national security adviser in an exclusive US television interview. Although Mohib told us that "we all share the blame" for what happened, that's not what President Biden told the American people. We began by playing a clip of the President for Mohib when we spoke with him earlier.

**BEGIN VIDEO**

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Afghanistan political leaders gave up and fled the country. The Afghan military collapsed, sometimes without trying to fight. We gave them every tool they could need. We provided close air support. We gave them every chance to determine their own future. What we could not provide them was the will to fight for that future.

**END VIDEO**

MARGARET BRENNAN: What do you make of that assessment, did you lack the will?

MOHIB: Absolutely not. The Afghan people made tremendous sacrifices for Afghanistan. I think it's- it would be dishonor to take that away. What happened was the rug was pulled under the Afghans' feet. The decision to talk directly and engage the Taliban and make a deal with the Taliban that didn't include the Afghan government was protested  myself, in this city, about what was going to happen to our government, what was going to happen to us--

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MARGARET BRENNAN: That was the U.S. agreement under the Trump administration with the Taliban that the Biden administration honored.

MOHIB:  Exactly. And those decisions- that decision to talk directly to the Taliban without the presence of the Afghan government and then the full transparency with the Afghan government led to the collapse that happened on- on August 15th.

MARGARET BRENNAN: That was the day that the Taliban seized control. They were already in the city. By the end of the day, they had seized control. Did you have any idea when you woke up that morning that you would be fleeing the country?

MOHIB: No.

MARGARET BRENNAN: When did

MOHIB: In fact, the night before, my staff contacted me and asked if we would- if we should start shredding and burning sensitive documents, and we, I didn't believe that it would be so, so soon. We still thought the Taliban had at least two more weeks until the U.S. presence in Kabul. We had several cities and provinces around Kabul that were still under Afghan government control. But by that morning, by four a.m. that morning, we had lost all of those provinces, plus a key district in Kabul.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So you woke up that morning knowing that the Taliban is essentially knocking on the door of the capital.

MOHIB: Correct.

MARGARET BRENNAN: When did you decide to flee?

MOHIB: Well, about 2:30 pm. The news that came in at that point made me understand that we no longer have- no longer have a consolidated force. There was no single power to control it. Most of them had abandoned their posts. Kabul was a city that was not ready for that kind of fighting. It was a city and its security forces could do crimes. But they weren't ready to fight against the Taliban in a battle- in that. So we- we saw the police and many other forces abandoning their posts and not turning up to work that day. But what happened at 2:30 was that I got the news that two helicopters, one that was part of the president's fleet, was hijacked by a rogue ANDSF element. And then another was shot.

MARGARET BRENNAN: A rogue soldier?

MOHIB: Yes. I understood that this is the end, that even the airport is no longer secure for- for the Afghan president or anyone else around, and the fight is now going to be inside the city. And that was the only thing left that the president could do to save lives and to ensure that there were still American troops left to be able to secure, because they were in the negotiations. It wasn't the Afghans that were negotiating anymore.

MARGARET BRENNAN: At 2:30, you walk up to President Ghani and you say what?

MOHIB: I tell him, "It's time to leave, sir."

MARGARET BRENNAN: Why?

MOHIB: Because there was no other decision left for him to do. Right?

MARGARET BRENNAN: What do you think would have happened if you'd stayed?

MOHIB: Well, fighting would have ensued. We had- we had two weeks, we could have continued fighting inside Kabul, destroy most of the city, and thousands of people

MARGARET BRENNAN: Who would have been fighting, though? You're describing forces melting away.

MOHIB: Forces, well, whatever forces were left.

MARGARET BRENNAN: But you know, you are harshly criticized, as is President Ghani, for choosing to flee that day.

MOHIB: We had to make a decision that was right for Afghanistan.

MARGARET BRENNAN: What did you take with you on that plane? You know, there's been allegations of corruption and that money was taken.

MOHIB: Look, those are allegations that our people know no person with the right mind would believe. The decision to leave was a very last minute decision. This wasn't 

MARGARET BRENNAN: You didn't take cash with you?

MOHIB: Absolutely not. No.

MARGARET BRENNAN: What did you take with you?

MOHIB: We didn't- we just took ourselves. Most of the people that came on that flight didn't even have another- a change of clothes. So in- in- in Uzbekistan and in the Emirates, even for the president, we had to buy him a change of clothes.

MARGARET BRENNAN: You took helicopters from the presidential palace to another country--

MOHIB: Correct.

MARGARET BRENNAN: There are reports that you had to fly at low altitude because you were trying to avoid the Americans knowing that you were fleeing.

MOHIB: Absolutely.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Why?

MOHIB: Trust was gone. There was no trust.

MARGARET BRENNAN: What did you think the Americans were going to do?

MOHIB: I had asked the Americans for something simple the day before. And it was a test, to say, if this deal doesn't work out  a deal that would have a transfer of power to the Taliban  and if this didn't work, would we be rescued? And the response was noncommittal.

MARGARET BRENNAN: You asked the United States--

MOHIB: I did.

BRENNAN: --to help you evacuate from Afghanistan?

MOHIB: If this deal didn't work, would that be the case? There were intelligence reports, both from Afghan sources, the Americans and a- a- a- an independent, that the plan for- by- not by the Taliban, their sponsors was, they wanted Ashraf Ghani's head. And it's embarrassing enough to have lost our country. We're not going to lose another president; be embarrassed like that in Afghanistan and be killed. What we tried to do was to see if there was anywhere that the president could go and resist and continue to be in Afghanistan. But that was no longer possible.

MARGARET BRENNAN: There was no safe place--

MOHIB: Now--

MARGARET BRENNAN: --in Afghanistan for the president to be?

MOHIB: There was no safe place. Absolutely. Unless he wanted the war to continue, unless we wanted to see a civil war return. What was being discussed in Doha was nothing less than a surrender. And if it is a surrender, why take two more weeks and risk the lives of millions of Afghans and- and then in the end do exactly the same thing anyway?

MARGARET BRENNAN: The argument is now that had you had a peaceful transfer of power, instead of the Taliban taking it by force, that we wouldn't have children starving to death in Afghanistan right now, because money would have still poured in to this new government, even though the Taliban was part of it  that international aid organizations would be able to provide food, oxygen and hospitals--

MOHIB: What is stopping that from now- from happening now?

MARGARET BRENNAN: United States and the world having sanctions on the Taliban.

MOHIB: Well, why? The question is, if we were to give the Taliban exactly what they wanted, then you know, the legitimacy given by the president, but for a surrender? You know, this is not an argument. This doesn't make sense to me.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, this is--

MOHIB: In any way. In any way.

MARGARET BRENNAN: This is the Biden administration would argue, and many Afghans, that there was a very narrow sort of window of opportunity, where in those final weeks, President Ghani could have negotiated an exit that would have avoided the situation and the chaos that ensued. Was there a deal on the table?

MOHIB: There was no deal on the table. This is an excuse. Look--

MARGARET BRENNAN: This is what Secretary Blinken, on this program, said it was there, that he spoke to President Ghani on- on August the 14th. He thought he had a deal and the next day, Ghani fled

**BEGIN VIDEO**

SECRETARY OF STATE ANTONY BLINKEN: I was on the phone with- with President Ghani on a Saturday night, pressing him to make sure he was ready to agree with the plan we were trying to put into effect -- to do a transfer of power to- to a new government that would have been led by the Taliban, but then inclusive and included all aspects of Afghan society. And he told me on the phone he was prepared to do that, but if the Taliban wouldn't go along, he was ready to fight to the death. And the very next day, he fled.

**END VIDEO**

MOHIB: I was--

MARGARET BRENNAN: That's what he says.

MOHIB: I was closely involved in that negotiation. And you know, in fact, you know, I worked out the terms with the Americans on what would be that peaceful transfer of power. It was not going to happen on August 15. It was going to happen when we still had multiple provinces under Afghan control and we still had a consolidated force. The Taliban that day were all over the city and we didn't have, like I said, a consolidated force to keep the order. But that basically means a surrender to the Taliban.

MARGARET BRENNAN: It's been reported you received a text message from one of the Taliban leaders that day on August 15. What did he propose?

MOHIB: Surrender. He said you issue a statement of surrender and then we negotiate. I told him that's not how it works.

MARGARET BRENNAN: You know, the Biden and Trump administration's envoy to the Taliban, Zalmay Khalilzad, the former ambassador who was on this program recently, said the US should have pressed President Ghani harder to make concessions so that there was a peaceful transfer of power. He told my colleague Michael Morrell, that Ghani insisted until the very end he would not leave until a successor was decided in an election. It was late, and Ghani was making demands as if he had won the war rather than he was losing the war. What he is describing is delusion.

MOHIB: Mm-Hmm.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Did you ever say to him, "Mr. President, the Taliban is coming to power, whether we like it or not, we have to take a negotiated deal"?

MOHIB: Yes, he wanted elections because he felt that that would be the way he hands over power, but he's not wrong to think that he was being, he was being assured in every meeting, on every statement that the international community wants to see a democratic Afghanistan, a sovereign Afghanistan, an Afghanistan that's at peace with itself and its neighbors. So we had these four things to look forward to in the--

MARGARET BRENNAN: The United States says President Ghani just wanted to stay in power.

MOHIB: Well

MARGARET BRENNAN: And that's it. He did not want to negotiate his exit.

MOHIB: This was never- this was never clear. There wasn't a U.S. secretary of state or a national security adviser, anyone higher, that has come to Afghanistan, spent a day or two. This is a mission in which we have both shed blood together, made tremendous amount of sacrifices and is worthy of protection  to- to spend a day or two, talk with the president and key leaders in Afghanistan to say, here is what the Americans want to do, right? You're right, we didn't read the writing on the wall. The writing on the wall was that a withdrawal will take place no matter what. We thought that the preservation of the last 20 years, the last two decades mattered, and that is where we, we, we, we, we misunderstood.

MARGARET BRENNAN: President Ghani himself has been described as sort of living in a bubble. Reading books on the grounds of the palace while the country is disintegrating.

MOHIB: I would never believe that just because President Ghani read books led to the collapse of the state

MARGARET BRENNAN: No, but their criticism that he was

MOHIB: I think that's a lame excuse. Whoever presented it- presents it.

MARGARET BRENNAN: But the criticism is that he was out of touch with reality, that he was living in a bubble, that there was corruption and ineptness within the government. You're the national security adviser. You're the one who gives him the hard news, "We have to go." Did you ever give him the hard news, "Mr. President, we have to agree to negotiate our exit here because the Americans are gone. They're leaving us."

MOHIB: President Ghani received hard news every second of the day. Afghanistan was at war. Every minute we lost an Afghan across the country. There was no good news.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Right now there is, as we talked about, no money flowing in to Afghanistan because the Taliban are now running the government. Do you think if you had stayed, That it would have made a difference?

MOHIB: No. If the condition was that a Taliban government be in place, there would have been a Taliban government in place just two weeks later.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So you don't feel a sense of responsibility when you hear about what the UN is saying  that this is going to be a bleak winter of starvation?

MOHIB: Absolutely! Of course I feel responsible. I feel responsible now and I feel responsible then. I think what- what the outcome is is unfair to the Afghan people. A decision was made to include and be able to have- to see the Taliban in government, right? And- and-

MARGARET BRENNAN: The United States, the Biden administration agreed to what the Trump administration agreed to, which was the Taliban's coming back into power.

MOHIB: When that decision was made. I think it was important to make assumptions about how there will be collaboration with- with that government in place, and how we're going to deliver aid to people that are in need.

MARGARET BRENNAN: What do you think your biggest mistake was?

MOHIB: We should have understood that the United States and- has made its decision and- and would withdraw under any circumstances. And I think that probably is one of the- one of the reasons we weren't able to secure another outcome.

MARGARET BRENNAN: You felt that you were going to have the United States change its mind based on conditions on the ground?

MOHIB: No, I felt- I felt that our partners, the United States- the United States included believed in a democratic Afghanistan, a place where we were going to preserve the gains of the last 20 years. I thought those gains meant something.

MARGARET BRENNAN: You can watch the full interview on FaceTheNation.com. We'll be back in a moment.

Full interview: DEA Administrator Anne Milgram on "Face the Nation"

Former Ghani adviser says Afghan leaders didn't see "writing on the wall"

DEA chief says agency has seized 15,000 pounds of fentanyl in 2021
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After soaring high above Melbourne Beach via tandem parachute, Delores "Dee" Johnson plopped to a halt on the sand before a small crowd of clapping relatives and well-wishers, crossing a daredevil item off her bucket list.

Johnson, 79, entered Hospice of Health First care in December 2020. She suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and a portable oxygen tank helps her breathe. She said she has wanted to try skydiving for 50 years or thereabouts.

"Amazing!" Johnson said after she was helped into her red wheelchair, catching her breath after landing near the Sand on the Beach dune crossover.

"I mean, it was wonderful. Everybody should do it," she said.

Johnson used to work as a waitress in York, Pa., and Bethany Beach, Del. She has three children, and her husband, Jerry, died six years ago.

She parachuted from the Skydive Melbourne Beach plane Sunday afternoon, as did her daughter, Michele Abod. An Indialantic retiree, Abod worked as a sales manager at JCPenney at the Melbourne Square mall.

We are thrilled to witness Dee fulfill this exciting item on her life-long bucket list. She has been our patient for nearly a year, and today shes going skydiving, Valerie Kenworthy, Health First system director of hospice and palliative care, said via email.

What a perfect example of how choosing hospice care can actually improve your quality of life, even with a terminal illness," Kenworthy said.

"Our goal is to make every remaining moment as fulfilling and meaningful as possible for our patients and their families  and today, we see that happening firsthand. Were so happy to witness this wish come true," she said.

Delores Dee Johnson, a 79-year-old Hospice of Health First patient, comes in for a landing Sunday afternoon near Sand on the Beach in Melbourne Beach.

More coverage: Merritt Island WWII Navy veteran, 94, takes honorary flight on biplane from Titusville

Related: Palm Bay WWII nursing cadet, 94, presented military honors by Hospice of Health First

Story continues

An hour before parachuting to earth, Johnson met Skydive Melbourne Beach personnel at the Sand on the Beach parking lot.

"She'll fly right over the Intracoastal  gorgeous view  right across the causeway and hop over beachside. She's going to fly over like 'Baywatch,'" said Jeff Holmstock, Skydive Melbourne Beach co-owner. "She's going to be jumping from over 2 miles up. She's going to have about 30 to 45 seconds of what I call Superman flight time.

"That's free-fall, but there's no falling sensation. It literally is like you're flying across the sky," he said.

Delores Dee Johnson, a 79-year-old Hospice of Health First patient, glides over Melbourne Beach in a tandem parachute Sunday afternoon.

The Skydive Melbourne Beach group took flight aboard a Cessna 182 jump plane from Melbourne Orlando International Airport, circling the barrier island before Johnson's jump.

"Oh, she's a bad-ass lady. Always has been. Always up for adventure," said Johnson's niece, Roxanne Laney. She flew to town Saturday from Fort Worth, Texas, to watch her aunt skydive.

"She's a really artsy, craftsy lady. She's been ill for at least a decade. She's definitely with it  she's never lost her sense of humor, or her spunk," Laney said.

Next on her bucket list, Johnson said she hopes to go on a long ride on a Honda Gold Wing motorcycle.

"I would like people to know that, just because you're in hospice doesn't mean you're dying tomorrow. Enjoy your life and have fun," Johnson said.

"It's not about laying in bed and waiting," she said.

Rick Neale is the South Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, click here.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @RickNeale1

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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: West Melbourne woman in hospice fulfills lifelong dream of skydiving
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One of the most dramatic storylines to come out of 2021 was the unprecedented state of the labor market. America learned terms like the Great Resignation and the Big Quit. Businesses that were eager to reopen after pandemic shutdowns couldnt hire enough staff to meet the demand, no matter how much they offered to pay. Corporations across the country doled out big signing bonuses and imaginative benefits to average applicants.

Find: 24 Tips To Change Your Career and Land Your Dream Job

See: 10 Risky Career Moves That Can Pay Off

Will 2022 remain an applicants market? What new trends will emerge  and what should todays job hunters do to prepare for tomorrow?

GOBankingRates asked the experts.

Labor Shortages Will Continue To Steer the Job Market

Nikki Attkisson, CEO of the Powdersville Post, the flagship publication of the South Carolina Media Group, believes it will still be a job-seekers market in 2022.

Theres plenty of data to back up that assertion. Indiana Universitys Kelley School of Business recently predicted that labor shortages will continue to be a running theme throughout the new year.

That means more opportunities for first-time job seekers to land decent positions if they play their cards right, Attkisson said.

Check Out: Companies Hiring for 2021- And Beyond

That Could Lead to Higher Salaries in Lower-Tier Fields

The labor shortages that defined 2021 have been forcing salaries up in higher-paying fields all year long. In 2022, that trend will likely filter down the food chain.

Job seekers can expect higher salary offers in many industries, not just in tech, science, or medicine, said Paul French, founder and managing director of executive e-commerce recruiting site Intrinsic Search. Labor shortages resulting from an amalgamation of factors such as retiring workers, an aging workforce, and limits on immigration will continue to push employers to raise salaries to attract top talent. It is important to know your worth to leverage this prediction.

Story continues

See: When To Consider Job-Hopping To Maximize Your Pay

Businesses Will Focus on Employee Experience and DE&I

Higher salaries are only part of the response to the economy-wide labor shortage that appears poised to continue into 2022. Another big part will be a focus on employee experience.

Companies are now making it a priority to ensure that their employees are happy, they have a sense of belonging, they feel a sense of fulfillment, and that they have the resources, tools, and the support that they need, said Dr. Shirley Davis, president and CEO of HR strategy firm SDS Global Enterprises. Diversity, equity, and inclusion is going to continue to be a primary focus in 2022 for job seekers. 80% of workers have also said that they want to work for a company that is diverse and that values equity and inclusion. Companies will need to make sure DE&I is embedded in everything that they do, including their values, policies, practices, performance expectations, leadership development, and cultural competence.

Find: The 26 Highest-Paying Jobs That Let You Work From Home

Freelancers and Inexperienced Workers Will Find Opportunities Beyond the Entry Level

The high rate of turnover caused by the Great Resignation is forcing many companies either to pay a premium for more experienced employees or to hire cheaper newbies and train them on the job.

I expect many of them will opt for the second option, Attkisson said. Alternatively, they might increase their reliance on freelancers to offset some of the workload. Both first-time job-seekers and freelancers share a common advantage over more experienced full-timers. If they could just keep their compensation expectations marginally lower than those of full-timers, they will easily have the edge in the market.

Read: 10 Steps To Help Get Your Career Back on Track

The Hiring Process Will Speed Up

Its very likely that 2022 will see an expedited hiring process as employers move faster to secure talent in a tight labor market.

Speed of hire is now a competitive edge, said Lisa Hennessey, chief people officer for Happy Money. For job seekers, this will mean that you may have multiple companies running you through their recruiting process quickly to beat the competition to offer.

Hennessey suggests that you manage the expectations of hiring teams and be transparent with your timeline.

If you receive multiple job offers, its okay to let the companies know that you have other offers to consider and will need time to evaluate which opportunity is best for you, she said. Be careful not to take too much time as it could be considered a lack of interest in the company or role or the perception that you may be pitting offers against each other. Companies want to know they are engaging with someone who is honest and transparent, just as much as you want that from them.

Discover: 30 Odd Jobs That Pay Insanely Well

Skills That Match the Realities of the Times Will Be in High Demand

Its no secret that the pandemic changed the way America went to work. In 2022, many changes that were supposed to be temporary fixes will start to become permanent.

With the emergence of the Omicron strain and following travel bans, it seems like the coronavirus and the isolated world as we know it today is here to stay, said David Farkas, founder and CEO of The Upper Ranks.

Hennessey agrees.

While many companies initially planned to be back in the office this fall, were seeing an increasing number of employers announce that their return to the office is postponed indefinitely  largely in light of the COVID variants. I anticipate this trend toward remote, hybrid, and fully distributed work will only continue to climb in 2022.

The workers who have the skills needed to implement those transitions will be in high demand.

So, the applicants proximity to the company location is no longer relevant, but their skills are of utmost importance, Farkas said.

Because of the shift to remote work, e-commerce and online marketing, Farkas believes the following skills will be among the most highly sought after in 2022:

Data analysis

Social media marketing

Website development

Campaign management

More: 5 Things To Negotiate at Your Job Other Than Salary

Tips for Job Hunting in 2022  and Beyond

Brian Snedvig, CEO and founder of resume and cover letter service provider Jofibo, provides the following tips:

Start creating a shortlist based on interview timelines: It can take more than three months to complete the interview process and some people simply dont have that time. It makes sense to start creating a list of companies you are confident, or perhaps even sure because of research and networking you have already done, have a short interview process.

Your name is your brand  make sure it appears the same everywhere: Assume that employers are doing Google searches on your name and reputation. If you havent already, you should make an effort to ensure that employers in 2022 can locate your name in the same way, both online and offline. Consider utilizing the middle initial or full middle name if you have a common name. Consider using it at conferences you attend or present at, papers or articles you create or collaborate on, or in one-on-one or group chats.

Avishai Weiss, career and recruiting expert at PeopleSmart, offers this:

Take the time to apply with intent: Dont just mass mail your resume to every open role on the market, but instead, select the positions youre actually interested in and communicate the why in your cover letter.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: How Workers Should Prepare For the Job Market in 2022
Journalism Initiative

This story is part of the Protecting and Promoting Local Journalism Initiative, a project supported by the Yakima Valley Community Foundation and Microsoft Corp. In Yakima County, the initiative involves the Yakima Herald-Republic, El Sol de Yakima and Radio KDNA, whose journalists maintain independent editorial control.

To make a charitable contribution to the Yakima Valley Community Foundation's Community Journalism Fund, visit the foundation's website and click the Give Today button and select Community Journalism Fund.
There were at least 12 homicides on the Yakama Nation in 2020 alone, a rate of about 40 per 100,000 people  more than 10 times the states murder rate. Only counting the tribal community, the rate is alarmingly higher: 109 per 100,000 people. Thats 28 times the states murder rate.

It is more brutal, and we dont know why, Yakima County Sheriff Bob Udell said.
New Delhi: Bisleri International, a packaged drinking water firm, has created Bisleri@Doorstep, a smartphone application that provides D2C (Direct To Consumer) service. Customers will be able to order packaged water through the Bisleri app and have it delivered to their door, just like the rest of their needs. Bisleri is currently available in 26 cities, and customers can use it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

During the Covid-19-induced shutdown, the company began delivering mineral water to customers' doorsteps, which sparked the concept for the app. To make the procedure more user-friendly and accessible, the company launched a one-stop e-commerce platform where customers can access all of the company's items.

With the debut of the Bisleri mobile app, consumers will be able to place and track orders more easily. Users can also sign up for a membership to ensure that they have access to fresh mineral water on a regular basis. The software, which is available for both Android and iOS, will deliver the order to the customer's doorstep within 24 hours. "Bisleri has strengthened its commitment to provide convenience at the consumer's doorstep with the launch of the app," the firm said.

Bisleri International's CEO, Angelo George, stated that the company will use the data acquired by the app to construct consumer profiles and will also activate a tailored communication network to help the company's interaction with its customers.

Bisleri has become the first company to deliver packaged drinking water to customers' doorsteps, thanks to the debut of the Bisleri@ Doorstep mobile app. "The number of people who subscribe to our service is steadily increasing. Our website has seen a significant rise in traffic, which is really encouraging. "We are convinced that as a result of the launch of this application, subscriptions and traffic will increase at a faster rate," Angelo stated.

Bisleri's e-commerce platform currently offers 48-hour direct-to-home delivery. The development of the application, on the other hand, will take half the time that the website does.

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Aries Weekly Horoscope

You should be mindful of your safety this week. Dont be adventurous without thinking of the consequences. If you have been experiencing health issues, you must consult a doctor. A change is likely to take place, mostly due to factors that are beyond your control, resulting in loss of money, job or breakup. You may turn your back on certain people who have been a cause of pain in your life. Be careful with finances, unexpected loss of money or possessions is indicated.

Taurus Weekly Horoscope

You will be full of enthusiasm, energy & ready to put your plan into action. However, dont rush into action without planning. Your relationship is set to move forward. You will be spending some quality time with your spouse. Going out for a coffee or taking a trip, you will be together. There could be a job change or you may start a new venture. Projects will gain momentum. Get things done and complete important tasks, but not in haste. Money is coming in but be careful with your spending.

Gemini Weekly Horoscope

Your work and family will keep you busy this week. You will be struggling to maintain balance in different aspects of life- money, family, work, relationships. Pay attention to money, time and resources. There may be some temporary cash flow issues, but it could be managed if you watch your expenses. In business, there could a financial decision to make or some unexpected expenses may come up. Try to strike a balance by making time for your relationship, do not neglect your spouse.

Cancer Weekly Horoscope

In love, go with the flow but ensure there are an equal give and take of emotions and feelings to maintain a level of trust and mutual respect. Those seeking love will be guided towards a new partner, and you will know what you truly want from your prospective partner. You will be able to strike a fine balance between work and family life. Your hard work and efficiency on the work front are likely to be appreciated. Financially, things look good and investment is likely to bring returns.

Leo Weekly Horoscope

Success and accomplishment of goals are indicated. Your hard work will pay off and you will achieve great status in your field of profession. You will enjoy good social status and reputation at your workplace. Someone experienced and grounded will offer support and guidance in your career. Finances will be stable. Be supportive of your partner, and together you can achieve a lot. Settling down or marriage is also on the cards for some of you.

Virgo Weekly Horoscope

The mantra for this week is to keep going! The results of your hard work will not be instant but definitely, there is progress. Slowly but surely, you will see that efforts put in every day pay off. If a raise or promotion is due, you should ask for it. Be patient in low. A gentle nudge to you is to be not a workaholic but enjoy life a bit. There is more to life than just work. Be financially responsible and good with savings.

Libra Weekly Horoscope

Things will be going well in your career and new opportunities could prove profitable. Negotiations with business associates will go well and you will be able to handle any situation tactfully. Your finance are set to get better. There will be love and affection in your relationship. But uncertainty and lack of commitment may prevent your relationship to progress. If you are single, you are like to meet someone you will have an instant liking for. You will be gentle, charismatic and diplomatic in dealing with pressure situations.

Scorpio Weekly Horoscope

There is financial growth & investment opportunity. Pay attention to practical details and set realistic goals to succeed. Follow a measured and balanced approach in financial matters. Money is coming your way in the form of a bonus or promotion, but you will have to put in more effort and work harder. It is a good time to make a long term investment. In love, wait for some time before taking your relationship to the next level. Do not take any hasty decision regarding job change.

Sagittarius Weekly Horoscope

There will be financial stability and support; you will feel closer and connected to your friends and family. While you will be generous and sensitive in helping a friend in need or a friend will offer help to you. You will be in a position to pay any outstanding debts You will receive emotional support from your partner. They will be helpful in achieving your goals. Maintain a balance in your relationship. There is financial stability & your finances look in order. You may find investors who will help your business grow.

Capricorn Weekly Horoscope

Don't try to force an outcome; it is not a time for action. In love, you may not feel happy with the ways things are going. There could be a lack of commitment from your partner, or you may be unwilling to commit to the relationship. There will be delays in projects or the signing of contracts. If you have to make a career led decision like a job change or starting a new business, do not take any decision as of now. Be patient as you need to invest more time in planning.

Aquarius Weekly Horoscope

Relationships, work and money issues may be weighing you down. You will be responsible and committed in your relationship but it may be demanding at this point of time. There will be more work and responsibilities at work than you can handle comfortably. You will feel burdened overworked with too many projects to handle, so try to delegate some work to relieve stress. Financially, you may be struggling with debt repayments or managing expenses. Try seeking the help of a financial advisor and plan your resources.

Pisces Weekly Horoscope

You will be overcoming a difficult situation, and leaving something behind in order to move towards something better. Emotional strife is about to end and its time for your relationship to progress. Put the past behind to make way for something positive and brighter. The stressful period in your work and financial struggles may be getting over. There could be a change of job or improvement in the position. There will be financial stability but be responsible while spending.

(These Tarot Card predictions are by Chhavi Upadhyay, who is a Delhibased, intuitive Tarot Practitioner & Consultant, you can contact her at tarotchhavi@gmail.com)
New Delhi: The four labour codes on wages, social security, industrial relations and occupation safety, health and working conditions, are likely to be implemented by the next fiscal year as at least 13 states have pre-published draft rules on these laws, a senior official said.

The Centre has already finalised the rules under these codes and now states are required to frame regulations on their part as labour is a concurrent subject.

A senior official said that the four labour codes are likely to be implemented by the next fiscal year.

"The four labour codes are likely to be implemented in the next financial year of 2022-23 as a large number of states have finalised draft rules on these. The Centre has completed the process of finalising the draft rules on these codes in February 2021. But since labour is a concurrent subject, the Centre wants the states to implement these as well in one go," the official said.

Union Labour Minister Bhupender Yadav in a reply to the Rajya Sabha earlier this week had said that the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code is the only code on which the least number of 13 states have pre-published the draft rules.

The highest number of draft notifications are pre-published on The Code on Wages by 24 states/UTs followed by The Industrial Relations Code (by 20 states) and The Code on Social Security (18) states.

In his reply to the Upper House, the minister explained that labour is in the Concurrent List of the Constitution and under the Labour Codes, rules are required to be framed by the central government as well as by the state governments.

The central government and some of the States/UTs have pre-published rules under the four labour codes. The central government is pursuing with the remaining state governments to frame the rules under all four Codes, he had said.

The central government has notified four labour codes, namely, the Code on Wages, 2019, on August 8, 2019, and the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, the Code on Social Security, 2020, and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 on September 29, 2020.

However, the Centre as well as states are required to notify rules under the four codes to enforce these laws in respective jurisdictions. Under the Codes, the power to make rules has been entrusted to the Central Government, State Government and appropriate Government and there is a requirement of publication of Rules in their official Gazette for a period of 30 or 45 days for public consultation.

As per the minister's reply, draft rules are pre-published by 24 states on The Code on Wages.

These states are Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Odisha, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Tripura, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Goa, Mizoram, Telangana, Assam, Manipur, UTs of Jammu and Kashmir, Puducherry and GNCT of Delhi.

Similarly, the 20 states which have pre-published draft rules on The Industrial Relations Code are Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Odisha, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Tripura, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, Manipur, Assam, Goa, UTs of Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry.

As many as 18 states have pre-published draft rules on The Code on Social Security. These states are Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Assam, Gujarat, Goa and UT of Jammu and Kashmir. Also Read: Apple could launch its AR/VR headset by next year: Report

As many as 13 states have pre-published draft rules on The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code. These are Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Punjab, Manipur, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh and UT of Jammu and Kashmir. Also Read: PM Kisan 10th instalment: Select farmers could get Rs 4000 next week, check how

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New Delhi: Mahanagar Gas Limited, a government gas utility company, has increased the prices of compressed natural gas (CNG) and piped natural gas (PNG) in Mumbai by Rs 2 per kg and Rs 1.50 per SCM. The CNG price hike is likely to impact about eight lakh consumers across Mumbai and nearby areas around the financial capital. The increase in the prices is done on a per standard cubic metre (SCM) basis.

Mahanagar Gas Limited announced the price hike via a Tweet. ''MGL announces the revised prices of CNG as  63.50/Kg and PNG  38/SCM in and around Mumbai w.e.f. midnight of 17th December 2021'', the company had said.

MGL announces the revised prices of CNG as . 63.50/Kg and PNG . 38/SCM in and around Mumbai w.e.f. midnight of 17th December, 2021.  Mahanagar Gas Ltd. (@mahanagargas) December 17, 2021

Mahanagar Gas Limited has increased the CNG and PNG prices for the second time in three weeks. With the latest revision in the prices, CNG price has been increased by Rs 16, burning a hole in the common mans pockets. The CNG price hike is also likely to impact taxi and auto drivers, bus operators and private vehicle owners. Also Read: PM Modi urges mayors to launch cleanliness, beautification drive in their cities

In an order, MGL clarified that the decision to increase the prices of CNG was reportedly taken to meet the shortfall in domestic gas allocation. The company added that it reportedly sourcing additional market-priced natural gas to meet the demands for both CNG and PNG. Also Read: India will achieve $400 billion export target this year: Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal

Here is the list of the latest CNG prices in top Indian cities:

City Price per Kg

Delhi Rs 53.04 per kg

Mumbai Rs 63.50 per kg

Chennai Rs 35.44 per kg

Kolkata Rs 35.71 per kg

Bengaluru Rs 55.00 per kg

Gurugram Rs 61.10 per kg

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New Delhi: Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal asserted that this year (2021-22) India will achieve USD 400 billion export target, something which has never happened before.

Further, talking about the new markets which will help India to achieve the said export target, Goyal said, "The United Arab Emirates will become a gateway for Indian trade to the Middle East and Africa and we may set up a huge India mart to tap that market."

"Talks on India-UAE Free Trade Agreement is underway. They have committed USD 100 billion for investment and infrastructure creation in India," Goyal said. Also Read: PM Modi urges mayors to launch cleanliness, beautification drive in their cities

Goyal made the following comments on Saturday after laying the foundation stone for the mega common facility centre at the Santacruz Electronics Export Processing Zone in Mumbai. Also Read: Zee Top 50: 'Up-Yogi' is there, then who is 'Main-Yogi'- Akhilesh Yadav

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New Delhi: In Delhi, at least 2.5 lakh students dumped private schools to take admission in the government schools because of the improvement made by us in the public education system, said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday (December 19) while addressing the Kayasth Samaj Sammelan.

"Within six years, we have improved the condition of govt schools and 2.5 lakh students have joined government schools leaving the private ones. 99.7 per cent results have come with the help of the same teachers.

The leader further lashed out at other political parties for "not being able to improve" the condition of government schools in the national capital and said that these parties have "deliberately kept India poor.

"I am very new to politics and it's just 7-8 years that I have taken over the responsibility as the CM of Delhi. My party improved the condition of government schools in Delhi.

But according to my observation, other political parties have deliberately kept India poor, they have failed to improve the condition of government schools in Delhi",

Adding on to the health-related facilities in the public schools, Kejriwal said, "even the govt hospitals and dispensaries were in bad condition which is now giving competition to the private ones".

The CM has also assured the residents of Delhi that all treatments including the expensive ones will be free of cost in Delhi government hospitals.

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi: After the Golden Temple incident, another incident of a man beaten to death over an attempted sacrilege in a Gurudwara has been reported in Punjabs Kapurthala village on Sunday (December 19). The police are investigating the matter.

The accused was reportedly trying to tamper with the Nishan Sahib (the Sikhism symbol) placed inside the Gurudwara when a group of people reported the incident.

According to news agency ANI, a video that went viral, the man who allegedly committed the sacrilege of Nishan Sahib was seen being beaten by the locals.

This comes after a man was beaten to death in Amritsar after he barged into the Golden Temple and attempted to sacrilege the holy Guru Granth Sahib with a sword.

Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Sunday assured a probe in the matter, adding the accused came inside the Gurudwara premises with the intention of sacrilege.

Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal expressed shock over the Golden Temple incident and said there was a deep controversy involved in the matter.

Further details are awaited.

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New Delhi: In another one of its moves to plunder MCD, the BJP has sold 13 parking complexes to the private mafia at throwaway prices, informed Senior AAP Leader and MLA Atishi. It has additionally waived off their property tax incurring crores in losses, she said, adding that about Rs 30 crore could have come to MCD's exchequer if these 13 parking lots were sold in the correct manner.

The BJP has not only sold off 13 parking lots of the MCD but also waived off house tax worth crores of rupees to help the private mafia. Atishi further said that BJP ruled MCD has repeatedly failed to pay salaries of its employees because of its scams and BJP leaders antics of killing all of MCDs revenue sources. The BJP constructed only 14 parkings after promising to build 100 multilevel parkings in its 2012 election manifesto, she informed. Atishi also said that about one crore vehicles are present in Delhi but legal parking is available merely for one lakh vehicles. Leader of Opposition North MCD Vikas Goel said that fearing being out of power after the upcoming elections, the BJP has made up its mind to bankrupt the MCD. He added that the BJP does not leave house tax even on 50 yards of a common man's land, but has waived house tax worth crores for their friends. With little time left in its rule of the MCD, the BJP is committing corruption brazenly in broad daylight.

Addressing BJPs misgovernance, Senior AAP leader and MLA Atishi said, We have been repeatedly seeing for the last several years that under the BJP-ruled MCD, workers have been going on strike every two-three months  be it Safai Karamcharis, doctors, nurses. They strike because the MCD does not pay their salaries on time and cite the excuse of not having enough funds. On the other hand, when we take a look at their sources of income, it is found that every single revenue source has been tainted with corruption by the BJP. One of the major revenue sources for the MCD is through parking, and plays a significant role in MCDs budget. However, every kind of illegality and malpractice has plagued Delhis parking policy. This is why the income which should be generated through parking for all three MCDs, doesnt reach the MCD vault  the money which should be put towards paying the workers salaries goes into the pockets of the BJP leaders. Hence, on one hand, the Karamcharis, the doctors, nurses, are all distressed for they are not receiving their hard earned money. And on the other hand, Delhis common public faces trouble every time they need a place to park.

She added, Currently, there are around one crore cars in Delhi. It is MCDs responsibility to arrange parking for all one crore of them, but the legal parking spaces which are available with the MCD can only accommodate one lakh cars. This means all other parking arrangements are illegal, and do not provide any revenue to the MCD. In 2012, BJP had promised that it would solve the parking problem faced by Delhiites by building 100 multilevel parking complexes. However, by today they have only created 14 such operational multilevel parkings. When it comes to charging money in the form of fees and conversion rates, then all markets and shopkeepers are immediately issued notices asking them to deposit money for commercial parking being created in their area. But no actual work is being done in developing said parking spaces.

She further said, A few days ago, we observed that the 13 multilevel parking complexes, which were meant as an important revenue source for the MCD, were auctioned off to private players at odd prices below the market rates. These include parking complexes at Shiva Market in Pitampura, Gandhi Maidan, Rani Bagh, Eidgah, Shastri Park, Rajinder Nagar, U and V Block & AC Block in Shalimar Bagh, Madipur Metro, Udyog Nagar Metro, Punjabi Bagh Metro, Nangloi Metro, and Mundka Metro. So the various possible revenue sources for the MCD were sold off to private mafia by the BJP at strange and low prices. Clearly, they are acting out of fear and haste as they are well aware that they are going to be ousted from power in the MCD in a matter of months. Hence they have decided to sell as many assets of the MCD to private players as they can  this is their last opportunity to amass as much money as they can to fill their pockets.

Atishi continued, Today, the papers that have come forward reveal that the BJP-ruled MCD did not just incur losses on these parking deals but also inflicted a significant dent on their revenues by waiving off property tax on these deals to benefit their friends. This property tax can not be waived off by the MCD itself. They have to bring a resolution to the house and get it passed from there. From all 13 of these parkings, property tax amounting to around 30 crores per annum could have been earned by the MCD, which was waived off through a special resolution in the House. We ask the BJP that have you made up your mind to completely plunder the MCD vaults empty before they are voted out in the upcoming elections? Your leaders and councillors are already found indulging in flagrant extortion in every street and locality in Delhi. So in any case your councillors do not let any revenue reach the MCD and the little money that the MCD was earning through parking and property taxes have been cut at the source by you. The BJP is filling its pockets by colluding with private players and selling our parking off to them at lower prices, and then waiving off property taxes for their friends.

North MCD Leader of Opposition Vikas Goel said, In the last 15 years all the BJP has done in the MCD is incessant corruption. They have now realised that they are about to be kicked out of power so now they're not even trying to hide their corruption. They're doing it in broad daylight. Imagine the kind of relationship they enjoy with the mafia that they keep waiving off fees and kill their revenue sources. Everyone knows how the MCD has incurred a loss of over ten thousand crore because of the MCD not seeking advertising payments. Instead the BJP puts up its hoardings for free all over Delhi. If the MCD runs the 13 parkings it has on its own then it can earn thousands of crores in revenue but they don't want to do so. They just want to earn commission and fill their pockets. It is MCD's right to collect house tax but the BJP got that waived off too. Be it any barren property, MCD has the right to collect its taxes. The BJP is always ready with notices to people who dont pay their house taxes.

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New Delhi: Congress on Sunday (December 19) demanded a time-bound SIT probe into an alleged land scam involving the Assam Chief Minister`s family. It alleged that a company owned by Assam CM`s wife and relatives has illegally grabbed government land.

Addressing a joint press conference, Congress leaders Gaurav Vallabh, Ripun Bora, Jitendra Singh and Gaurav Gogoi said: "Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, on one hand is showing hard-handedness in evicting poor and deprived families on the ground that no one has the right to illegally take over the government land, but on the other hand he is handing over the government land worth crores of rupees to his family members on his own whims and fancies," they alleged.

The Congress alleged: "As per an investigation by leading media houses, a real estate company, RBS Realtors, Co-founded by the chief minister`s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma is allegedly occupying around 18 acres of government land intended for landless individuals and institutions."

The party alleged that RBS Realtors Private Limited acquired most of the 18 acres in two stages, first in 2006-2007 and then in 2009.

Individuals, who are landless and needy, are granted ceiling surplus land by the Assam government and are prohibited from selling that land for a 10-year period.

"In 2009, a total of 11 bigha three katha and four lessa (i.e. 3,01,674 square feet or 6.92 acres) of ceiling surplus land in Bongora intended for and allotted to supposedly needy individuals by the government of Assam was bought by Himanta Biswa Sarma`s wife`s company, violating the 10-year lock-in period," it said.

"A total of seven plots in North Guwahati were allegedly allocated to RBS realtors between 2008 and 2009 Plot 1- 4.37 acre land: Assam government allotted 4.37 acre ceiling surplus land to Lalmoti Talukdar on condition that it couldn`t be sold for ten years. Barely two months later, on January 28, 2009, Talukdar sold 3.19 acres of the 4.37 acre to RBS Realtors Plot 2- 1872 square feet land: Assam government allotted 1,872 square feet (0.042 acre) ceiling surplus land to Basanta Nath with a 10-year lock-in period for sale," it said.

"In 2017, 23.61 per cent of the Rs 100 face value shares of Vasistha Realtors were transferred to Meena Bhuyan, mother of Riniki Bhuyan Sarma and mother-in-law of the chief minister.

On September 16, 2019 -- barely 18 days after Himanta Biswa Sarma`s son Nandil Biswa Sarma became an adult -- Meena Bhuyan transferred her shares to him. As of FY-20, the chief minister`s son owns 23.61 per cent shares of the company," the Congress alleged.

Gaurav Vallabh said that a sitting CM, whose family is directly "involved in land grabbing", has no right to remain in power.

Himanta Biswa Sarma should be sacked from his Chief Minister`s post immediately, Gaurav Vallabh added.

All unlawful land transfers to the aforementioned realtors must be immediately cancelled and provisions must be made to provide alternate land to the landless and needy people whose land was unscrupulously taken away, the Congress demanded.

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Jaipur: A Kenyan national lady passenger of age 33 who arrived from Sharjah on Sunday (December 19) was intercepted by the custom officials on the basis of Look Out Notice (LOC) received from the Immigration Officials.

As per the LOC, the Pax had provided the same reference mobile number in the Visa application as provided by 2 other Uganda lady passengers who were intercepted by Customs Officials at Delhi Airport on December 13, 2021 with 12.9 KG Heroin worth Rs 90 Crore.

On suspicion of being part of a syndicate involved in smuggling of Narcotic/ Psychotropic drugs, the baggage of the Pax was thoroughly checked, by emptying the contents of the plastic suitcase of the Pax and conducting its X-ray examination.

The empty suitcase appeared to be heavier than usual. X-ray examination of the suitcase revealed the presence of some organic material in lump/powder form.

A thorough physical examination of the said suitcase revealed the presence of false bottoms on the upper and lower sides of the suitcase which were cut open to reveal the presence of two big paper envelopes, one each neatly stuck on both sides using a strong adhesive.

On examination, the paper envelopes were found to contain whitish (off-white) coloured substance which was in the mixed form of small lumps / granules and powder, and Preliminary testing using the Drug-Detection (DD) Kit revealed the substance to be Heroin.

The heroin has been seized Pax has been detained and further investigation is under progress.

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New Delhi: The Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE), Agra conducted a flight demonstration of Controlled Aerial Delivery System of 500 kg capacity (CADS-500) on Saturday (December 18, 2021), informed the Ministry of Defence on Sunday.

As per the Ministry, ADRDE, Agra is an R&D laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the flight demonstration is part of a series of activities organised towards celebrating `Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav`, commemorating 75 years of Independence.

#WATCH | Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE), Agra conducted a flight demonstration of Controlled Aerial Delivery System of 500 kg capacity (CADS-500) on December 18 (Video Source: DRDO) pic.twitter.com/LtiTuufC86  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) December 19, 2021

The CADS-500 is used for precise delivery of payloads up to 500 kgs at a predetermined location by making use of manoeuvrable capabilities of the Ram Air Parachute (RAP). It uses Global Positioning System for the coordinates, altitude and heading sensors for the heading information during its flight.

The CADS, with its onboard electronics unit, autonomously steers its flight path using waypoint navigation towards the target location by operating controls.

System performance was demonstrated at Drop Zone, Malpura from an altitude of 5000m. The system was para-dropped from AN32 aircraft and then steered to the predesignated landing point in autonomous mode. Eleven paratroopers of the Indian Army and Indian Air Force chased the CADS-500 in the air and landed simultaneously.

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New Delhi: Over a year-long farmers struggle was a watershed movement leading to the fulfillment of political aspirations of a few over-ambitious farmer leaders who were looking for an opportunity to come to mainstream politics riding on the farmer's sentiments.

Bhartiya Kisan Union (Charuni) president Gurnam Singh Charunai has already launched his own political outfit Samyukat Sangarash Party (SSP) which, according to Charuni, would field candidates on all the 117 assembly constituencies of Punjab.

On the other hand, the remaining constituents of Samyukat Kisan Morcha (SKM) have already held a meeting at Samrala in the recent past in which 22 farm union representatives participated and contemplated on their future political course but didnt announce any political outfit.

Vice President of Zamhuri Kisan Sabha, one of the 32 constituents of SKM Rattan Singh Randhawa told Zee News that there was a possibility of announcement of a political outfit in near future. Another political outfit could come under the leadership of BKU (Rajewal) president Balbir Singh Rajewal, he said.

Given the high stake 2022 battle of the ballot, the new political outfits, especially those launched by farmer groups, aim at the anti-incumbency sentiments. Sources didnt rule out the possibility of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has nothing to lose in Punjab but only to gain, supporting the fringe parties.

But the moot question remains how these political parties will make their reach to the common man without having any political cadre and the finances required to meet the election expenditure which runs into crores of rupees for each assembly.

There is hardly any likelihood of farm union leaders spending whatever funds they received during their agitation and no political financiers will bet on them. So, how they are going to arrange for the finances? questioned sources.

The farmers here are celebrating their victory after making the BJP government repeal the three controversial farm laws and they even took out a victory march. But is it really farmers' victory or BJPs?

A political analyst Sarchand Singh is of the view that farmers had not been able to make any amendments in the three farm bills which could have in real terms brought the much-needed agriculture reforms in the state.

He, however, opined that the farm struggle instead helped a few farm leaders to fulfill their political dreams which had now been exposed after they openly came into the political arena.

Be it SSP or any other new political outfit in making by the farmers, they will have to convey their message to the public and inform them about their ideology, agenda, and vision for which they would depend upon resources which they lack unless they are supported by some major political outfit.

Going by the mass base of farmers which can be their prospective vote bank, they largely depend on the Malwa region of Punjab than Majha and Doaba.

Majority of farmers along with their families from Malwa had joined the struggle and stayed at the multiple borders of Delhi and certainly they will vote for us, said a farmer leader aligned to SSP who didnt wish to be named.

Sources informed that the traditional political parties were already halfway through their political campaigns and questioned how the farmers' outfit would even reach their vote bank.

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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (December 19) offered floral tributes at Martyrs' Memorial in Panaji to mark Goa Liberation Day.

Modi is on a one-day visit to poll-bound Goa to participate in the celebrations marking 60 years of the state's liberation from Portuguese rule. Goa Liberation Day is observed on December 19 every year to celebrate the day Indian armed forces freed Goa in 1961.

Goa | Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers tribute at Martyrs Memorial in Azad Maidan, Panaji pic.twitter.com/Vu7sn97t2x  ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2021

Later today, Modi also witnessed a flypast and sail parade at Miramar.

As part of Goa Liberation Day celebrations, PM Narendra Modi attends Sail Parade and FlyPast in Panaji pic.twitter.com/ALeiWwtRBC  ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2021

Notably, Modi's visit comes ahead of 2022 Goa Assembly elections.

As per the Prime Minister`s Office (PMO), PM Modi will inaugurate multiple development projects including the renovated Fort Aguada Jail Museum, Super Speciality Block at Goa Medical College, New South Goa District Hospital, Aviation Skill Development Center at Mopa Airport and the Gas-insulated Substation at Dabolim-Navelim, Margao.

Further, Modi is also slated to lay the foundation stone for the India International University of Legal Education and Research of Bar Council of India Trust at Goa. "Prime Minister will also release a Special Cover and Special Cancellation to mark the commemoration of the Indian Armed Forces freeing Goa from Portuguese rule. This special episode of history is shown on the special cover, whereas the special cancellation depicts the war memorial at Indian Naval Ship Gomantak, constructed in memory of seven young gallant sailors and other personnel who laid down their lives in "Operation Vijay"," the release added.

Moreover, PM will also release `My Stamp` depicting the Hutatma Smarak at Patradevi, which is a tribute to the sacrifices made by the martyrs of the Goa Liberation Movement. "A `Meghdoot Post Card` depicting a collage of pictures of different events during the Goa Liberation Struggle will also be presented to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister will also distribute awards to the best Panchayat/Municipality, Swayampurna Mitras and beneficiaries of Swayampurna Goa Programme," the PMO informed.

(With agency inputs)

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Srinagar: Divisional Commissioner Jammu has requested the Indian Army engineering wing (MES) to assist the civil government in the restoration of electricity after a dialogue with the Power Development Department employees has reportedly failed who are on strike since midnight Friday in Jammu Kashmir.

The electricity distribution work because of this strike has affected common people's life across Jammu Kashmir its left hundreds of consumers across Jammu and Kashmir to reel under darkness as the employees have suspended all the works till their demands are fulfilled.

Those crises had mostly hit Jammu province and some areas of some districts in Kashmir. But in Jammu, hundreds of people are under darkness for the last two days and today it forced the Jammu administration to call army engineers for help for the restoration of electricity.

Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Raghav Langer had requested Indian army GOC 9crops and GOC 16crops who are incharge of Jammu province. The letter read,

 It is brought to your kind notice that due to a strike by Electricity Department personnel in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir, essential services have been severely affected in the Jammu region. We would like to hereby requisition the Indian army to assist in restoration of said essential services by provisioning manpower to man critical electricity stations and water supply sources,

Accepting the government request army has agreed to provide the help to Civil administration. The government has now deployed teams of Military Engineering Services (MES) on a number of power receiving stations across the Jammu zone for restoration of electricity in the areas.

Many political leaders taking dig to LG government have criticised the move and said that its a total failure of the Administration. National Conference Vice President and former Jammu Kashmir chief minister wrote on his Twitter handle "The army has been called to operate the power infrastructure in Jammu division of J&K. There no bigger admission of failure for a civilian administration than to call upon the army, it means a total breakdown of governance has been accepted by the J&K government."

Earlier in the day, the discussions with the representatives of the striking employees failed to persuade them to return to their duties. Around 20 thousand PDD employees from engineers to linemen are on strike in Jammu Kashmir since midnight of Friday.

Those employees are on protest in all the districts of Jammu and Kashmir with the main protest dharna being staged at Jammu and Kashmir.

The protest is against the government's move to merge the J&K Power Development Department into the Power Grid Corporation of India and the handing over of the assets to private companies.



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Alappuzha: Kerala's coastal Alappuzha district was rocked by back-to-back killings of two party leaders, the first belonging to the SDPI and the second to the BJP, leading to clamping of prohibitory orders by police on Sunday.

Following the killing of an SDPI state secretary, a BJP leader was hacked to death subsequently in 12 hours and prohibitory order under CrPC Section 144 was imposed in the entire Alappuzha district on Sunday, district officials said.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan Sunday condemned the killings and said steps will be taken by the police to nab the culprits and those behind them.

The Chief Minister said such heinous and inhumane acts of violence were dangerous to the country and that people should keep away from such groups and their hateful activities.

KS Shan, the state secretary of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) in Kerala, was brutally attacked on Saturday night while he was on his way back home and his party alleged the RSS was behind it.

Shan succumbed to his injuries at a Kochi hospital around midnight, police said.

Hours later, BJP's OBC Morcha state secretary Ranjeet Sreenivas was hacked to death by some assailants who barged into his house on Sunday morning, police said.

Police said it suspects the fatal attack on Sreenivas, also a member of the BJP state committee, was in retaliation to the killing of Shan.

State Police Chief (SPC) Anil Kant, told the media, that senior police officers were camping in the district and additional forces have been deployed there.

He said that ADGP-Law and Order would be heading the probe into the two killings and that the police would soon be rounding up troublemakers, 'goondas' and their leaders in the area to prevent another such incident from happening in the near future.

Kant also said a state-wide alert has been announced and all District Police Chiefs have been directed to closely monitor the law and order situation there and if required, prohibitory orders would be imposed and additional forces would be deployed.

Killing result of failure of state government: Union Minister V Muraleedharan

Terming the BJP's leader's killing as disgraceful, Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan, told reporters here, that had the police taken appropriate steps after the murder of the SDPI leader, the situation would not have escalated to the present level.

He said Sreenivas' killing was a result of the failure of the state government and the police to take precautionary or preventive steps after the SDPI leader's murder.

He also said that according to information he has received, SDPI was behind the killing of the BJP leader.

Muraleedharan said that such incidents were not new in Kerala and alleged that in a similar incident in Palakkad recently, the government and CPI(M) actively protected the assailants.

He said that the Left government in Kerala was giving a free hand to Islamic terror groups and this was making things worse in the state.

The Union Minister said the Chief Minister should change his administration's stance towards such groups and take strict action against them.

He denied allegations that the RSS was behind the SDPI leader's death, saying in that area the struggle for dominance was between the CPI(M) and SDPI and added that police should investigate who is trying to implicate BJP in the matter.

He said that even if Sreenivas' death was a retaliation, as claimed by some, then the Chief Minister should clarify whether it was an 'eye for an eye' system in the state.

BJP's Kerala unit president K Surendran said efforts were being made on social media to equate the RSS with SDPI, which is allegedly the political outfit of the Islamic organisation Popular Front of India (PFI).

He alleged that even the Chief Minister was supporting the PFI as in many municipal corporations in the state the CPI(M) and SDPI were actively supporting each other.

His reaction appears to be in response to the allegation by Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly V D Satheesan that BJP and SDPI were creating communal disharmony in the state.

He also alleged that both groups were engaging in such activities to create political space for themselves and therefore, the state government and the people of Kerala should stay away from such groups.

Satheesan further alleged that the agenda of these groups was to divide the state along communal lines and that the Left government should take stringent action against them.

He said that if the government was intending to capitalise on the situation for its own benefit then such a move would be obstructed by the Congress-led UDF.

SDPI refutes allegations

SDPI's Kerala president, meanwhile, issued a statement refuting allegations that it was behind the killing of the BJP leader.

It said that it was not going to take another person's life in retaliation for Shan's death and that it has faith in the rule of law in the country.

SDPI said the motive behind implicating it for Sreenivas' killing was to tarnish its image.

SDPI leader, Shan, was on his way home when a car rammed into his bike and as he fell down, the assailants assaulted him leading to his death, police said.

Following the BJP's leader's killing, prohibitory order was clamped in Alappuzha.

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Kolkata: Alleging large-scale rigging during the Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections, opposition BJP on Sunday met West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and urged him to take steps to countermand the civic polls.

Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari claimed that there were over 100 instances of irregularities during the polls, and not more than 20 per cent of the electorate could cast votes.

"Most CCTVs were non-functional with papers and stickers pasted on the camera or their connection points pulled out? The chief minister is turning the state into a dictator-run republic,? he said.

Sporadic incidents of violence including hurling of bombs at two booths and skirmishes between political workers marred an otherwise humdrum polling as 63.63 per cent of the nearly 40.5 lakh voters exercised their franchise till 5 pm on Sunday, when voting ended.

High drama was witnessed outside a Salt Lake area house where Adhikari was holding a meeting with party MLAs, after the Bidhannagar city police cordoned-off the entire area and stopped him from leaving for Raj Bhawan, where he was scheduled to meet the Governor, citing a directive of the State Election Commission that non-residents cannot enter the city on polling day.

In a video that surfaced on social media, BJP vice-president Jay Prakash Majumder was seen arguing with police officers, asking them on what grounds were they taking such action.

A deputy commissioner rank officer was heard telling him: "We cannot allow you to proceed to Kolkata as polling is being held and you are not residents of the metropolis."

Adhikari also alleged he was manhandled by a junior police officer, and that the gates of the MLA hostel in Kolkata were locked till 5 pm, preventing eight BJP legislators from attending a legislature party meeting.

Later, the governor, in a tweet, said: ?BJP delegation led by LOP @SuvenduWB has urged the Governor to take steps to declare polls #KMC null and void in view of rampant violence, rigging and @KolkataPolice acting for ruling party. A thorough probe was sought in the locking of opposition MLAs in the hostel.

"Delegation also sought investigation into the virtual house arrest @bidhannagarpc of LOP @SuvenduWB and several MLAs, being reminiscent of emergency. According to them, ruling party Ministers and MLAs had free run with support @KolkataPolice."

A BJP delegation on Sunday evening submitted various footages and documents to the SEC, demanding repolling.

Adhikari said the KMC elections is being monitored by the Calcutta High Court, and the party will also submit footages in support of its claims to the court on December 23.

"I saw her (CM Mamata Banerjee) thanking police for having stopped outsiders. How long will she keep labelling residents of the state as outsiders?? the leader of opposition added.

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Srinagar: In a major success for the security forces, the longest surviving Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist in Srinagar got killed in the Dara area of Harwan.

Inspector General of Police Kashmir Vijay Kumar said its a major success for the security forces and a setback to the terror outfits. He said, The slain terrorist has been identified as Saifulla @ Abu Khalid @ Shawaz, resident of Karachi (Pakistan). He added that he was affiliated with proscribed terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba.

IGP said that he infiltrated in 2016 from Line of Control in north Kashmir and was active in north Srinagar in Harwan and its upper reaches. He added that he was involved in several terror crimes including attacks on security forces establishments and naka parties.

He was one of the most wanted commanders of LeT. Khalid was a resident of Karachi, Pakistan was active since 2016 and was active in Harwan- Dhara belt, IGP added.

The police chief added, In the last one month, three Pakistani terrorists have been killed in Srinagar City. They were involved in several terror crimes including attacks on security forces and were also involved in civilian killings. It shows that Pakistan is hell-bent to disturb peace in the valley especially in Srinagar city, he added.

Earlier, a joint team of police and CRPF launched a cordon and search operation in upper reaches Harwan area of north Kashmir after having input of presence of terrorists in the area. In a brief encounter, security forces succeeded in killing the top terrorist.

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New Delhi: With six new cases of the Omicron variant in Maharashtra, the total tally of the new COVID-19 variant reached 54 in the state on Sunday (December 19).

The five infected patients have a history of international travel two had a history of travel to Tanzania, two others had returned from England and one from the Middle East, PTI reported.

Total six cases were diagnosed today - four of them found during the airport screening in Mumbai. One of these four patients is from Mumbai, two from Karnataka and one from Aurangabad. While two had a history of travel to Tanzania, two others had travelled to England, the health department said in a statement.

All five adults in the age group of 21 to 57 years are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. The sixth patient found infected with Omicron variant is a five-year-old boy from Junnar in Pune district.

"A five-year-old boy, who is a close contact of Dubai travellers from Junnar in Pune district, has been diagnosed with the Omicron variant. The patient is asymptomatic," the statement added.

Out of 54 Omicron cases found in Maharashtra, 22 are in Mumbai, 11 cases are in Pimpri Chinchwad, seven in Pune rural, three each in Pune city and Satara, two each in Kalyan Dombivli (Thane district) and Osmanabad, one each in Buldhana, Nagpur, Latur, Vasai-Virar.

Meanwhile, World Health Organization (WHO) has said infection numbers of Omicron are doubling at least every 3 days. "It is spreading significantly faster than the Delta variant in countries with documented community transmission, with a doubling time between 1.5-3 days. Omicron is spreading rapidly in countries with high levels of population immunity and it remains uncertain to what extent the observed rapid growth rate can be attributed to immune evasion, intrinsic increased transmissibility or a combination of both," the WHO said on Saturday.

As many as 89 countries have detected Omicron cases as of December 16, the WHO added.

(With agency inputs)

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Chandigarh: In a no-holds-barred attack, Punjab minister Rana Gurjeet Singh on Sunday (December 19) called state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu a "political mercenary" and alleged that he has divided the party.

The minister also accused Sidhu of questioning the loyalty of the "true and traditional Congressmen" and said he joined the party just to become the chief minister.

"But sooner you leave better it will be for the party as you have divided and damaged the party from within as if you were pursuing some hidden agenda of your real political masters who are still pulling your strings," Rana said in a statement.

"You are just like a mercenary having joined the party just with the sole purpose of becoming the chief minister, while I have been in the party right from my birth," the minister added, calling himself a "born Congressman".

Sidhu had joined the Congress after quitting the BJP ahead of the 2017 Assembly polls.

The minister said Sidhu is just a "political mercenary bereft of any principles or ideology".

"It is an irony that someone who is basically a political party hopper and has not even spent five years in the party, is preaching and pontificating to people like us who have spent an entire lifetime in the service of the party," he said.

Rana said keeping in mind Sidhu's "unstable and eccentric behaviour", nobody is sure whether he would stay in the Congress or quit the party before the Assembly polls.

The senior Congress leader also questioned intentions of Sidhu in opposing his own government and the CM, saying he has now been "exposed".

"You have been openly criticising our chief minister as you have started feeling jealous and insecure about his popularity among the masses," Rana said.

"As party president, your key responsibility is to keep the party united but you did not leave any stone unturned to create fissures in the campaign committee, manifesto committee and screening committee, which were constituted by the party high command," said Rana.

The minister's statement came a day after the Punjab Congress chief in a dig at a rally suggested that it is the "end of road for Rajas and Ranas".

Sidhu had also backed the candidature of MLA Navtej Singh Cheema from Sultanpur Lodhi, a seat Rana's son Rana Inder Partap Singh is eyeing to contest. Earlier this year, Sidhu had become the state Congress chief amid a power tussle with Amarinder Singh, who had quit the party following his unceremonious exit as the chief minister.

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Ghaziabad: Rajya Sabha MP Dr Subhash Chandra on Sunday (December 19) stressed the need to uplift the poor sections of society. He was speaking at the Vaishya Mahakumbh which was organised in Ghaziabad.

Prominent leaders including Union Minister Piyush Goyal and Rajya Sabha MP Anil Agarwal were also present on the occasion.

The Vaishya society is not as strong as it seems. 80 percent people are still poor or belong to the middle class. Everyone has to be brought together. Everyone has to work, said Chandra.

He added that the politics of freebies hurt the self-respect of the people.

Ahead of the UP polls, the Vaishya Samaj held this event at Nehru Nagar Kamala Nehru Park in Ghaziabad as a show of strength and solidarity.

Speaking at the programme, Minister Goyal hailed the contribution of the Vaishya community in nation-building.

MP Agarwal said that traders from 29 districts of western Uttar Pradesh are participating in this conference.

The purpose of this conference is to show the unity of the traders, he said.

The traders are always with the BJP, he added.

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New Delhi: As the Omicron cases in Delhi continue to witness a rising projection, the Delhi government has announced some preventive steps taken to counter a potential COVID-19 wave. The Kejriwal administration on Saturday (December 19) has allocated 4 hospitals dedicated to Omicron care and to serve as isolation units for the passengers from at risk countries.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday reviewed the situation and said his administration is ready to tackle the new COVID variant.

On Sunday, Rajat Jain, President, Doctors for You NGO said that a 65 bed-COVID ward dedicated to Omicron patients has been prepared in the Commonwealth Games Village under the direction of the Delhi government.

Here is how Delhi is preparing for a potential Omicron wave of the coronavirus.

The Delhi government on Saturday converted four private hospitals into dedicated centres for the treatment of the new COVID-19 variant Omicron.

Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Max Hospital in Saket, Fortis Hospital in Vasant Kunj and Batra Hospital in the Tughlakabad area of the national capital are converted into Omicron special wards.

Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) hospital was designated for the Omicron treatment.

65 bed-COVID wards dedicated to the Omicron patients has been formed in the Commonwealth Games Village.

30,000 oxygen beds are ready and 17,000 intensive care unit, or ICU, beds will be ready by February, Kejriwal announced in November.

Giving assurance to the people of Delhi, Kejriwal said that his government is ready to tackle the Omicron variant of COVID and advised the general public not to panic.

On Saturday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that Omicron, which is classified as a variant of concern, is spreading faster than Delta and has already reached 89 countries.

Delhi has so far reported 22 cases of Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, a COVID committee on Saturday said that a possible Omicron wave is likely in February.

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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (December 19) felicitated the freedom fighters and veterans of Operation Vijay as part of Goa Liberation Day celebrations.

The ceremony was held at Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium in Panaji and Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant was also present during the ceremony.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid floral tributes at Martyr`s Memorial, Azad Maidan in Panaji.

The Prime Minister also inaugurated various development projects in the state and said that Goa has emerged as the best state in good governance.

In his speech, PM Modi remembered one of the integral ministers of the Narendra Modi 201 regime and ex-chief minister of Goa, late Manohar Parikar and said that he was a man of honest character.

The country through the character of Manohar Parrikar Ji saw how honest, talented, and hardworking the people of Goa are. Through his life, we saw that how one can remain devoted to his state, his people till his last breath, said Modi

The Prime Minister arrived in Goa to attend Liberation Day celebrations and received a warm welcome in the poll-bound state.

Goa Liberation Day is celebrated on December 19 every year to mark the success of `Operation Vijay` undertaken by the Indian Armed Forces that liberated Goa from Portuguese rule.

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Goa on Sunday (December 19, 2021) to attend Goa Liberation Day celebrations at Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium in Goa`s Taleigao at around 3 pm.

According to a release issued by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the Prime Minister will facilitate the freedom fighters and veterans of `Operation Vijay` at the function.

Goa Liberation Day is celebrated on December 19 every year to mark the success of `Operation Vijay` undertaken by the Indian Armed Forces that liberated Goa from Portuguese rule.

The release also added that Prime Minister will inaugurate multiple development projects including the renovated Fort Aguada Jail Museum, Super Speciality Block at Goa Medical College, New South Goa District Hospital, Aviation Skill Development Center at Mopa Airport and the Gas-insulated Substation at Dabolim-Navelim, Margao.

PM Modi is also going to lay the foundation stone for the India International University of Legal Education and Research of Bar Council of India Trust at Goa.

It has been the constant endeavour of the Prime Minister to improve medical infrastructure and provide top-class medical facilities across the country. In line with this vision, the Super Speciality Block at Goa Medical College and Hospital has been constructed at a cost of over Rs. 380 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana scheme.

The Goa Medical College and Hospital is the only state-of-the-art super specialty hospital in the entire state of Goa, providing high-end super specialty services. The hospital will provide specialized services like angioplasty, bypass surgery, liver transplant, kidney transplant, dialysis etc. The Super Speciality Block will also house a 1000 LPM PSA plant installed under PM-CARES.

Notably, the New South Goa District Hospital, built at a cost of around Rs.220 crores, is equipped with modern medical infrastructure including OPD services in 33 specialities, the latest diagnostic and laboratory facilities and services like Physiotherapy, Audiometry etc. The hospital has 500 oxygenated beds, 5500 litre LMO tank and 2 PSA plants of 600 litres per minute (lpm).

The re-development of Aguada Fort Jail Museum as a Heritage Tourism destination under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme, has been done at a cost of over Rs. 28 crore. Before Goa`s liberation, Aguada Fort was used to incarcerate and torture the freedom fighters.

The Museum will highlight the contributions and sacrifices made by the prominent freedom fighters who fought for the liberation of Goa and will be a befitting tribute to them.

The Aviation Skill Development Center at the upcoming Mopa Airport, built at a cost of around Rs. 8.5 crore, is aimed at providing training in 16 different job profiles. The trainees will be able to get job opportunities in the Mopa Airport project as it becomes operational, as well as at other Airports in India and abroad.

Gas Insulated Substation at Davorlim-Navelim, Margao has been constructed at a cost of around Rs.16 crores under the Integrated Power Development Scheme of the Ministry of Power, Government of India. It will provide stable power supply to the villages of Davorlim, Nessai, Navelim, Aquem-Baixo and Telaulim.

The India International University of Legal Education and Research of Bar Council of India Trust will be established in line with the focus of the government to transform Goa into a hub of higher and technical education.

Prime Minister is scheduled to also release a Special Cover and Special Cancellation to mark the commemoration of the Indian Armed Forces freeing Goa from Portuguese rule.

This special episode of history is shown on the special cover, whereas the special cancellation depicts the war memorial at Indian Naval Ship Gomantak, constructed in memory of seven young gallant sailors and other personnel who laid down their lives in "Operation Vijay".

The Prime Minister will also release `My Stamp` depicting the Hutatma Smarak at Patradevi, which salutes the great sacrifices made by the martyrs of the Goa Liberation Movement. A `Meghdoot Post Card` depicting a collage of pictures of different events during the Goa Liberation Struggle will also be presented to the Prime Minister.

Additionally, the Prime Minister will also distribute awards to the best Panchayat/Municipality, Swayampurna Mitras and beneficiaries of Swayampurna Goa Programme.

During his visit, at around 2:15 pm, the Prime Minister will also pay floral tributes at Martyr`s Memorial, Azad Maidan, Panaji. At around 2:30 pm, he will attend the Sail Parade and flypast at Miramar, Panaji.

(With ANI inputs)

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Dharamshala: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday said there is no control of the Sangh on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government at the Centre.

"They have different executives, different policies, different working methods. Thoughts and culture are of the Sangh and that is effective. The main people are working there (in the government), they belong to the Sangh and will remain so. There is only such relation and nothing like the media says `Direct Remote Control`, no such control," he emphasized.

Bhagwat`s remarks came while addressing an event of ex-servicemen in Dharamshala.

He expressed grief and condolences on the demise of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and 12 armed forces personnel who lost their lives in the chopper crash in Tamil Nadu`s Coonoor and observed one-minute silence.

About one thousand ex-servicemen attended the event in Dharamshala on Saturday evening and the RSS chief urged them to know more about Sangh.

Addressing the gathering, Bhagwat said, "Governments were against us. There has always been opposition. The Sangh has been running for 96 years by overcoming all obstacles and since so many volunteers are getting ready so they will not keep quiet or sit idle. Wherever there is a need to work in society, they are always available. The works done by the swayamsevaks prove that they do not just run the Parliament, they take the people of the society with them, they are independent and autonomous."

The RSS chief emphasized that Sangh has been continuously working for the society without any publicity, economic force or government assistance.

DNA of all Indians is the same

Mohan Bhagwat also said that the DNA of all Indians is the same.

"The DNA of all the people of India from 40,000 years ago is the same as that of the people of today. The ancestors of all of us are one, because of those ancestors our country flourished, our culture continued," he added.

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Kashmir: In his first reach out to masses, People's Conference president Sajad Gani Lone lashed out at the administration for choking and stifling the voices of the people and creating a pressure cooker-like situation in Kashmir.



Sajad alleged that those at the helm are spreading poison for our future generations. "Those at the helm are mere tourists and will have to return to their respective states in a few years. However, it is the people of Kashmir, our future generations, who will have to bear the consequences of their actions today. This administration is trying to show that they are living in a parallel universe of their own. They are creating a pressure situation by using brute force, threats and coercion. Let me tell the administration that such tactics are counterproductive and have a limited shelf life. I sincerely hope they change course before the situation erupts", he added.



While addressing the gathering, Sajad Lone questioned the National Conference leadership to explain its U-turn on participation in the delimitation exercise. He asked, If participating in the meeting was an endorsement of abrogation of Article 370 in May then how is it not an endorsement in December.



"If something was wrong in May, how could it be right in December? Were they lying then or are they lying now. Or is it again part of an act scripted and directed in Delhi. The NC must come out clean and explain the reasons for a change of heart. What has changed in Kashmir for them to now deem this exercise legitimate? We can't afford duplicity after what happened on August 5", he said.



Sajad asserted that the issue of Article 370 is sacrosanct and it's demand will never die.



"It is not subservient to our raising of the issue. The chapter of Article 370, contrary to what Delhi thinks, is not closed. We will speak truthfully to the people about the status of Article 370. Our stand on 370 is clear. We will fight for whatever has been snatched from the people of Jammu and Kashmir unconstitutionally", he added.



Accusing the traditional parties of being hand in glove with Delhi, Sajad said that in lieu of "political space", these parties have irreversibly damaged the cause of the people of Kashmir.



"People of Kashmir need to understand the concept of political space. Either the traditional parties are actually feeling the pain of the people and advocating for their rights or they are a part of a grand theater. The theatre is scripted, directed and produced by Delhi and they are mere actors enacting their respective roles. They at times have to shout, at times have to cry, at times have to act the martyr," Lone said.



"It is a mutually beneficial deal between Delhi and the two families. In their private meetings, they tell Delhi to do whatever you want to do in Kashmir, kill whoever you want to kill, beat and arrest whoever you want to but give us the freedom to cry, to mourn. They are professional mourners. We believe mourning is a part of the act for them. Unlike us, they are allowed the luxury to mourn and cry on the pretext of granting them political space", he alleged.



Sajad added, Not a single year or a single month has passed since 1989 when the people of Kashmir have not been mercilessly killed or jailed. The people of Kashmir have been the victims of Delhi's excesses for decades now irrespective of which party was in power. Let our memories not fail us.

J&K Peoples Conference President Sajad Gani Lone along with senior leaders of the party addressed a gathering of workers in Shangus assembly segment in south Kashmir.



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Rameswaram: As many as 55 Tamil Nadu fishermen were arrested and 8 boats seized by Sri Lankan Naval personnel on Sunday, an official here said. Chief Minister M K Stalin spoke to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar over phone and requested him to take immediate steps to get the over 50 fishermen and their 8 boats released from Sri Lanka.

"The Union Minister assured immediate action," an official release in Chennai said. Soon after the apprehension of 43 fishermen and seizure of 6 boats from Rameswaram, 12 other fishers of Mandapam area were also subsequently taken into custody. The 2 boats of Mandapam fishermen were also seized, the official said.

Demanding their immediate release, the fishermen association here said it would stage a protest on Monday (December 20) and announced launch of an 'indefinite strike' as well.

Fishermen departed on December 18 from here in over 500 boats and were fishing off Katchatheevu island when 43 of them were arrested and six boats seized early on Sunday (December 19), the Fisheries department official said.

Following their arrest, they were taken to Kangesanthurai camp in the island nation, a fishermen association leader and authorities said. Ramanathapuram MP, K Navas Kani spoke to union ministers and urged them to take immediate steps for the release of the fishermen and their boats.

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New Delhi: A terrorist was killed in a brief encounter with the security forces in the Harwan Darbagh Dhara area of the Srinagar district in the wee hours of Sunday (December 19). The search operation going on

The Kashmir Zone Police informed via a tweet at 4:09 AM that a search is currently going on.

Kashmir Police Chief said, On a very specific information generated by the police, a joint team of Police and CRPF launched a cordon and search operation in the Harwan area. As the terrorist was cordoned, he fired and exchange of fire turned in aN encounter.

As per the latest reports, the slain terrorist seems to be a foreigner. However, verification of the identity is currently being ascertained.

Earlier last week, the Police had claimed to have killed two LeT terrorists in a brief encounter in the Rangreth area of south Srinagar.

ALSO READ | Bulletproof vehicles, new gadgets for Jammu and Kashmir police amid recent attacks

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Mangaluru: Two women labourers were killed when the wall of a house collapsed on them while they were working on its renovation at Karimbila Narladaka in Sullia taluk of Dakshina Kannada district on Sunday, police sources said. The deceased were residents of Narladka.

The two women workers were trapped under the debris after the wall collapsed.

Fellow workers rescued the two and rushed them to hospital. However, doctors declared them brought dead. A case has been registered, the sources said.

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New Delhi: Superstar Alia Bhatt recently attended her close friend Meghna Goyal's bachelorette party on the outskirts of Mumbai with her other girl pals. The actress, although didn't post pictures from the fun-filled event on her social media, featured on Anushka Ranjan and Meghna Goyal's Instagram posts.

In one of the videos, shared by Meghna, Alia was seen dancing to Shah Rukh Khan's song 'Main Koi Aisa Geet Gaoon' from his film 'Yes Boss' along with her besties. In another photo, Alia was seen wearing a gorgeous orange dress with neatly tied hair.

Take a look at the pics from the celebration:

Alia has been very busy with promotions of her upcoming film 'Brahmastra' with Ranbir Kapoor and Ayan Mukerji.

'Brahmastra' features Ranbir as Shiva, a man born with special powers; Alia as Isha, his love interest, and Amitabh Bachchan as his mentor. The film was initially titled Dragon and Ayan Mukerji said the team changed the name to 'Brahmastra' as it was a more appropriate choice.

She will also be seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's magnum opus 'Gangubai Kathiawadi' which will have its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival in February, 2022.
New Delhi: The wedding season in Bollywood doesnt seem to slow down. As per reports, actress Mouni Roy is all set to tie the knot with her longtime boyfriend Suraj Nambiar - a Dubai-based businessman on January 27. Adding fuel to fire, photos of Mouni with her girl gang in Goa have raised speculations that it was her bachelorettes party. In one of the photos shared by her friends on Instagram, Mouni is holding a 'bride to be placard. Also, actress Aashka Goradia, who was part of the celebration, dedicated her post specifically to Mouni.

Sharing photos from Goa vacation Aashka wrote, wonderful time in the company of even more wonderful womenCelebrating Monobinaaaa @imouniroy Blessings and only blessings for this you Mo Mo.

Speculating it was a bachelorette, one fan commented, Celebration for what ? Was that her bachelor party? Mouni also commented on Aashkas post and wrote, My baby I love us.

The actress and her other friends also shared photos from their fun time spent together in Goa.

Check them out:

On the work front, Mouni Roy will next be seen in Ayan Mukerjis  Brahmastra which is slated to release on September 9, 2022. The actress will be playing an antagonist in Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt starrer.
New Delhi: It's no secret that actress Sara Ali Khan and her mother Amrita Singh share a close bond and Amrita's words have a great influence on Sara, especially since Amrita was a starlet herself.

So, it was no surprise when the 'Coolie No. 1' actress revealed that it was her mother's words that encouraged her to adopt a healthier lifestyle and lose weight. In an interview with RJ Siddharth Kannan, she said that her mother, without body-shaming her, explained to her that she needs to get healthy to become an actress and even for her own sake.

She told Kannan, "Jab main bahut healthy thi, unhone mujhe kaha ke behen Tun Tun ka zamana gaya. Toh agar aapko actor banna hai toh you know (When I was healthy, she told me 'listen, the era of Tun Tun has gone. If you want to be an actor, you know). With no body shame involved, she did tell me that I have to be healthier in the other way, the real way. I have to slim down for my own sake also. It was not just the vanity thing, it was also the health thing. That was the time she showed me the mirror."

On the work front, Sara will next be seen in Atrangi Re which also features Akshay Kumar and Dhanush. It will release on Disney+ Hotstar on December 24.

She was last seen in David Dhawans Coolie No 1 opposite Varun Dhawan. The movie is a remake of a 1995 film starring Govinda and Karishma Kapoor.
New Delhi: Newly-married couple in B-Town -- Vicky Kaushal and Katrina Kaif is all set to move into their new house in Juhu.

Several pictures and videos are doing the rounds on social media, which suggest the couple had their housewarming rituals on Sunday in their new apartment.

Vicky's parents -- Sham Kaushal and Veena Kaushal also arrived at their son's new place to attend the puja.

Vicky and Katrina, fondly called VicKat by fans, will be neighbours to Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli.

The newlyweds returned to Mumbai on Tuesday after enjoying a romantic honeymoon, which reports suggest was in the Maldives. The duo had jetted off to the exotic island country after tying the knot on December 9.

The couple had married in a private ceremony at the luxurious Six Senses Fort Barwara in Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan.

Ever since Vicky and Katrina got back to Mumbai, they have been sharing on social media beautiful moments from the various wedding functions.
New Delhi: South actress Pooja Hegde set the internet on fire after she shared a pic of herself clad in a black and white bikini and in a high ponytail. The actress looked breathtaking in the picture and flaunted her toned body in the photo.

In the caption, she proclaimed to fans that messy ponytails are her go-to hairstyles for every occasion.

She wrote, "Messy Ponytails are forever gonna be my go to."

Take a look at the picture:

Fans took to the comment section to shower praises on the natural beauty.

On the work front, Pooja has a countrywide lineup of big-budget films including 'Cirkus' alongside Ranveer Singh, Pan-India film 'Radhe Shyam' with Prabhas, 'Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali' with Salman Khan, 'Acharyaa' with Chiranjeevi and 'Ram Charan', 'Thalapathy 65' opposite Thalapathy Vijay.

She was last seen in the film 'Most Eligible Bachelor' alongside Akhil Akkineni which released on October 15 on the occasion of Dussehra.
New Delhi: Businessman and Shilpa Shetty's husband Raj Kundra was spotted by paps on Saturday (December 19) with his son Viaan. The controversial figure was papped stepping out of Bastian, a restaurant in Bandra, Mumbai while holding his son's hand.

While Raj wore a black hoodie and jeans, Viaan opted for an olive green-grey attire. This marked Raj's third public appearance after he got bail in creation of pornography case.

Take a look at the photos:

Earlier, Raj Kundra was spotted at the airport, yet again in a black hoodie and seemed to be hiding his face from the paps. Before that, he was clicked with Shilpa Shetty at a temple in Dharamshala.

Meanwhile, Shilpa Shetty has flown to Jaipur to attend a friend's wedding and reportedly Salman Khan and Anil Kapoor are also expected to attend the big fat Indian wedding.

For the unversed, Raj Kundra was arrested in July with 11 other people on charges related to the alleged creation of pornographic films.

In fact, he was named as the key conspirator in the case of creating and publishing pornographic films. After spending two months in jail, Kundra was granted bail on September 20 by a Mumbai Court in the case on a surety of Rs 50,000.

Kundra has made a low profile ever since he came out on bail.
New Delhi: All Indian citizens must have an Aadhaar card, as it is the country's primary form of identification. Certain essential services in India, like as opening a bank account, obtaining a driver's licence, and others, require an Aadhaar card and number.

Every citizen of India is required to have an Aadhaar card, according to the Indian government. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) issues Aadhaar cards and numbers, which contain the person's name, gender, date of birth, portrait, and address.

Because most people obtain their Aadhaar cards at a young age, it's probable that some of the information on your Aadhaar is inaccurate or outdated. The date of birth of the cardholder is one example of a common Aadhaar card error.

Don't worry; the UIDAI has now given all cardholders the ability to modify their Aadhaar card's details, including their date of birth, address, portrait, and cellphone number. To modify the date of birth on your Aadhaar card, follow the steps outlined below.

Here is how you can update your date of birth on Aadhaar card:

Go to the official website of Self Service UIDAI, ssup.uidai.gov.in.

On the homepage, select the 'Proceed to Update Aadhaar' option.

Enter your 12-digit Aadhaar number on the page.

Completing the captcha verification is required.

On your registered mobile number, you will receive an OTP.

On the page, enter the OTP.

To change the date of birth, go to 'Update Demographics Data'.

You must now re-verify the information using the OTP sent to your phone number.

You must now provide the relevant documentation to support your request for a date of birth change.

Before making any modifications to the data written on your Aadhaar card, you must first link your mobile number to your Aadhaar card. You'll need to go to an Aadhaar Seva Kendra near you to link your phone number to your card.

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New Delhi: The Central government is all set to roll out the 10th instalment under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) yojana anytime in the coming days. Eligible farmers will be receiving the money directly in their bank accounts anytime soon. However, select farmers could receive Rs 4000 instead of Rs 2000 with the 10th instalment.

Under the PM-KISAN Yojana, the Central government credits Rs 6000 annually to the bank accounts of eligible farmers. The promised sum is credited into the bank accounts in three different instalments of Rs 2000 each.

The PM-KISAN Yojana, which is funded 100% by the government of India, aims to provide financial support to poor and marginalised farmers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the scheme in February 2019.

So far, the government has transferred Rs 1.58 lakh crore directly into the bank accounts of registered farmers.

Currently, more than 11.37 crore farmers are eligible for receiving benefits under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme in India. These farmers are now waiting for the roll-out of the 10th instalment. Media reports suggest that farmers could receive the Rs 2000 instalment by December 25.

Which farmers will get Rs 4000?

So far, the government has transferred 9 instalments under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana. In August 2021, the government had transferred Rs 19,500 crore into the bank accounts of over 9.75 crore beneficiary farmer families. Also Read: Garena Free Fire redeem codes December 19: Check how to get free rewards

However, a select number of eligible farmers hadnt received the Rs 2000 instalment under the PM Kisan Yojana. Such farmers who hadnt received the promised sum will now get Rs 4000 with the 10th instalment. Also Read: Apple could launch its AR/VR headset by next year: Report

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New Delhi: State Bank of India has introduced a 3-in-1 account that offers the benefits of a normal bank account, a Demat account, and an online trading account. The new banking facility for customers will provide them with a simple and paperless trading experience.

Using the account, customers can kickstart their stock market journey, as they will get the benefits of a Demat and trading account with a new banking facility. For the unversed, one needs to have a Demat and trading account to start investing in stock markets.

Customers opening the 3-in-1 account are likely to be able to invest in initial public offers (IPO) to benefit from listing gains. SBI said that customers can visit the 3 in 1 account opening with the e-margin facility to know more about the new service. Also Read: IRCTC Update: Long-distance trains will soon have reserved berths for women

In a Tweet, SBI gave more information related to its new banking facility. Experience the power of 3-in-1! An account that combines Savings Account, Demat Account, and Trading Account to provide you with a simple and paperless trading experience, SBI said. Also Read: LIC IPO unlikely to take place in ongoing fiscal, heres why investors will have to wait a little longer

SBI 3-in-1 bank account: List of documents required

PAN or Form 60

Photograph



Valid Documents for Address Proof:

Passport

Proof of possession of Aadhar

Driving License

Voter ID Card

Job Card issued by MNREGA

Letter issued by National Population Register containing details of name and address

Other documents needed to open SBI Demat and trading account:

Passport size photograph (one)

Pan card copy

Aadhar card copy

One cancelled cheque leaf / Latest Bank statement

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New Delhi: The Delhi Police detained a 23-year-old guy from Kolkata on Saturday for allegedly duping a person via social media under the guise of selling him an Apple iPhone. They also stated that the accused, Vishal Kumar Sekhsariya, is a Kolkata resident. A man was selling Apple iPhones on Instagram when police received a complaint about internet fraud.

The complainant claimed that a bogus Instagram account was created to sell iPhones at a lower price than the market cost, and that the accused defrauded the victim of Rs 48,000 using the digital payment method.

According to a senior police officer, the complainant's bank account statement, the details of the Instagram account, and the email addresses used to verify it were all retrieved throughout the inquiry.

According to the officer, police obtained the mobile phone numbers used to send the e-mails as well as a few IP addresses.

A police team focused on Sekhsariya, the owner of the Instagram account, based on technological evidence. According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northeast) Sanjay Kumar Sain, a raid was conducted in cooperation with local police on Wednesday, and the culprit was seized from his Kolkata apartment.

The accused was taken to Delhi and questioned. According to the DCP, he claimed that he is a final-year college student who works as part of a television programme event management team.

The accused and one of his friends used to defraud individuals under the guise of selling them iPhones. Police stated they are working to apprehend his associate, and that one iPhone 12 was discovered from the accused's possession.

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New Delhi: The month-long Gwadar protests have thrown into sharp relief Pakistans tenuous grip over its domestic narratives. Numerous underlying grievances have found expression in this popular movement by the impoverished fishing and agricultural community. Long-simmering Baloch resentment at being ignored by the Punjabi elite in the countrys development, local economic issues, anti-China sentiments, growing Islamic radicalization, and above all  the sense of humiliation at being treated as second class citizens in their own country, subservient to the interests of the godless Chinese military-industrial complex and the Pakistani states narrow vision of its own identity.

While the immediate causes may appear to be economic in nature, the protestors nineteen demands have more to them than meets the eye. The issue of humiliating check-posts' in Gwadar points to the fawning attitude of every rung of the Pakistan Government towards their Chinese benefactors. In the name of security, an exclusive zone carved out for Chinese workers, consultants and the like, all point to the unequal partnership.

Symptomatic of a larger malaise that plagues the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as a whole, such restrictions, along with numerous accommodations made for Chinese personnel in Pakistan, only serve to alienate the local population, who already suffer from a deep sense of subjugation.

Over its history, not only has the Pakistani state violently crushed expressions of Baloch identity, choosing to put down dissent with an iron first instead of providing democratic outlets for divergent views, it has now relegated the Baloch to a second level of subjugation  to China.

On the one hand, Baloch nationalism has been brutally suppressed and Balochistans natural resources held hostage to the interests of the mainstream Pakistani interests viz. those of the Army and of the Punjabi heartland. On the other, the Chinese are accorded an exalted status, with exemptions for consuming alcohol and pork  otherwise a capital offence in a country where lynching on concocted charges of blasphemy are commonplace. Priyantha Diyawadana, the Sri Lankan factory manager brutalized to death earlier this month in Sialkot, might have been spared his gory end had he been Chinese. The hypocrisy is almost quixotic, and is not lost on the Baloch.

Likewise, the demand for closing down wine shops in the area points to the deep religious offense caused to the local inhabitants. The grievance stems from exceptions for the Chinese, at the cost of local custom and beliefs. Another demand relates to removing restrictions on cross-border trade with Iran. The Baloch live on both sides, and both countries are wary of Baloch solidarity.

However, Pakistan has additional reasons to shut down people-to-people trade and cultural contact. The long-term Chinese presence necessitates a pliant local population, preferably economically marginalized. The very fact that all of Gwadars projects have been designed keeping Chinese preferences in mind, and with no thought to local issues, is indicative of the importance Islamabad attaches to keeping Beijing in good humour, never mind their own Baloch minority or their culture.

More ominously, the protests were led by local Jamaat-i-Islami leader Maulana Hidayat ur Rahman, which speaks of the degeneration of democratic space in Pakistan. That an Islamist party was at the forefront of what were ostensibly local, economic grievances, is a harbinger of the treacherous path ahead. Pakistans Islamists, more so than Islamists elsewhere, stand emboldened by the Talibans march to victory in neighbouring Afghanistan. They harbour dreams of a similar capture of the state in Pakistan. This state has been riding the Islamist tiger from its very inception, having sought to instrumentalize militant Islam without falling victim to it. But there are limits to how long the latter can be staved off.

Islamabads recent flip flop with the Tehreek-e-Labbaik, and their constant fight-truce-fight merry-go-round with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), are merely the overt manifestations of a much deeper fracturing of society. Given the militarys iron hold over power, the lack of any democratic outlets for legitimate grievances, and the States deliberate cultivation of militant transnational Islam as a tool of foreign policy, the strengthening of Islamic parties has always been inevitable in Pakistan.

The Jamaats stewardship of the Gwadar protests, and the absence of Pakistans mainstream political parties from the same, bodes ill for not only the CPEC and the Gwadar project, but the Pakistani state itself.

The Pakistan Government has now acceded to the protestors demands for the time being, and there appears to be calm. However, a storm has been brewing in Balochistan for long, and it threatens to engulf the rest of Pakistan too. These events would also have caused much consternation in Beijing, given the obvious implications for its billions of dollars worth of investments in Pakistan.

There has been a spate of attacks targeting Chinese nationals in Pakistan this year and these are reason enough for a headache for the Communist Party leadership. However, the popular expression of rage in Gwadar complicates the situation considerably more. Isolated terrorist attacks can still be written off as the handiwork of some extreme elements, but a mass agitation involving thousands of people will likely cause China to question its welcome in Pakistan.

Of course, it remains to be seen whether this would be the last straw. Probably not. China has steadfastly expended economic and political capital on its mercurial friend, despite the latter more often than not found teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, sectarian conflict and coups detat. Now, though, the swelling undercurrent of revulsion for China in Pakistans increasingly radicalized society, may eventually lead Beijing to rethink this romance.
THE HAGUE: The Netherlands will go into a strict lockdown over the Christmas and New Year period to try to contain the highly- contagious Omicron coronavirus variant, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Saturday.

All non-essential shops and services, including restaurants, hairdressers, museums and gyms will be closed from Sunday until January 14. All schools will be shut until at least January 9.

"The Netherlands is again shutting down. That is unavoidable because of the fifth wave that is coming at us with the Omicron variant," Rutte told a televised news conference.

Other measures include a recommendation that households receive no more than two visitors and that gatherings outside are also limited to a maximum of two people.

A failure to act now would likely lead to "an unmanageable situation in hospitals", which have already scaled back regular care to make space for COVID-19 patients, Rutte said.

LIVE: de #persconferentie van premier Mark Rutte, minister @hugodejonge en OMT-voorzitter Jaap van Dissel over de laatste stand van zaken rond de aanpak van het coronavirus  https://t.co/cGK738RBkG  Mark Rutte (@MinPres) December 18, 2021

Infections in the Netherlands have dropped from record levels in recent weeks after the introduction of a nighttime lockdown late last month. The Omicron variant arrived as the country was already battling a wave in coronavirus infections.

Cases of the variant have surged since it was first found in the Netherlands three weeks ago, while hospitals are struggling with the large numbers of COVID-19 patients in their wards, near the highest levels this year.

Omicron is expected to become the most dominant variant of the virus in the Netherlands between Christmas and New Year`s Eve, leading Dutch infectious disease expert Jaap van Dissel said.

While more than 85% of the Dutch adult population is vaccinated, fewer than 9% of adults have had a booster shot, one of the lowest rates in Europe.

On Saturday the National Institute for Public Health (RIVM) reported a total of over 2.9 million COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic, with 20,420 reported deaths. There were 14,616 new infections reported in 24 hours.

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Manila: The governor of an island province in the central Philippines said Sunday (December 19, 2021) at least 63 people died in the devastation wrought by Typhoon Rai in more than half of the towns that managed to contact him, bringing the death toll in the strongest typhoon to batter the country this year to at least 112.

Gov. Arthur Yap of Bohol province said 10 others were missing and 13 injured, and suggested the fatalities may still considerably increase with only 33 out of 48 mayors able to report back to him due to downed communications. Officials were trying to confirm a sizable number of deaths caused by landslides and extensive flooding elsewhere.

In statements posted on Facebook, Yap ordered mayors in his province of more than 1.2 million people to invoke their emergency powers to secure food packs for large numbers of people along with drinking water, which he said was an urgent problem since water stations were down during power outage.

After joining a military aerial survey of typhoon-ravaged towns, Yap said it is very clear that the damage sustained by Bohol is great and all-encompassing.

He said the initial inspection did not cover four towns, where the typhoon blew in as it rampaged on Thursday and Friday through central island provinces. The government said about 7,80,000 people were affected, including more than 3,00,000 residents who had to evacuate their homes.

At least 39 other typhoon deaths were reported by the disaster-response agency and the national police. Officials on M Islands, one of the southeastern provinces first pounded by the typhoon, separately reported 10 deaths just from a few towns, bringing the overall fatalities so far to 112.

President Rodrigo Duterte flew to the region Saturday and promised 2 billion pesos (USD40 million) in new aid. Aides said the president will visit Bohol on Sunday.

At its strongest, the typhoon packed sustained winds of 195 km (121 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 270 kph (168 mph), one of the most powerful in recent years to hit the disaster-prone archipelago, which lies between the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea.

Floodwaters rose rapidly in Bohol's riverside town of Loboc, where residents were trapped on their roofs and trees. They were rescued by the coast guard the following day. On Dinagat Islands, an official said the roofs of nearly all the houses, including emergency shelters, were either damaged or blown away.

At least 227 cities and towns lost electricity, which has since been restored in only 21 areas, officials said, adding three regional airports were damaged, including two that remain closed.

The deaths and widespread damage left by the typhoon ahead of Christmas in the largely Roman Catholic nation brought back memories of the catastrophe inflicted by another typhoon, Haiyan, one of the most powerful on record. It hit many of the central provinces that were pummelled last week, leaving more than 6,300 people dead in November 2013.

About 20 storms and typhoons batter the Philippines each year. The archipelago is located in the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire region, making it one of the world's most disaster-prone countries.

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